NoShoGrl's Profile
a good ham
i was just roped into easter dinner for 15 people- anyone know where i can get a big, really good spiral ham?? thanks!
Horrible Hilltop dinner report.
oh my, you just described to a tee my childhood, once a year trip to the hilltop with my grandparents!!!!!!
looking for fresh ducks to deep fry!!
hi all,
i got a turkey fryer for a housewarming gift, and it was so awesome for thanksgiving, that we decided to fry a few ducks this weekend... where can i get good, fresh (preferably organic/free range) ducks in the area??
thank you!
Bisuteki
everything is REALLY salty, that's all i remember from it. lots of out-of-town business men.
Good Eats in Rockport?
i agree with eriberri with her/his recs., but i would stay far away from the greenery - i wasn't even good 20 years ago when it was new.
Twin Seafood in Reading
don't get the chowder, it's awful, kind of sour tasting. it comes in a big plastic bag that they heat up in the microwave then dump it in a steam pan. (i watched them do it right in front of me) i also had a grilled tuna steak once, and i asked them to just sear it, and it came completely cooked through, well done, i couldn't even eat it.
i've been there 3 times, and i don't think i'll be back, nothing was really that good, just ok. i had the lobster salad sandwich (it's not a hotdog roll, it's on a bulkie roll), and yes it was generous, but it was definately frozen lobster meat, and all shredded up, no real chunks.
if you're looking for good fried fish in that area, try jimbo's roast beef & seafood - they're fried scallops are wonderful.
Disappointing Aquitaine Brunch
the Blue Room has a great brunch - well they used to, i haven't been for years, but i always felt that it was worth the pricey bill.
Chez Henri questions...
i had a scallop entree in the dining room once, and i can't remember it exactly, but i do remember loving it. also, sitting at the bar, getting some cocktails, a couple apps and a cuban is a really a very nice night and a wonderful dinner, definately worthy of the label "real dinner", and in my opinion the best way to enjoy chez hank! have fun
Central Kitchen tonight!
yes, you hit the nail on the head exactly. i think if the service were what i would expect for the $$, it would have made the food taste even better. oh well, i think many restaurants are just following the trend of poor customer service all around these days. i remember busting my butt and being a great waitress for a $5 tip! i do believe that the high ticket prices of restaurants now, creates a lack of care and incentive to give great service, because you are almost guaranteed a fat tip just based on your bill. i like most people i would think tip 20% on a regular basis, so even a not so great tip of 15% of a $200 bill is still an impressive gratutity for often less than an hour of work. just my 2 cents!
Central Kitchen tonight!
i'm here to report on our dinner last night...
we started with the mussels, the back bar cure, and a caesar salad to split. all very good.
i had the steak frites, which was delicious, perfectly cooked ribeye, with blue cheese butter, and yummy frites. K got cioppino, which was good, but not great and R got the chicken fricassee which was really good with mashed potatoes that was studded with ham, and delicious wild mushrooms, it was a bit too salty, but good none the less.
desserts were good, the truffle cake was so ridiculously rich and chocolately i couldn't eat more than a couple bites, very decedant. the panacotta was with strawberries and rhubarb, and was good, but i didn't love it.
the service was less than stellar, we waited so long to order cocktails, that we decidied to get a bottle of wine instead to have with our apps, but didn't get the wine until after the apps came out. the waitress made a joke that she had to go to france for it, and it was ok, but we really did wait a long time. we then chose another wine to have with our entrees, (made the same joke back to her, that we would get it if she didn't have to go to italy for it - hinting that we didn't want to wait that long again)and the same thing again, we were pretty much done with our entrees before we saw a guy show up with the bottle, so we cancelled it, by that time we were thinking about after dinner drinks, not more wine.
over all i thought the food was good, a cool room (if a little dark), service could have been a lot better, but a nice night.
i must say, it seems lately that everytime i go out for an expensive dinner ($70+) per person, i end up leaving feeling a bit ripped off. our bill was $200, and a $40 tip, was really too high for that meal.
Russo's Cheese
i think his name is mark, and i think he used to work at formaggio, and yes, he does know his cheese!
Cape Ann recommendations
i think it's called "the coffee shop" - and they used to have the BEST homemade cake donuts.
All Star Sandwich's diet special
wow, i can't believe you left! i wish i had, but i had already paid, and didn't want to make a scene by asking for my $$ back. hopefully they will get it together, either that or lower their prices.
