trueblu's Profile
Hong Kong: Foodie gift recommendations?
we ended up buying a lot of japanese food stuff from the airport (I think the shop was called ichiban) -- has lots of dried fish/fruit/sweets. OK, not authentic hk, but has a lot of similar ingredients -- e.g. the dried fish looked pretty identical to what we saw in hk.
tb
first visit to Hong Kong with family (including toddler)
thank you for all the help Charles -- you definitely steered us in the right direction, and I'm already really missing the food in hong kong!
tb
Good Restaurants Near Badaling Great Wall?
I couldn't find a link on the hotel website (odd) -- but it gets reviewed in the various local magazines, here's link to one such of the cantonese restaurant onsite.
http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/listings/dining/cantonese_dimsum/has/aman-summer-palace/
They also have a 'fusion' and western restaurant.
A little further from the summer palace, but near Beida (peking university) is a restaurant I ate at recently: no link, but it's called 'zhili native association restaurant' and the style is of imperial-era governor's menu: not quite imperial banquet. Food was great, and not too expensive, but my colleague's ordered, so that made things easier, since there was absolutely no english (but the menu did have english i think -- I didn't get a chance to see it). Rather fun place.
tb
first visit to Hong Kong with family (including toddler)
OK, we just got back from our wonderful first trip to HK, and thank you for all of the advice. A few general points for future CHers travelling with small kids: almost everywhere has high chairs, as well as children's plates/cups (usually from ikea!). All the restaurants we ate at were child-friendly -- not as super friendly as pretty much everywhere in Beijing, but on a par with e.g. most US places.
OK, onto the food! We arrived on Friday, and it was raining. We pottered around the hotel for a while, then decided to venture out. We went to yat lok as our first meal. The street it's on seems to be populated with hairdresser's so there is always the faint smell of ammonia and hair dye in the air...which was a teeny bit strange. We ordered a roast goose and noodle bowl, as well as a rice and roast pork/roast goose plate. Both were excellent: my wife loves noodles, so she demolished that. I loved my plate so much I decided on having a second (each about HK$40). Although I enjoyed the goose, I thought the pork was really superb.
The following day we were on Lantau for most of the day. The TaiO lookout restaurant in the old police station only took walk-ins on the week-end, and we just snacked for lunch, which we preferred actually. In the evening, we went to the Chairman for dinner. A couple of odd things: I noted my name on the reservation, and it had "VIP" written on it -- no idea why -- I just emailed a request for a table. But even odder -- we were put in a corner on the ground floor next to a disused stairwell, so not sure what the sobriquet meant anyway! They now seem to have a minimum of 4 diners for the tasting menus, so we ordered a la carte. Our waiter seemed reluctant to suggest dishes, although one of his suggestions: fresh prawns with ginger/garlic in a clay pot was excellent. I really wasn't sure what to order, so I asked for several things that caught my eye. The yellow croakers were out, which was the only thing I really wanted to get! We had a smoked baby pigeon in longjing tea and chrysthanthemum -- my wife really liked this, but I prefer the western style of cooking pigeon. The french beans with salted fish paste were really excellent -- very tasty and crunchy beans with just the right amount of fish and spice flavour. The pan fried minced pork cakes with salted fish were tasty but not a standout. However, the wild clams stir-fried with chilli jam and basil were just superb. The clams were juicy and tasty and the sauce was so moreish I wish I had a piece of soft bread to soak it all up with. For the 'main courses' we had the soy sauce chicken. I was a little disappointed with this. The soy sauce was delicious (although my wife thought it was a little strong, I didn't), but the chicken didn't do much for me. My wife thought the texture excellent, but we both agreed the taste was decent enough, but not a superlative. We also ordered fried rice with 'prawns trio' -- pretty decent, but nothing special. But the fresh prawns alluded to above were really fantastic. There were several giant prawns cooked in the most delicious sauce: I was sucking it off the prawn shells! Very tricky to eat with chopsticks in anything remotely an elegant poise, but worth losing a bit of composure over! For pudding we had the homemade almond sweet soup -- never had this before, and it was pretty tasty! All in all, the price was just above $1200. I felt this was pretty good value. Some of the dishes (the clams, the prawns, the beans) were really excellent, some were more so-so, but no duds.
