Went tonight to China King and was a little disappointed with the Peking duck. The duck skin wasn't well rendered, so not crispy and a lot of fat still attached (not that I mind fat and grease, but it might as well be just be regular roast duck and not Peking duck). The wraps were good. The stirfry was average (mostly bean sprouts with a touch of carrots - we didn't get it with noodles), the soup was the highlight of the meal and made right - simple with fun-si, tofu, and bai cai. Also added on cao nian gao which was pretty good - very tender rice cakes and good flavor. I still miss Chef Chang's.

Recent experience at Clio with the tasting menu was really good when we went in early May. Creative food and elegantly plated, and very satisfying to the tummy. The staff was very mindful of our time restraints and courteous. Training between presenters was inconsistent, as I heard different descriptions of the same course at other tables, but it was still a solid experience for the fine dining scene in Boston.

It's a good basic fast food burger. I agree, if you're curious, you need to eat one or you'll always remain curious. If it's your first, start with the regular burger (or Double double) and eat it fresh. If you eat it and like it, then you can join the craziness:
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2...

Thanks again for the suggestions. I went to Cowboy Star for myself (sat at the chef's bar), JSix with two other people (great beet salad, the ravioli not so good, but I sampled the octopus and the scallops, which were stellar), and Bandar for the big group dinner.

Bandar went over really well. Very chic setup which made me apprehensive about price (since prices were not on the online menus) but it was pretty reasonable. Portions were huge - we thought maybe an entree for every 1.5 persons based on reviews elsewhere, but really should have been 1 entree for every 2 persons. Avocado hummus was really great. Very tender chicken kababs, the lamb was pretty good as well, the black cherries and the fruit in the rice were nice touches. People liked the vegetarian eggplant stew although I found it too tart for me. They managed our 10-top pretty smoothly, appetizer plates came out immediately and the entrees took about 50 minutes from when we sat down.

Again, thanks so much for the recommendations!

Thanks for the suggestions (and the orientation to the neighborhood)! I will take a look at the places you've suggested.

I'm coming to San Diego for a conference in the beginning of May, and staying at Westgate Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter. I like to eat, but it seems that Gaslamp isn't exactly the place to do it in. Unfortunately, I'm hemmed in by networking issues, which means a Sunday night dinner with 10 people which includes the vegetarian who is tired of salad and pasta, the lowcarbbutwon'tteatredmeat person, and the several people who would rather walk than take a cab. The tab is likely to be picked up by our former boss which is a nice gesture but doesn't get reimbursed, so I don't want to get too expensive.

The restaurants that have come up on posts here are places like Cowboy Star, Cafe Chloe, Dobson, and Donovan, but when I look at the menus the vegetarian options are boring or non existent, or the price seems high. I've made reservations at JSix, but I'm not entirely sure it's the right choice either (perhaps Searsucker instead?).

So.... help! My limitations for the right restaurant:
1. Has good vegetarian options: I would prefer a place that has creative hot vegetarian options, beyond salad, butternut squash ravioli or mushroom risotto.
2. Doesn't make the vegetarian and the lowcarbbutwon'teatredmeat person feel out of place, so a steakhouse is not a good choice
3. is within walking distance: at most one mile from the hotel of safe walking for the dedicated walkers of the group (can be a little farther if it's safe).
4. Is moderately priced - $30-40 a person, plus alcohol (no big drinkers in the group, so a creative cocktail menu is not important)
5. Can cope with a group of 10 that could go up to 12 people or down to 7, with a noise level that lets us talk comfortably on a Sunday night.
6. Has decent options for the avid eater (me!)

A good ethnic restaurant might bridge all of this - Indian, Japanese, Turkish, and Ethiopian has gone over well with the group, but these haven't popped up on Chowhound posts regarding Gaslamp. Not sure if it means that Gaslamp doesn't have ANY options, there aren't any GOOD options, or they're good but just pale in comparison to Cowboy Star and Cafe Chloe.

I would appreciate suggestions for this challenging group, and thanks in advance!

bun rieu at pho 2000.

