devilham's Profile
Pino's in Cleveland Circle, what's the fuss?
I lived on the south shore growing up, but had a friend who lived around the corner from Pino's and I remembered loving their pizza way back then, and even into my 20's when living in Allston. That being said, I have gone there a few times not so long ago (I have a 5 year old pizza fanatic to appease) and have gotten slices for the little man, and I have to say it does not taste the same as it used to. I am fully prepared to entertain the idea that time has morphed my memory of mediocre pizza to excelent pizza, but can't help but wonder if they are just 'dialing it in' so to speak these days. Ah well, nowadays when the kiddo gets a yen for good pie, I take him to the Regina's on thatcher, he loves the pizza and the bartender girl who works on saturdays loves him (he's a looker, and quite charming, IMHO, but I am biased)
Banh Mi Ngon opening in West Roxbury next week
Alright, gave them a try tonight (tuesday...grand opening), and a word of warning, they close at 7, so plan accordingly. I arrived just as they were closing, but the lovely owners took my order anyways, which gives them street cred with me, so nice first start. They were out of a few of the bahn mi fixings (beef, pork), so I went with the shrimp paste bahn mi, and the shrimp toast (the wife had the same).
A pretty good iteration of a classic bahn mi, the bread was the correct type, a nice crusty roll, the shrimp paste was tasty, and the pickled veggies solid. If anything I wish it was a little more spicy, but I wonder if maybe they were throttling it back for the neighborhood....will try and reiterate spicy the next time. Shrimp toast was also quite tasty as well. A very good first impression. Prices were a bit higher than chinatown, but, so I imagine is the rent!
I think if they consider staying open until 8 maybe (that should cover the dinner rush), and finish adding signage to their store (kind of barren right now, with handwritten menu and signs on the wall), these folks may have a hit on their hand.
Where art thou, broccolini?
I have seen it most everytime I have gone at the Roche Bros in W. Roxbury, and I'm with you, it's one of my favorite veggies, it has the visual appeal of rabe, without the bitterness, just a great veg
Wiener Schnitzel?
used to cook at a pub that had an old cantekerous german customer, and he claimed that Jabob Wirth's schnitzel was terrible. The guy was a crank who hates everything though, so who knows?
Where to eat lunch in downtown Boston?
had the parniel yesterday....the regular size could feed 3 people no joke, I go for the smaller size these days, but yes...skin!!!!!! I saw one lady just order the skin once, I haven't gone there yet, but somedays I am tempted
Where to eat lunch in downtown Boston?
I agree, I wonder if the freshness of the meat has something to do with it? At the cart, the meat I assume stews all day in the steam table, gathering flavor, while the store they can just whip up fresh batches (one of the rare times where fresher does not always equal better)?
Old Joe Tecce's
*snort*
funny!
I knew that place was in trouble (I know, not exactly Nostradamus over here) last year when I observed the host sitting on the pillar outside the front door, smoking and glaring surly-ish at passersby, got the distinct impression he was hoping for a no hitter (no customers) for lunch that day.
Redbones Food Truck
Oh I thought the meat was solid, decent barbecue, and my sides were ok too, it was just to wet for me....I think I would forgo the bun in the future.
Redbones Food Truck
now I found it made the bread too soggy, did that happen to you? Other than that, I was pretty happy with it when I tried it
The Taco Truck in City Hall Plaza
Could have done that today, as Staff Meal was right there....I do so love their chinese sausage taco!
The Taco Truck in City Hall Plaza
Well, noticed on the food truck schedule for Boston that the Taco Truck would be in City Hall Plaza today, and got excited, I had been wanting to try these guys for awhile, as I would see there trucks parked outside of Gourmet Catering in Roslindale (they must be using them for a commisary, as are a couple of other trucks). I had a pretty good first impression, so that's good.
I ordered the Barbacoa torta with cheese, and liked it, nice charred beef, gaucamole, soft mexican cheese, black bean spread on a roll, with a nice spiciness to it. My only drawback on this one was the roll, I must be spoiled rotten on Dorado's cemitas, as they seem to be the gold standard for mexican sandwiches for me...so while the flavors were great, the bread was a little too soft and mundane ....but not a show stopper (Taco Truck guys, sneak into Dorado and copy their bread recipe!!!!)
I also got an order of the chicken tacos, which (I know I will be asked) were double wrapped in white corn tortillas, served with pickled red onion and salsa, and of course a lime for a' squeezing. A very decent taco, I really like pickled onions on my tacos.
The line got long fast, but they seemed to be moving them in and out when I was there. I would like to try more of their offerings and fully intend to go back, if that says anything, so in conclusion, another solid food truck to add to the mix, offering more traditional taco styles than Staff Meal (which I like quite a bit), for a bit more variety in the taco dept. downtown. That is a good thing
First Soft Shell Crabs Sighting
Have to agree with emannths about the strong flavor (and tiny size), but semolina added a nice crunchy coating, and they weren't off or anything, just a strong flavor when you got to the center of the crab (belly area). Two of them over an arugala and radish salad was pretty solid if you ask me.
First Soft Shell Crabs Sighting
I cooked some up this weekend, dirt cheap at whole foods.....I soaked them in buttermilk and some seasoning, then coated them with semolina flour and deep fried them. These guys were small and only took a minute or two to finish, FYI
dried corn husks
If you live near Roslindale, they can be had at the mexican store that's in Rozzie square.
