fenian's Profile
Places to watch March Madness
I have been very pleased with two trips to Game On. The food isn't amazing but it's rock solid and much better than I would expect given that it's probably the best sports bar I've ever been to. It's even possible to order healthy. Today I had a greek salad with grilled chicken. This was possibly the best grilled chicken I have ever had on a salad. My one complaint is the weak beer selection.
A shoutout for Dok Bua
I think the best thing about Dok Bua is the broad array of interesting desserts.
Le's (Pho Pasteur) non-pho recs please
oh yeah, i've had that before. it was very good but messy so i didn't order it again. this dish is a must if you love the chewy texture of rice paper rolls. i ended up making what amounted to rice paper soft tacos. i guess i'm not dexterous enough to roll proper rolls.
The King of All Pizzas...
The one that won my heart was this one:
Napoletana Pizza (Old World Style). A classic recipe of pizza sauce complimented by anchovy fillets and capers, Pecorino Romano cheese, fresh garlic spiced with oregano, fresh cracked black pepper and spicy oil. Sprinkled with fresh basil. Cooked to perfection. (Recommendation: This pizza should be cooked well done for added flavor.)
Another one I had was good but not as good. Anyway, pizza is something on which there's not that much agreement as to what makes a good one.
The King of All Pizzas...
it's really a shame that the boston favorites don't have white clam pizza. that's what i like most about pepe's. i've had so many great pizzas of so many varieties, but regina's is certainly one of the best.
Petsi Pie's?
I'm a broken record, but True Grounds' scones are my favorites in the area. Cinnamon chip is my favorite flavor. Petsi's and Sherman are close behind. Also try Oxford Spa and Mariposa.
Another great scone from Sherman
yeah, i don't like the oat one, but the strawberry one is good. i have a feeling these scones have about 1,000 calories so i don't eat them anymore.
i like true grounds' scones across the line. my favorite is cinnamon chip, but they've all been great. again though, they're very heavy.
Le's (Pho Pasteur) non-pho recs please
i was going to recommend the caramelized catfish. lemongrass chicken or tofu is pretty good. i've never really had anything bad there. even the desserts are decent. i like the spice tray on the tables too (none of the dishes are spicy, and this restaurant doesn't really make things spicy, but the sriracha can spice things up a bit).
Szechuan Bay dinner, March 18 2007
It's a shame they won't make dishes spicy. I've only had one spicy dish that seemed right, and that was the fish in pickled peppers. I think they had no choice but to make that one spicy. It seems like they're overthinking things, giving what they think I want instead of what I firmly express and almost plead for. I understand that most Americans can't eat authentically spicy Szechuan, but if someone asks for it they should deliver.
But otherwise everything's been good. I think you're the first one of us to get the spicy bamboo shoots, congratulations!
Good Place to Hold a Writers' Group?
True Grounds in Somerville, except on the weekends when it might be too crowded. Otherwise, Diesel Cafe in Somerville is a great bet.
Rendezvous, Oleana, Peach Farm, Namaskar, Atasca
My mother and grandmother came to visit this weekend. We had several good meals, which I will list in descending order of satisfaction.
Peach Farm. Scallion pancake was ordinary but good (there's not much you can do with scallion pancake). Oysters on the half shell in black bean sauce were spectacular. These are the biggest, meatiest oysters I've ever eaten. The tangy fermented black beans meshed well with the oysters. Dry fried calamari were excellent too. Crispy, not too greasy or battery. An addictive burst of salty, spicy flavor. Sauteed pea pod stems sauteed in garlic were wonderfully fresh. Complementary rice and tea were good. All of this came to a little over $40. We all loved the meal. Indeed, I have yet to have one dish at Peach Farm that I could articulate a complaint about. This place is great.
