StevieC's Profile
Guy Fieri seen at Angela's, and Cutty's
Then just don't talk to FN producers and be done with it already.
Guy Fieri seen at Angela's, and Cutty's
I started going to Rino's in 2004, and it was ALWAYS impossible to get into on the weekends. I still can't figure out why DDD gets credit for this "phenomena." I am sure it briefly helped business, but that is ancient history. .
Best Carbonara in town
Yes, that is true. I personally prefer pancetta, though. Guanciale has a lingering smokiness that I find unpleasant.
But to be clear: I would never turn down a (properly made) carbonara because it was made with guanciale!
Best Carbonara in town
As with the Bolognese thread, I must promote Pasta Beach on this one. They do an outstanding job. Outside of Italy I have not had better.
olive oil?
Frantoia (Sicily) and Lucini (Tuscany) EVOO are excellent and widely available, even in Stop & Shop.
Both were regularly used by Mario Batali in his Molto Mario shows, even when he touted using oil from the region of that episode's cooking (and it wasn't Sicily or Tuscany).
Best pulled pork in Boston?
The "Carolina Style" pulled pork at Blackstrap is absolutely amazing. (As is their mac&cheese...)
Globe Article on Seafood Substitutions.
@typhoonfish:
I think the point of the article was to help create an educated consumer, and in the process hold restaurants accountable to them.
You are in the industry. You consider certain facts about fish to be basic knowledge. Well, they are not. And why would they be.
Re: Ming Tsai - you refer to it as a naming issue that "most people would not even consider to be an issue." Which people? Industry people? I do not think that is the relevant population in this discussion.
Globe Article on Seafood Substitutions.
“I guess I take for granted that someone who is ordering black cod at $50 a plate, knows it's not domestic cod and most will generally know some of the common iterations of the name”
#
I appreciate and have enjoyed reading your perspective on this topic, but why do you take for granted that a diner would possess your specialized knowledge? And wasn't that the point of the article in the first place?
Best breakfast sandwich?
Second, based on the Clover truck adjacent to Boston City Hall. I've never been to the Harvard Sq. location.
(The only caveat being that the sandwich is not always assembled with uniform care at this location, and that can make a big difference.)
Zafferano's, East Boston
It is – believe it or not - now a dentist office.
As an Orient Heights resident, regular of Zafferano, and constant promoter of it on CH from early on, its closing (now more than four years ago) continues to be a great loss for the neighborhood and the dining scene in general. My wife and I, who came to regard chef/owner-husband/wife Peter and Pina as friends over the years, still miss it. I run into Peter in the North End on occasion, and regret to report that he has avoided any chef duties since his restaurant closed (despite my pleas…).
(@Slim: it actually opened in June 2004, not late 2005.)
Second Zo location
I haven't seen this posted yet, but Zo will be opening a second location at 92 State Street this month.
Although they have been open for two years, the lines have been far larger this summer than I have ever seen/experienced. I frequently opt not to go the line is so ridiculous. I am happy they are successful, but I selfishly wish it was still the relatively hidden/unknown gem it was early on. (Classic CH scenario...) Thankfully, though, the quality has in no way diminished. The original gyro that I always get is exactly the same as it was when they first opened. I think they deserve a lot of credit for continuing to do things the same way, even though the increased business must tempt them to cut corners.
East Boston suggestions wanted!
I second Tawakal.
In addition to those already named:
Italian: Italian Express (pizza particularly) and Mario's
Breakfast: Donna's
Colombian (roughly): El Kiosco
Donuts: Betty Ann's Place
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El Kiosco
972 Saratoga St, Boston, MA 02128
Italian Express
600 W Cummings Park Ste 1950, Woburn, MA 01801
Aragosta experience
I hadn't seen your review, though I will say that the picture of the lobster fra diavolo accompanying it looks completely unappealing. The "sauce" looks like soup. Hardly a properly dressed pasta.
Aragosta recs?
Yes, Bosch.
I put my review in a new thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/784888
There really is no view to speak of from inside (the patio a little moreso, weather permitting). From where I sat I looked out the window onto the Coast Guard Station next door. If the restaurant was at the other end of the wharf it would be a different story...
Aragosta experience
This is a follow-up to my post last week asking for Aragosta recommendations.
My SO and I went last Wednesday night. We did not go when the location was Sensing (except for the outdoor patio) so we can’t make any comparisons on the décor. Aragosta has blond wood and a light green/orange/brown color palette. It has a distinctly 70’s feel. Very odd and a little off-putting.
For a starter, we split the baccala fritter with tomato sauce. Based on the name, we were expecting light, but deep-fried fritters, akin to something we would get at a clam shack. In actuality we received three cod cakes shaped like small Twinkies. They were very good, though my SO found the acid balance lacking in the sauce.
