Yes, that's correct. Different owners. See the article above that Gio posted from Wicked Local. It gives the details of both new restaurants.

We went back for lunch today. Sampled the Kubideh Kabob and the Chicken Barg. Both were great. The Kubideh consisted of nicely seasoned ground beef griddles and folded into a spinach wrap. Lots of fresh veg and hummus. The Chicken Barg, chunks of marinated yogurt chicken in the same spinach wrap. It came with two sides today. Greek yogurt with cucumber and dry mint, and Greek yogurt with shallots. Really loving this place for a delicious casual meal.

Thanks for posting the Wiked Local article! I'm very excited about La QChara opening. I didn't realize its the same owner as Coffee, Tea and Me. That's a truly great local coffee shop, so I'm certain this will be a big hit. Also, it's walking distance from my house!

I know it's not Coffee, Teaor Me, but not sure about his other place. I know he's been in Melrose for at least 15 years. I'll be interested to hear your report of the place!

Oops. I should have included that.
3537 Essex Street
Melrose MA

directly across from Shaws.

HMart in Burlington has Porgy and Pollock on sale for $1.99/lb.
I know those are poor subsitutes for Chilean Sea Bass or Black Cod, but it sure is cheap!

I was going to go with the Kitchen Garden, until I realized the Farm Fresh Direct had an pick up station two blocks from my house. They look really good.
As for Harukei turnips, I'm eating mine raw. Really anywhere you would use a radish, you can use them. Someone last night told me they roast theirs. I may try that this weekend.

HAHA! Maybe senji0000 should just stay home once in a while.

Picked up my first batch of fresh fruit and veg last night from the Melrose outpost of Farm Fresh Direct. More than just a CSA, this is an aggie Coop, with several farms represented. Since this is a Coop, we are required to donate two hours to working at one of the outposts during the season and last night was my turn. The rain was miserable but still a good time was had by all.

My share included Broccoli, Harukei Turnips, Red Lead Lettuce, fresh strawberries, rhubarb and a choice between Kohlrabi, Easter Egg radishes, Fresh Garlic or Bok choy. ( I went with Kohlrabi)

The produce looks amazing. I opted into the 'Chef's Share", so I also came home with two live herb plants, tarragon and sage.
This is my first year with Farm Direct, but I'm really excited about being a part of it.

You don't mention African cuisine on your rotation list. I know others mentioned Ethiopian which is a great choice. Curious to know if you've been to Teranga, the Senagalese restaurant in the south end. Truly some interesting items on the menu, including their stuffed fish dish or the yucca cous cous.

Another suggestion for a little "walk on the wild side" would be Shanghai Gate which serves authentic Shanghai cuisine which is vastly different than the typical Chinese restaurant here in Boston. Try dishes like West Lake Chicken, which is pickled and steamed or the fish soup which comes with a whole fish and pickled cabbage. Salty Duck with sticky rice and ham is a good choice. They have a number of other exotic choices like ducks tongue, frog, pigs bladder etc...

I think offal is the real new frontier of the culinary world.

Hubby and I stopped into Tooba’s last night for their first day open and I am delighted to report that Melrose has another great selection in dining options. Truly, just what Melrose has needed, in a city awash with Pizza joints, Roast Beef & Seafood carry out or upscale sit-down restaurants, Tooba’s Middle Eastern/Mediterranean inspired wraps and sandwiches are a welcome addition!

It’s a stylish shop with counter service and plenty of places for comfortable seating. Of course, you can take your food to go, if you would rather.

We both started with the House made soup, which last night was an incredible Tortellini Soup. It was brimming with tender cheese filled tortellini in a delicious tomato based broth. For our main course, we each chose the Falafel sandwich. Freshly made falafel are deep fried and stuffed into a tomato wrap, which is then chocked full of fresh vegetables, and hummus, then quickly pressed in the Panini machine.
Simply couldn’t have been better.

I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other offerings, like Chicken Kubideh, a ground chicken kabob, or the Kabob Barg, their beef tenderloin kabob.

Tooba’s will be open daily from 6AM-9PM, serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Dropped into Thmor Da this evening based on your review and we had a great time! We started with the mango salad which is similar to Green Papaya salad except its spiked with nice threads of juicy fatty pork and shrimp, and of course made with mango. Another diner recommended we have the Lok Lak. Simple dish of cubed beef in a light gravy over red onions, tomato with a sour pepper sauce. We also had the fried squid and I have to agree, it's amazing, perfectly fried and topped with fresh jalapeño and fried dried chiles. Finally we had the Som tum soup, which was good but nothing spectacular. We spoke to the chef after our meal and he promised to make some other suggestions the next time we come in. That's oin to be soon!!

Yes, they are. I believe that's it though. No hard liquor.

Rincon Limeno is my fave in Boston by far.

Made another stop to Oya's last week, and still quite impressed with the restaurant. Fairly large crowd and they had a live music. More like a one man "Buena Vista Social Club".
I had the scallops with the "Cuban Rice" Risotto. The scallops were ever so slighly over cooked, but still quite tasty. The risotto was a real show stopper, with peas, carrots, wild yellow rice and enough garlic slices to ward off vampires. Hubby had the Arroz con Maduras, which was a cheesy casserole of Yellow Rice, pulled Chicken and sweet plantains. All in all another great meal. I notice that they are now open for lunch, too. Happy to see them doing well. We really hope they are around for a long time to come.

Good to know Grant. Thanks for posting. Sorry you missed them yesterday.

Why don't you take a look at Douzo or Basho. Both have good selections of sushi as well as a full complelement of alternative cuisine. They are close to Cambridge and they certainly fit the "hipster" style you are looking for.