I'm planning a dinner for a group of fellowship applicants the night before interviews at BMC, a group of about 12 people. Last year we did Stella and Addis Red Sea, both which worked out pretty well.

This year we're doing two Monday night dinners again. I've reserved Stella with their prix fixe menu for both dinners. However, I'm hoping to see if there are other restaurants in the area that would serve as well since the dinners are just a week apart and I like variety.

My needs are:

1. South End, within a reasonable walking distance from the Crosstown Hampton Inn where the applicants will be staying

2. A place that can seat 12 in a quiet(er) space where the applicants can converse with the faculty and allow us to get to know them without too much yelling, without having to pay extra for a private room

3. Fairly efficient service so they can get a good night's sleep before interviews

4. Price about $30-40 a person, not including alcoholic beverages.

As an example, Stella really did very well last year for us, since there is a second smaller room where they placed us that was pretty quiet on a Monday night. Similarly, Addis had a suitable noise level although the service was slow - food arrived 1.5 hrs after we ordered, so people were yawning by the end of dinner.

I would be open to any cuisines, although my current fellows are worried about picking something too obscure that might scare off less worldly applicants.

Thank you for your help!

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Stella Restaurant
1525 Washington St., Boston, MA 02118

Addis Red Sea Ethiopian Restaurant
544 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116

We have an 8 hour layover in Frankfurt on Sunday 5/15. Is there any way we can get out of the airport to these restaurants in these post?

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/778586

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/690345

Suggestions on how to get there from the airport would also be great. We've never been to Germany, but even a little taste of it in the 8 hours we have at the airport would be really nice. BUT, if 8 hours isn't enough time and we should just stay at the airport, please let us know and we'll just stick with these:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/771048

Thanks!

Brookline Spa carries Boars Head cold cuts. It's a 20 minute walk away at 75 Harvard Ave in Brookline, you could drive or take the D line from Longwood to Brookline Village.

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Brookline Spa
75 Harvard St, Brookline, MA 02445

I used to order in from there while in med school. Very solid Indian.

FYI, since it wasn't clear on the Duckfat menu when I went 2/16 - the cheese curds on Duckfat's poutine were melted onto the fries using the microwave. I don't know if you can ask for the curds to be not melted, since it was too late for my order.

FYI, they don't deliver to Brookline. :(

Boston Globe's article: http://www.boston.com/ae/food/restaur...

In my reminiscing, I forgot to ask. Luther, what instant noodle brand do you use, and where can I get it? Also, if you have a link or reference to the broth recipe you use, that would be great, too. I'll need to have some kind of replacement ramen in the meantime.

I think Ken Ramen was really good for Boston ramen. You're right, ramen is like pizza, but everyone will have their preference of what the "right" balance will be. Every region in Japan has their riff on this dish, and depending on your preference and what you grew up with, Ken Ramen's version may be your comfort food but not someone else's cup of tea (or bowl of noodles, in this case). This was very much the case when we went around Japan last year.

As for me, I remember stumbling into Ken Ramen last winter, freezing cold and lonely for whatever reason. I was miserably shivering at the counter, and Kenji himself gave me my bowl (I'd never seen him interact with a customer before). That's comfort food for me.

Crosstown is a few blocks from South End, there's a number of threads on the great restaurants there. However, if they go out at night, I'd recommend a cab since walking between the hotel at the South End is pretty sketchy.

Kenji's moving back to Japan 1/16. What Japanese restaurant is taking over the space, and where am I going to go for my kita no kuni? (big sweat drop on forehead, anime-style)

Toro has it too; their bones are cut sagittally rather than transverse as well. Comes with toast, a nice little citrus salad and a rich oxtail concoction.

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Toro
1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

XO sauce is definitely not like A-1 sauce - it's more fabulous than that. The XO isn't because there's brandy in it, it's to denote how special the sauce is. The most recent Saveur magazine has a recipe for it, but it's really labor intensive and one of the most expensive types of Asian sauces because of the labor and the ingredients. There's dried scallop, dried squid, dried fish, dried shrimp, and even more dried seafood reconstituted and made into this awesome chunky, spicy sauce. A little goes a long way.