Truffled Peaches from Italy?
cool, thanks! i've never had them, have you? i imagine sort of a peach jam cooked with truffles??
Sushi Island - yum! & not-so Allstar Sandwiches
thanks for the recent post about Sushi Island in Wakefield - it was great! LOVE the white tuna maki! real nice people and excellent service.
now on to the not so great sandwiches:
i must say, i was pretty disappointed. i got there at around 3:30, it's was busy enough, but no line. I ordered a cuban and a monte cristo to go. it was $18 & change, left the rest for a tip. i waited a good 25 minutes - even though they are new, this still is a loooong time to wait for a sandwich at 3:30 in the afternoon. when i did finally get my sandwiches, there was no "sorry it took so long" or anything, the staff was perfectly nice, but it was kind of obvious how long i waited, i was the only one getting take out. there were at least 8 or 9 people working there, i can't imagine why it would take so long. anyway, i returned home with my sandwiches, hoping that $20 and the long wait were worth it. it wasn't. the cuban was pretty tasteless, and not very big for a $10 sandwich. the meat seemed to be shredded,or sliced so thin that the texture was mushy. also a huge mess when we unwrapped it (i won't really care about this if it were big and delicious)
the monte cristo really bummed me out - i believe they describe a real monte cristo on the menu - battered and fried - yet what we got was the same mushy tasteless meat between unsweetend french toast.
really disappointing, i probably won't go back. cool spot though.
Lobster rolls on the drive down to Cape Cod?
Oxford Creamery in Mattapoisett on rt.6 - REALLY good - $10 with fries - then Richardson's icecream for dessert!
Cape Ann Chow Reports
yuck! the greenery is the worst!! always has been, too - sorry you ended up there with all the wonderful lunch options in bearskin neck.
a cup of chowder from the chowder house and a spinach & cheese croissant from the strusel place is my favorite lunch there!
Fav Onion Rings in Boston area
woodman's in essex - crispy and greasy - so good. we never go their for clams, etc. anymore, but once a summer, i have to make the drive for the o-rings!
Yummy sushi at Asiana Grille in Arlington
i've never been to toraya, i guess i'll have to try it out. i did think that the sushi at asiana grille was better than most for the money though, maybe we got lucky?!
Linguine w/white clam sauce -- No. of Boston?
here it is..
Venetian Moon
680 Main St
Reading, MA 01867
(781) 944-3633
Cross Street: Woburn Street
Linguine w/white clam sauce -- No. of Boston?
there is a little italian-ish restaurant in reading, not sure of the name, but it's on the corner of main st, and woburn st i think? i met a friend there for dinner a few months ago, and had the linguine with clam sauce and it was pretty good. the pasta was nothing special, probably dry pasta, not fresh, but the sauce was quite good, traditional, with a generous amount of littleneck clams. oh, i think it's called the venetian, maybe?
good luck!
NoShoGrl
arax is a syrain store on mt auburn st. typical middle eastern store, but it's quite large, they have wonderful produce, lots of different hard to find items, bulk olives, breads, fetas, homemade prepared foods (which i have tried many of them and they are very good) and like i said - CHEAP! they have a section in the back of bulk spices, and everything i have ever gotten there has been really good, and lasted a long time. i used to do a lot of catering, and arax was always one of my best places for supplies. the owner is a very nice man, and i'm pretty sure he's got his whole family working there.
my grand mother is lebenase, was a wonderful cook in her day, and for her 99 (yes!) birthday i got a bunch of food from them, and she kept asking me if i liked the food she made for me - she thought it was hers!! anyway, even if not for the spices, it's a great find, and they sell hookas!!
Which is better for spices? Penzeys or Christina's?
penzey's is boring and expensive - go to arax in watertown...cheap, fresh and interesting. or christina's for icecream next door!!
Yummy sushi at Asiana Grille in Arlington
well, instead of fancy dinner for my friend's b-day dinner, we decided on sushi, because our party suddenly got larger. Asiana Grille was recommended by a friend...great sushi (i think the best spicy tuna maki i've ever had!), decent prices, excellent service - we had a lovely time.
they have a huge menu with selections of Japenese and Korean mostly, we didn't get any of the prepared dishes, but everything around us looked good! i'll go back for sure for bi bim bap hot pot!
Seeking sources for fresh chilies
try tu y yo restaurant on broadway in somerville, i think they sell all kinds