Oleana. Had been here once and was not impressed. This time was better but I think I'm not as big a fan as may Chowhounders are. Atmosphere and service were wonderful, though some tables are very close to neighboring ones. Good wines by the glass. We shared the hummus, carrot puree, and walnut pate appetizers. Each, though simple, was delicious and meticulously spiced. The complementary bread along side was excellent. We loved this part of the meal. My entree was wild striped bass wrapped in strips of eggplant. It was cooked perfectly but was bland and boring. There was something referred to as baba ghanoush along side, which had little flavor except eggplant and did not resemble real baba ghanoush. If there were other sides, I forget them. Perhaps I just ordered a dish too mild for my tastes. Mom's monkfish was spicier and better, and served with delicious panisse coins. The baked alaska dessert was spectacular. Chocolate hazelnut baklava was pretty and tasted fine, but I prefer plain old baklava soaked in rosewater and honey (for $8 less).
(Aside: Had a delicious $3 almond paste pudding at Sultan's Kitchen yesterday. Wondered whether, in a blind taste, dishes from Sultan's Kitchen would beat out Oleana's higher-priced offerings. I haven't been to SK enough to make that claim though.)
Rendezvous. Had been here once and thought it was good but uneven. I had the same impression this time. The restaurant is pretty loud, and the tables are uncomfortably close to each other. One waitress was great, another provided awkward service. Wine by the glass was excellent. Complementary, slightly sour bread was fantastic. I thought the citrus salad was a boring mix of items that didn't really complement each other--mild feta, slices of citrus, pomegranate seeds, and chunks of slightly brown romaine lettuce. Grilled baby octopuses had an amazing smoky flavor. They were delicious, but we were disappointed by getting only five little octopuses for $11. The skate in brown butter sauce with cauliflower was basically perfect, greatly enjoyed it. Mom's vegetable pot pie did not look very impressive and she didn't think much of it. I like Rendezvous but I wouldn't call it great.
Namaskar. We had the lunch buffet. Mom thought it was average, I thought it was above average. I was happy that the patra (taro leaves) were on the buffet--I'm a big fan. The vegetables tend to be lightly seasoned and not too oily, but the spicing shows some refinement. It may be that because the flavors are not very assertive, the food can be underwhelming. I've always enjoyed the second rice Namaskar puts on the buffet--this time it was bright yellow lemon rice. The naan was much better than average.
Atasca. I'm a fan of O Cantinho, so I expected to like Atasca. I didn't. The atmosphere doesn't have the quaintness and serenity of O Cantinho. In the bar area, right next to our table, there was an annoying TV with the volume on (and it wasn't tuned to March Madness). I strongly support their long list of exclusively Portuguese wines. However, I hope for a little more from wine service. Glasses weren't matched to the wines, which were poured to the brim. A light-bodied red was served at an inappropriately high temperature. The wines were nice though. Complementary bread was stale but still OK. The seasoned olive oil for dipping was much too salty (c'mon, this doesn't even need salt). Fava beans were bland and undercooked to my tastes. Grilled shrimp in piri piri sauce on toast didn't work for me. Though there was nice grill flavor, the sauce left the shrimp and soaked the toast, making it soggy. So the shrimp were just shrimp. I would have preferred them shelled as well. The casserole of shrimp, tomatoes, and goat cheese was tasty and the best thing we ate. Charcoal-grilled cod looked excellent and was cooked well, but I found it tough to eat because of strange bone placement (on the outside of a steak?). It really didn't have any flavor except coddiness and charcoal. I got sick of it fast. The potatoes alongside were good. Chicken sauteed in mushrooms and port wine wasn't very good. It had a slimy breading and insipid flavor. Kidney bean risotto alongside was OK but too mushy. I would definitely recommend O Cantinho instead.
Places to watch March Madness
I went for lunch around 12:30. They weren't saving their normal menu, just appetizers and sandwiches. I had "five alarm" wings and some cheesy toast. The wings were enjoyable, not really very hot. I'm not a big wing guy so I can't say much more. The cheesy toast was filler crap--imagine putting some flimsy white bread, some butter, and some crap cheese (and not enough of it) in the toaster oven--though the salsa alongside was decent. The TV situation was good. This bar has the entire March Madness package. It was easy to watch three games at once. Beer selection was just OK.
Places to watch March Madness
Thanks for these suggestions, all good ones (I think). I think I'll check out Spirit today since it's walking distance.
