BJK's Profile
Fresh Chicken/Turkey Sausage - Metrowest Area
If there's something better than Whole Foods I'm all ears. For my money, their house made chicken sausages are great.
SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN
Great place with surprisingly good food and a great beer list.
SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN
Roche Brothers supermarkets sells surprisingly good broasted chicken.
Shishito Peppers
We eat at the Cheesecake Factory probably every 6 - 8 weeks, thanks largely to our need to accommodate a 4-year-old and, more recently, twin infants, and thanks partly as well to our recent move to Metrowest. Options are few and far between on both fronts.
TCF is guilty without question of insane portions and an atrocious menu so large it takes the form of a book and includes full page ads. I at times witness behavior there on the part of both waitstaff and customer that makes me ashamed to share their company. And on top of all that, I will 99 times out of 100 seek out a hole-in-the-wall, ethnic, chow-worthy, high bang-for-your-buck local venue over a ghastly chain.
That said, I do believe based on way to many a meal at TCF that the majority of what I've eaten there has been prepared fresh in house. With love and care and local ingredients? I don't think so. But I'm pretty confident they aren't dumping pre-packaged frozen meals into microwaves and fryolaters.
I'm also sorry to report that the Sysco truck stops at local mom & pop joints out here in Metrowest, too. I've had way too many breakfasts in this area that were all basically the same meal.
If its any further consolation, we also take the whole gang, twin infants included, to Sichuan Gourmet and Sweet Basil with some frequency. :)
Shishito Peppers
Report back if you try them. I've had the "Vietnamese Tacos" (which are basically steamed buns with pork belly) and they were better than I expected them to be. Was it the second coming of David Chang at Momofuku? Hell no. But I'd order them again.
Good Breakfast Place in Dedham, Norwood, Walpole Area
I'm sorry, but neither 50's diner nor Vello's is anything special. They both serve the same Sysco crap that every other breakfast joint out here in the burbs serves. Sorry to be a naysayer, but after moving to Holliston 2 years ago, I've driven all over the place looking for anything that comes even close to Soundbites in Somerville, Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown, or The Friendly Toast in Kendall. It doesn't exist out here.
I'd love to steer you toward something fresh, tasty and homemade, but the closest I can get you is Gourmet Decisions in Natick or Deluxe Station Diner in Newton. Zaftigs is hit and miss and overpriced, but still better than either the 50s Diner or Vellos. True, none of the three are particularly close to Dedham, Norwood, or Walpole. But, honestly, you'd be better served rolling the dice and trying someplace else altogether than settling for these places.
Shishito Peppers
Feel free to blast me for suggesting such a non-Chow-worthy venue but as a father of 3 small kids I occasionally appreciate how kid friendly the Cheesecake Factory is. No, it's not a destination, and yes, we take our kids all kinds of other Chowhound-approved places, but still, I provide all of these caveats and apologies in order to simply state that they have Shishito peppers on their menu. *ducking for cover* :)
Neilio's Lexington is a Gem
I worked nearby for a few years and probably ate there once a week or so in that time. While it's certainly possible to have an off day from time to time, I never had that experience with their turkey myself. YMMV.
Any great donuts in Metrowest?
We're big donut fans. We tried Carrie Anne's 2 - 3 months ago. Got ourselves 6 different donuts to share between 3 of us. Haven't been back.
Artbar in Cambridge
Can't say I did. It's been a good 2 years since I've been there, but even then my beverage of choice was usually wine or beer. I'm a cocktail fan, so I have to imagine that if there was a serious drink program at that point I'd have ordered one.
Artbar in Cambridge
Yes. Go next door to Dante instead.
Artbar is an unremarkable hotel restaurant. My old office was 2 blocks away, so I had the misfortune of being dragged there by colleagues probably a dozen times. The only thing that I've found to be worthwhile about it is the patio. And frankly, I wouldn't ruin a summer afternoon on their patio by ordering anything to eat. Considering the patio is likely not all that appealing in February, that leaves you with little to be desired at Artbar. It's not bad, per se, just not particularly good.
Dante, on the other hand, could be worth checking out. I've only been once, and it was for lunch, but it was an excellent lunch. The chef also runs Il Casale in Belmont which gets very enthusiastic reviews on this board, so I think there's reason to believe that my one excellent lunch was not an unusual experience there.
I don't remember exactly what I ate, as it was two years ago now, but I do remember the pasta being homemade and very tasty, the arancini being the best I've had, and a selection of different house made mozzarellas and assorted toppings.
I'd definitely go back to Dante. Artbar, only if I was forced to, and even then under protest.
