amatto's Profile
Boston Japan Festival in Copley
Just a sidenote, one of the ramen stalls at the matsuri this past weekend will be opening up a
(tonkotsu) ramen restaurant in September in Porter Square. As I understand it, the owner is a
comedian in Japan who opened a number of successful ramen shops in Kansai, and he has
now moved into the area so will open one up here. Looking forward to September!
Need recs for restaurants in Coolidge Corner
I appreciate anyone taking the kind of time Luther clearly did; that being said, I kind of disagree with his take on Shiki (strongly disagree) and Zaftig's (somewhat disagree).
Shiki, food-wise, is fantastic. I wish they were a bit more organized, but the quality of their
dishes are top-notch (when we're talking Japanese in Boston). Whether their lunch sets or
dinner, I do recommend Shiki.
Zaftig's is a good place for breakfast/brunch in Coolidge Corner; the headache is the wait.
It isn't cheap, it isn't an authentic deli, but it is what it is..
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Shiki
9 Babcock Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Lunch in Lowell?
I second the recommendation; good food, good atmosphere, good service. Not as cheap
as other Cambodian restaurants in Lowell, but more finish to the place.
Visiting from LA - what does Boston do better?
While Long Beach has the largest Cambodian population in the States, Lowell is
#2, with a good selection of Cambodian restaurants. Just wanted to say.
I do wish, though, that given the seemingly good sized population of Armenians in
Watertown, that they had (more?) Armenian restaurants.
Floating Rock moving to Cambridge!
I also learned they have a presence on Facebook and Twitter..I just became a Facebook
fan, and see they'll be at 485 Mass Ave..hm..now am curious to see the building.
Floating Rock moving to Cambridge!
Just back from a yum lunch at Floating Rock and overheard that they're in the process of
making a move to Central Square, Cambridge. Yessss! So much more convenient for me to
get there than to Revere..probably won't happen until early-ish next year, but I look forward
to their move.
Their new location'll be significantly bigger, and..well, I hope they do well when they move,
because they deserve to given their quality of product.
Just spreading the (good) news if it hasn't already been passed on.
Burmese at YoMa - Quick Report
Wait..did Apsara Palace have Burmese cuisine on their menu?? Or you're just
comparing the size/cost of plates, not the actual cuisine?
Chow crawl suggestions for Chinatown, Allston, and Eastie?
Maybe just me, but I'd replace going to Color with Privus for their (Bon Chon) Korean
fried chicken. Get nothing _but_ the chicken..I have found even the plain white rice to
be subpar, but their chicken is great.
What a ChowDown! Lowell!
The Southeast Asian Water Festival is ALL ABOUT the Southeast Asian
cuisine!! It is true there are a lot of stands with beef-on-stick and such, but
there is nothing _but_ SEA food there, so there is a pretty good variety of
choices.
Not so exotic, but I like the sticky rice, slightly sweetened with coconut,
cooked in bamboo, so when you buy one they pull out a large knife and
hack at the bamboo to break it open..mmm..yum..
I do highly recommend the event. In addition to the food, they do have,
in the past, had (Cambodian) dancing demonstrations, a beauty contest,
Cambodian rap (erk) and other things. I believe it is a big event among
the Cambodian community in the Northeast US.
What a ChowDown! Lowell!
and, for a southeast asian slant of food, there is the Southeast Asian Water Festival on 8/15, along the mighty Merrimack!
http://www.lowellwaterfestival.org/
Cafe Cakes' last day!
Did anyone talk to Noriko, find out if she had any plans to try to reopen someplace else?
I always worried about Cafe Cakes..that location was not optimal..darn.
New Yorker in town for a day.Best place for lunch near the Pru?
One other French restaurant not far from the Pru is La Voile.
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La Voile
261 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116
Kotobukiya closing?
I know Korean markets often have a lot of the items one can find in Japanese markets, but not everything.
When Yoshinoya closed I didn't mind too much because there was Kotobukiya..now with Kotobukiya closing...it is kind of upsetting. Porter Exchange was a nice little bustling shopping area. Darn Lesley!!!
Spring 2009 Openings and Closings
It is already open; the sign on the door stills ays opening sometime in April, but as of Friday it was already running.
Best Cupcakes, for sure!
Really? All of Party Favors' cakes are from mix? If so..where would one go about purchasing said mix(es)? Where is this place in Lynn?
