sch89's Profile
The Great Food Ambassador Challenge
The Mission
In late December, my french boyfriend is coming to visit America ( for the very first time!) and we will be staying in Boston for about three days. He is an excellent host when I visit France, helping me to discover the diversity and deliciousness of french cuisine. I would like to return the favor and make sure he gets a proper taste of what American and New England cuisine is and enjoy the Boston restaurant scene.
Background info:
I currently live in Boston so I know the area very well. I naturally have my own list of restaurants, but I would greatly appreciate some outside opinions on what you think he should experience. We have a blank-slate to work with (McDonalds IS the premier American cuisine to him) so he really does not know much about the food here.
Some conditions
He is French. Which means:
a) The taste and pleasure of food is of upmost importance (aka food snob)
b) There better be wine (for dinner at least)
c) Absolutely no french restaurant suggestions. I don't care if the foie gras or the steak tartar is simply transcendent at L'Espalier. It's better in France, trust me.
d) We are students aka Poverty! We are willing to splurge on one meal, but please generally give places with entrees in the $20 range (if not less for dinner) and maybe some fun cheap eats suggestions for lunch
e) fortunately he is very open and will try anything
So, it is now up to you to help strengthen the cultural ties between France and America. Please aid me in teaching our tres cultivated friend from across that Ocean that America, and especially Boston, has some pretty incredible cuisine to offer.
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L'Espalier
774 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02199
Scandinavian Food
If someone knows of a place which sells Nøkkelost cheese I would be eternally grateful. Last I heard it is not entirely legal to import this cheese but occasionally you may come across he "right" stores which has a secret stash.
The return of Nud Pob
Reread the original post. "poor", "hungry" and "student" are all key words. All I want is good, greasy CHEAP and FAST thai food. Brown Sugar is a little classier than my needs require.
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Brown Sugar Cafe
1033 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215
2010 Winter RW Report
Went to Toro for dinner last night and it literally knocked my socks off.
My DC and I enjoyed the eggplant w/pepper dish, mussels w/ chorizo, empanadas, corn (all the hype is true, it is better than you can ever imagine) and the ham. The churros at the end were a nice finish.
The only disappointment was my tune tartare app. The Tuna was fine but it had an annoying amount of coconut, citrus foam which overpowered the dish. Fortunately, though, dinner made more than up for it! I highly recommend.
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Toro
1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118
The return of Nud Pob
This very exciting, especially since that is also my birthday! Excellent present.
2010 Winter RW Report
Went to Sibling Rivalry last night with 3 friends. We were seated right away and service was fine. Nothing to write home about, but can't complain either. Chef Bob and Chef David also to pains to stop by every table and ask how they enjoyed the meal, so that was a very nice touch.
Now, onto the food
Appetizers: The were all nice portioned and excellent, probabl collectively the best of the 3 courses
Shrimp scampi style over cream polenta. This was simply amazing. 5 large shrimp over creamy, cheesy polenta. Probably my favorite part of the meal. I ordered this and was glad of it!
Lamb bric- tender lamb incrusted in pastry shell and with some type of delicious sauce. This was pretty hefty and everyone who tried it enjoyed it.
Steak tar tar- I thought it was good but my friend who is a connoisseur in tar tars thought it was really excellent.
Garlic Flan- Very interesting tasting but pretty good. It is a smaller portion, but this is actually a good thing because it is very rich.
Entrees: Once again, all decently sized
Jumbo sea scallops w/black beans and stuffed pepppers- I liked this a lot. The scallops were cooked perfectly and the pepper sauce they were in was very tasty. It is pretty spicey though.
Pork- I don't remember too much details about it, but my friend enjoyed it and it came with mashed potatoes, which were fine, but nothing special
Salmon with/ warm potato salad, hard boiled egg, greens- This one was presented beautifully and according to the diner that had it very good as well.
Sirloin- Nothing particularly special, but a very generous cut of meat and pretty good.
Dessert: This is where the kitchen stumbled the most
Profiterole- It had a light chocolate mousse and was drizzeled in butterscotch. The mouse was delicious, but I was not impressed by the pastry shell.
Lemon pound cake with blueberry compote- This looked awesome, but was disappointingly bland. Did not taste like lemon
Carrot cake- The sweet cream cheese on top was awesome but the rest unmemorable
Berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream- This was definitely the best, by far. The ice cream was refreshing while the cobbler was sweet and delicious. Definitely go with the cobler.
Overall it was a very good meal. Loved all the appetizers and they were substantially sized as well. Dinner was pretty good as well and dessert was really the only let down. Overall though, I recommend Sibling Rivalry, fun atmosphere and pretty strong menu. Plus the bread basket is delicious. Corn bread and Irish Soda Bread? What more can a girl ask for?
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Sibling Rivalry
525 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116
It's a Sausage-fest!
So I have about 10 lbs of sausage sitting in my garage (don't ask why...) and I am not sure what to do with it. Anyone have a favorite sausage recipe they want to share? Dinner/ Main course recipes would be especially appreciated.
Thanks!
Is Trenton a capital disappointment ?
I was assigned the seemingly impossible task of finding a restaurant located in Trenton (not outside but literally within the city limits) for a birthday dinner and was told it should not be Italian and not a typical grill or pub-type place. It doesn't have to be fancy but it should be sit-down with decent service. All I have come up with is Malaga so far. Is there ANYWHERE else that might fit the criteria, or have I more-or-less been sent on a wild goose chase?
Thanks!
G'vanni in North End any good? it's 50% off!!
I actually had a wonderful experience there over the summer. A friend and I enjoyed dinner however we did not do the two-for-one deal. She got the butternut squash ravioli with marscapone cream sauce and we were literally licking the bottom of the plate. I got the scallops over spinach and they were truly excellent. Also, the bread the serve is warm and some of the best I have had in N. End. The only con is it is a very small space. Give it a try!
Restaraunt Week Spring 2010 Menus
I have noticed that some, but not all of the menus are up for Restaurant week this March. Does anyone know when the rest may be posted or where I may be able to find some of the missing ones, specifically for Barbara Lynch restaurants or Locke and Ober? Thanks!
Arepa Flour
A friend from Venezuela has promised to make Arepas, but bemoans the fact she does not know where she can purchase the proper flour. If anyone knows where it can be found in Boston (please not outside, being college students we have limited transportation) I would really appreciate it. The sooner I can munch on a tasty homemade Arepa the better!
Thanks!
The return of Nud Pob
Nud Pob apparently has a new location on Comm Ave (Where a travel agency used to be) and there has been a sign in the window for the last 6 months or so claiming that it is "coming soon." Does anyone know when it will actually reopen? As a poor, hungry BU student, this of great interest to me!