The next day we had lunch at Yan Toh Heen at the IC. We had requested a window table, and were given one, which afforded a lovely vista. The place settings were really wonderful, and it was an extremely elegant space. They have several set lunch options which were v. good value and aren't on the website. However, we opted for alc, since we had a few certain dishes we wanted to try. With regards to dim sum part of the menu, we had the steamed seafood dumpling in soup and king crab leg/bamboo piths: which was a really superb soup. The broth was extremely tasty as was the crab (sometimes king crab just tastes 'too frozen') and dumpling was rich and silky. We also had the 'superior dumplings': not sure what these were: they were presented in an elegant box instead of a dish, and were three different colours, and tasted v. nice! The baked flounder and turnip dumplings were pretty good, although not as good as the pork buns, which, although tiny, packed a wonderful flavour. The spring rolls were simply the best I've had in my life. We also ordered a few dishes from the regular menu: the 'golden frogs' legs in spicy salt' were disappointing, and we were looking forward to trying them. As my wife put it, it was 'kfc frogs legs' -- the batter was simply a blunt instrument compared with the delicate flesh of the frogs legs. However, the white asparagus with assorted mushrooms/fungi was an absolutely superb vegetable dish and very much worth the ~ $200 price tag. I also really wanted to order the sweet and sour pork. This (and spring rolls) were my first memories of chinese food -- at a restaurant in san francisco at the age of 10, and opened my eyes to a new cuisine, and I have a soft spot for the dish. I really wanted to see what it would be like cooked in a top restaurant in hong kong. And it didn't disappoint -- it was extremely tasty, with top notch quality pork and vegetables, and not cloyingly over-sweet. Could have been a little more sour. I should say that in fairness, a decent rendition for half the price can be had in beijing. Along with tea for me and a $65 (!) coke for my wife, the total bill came to ~$1300. Although pricey, I would say that this was good value. We ordered too much, but there was so much we wanted to taste, and only got to sample a small portion of the menu.
Knowing that monday would be at ocean park, we decided to go to 'tasty' in the evening for dinner. There was quite a lengthy wait, but the mall was fun (and there's currently a mammoth exhibit that our daughter loved -- as did I!). We ordered one large won ton noodle soup and the beef/rice noodles. OK, the soup, there was only one word for it: divine! My wife and daughter really liked the beef/noodles, but I only had a small amount because I wanted to have another bowl of the soup! The broth was simply amazing -- one of the most tasty things I've ever tasted. The noodles were excellent -- and one could see the sheen from the lard. There were some chives but I couldn't spot anything looking like shrimp eggs. The won ton were also excellent -- small, compact and with crunchy shrimp. But it was the broth that was a stand-out for me. And for ~$40 for a small bowl, just the best value in hong kong.
Monday we were at ocean park. We came back, exhausted with no set plans for dinner. We didn't want to venture out, so we tried dan ryans in the mall, but they were fully booked. So we decided to eat at the hotel. Initially, we thought we would get a burger in the bar, but I balked at the $220 (+service!) price tag which was just too much for a burger, so we quickly went to our room, freshened up, and went to the golden leaf for a light supper. The restaurant has a lovely decor. The main room is very small and intimate, although there were at least 2-3 other rooms behind screens beyond which we heard people having a jolly good time. We didn't want to over-order due to budget and time contraints -- my daughter was tired and we didn't want a long dinner. We started with a stir fried beef dish which my dauughter loved -- big chunks of tasty beef with just a hint of chilli. We also had some pan-fried minced chicken and salted fish patties, which were pretty tasty. But the stand-out dish was something that really caught my eye on the menu: baked whelk with minced abalone, chicken and seafood. This took about 30 minutes to prepare and was ~$150 pp. The giant whelk was presented on a specially made dish in which the shell nestled. The meat was simply delicious: it however, tasted more 'indian' than 'chinese' in flavour -- it was spiced with coriander and turmeric, I think, as well as lots of other yummy things I couldn't identify. It was truly a memorable dish, and my daughter wanted the shells, so we took those with us as souvenirs. Along with some custard tarts and a simply refreshing and subtle oolong tea, the total came to just over $700, which again, I thought was pretty good value. We didn't sample the menu of the golden leaf as much as the other two fancy restaurants we dined at, but from what we ate, I think the food was almost on a par.
