I've been trying to like Thai food for years with no success. I'm not sure if it's just because I don't like Thai food or if I've just had extremely bad luck at trying Thai food. In theory it seems like something I would enjoy- I adore all other Asian cuisine (in fact, there isn't a cuisine I've encountered that I don't like- Thai is the one outlier).

So. I would not only love recommendations for restaurants, but what specific dishes I should order. (I've not bothered to even try Thai in Boston [at least I don't remember any place I tried] so all options are on the table)

Bronwyn (I've only been in for beers- the kitchen was closed)
Bondir
Journeyman
Strip T's (I really need to get this off my list)
Salts
Neptune Oyster

Thanks for the links! My google searches hadn't pulled up any US retailers.

I finally managed to locate the label I had saved!

Here's the importer's website: http://www.globalveg.fr/Products/Entr...

But not much help on where to get it. I'm going to see if WF will bring it back/special order.

It's amazing stuff. I lived in France for awhile and happened upon it there- but never saw it over here until the run in a few months ago. I should have stocked up instead of just buying one package!

I was able to find some a few months ago at the Whole Foods in JP but have not been able to find any since then. Anyone know of a reliable source in the area?

That is definitely worth checking out.

I might just end up asking my local purveyors of alcohol whether they might have a source to purchase from. I'd happily get a case if necessary.

Anyone know where to get bottled Ethiopian Tej/Honey Wine or any other Ethiopian wine?

I'm in the process of making my own for my Ethiopian themed party, but just in case it goes south I want more options! I've never seen it in any of the liquor stores I frequent (Liquor Land, Blanchards)

Thank you! That's a lot of options to sort through!

I went to Cozumel a couple years ago to do some diving and found a couple of places worth eating at- I figure if I can find something there I can find something in Cancun. If all else fails I'll go with my usual method of finding good food in foreign cities: follow the locals.

Boyfriend and I are heading to Cancun for a few days in February. We are staying at the Westin in the hotel zone, but are not all that interested in resort-style dining. We are super adventurous eaters- any recs on small hole in the wall places, taco stands or anything that most American tourists would be afraid to venture to would be most welcome. Happy to bus it into Cancun proper or anywhere else worth the trek for good food.

In no particular order

- braised squid and octopus from Blue Room
- pork bolognese pizza with fried egg at Coppa
- spicy curried coconut goat stew at Highland Kitchen

honorable mentions:

- the double awesome from MeiMei;
- lambs tongue & grits dish at Tres Gatos; and
- the dry-rubbed baby back ribs with mustard barbeque sauce & hot pepper marmalade at VeeVee.

Actually, a 50 piece bag would suit my needs nicely. I just cringe at the thought of paying 1.50 or more per oyster when I'd love to have 4 dozen of them for this evenings festivities.

I tried doing a search for this, because I have to imagine its come up before, but searching for oysters in the archives pulls up a lot of Neptune and ICOB posts, not so many on where to buy them yourself.

So yes, where do you hounds go to buy your oysters? And how much are you paying for them when you do?

Blue Room! That's it! Plus we can check out Belly either before or after.

Thanks, guys, for jogging my brain.

Alas, if I chose Asmara it would appear that I'd only considered my love of Ethiopian for his birthday dinner! Otherwise, Ethiopian is always a stellar choice.

Tupelo looks amazing though.

Ugh. Both Oleana and Hungry Mother are out.

I thought a week would be plenty of time. Clearly I'm wrong.

Is that the lengthiest wait in Boston? I'm guessing it must be.

Toro is awesome except for the no reservations thing. I put some deep thought into Craigie, but I think it might be just a little too spendy.

Will check out Troquet.

We did West Bridge a few weeks ago. It was pretty tasty. That egg thing that every raves about is legit good.

We've both done Oleana & HM. But not together. Both viable options. Especially Oleana.

I'd wanted to take the new beau to Bondir for his birthday dinner next Friday, but they were already booked full (will keep in mind that a week is not enough for Bondir reservations on Friday for future endeavors). And now that my awesome plans have been foiled I can't seem to come up with any other ideas.

Any good suggestions for a replacement option? Looking for something a little romantic. Somewhat spendy is okay (L'espalier is probably out). But not spendy is okay too (although I'd really like a lovely atmosphere if possible). We are adventurous eaters. Local/sustainable given high marks.