Best ice cream cake
I recently looked into ice cream cakes at JP Licks, Emack and Bolio, and White Mountain Creamery (all 3 make cake-shaped ice cream..that is cake-less ice cream cakes), and settled on JP Licks and was very happy. JP Licks had a number of premade options, or if you gave 48 hours notice would make one out of any flavors they had (two flavors, with option of what in the middle, be it ganache, caramel, or some other options).
I requested a cake made of banana and cherry ortiz ice cream.
I actually also, for another occasion, got Toscanini's version and, to my suprise, realized I preferred JP Licks'; the Toscanini's ice cream cake had a tasteless frosting covering the entire cake, and the cake layer was nothing special. JP Licks' was almost all delish ice cream, except for the middle thin layer of frosting, and a decorative frosting along the edge..and, if you want, candy or crushed oreo on the side.
Any Brookline must tries?
oh! I second Matt Murphy's! I've always enjoyed the food there.
Any Brookline must tries?
Vernissage is a Russian restaurant, often with live music.
Other than the Peking Duck, EVERYTHING at Chef Chang's is below "meh"..make sure they make a soup from the duck carcass.
Any Brookline must tries?
oh, another thought:
- Michael's Deli, not as good as what can be had in, say, NYC, but probably the best around here
Any Brookline must tries?
A coupla quick thoughts:
- Shiki (Japanese), great, authentic
- Chef Chang (Chinese), only the Peking Duck, nothing else
- La Morra (Italian)
- Vernissage (Russian)
- Taberno de Haro (Spanish)
Five Guys Burgers; Kilroy's Pub; Cafe Venice
I think U Burger uses freshly cut potatoes, too, yet they are fries I enjoyed. Again, maybe it was an off-day, as others on chowhound haven't complained. Still, that one visit really turned me off.
Five Guys Burgers; Kilroy's Pub; Cafe Venice
Hm..maybe I went on a really off-day...when I went to the Dedham Five Guys I found the burgers kind of wet and tasteless and the fries were rather awful..soggy. I liked munching on the free peanuts while waiting, at least.
For good fries, I like U Burger's, along with their shakes. For a really good burger...er..um..well when Grille Zone was around I liked them a lot.
korean fried chicken
I'm talking about the fried chicken written about in the Times' article.
korean fried chicken
I think you are referring to Color's version of Korean Fried Chicken; I kind of think comparing Color to Bon Chon is like comparing Domino's to Pizzeria Regina pizza..it is really a different animal. Don't get me wrong, I like Color, but they don't focus on fried chicken the way Bon Chon (or Cheogajip) does.
Privus started serving Bon Chon chicken back in Dec 2008. Cheogajip Chicken on Comm Ave between Roggie's and Marty's opened sometime before that..maybe a year?..not sure.
I found a posting in chowhound comparing Bon Chon w/Cheogajip when they both opened Spring 2006 in Flushing, New York.
http://www.chow.com/general_topics_digest/1104
Some friends who've been to the NY Bon Chon confirm that Privus' Bon Chon does the chicken w/pretty much the same texture and taste.
korean fried chicken
Just in case people on chowhound don't know, there is now bon chon chicken available in Boston. For reference, here is an old-ish article in the NYTimes about bon chon chicken:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/dining/07fried.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
It is gooooooood stuff. You can order it at Privus on Brighton Ave. Also there is a competing Korean fried chicken place on Comm Ave, by Marty's, but I don't remember the name.
Just fyi.
cafe cakes recommendation?
Curious what you had and how it was? I haven't gone often, as it is not so convenient for me, but when I do go I have always enjoyed everything. It is late to mention, but I always enjoy their milk tea pudding!
The Neighborhood?
free coffee and pastries while you wait?? Really? Maybe you have to ask, or have a non-
harried host/ess? Because in the number of times I've gone, that's never been offered.
fun food snackery leaving current location
Just as a followup, for anyone interested, Fun Food Snackery won't be reopening anywhere.
Rats..
Goodbye Suvarnabhumi Kiri
Um..I'm not saying S. Kiri was at the level of a Floating Rock or Red Rose or such,
but Boston could do with more Cambodian than it has. But maybe this town isn't
interested in Cambodian food.
I never tried the Thai food there, but I'd give the Cambodian more of a B-, which I think
is plenty respectable. Given it's location (close to me), I rooted for it to survive. There
are plenty of B- other ethnic restaurants that survive, so I wish S. Kiri had made it,
too.
