meb26's Profile
Trader Joe's Lemon curd in a jar
Whatever your view on Rachael Ray, check out her recipe for lemon chicken. I've made it dozens of times.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/lemon-chicken-recipe/index.html.
Wolfgang Puck Catering
Yes - I think I saw your post! Thanks very much for the feedback. We're looking at the outdoor site as well -- such a great spot.
I love the idea of a wedding at Oleana, but I don't think we could get our guest list down to 60.
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Oleana
134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, MA 02139
Wolfgang Puck Catering
We are considering having our wedding at the Museum of Science, but are concerned about the on-site catering (provided through Wolfgang Puck Catering). Food is important to us -- we want to be sure that the food at our wedding is both delicious and interesting. I've found some not-so positive reviews from a few years ago, but am looking for more recent insight. Has anyone had an experience -- positive or negative -- with Wolfgang Puck Catering in Boston in the last year or two?
What should we order at Rialto?
We are going there tonight. I know it gets mixed reviews on this Board, but we have a gift card and I've wanted to try it ever since I took a cooking class with Jody Adams a few years ago. I've seen recommendations for the duck and the pastas -- anything else?
ginger park vs myers and chang
I haven't been to GP, but went to M&C last week and had a really fabulous meal. I had been once before and enjoyed it, but found the food to be significantly better this time around. Maybe it was what we ordered? The oyster omelet (a special that evening) and grilled baby octopus were both standouts. I also love their mai tais (even though I've never particularly liked that drink elsewhere).
I'd like to get to GP to compare.
Best Resturant in Tulum
I second Cetli. We had a fabulous meal there. It's owned by a woman named Claudia -- who (according to my travel guide) trained in Mexico City. She does a little of everything -- she greeted us, told us about the menu, checked on us when our food was served, and then brought us homemade Mexican candies for dessert. The restaurant is in a small house in town (perhaps her house?) -- not beachside, but beautiful and romantic nonetheless. We enjoyed chicken stuffed with chaya in a peanut mole sauce and the house specialy- Chiles en Nogado, poblano chiles stuffed with ground beef, raisins, onion, garlic, and covered with a creamy sauce and pomegranate seeds. Everything was fabulous, but the peanut mole sauce really blew us away. We didn't have room for dessert, but the homemade candies were delicious. It was such a unique place -- you could tell that Claudia really cares about her guests and the food she serves -- we can't wait to have a chance to return.a
We tried El Tabano one night as well and the food was very good, but I liked Cetli better.
Campeche recs?
On the east end of the Malecon there are about 10 palapa seafood restaurants -- all competing for your business! I don't remember the name of the one we chose, but we had a tasty mixed cocktail (plump juicy oysters, tender shrimp and octopus), a delicious grilled octopus, and a decent grilled fish fillet with garlic sauce. It was way too much food, but washed down with a couple of rounds of Sols made for an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
Marganzo (Calle 8 between 57 and 59) was very touristy, but we enjoyed the seafood there. I think we had crab quesadillas, a shrimp cocktail, and cheese stuffed with a meat mixture (I can't remember the name) -- all of which were quite good.
La Parroquia (Calle 55 between 10 and 12) was great for a quick, cheap breakfast (I had huevos rancheros, my boyfriend had pancakes), but we were attacked by bees (perhaps a result of using delicious Mexican honey in lieu of syrup).
We walked down to check out La Pigua one night but it was closing in 30 minutes and was more serious than we were looking for. That said, the menu looked good (although expensive) and the space looked gorgeous.
Cambridge School of Culinary Arts
I took the Couples Tapas class over the summer. It made for a fun evening, but I didn't find it very informative. As one of the other posters mentioned, you split up and cook (with your partner) one of the recipes. The instructor was great with questions and (when we asked) taught us some new techniques, but we were mostly on our own. I've taken a couple of classes from Helen Rennie and found that I've learned much more. I think that the multi-class series (and perhaps some of the other couples classes) may be somewhat different, but this was my experience with the Tapas class.
Restaurant.com?
I had a great meal at Kingston Station and just bought a $100 gift certificate $8 yesterday.
Yays and nays from Trader Joe's, lately [OLD]
Love the ribs. I like to put them in a tortilla with chedder, lettuce and tomato and
Help with menu at No.9Park
I had the vichysoisse a few weeks ago and it simple, but really delicious with very clean flavors. Great choice - especially on a warm day.
Dinner in Fitchburg---- Any suggestions?