OK, that's our report back. We had a great time in hong kong, and will be sure to visit again whilst we live in beijing. We spent a fair amount on food, but given that our hotel/ flights were on points this time, I felt it was all within budget. The food is 'good value' but the prices are certainly on a par with the US, although not quite as much as europe. Having said that, we spent more than even our most expensive hong kong meal for lunch at maison boulud in beijing, for far inferior food, so beijing isn't always better value.
Thanks again for the tips, which we were extremely grateful for!
tb
Good Restaurants Near Badaling Great Wall?
At the summer palace, there's always the restaurants at the Amman resort: not eaten there myself, but I'm pretty certain they'll be good, although pricey. Not sure about the value proposition, so depends on your budget.
tb
Peking Duck in Beijing
I haven't eaten at most places yet, but although the atmosphere and other foods of da dong are superior, I really do prefer the quanjude roast duck. It's just super delicious, and I don't find the da dong variety any less greasy.
tb
Layover in Beijing
You could some toursity stuff...you have about 3-4 hours to kill, but not at a great eating time for beijing....do you want to be more specific?
tb
first visit to Hong Kong with family (including toddler)
Thanks for these suggestions. The hotel in Tai O looks nice, although no menu on the website as yet. How long will it get to Tai O if we go by ferry and bus from Central? We're not early morning types, so I want to see how practical it will be to have lunch there...
Are the beaches 'must dos'? I love walking along the beach (having mostly grown up by the sea), but taking a long bus ride for just a short walk along a beach before heading on to the next stop may be pretty exhausting for our daughter, and we are planning on having our one nice dinner that evening, so I want her to be in a good mood for later on!
tb
first visit to Hong Kong with family (including toddler)
Dear Charles,
Thanks again! Have booked reservations for the Chairman and YTH...for the latter I've requested a window table, but that bit wasn't confirmed, but rather 'request noted'. Tasty looks good! Will definitely check it out. OK, can hardly wait the three weeks until our trip!
tb
first visit to Hong Kong with family (including toddler)
Thanks for the recommendations Charles. I've spent the last couple of days trying to put a tentative itinerary together, and the 'tourism' and gastronomy appear to be at odds with each other! We're here for 4 days, arriving Friday, leaving Tuesday. I think our daughter would love a visit to Ocean park, so I've set aside the monday for that. I know she'll be exhausted coming back, so no way we can have a fancy meal that day. And on the saturday, we'll visit Lantau island -- perhaps starting off at Tai O, then the monastery etc (any recommendations for lunch at Tai O?).
I thought we'd perhaps have dinner at the Chairman Saturday evening, after Lantau. For Sunday dim sum, I'm torn between Lei Garden and Yan Toh Heen. I think from reading online, the atmosphere at Yan Toh Heen is more 'special', and of course, being a hotel, it will likely be more 'foreigner friendly'. However, is Lei Garden simply much better? And how do prices compare (looks like lunch at Yan Toh Heen will be ~1000HK$+ for us)? We'll probably have something a bit more simple for Sunday evening (perhaps Yat Lok that you recommended, or a won-ton noodle place, which I'm keen to try in HK).
I'm hoping this will be the first of several visits to HK, so hope we can explore more on future trips.
tb
first visit to Hong Kong with family (including toddler)
Thank you Charles for the very helpful response. I've very much enjoyed reading your contributions on this board.
With regards to our daughter and whether she is a 'baby' -- she's pretty well-behaved, but as anyone with kids knows, one can't guarantee anything! She is usually very good-natured, but that means she is so 90% of the time -- there is always a 10%!
With regards to the recommendations -- they all look good. Some of the prices look stratospheric after living in Beijing for a few months! For the Chairman, there seems to only be one option for the set menu for two people -- looks pretty good, but wondering whether there is any 'must order' dishes that we should get. Also, how far in advance should one book a table at these places: 3 weeks out (i.e. now for us!) or the day before/ the day of. Bear in mind that for dinner, we will prefer an early sitting.
