skoenigsberg's Profile
Seeking bar for sophisticated drinkers
Banq in the South End can handle a large crowd in the bar area - then you are near Union, Stella, Sibling Rivalry, etc etc etc in case you want a different vibe.
Winter 2008/2009 Openings and Closings
Just ate there tonight. I said to my husband that if it were around next year at this time, it would be because a non-local crowd was eating there.
Our cocktails were good, server and staff were excellent, renovation looks great, food was fine but nothing special (I had a salad, he had the cod), and our bill was very high for a so-so experience. I'd rather eat at 647 for the casual atmosphere or Union for the non-casual price.
It is nice to have a bar around though - other than Stella's weekend-in-the-back bar and Sib Rivalry, not too many places to hang out and keep one eye on The Game.
Late Night Lounge and Corresponding Hair-of-the-Dog Brunch for large group in Midtown East / Lower UES
Hello all -
My husband and I (both Bostonians) eloped and our parents are throwing a large reception for us at Astra (lucky us!!).
Most of our guests are staying in Midtown East, and we'd like to find a location for both an after-party and brunch the next day. Here's what we have in mind:
After-party - lounge or bar we can walk to from Astra (3rd and 58th). Could walk in with 15-20 friends at 10:30 with no waiting...quiet enough to talk. I'm thinking the lobby bar of one of our hotels would be best but thought someone here might have another idea or a specific suggestion.
Brunch - walking distance from Waldorf / Marriott / Doubletree. 15-20 people. Would like to keep it at or under $30/person including a mimosa. We're reasonably adventurous cuisine-wise, but midtown doesn't seem to be. We checked out kristen's great brunch posts but didn't see exactly what we were looking for.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Weekday bakery/sandwhich spot in JP or South End?
Flour in the South End is a favorite on this board and in Boston. It's off the Washington Street Silver Line. Sandwiches, pastries, nice staff. Small patio.
Rehersal Dinner Ideas
I met someone at the bar at Elephant Walk in Cambridge whose rehearsal dinner had been hosted there and she said it was lovely - there are probably enough "bland"-er items on that menu, if you choose carefully. Parking in the back.
I also noticed that Tapeo on Newbury has what could be a private dining room on the right when you walk in. Tapas are often a crowd-pleaser since there is a variety to try. Tons of garage parking near Newbury.
Congratulations!
Pick Your Own Strawberries
Thanks everyone for the Verrill recommendation. We beat the thunderstorms there today and my fingers are now stained from cut, freeze, cut, freeze. Why did I think we'd use so many quarts of berries?? Fun place, nice farm stand, and berries as sweet and tasty as ones I remember from a California farmers' market many years ago.
1 night in Back Bay area
Hi Bubblegirl - depends how gourmet you want to go. If you aren't looking for top shelf food, here is a small restaurant group in Boston, with three restaurants around the Newbury St (Back Bay) area called Back Bay Restaurant Group. They own Joe's American Bar and Grill, Papa Ratzi, and Charley's Saloon. All are reasonably priced with reasonable food - Joe's is my favorite of the three and has a dining room upstairs and pub downstairs. The thinly sliced london broil there is my choice.
I am a woman and I'd walk anywhere on Newbury or Boylston between Arlington and Hereford Streets (they're alphabetical so that's 7 blocks) even late at night. There are plenty of people around those streets and I have never felt unsafe. Some of the more residential blocks are quieter at night and thus a little creepier, but Commonwealth Ave has a great tree-lined park down the middle of it which is beautiful and probably well-traveled until at least 9.
Great Meal at Aegean Last Night!
Aegean is an old fave of mine from when I worked on Western Ave in Brighton. I seem to remember their having great lunch specials - included salad, roasted potatos (I could eat just those for lunch) and an entree - I often got the stuffed grape leaves (stuffed with meat as an entree, not just rice.)
Onion Pocket
Hi Chowhounders,
Is there anyone in Boston to go for an onion pocket? I was describing one this morning - somewhere between a roll and a bialy, but with a slit inside filled with thinly grated caramelized peppered onions.
Shmeared with cream cheese (Temp-tee of course) that it a little slice of my childhood. Any leads in Boston?
Thanks.
Estragon
Thanks Marilees. I went tonight and was sure to include the scallop in the six plates I shared with my DC. Scallop was good, also had tortilla (fancier than I like), baby octopus (amazing!), lamb kebeb (amazing!), asparagus (good), and spicy french fries (fries awesome, sauce not spicy enough). Six plates was far too much for two of us (women with good appetities), which will be a pleasant reduction in my bill next time.