We did Coppa last Friday otherwise I'd just do that! (We've also done all of JP, so no Ten Tables or Tres Gatos suggestions, but we love those places too).

EDIT: And my second choice, Oleana, is also booked up. Third place goes to....

I just saw frog legs on the menu at Kitchen in the South End.

So excited to try this place. I'm always willing to pay more to know I'm getting more ethically sourced meat (see also Pete & Jen's Backyard Birds).

Glad to know that it will likely be worth the pretty penny we'll pay.

I'm so excited to try this place!

I mean, do we even have another place in Boston that you can truly classify as a wine bar? I can't think of any off the top of my head.

I'd expect to see them hitting the farmer's markets soon then! Yeah!

I have to second the Cafe Beirut love. I'm a giant fan of the lamb shwarma there. Actually, I'm a fan of everything there. Have been slowly making my way through the menu and have not had a bad experience yet.

A quick report: Went to 616 last night with my client. Had the pan seared steelhead- it was delicious. Those pickled ramps were amazing- I probably would have eaten an entire plate just of them. Ended with the chevre cheesecake which was really, really tasty- but I've a love affair with all things goat.

After dinner I walked around the downtown area checking out all the lovely sculptures then made my way over to Reserve and sat at the bar for some various wine tastings. Had a great time and tried a couple of the local goats and the andouille (I wanted the chorizo, but they were out). Really lovely space and would love to come back and sample from the whole menu.

I second Pete & Jen (And they actually still have Freedom Rangers for the July pick up!)

I've never had their pork sampler before, but I put in my deposit for the large one for the first time this year. They let the pigs be pigs and forage and whatnot. Super excited. And, best of all, I think it's very reasonably priced. 20 pounds for $189. A little more than 9 bucks a pound for pastured pork? Yes, please.

Timely! I was just going to post/search for Grand Rapids recommendations. I'm in town for one night and wanted to make the most of it. Looks like 616 might be good and easy (I'm staying at the JW). And the menu looks fantastic. Rabbit perogies? Yes please.

They are not- Boston requires a special license to do take out. They are working on getting it. So maybe soon?

And for CookieLee- Jamaica Pond is in spitting distance. :-)

Tres Gatos in JP has a high-top communal table. Two birds, one stone. :-)

Finally made it in on Sunday morning. Decided to go shortly after they opened to beat the rush. They've been slammed every day since opening- and it doesn't look like it's going to slow down.

Review should be taken with a giant grain of salt since this was my first hamburger in over 15 years. I've been going back to meat in a slow fashion and have been avoiding the burger thing since it was a really awful burger that put me on the road to vegetarianism 18 years ago. So my knowledge of the modern day burger is, admittedly, limited.

With that noted: I thought it was pretty fabulous. I decided to go big- had the bacon cheeseburger with egg on top. It was messy and juicy and kinda awesome. Onion rings were okay, a little greasy for my taste. Friend went with a bunless burger w/ avocado and really enjoyed it (she’s healthier than I am). And we shared some beet fries, which will be why I continue to go back to GF. Sweet potato fries are for suckers- beets are where it's at.

The yelp reviews seem to be missing the point. It's a fancy-ass burger joint with high grade product. You aren't going to pay $5.00 for a burger. As a point of comparison, I just looked up prices at Red Robin (my dining partner's preferred fast food burger joint). The same burger I ate (burger, cheese, bacon, egg) runs $9.99 at Red Robin. I paid $10.25 at Grass Fed. And I'm pretty sure the beef quality at Red Robin can't even compare to the happy cow stuff being used by GF.

And size? I don't know, maybe it's because I'm a dainty girl, but I couldn't finish my burger- thought it was plenty big. Dining partner (another dainty girl) and I decided that next time we'd split a burger and get a large order of beet fries and we'd be more than happy and set (throw in a milk shake and we'd probably be hurting).

The non essentials: I like the ambience- clean, bright, modern. No tables, it’s all bar-type seating, which doesn’t bother me as I don’t really think they are aiming for the “let large groups linger over their burger” crowd. It’s definitely fast food. I really hate reviews where people slam a place for it not being what they envisioned the restaurant to be. Judge it for what it is, not what you think it should be. It’s not trying to be a sit down restaurant so why would I take off points because it isn’t one?

Anyway- I thought GF was plenty awesome and will definitely return; I need to give the veggie option a spin and try out some milkshakes.