pierce's Profile
December 2011 Openings and Closings
I walked past Bon Savor in JP this weekend and was bummed to see workers removing appliances and furniture, and a big ol' FOR LEASE sign in the window.
Not surprising since they trimmed their hours to weekend brunch only earlier this year, but still sad. The good news is it still has the tile floors and windows and corner location-- hopefully someone will fill it soon.
Is Tacos el Charro closed?
I walked by yesterday, and though the gate was pulled i could see the door and windows were open-- I saw people moving, and called out for and spoke with Ada (the kindly woman who would always wait on our table and encourage me to try and practice my very poor spanish with her). Anyway long story short she says they are currently doing a deep clean and will reopen next week..... tacos lengua live on in Hyde Square!
February restaurant deals and promos
VeeVee is starting a "'Hood of the Month" deal, starting February with Somerville--all somerville residents get 25% off.
Hi-Lo closing in February
well if we're mulling hypotheticals then I would say most JPers would take a Russo's over any of the above mentioned.
I just hope that if Whole Foods does a rebuild that they are forced to do so with building frontage on Centre and parking hidden behind, that would be a big gain for Hyde Square urbanistically.
I live a few blocks away, and would go to Hi-Lo once every couple of months for something so I won't miss it much personally in terms of my shopping habits, but I admit I am bummed that we are losing something unique and taking a step towards Anywhere, USA.
That said, unless I start noticing Whole Foods Community Center and the Whole Foods Ice Rink, etc., my wife and I (and many of our neighbors) will still be making our way to Roche Brothers on the weekends, despite the slight inconvenience.
LA transplant looking for the Best Mexican Food /Markets in the Area (ESPECIALLY MOLE!!!)
Have you tried Tacos el Charro in JP? I've sent a few Mexican friends there and they loved it.
Vintage Scotch
I was reliving old New Year's Eve memories, and remembered back to the one time I ate at the Federalist. I remember it having an insane list of wine, etc.: A port from the 1790s, scotches from the 19th century, a case of wine that had been salvaged from a WWI shipwreck. Did I dream this? If not, does anyone know who inherited that impressive cellar? Does anyplace inside of 495 even approach this?
Ginger Park
I received a gift certificate to Ginger park for Xmas ( it was on a list of restaurants that have online GC purchase that I gave to an out of state relative in October).
The phone number has been disconnected, and the website is unupdated. Does anyone know what's up? Or have a suggestion of what to do? This is a first for me, what is protocol? Caveat emptor?
Head of the Charles
I bought a cup of cider from a vendor next the Eliot Bridge, in front of Cambridge Boat Club. He was called "The Cider Man" or some such, it was an old timey wagon. It was very, very good, with fresh cranberries floating in it--very sweet but not cloying, not much spice but a really nicely rounded flavor, at a great temperature. I'll look for him next year.
I was commenting to my wife that it was remarkable the ratio of tents where things were being just given away versus actual vendors--the numbers of the latter seem to have dropped, at least in the area around the Larz Anderson and Weeks bridges. No worries, we had planned on lunch at Charlie's anyway......
Ten Tables - worth the drive?
If you're into exploring cities beyond the limits of your typical tourist map, I would say yes. Grab the 39 bus in Copley Square and get off at the Lakeville Road stop and you are about 200 feet from Ten Tables, and you see an interesting cross section of the city on your way. After dinner grab a cone from JP Licks, and take a stroll over to Jamaica Pond. The perfect JP date!
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Ten Tables
5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge, MA 02138
Food carts coming to Greenway
They have eggs in some things, which not all vegetarians consider to be vegetarian
Tim Tams
I bought them at Cardullo's in Harvard Square as recently as two months ago.... they had both the milk and dark chocolate varieties.
I also got served one with my meal a couple of days ago on a Cathay Pacific flight :)
North End cappuccino
There are plenty of places to get middling espresso in the North End, so you should pick more for atmosphere.
-If you want late-night, dark alley Rome neighborhood vibe, go Paradiso.
-If you want to watch soccer, go to Dello Sport or Paradiso.
-If you're interested in a place with a bit more authentic bohemian vibe as opposed as to the more concocted "whattsamattayou?" italian american schtick, check out Flamepoeira.
-If you're into the italian thing but actually want to experience the italian north end, go to any cafe before 9am.
-If you want to be in an italian cartoon and fight for tables with tourists, go vittoria.
Vegan/Veggie lunch optionS near Bowdoin/Govt Ctr
I've been seated for a jury at Suffolk Superior and I need to find lunch in the area all week (it's going to be a long one). I lived in the North End for 5 years and know the area well, but since moving further out I have gone p.t.-vegan--not total "straightedge militant hardcore vegan", but "health conscious, Bittman-inspired Vegan until 6pm". So in other words if there is the option, I take it, if not i'll go vegetarian.... if thats not an option, and since I'm from the midwest there are times of the year when it is not, I don't sweat it too much. Nonetheless I realized as I headed out today that the lunch-scape is much different now, and I felt a stranger in my own home.
I went to Flamepoeira on Lewis Street today and got a bamboo and noodle dish but was pushing the time limit walking back (I get an hour, and have to go down 10 storeys or so, get there, eat, and return).
Winter 2009-2010 Openings and Closings
One of the metal sliding doors at the former Planet Pizza in JP has been open the last few days offering a view of the drastically changed interior.... nothing special, but it's clean and more geared towards a restaurant, eat-in atmosphere than PP. Talked to a guy having a smoke out front, he said via what sounded like a greek accent that it will be more of a "diner-type" place, and open mornings.
wanted: dark cozy irish pub
i second this..... my friends and i waited with great excitement when the new one was finished, and then got there and it was just pathetic, or rather, it was indistinguishable from any other bar between there and Faneuil Hall. It was really sad. No real energy from the crowd, absolutely no reason to start a conversation with a stranger, and the bartender didn't have a clue (or an accent). I gave the bartop one last knock and walked out forever.
