willg's Profile
Springfield Smoked Fish
Sad news. I loved their fish. I hate seeing the passing of old family businesses like Axlers. I wish them all well.
Springfield Smoked Fish
I was in Springfield just before New Years and dropped by Axler's to buy some whitefish for our traditional New Years Day spread. (I had already bought smoked salmon at Costco). It is indeed an interesting place: when I opened the door, I was right in the factory. I asked for whitefish and whitefish salad. I was asked if I wanted a five pound tub or some of the 8 ounce tubs. I got one whitefish. It was about 20 inches long and weighed over two pounds and came in a brown paper bag with the tail sticking out. How was it? Fabulous. The whitefish was the hit of the brunch and we got to snack on it for the next several days as well. Highly recommended.
Pesach breakfast ideas?
After two or three days of eggs and matzah, and another couple with farfel "granola," I get a little burned out. Does anyone have any ideas for tasty, healthy Passover breakfasts? (and please, not that terrible cereal!)
Springfield Smoked Fish
I believe that the same lox sold at Katz' Bagels in Chelsea. (Katz says that he gets it from Springfield . . .) I like the lox a lot. The website seems pretty unpretentious and not overpriced.
western MA pre/post-hike chow
If you take Rt. 9 in after hiking around Greylock, for dinner you could try Soo Ra at 1 Roundhouse Plaza in Northampton. Lots of people go for sushi, but I particularly like the Korean dishes. The folks who run it are very nice and won't care a bit about your post-hike appearance.
How many roast chickens for 15 people?
I think that the answer is at least four chickens. Four chickens allows the equivalent of one piece of dark meat per person (8 legs and 8 thighs) and enough white meat. Generally, I find that one 4.5 lb. bird is just (barely) enough for four adults.
I also think that the quality of the birds will make a difference. Organic and kosher birds are tastier (to me at least) than basic supermarket birds, but they also seem to disappear from the table at a more rapid rate.
We recently had an organic VT raised bird that we bought at Lionettes in the South End. The price was high, but I cannot remember a tastier chicken.
Best Place to Buy Vintage Port in Boston??
Try Federal Wine and Liquor in Downtown Boston, or the Wine and Cheese Cask in Somerville. Wine and Cheese has a decent selection and knowledgeable staff.
Recipe for Cheryl Ann's Challah? Help?! [Moved from Boston board]
I sort of agree with the above post: Cheryl Ann's is sweeter and eggier than most challot. I do not mind it but it is not as good as the challah that my wife bakes. If you live near Arlington, Quebrada bakes a decent challah. If you are looking for good challah recipes, check out "A Blessing of Bread" by Maggie Glezer. She has excellent recipes and variations for all kinds of Jewish breads.
As for the butter, I am pretty sure that Cheryl Ann's is pareve, and does not contain any dairy. (maybe some extra oil or margarine?)
Where can I buy a kosher chicken near Andover?
Trader Joe's and most Stop and Shops carry Empire Kosher chickens. Also, Larry Levine's Kosher Meat Market and Deli in Peabody.
A good place for a 15-person party?
Over the year or so I have been to three fairly large dinners at local places: Fugakyu (great sushi restaurant near Coolidge Corner, moderately expensive but very good, and good value in my opinion); Brasserie Jo (good French-American bistro near the Prudential-reasonable, but not cheap, with good wine list) and Summer Shack (near Alewife - festive atmosphere - food quality varies as do prices).
I would also once again sing the praises of Namaskar in Davis Square, which I believe could accomodate 15 without much problem. Prices are reasonable for the excellent quality Indian food they offer.
And I would also suggest dim sum in Chinatown as a possibility, but would leave others to recommend the best place.
Moving to Arlington - where's good?
We live in Medford and for relatively inexpensive food in and around Arlington, we like Zocalo in Arlington, Namaskar in Davis Sq. (Punjab in Arlington is fine as well), and Tacos Lupita near Porter Square. For a more upscale evening, Bistro 5 in West Medford, close to the Arlington line, has been great in the past. Quebrada Bakery on Mass Ave. in Arlington is very good -- especially their challah on Friday.
Incensed with Whole Foods: Enough Incompetence!
We shop at the Whole Foods at Fresh Pond fairly regularly. We do not like it much: it is now sort of a bland, monolithic purveyor of food and is no longer very interesting. I find the customers to be much ruder than the staff. That being said, we have twice had off chicken (pre-packaged thighs and whole legs) and once had milk that was off. We were refunded the cost immediately and with apologies. I am sure that they would, or will, do the same with your marscapone. I find that I need to be more careful in WF than in Stop and Shop in checking to be sure that the packaging has not been messed with. I do place the blame for this on WF, but on the entitled clientele.
The shrimp is different. I would not expect them to take back fish because you decided not to serve it. They cannot re-sell it, even though it was out of the store for five minutes. I am glad of that. It left the store. I am happy to know that would not throw it back in the case for someone else to buy.
Many Davis Square restaurants look similar...
Update on listings above: O'Naturals is now a Boloco and Someday Cafe is now a creperie (Mr. Crepe, I think).
Vegetarian restaurants or Veggie Friendly places?
I have had excellent vegetarian fare at two very different restaurants in the last 10 days. We ordered vegetarian food for about 20 people from Namaskar in Davis Square in Somerville. (we had eggplant and potatoes, lentils, and saag paneer along with pakora and veg. samosas). All the dishes were excellent, and while the dishes and preparation differ, the overall quality rivals Tamarind Bay.
On Wednesday, I ate at Craigie Street and had the vegetarian tasting menu. In particular, the crispy polenta main course was incredible. Not inexpensive, but highly recommended.
namaskar recommendations?
Thank you for the suggestions. We had about 20 people and we ate saag paneer, ringan bataka, dal mahani and veg. biryani. We also had pakora, samosas and bread. All the dishes were superb. One friend in attendance is from Gujarat, thought that the ringan bataka tasted like his mother's and was impressed with the other dishes as well. Highly recommended, and along with Tamarind Bay (which is very different), is among the best Indian food in the Boston area.
namaskar recommendations?
I am feeding a large group (20) of people at my house on Saturday and am ordering from Namaskar in Davis Square (I live a short distance away). I am looking for recommendations of vegetarian dishes. Thank you for your suggestions.