Try Il Forno for really tasty italian. Entrees are big enough to share and its BYOB with no corkage charge. Seafood Il Forno and Chicken Scarperello are two of my favorites. I've also enjoyed A Taste of Vietnam (technically located in Leominster), but haven't been for a few years. It used to be BYOB as well, but I think they've since obtained a liquor license.
worcester, MA take-out
Try Ciao Bella - excellent pasta dishes, calzones and sandwiches. http://ciaobellarestaurant.biz/Menu.html
Kingston Station, Xinh Xinh & Hungry Mother
Any recommendations? I was a little overwhelmed by the cocktail descriptions.
Duck Fat - Portland, ME
After a hellish 5 hour drive from Boston to Portland thanks to a NYE snow storm we were ready for some naughty food. Unfortunately when we pulled up at Duck Fat at about 5:30 pm it was closed. We were disappointed - very disappointed - but undeterred. When we woke up the next morning we gave them a call and were happy to find that they were open!
The restaurant was much smaller than I expected. Really just three tables and two long counters. The highlight of our lunch was definitely the poutine -- so amazingly good, especially since it was about 10 degrees out and we were all out pretty late ringing in 2009 the night before. The fries were appropriately crispy, salty and hand-cut, but I think the real reason they were so delicious was that they had been layered with the gravy and cheese curds so that every fry was allocated the perfect amount of sauce and cheese. This poutine put the version All Star Sandwich Bar whips up here in Boston to shame and definitely rivaled anything I've had up in Montreal. I also tried the meatloaf panini. The meatloaf was good and worked well with the onion relish, but the bread to meat ratio was off and there was a bit too much of the horseradish mayo.
Hope to make it back up to Portland - and back to Duck Fat - sometime this year.
Kingston Station, Xinh Xinh & Hungry Mother
With a few days off and some time on my hands I made it to two places I had been meaning to revist and one I had been wanting to try.
On my previous trip to Kingston Station, I didn't make it past the truffle fries and short ribs. This time we skipped the bar food and sampled a couple of entrees. I started with a Partly Cloudy -- their take on the dark and stormy. I didn't detect any of the fresh ginger that the drink was supposed to contain, but it was sufficiently gingery for my tastes and I liked it so much I had another later in the night. I had a hard time deciding between the seared scallops and the steak frites, but ultimately went with the scallops while my bf ordered the steak. The scallops were great - perfectly seared and served with sweet potato gnochi and meaty mushrooms and spinach in a white wine butter sauce. The gnochi were awesome - light and airy with a distinct sweet potato flavor. The mushrooms and spinach were finished with a generous splash of truffle oil. My boyfriend's steak frites were also tasty, although not as interesting as my dish. The steak was well-cooked, although not as tender as I would have liked. But the fries were great - thin, crispy and definitely addictive when dipped into the accompanying truffle mayo. Altogether a great meal with friendly and attentive service from the bartender who served us at the bar.
On New Year's day we braved the frigid cold to make the trek to Xinh Xinh. It was the perfect night for a big bowl of pho. We started with the shrimp and pork fresh rolls. They were head and shoulders above the order I had sampled most recently at New Saigon Sandwich. The peanut sauce the rolls were served with was sufficiently flavorful for me to skip the shot of siracha I would normally add. I went for the house special spicy beef sate pho. It was spicy enough to make me roll up my sleeves, take off my scarf, and stalk our waitress for a refill on my water (which I didn't actually get until the bill came), but not so spicy as to take away from the other flavors in the soup. The beef sate in the soup was tender, although much more well done than I liked. Maybe next time I will ask that they put in the meat at the last minute. My boyfriend ordered the curry chicken and was very happy with his meal (I didn't try it).
