Posted about this years ago in another thread - here's an update, including some places not mentioned below:

Banh mi ngon - the new wrox viet sandwich place. Excellent, cheap. A great addition. The other new-ish places on that block are not that interesting (Mexican & gross faux-BBQ).

Himalayan bistro- still very very good. Spicy means spicy. Diverse menu including some unusual things. Weekend lunch buffet is very tasty.

Rox Diner- high quality old fashioned diner food. Haven't been for dinner but it exists now.

Village Sushi- not terrible sushi, but regulars know to get the bi bim bap in the stone pot which rules.

Sophia's- a neighborhood scene. Food is loved by some, I think it's pretty good in a trans-Mediterranean hodgepodge kind of way. Good for drinks and snacks.

Pleasant cafe- don't hate on old school greatness. Pizza, beer, fried seafood, weekly specials. Anything else you're on your own.

Diane's bakery - yes, hidden gem. Like the world's best supermarket bakery.

Haven't tried the west African place yet...

I checked out the fugu truck the other day too. Really liked the sesame noodles. Will be a great hot weather meal. I'll definitely be back to sample the rest of the menu, which is quite limited now- I hope it expands. They seem like very nice people and hopefully this truck will be a hit once word gets around.

I think shiki would work better than your ihop plan- though I respect your plan. I've been to some of the NYC izakayas and shiki's food is very close. Haven't been to shiki in a while though but I really liked it s couple of years ago. Definitely worth trying. It almost has a private club vibe.

I haven't been to the newton location but the original in West Roxbury is exceptionally good. It's a diner- it's pretty basic. But it's really really good.

sure- I agree about eat-in vs. takeout. 7 stars is not set up that well for eating in though- it's tiny and not particularly appropriate for a leisurely meal- though they have put some effort into the decor. it seems to be primarily a take-out place.

I was disappointed too. The food seemed like chinese-american junk food with better ingredients and 30% higher prices and 30% smaller portions than the standard. Not a niche I'm particularly interested in. I thought the hot and sour soup which everyone praises to the skies was utterly flavorless. Also- the "small plates" concept would work better in a sit-down setting than in takeout. When you have to wait for it all to be done then cart the food home rather than eat it as it emerges from the kitchen you're pretty much guaranteed some of your pricey little nuggets will be cold and gross. And I had total sticker shock from the bill... for that kind of money I could have been well on the way to another excellent meal at east by northeast!

that's unfortunate... I guess it has been a while since I've been there...

also- even though most of what they serve is standard suburban chinese-american, the people who run MG seem very competent and professional, and I bet if you asked them to do something to your specifications, they would do it.

Mandarin Gourmet is a perfectly fine choice for what you're looking for- it's not the greatest food in the world (far from it), but it's decent and it meets all the other requirements. It's not the nicest decor either but it's about par for the course for a suburban chinese restaurant. and it will fit a party of that size. and it's in exactly the right location. I would not go to any of the sichuan places for an event like this.

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Mandarin Gourmet
Brookline, MA, Brookline, MA

Though the sichuan food at SIchuan Gourmet is better (by a long stretch) Sharon also has a decent Chinese-American place called Mandarin Taste (known as Alice's by the locals).

Agreed... as I said above, I have brought as many of my south shore friends and family as I could, and it's been a big hit- some of them have become regulars. SG in Sharon is a very special place and it deserves to be a big success. It's been busy the times I've been there which have generally been weekends, but it's a bummer that it's not more consistently busy.

I've talked about Rox Diner in other threads- it is excellent. MC Slim JB wrote it up for the phoenix under its old name Auntie B's.

haven't been to bel lounge, but re Sugar- the diner aspect of it is quite good. slightly upscale diner food. probably the best of the diner options in the immediate area, but relatively fancy compared to blue star and derna's. can't comment on the bakery - there are so many other good bakeries in Ros...

the whole foods in portland, me is huge, if you're headed that way. it's about the same size as the one in dedham ma which I think is the biggest in the boston area. but dedham is in the wrong direction if you're driving from Logan to Maine.

was just talking about this on another thread but East by Northeast is doing an 8 course tasting menu for $35 which I really enjoyed... it's not as fancy as the other places mentioned in this thread but it's really good and and I didn't feel like I was throwing my money away. maybe not a celebratory dinner kind of place for some, but for me, it works well.

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East by Northeast
1128 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

I don't know. You have to reserve in advance for the tasting menu so you could probably ask then.

Went there a couple of weeks ago after a long absence and had the $35 tasting menu they are advertising on their website. it was an excellent meal and an amazing value. we had almost totally different dishes than the ones almansa listed, though some of the same seasonal ingredients- there were a lot of garlic scapes involved, which I really like. highlights included a monkfish liver pasta which was insanely good, and something I would never have ordered on my own, some outstanding fish dumplings, the bluefish salad... there were no clunkers in an eight course meal. I still think that ExNE is an outstanding restaurant and something special to the Boston area. The combination of asian technique/concepts and seasonal new england ingredients is genius.

recently got some at the dedham whole foods.

It's not up to Dearborn standards, but for West Rox I think it's pretty great. I've found 1 entree + apps to be enough for 2 people so the prices are a little more in line with reality that way. Chicken with fries and garlic sauce is one of my favorite things to eat in Boston these days.

no- it's the same people, pretty much the same decor, slightly expanded menu. same high quality. I have no idea why they changed their name.

not exactly an opening, but thought you should know that the Rox Diner in West Roxbury (formerly Auntie B's) is now serving their excellent burgers for dinner, weeknights. plus lobster rolls and some other interesting looking stuff. cheap. such a great place.

fornax bakery in roslindale makes excellent sourdough. vouros greek bakery nearby is great too.

stopped by this weekend. food was delicious and cheap and the cognitive dissonance of enjoying corn and morel chowder in an obscure w. rox parking lot was... awesome. Oxtail sandwich was particularly good. No seating- pretty hard core. I'll definitely be back. You could combine with a visit to bay sweets nearby for a serious spring street feast.

yes, cinco de mayo tortillas are good- and I have bought them at russo's.

pretty sure I got my last can of cafe du monde at roche brothers. I think they might even have more than one brand of chicory coffee.

dude, relax. they don't use either of those at the SK.

or maybe it just lightly toasts the bread and gently warms things up and enhances the deliciousness? shawarma king does not destroy anything- they know what they're doing over there.

shawarma king has been using a press on their roll-up sandwiches for years and continues to do so... don't know if it's "authentic" to do so or not, but I really like it.

agreed- it's a very solid place. seemed expensive looking at the menu but the portions are so large that it makes sense. I have to give a shout out to their cook's ways with chicken- not generally something I order in restaurants but they're working some poultry magic over there.

another idea- check out roadfood.com. the people who run it live in CT and they have many recommendations throughout the state.