Allstonian's Profile
February 2012 Openings and Closings
The windows of Bubble Berry, in Union Square, Allston, were papered over this morning. The sign posted said "closed for renovation," which is usually a bad sign, especially for a place that hasn't even been open 6 months.
root beer float
STRONGLY seconded - Cabot's is a great old-fashioned ice cream parlor and they do a fine job with the old-school fountain treats.
I can't remember whether I've had a root beer float there, because I usually go with an ice cream soda (there's hardly anyplace else left in Boston that has any idea how to make one!) but I will enthusiastically vouch for the quality of their offerings.
(Except the raspberry lime rickey, for some reason - DO NOT get a raspberry lime rickey at Cabot's unless you have a weird nostalgia for Za-Rex syrups.)
George Howell Cafe (re-)opening in Newtonville
This is great news. I worked at the Harvard Square Coffee Connection in the mid-80s, so I was lucky to learn coffee appreciation from the master way back then.
First Impressions: Lone Star Taco Bar
"it tasted pretty much exactly like the margaritas that Jenny Ondioline makes at home. "
Just to clarify: Jenny Ondioline's margaritas contain nothing but tequila, lime juice, and triple sec.
First Impressions: Lone Star Taco Bar
I was actually surprised to see that the margaritas included added sugar (discovered after the fact when I looked at the menu online - it was so dark in there that, as Jenny Ondioline mentions above, I pretty much couldn't read the menu.) I had one, and it was NOT noticeably sweetened beyond what I would consider normal for a drink that uses an orange liqueur. If there is sugar added, it's only the tiniest amount. (No, I don't know either why they feel the need to add any at all.) In fact, except for the addition of lemon juice as well as lime, it tasted pretty much exactly like the margaritas that Jenny Ondioline makes at home.
The tortillas are indeed corn, and they're very good. They really do need to start using two per taco.
The beans are pintos, as they should be, but they're stewed, not refried, and the "refried bean tostada" shouldn't be called that, because it isn't.
Good diner toast in Allston-Brighton?
Victor's is great, but I don't remember their bread being notable. Ditto for Breakfast Club on Western Ave.
Good diner toast in Allston-Brighton?
You're going to have to be the guinea pig yourself, I'm afraid - Brighton Center isn't really within our regular stomping grounds, and in any case Jenny Ondioline is unlikely to be interested in checking out that branch of Athans, because he hasn't ever liked anything he's had from the Washington Square shop, and won't go there any more.
Who Are Your Cooking Icons/Idols?
Yes, reading Alice, Let's Eat was a formative experience for me as well.
M. F. K. Fisher was also hugely influential, and although I found much to disagree with, especially on my most recent re-reading, John & Karen Hess's The Taste of America was a revolutionary and thought-provoking read in the late 70s. Raymond Sokolov's columns on regional American foodways in Natural History magazine were extremely educational.
Then there was Elizabeth David, and (oddly enough) the crime novelist Nicolas Freeling, both for his memoir of working in European kitchens (Kitchen Book) and for the many passages in his novels describing meal preparation and enjoyment. (Freeling also led me to reading the works of Charles Dickens, but that's well off-topic.)
Boxty in Boston?
While boxty are often served with a filling, the name "boxty" refers to the potato pancakes themselves, which may or may not be stuffed.
Jiangsu Cuisine
Right - as lipoff said above, "they have whole fish preparations from most major cuisine types in China (including one of the very few authentic Hunan dishes in the Boston area)." The "Whole Fish with Chili Pepper" is the Hunan-style preparation to which he was referring, which Nab had asked about.
Okonomiyaki in Boston area?
Yep, I knew that, and actually I cook my own okonimiyaki. Just gently joshing the poster who bumped a 6-year-old thread to tell us all about okonomiyaki pride in Kyoto.
Okonomiyaki in Boston area?
Do you have any pointers on where we can get okonomiyaki in Boston?
Uncanny Sauerkraut?
Yikes. If your benchmark is canned Silver Floss, there are LOTS of better options for sauerkraut!
Ba-Tampte is okay, and most of the local supermarkets carry it, usually somewhere in the dairy section with other fresh pickles. Russo's carries an excellent fresh sauerkraut in the refrigerator section near the cheese & sandwich counter - I forget the brand, I believe it comes from NY. My personal favorite is a local brand, Rosoff's, which has gotten a bit hard to find but reliably shows up in 2-pound jars at BJ's.