Super 88/Hong Kong Supermarket in Allson had some for sale yesterday at a little over $3/lb.

I was at conference there at the end of September (stayed at Hyatt Regency on Peachtree NE). What's nice is that Atlanta cab fare is $8 one way going anywhere in midtown and downtown, with $2 per person extra in the cab, so it frees you up for dinner.

For one dinner, we took the opportunity to enjoy South City Kitchen in midtown (1144 Crescent Ave NE), which was able to accommodate two tables of 6 in a small area off the main floor. Make your reservations! (We got ours through opentable for a Thursday night). The restaurant is casual and loud but great service, GREAT food. Entrees are $18-32, but all the apps, salads, sides and dessert will make splurging there very tempting. It deserves all the accolades it's earned on these boards.

Azio Downtown ( 229 Peachtree NE, near your hotel) can accomodate 6-10 people prety easily too, and was just one block away from my hotel. It's a pretty restaurant, with good but standard Italian food. They were able to accomodate the five of us during the 1 hr lunchtime we got.

Another lunch place that worked well is Social at 12 W Peachtree Pl NW (North African). It's casual and accomodates probably groups of 6 at most.

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Azio Downtown
229 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30303-1601

South City Kitchen Midtown
1144 Crescent Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30309

Social Restaurant & Wine Bar
12 W Peachtree Pl NW, Atlanta, GA 30308

Was at Dumpling Cafe tonight - agree with the assessments on the pork xiao long bao (very densely porky, great soup and delicate skins) and oyster pancake (the right amount of crispy and soft, with a not-too-sweet sauce but not enough oysters!). Also ordered chao nian gao (stir fried rice cake), which was great. The rice cakes were a little soft but other than that everything was flavored exactly how my grandma used to make it. My DC got a bowl of beef noodles, but things kinda fell down there. The noodles were great, the best I've had in Boston beef noodles, I wouldn't be surprised if they were hand-made, but the broth was dilute, bland and boring. No spice, no anise, just eh (Shangri-La in Belmont is still my favorite, since I like star anise). The beef was tough and not very balanced (pieces were either all tendon or all meat, and none of them tender). Not a bad addition to Chinatown, though.

I know, my fault!

So we got to Brindisi. The seafood was very fresh, but not particularly interesting (but a lot of talking and wine was going around, so maybe it didn't matter so much). It got better once I could break the group up - a lone diner visit to Gary Danko, a threesome to Zuni Cafe and another threesome to Canteen made the week much better.

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Zuni Cafe
1658 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Gary Danko
800 N Point St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Brindisi
88 Belden Place, San Francisco, CA 94104

It's the annual meeting for ACOG, so expect several thousand obstetricians and gynecologists invading the city.

Thanks, everyone. I took your general search pattern and ran opentable against prior similar requests for restaurants in Union Square, and obtained reservations at Brindisi. I'll report back!

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Brindisi
88 Belden Place, San Francisco, CA 94104

Thanks, guys. The hotel is Hotel Nikko (Mason & O'Farrell) but a few of the group will be coming from the Marquis Marriott.

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Nikkos Cafe
408 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94062

Nothing like a near last minute request. We're coming to SF for a major medical conference this week, and someone just asked me to find a good place to eat for Friday night dinner for 8 of us. You all helped me last time I was in Union Square by sending me off to Canteen, but I was a lone diner at the time and the dynamics change with this big of a group.

Our hotel is in Union Square, near the Moscone Center. We'd like a good spot that is within walking distance. It'll need to be a place that will take reservations at this late late time or will not have too long a wait for an 8-top on a Friday night at the beginning of a major medical conference. One vegetarian is in the group, and most of the group favor cocktails but enjoy wine as well. Cuisine options are pretty open. Thanks so much for your help with this!

Is this part of the b*good family? The font and color use in the sign is the same.