elbev's Profile
Antojitos Mexicanos - Woodside - still around?
I saw the old Antojitos Mexicanos tamale cart about a week ago. It was up a side street (62nd maybe) on the sidewalk with a 'for sale' sign! Was quite a scare at first, but hopefully the good tamaleros got a new one and are just waiting for the hot weather to end before going back out there. In past years I have notited that they take a break for a few weeks during the hottest months of summer anyhow.
Thai Malay Sunnyside/Woodside border closing?
Thanks. Cool to know that those two places deliver - I thought Rumphool (which I think is great) was takeout only. It is a shame to lose a place with the reliability and variety of TMC, though.
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Rumphool
57-17 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11377
Thai Malay Sunnyside/Woodside border closing?
Harsh! This was my go to delivery place and now there will be a vacuum (esp with Zabb also gone, but they took hours to deliver usually). Any suggestions for other good SE Asian delivery places that serve the Sunnyside-Woodside border?
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Zabb Elee
71-28 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11372
ISO Sol Kadi (drink) and/or kokum peels
Sol Kadhi is a wonderful thing, esp after eating fish. And kokum (it's key ingredient) is also excellent for flavoring curries (performs a similar function to tamarind or dried green mango in that it imparts a sourness, though the flavor is very different). The dried peels can be gotten at most large Indian markets. Have yet to find a place in the US that serves sol kadhi (or outside the southwestern coast of India, and esp Maharashtra, for that matter). It is, however, not too hard to make.
Does anyone know places in Boston (or elsewhere in the US) where Konkani food or any other dishes prominently featuring kokum are available?
June openings and closings
Thanks for the info, tatsu. That is quite an unusual story, and makes me wish I hung out there more and got a chance to chat with the owner. Presumably Allston is a more civilized place than East Cambridge...
Driving from New York to Salem (and back)
Plenty of places in Boston, but traffic/directions/parking might be a hassle (if you do take 93 through the city on either way, J&J in Somerville is close to the Sullivan Sq exit and has great Portuguese seafood dishes). For the 95 route, you could hop off at Mystic and hit up Sea Swirl, which is very good for classic NE fried fare and very close to the highway.
June openings and closings
Finally! The Sports 'Despot' was terrible. Surely there are enough frat houses in Allston already.
Any idea what is going in there?
June openings and closings
Tatsu, I am very curious to know their reason for closing, and I am curious why you did not mentioned it.
I was always puzzled as to why they presented themselves as 'generic Americanized Chinese' online and on the takeout menus, since the NW Chinese stuff was what stood out.
Too bad they are going out of business. We had a few very good meals at Unique and I was thinking of going back soon. They did, however, completely screw up both of the takeout frozen dumping orders we made (the first was for half pork, half veggie and we got half pork/half beef, the second was for all veggie only and we got all pork with leek). When I called to complain they did not seem especially troubled, said something about the cook being confused, and made a vague offer to give us a discount next time. Good thing we are not vegetarians!
Flying in for the day! Best Seafood in Boston??
You could take the T to Neptune, walk over to Durgin park, and then take the water taxi back to the airport (a bit faster and quite lovely).
Best 5 restaurants in Jackson Heights?
Have had similarly disappointing experiences every time I have been to Thai Son, often with basic staple dishes. The only thing halfway decent were summer rolls. In my view this place is not even serviceable and certainly does not belong on any top 5, 10, 20 etc list. Stick with the places in Elmhurst or Chinatown Manhattan for Vietnamese fare.
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Thai Son
40-10 74th St, Queens, NY 11373
2010 Winter RW Report
We also went to Erbaluce for RW, and unfortunately did not have so good an experience. The focaccia and dip were incredible, we enjoyed the appetizers (deliciously subtle celeriac soup accented by smoky but not overwhelming smoked mushrooms, pleasing cured salmon with nice big pieces of lemon zest and a hunk of fritatta with a marvelously smooth texture), and both desserts were truly incredible (as were the bonus truffles). I ordered the braised beef, which was buttery tender and tasty but not earth-shattering (vegetables were nice, also unspectacular, and the pear mostarda which to my taste was far too sweet in this context). My DC had the Tuscan fish stew (~baroddo), which definitely tasted like the ocean, as other have pointed out, but not in a good way. The whole dish was marred by an overwhelming odor of something a bit past its prime. We are folks who love seafood in most all varieties (fish of all kinds, uni, crawfish heads, the most pungent of fish sauces and sambals, etc), so this was quite a surprise. We ended up not eating about half of the dish (a rare occurrence), and put it down to some ingredient we were not familiar with. A mysterious roe? Fermented sea-sludge/delicacy of some kind? Did not get full-blown ill, but we definitely both had uncomfortable indigestion for the rest of the night.