Last night we finally made it to Hungry Mother. We called at 6:15 and were able to get a reservation for 8 pm due to a cancellation. I liked the way the restaurant was broken up into three different spaces (bar, small dining room off to the side, big dining room in the back), but wasn't crazy about the tiny two-top we were seated at in the side dining room. I kept accidentally kicking my boyfriend and we were so close to the couple next to us that I had to restrain myself from commenting on the movie they were planning to see following dinner. There were so many appetizers and "to tide you over" selections that we wanted to try that we decided to skip the entrees and order a bunch of small plates. First, from the "to tide you over" selections, we ordered the deviled eggs and ham biskets. The deviled eggs were tasty but the truffles they were topped with were, in our opinion, utterly tasteless. I'd probably rather have HM ditch the truffles and not charge me $6 for 1.5 devil eggs ... but we did enjoy them. The ham biscuits were equally tasty - I really liked the pepper jelly that accompanied them. As my bf pointed out, they would have been better if made with real Virginia ham, but they were still enjoyable little bites. Next were two appetizers - the shrimp and grits and the fried oysters. As for the shrimp and grits, wow! These were nothing like the tasteless grits my southern-Georgia born roomie used to prepare or the heavy cheesy variety I had sampled at southern weddings. These grits were much lighter and doused in a flavorful barbeque sauce. The shrimp were tender and the crunchy cornbread croutons that garnished the dish lended a nice contrast to the textures of the shrimp and the grits. I could have eaten an entire bowl. The oysters provided a similar contrast. The crunchy cornbread coating gave way to a creamy oyster -- absolutely delicious when dipped in the pepper oil dribbled around the plate. The small serving of creamy coleslaw helped to tone down the spice. Finally, we tried the smoked trout hoecakes. It was a pretty presentation - a fried pancake-like base, topped with a smoked trout mixture, topped with two kinds of american cavier (sturgeon and trout roes) and then dribbled with creme fresh. The smoked trout was delicious, especially when eaten with the cavier. Despite the fried "cake," it was a relatively light dish. All this was washed down with a couple of glasses of tasty malbec and beer. We finished with the chocolate moon pie. It tasted like ... well, a moon pie. It was definitely better than the little debbie variety, but probably not something I'd order again. I think maybe it would have been better if had been heated slightly so that the chocolate and marshmallow melted slightly. All in all, however, a great meal - I'd definitely go back.
Reco's for Toscano on Charles St.?
I enjoyed the risotto at Toscano. I was interested in whatever the special risotto was that evening (something with seafood, but I can remember the details) but the waiter also recommended the Funghi, so he let me split and do half and half. Both were really delicious.
Good Chinese near Beacon Hill?
I live in the area and can't even recommend Shangri-La as a decent option. Both Billy Tse's and Island Hopper deliver to Beacon Hill. Still not as good as what you'd find in C-town, but infinitively better than Shangri-La.
Ma Soba on Cambridge St is not Chinese - more pan-asian - but some of their american-chinese options are decent, in particular the sesame chicken.
Can you suggest ?
Teatro, Tremont St - Order the antipasto
Grotto, Bowdoin St - Italian in an intimate and romantic setting
Antonios, Cambridge St - Very affordable, red sauce italian - more of a casual neighborhood place
Sushi Zen, corner of Bowdoin & Beacon - Above average sushi (although certainly not the best in town) with a few outdoor tables (Scollay Square right next door is a good spot for cocktails outside)
Chinatown - I like Xinh Xinh for Vietnamese (corner of Washington and Tyler), Empire Garden, Hei La Moon or China Pearl for dim sum, and New Shanghai (Hudson St.) for Chinese
Jacob Wirth's (37 Stuart St) - for Friday night piano singalong and great beer options (not really a food destination)
Downstairs bar at The Marliave opens tonight.
My BF and I met up with a couple of friends at the Marliave after work. We all arrived separately and each had difficulties locating the entrance. It turns out that from Province St you need to turn into what looks like an alley and proceed up a set up steps to reach the main entrance. Once we found our way inside, things improved. The space is nice - sort of a cross between Gaslight and Kingston Station, but more authentic. The black and white theme does get a bit repetitive, but as my BF pointed out, they are attempting to be true to the prohibition period. The tin ceiling and original molding are interesting details.
On to the food and drink... The cocktail list was somewhat daunting, but very boston-centric with lots of drinks tied to city history (e.g. the Great Mollasses Flood). I tried one with gin, bitters, and house made ginger beer. I was a bit nervous after the bartender didn't know what a Moscow Mule was, but the drink was good. Not too sweet, good spicy ginger flavor. We asked about food pretty soon after we got there and were told that the kitchen would open soon. 45 minutes later we saw that people around us were eating and asked to see menus. The menus were on the shorter side - 4-5 appetizers, 3-4 entrees, and 4 or so sandwiches - but I don't necessarily view that as a negative. Our friends opted to stick with a liquid dinner, but my boyfriend ordered a giant hot dog and I ordered the steak frites. The hot dog was, well giant, and topped with cheddar. I had a bit and thought it was yummy, if a bit pricey at $7.50. The steak - a very tender and well-cooked sirlion - was more of a bargain at $15.00. And the fries that came with both were great -- hand cut, salty, and crispy.
All in all, the Marliave was promising. Although it was clear that it was opening night (and a "soft" opening night at that), the bar staff was friendly and, for the most part, attentive, and the food exceeded expectations. I'll be interested to see what the permanent menu looks like as I got the feeling that the opening night menu was somewhat limited.
Scampo Tonight...