To throw a wrench in things, my mother and grandmother are in town for a few days and will want to have dinner. So how about some good restaurants that also have good casual bars with nice TVs? Cambridge One was along the right lines, but they'd probably veto pizza. I was thinking Eastern Standard, especially because of the storm and its T proximity, but I can't remember the TV situation?
Anise, Kendall Sq., Cambridge
I found the hot and numbing fish at Anise pretty hot and more numbing than any Szechuan food I've ever had. The effect was so strong that I had hiccups afterward.
Good Place for Sandwiches Near a Picnic Area?
True Grounds + Powderhouse Park
Cardullos or Darwin's + the park by the JFK School of Government.
Szechuan Bay, Somerville
Ordered from here again. Ordered bamboo shoots in spicy chili sauce, got the special sauce version as usual. Ordered rice, did not receive it (too bad).
But what I did receive was very good. Whole fish with pickled Szechuan peppers was delicious. Szechuan green beans was very tasty but not as interesting as the Szechuan bitter melon.
I really like the food. I wish they would give me what I order. The lengthy conversations are strange. Lots of talk about this not being the same Chinese place, this is fine dining. Shouldn't I judge that for myself, why are they telling me this? Even a comment that I really should come in for dinner to get the full experience. Having been there in person, this seemed absurd, though I guess they could be talking about the food being better right out of the kitchen.
Regardless, definitely recommended for the food.
First trip to Zoe's in Somerville
I agree Zoe's version of scallion pie is greasy, but I think it's a little thicker than usual to compensate. I like it better than average.
The key to Zoe's I think is the family-style menu. There are lots of interesting treats on there for low prices (like $3-$5).
I agree Zoe's is a good neighborhood spot but not the best on this side of the river. Shangri-La is in a different league but doesn't deliver. I think Wang's is more consistently good than Zoe's and has much better dumplings. The jury is still out on Szechuan Bay, but it's probably at least on par. Qingdao Garden's dumplings are easily better, though I'm not a fan of the rest of the menu. I guess I have to order from Mulan again because I despised it my first try.
Places to watch March Madness
I live next to Cambridge Common, which should be a pretty good place to watch the games: big screen TVs, decent beers. Unfortunately the food is poor.
Any other ideas? How about Deep Ellum?
Tres Disappointed at Chez Henri
I agree with this. My opinion is the bar is good, the dining room isn't, at least for the price (caveat: only ate in the dining room once).
Sushi in/near Chestnut Hill?
is this a joke?
if not, there's a movie theater across the street from oishii.
Addis Red Sea in Cambridge
As a coincidence, or something else, yesterday was the first time in my life I saw injera in a store (of any kind). Of all stores, it was Gourmet [something, I forget, but truth in advertising?], which took over White Hen Pantry in Porter Square.
Desfina
Was delivered horiatiki and the appetizer platter. Both were healthy and tasty, but so straightforward that it's silly to comment further on them. I thought the complementary bread was very good. Portions were large. Decent for the price. Enjoyed the meal.
Desfina
for $14 it had better be good. i ordered for delivery, passing on the octopus, will report back. is the octopus charred at all? is there a lot of it?
Reef Cafe
i've never gone wrong with reef cafe. the food is always very good, especially for the price. they deliver too: http://www.foodler.com.
also i want to plug boston shwarama, by northeastern. the menu is very, very similar to reef's. i've found the food on par, and i like the falafel even better.
Ole --What happened?
Ordered from there today. Had the mariscada and a side of sauteed spinach with pine nuts. Both were good. The portions were too small. The seafood was very good quality, but I couldn't help wishing it was Muqueca's mariscada (seafood not quite as good, but a far larger portion, more flavor, and the plantain side dish for like $8 cheaper). It was definitely enjoyable though. The spinach was simple and predictable but very tasty.
A nice, light dinner, unremarkable for the price. I'd probably recommend Tu y Yo or Forest Cafe instead.
Your favorite dishes at The Helmand?
I'm actually not the hugest fan of the pumpkin. I feel like it's essentially just pureed pumpkin. However, I absolutely loved the chicken kabob I had there, and the bread is great.