Go to Behan's, John from the old littlest tends there now, and it is the closest thing I've found to the original...
wanted: dark cozy irish pub
hmmm, to be honest i can't recall. There's definitely music, and a high din to the background, but i don't remember having to strain to have conversation. In fact I distinctly recall one night in 2008 being flabbergasted in an election-related debate with a friend, both of us with escalating voices (though nowhere near top of lungs shouting) and being admonished by the bartender to keep our voices down....
wanted: dark cozy irish pub
seconded-- coat racks (strategically located under the bar and next to the hearth) and no tv make this perhaps the best pub in boston
Local coffee roasters?
JP Licks roasts their own coffee in the Jamaica Plain store, and offers probably about a dozen different varieties of beans. I dismissed it for awhile thinking that they were just an ice cream place, but the coffee is excellent and so fresh. I jumped around different varieties for a while, found some a bit too sweet or a bit too acidic before settling on the Guatemalan Trapichitos--amazing.
Chinatown for large group with vegitarian options
This will be no help with the spare ribs, but there is an all-vegan place above Pho Pasteur that is well-hidden but has served me a handful of really solid, tasty lunches since I've been doing Bittman's "Vegan til 6" method towards better eating: My Thai Vegan Cafe. They have a deeper menu that I have not explored, but have stuck to the 8 or 9 lunch specials, which get you tea, a bowl of quite delicious veggie-Tom Yum Gai, choice of spring roll or dumplings, and an entree (Mango Curry is my go-to, there is Pad Thai of course, and some less standard offerings). All for $7.50! All entrees are a choice of tofu, or veggie based chicken, beef or shrimp (i think..... or is it veggie pork? I always go tofu).
the atmosphere is serene and it has great light, excellent views out into the bustling streetlife if you seated along one of the many windows, the ladies who work there are beyond sweet, and i've never seen more than 8 or 10 people there at lunch, though it could accommodate 50 at least. You definitely could stroll in at lunch with 15 and be almost guaranteed success (just don't be deterred from the ghetto-y stairway corridor that leads to the space)
I just noticed the earlier mention of the defunct Buddha's Delight.... this is the same space, and leaps beyond that. And i'm kind of ashamed to admit this, but i even ate in this space pre-Buddha's Delight when it was called, I kid you not, "House of 2.99". Everything on the menu was priced at, well you know. This is better than that too :)
Local Growers / Organic / Good Vegetarian Options...you know the drill
I add Centre Street Cafe and Vee Vee in JP. The former is as delicious as it is popular, and in my experience you won't find friendlier people in any restaurant in Boston.... The one pot meals are a great inexpensive tummy filler on those weeknights that my wife and I want to get out of cooking, eat well, and not break the bank (which is frequent).
VeeVee is a step towards the upscale, and you can find much information on them here. I ate there two weeks ago and the server explained in detail the last-of-the-season heirloom tomatoes, the name and location of the farmer, and that they were from the last row next to the salt marsh, and how the characteristics of the soil in that location influenced the tomatoes. Oh and it was an incredible salad to boot!
Pasture-fed meats
Chestnut Farms has a range of meat that is allowed to roam, hormone free, and fed what it has evolved to eat. http://chestnutfarms.org/ for more info. They do sell at local farmers markets and have a popular CSA program (i've been a happy subscriber for over a year now). I'm not sure if their turkeys are "heirloom", but they are just as well treated as the other denizens of the farm, and are available un-frozen and fresh to CSA members at thanksgiving (members must pre-order).
Local fresh cranberries?
Last year I bought local cranberries by the pint at City Feed in JP for thanksgiving, but I have not looked recently to see if they have them again.
Mike and Pattys- Bay Village and a trip to Costco
no apology necessary, just pointing out strange bedfellows is all.....
Mike and Pattys- Bay Village and a trip to Costco
its weird to keep clicking on this to read about Mike and Patty's and instead seeing more and more posts about costco. Those two places are definitely on different planets, and its strange that they occupy one thread here.
Slovenian Grocery in Cleveland?
Great, thanks.... any place with slovenian wine? If so then my lunch is taken care of!
Slovenian Grocery in Cleveland?
fantastic, thanks for the input. We studied in Ljubljana when we were in college, and though the sausage is the main draw, i'd love to find any place that has a density of slovenian products. I'll check those two suggestions, and of course entertain more.
Slovenian Grocery in Cleveland?
I'm a Boston hound driving through Cleveland tomorrow, and my wife and I are looking for a slovenian store, preferably with good slovene sausage. We've been to the kitschy country house place years ago but will be in a bit of a hurry and are hoping that there are still a few neighborhood shops left (but i'm not even sure there is a neighborhood left for shops to be in).
CSA Fail?
This is my fourth year with Parker Farm and the yield has average-ish, though the last two weeks have seen a boom of beans. Definitely more rain complications than last summer, it has been very similar to 2006 so far (wet and dark) but i seem to remember much less non-greens by this point that summer, though it is probably due in large part to different planting strategies
The Death of 24hr food in Boston
Similarly, as someone who grew up along the Pacific but has lived much elsewhere, I have found every other body of water to be small by comparison.
ISO Ice Cream Specialty
My office is looking to get a unique ice cream concoction for a coworker who just had her tonsils removed-- we are a design firm, so creativity and weirdness is a big plus, my boss stated the ideal as an "ice cream sculpture or something"....
Around $50, and delivery to residences in Medford would be great as well, but just curious to know if anyone knows of anything like this...