Three of us went to Scampo last night and had a great time. We had an 8:00pm reservation and were seated right away. At the last minute we asked if we could sit on the patio but were told it would be a 30 minute wait so we decided to stick with the dining room. We were happy with our choice once we sat down - the chairs were really comfortable! A strange thing to comment on, I know, but much more comfortable than any other restaurant I can remember visiting recently.
Two of us ordered a bottle of Chianti and the other ordered a bourbon and ginger. I thought the cocktail list had some interesting offerings, but was more in the mood for wine. The waiter came back a few minutes later to tell us that they didn't have the bottle we had ordered but that he recommended a different bottle. He did note that it was more expensive, and even offered to let us choose a different bottle if we didn't care for it. That wasn't a problem - the wine (Contratto Panta Rei Barbera d'Asti) was great. At $55 it was a bit pricier than we were looking for, but well worth it.
We started with the aforementioned elephant ear and the fresh mozzarella with peaches and pistachio pesto. The elephant ear was great - salty, cheesy, and crispy. The tomato sauce was especially good. The mozzarella was also very good, and paired very nicely with the peach and pesto. It's not a combination I would have dreamed up on my own, but one I plan to try at home. As with the other posters, our breadsticks were dumped on the table. I was expecting it, but my BF remarked that at first he thought the server delivering them had just slipped. They were tasty - but the chickpea puree with pinenuts and garlic that they were served with was more memorable.
For entrees we had threeof the homemade pasta dishes: the Ricotta Parsley Tortelloni, the Lobster Ravioli, and the Beet and Short Rib Tagliatelle. The Lobster Ravioli was by far my favorite. Another poster commented that she disliked the sauce, but I loved it. It was lemongrass based and had somewhat of a south-east asian influence. It also had a bit of chili oil (I think?) drizzed over it, giving it just a little kick. The ravioli were stuffed with big chunks of lobster and were served with tiny, roasted cherry tomatoes. I will say that the portion was small - 3 large raviolis - but the sauce was rich, making it a filling dish. I actually didn't care much for the Beet Tagliatelle, despite the fact that I love beets. The short ribs were good - moist and flaky - but the whole dish had a flavor that I couldn't quite place but that I didn't think fit with the beets. The Tortelloni were very good - I liked the rich ricotta filling.
For dessert we tried the ricotta cheesecake and the tiramisu. The cheesecake was just okay - I didn't think it had much flavor, but it was a nice light ending to the meal. It was served with very fresh berries and some sorbet, which helped somewhat. The Tiramisu was great - very moist and served with crunchy bits of something delicious.
All in all we really enjoyed ourselves. Next time I'd like to sit at the bar sourrounding the brick oven. I think I would really enjoy watching the breads and pizzas being prepared.
Any lunch or dinner ideas near Langham with 1 year old in tow?
In Chinatown - New Shanghai on Hudson St. Go through the gate and take a left. Yummy, cheap lunch specials on week days.
Italian Sausage and Peppers
Can't really help you there. I really like the "Rigatonni Salsiccia e Ricotta" at Antico Forno, but while it has the sausage and the red sauce, it lacks the peppers.
Italian Sausage and Peppers
The Sausage Guy - you can find him on Lansdowne St on game days (and probably other places around town as well). No hot peppers, but still delicious.
Oceanaire Wednesday Night
I've been to Oceanaire twice - both times for drinks and appetizers at the bar. I really enjoyed the food and the bar atmosphere, but my BF had an awful lunch experience just last week so I realize there is some inconsistency - both in the restaurant itself and perhaps between the bar and the main dining room. That being said, I can recommend the oysters (great watermelon mignotte), fried clams, and fried calamari. I had a tasty salad one time as well, but can't really remember much more than that. I also had the baked alaska and while the presentation is fun, I found the taste of the residual alcohol too strong, overpowering the meringue.
As for drinks, we had a really nice Australian sav blanc one night.
I need the restaurant of a lifetime...both food and athmosphere
I agree with the recs for Pigalle and L'Espalier, but would also recommend Grotto. It's dark and romantic in a slightly less polished way.
Kingfish Hall for dinner
I second the tuna tartar - it is amazing. My usual order is a chowder (ok, but the lobster bisque that used to be on the menu was much better) followed by the tuna tartar. Maybe if the temperature hasn't dropped you could substitute some oysters for the chowder, but I guess that depends on whether you are OK with a fully-raw meal. I also really like their calamari.
Back to Villa Mexico
When I asked the owner what was in the salsa she replied, "love, lots and lots of love."
I agree that it is pretty amazing - smoky, rich flavor that is very unlike the typical tomato-based salsa.