My mentioning of 'otto e mezzo' was really because I had seen you enthusing about it. We don't need to eat italian, and will be happy to eat cantonese for the few days we are in HK. The lunchtime special seemed pretty good value, however. Domani looks good: but actually very pricey in comparison, given the lack of a lunchtime deal.
The other recommendations look fantastic aswell...we could perhaps try to have early dinner at yan toh heen before heading to see the light show in TST -- would that work? How long does a typical cantonese meal take? For chinese meals here: for the two/three of us, even if fancy, doesn't take too long, but if a 'banquet style' with a big party, takes a long time. Was wondering how it is in HK?
Any other thoughts and insights also appreciated.
tb
first visit to Hong Kong with family (including toddler)
We moved as a family to beijing a few months ago (as expats) and towards the end of this month, will be venturing to hong kong for our first trip there for 3-4 days. It will be me, my wife, and our nearly three year old daughter. Of course, we'll have to do some sightseeing aswell, but we love food as a family, including our daughter, who, if the mood takes her, will try almost anything.
We'll be staying at the Conrad (on points -- I'm just a humble academic), in case that is relevant in terms of distances etc. Given that we'll be with our daughter, very long meals over 90 minutes are not easy (but we managed a few times on holiday in italy and france last year).
I've been salivating reading a lot of these threads but I'm rather over-whelmed by the sheer number of options, and also have no idea how suitable the various places are for a well-behaved, but still typical, toddler. For example, in Beijing, our daughter has pretty much eaten everywhere with us (Maison Boloud this week the one exception), and the chinese love children, so have a high tolerance for the occasional distraction. Also, have no idea about prices for many of these places. We're ready to spend a decent sum for a great meal, but we don't have unlimited funds, say.
We'd love to have some great dim sum, some classic cantonese cuisine and are totally open to suggestions.
Also, we're teetotal, and not really into the ultra-high expense ingredients such as abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin and bird's nest, but happy to try most things.
A few random places I've read about on the boards, but again, don't know about child suitability, and also whether all these places are super-expensive, so can't go to all of them:
Yung Kee for roast goose
Fuk Lam Moon
Lei Garden
Tim Ho Wan, if we can stand the queue
Also, otto e mezze sounds fascinating (and really, really miss great italian food); as does a posh hotel place for dim sum. Given we're in the conrad, is golden leaf worth going to? I note it just lost its michelin star. We don't slavishly follow such things: have had some amazing non-michelin meals, and some so-so (but never terrible) 2/3 star michelin meals.
Thanks so much!
tb
good value lunch
Thanks for the tips everyone, here's what we ended up doing:
Sunday evening: Reza's on Ontario. Although they have a week-end buffet, we decided to go a la carte at this Iranian restaurant (which bills itself as mediterranean/vegetarian!). The space itself is massive and reminded me of an old warehouse. We had the starter of grilled mushrooms. This featured large mushrooms, grilled perfectly and somewhat swimming in a garlic butter sauce. My wife loved it, I thought it was good and rather different to what is normally served in an iranian restaurant.
As seems to be the annoying habit in American iranian restaurants, the main course comes with a soup -- opted for the barley/chicken. Although the taste was not bad, the consistency was rather too gloopy, and at any rate, I hadn't come for soup. We were also given cold pita bread, which was as expected. For mains, I had the 'sultani' kabab -- filet and minced kababs; and my wife had the chicken on the bone kabab, my brother-in-law's recommendation. Ironically, the most difficult thing to get right for an excellent iranian meal is the white rice -- and Reza didn't really pull it off. The rice had obviously been cooked without butter (probably due to american habits) and was lacking appreciable saffron, and therefore lacked the appropriate fragrance. With regards to the kababs, the 'barg' (fillet) was actually pretty good, and the best I've had in the US east of the west coast. The 'koobideh' was disappointing, as was the 'jujeh' (chicken). They weren't terrible, but not terribly good either. For drinks we had the traditional 'doogh' -- buttermilk with soda water -- which lacked a little salt, easily remedied. All in, c. $60 with tax and tip. I would say it's good for the mid-west, but I won't be rushing back.
