jack324's Profile
Henrietta's Table?
Hey everyone! So, I recently received a $100 gift card to Henrietta's Table. I checked out their website and to be honest, the menu doesn't really appeal to my tastes all that much - there's only a couple items between the dinner and lunch menus that really stand out to me. However, their Sunday brunch menu looks really nice, and I'm thinking of taking my girlfriend there over our upcoming anniversary weekend. But at $45 a head, it's going to have to be something truly exceptional to merit the cost. So my question is, is it really worth the high price tag? Or should I just try to sell the gift card / save it for a gift?
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Henrietta's Table
One Bennett St., Cambridge, MA 02138
No. 9 Park
I ate at No. 9 Park back in March 2006. Although it's been a while, I remember it as being quite unremarkable - not bad, but certainly nothing memorable. I am not sure what the bill was since I was being treated for my birthday, but judging by the menu prices, it really didn't merit what it ended up costing. The food was average to good. This place seems to be more about the location and ambiance than the food. One thing I will say is that I remember the service as being superb, but that doesn't go a long way when the meal costs about $100 per person, including tip. All in all, this place seems to be more about the service, the location and the crowd it attracts than the food itself.
Romantic restaurant suggestions in Copley / Back Bay
Sorellina looks perfect! Thank you so much.
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Sorellina
1 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02116
Deluxe Station Diner to Open in Newton Centre
I heard about this. Johnny's Luncheonette is okay but overpriced, so I usually drive to the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown for breakfast anyway. This will just save me the trip.Their pancakes are the best!
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Deluxe Town Diner
627 Mt Auburn St, Watertown, MA 02472
Johnny's Luncheonette
30 Langley Rd, Newton Center, MA 02459
Is India Paradise in Newton Centre Good?
It's pretty good - certainly not bad, but nothing particularly memorable either. I do remember it being a bit overpriced for what it was, though.
Romantic restaurant suggestions in Copley / Back Bay
My girlfriend and I have our anniversary coming up in the fall, and we'll be staying at a hotel in the Back Bay area - specifically, right by the Prudential Center. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a nice restaurant in that vicinity that's anniversary appropriate. I'm trying to keep it within the Back Bay neighboorhood if possible, but anywhere between Mass Ave and the Public Gardens/Arlington St is perfectly fine.
Price isn't so much of an issue, but I'm hoping to find somewhere where two people can each have a three-course meal and share a bottle of wine for under $200, including tip. Neither one of us are big meat eaters outside of chicken and seafood, so somewhere with a menu that's not super-reliant on red meat would be preferable. Besides that, we're both adventurous and open to pretty much any type of cuisine - Italian, French, Japanese, etc. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Open late in downtown Boston
I'm going to a concert in downtown Boston next week with my girlfriend next week. Due to my schedule, we won't have the time for dinner until afterwards. What restaurants are there in the general vicinity (within a mile) of Park Street station that are still seating customers at 10:30 - 11:00 on a Tuesday night? I don't want to go to South Street Diner, or anywhere that's too fast food-y (pubs are fine). I'm trying to stay out of the North End, but I will go that route if I have to.
Any suggestions?
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South Street Diner
178 Kneeland St, Boston, MA 02111
Current consensus on best "everyday" sushi?
Oishii in Chestnut Hill has some of the best sushi I've eaten in Boston, but the high price, long wait time and limited elbow room ruin the experience a bit for me. Oishii in the South End is even better than the Chestnut Hill location (and it's actually a sit-down restaurant, which is a plus), but the cost is even higher than the Chestnut Hill location.
Maluken in Kenmore Square is extremely tasty, and it's definitely the best value out of my top three. It's a nice casual restaurant, and its fish is always very fresh. Highly recommended.
Others worth checking out are Zen Restaurant and Ma Soba.
Where have you always had a bad meal?
Worst food: Blue Ginger (Wellesley)
Worst service: Tartufo (Newton)
Best restaurants in the Milton area
Hey, I've got a date coming up, and was wondering if I could get any suggestions for good restaurants in or around Milton. There are no good options in the poorer areas nearby, such as Mattapan, West Roxbury or Hyde Park. The only real dining options I'm aware of in those areas are fast food and take-out.
Milton is almost entirely residential, unfortunately. I suppose I could go to Canton, Dedham, Braintree or Quincy, but I'd prefer to keep it local, if at all possible.
First few dates...
In the North End, I'd suggest G'vanni's. It's actually quite reasonably priced, even if you don't get that special deal they have during the weekdays. The food is good, the servers are very attentive and kind, and it has a romantic atmosphere without being too over the top.