Staff was friendly and helpful, told us to experiment and try foods outside our comfort zone. The owner Julio came over to introduce himself, wine list seemed ok, but I had the "spanish shandy", half beer half lemonade (sprite?). She had two glasses of wine, I had two shandies, we had six tapas total, bill was $110 with tip.
I loved the decor (art deco?) and was shocked at how much extra space there seemed to be compared to what I'm used to in the city. For a new restaurant they seemed busy: both the dining room and the bar were more than half-full at peak and when we left at 11 we weren't the last people to go.
The location did feel sketchy. When we left the restaurant, it was well-lit, police station on the corner, but reasonably deserted. I will be interested to see how they do since they won't really have casual foot traffic on that part of Harrison.
Overall, a good experience.
Wedding Dinner
Congratulations! That is my size wedding. :)
I'd think about the South End...Union or Hamersleys. Another special occassion restaurant that I love is Mistral, right on the border of the SE and BB.
Chef's table at Ten Tables
I agree Allstonian, I love watching a kitchen.
During Restaurant Week, my SO and I walked into Tremont 647 without a reservation. We had forgotten it was RW and 647 is one of our favorite, "oops it's a weekend night in the South End and we didn't make reservations" places to go.
Well, they didn't have a table free but their chef's bar was, so we sat there. Was it kind of cramped, yes. Did my elbow keep hitting some woman on the 4-top next to us on the head, yes. Did that ruin our experience - absolutely not!
We had a blast watching that kitchen work. The politics of the line cooks and chefs were fascinating. The language barriers were fascinating. Watching the cooking made me braver in my own kitchen since then. By the end of the night I could tell when a dish was ready to go or missing something. And then Andy Husband showed up when it was super busy to expedite (I think that's what it's called - make sure things were coming out together and on time), and I loved watching a celeb-chef go back to what are clearly his roots of what he's good at.
All in all, one of my most memorable dinners of late. The equivalent to dinner theater.
Anyone else noticed any recent price hikes on Boston chow?
Really? Diners aren't entitled to leftovers??
I don't know, hotoynoodle, but if I'm used to paying a certain price for a certain portion size, I expect that not to change unless the price changes or there's a note on the door or the menu referencing food and fuel prices.
I definitely eat out more often because I can justify the prices by having a second meal the next day. Were all the leftovers to go away, I'd have a harder time feeling good about how often I ate out (several nights a week). If I don't want leftovers, then I look for a half-portion of pasta or order a bunch of appetizers together for dinner.
Maybe it's different because you work in the industry, but there is also something super-fun about having leftovers in the fridge to look forward to. Cold hanger steak beats the heck out of my usual work-at-home lunch of (roughly) eight wheat thins, peanut butter, olives, banana, a couple marshmallows and a handful of chick peas.
Best Outdoor Eating Downtown
I am feeling old writing the following sentence: When I was 21, Tia's would have been my top pick for your criteria. Probably comparable to Houston's price-wise, a little bit of a younger crowd, and right on the water.
From Tia's you can walk to Sail Loft for drinks. Nothing gourmet or fancy about it but again, a younger crowd and friendly place.
Heading to Boston, looking for good recs
I definitely second spending some time on Moody for both ingredients and restaurants. The produce at the Indian markets is really remarkable - one time I bought three different types of mango that had totally unique tastes (Michael Pollan would be proud.) Don't miss Russo's in Watertown (recommended above) for produce.
I like Tempo and Tuscan Grill just fine. I think La Campania rivals even some Boston restaurants for an upscale dinner (and I live in the South End!). Solea on Moody is fun tapas place and I think that tapas are a good choice if you and your DC have different levels of adventure in mind.
There are two casual sandwich places I'd also recommend. Spot Cafe in Watertown on Main St. has great bread and baguettes and fresh ingredients for sandwiches. Don't be put off by the service, it's friendly but they take their time. New York Deli near Moody is a sandwich/sub shop that is probably nothing special except it's *my* nothing special that I used to get lunch from a few times a week. Mostly takeout, turkey on a roll to chicken parm plate.
You are not far from Watertown Square either, and there are several nice choices there. Of course I wouldn't skip proper Boston/Cambridge dining but you have a lot of choices for a quick work-night out too.
Closest thing to NYC Bagels in Boston - VOTE!
I would definitely vote Bagel Rising. I'm from the NY area and those are the only ones I've had that are similar to what I grew up with. Rosenfeld's are good but too spherical for my taste.
Closest thing to NYC Bagels in Boston - VOTE!
Stella's Cafe (new on Washington St in the South End) also has H&H, M-F.
