I had the pleasure of eating there last last night (Sat). Very nice room, great atmosphere, wonderful drinks. The open kitchen is great and the service was spot on. A shout out to Matt who was our server, who did a great job.
Wonderful menu, we had leg of lamb and steak frites and both were top notch. Sides of cauliflower gratine and roasted brussell sprouts were great. Rabbit turine and agnolotti for starters. The cod croquettes from the snack menu were also wonderful.Warm chocolate cake and goat cheese cheesecake for desert. All the way through a great meal. Looking forward to going back.

Glad to hear about Market Basket coming to Waltham, already a ongoing customer at the Burlington Market Basket. Johnnie's Food Master coming to Waltham would have been even better! The existing price point in all the present shopping options are more set inline with Back Bay of South End Boston. Waltham is much more a community needing Market Basket.

The Pho 88 Restaurant, 1270 Westford Street, Lowell, Massachusetts, Pistol Plaza in Drum Hill. The Restaurant is also right next to Drum Hill Ford. Had the pleasure of a late mid-afternoon lunch based on some fellow workers who spoke well of this hidden gem. My DC & I had a posted daily appetizer of a shrimp dish, battered and deep fried with a sweet white glaze sauce drizzled over the shrimp. YUM!
Goi Cuon, served with a spicy peanut sauce rounded out the initial round of treats with chilled beer pilsners for the 33 beer served ice cold.

Next on the list: # 14 XE LUA The largest bowl of beef noodle soup with all the usual add ins. Clean, crisp, bright, broth different from the broth my DC & I have become used from our many haunts of previous experience in the Dorchester extended area. The same can be said for the white pho noodles which were of a much more and enjoyable chewy texture. Full of assorted beef necessary for this dish. Each table has sitting in advance its own condiment unit without the need to ask for the single one passed around in some other restaurants.

The best was left for last to share with our fellow chowhounds. Every member of the staff and we spoke to several, were delightfully equally easy to speak with and ask questions of and receive answers from! To the:"See you next time Guys!" shouted to us as we left already talking out how soon we could come back!

Sunday dinner as I just did today, surrounded by groupings of family who ranged from clearly respected 80 - 90 years young to screaming babies of a couple of months for Sichuan: Sichuan Gourmet , Billerica, MA. for the real experience.

For the location are you referring to Cambridge or Waltham with the visit of tonight?

We have recently went to the Tavern in the Square, Burlington. Solid experience, make a reservation, place packed at 10 A.M. with people in the know. While making first run through buffet, you place your written choices for fresh omelet at station and when complete, they deliver to table. Especially attentive table service by server on a busy Sunday, we will return soon!

Look for the thread: " The Mughals in Burlington WOW!" on the front page of this Boston Board. myself & DC were there today, 10/5/2012, Friday. Warmly welcomed, garlic naan, fresh & warmly hot, constantly being brought out to table. Honored a coupon discount, even though we forgot coupon at home. Kingfisher 24oz. beer super cold, crisp, clean Indian beer. We were advised of a new feature of buffet on Tuesdays & Fridays ... featuring new additions with a variety of fish offerings on those days. Value is certainly featured here with good, pleasant service a given.

UPDATE!! ....DOOWEE & RICE will be featured in the next issue of Improper Bostonian September 19th so keep an eye out for it! Looks like one (1) week to enjoy before the hungry herds make the way to Powderhouse Square. Sure hope Mom will have in her fingers in the Pho right from the beginning... can't wait!

To keep you updated on this breath of fresh air in the Boston Food Scene .....

Starting Wed September 12th, DooWee & Rice will be opening with their regular 12pm-9pm hours
with a partial menu again while introducing new items each day up until their grand opening.

DooWee & Rice grand opening will be this upcoming Saturday September 15th!!! 2pm - 9pm.
They will have almost the entire menu with just a couple items left off.

DooWee & Rice Home Page
9/7/2012

We've passed our health inspection with flying colors!

DooWee and Rice Soft opening
Saturday 9/8/2012! 2pm-9pm (or until we run out)
868 Broadway Somerville, Ma

Why not Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica?
Asia Gourmet ..tight booths with no real feel to encourage new customers which the staff are aware are new to Asia Gourmet and make no effort to providing a welcoming experience.

The sign is up for Punjabi Tadka on Mass Ave in Arlington Center. The windows are still covered with paper so this is most likely a June opening. Wonder if they will fare any better than Kayuga II or Asiana Grill before that. Seems like a lot of places have come and gone there. The address is 444 Massachusetts Ave Arlington, MA

I am going to Pho Hoa today but I might give Le's a shot. I love the food at Pho Hoa but the service is really bad. Luckily the food is totally worth it. The new place is across from the health center on Dot Ave.

The Agean is a good choice, but I don't know about a large party. You won't be disappointed by the food. Any lamb dish is great and the menu really has a lot to offer.

The parking lot is about the only good thing at Changsho. The food is average American style Chinese and the last time I went I was totally underwhelmed.

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Changsho
1712 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138

The food was well done(incredible porchetta) and it was a nice room, but the last time I went, the waiter tried to push the wine special of the day and after his description, I was about to say yes. At the last minute, I asked, "How much is it?" Only $85.00!! Needless to say, we skipped the wine special.
It's been empty for so long now it's hard to imagine that it wouldn't need some major renovations. Plus six or eight parking spots is not enough. Parking on Mass Ave is hit or miss at best.