Zaftig's
You have to also think of it as a better-than-average Applebee's at twice the price. I've long since adjusted my expectations for the food, but the prices keep tainting my otherwise mediocre experiences.
Zaftig's
We've been going to the Natick location pretty regularly since it opened if only because the options out here in Metrowest are so few and far between. As of this weekend I've decided to take it out of the breakfast rotation. I'll return for lunch or dinner or if someone else insists on going there for breakfast.
My general experience has been that it is extremely expensive and inconsistent. So, on occasion, when the food is at it's best, I think, "Well, that was pretty good, but wow is it expensive." More often than not, though, there's something either wrong or just underwhelming about the food, and combined with the high price tag, I think, "What a ripoff."
Highlights: the banana stuffed french toast is pretty good, as are the bagels. I also like the potato pancakes, and sometimes the scrambles can be pretty satisfying. In particular I like the San Francisco Joe scramble (I think it has ground turkey, mushrooms, peppers, onions & parmesan or something like that) and the Pacific scramble (mushrooms, scallions, soy sauce).
Lowlights: the benedicts are incredibly inconsistent. The omelettes have been unsatisfying every time I've ordered one. Scrawny bacon. Tough, overworked pancakes. And the smoked fish platter made me think of Woody Allen (the food was awful and such small portions!).
On the lunch/dinner menu, I like the matzo ball soup, the corned beef sandwich and the reuben (yes, pretty much a corned beef sandwich itself). My wife likes the patty melt. And I like the bagel chips and olive cream cheese that they give to each table. The fries suck. They're the coated/season variety that I despise.
As far as I'm concerned, I'll gladly drive the extra 10 - 15 minutes that it takes me to get to Deluxe Station Diner in Newton where the food is consistently terrific and where I pay less, too. And if I don't feel like driving that far, there's always Gourmet Decisions in Natick. Or even Kugel's Deli.
Tavern at the End of the World UPDATE?
Love both Highland Kitchen and the Tavern, the latter definitely being grittier, divier, more bar with great food than gastropub. I've been told by those in the know that you can't go wrong at the Tavern, and so far they're right. So far I've had the steak tips, the chipotle burger, the spinach salad with grilled chicken, and the onion rings and they've all been well worth ordering again. I've seen the curry, the beef stew, and the shepherd's pie and they've all made me want to order them myself.
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Highland Kitchen
150 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143
Proposed itinerary for a visitor from Seattle – please critique
Not necessarily meals, per se, but given your location, get yourself over to Party Favors for a cupcake and to JP Licks for some ice cream. Party Favors is directly across the street from your hotel, and JP Licks is a block away.
There are numerous other places in the neighborhood that could be worth checking out while you're there, though that in and of themselves may not have been destination worthy. In particular, there's great Thai food in Rod Dee, Khao Sarn and Dok Bua. There are also pretty good burritos in Anna's and Boca Grande. There are a handful of decent sushi places if you were really craving it. And if you had to eat breakfast nearby, you could do worse than Zaftigs. Again, none of these would likely make my list of recommendations for destination dining, but they're all worthy neighborhood choices if you just feel like grabbing something nearby.
Very nearby, too, are both Brookline Village and Washington Square. In Brookline Village you'll find Cutty's, Pomodoro, and Sichuan Garden, and in Washington Square you'll find Washington Square Tavern. I'm sure there are more places worth exploring in each location, though again I'd categorize them as good to know they're nearby as opposed to planning an itinerary around them.
Per some of the other recommendations here, you're also an easy train ride away from Kenmore square, and not much further on that same train to downtown, Chinatown, etc.
Please report back!
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Khao Sarn
250 Harvard St, Brookline, MA 02446
Party Favors
1356 Beacon St, Brookline, MA
Best breakfast sandwich?
Agree re: Magnificent Muffin and Clover. Also check out Hi Rise Bakery and Deluxe Town Diner. Hi Rise has numerous breakfast sandwiches, and Deluxe is basically a pick-your-ingredient variety, albeit with excellent ingredients.
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Deluxe Town Diner
627 Mt Auburn St, Watertown, MA 02472
Magnificent Muffin
1118 Broadway, Somerville, MA
4/8/11 Sound Bites in Somerville: YES! A Great Breakfast Place at Last!!
There has been much ugliness between the two, culminating in a physical altercation last year when Yassar backed out of a Travel Channel episode of Restaurant Wars (or something like that).
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/04/26/cafe_owners_come_to_blows_in_somerville_square/
http://somervillenews.typepad.com/the_somerville_news/2010/04/one-injured-in-somervilles-breakfast-war-restaurant-dispute.html
4/8/11 Sound Bites in Somerville: YES! A Great Breakfast Place at Last!!
