cannedmilkandfruitypebbles's Profile
West Bridge - Kendall Square
I heard that New Bridge, a french inspired restuaruant fronted by Aquitaine alumn, is opening this week. Anyone have any particulars on menu, price point, bar focus (cocktails, craftbeer), ect ect, ect?
Coach Grill, Sudbury
If you look at the menu, you'll see that it's very similar to Abe and Louis but I'm not sure it's affiliated any more. I've eaten there a handful of times and I think it's overpriced for what it is- and I've never actually paid for any of my meals! However, the service is higher end than you'll find in the area and it's a nice room. If you want a steak and all the traditional sides, it's a decent option.
Harvard Square
I sat out on the patio recently at harvest and it was a really enjoyable evening with above average food and wine.
First Printer in Harvard Square
haven't had any food but went for a few beers. It's a nice space with a Squarish bar and a good tap selection. It is loud as it is fairly open. It's larger than I thought it would be. I will say that it was packed the night i was there and seeing people sitting at the bar, I concluded that I wouldn't attempt to eat there as there were people standing behind the bar stools and it's an odd space in the middle of the room.
Between Cape and Boston
You have some good suggestions here.
In hingham, you have scarlet oak tavern. They do a pretty modern menu of seafood and steak in a handsomely renovated colonial house. Exit 14 off of rt.3. Also in hingham with good highway access is Jasper whites summer shack in the derby st. Shops, exit 15.
A little further south, exit 12, you can head down 139 in pembroke to Orta a wood fired pizza place with Italian mains and very good small plates. Head the other way down 139 into marshfield, passing Poopsies, a great bar room pizza place that is darkly lit and always crowded on weekend nights, and you're on your way to Hola. It's one of the most interesting menus on the south shore, serving small plates and flat breads.
Exit 11 will put you near the sun tavern. It has changed ownership a few times and the food can be spotty but the room is very comfortable and it is in a historic house. Think low ceilings, a wood burning fireplace, and arm chairs.
Exit 9 is the stop for Solstice. An American menu served in an old train depot. It is pricy and more upscale for the south shore. Usually a good meal.
Exit 6 in Plymouth gives you a few options. Down on the water you have Woods and the lobster hut for counter service seafood. Ther is Mama Mias pizza, an italian restaurant with four or five location around the area. People like it. There is also the Eastbay grill, a servicablr restaurant with a standar menu on the water in a nice room.
Exit 2 is the last stop for a meal at the British Beer Company. Lots of good draughts beer and an English slanted pub menu.
Full Irish Breakfast
I like Girrards in Dorchester. I also like entering through the store in the front and buying lots if Irish/English chocolate. Flake:yum.
Plymouth - in search of dinner
I agree with a lot of what T. Clark says. There is nothing great in Plymouth but you can have a decent meal. Solstice is good for the area. I give them credit for at least trying to aim higher than most in the area.
Kendall Sq. burger?
The burger at Catalyst is above the fold in Kendall; it's really good. I liked it better than the burger at Craigie. Comfy bar. Also had a Jerusalem artichoke soup with curry oil and lobster that was as memorable as a soup can be. Their bar sevice wasn't great but I have only been once.
Two guys walk into a bar....
The blue room is in the basement of my building but for some reason I have never thought to have drinks there. I am surprised by this now that I am thinking about it.
Two guys walk into a bar....
A hotel bar crawl is a favorite of mine simply because you can always get seats at the bar. So you can get a change of scenery without being crammed into a corner if you arrive later than 6 pm.
Two guys walk into a bar....
We ended up at Stoddards. It was decent. Not great. Not awful. The cask selections were very good and at $4 a glass, they were a steal. The burger didn't meet expectations. The special sauce was overwhelmingly oniony. Fries were good. I had an aviation that was not subtle enough. Tasted mostly of gin. That was a drag. Also hit the Avery Bar, The Bristol Lounge, and The Last Hurrah. Figured we'd uphold a theme.
North End or Steakhouse for Birthday Dinner
I like Marco a lot. Not really a red sauce place, though. The ambiance is very cozy but not clostrophobic and they'll probably have the fireplace going this time of year. I like Mama Maria less than Marco but MM has a lot of fans. I had dinner at Lucca recently and that was far better than expected. It's a typically crowded North End type of atmosphere.
Abe and Louis is very good but has that, seen one, seen them all type of steak house feel. Grill 23 has less of a guys club air to it- only slightly less, though. I rarely think one steak house is better than another. They're all, mostly, the same.
Two guys walk into a bar....
What about stoddards? Can anyone recommend that. I hear very little about it.
Small restaurant in North End?