Need North End Restaurant for visiting parents and awful toddler
perfectly said. As a father of a little guy 'in the spectrum' I wholeheartedly concurr
Boston Restaurants 20 years ago
I worked with the boyfriend of one of the bartenders there......sadly (the one I worked with) has passed away from AIDS, which happened alot to the young gay men of that generation....very sad, he was the first gay person I had met (I was seventeen), and he really humanized what being a gay person was for me.....any prior (in my defense, immature) prejudicial attitudes I had about gay people were shattered......the bartender was a great guy, and very funny, I hope he survived that epidemic, but can't say for sure as I lost touch with him after Mark died.
eeek, that veered darkly off topic, sorry people
Californian Burritos
Viva Burrito in the West End I believe grills their meat (not to order per se, but they don't keep it in water, just keep a guy on the grill rolling it out at a constant rate), and if you get the carnitas, since it's not as popular (I have no idea why) as steak and chicken, they have to heat it up in a skillet to order, so potential carmelization there. I find their burritos to be pretty tasty.
Lunch near TD Garden-this Friday
That's true I suppose....I usually get the burger there for lunch, and there is nothing overtly italian about it, so I wasn't really thinking on that, but you are correct, it's alot of pastas and the like.....oh well....I tried!
Lunch near TD Garden-this Friday
Grotto is not that far from there (I work in the area, and have taken a lunch there once or twice), and sets a nice plate of food. The Fours is solid pub food, but I have had some bad seafood experiences with them, so I would avoid that, but their sandwiches are pretty good.
Where can I find Boston's best and freshest fried haddock plate?
Second The Pleasant, their seafood offerings are outstanding, the clams are some of my favorite in the city, and can hold their own against any of the North Shore clam shacks
The Taco Truck food truck
I live in Rozzie, and at the Gourmet Catering site that appears to be serving as a commisary for some food trucks I keep seeing a truck called The Taco Truck. I have gone to their website in search of their location in the Boston area and have come up with just that, located in the Boston area. I would love to try these guys, anyone spotted this truck in the wild???
www.thetacotruck.com
Need North End Restaurant for visiting parents and awful toddler
I feel your pain MrsCheese, but I'm afraid I haven't got much, as I don't do the North End much except for quicky lunch stuff....but I too have a young one (now 5) who is a tricky eater (won't eat anything new or different), he's well behaved (for the most part, until he gets too bored), but not an adventerous eater like your first sounds like. I hope you find something to accomodate
The Abbey, in Brookline
The wife and I ate at the Abbey last night, and man, what a great meal! We rarely get a night out (due to having a little one around the house who is hit or miss on taking out to a resteraunt), and are always very happy when we pick a place like the Abbey that doesn't dissapoint.
We got there early (about 6:20), and were seated right away at a corner table, very lucky, as they take no reservations, so go early for ease of sitting. The waitstaff were all excellent, it seems the small scale of the place makes the staff take the attitude that ALL the tables are their tables, so everyone pitches in, and they were all big smiles and loads of help. Now on to the food.
We tried all four of their small plate offerings, which are as follows, deviled bacon and eggs, crispy buffalo pork belly with blue cheese dressing, smoked cod fritters with spicy tartar sauce, and the big surpirse as our favorite, sausage and pepper spring roll with spicy aioli (I normally don't like these re-imagining of spring rolls/egg rolls, ala Davio's steak and cheese spring rolls, but these were just crazy delicous, and had a nice spice to them). All four apps were wonderful, and none of them broke the $5 price range, making them excellent values as well.
For entree's I had the roasted cod with a potato scallion pancake in a shallot cream sauce, it's served up in a saute pan (kinda neat), and was cooked perfectly...nice fresh fish, firm, but soft, with an amazing flavor, smothered in what seemed more of a buerre blanc than a cream sauce, but who the f*(&k cares when it tastes this good???? The wife got the hanger steak frites with madeira sacue, which was also outstanding...nice crispy shoestring fries, buetifilly cooked hanger steak, and the madeira sauce was just out of this world.....I would gladly just eat the plate of fries with this sauce all over them, and would have felt satiated as it had the deep meaty flavor to it...so good.
We don't get out much as I mentioned, and rarely hit the same place twice because of that (I love variety and trying new things), but I would not hesitate to hit the Abbey again, as it was a top notch dining experience that was also easy on the wallet (meal and drinks + tip = about $100....not bad at all!)
Food Truck Season
My strategy is to always hit these trucks early if going, as the lines do get too slow the later you go, and if you go after lunch rush, they tend to be out of food!
Missing In n Out Burger in Boston?
That's funny! You know, back in the day, I used to be fond of Papa's steak and cheese as well, reminds me a bit of the #9 at D'angelo's (a guilty pleasure, that is sadly, too much money)
Food Truck Season
I thought about hitting that truck to supplement my Staff Meal tacos, but got the chicken skin instead (the girl behind me got tacos and then falafal, kind of wish I had). The skin is ok, but would be better fresh out of the fryer, and it's alot of skin to eat in one sitting (I couldn't finish it! And I LOVE skin). Thought the guac was lacking too (more lime please!!!)
Food Truck Season
Yesterday I tried Anthony's food truck, seemed to focus on fried soul food, but it was sadly not that good. Limp soggy french fries (as if the fryer were not up to the task), and the cole slaw leaked mayo juice all over everything....not cool.
SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN
I hear you grant.cook, and like I said, Slim already talked me out of it. And your right, I don't have an Ansel fire suppresion system at home (hell, I don't even have a hood over my stove!) so I would say it's a no go. I'll stick with my electric frypan, which does a pretty outstanding job in the end
Food Truck Season
I went to Staff Meal today, and no line to speak of (it was kind of freaking cold though), got a chorizo taco and a chinese sausage taco, and thought both were fabulous. At first I thought the price was too high, but after eating them my opinion changed, these were some really great tacos, can't wait to go back