Just ate here for the first time today and it was really quite nice. It's a small place but very comfortable. We had several maki rolls which were expertly prepared. The handrolls were also quite good.
Friendly staff, good quality food and affordable. A nice option to the 'one weeks pay' type of sushi restaurants that are so common. Open Tuesday to Friday 11:30 to 3:00 and then 5:00 to 10:00pm. Saturday and Sunday open at 1pm and closed on Monday.
Very happy that we gave it a try. It's in the block right across from the former Kells.

Russo's has a lot to offer, great produce and the deli is wonderful. The Serrano ham was perfect. Nice deserts and breads as well. Prepared foods and fresh pasta also good.
The only problem is that it is so packed on weekends that you can barely move. I tried going when they open and there was a line waiting for the door to open! Very often the lines from the registers block the small aisles. Not a place you can just pop in to grab something quick.
If you can go during the week, you will do well, but I stopped going on the weekend because it is just too crowded.

Years ago I used to go to Royal East fairly often. Loved the sizzling beef in black pepper sauce. Other than that it's not so hot. It really seemed to go downhill. Stopped going after being treated really poorly one night. The staff proceed to move every table in the place and drag all the chairs around. Our table shook so bad we had to hold down our drinks and plates. When we complained they didn't do a thing. I get can mediocre Chinese plenty of places. Never been back.

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Royal East Restaurant
792 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Sorry to say I was totally underwhelmed by the Brookline location. Went on Saturday afternoon last week and was really disappointed. We were warmly greeted by the owner who recognized us from Framingham. He went out of his way to explain that the menu was smaller and some things were different, like the Dan Dan noodles. Tried the Dan Dan and they were good, but somehow different than the Framingham version. Also tried the bamboo shoots in Spicy wonder sauce because so many people on this board spoke so highly of them. They were awful. Chopped pieces of ice cold bamboo with about three drops of some totally spiceless and tasteless sauce. What a disappointment. Sichuan Kung Bao chicken was almost blond in color and not so great. All and all not up to the usual standards that we love.
Went to Framingham today and had Dan Dan (Great!!) Chengdu Spicy dumplings(Killer)
Kung Bao chicken in a dark brown sauce with loads of peppers, peanuts, absolutely great.
Beef with Napa cabbage, loaded with red pepper flake and fantastic.
Saw someone order the Bamboo/w Wonder Sauce while there and it was a heaping pile of bamboo covered in sauce. Not the blob of white mush we got in Brookline.
Framingham any time. Brookline don't think so.

Went again last night! I just can't seem to stop going. Had Dan Dan noodles, spicy wontons in chili sauce, of course the Kung Boa chicken with extra sauce and then tried the Chengdu Spicy lamb. It was spicy, but in a different way. You seemed to smell the spice as much as taste it and it did sit in the back of your throat. Our waitress was very nice. When we ordered the lamb she made sure to tell us that this was a dish without a sauce, because we tend to get dishes like the Kung Bao and the Beef with Napa cabbage in chili sauce that have a sauce on them
I asked the owner about their new place in Brookline and he said hopefully in a couple of months. He said that it needed a real sprucing up after 30 years. He also said the menu will be the same. Looking forward to going there once it gets going.

Have only been to Scutra once but recall being pleasantly surprised. The food was wonderful and the service as top notch.

I'm hooked on the Beef w/Napa Cabbage. Have it every time. The Dan Dan noodles are great and the Chengdu Dumplings are amazing. Also love the Kung Bao chicken. Sounds mundane, but the ginger and garlic along with the sauce make it fantastic. The crab and asparagus soup is great on a cold day.

Border is not the worst I've had but I can't stand how they bring all of your food at once. If I'm eating an appetizer I don't want the fajitas to sit there getting cold. When I rarely go, I make sure to only order one thing at a time. The staff doesn't understand it, so it can be a struggle!

There's a Margharita's on Moody St in Waltham. Nothing spectacular going on there.

I'll admit GF is over the top but I love the people he features. Hard working folks who make great food day in and day out. We drove to Tiverton RI to go to Evelyn's Drive in and had some great fried clams. It was worth the trip. Also went to Rocco's in San Francisco while on vacation and had the piccata which was out of this world. The only problem was a huge picture of GF that was right over our table!!

Big fan of Sichuan Gourmet. This will be a nice addition. Last time I went to Chef Chang's it was pretty lack luster.

It was very strange. I had never had that happen anywhere. I'm not trying to cast aspersions on the place, just telling you what happened. I don't get up and leave a place once I am seated, but it was very uncomfortable. It's possible that I was wrong,but I have to go with how I felt. Maybe I should give it another try.

I'm glad you enjoy the food and the location as much as I enjoy the Framingham spot.
Maybe it was a bad day when I went in, but being pointed at and then laughed at is not what I am looking for. The bottom line is go to places you enjoy:)

I love sichuan gourmet in Framingham. Incredibly nice staff and never disappointed by the food. I'll admit I am not trying to burn my mouth out, so most dishes there are the right spice level for me. Dan Dan noodle, Chengdu Dumplings, Beef with Napa Cabbage and Chili sauce to name a few.
The one time I went to the Billerica one, we were made to feel so uncomfortable that we left. We were the only non chinese there and the waitress assumed we were morons who didn't know what we were ordering. It also took her twenty minutes before we even got waited on. All we got was water on the table and at that point I said good bye.
In the Framingham location, there are always more Chinese and tons of familys as well. Many times we have been the only white folks there and we have always been welcomed with open arms. I won't spend my money somewhere I am treated poorly.