Monday lunch, we went to Blackbird. The restaurant design is very late 1990s 'uber cool', and I felt made the rather small space look very dated and somewhat stark. Although we were prepared to order from the a la carte, the prix fixe options looked appealing (and were from the main menu) and we went for that, which at $22 for three courses is really a bargain. My wife started with the cuttlefish, which I thought was a pretty decent rendition. I had the soup (vichysoisse), which I remember enjoying, but not much more!
For the main course, my wife had the grilled sturgeon, which she thought was very nice -- I agreed it was cooked extremely well, but wished the flavours had been developed a little more. I had the duck confit served on peas (?fresh at this time of year). I felt this was really superb. One little note about presentation -- they really seem to have a thing about serving things on the sides of plates. It's certainly unique, but it does remind one that the portions are on the rather small side!
Desserts -- 'chocolate soup' for my wife and an almond financier for me, were nothing to write home about. I felt the service a little cool and off-hand. It's difficult to judge a restaurant from one visit for a prix fixe lunch (one little irritation -- our waitress kept putting on a fake french accent, and then went on to pronounce everything incorrectly -- just as one example, for the soup -- which is an american invention anyway -- she omitted pronouncing the last s sound -- so it was 'vichysoi'. It just came off as pretentious.) Also, when the table was cleared, it was done in a rather off-hand manner. From this one impression, I'm not sure it's comparable to most one-michelin star restaurants I've eaten at, however, overall, I couldn't argue with the value, and despite the little hiccoughs, we had a very enjoyable time. With tax and tip and bottled water -- just over $70.
Dinner that evening was at Portillo's: We had two hotdogs, an italian beef sandwich and fries. With a coke it came to $14. The hot dogs were superb, the fries were also excellent. The beef in the sandwich was way overcooked, but I loved the dipped bread it came in. In future, I will order just the dipped bread and hot dogs. A great 'first time' chicago dog experience.
We did decide to have lunch on tuesday before departing, and I managed to snag an early lunch reservation at Topolobampo on opentable the day before. We arrived, and after a wait of a few minutes, were ushered to our table. I thought the space was really nice -- lighting rather subdued for a lunchtime, but overall it gave the impression of a sleek, but comfortabe space. The mexican art was nice to admire, and seeing the heads of the chefs working was an enjoyable diversion.
After seating us, our waiter was very keen to sell us drinks, which we declined and this rather put him out. We were then given our menus, had tap water poured for us, and then ignored for a while. I had some questions regarding the menu, not being that familiar with mexican cuisine. He answered them, but seemed unable to opine whether one dish or another might be preferable. We asked for a 'just one minute' to make up our minds, and he then disappeared for about 10 minutes. We finally gave our orders, and he then disappeared again. I noticed that all the other diners had some chips and guacamole, except us. It wasn't a menu item, so I presumed they hadn't ordered it (indeed, one couple served by someone else were served theirs whilst ordering) and it was just given to everyone. Since our waiter was nowhere to be seen, I eventually asked another waiter whether we could have some. He sort of implied that it was our fault -- I've no idea -- but our waiter did come by a couple of minutes later and plonked them on our table.
For starters my wife had the trio of ceviches and I had the gazpacho (made with crab rather than scallops that day). The ceviches were superb, as was my soup. They were the best things on the menu that we sampled that day. Appropriately spicy, but not too much, and full of flavour. For the ceviches, the quality of the seafood was outstanding, and it was clear that the tomatoes for my soup were at the peak of ripeness, as is appropriate for the season. For the main course, my wife had the lamb with mole negro, and I had the king salmon with squash-blossom sauce. My wife enjoyed her dish, but sampling it, it confirmed to be that I am just not a fan of mole negro -- even when well prepared. The chocolate/chilli thing just doesn't work for me. My salmon was prepared perfectly, and the squash-blossom sauce, again fairly spicy, was a very good complement. Overall a very good dish.
We declined dessert and with tap water, tax and tip, the damage came to just over $100. We thought the food was very good indeed, as was the ambience. It was certainly a unique experience for mexican cuisine for us. However, the service really was sub-par -- not sure if that waiter was having an off-day or what. One final thing -- the guacamole was listed on the bill, but with a tarif of $0, so not sure if it was comped or what.