This was quite a disappointment, since we had heard wonderful things about Erbaluce, it was out first time there, and we were very much ready to be wowed - we do not go for such spendy dinners more than once every month or two. The setting is elegant and service was excellent (though for some reason the chef did not ask us about our meal afterwards - he seemed to give this treatment to every other table). And while the appetizers and desserts were great, and the beef entree was quite nice, the seafood stew was a disaster. I would like to attribute this to late-RW kitchen fatigue (either on the level of prep or quality control), but at the prices this place charges I doubt we will every return.
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Erbaluce
69 Church Street, Boston, MA 02116
Peychaud's Bitters
Curious, since they are pretty standard in any decent liquor store. Maybe the Angostura Bitters shortage is having a knock-on effect on Peychaud's...
Annual Horseradish Root Report on Sightings
Got some at Somerville Market Basket the other day - firm, moist, and covered in earth. Prepared some with vinegar and am letting it steep, and boiled the rest with some potatoes. Boiling mellowed the flavor a tad bit, but still about as bitter as that one aunt...
Recent Burgers
That brioche *is* a problem. The sliders at the Cellar, however, are awesome.
Must Go To Boston Restaurants?
In this case I mean foodie as people who take food seriously (do not use the word much, then again, it's not my nickname). My only point was to say that Legalz, while solid if unspectacular, is hardly a 'must go to' resto in Boston.
Boston and beyond. College Visits for daughter, fun food for mom.
Muqueca is not Portuguese but Brazilian, and the muqueca is the best item on the menu IMHO. The fried yuca with beef or sausage is also quite nice as an appetizer, and the passion fruit (maracuja) custard is a delicious dessert.
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Muqueca
1010 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02139
Must Go To Boston Restaurants?
1859er: Few people I know who consider themselves 'foodies' would agree that Legal Seafood is by any stretch of the imagination the 'top seafood restaurant in Boston'. As such it is a bit absurd to get testy about the matter - this topic has been done to death on this list time and again. It is possibly that Legal is the most well-known seafood place in town, but that is about it. The seafood is usually fresh, but in my experience there are two huge problems. 1) Quality of preparation: Dishes tend to be both completely unimaginative and often overcooked, for my taste at least. There is nothing wrong with fresh seafood simply prepared, but overcooking and bland preparation completely misses the point. 2) Prices are quite high for what you get.
Neptune is a place that combines fresh oysters of many varieties, a few twists on classics (lobster roll, fried clams), and imaginative preparations that offer refreshing accents but never overwhelm the seafood. Aside from being equally expensive (if not more!), Legal is in no way comparable: only 3-4 varieties of oyster at any time, classics are fine but not great, and most recipes are routine. In my view, the only times to go would be for the brilliant happy hour (dollar oysters, several cheap bar menu items) or a dinner paid by someone else for which an unoffensive, comfortable place is necessary.
I agree with ecwashere's alternate suggestions, and would add that if one merely wants simply classics, Courthouse Seafood in East Camb is a fine option (though obviously the ambience is lacking).
Guide to Woodside
bigjeff:
The best sit-down place I know of is Hornado Ecuatoriano on 76th and Roosevelt, on the Elmhurst (south) side. There are also quite a few trucks/carts of different sizes in east JH shading towards Corona, some of which are excellent (cannot remember exactly which), and also in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park when the weather gets nice where apparently you can even get cuy (~=guinea pig). Have enjoyed late night soups at Picada Azuaya on 37th near 84th in JH. Heard about an excellent storefront that has more snacky Ecuadorian fare up in that area (or maybe on Northern Blvd) but have yet to search it out. There are a couple of places on Roosevelt in the western half of Woodside towards Sunnyside that I have heard are good, but have not tried them. The one time I went to Braulio y Familia, on 63rd north of Roosevelt, I was not especially impressed with the food or some other elements (attitude of staff, cleanliness).
Hacienda is solid, though, and quite good as delivery goes. There are several other posts on Ecuadorian food in the OBs and NYC, probably mostly outdated. If others have more info I would love to hear it here or in a separate post. Finally, you could also ask folks at the Ecuadorian Consulate office in Woodside (!!!) on 67th and Roosevelt for recos.
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Hornado Ecuatoriano
81-10 Roosevelt Ave, Queens, NY 11372
Woodside Cafe
60-06 Woodside Ave, Queens, NY 11377
Guide to Woodside
My distinct impression is that La Hacienda does the majority of their business delivery and take-out rather than sit-down. I also have the sense, and this has been confirmed by some of the staff, that they serve considerably more Ecuadorian food than Mexican. The several things I have had from that side of the menu (hornado plate, fish soup, pargo rojo frito, seco de chivo, something with pozole and chorizo) have been reliably good but never truly great. The Mexican fare has been more or less on par with other nearby sit-down places (El Paso, Frontera). It is a delivery standby for me, but certainly more about convenience than quality.