Hong Kong Market Food Court Allston
At Kantin, at least, it's very fine egg noodles. The standard toppings are fine, it's just that they don't happen to offer the combination that we love as a regular menu item. However, they're always happy to do it to our specifications, so macht's nichts.
Moroccan Hospitality Restaurant in Malden
In the long review by gimlis1mum that begins this thread, she says "the bread was served with three small dishes of relishes: roasted eggplant, roated red and green peppers, and homemade hot sauce." Perhaps that was a one-time-only thing?
Cheesecake in and around Cambridge
Strongly seconded. Not to mention that consensus on CH is pretty rare, and - a chacun son gout and all - not really to be expected.
Limoncello, have receipe, need organic lemons. any suggestions?
I saw bags of organic lemons at the Packard's Corner Star just a few days ago.
ISO: Licorice Sold Years Ago
Anything like these Dutch licorice caramels from the Vermont Country Store?
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/jump/productDetail/Food_&_Candy/Candy_&_Chocolate/Licorice/Licorice_Caramels_%281.5_lb._Bag%29/53247
Kitchen Nightmares
Upthread, Bob Dobalina suggested that restaurants that are resorting to Groupons might be desperate enough for business that it could be an indicator that they were a good Kitchen Nightmares candidate:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/827986#7073294
Lo and behold, today Rafiki is offering a $30 Goupon for $15...
Kitchen Nightmares
Oh, good way of thinking about it! In that case, Saray in Allston would be a great candidate. Pretty little Turkish restaurant in Packard's Corner that started out strong but seems to have lost its way.
For that matter, Ariana might could use a shake-up. I've been there, and the food is good, it's a nice enough room, and it's smack in the middle of a block full of busy restaurants, but they never seem to be even halfway full.
Beer restaurants in Boston?
It's true that Jacob Wirth's serves some pretty nice sausages, although even there the sides aren't much to write home about.
However, your analogy to an Italian(-American) restaurant is right on the money: there's a lot more to Italian cuisine than pasta, and a place with great spaghetti and meatballs is not necessarily "a great Italian restaurant." Just so, a restaurant should serve more than a good sausage platter to qualify as having good German food.
When Did Omelets Become Fairly Common in American Home Cooking?
The 1896 edition of Fannie Merritt Farmer's THE BOSTON COOKING-SCHOOL COOK BOOK, which is posted on Michigan State University's Feeding America website, offers 9 recipes for omelets. The 1918 edition is posted on bartleby.com; it offers 13 or 14 recipes.
Beef tongue
Correction: just to the RIGHT of the hot dogs etc. It's kind of "around the corner" from the rest of the meats, heading along the back wall towards the dairy sections. Hams, prepared barbecue (LLoyd's, etc.) and suchlike are in the same area. Jenny Ondioline and I saw six beef tongues there on Thursday evening.
Beer restaurants in Boston?
Different strokes, obviously: Jacob Wirth's food makes me sad precisely because it's NOT even close to what I've had in Germany.
It also make me sad because it's not very good but it's what always gets recommended when somebody posts on this board looking for German food.
Unfortunately, most of the problem is that there isn't any other game in town: the closest halfway-decent German restaurant that I know of is the Student Prince in Springfield. I've heard reports of a handful of places in other nearby states, but haven't tried them.
Old Munich, AKA A Taste of Europe, in Topsham, ME, was by far the best German restaurant I've eaten at in New England in at least three decades, but unfortunately they are defunct.
Beer restaurants in Boston?
I beg to differ: Jacob Wirth's does not "do good German food" any more than they do any other notable food. It's a grand old place, with a fun and boisterous vibe, but their German food makes me sad every time I try it.
Dim Sum Delivery to Cambridge?
Sorry, Gitlo's was the only place I've ever known of in the Boston area that delivered dim sum, which does not generally travel well.
BTW, the reason that Gitlo's "no longer service[s] the area" is that they went out of business in August 2010.
Salt cod
The OP is Karl S., who most certainly *is* still around, and may even still be looking for this dish!
Lots of lobster in Boston?
Keep in mind that the original post is dated August 31, 2011.
Lil Vinny's Closing End of Dec.2011
Specifically:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/820846#7020517
and http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/820846#7020650