I'll raise a hand for Marco as well. Though if you're dining alone, it may not be ideal.
Two guys walk into a bar....
What is it about Mead Hall? I never feel at home there.
Two guys walk into a bar....
Good Recs. Been to Abagails- it was good.
Never seen the bar in Area 4 or Catalyst. Are they good spots to camp out at for a night?
Firebrand Saints is a cold space with limited menu and a small bar. I didn't care for it too much. I like Mead Hal for a beer but the food isn't great and for some reason I can't connect to the atmosphere.
Two guys walk into a bar....
We enjoyed Russell House Tavern. Food isn't very impressive at Lord Hobo. Haven't done Rendezvous...
Two guys walk into a bar....
A friend of mine is coming to visit and we generally like to sit at the bar for an extended amount of time, drink, have a meal, and catch up.
We'll be heading out on Tuesday, dec. 27th, and I'm having trouble thinking of a place. I work in Kendall Square and the ideal place would be off the redline in either direction to make things easy.
We prefer good food and great cocktails. The last place we went was Craigie on Main and before that we were at Citizen Public House. We had burgers and house cured meats at both. Cocktails were great- edge to Craigie.
Any suggestions?
South Shore Updates?
Oro is very good. I posted on it at some point a while back. Search if you'd like. They do a very good brunch as well.
Sole Propietor, 111 Chop or Via
yes, I would use it at 111. It is loud but the food is good, if not great. I'd be happy to eat there with a gift certificate.
Clio Report
I posted this in another thread but it's kind of buried in there and since there is very little on Clio in this board, I wanted to post it as a stand alone item.
Clio was excellent and expensive and I was fine with it.
We went with the 7 course tasting ($105) menu with wine pairing ($75). I will say that all the dishes were good, some were really memorable.
I'll start with Service. As a rule, I rarely let service ruin my night. However, if i were someone that was easily annoyed by poor service, I may have been a bit aggitated by our waitress, Denise. She was mostly unhelpful and there was just something off-putting about her style.
Example-
Us: we'll have the tasting menu
Her: I knew it, you're getting the 10 courses, right?
Us: no, the 7 course with wine pairing
her: oh, Ok.
Something about her being presumptious annoyed me a bit. she also did not explain or detail any of the wines she poured (The most we got was, this is a nice Syrah. She would then pour it and in a flash she was gone.) and the few dishes she delivered, she did not explain in depth. I found myself asking other staff what was in the dish I was eating. We didn't really see her much at all but we did see a lot of the other staff and they were excellent. One young runner named Seth was particularly impressive. You could tell that he loved working at Clio and that he genuinely wanted us, as guests, to love dinning there.
I don't remember all the finer points of the meal but I'll list what i do recall.
Amuse: a little green round dome of Almond, Roquefort, and Arugula- all made into a paste. Sweet, tangy, salty. good.
Tomato water martini- I think they've been doing this for a while so it's not a surprise to many but I was blown away by the flavor. They strain tomtoes until the juices are as clear as crystal then pour the juice over a caperberrry and diced jicima. Basil oil is floated on top. It was the best tomato I've ever drank.
1st: sashimi, don't remember the fish. But it was excellent and topped with a garlicy sesaeme oil. Served with a glass of Sake.
2nd: Two Island Creek oysters with a sweet and sour mingonnette. very good presentation and the flavor was excellently balanced. Served with a sparkling Chablis.
3rd: Tomato salad- I wish I knew better what was in this. It was incredible. I found out from the runner clearing my plate that there was freeze dried black olive in it. Served with a Rose.
***either the fourth or fifth course was paired with a Pinot Noir but I don't remember. And I don't remember what the other was served with.
4th: half a Lobster tail in a lobster and soy broth with Chantrelles. excellent.
5th: Thai inspired corn chowder- corn chowder poured over peanut brittle, dried coconut custard, jalapeno. This was a bit of a miss for me. It was good but the only thing I found really interesting was the brittle.
6th: Beef tenderloin. What made this memorable was not the beef but all of the garnishes on the plate to swril the beef in. There was basil sauce, woodear mushrooms and there was one balck spot on the plate and when I tasted it, I almost fell out of my chair it was so good. It was a reduction of some sort, super concentrated flavor. When the waitress came by to pick up our cleared plates I inquired and she said there may have been black truffle in it. That was the best explaination I got. Served with a Syrah.
7th: Elephant Heart Plum, olive oil Ice cream, hazelnut crumble- This was awful. the plum was not sweet, not sour, just kind of bland. The olive oil ice cream had very little flavor but the consistency of motor oil. What a dissapointment this was. However, Seth overheard my conversation around this and came over to ask for feedback. He then brought out a more standard dessert of Vanilla ice cream, peanut butter powder, and choclolate crumble. It was delicious if not very inventive.