Cambridge Common - Wow, what a terrible hamburger.
It is true that some people really like the English Burger or whatever it is called (the one served on the english muffin). I have had it a couple of times and found it dry and bland (very similar to OP's qp-er assessment. Also had the angus once and felt the same way. Frankly, I think the burgers at Camb Common are no better than the legendarily vile things dished out down the road a piece at John Harvard's. As far as I am concerned the little trick of slapping them onto english muffins does nothing to change this.
Puerto Rican? Mofongo?
To clarify further: Mangu is a shapeless mash, as SG describes; Dominican (sometimes Cuban or Puerto Rican) and typically eaten for breakfast with eggs, meat, etc Canoa on the other hand is a totally different thing - a baked or fried whole plantain stuffed with picadillo and topped with cheese. Looks a bit like a canoe. Mofongo is the king of them all, and there is intense culinary nationalist debate over whether it is originally a Puerto Rican or Dominican dish. The classic version is served inside the mortar (or 'pilon') in which it is assembled, may or may not have chicharron (pork rind), and is filled with picadillo, saucy meat or seafood or even veg, or sometimes even more exotic things like guinea fowl or rabbit. Truly delicious stuff when done right.
The best version I have had in a Boston area restaurant is at Miami Restaurant in JP, though it was not all that great. Had it once at El Oriental and it was horrible (dry, bland). Miami Cafe in Vlilla Victoria has, I think, the best Puerto Rican food in town, but not sure if they offer mofongo. Izzy's is decent in a pinch, but tends in general to be incredibly greasy, which I suspect would also be the case with the mofongo. The other places mentioned, which I think are all Dominican, are worth checking out. Really I think the best bet is to just have mofongo in NYC if possible. Several excellent places in various boroughs (see Mh and OBs list for details).
Ribs on a late Sunday night
I have had excellent ribs and ones that were a bit dry from ECG. For actually eating a meal of ribs, ECG cue is pretty pricey. Plus, there is a chance you will have to wait for some time to get in. Redbones, much maligned though it be, has solid barbecue for the region, and to boot a very good bar with excellent beer selection.
Central Bottle: Fantastic Wine & Cheese Store Central Square
Taking the bait: where can you buy great coffee for reasonable money? [oops, saw the reply just now! sorry]
harvard square late night eats and drinks
Forest was still open as of last week, and predicted they would stay that way for a month or so.
The Independent -- WHAT HAPPENED?
Have not eaten there for years, but I do remember the excellent pressed sandwiches from 4-5 years back. It is a shame they have gone bad.
While I remember a few good meals at the B-Side when it first opened years ago, in my experience (and that of many others), by the last couple of years the food was decent at best and inedibly vile on a bad night. It does not shock me that the former chef has not done great things at the Indo.
Lord Hobo
I suppose it is a matter of taste, really. Loved the retro cocktail revival. The decor not so much. Maybe I would have liked it better if it was grimy, though this would not have suited the jacked up food prices. This is all entirely beside the point, though. I like the art selections in the LoHo, but agree with others that they need to find an identity.
Lord Hobo
Have been a couple of times now and had several things. The new layout is good, not incredible. A bit bland compared with the B-Side, but they have completely dispensed with the ridiculous 50s retro/diner feel. The food is excellent but in some cases gallingly expensive for a bar (which it is, after all, whether the City of Cambridge likes it or not). I found the hangar steak w/fries and the deviled eggs magnificent and decent values (~$18 and $5, respectively; the latter is a fine tribute to the old egg system of the Windsor Tap and B-Side). While the selections on the charcuterie/cheese plate were excellent, the price was a bit absurd ($16 I think), and the arugula salad was tasty, but in the language of my dining partner 'insultingly' meager.
More importantly, the beer selections are top notch and in many cases reasonably priced, and the staff is both knowledgeable and cheerful. The is both surprising and refreshing given the amount of beers on tap, the fact that LoHo is less than a month old, and that many of the staff were out of work for the six months they waited for management to get it together to finally open. Beer samples are freely offered, and servers seem quite expert and willing to walk the indecisive through the immense and rotating menu. The best testimony to the quality of service, however, was the response when in an excess of emphatic gesture I managed to catapult and shatter a half full beer glass against the bar: not only did the server take the initiative to extend last call on my behalf, she also offered me a different beer to try for the replacement, and comped it on the bill.
All in all, while the prices on the food are about as high as those at the reputable fine dining establishment Hungry Mother around the corner, the quality of the offerings and the high level of service make me happy to see the new bar doing well so far.