One last report: a few weeks back I was in Schaumburg with my extended family. They aren't very adventurous, so I thought it would be fun to go to Shaw's for brunch -- six adults and three children (children dine for free). I thought the brunch was superb. The steamed snow crab legs, the bacon, the crab cakes and king crab were all really fantastic. Other items were very good too, as was the dessert selection. Service was also very good. Best of all, my in-laws all got to try a variety of sea-food, which they normally would never touch -- including freshly shucked oysters -- and very much enjoyed it. Not sure they would ever order such things again, but one lives in hope. It's pricey, at $45/pp (+tax/tip), but well worth it if you go all out on the seafood.
tb
Torontonians in Chicago for 3 nights
I'm more interested in the prix fixe lunch at Joe's Stone Crab -- I can't find any evidence of it on their website! Is it a seasonal thing?
tb
good value lunch
Thanks nsxtasy. I almost convinced myself that we should dinner at L2O given the lack of high end lunch, but my wife put paid to that idea. Blackbird looks like the winner for monday lunch -- La Sardine looks good -- but blackbird probably edges it overall (just my looking at the menus).
Gordeux: re: Reza's -- we'll have the kababs, but thanks for the tip re: the grilled mushrooms. My wife loves mushrooms, so it looks like we'll definitely order those.
tb
good value lunch
I have a short work-related trip to Chicago: arriving sunday evening and leaving early tuesday (undecided whether it will be before or after lunch, but likely before). My wife will be joining me, and it will be a rare occasion without our young daughter.
We've been to chicago a few times, but never had the opportunity to make it a foodie visit for various reasons (travelling with family/passing through etc). We've had the chicago pizza at uno's and decided it wasn't our thing -- so we'll pass on that on this trip.
I definitely want to include a traditional hot dog on our itinerary -- either Portillo's or Al's (which one?) probably due to location. I've heard the hype about hot doug's but it's probably too much of a detour for us. We'll also probably have to include 'Reza' -- the persian restaurant, because it's my brother in law's favourite, and he gets really irritated that we've never been on our trips to chicago! Other than that, we're reasonably open to suggestions.
Had this trip occured at a different time we would have considered somewhere really high end -- the menu at Alinea looks extraordinary (I realise it would be too late reservation wise anyway), but things have to be on a reasonable budget on this trip. Hence the question about good value lunches. It seems that unlike Manhattan or London, there are a dearth of 'good value' lunches at high-end restaurants. I'm thinking of e.g. Jean Georges in NYC or Le Gavroche in London. Am I missing something, or is that the case here? Do note that the lunch in particular that I'm thinking of is Monday, which is a traditional bad day for restaurants I realise.
I've had a look at the menu of 'blackbird', which looks OK. It seems to offer bouillabaisse -- is it in any way even approaching authentic (or if not, tasty?) at that price?
Other tips would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
tb
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Alinea
1723 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
La Morra Brookline Village?
Have only been once -- business dinner. One of my colleagues doesn't eat eggs and is also vegetarian -- and they basically told him the only thing he could have is spaghetti with a tomato sauce. I had called them up beforehand to check on the veggie situation, and they had said they had 'plenty of options'. I can't remember the menu off-hand, but I do recall agreeing there wasn't much on there for him. I found the food fine, but not fantastic, and a little on the pricey side.
tb
I need some decent watermelon today or tomorrow
yep, bald spot, thud and smell: if all three are looking good, it's rare to have a complete dud.
tb
I need some decent watermelon today or tomorrow
I've found decent watermelons all over the place, but a few more misses than usual. I never buy cut watermelon, so always take my chances...
tb
Finally had the roast chicken at Hamersley's
I'm with you on this one. I thought that the roast chicken was very good, but it was not the best I've ever had, or even top 2-3. Probably the best I've had in North America, however.
tb
uhockey reviews Boston 06/03-06/07 - Craigie, Neptune, O-ya, L'Espalier, ICOB, Mistral, No 9 Park, and lots more.