I think you've made some good choices in your initial thoughts. As for Lobster Rolls, I agree that the hot buttered Lobster Roll at Neptune "takes the cake" as far as I'm concerned. The raw bar there is divine.

I disagree that Bostonians don't go out for Lobster.
They do it all the time. Chinatown wouldn't be my first choice for a lobster experience since it is typically deep fried in oil and covered in sauce at most Chinese Restaurants.

For a complete "down-market" experience, Yankee Lobster Company does the job at a very reasonable price. Just don't expect any ambiance to be included in that.
Atlantic Fish Company is much nicer, but also pricier. It is a very traditional New England Seafood restaurant and they do a great job with Lobster.

Additionally, Paramount for breakfast is a brilliant choice. Expect a line, but the wait won't be long. It's a Boston institution and it's in the heart of Charles street, which is arguable the quaintest commercial street in New England.

As for local cuisine...
IMO, you should concentrate on a locavore/ Farm to Table restaurant as opposed to "Boston cuisine" which ends up being a lot of fried seafood or baked haddock with cracker crust.

Some of these may be on the pricier end but definitely worth the extra $$. I believe some of these spots have been mentioned by others too.
Hamersley's Bistro
Marliave
Craigie on Main
Salty Pig
Puritan & Co.
Bondir

Have a great visit!

If you're planning a trip to Yume Wo Katare, you better hurry. He's closing up shop at the end of the month and traveling back to Japan for the summer. Expected to reopen in August.

I did leave a tip. The entire reason I wanted to pay with the credit card was so I could leave a tip based on the actual value of the meal. I think that was what really upset me. I was trying to give him money!

I've been coming to Sato II for years and have always enjoyed it. It's decent Americanized Chinese food. But tonight, I cannot believe the rude way I was treated at the end of our meal as I laid out my credit card to pay our bill.

You see we had a Groupon, so the balance of the check was small. I wanted to make sure I was tipping on the full value of the meal but the sever taking the check was pissed off that I was paying with a credit card. He basically scolded me then took the card. When I tried to talk to him again to explain; I was completely dismissed, as if to say that my complaint was of no concern of theirs and I could shut up and get out.

Well that's exactly what I did. And guess what? I'll never be back. There's no shortage of mediocre Chinese restaurants in the area. I'm more than happy to take my business to Tulip Garden not 500 feet from their front door.

We stopped into Olympia this past Saturday and found it to be quite good. Not the best Greek restaurant I've ever been to but a decent offering of very traditional Greek fare from a spot that's been in biz for 60 years. Decor is EXACTLY what I expected.
Started with the Avgolemono Soup (Egg Lemon) which was a weak point. Very thin broth and too much rice.
The Taramasolata however was great. Generous portion with a nice acidic punch and plenty of pita toast points for dipping.
I had the Lamb and Chicken kabob which was perfectly cooked and served with a nice helping of rice with a Greek tomato sauce and roast potatoes.

I have a rule... If Galaktaboureko is on the menu... I will order it. This one did not disappoint. Another generous portion, creamy custard wrapped in phyllo and topped with honey and rose water. The perfect ending to a satisfying meal.

We've been a few times over the past couple of years. It's not terrible, but nothing ever calls me back. The last two times we went, service was deplorable. Haven't been back since.

More pics...

I've written a couple times on Chowhound about Tenoch, the superlative taqueria and torta shop in Medford Center. I'm happy to report that Tenoch now has a Food Truck (ok actually it's a trailer, but let's not split hairs). On a recent visit to the restaurant, I was speaking to Alvaro one of the brothers who owns Tenoch and he mentioned that they just got the truck up and running.

A lightbulb went off in my head, as I knew I had an office event coming up that the food truck would be perfect for. We set the date and called Alvaro to employ them for an office visit!

Tenoch Móvil, misses NOTHING in the translation from their permanent location to being on the road. They have the full range of Torta's available as they have at the store and all prepared with the same love and dedication to excellence.

For our event, they also offered tacos, but Alvaro tells me that typically it's only Torta's available.

Happy people in Burlington can enjoy Torta's daily:
Mondays at 20 Blanchard Rd, Burlington 11am-2pm
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 44 Burlington Mall Rd, Burlington 11am-2pm
Fridays at 99 South Bedford St, Burlington 11am-2pm

The other great news is that they are appearing every other week at SOWA Market!

At the risk of sounding like one of the Andelman brothers, "the dish worth driving to" at the Painted burro is definitely the Oaxacan Cheese Grits. What a revelation! Like a heavenly cross between traditional grits and corn pudding. Without a doubt the best thing we ate last night.

Curious to know what other great dishes are out there that you would deem 'The dish worth driving to"

I second Oye. Decent sushi and Americanized Chinese in stylish digs. The bar is popular on weekends. Not sure what it will be like on a Monday night.

Legal Seafood makes a really good one. The best I've had in Boston. I'll have to give Atlantic Fish a try.

Have you tried the Maryland Style crab cakes here? I lived in Maryland for 15 years so I'm always suspicious. Would be great to find a place that has truly good crab cakes.

Apparently we just missed you. Noe, even mentioned that you had just been there. I had the lunch box special with the Combo Seafood. I asked for it extra spicy so they added Thai Bird Chiles to the sauce. Really great. She mentioned to us as we'll that they will add salad and soup to any lunch entree for just $1 more, as well. With most lunch entrees coming in around $8 this makes Phu-ket not only one of the best Thai restaurants around but also one of the best bargains around, too.