Thank you all for the great suggestions (and the well wishes!). This is helpful and much appreciated!

This is essentially a repost of a 2007 thread, which is pretty much the exact situation I find myself in, many years later.

I'm posting this in "Boston" and not in "Wine" because it's more about where people buy wine in the Boston area.

I'm shopping for red wine for a wedding (we're all set on white) - will need to buy a few cases. Where do people shop when they need to buy in quantity and want both a good wine and a good deal?

I'd like to spend under $9 bottle. Costco, Trader Joe's, Wine and Cheese Cask in Somerville come to mind, as well as the wine shop next to the Fresh Pond Whole Foods - we've also heard good things about Gary's in Newton. If you go to any of these stores, are there any reds they're currently stocking that are in our price range that you'd recommend (we're having Korean food - short ribs, etc.)

We'd like to avoid driving farther afield to NH, etc., unless there's a REALLY good deal on a particular wine to be had. We are leaning more towards Zinfandel/Primitivo, Tempranillo, or Petit Syrah, but really are open to anything - blends, etc.

Specific stores, with a specific wine in mind, would be most appreciated, as we aren't big into reds, so we hardly know where to begin!

Thank you!

Thank you for the suggestions - this is really helpful. I think we're leaning towards Woomie just to keep it simple and close, and the feedback on this board has been really encouraging!

Thank you for the recs. Woomie Garden has gotten some good reviews, but it also seems like it's been on a downward trend the past couple of years (both in food quality and atmosphere). Anyone been recently and find it to be as good as before?

My fiance and I are heading out there to visit his parents in Silver Spring, and we'd like to introduce them to Korean food. We're planning on highlighting Korean food at our wedding next year (I'm Korean American), and we'd like to show them what it's like, and ultimately convince them that it's tasty (they have more conservative palates).

So, what we're looking for is your standard tasty, BBQ meats, particularly galbi, a good selection of banchan (preferably a good variety of non-spicy ones). English-speaking staff is not necessary, as I can speak enough to get by.

No Woo Lae Oaks please - we'd like something local. We're willing to drive a bit, but Annandale, which seems to have a sizeable Korean population, feels a bit far, so we're hoping that something closer to Silver Spring would fit the bill.

Thanks!

Went there last night - it was one of the worst meals in recent memory, which is what compels me to post. Tasteless, under-salted sauces (though we both had seafood pasta dishes, so maybe others are executed better), and the homemade pasta itself - I would've been happier with a box of De Cecce. I thought I might be esp. harsh since I just had some wonderful homemade pasta in NY (Il Passatore in Brooklyn - so tasty), but my DC agreed. Experience overall was really awkward - we were the only ones there, there was no music or sounds form the kitchen, and the servers were earnest but very inexperienced (our server wrote out the entire names of the dishes we ordered on her pad, transcribing it from the menu - many seconds of silent awkwardness). The one positive note was that the bread they gave us was solid - in fact, a couple people came in to buy a loaf of bread during our meal. Perhaps they should reinvent themselves as a bakery.

We burst out in laughter after we left - I guess we should've been disappointed to have wasted $$, but wow, did we get a memorable meal!

Looking for a solid Italian meal for two people for a weeknight, emphasis on good homemade pasta. Would especially love a place that features seasonal ingredients (the squash blossoms are particularly beautiful at the farmer's markets right now), but not necessary.

Willing to spend 20-ish for pasta, more for secondi, so nothing too fancy (Prezza, etc).

So far I'm looking at Gran Gusto and Trattoria Toscana. Others we've been to in around the same price range are Posto (underwhlemed) and Sportello (yummy overall, but not the atmosphere we want). GG sounds to be more of a pizza place, but we don't want pizza. Or red sauce.

We're in Somerville and are willing to drive/travel, just not into the North End!

Thanks!

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Gran Gusto
90 Sherman St, Cambridge, MA 02140

Sportello
348 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02110

Thanks so much for the recs! Will definitely try out most of them over the week!

This looks great - I like the focus on local and organic ingredients, and their fresh juices look lovely. Thanks so much for the info!

I will be visiting from Boston on business for a few days next week and would love to know of any good vegetarian/vegan restaurants around. If not, I would be grateful for suggestions of places with more than the one token vegetarian entree. Some searching has yielded Bluebird Bistro - any thoughts? Also, it seems there may be quite an Ethiopian presence - if so, a recommendation of a place with really good tej (honey wine) would be great!

Not too pricey (less than $20/entree) and suitable for solo dining would be preferred. I will have a car and will be making trips around the greater KS City area.

Thanks in advance!

I just called Hmart customer service and was told that they're opening sometime in September. He didn't have an exact date, unfortunately. :(

Thank you very much for all the suggestions! These are really helpful!

I also was wondering if restaurants post their menus with the prices in the window, as restaurants here often do? I did a quick search online and wasn't able to find an answer, and a friend who was there a couple years ago doesn't remember.

Thanks again!

Thank you for your reply. We are staying at the cheapest places I could find (the places cost a lot less than our food allowance!) - we're just two modest people who saved up for a long time to finally go see these places, and we can't wait. Just wanted some suggestions for the best food we can find for the money we will have.

Thanks again!

Hi all,

My partner and I are leaving for a 10-day trip to Italy in about a week, and we're realizing that we're going to be on a much tighter budget than we had expected. Our nicest meals will need to be under 40 euros total (20 per person), and usually we'll need to have something much cheaper, probably quicks stops for pizza, farmer's markets, etc - I hope this won't bar us from being able to experience some good food!

Any recs for lunch or dinner within such a budget in these cities would be very much appreciated. We're open to anything - thanks in advance!

Thank you, Jillian!

We will have a car, so we can drive out pretty far if necessary, though we didn't intend on going all the way to Provincetown. Hope this help!

I know there are a lot of 'seafood in the Cape' posts on the board, but I've been searching through it, and it seems that most places are mentioned for their fried clams, lobster rolls, etc. My mom is visiting MA for the first time, and unfortunately she can't stomach fried foods, mayonnaisey dishes or heavy sauces, which basically means I can't really take her to the places I've been to in the Cape Cod area, and I'm at a loss. She loves, loves, loves seafood, but strictly things like raw oysters and steamed clams, and really doesn't want anything fancy at all - just plain, straight-up, fresh seafood of good quality.

Thanks so much!

I've recently moved to Somerville from NYC and I'm missing the chocolate chip cookies I used to be able to get there. I've had pretty good cookies at Crema in Harvard Square and one time at Savenor's, but aside from that they've been not so good to just plain awful. I'd greatly appreciate any recommendations! Just as a reference for those who are also cookie obsessed and familiar with the NYC varieties, Levain's huge ones with walnuts are my favorite, and I prefer the ones at Jacques Torres over those at City Bakery.

Thanks!