Fantastic reporting -- and it has inspired me to try a few places (such as durgin park!) that I keep finding excuses not to go to, but it seems, rather unfairly so.
tb
Sabzi - East Arlington - Persian
Thanks -- not been to sabzi myself, so couldn't comment. Pretty much any iranian restaurant I've been to (with the exception of lala rokh, which I would class as pseudo-iranian) has the sumak on the table.
tb
Sabzi - East Arlington - Persian
PS 'parsi' refers to zorastrian, mostly of indian extraction -- since most fled to india from iran several hundred years ago. You might be meaning 'persian'.
tb
(apologies for minor pedantry)
Sabzi - East Arlington - Persian
I believe, but I may be wrong, that there was a famous chelow kababi in Tehran in the 1970s called Moby Dick (at least that is my recollection of the conversation I had with the owner of Moby Dick Boston). After the 'iranian diaspora' following the iranian revolution, I guess two independent restauranteurs wanted to evoke nostalgia with some of their client base.
tb
Sabzi - East Arlington - Persian
Sadly, the commercially available stuff is just not comparable to home-made, and I don't think it's just the age of it. Garlic pickle really takes on a transcendent flavour after 5 years+. I've never had any that are 20 years old, but 10 years is sublime. But somehow, even 2 year+ pickle made in someone's home seems to be much nicer than the ones I've bought in a shot that are reportedly much older.
tb
Sabzi - East Arlington - Persian
Any Iranian restaurant/ chelow kebabi will have sumac to add to the kebabs/rice. Moby Dick at Symphony (no relation to the DC chains) has it on the (rather simple cafeteria style) tables.
tb
Pajata and carbonara at Trattoria Pommidoro?
OK -- we didn't get to Pommidoro on our trip to Italy as a family in April/May, but I had one evening in Rome last week before heading up to a meeting in tuscany. I was meeting up with my friend and colleague, who was back in Rome briefly. Didn't get a chance to see much of Rome (especially sad that I didn't have time to pop into the Pantheon one more time), but we did walk around San Lorenzo, and Sapienza university (where my friend has an appointment when not on sabbatical in Boston), which was rather interesting, but I would not recommend necessarily for a first-time Rome visitor.
For dinner, we met some of her (younger) colleagues for dinner at Pommidoro. Had a relatively straightforward dinner: large plates of cold meats for starters, as well as the spiedone de pajata, followed by spagghetti carbonara and then fruit paste tart and some ricotta thing for dessert. I thought that the salami etc was good, the pajata was interesting: it had the potential to be outstanding, but it wasn't. Instead of being wrapped around fat (which I would have preferred), it seemed the intestines were wrapped around liver, which became rather tough and dry from the excessive grilling. The intestines themselves were tasty, but I felt it was an off night (my friend didn't comment). The carbonara was good, better than anything in the US by a long chalk, but paled in comparison with the one I had at Roscioli in April. The desserts were nothing special. We split the bill and it came to c. E30 each -- including wine for the majority.
As an aside, on the way to the meeting in tuscany, we stopped off at an inn just off the motorway -- folcari, in fabro. It's a wood-fired grill place, and had an amazing bistecca fiorentina. The bill (for four) came to E90, and stated that the steak came from chiannina cattle, which for that price, I find a little hard to believe (we only had one bistecca, and a few other grilled meats). Highly recommended.
Sadly, in tuscany itself, my meeting was in a secluded hotel, and so no opportunities for meals out. The food was much better than equivalent meetings in UK or US, but nothing to write home about.
tb
Sopha's Greek Pantry in Saturday's Wall Street Journal
Or you could say that it was 2% fat to start, and 20% to finish -- a 10-fold concentration of the fat content. The increased percentage fat calories is due to both increased concentration of the fat and also loss of the calories from sugar etc.
tb
Tabirizi Bakery Watertown - What am I missing?
As others have stated, the walnut macaroons "gerdoo-ee" are really spectactular, especially when fresh: recently, he's taken them out of the freezer, and they're not as good. The other standout item is the persian style napolean pastry: v. good indeed, if you like the mega-cream dose! The cream puffs are not great, the almond macaroons are only OK. The rice-flour cookies and the raisin cookies are pretty good, but I've had a lot better.
tb