For a pasta course, we each got a half order: lobster ravioli and gnocchi with lamb. The ravioli were fantastic, definitely freshly made, lots of lobster, with a slight touch of lemon that brought out the dish (though my SO didn’t care for the truffle oil, but she doesn’t like truffle). The gnocchi was like eating a Sunday dinner – the lamb was succulent and outshone the gnocchi, and the sauce under the gnocchi was as good as gravy.
For the main, we tried the special: rack of lamb, and were the first to get the order. The dish definitely showcased the quality of the lamb chops, and they were cooked perfectly. The polenta, billed as “crispy”, had gone limp because it was presented sandwiched between wilted spinach and placed in the lamb jus. Tasty, just not crispy, despite the obvious care that had been taken to make it cripsy. SO ordered the cod loin, and it was buttery good. It was an embarrassment, however, to call its accompaniment risotto. The rice was flavorful, but lacked any of the creamy, al dente goodness that is risotto. Just call it rice! The pistachios didn’t seem to make any sense on the dish, either.
For desert, we shared the olive oil cake with lemon sorbet. The cake was a real stand-out: light, airy, perfect deep-dark crust. I thought the sorbet was forgettable, but being next to the cake it didn’t matter.
Service was very attentive, though our server had a tendency to ask a question and then walk away as we were answering. The food runner was far more engaging and interested in how things were going.
Overall, we were somewhat underwhelmed for the price point, but will try a luncheon on the terrace when the weather improves.
Saus
Has anyone been?
I love the concept, and it took them a long time and a lot of effort to open, but is it any good?
Let's make a list of bars without TVs
The Green Dragon has one or two (?) small TVs on the dining side, but the bar does not, and with the configuration they aren't even noticeable. I can't think of another bar in the Faneuil Hall area where that is the case.
Where to find Barilla Pesto in Boston?
Salumeria Italiana on Richmond Street makes their own, as does DePasquale's on Cross Street. Don't buy jarred!!!! Barilla makes quality dried pasta products, but there is absolutely no reason to buy jarred pesto when you can get it (relatively) freshly made.
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Salumeria Italiana
151 Richmond St, Boston, MA 02109
Where to find Barilla Pesto in Boston?
"Pesto" is a generic word describing any number of ingredients that are ground with a mortar and pestle, generally served as a condemento with pasta (but has other uses as well, e.g. as a spread on bruschetta) . The most popular is obviously pesto alla Genovese, but there are countless other varieties, limited only by imagination. If you are trying to find the variation you tasted in Switzerland, you had best contact a place you had it and ask what the ingredients were. It is unlikely you will find it jarred.
Scup's in the Harbor
Via Universal Hub:
http://www.bostonhospitalityindustry.com/2011/03/scups-in-harbor-seeks-help-to-stay.html
What the heck is a Jersey Tomato??
Like jarona, I am also a former "New Jersey-ite," and worked many summers there in the produce business. I never saw nor am I aware of a “New Jersey Tomato” varietal (like a Big Boy, Beefstake, Supersonic, etc., and yes there is a Rutgers); it is simply a tomato that is grown in NJ. Where I worked, Beefsteaks grown at a local farm were generally what we displayed and sold the most of, because they were the most aesthetically appealing due to their size. For those who mindlessly denigrate NJ produce the way they do the rest of the state and its population, they are very, very mistaken. There is a reason that San Marzano tomatoes from Campania are so sought after, for example: the volcanic-ash enriched soil produces a tomato unlike any in the world. Tomatoes grown in NJ are just different than what is grown in the soil of other states. Whether it is better or not is a matter of taste. I have lived in Massachusetts for 20 years, though, and have never bought a tomato from a local farm that I felt compared to what I sold and bought in NJ.
(And Marcel's comment - whatever it was, I couldn't fully understand it either - was clearly derogatory and further evidence that he does not know what he is talking about. As a chef he should understand that different states and regions produce – surprise! – different tasting products.)
suggestions for interesting restaurant where parking is easy?
Ha.
Yes, of course. Relative to downtown was my point.
suggestions for interesting restaurant where parking is easy?
Ecco in East Boston has its own (free, non-valet) parking lot in the back. As soon as you exit the Callahan Tunnel you are basically there. The food and and atmosphere is very good.
Other than that, Doyle's and James's Gate in Jamaica Plain come to mind. The restaurants in and around Roslindale Square as well, though I have not been to that area in a while.
People think East Boston is a big deal to get to, but it is actualy far, far easier than the JP/West Roxbury/Roslindale side of town.
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James's Gates
5 McBride St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Ecco
107 Porter St, Boston, MA 02128
Pasta Beach... anyone?
Considering going there for lunch this week. Has anyone been?
Kasbah - Moroccan in Winthrop
Has anyone been?
http://www.kasbahrestaurant.com/
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Kasbah
59 Putnam St, Winthrop, MA 02152
