Just noticed CMart in Chinatown (Washington Street) not only closed but gutted.

I had soft shell crab and bacon sliders ($10) for the Wed night Baconpalooza (May). They said they were fresh not frozen. Tasty enough but not a lot of taste next to the bacon.

I believ Ohlins is better and your motel is about 15-20 min stroll or 5 min car ride. Verna's is further from you.

thanks pia. i always mix them up. When at Linda' get the traditional jelly donut.. Also near Linda's on Belmont Ave is Gustazo for cuban and Sophia's for greek yogurt. Closer to Cambridge on Belmont Ave is Shangri La for northern chinese and Eastern Lamejune for (duh Lamejune).

Within a mile or two of your motel are a couple of chowfinds.

1. aforementioned StripTs.

2. Donuts BettyAnns on Belmont Street and Ohlins on Common Street (both in Belmont) are excellent. Get the butternut crunch donuts from Ohlins.

3.Thai North (Oak Square, Brighton) for Chiang Mai cuisine. I always get the Khao soi but there is a board of specialities.

4. Mt. Auburn Street Armenian bakeries and food stores (Sevan, Arax, Fatoushi nut shop).

Thanks for this Nab. You hit some of my favourites too. Post like this are the reason I enjoy this site. I seem to lack the stamina for such prolonged hedonism these days but still attempt the occasional mini-chow crawl. Also appreciate the warning on Yum wo katare. I can't understand why this city can't make a decent bowl of ramen and makes such a big deal out of it when they try (e.g. last year's pop up lunacy). We are certainly doing much better by Korean lately especially Kaju and Westborough Korean which i finally made it to. Had surprisingly good big belly fried clams at Moultons recently for a good price.

It's all relative. Compared to Toronto (of which I'm a native son), Boston is OK for mexican but I would suggest going to East Boston on the Blue line MBTA. Taqueria Jalisco and Angelas. i would avoid any of the upscale 20-something artisanal tequila made margarita chains that have sprung up. Poor value and gringoed down flavors IMO. Also, while I wouldn't recommend BBQ for someone from the South but for Hogtowners, Soulfire (Allston) and Sweet Cheeks (get the biscuits) near Fenway would both hit the spot. Near Kenmore, Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster bar would be excellent though maybe a little hipster. They will be crowded on game nights. Craft beers seem to be everywhere these days but no place stands out to me.

Thanks for this. I will try to attend. Looks like lots of noodle choices and one booth with okinomi.

Also near you is muqueca (Cambridge street near Inman square). For Brazilian style seafood stews. Perhaps something you don't get in SF and moderately priced.

how about hungry mother or highland kitchen?

I thought about ordering fried clams at the Pleasant last year but they were $28.00 that day, which would have purchased all of page 2 of their menu. Not near the Colonnade but I've been enjoying Fresh Pond Seafood's fried clam lunch lately. For 12.99, it includes fries and cup of excellent fish or clam chowder or lobster bisque.

I think Romano's stopped serving some of their more offbeat items including cabeza (not enough demand). Estragon in South End serves pringas, a tapas that has beef cheek, which is delicious.

Thanks for the reviews Gini. Nice to have hounds post on their food experiences with some details as opposed to the usual requests for a good seafood restaurant in...

canned niblets corn, drained and cooked to death in lots of butter and salt. It was a childhood snack, as was instant mashed potatoes but can't stand them now vs. real mashed.

often use this as a healthy main in summer with salad greens, sliced avocado, perhaps a tomato mozarella salad. If you want something warm, make a chicken broth from the bones on saturday night and make a quick soup.

I've been one of Bubor Cha Cha's big supporters but have noticed a slight slippage the last couple of times. Still OK but something as changed such that the everything had been a closer to Winsor or HLM. Perhaps a chef change?

I find them milkier and less eggy than the egg tarts in addition to the broiling.

Good list and suggestions by others. If you do Best Little Restaurant, I think the things you liked are better than their lunch plates so order from the dinner menu. Other lunch possibilities are Peach Farm (salt and pepper something) and I think their beef based dishes are better than other places, China King (Shanghai noodles), New Golden Gate City (better wok hei), Taiwan cafe (pork chop on rice, eggplant with basil).

I was thinking Hungry Mother given your Kendall SQ location preference. Also you stay on the Cambridge side away from Fenway traffic. total under $20 might be tough.

I think Hong Kong Eatery and Best Little Restaurant have it but the crispy rice on the one at Wing's and the quality of the preserved meats made theirs better. Two kinds of lap cheung regular and liver) salted chicken, and the aforementioned lap cheung's brother.