Highly recommended.
Bernard's - Chestnut Hill
I work in the Chestnut Hill Mall, and there are really only three options for lunch there (four if you include the little cafe on the bottom floor, but they only do sandwiches and pastries).
They're all overpriced, but that's pretty normal for the Chestnut Hill area.
Charley's - typical pub fare that's just okay. Certainly not worth the prices they charge. Waitstaff are usually pretty inattentive / rude, too. I wouldn't eat here if I didn't need a change of pace from time to time. Even with my mall discount
Papa Razzi - pretty decent Italian. Definitely a nice place. The most reasonably priced restaurant of the lot. The food is consistently good, and it reminds me of a nicer, smaller version of Bertucci's (Papa Razzi is also a chain, but it's one of the smaller chains. I think it has about 15 locations in all).
Bernard's - very good Chinese / Asian fusion - however, it's also pretty pricey for what it is. Their food is better than your usual Chinese, in that it's usually less greasy and uses higher quality ingredients. If you order General Tsau's chicken, a side of white rice and a Coke, expect to pay about $20 with tax and tip. The service is very attentive here, and the employees are usually pretty nice. I've had a couple dishes that were not so great, but most of it is pretty good, if you have the money.
Best sandwich... ever?
Trutony's Deli (formerly Langley Deli) in Newton has amazing sandwiches. It's just north of Rte. 9, near the Atrium Mall. Their sandwiches are so good! I've tried all of the sandwiches on the menu, and my favorite is the Honeybee, which has ham, honey mustard, lettuce, swiss and some other delicious things I'm forgetting. Jason Varitek goes there all the time.
Just don't get the owners started on the Pats or the Sox if you want to make it a short conversation! Also, see if there are any cannolis while you're there - Tony, one of the owners, makes them from scratch, and they're way better than the ones at Bova's and Mike's in the North End.
Best Pancakes or Waffles in Boston
I second the recommendation of Deluxe Town Diner, although I'm more partial to the buttermilk pancakes myself. If you're near Watertown, you should definitely check it out.
The little gem that is Trattoria Toscana
Just got back from La Trattoria Toscana a few hours ago, and yes, I feel it definitely lived up to the hype. The three of us shared mushrooms on bruschetta and a spinach dish as our antipasti, and our mains were eggplant parmigiana, swordfish steak, and a to-die-for plate of thinly sliced beef and arugala salad. For dessert, we all had the chocolate fondant with fresh cream, and that was mind-blowingly delicious. The waitstaff were very attentive, kind and informative. The wine was good - not great, but certainly drinkable. Thanks for the suggestion everyone, we'll definitely be making a return visit in the near future.
Tartufo
Well, seeing as this post is nearly three years old, my story might not do you much good now, but in case someone else is curious, here goes...
We (my girlfriend and I) waited for 40 minutes to get seated (we were told 5-10, and the restaurant wasn't even that busy) and waited just under two hours between ordering and getting our over-priced food. Once the dishes finally came, they were stone cold, and we had lost most of our appetite. Our waiter just threw them down in front of us without so much as an apology, or even asking if he could get us anything. While waiting, I asked him two or three times when our food would be ready, and everytime he said that the kitchen was putting it on the plate and it would be out any minute.
I could go on forever with all the faults, but I'll try not to bore you. So anyway, once we got the check (after asking for it several times and getting no response), one employee started vacuuming under my feet. I couldn't believe it. For only the second or third time in my life, I left no tip and wrote "awful service, never coming back" on top of the check. A minute later, as I was walking back to my car, our waiter chased us out of the restaurant. I thought maybe we had left something behind, but no. He came up to me and started harassing me about not leaving a tip, claiming it wasn't his fault. I've never seen a waiter pull such an unprofessional move in my life.
The little gem that is Trattoria Toscana
Thanks to the suggestions of everyone on this board, I'm going to Trattoria Toscana tomorrow to celebrate my 21st birthday. Last year we went to Giacomo's near Copley Square, which was nice, but so loud you couldn't hear yourself think.
So what restaurants do live up to the hype??
I've been living in Boston for seven years now, and I'm consistently disappointed by the food around these parts. But then again, you could call me spoiled, since before I moved to Boston, I spent my entire life in New York City and Sydney, which I consider to be two of the three greatest food cities (the other being Paris). Food here tends to lack creativity, flavor and inspiration. That being said, I have eaten at some really good restaurants in Boston, but you need to look out for them, research them, etc. The only places that stick out in my mind right now as being exceptional are Oishii, No. 9 Park and Top of the Hub.