Yassar gets vilified for being "the breakfast Nazi" so it's easy to imagine him as the bad guy. Personally, I've always sympathized with him.
For that 15 years or so that he occupied the space that is now BSB, there were always lines out the door and down the block. From what I personally witnessed, the things that most frequently pushed him to confront a customer (which some people understandably believe is never okay) were either (1) occupying a table for too long (say, waiting for someone to arrive before ordering, chit chatting over coffee, or reading the newspaper at the table) or (2) standing in the doorway with the door propped open (alternately either letting in cold winter air or hot summer air).
Perhaps my favorite story about the other side of Yassar is from the days following 9/11/01 when everyone was still in complete shock about what had happened. He's a Persian guy who could easily have been vilified or victimized due to public sentiment. And standing in line one morning, as he had his usual smoke and was chatting with some of the patrons waiting for a seat, his comment about the events of 9/11 was, "I don't understand this terrorism. I understand pancake, waffle." :)
4/8/11 Sound Bites in Somerville: YES! A Great Breakfast Place at Last!!
I find it hard to support BSB given the story.
The details as I understand them are that the owners of BSB also own the building (and Victor's next door, from what I understand). They were Yassar's landlord for the many years (15?) that Sound Bites occupied that space.
Somewhere along the way they decided to jack up Yassar's rent high enough to force him out and to steal Omar, his chef, to run the breakfast place they intended to open up in the same space. Yassar managed to move into the space next door, but IMHO it was a greedy, power hungry, gutless move on the part of the landlord and now owner of BSB, and one that makes it hard for me to support the business.
I've been a patron of Sound Bites for 20 years and will never set foot in BSB.
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Sound Bites
704 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144
You know those delicious looking half moons in the front case of Lyndell's in Central Square?
i find all of their baked goods, at least those I've tasted, to have be really bland, not particularly moist, and for what little flavor they have to taste like shortening. They sure get a lot of love for a place that has never once served me something that I found even remotely approaching good, never mind exceptional.
Dumplings
I agree with the other posters re: Wang's, Qingdao Garden, Jo Jo Taipei and Mulan. That said, you could do worse than the big bags of dumplings in many a variety from the Chinese Spaghetti Factory. I'm pretty sure they're made in Boston, and you can find them at both the Super88 and H-Mart.
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Qingdao Garden Restaurant
2382 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140
JoJo Tai Pei Restaurant
103 Brighton Ave, Boston, MA 02134
Chinese Spaghetti Factory
73 Essex St, Boston, MA 02111
H-Mart
3 Old Concord Rd, Burlington, MA 01803
11/7/08 Maxwell's 148: Terrific Evening in Natick
A non-chowish friend posted about it on Facebook, and I openly questioned the likelihood of getting good Italian/Mediterranean and pan-Asian dishes in the same restaurant. Your reviews might have convinced me it's worth suspending disbelief and giving it a try.
FWIW, my friend suggested I sign up for their email newsletter. Apparently they advertise special offers daily via email only.
8/9 - $16.99 entrees.
8/2 - prix fixe dinner for 2 $49.99.
7/26 - free app w/any entree.
Native corn
If anyone is out here in the boonies with me, the corn at Arcadian Farms in Holliston is awesome! http://www.arcadianfarms.com/
Lobster prices
Just brought back 5 of them from the Market Basket in Bellingham where they had an unadvertised special price of $3.99/pound.
Boston Farmers' Markets
If you're referring to Haymarket, it is most certainly not a farmer's market. Open air produce, yes. Local, straight from the farm produce, not even close.
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Haymarket
Blackstone St, Boston, MA
Recs for breakfast near Arlington?
On the Belmont/Watertown line check out Deluxe Town Diner. Many, many posts on the board for you to research. My personal favorite items there are the pancakes, corned beef hash, and English muffins, all of which are, IMHO, the best around.
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Deluxe Town Diner
627 Mt Auburn St, Watertown, MA 02472
Native corn
3, 2, 1! I was surprised to find local corn from a farm in Northborough at the Bellingham Whole Foods yesterday. It was pretty tasty, and definitely better than the Florida stuff my parents brought over from Wilson Farms last weekend.
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Wilson Farm
10 Pleasant St, Lexington, MA 02421
Sushi in Lexington?
Dabin is solid. As a bonus, because it's Korean, you get a bunch of banchan with your sushi.
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Dabin Restaurant
10 Muzzey St Ste 1, Lexington, MA 02421
No City Hall Plaza food trucks this morning . . .
Free entry from noon to 4 PM today. I'm sure the food prices add up quickly though.