Like many on this board, I enjoyed Wing's when it was a Shanghaiese place and was disappointed when it changed hands and became generic Americanized Chinese. I avoided it for years until a friend from Hong Kong who lives downtown told me that she and her husband use this place to prepare their Hong Kong favorites and do not eat elsewhere in Ctown. I went with her and the menu still seemed generic and my rice plate was fine but nothing special. However, I noticed a table of Chinese businessmen had a feast in front of them including Crab with ginger and scallions and preserved duck on rice clay plot that smelled fabulous. I figured those in the know or who could at least speak Cantonese could entice the chef to make such wonders and I did not return.

Yesterday, I passed by and they were getting a shipment of Chinese preserved bacon (lap cheung's brother. I walked in and noticed their takeout menu had been redone to include an entire section on Casserole Rice (clay pots). Today I ordered salt chicken, sausage (lap cheung) and bacon (lap cheung's brother) rice clay pot ($8.95) which takes 20 minutes to make and it was terrific. The crispy rice was great and rich fattiness from the preserved meats infused the soft rice with flavor. It also included a chinese greens, tofu and minced pork soup that tasted of spring greens.

I admit that my standard practice with a new restaurant with a cuisine I don't know well is test it out on a standard. The lesson here is read the menu carefully and look for the subtle differences from the canonical. Rice clay pot seems to be a specialty given its own section, and that means go for it!

That's too bad. I used to get a good frozen tonkatsu ramen there. When i was last there they had converted the back to a sushi bar so maybe they are converting completely to this.

There are several other drawings from the trip but only only one is food related, Jestine's which i haven't scanned. Here are a couple of street scenes.

yes. the tomato pudding knocked it out of the park. Is there a recipe for that anywhere or is it just SC tomatoes that make the difference. Where is Mary Lou's? I attach a few drawings for Hominy Grill, FIG and Xiao Bao Biscuit (slightly fancied up) to entice responses.

sorry drawing were misoriented. here they are replaced.

yes. the tomato pudding knocked it out of the park. Is there a recipe for that anywhere or is it just SC tomatoes that make the difference. Where is Mary Lou's? I attach a few drawings for Hominy Grill, FIG and Xiao Bao Biscuit (slightly fancied up) to entice responses.

Boston hound here reporting on a lovely chow visit last weekend. Many thanks to the posters on this board but need to single out Sue in Mt P for constantly valuable contributions. Four restaurants and all were excellent. I wish Boston had that kind of batting average. First meal was dinner at Hominy Grill: Shrimp and Grits, Tomato Pudding and a couple of pieces of fried chicken dark. Everything was very good but the tomato pudding was a revelation, sweet with intense tomato flavor. Shrimp and grits had perfectly cooked shrimp and fancy grits with bacon and mushrooms. Fried chicken good but not the best i had (see later). FIG was all everyone claims on this board. Local food cooked with flair and excellence. The gnocchi with bolognese made with local lamb may be the lightest and largest gnocchi I've ever had. Size wasn't a virtue but the cloud-like texture certainly was exquisite. Sauce was mopped up with local bread (Normandy bakery) with an excellent crust and great butter from a local farm. I was very impressed that my waitress (Andrea) knew all sourcing details. Service was charming, unpretentious and informed. My entree was roasted tilefish fillet with Romesco sauce and another winner. Portions are ample without being obesity inducing. Next day, a late lunch at Jestines featured an excellent fried chicken basket with fried okra, cole slaw and lovely housemade pickles. Second best fried chicken ever (Strouds in KC can never be beat). Dinner at 5 Loaves Bakery was a nice crab and arugula spaghetti with a nice light crab infused broth. Great value at $13. I ordered a coconut cake to snarf on the plane with a leftover piece of cold fried chicken from Jestines. Charleston strikes me as a great and growing chow town with lots of excellence in the mid-price range. You could teach us a thing or too on this point. By the way, I passed two interesting places on Spring at Rutledge that were closed on a Sunday morning: D&D Soul Food and Xiao Bao Biscuit (in a partially refurbished gas station). Any chow buzz on either of these?

Noticed that GaGa Seafood in Chinatown was boarded up today. Any info?

Thanks for the report and am looking forward to going. Had reservations last Friday but weather postponed this visit. Agree totally on bukhara. Yuck.

Actually, I think Teppanaki are authentically Japanese. My hosts in Japan took me to one in Tokyo that was magnificent. Small amounts of Kobe beef beautifully prepared and presented. However, I agree that anything stateside is not authentic and pales in comparison. Shiki and Osaka are a couple of blocks from each other and you could do both. Appetizers and a sake tasting at Shiki followed by a steak show.

If the main ingredient is silicone, then they are fake.