Served with a Moscato.
All in all, a great meal. It would have been much better if the service was a little more attentive. I will also say that the wine pairings were spot on. They all accentuated the flavor of each dish really well. Althought it was expensive, it was worhy of a special occasion and I'd go back again. And yes, Denise, I will have the 10 course tasting.
Not feeling the high price point.....
Reporting back on the trip to Clio. It was excellent and expensive and I was fine with it.
We went with the 7 course tasting menu with wine pairing. I will say that all the dishes were great, some were really memorable.
I'll start with Service. As a rule, I rarely let service ruin my night. However, if i were someone that was easily annoyed by poor service, I may have been a bit aggitated by our waitress, Denise. She was mostly unhelpful and there was just something off-putting about her style.
Example-
Us: we'll have the tasting menu
Her: I knew it, you're getting the 10 courses, right?
Us: no, the 7 course with wine pairing
her: oh, Ok.
Something about her being presumptious annoyed me a bit. she also did not explain or detail any of the wines she poured (The most we got was, this is a nice Syrah. She would then pour it and in a flash she was gone.) and the few dishes she delivered, she did not explain in depth. I found myself asking other staff what was in the dish I was eating. We didn't really see her much at all but we did see a lot of the other staff and they were excellent. One young runner named Seth was particularly impressive. You could tell that he loved working at Clio and that he genuinely wanted us, as guests, to love dinning there.
I don't remember all the finer points of the meal but I'll list what i do recall.
Amuse: a little green round dome of Almond, Roquefort, and Arugula- all made into a paste. Sweet, tangy, salty. good.
Tomato water martini- I think they've been doing this for a while so it's not a surprise to many but I was blown away by the flavor. They strain tomtoes until the juices are as clear as crystal then pour the juice over a caperberrry and diced jicima. Basil oil is floated on top. It was the best tomato I've ever drank.
1st: sashimi, don't remember the fish. But it was excellent and topped with a garlicy sesaeme oil.
2nd: Two Island Creek oysters with a sweet and sour mingonnette. very good presentation and the flavor was excellently balanced
3rd: Tomato salad- I wish I knew better what was in this. It was incredible. I found out from the runner clearing my plate that there was freeze dried black olive in it.
4th: half a Lobster tail in a lobster and soy broth with Chantrelles. excellent
5th: Thai inspired corn chowder- corn chowder poured over peanut brittle, dried coconut custard, jalapeno. this was a bit of a miss for me. It was good but the only thing I found really interesting was the brittle.
6th: Beef tenderloin. What made this memorable was not the beef but all of the garnishes on the plate to swril the beef in. There was one balck spot on the plate and when I tasted it, I almost fell out of my chair it was so good. It was a reduction of some sort, super concentrated flavor. When the waitress came by to pick up our cleared plates I inquired and she said there may have been black truffle in it. That was the best explaination I got.
7th: Elephant Heart Plum, olive oil Ice cream, hazelnut crumble- This was awful. the plum was not sweet, not sour, just kind of bland. The olive oil ice cream had very little flavor but the consistency of motor oil. What a dissapointment this was. However, Seth overheard my conversation around this and came over to ask for feedback. He then brought out a more standard dessert of Vanilla ice cream, peanut butter powder, and choclolate crumble. It was delicious if not very inventive.
All in all, a great meal. It would have been much better if the service was a little more attentive. I will also say that the wine pairings were spot on. They all accentuated the flavor of each dish really well.
Dinner before Temptations show in Cohasset: Tosca or Saporito's?
Tosca cafe is a good choice but the best restaurant in that area is The Square Cafe. Biba is not bad either and it's 30 seconds from the tent.
Bitters in Boston
The other bartenders need to work on their skills a bit. I asked one bartender what he likes to do with gin and, in allseriousness, he said he liked to mix it with vermouth.
Suggestions for a 30th Bday Party Restaurant?
when I hear Veggie Option, I think of Oleana.
-----
Oleana
134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, MA 02139
Not feeling the high price point.....
This is excellent info.I must admit I am a little hesitant on Clio as it seems like a place where the meal could be out of this world or too over the top in a bad way. I love CoM but have only had the experience of sitting at the bar for a burger and way too many cocktails.
Acton, Sudbury, Concord Environs: Anything new and different?
Aka bistro in lincoln is one of the few decent places in that general area. Paani Indian on rt 20 in Sudbury is also very good. Really small place but great owners and a great atmosphere
