kitsune's Profile
Bitters in Boston
Occasionally when I've been in this situation, I've gone to Drink and asked them to whip me up something with whichever type of bitters (or other obscure/expensive ingredients of which I'm unsure about shelling out for a large quantity) I'm interested in so that I can get a sense of what it's like. I've yet to be disappointed and I often end up buying said ingredient. I once asked them what they could do with the Bitterman's Mexican chocolate bitters and they made a fantastic Oaxacan Old Fashioned which has since become a staple at home.
Boston visitor's trip: Gage, Sable, Xoco, etc.
Just got back from a fantastic long weekend in Chicago, and I wanted to start off by thanking you Chicago CH'ers as I gleaned most of my chow outings from recommendations I'd read on the board.
I was accompanied by a few family members whose tastes are hard to accommodate: at one extreme a hostess from a popular LA restaurant, at the other someone who prefers chain restaurant food.
On previous trips, I'd been to Frontera for brunch, The Publican for dinner and The Violet Hour for cocktails, all of which I loved. This time, bearing in mind that I had someone picky along for the ride, we decided on Gino's East for deep dish pizza, breakfast at Xoco, The Gage for a Saturday dinner, cocktails at The Drawing Room, and a Sunday brunch at Sable.
It was difficult to settle on a place for deep dish pizza, given the plethora of recommendations. I had read in advance about the Gino's cornbread crust, and thus was interested to try it, but it wasn't particularly to my liking, if I'm honest. The pizza was otherwise delicious; I suppose the crust is just a matter of taste. Next time I think I'd be happy to try another place.
There were so many interesting things on the Xoco menu for breakfast the next day, we ended up ordering entirely too much just for the sake of trying as much as possible. The churros were excellent, as were the egg and mushroom empanada, chilaquiles, and chorizo torta. Great papaya agua fresca, too. I'm a Rick Bayless fan, so I didn't really expect anything less.
lso wonderful was The Gage. We thought the service was second to none, and the menu had a good range that allowed me to have something more creative (gnudi with fiddleheads and forest mushrooms) while a less-adventurous member of our party was content with a caesar salad and a burger.
The Drawing Room, while quite different from my previous visit to The Violet Hour, was a real treat. Trendy craft cocktail bars in Boston are without fail constantly packed on weekends, so to be able to waltz in on a Saturday night at around 10 and have our choice of a table or the bar was unexpectedly pleasant (maybe that neighborhood doesn't tend to be busy on weekends -- I'm not familiar enough with the city to really know!). I'm a lover of cocktail culture, and our bartender did a great job of nerding out about various obscure ingredients with me, while simultaneously doing a run-down for my mother (who's somewhat less of a connoisseur such things) of the basic stuff without being condescending. Oh, and the drinks were creative and excellent too!
Finally was brunch at Sable. I had the wild mushroom and spinach eggs benedict, which was fine, but not earth-shattering. We shared an order of the warm apple cider doughnuts, though, which received everyone's approval. Although I wasn't bowled over by the brunch, I will say that I would certainly go back to try dinner on a future trip, especially since I believe I read on the board that one of the bartenders used to work at Violet Hour.
If anyone has recommendations for future visits, I'd be happy to hear them. We'd wanted to go to Girl and the Goat, but, as one might expect, I was too late in trying to get a reservation and was out of luck. I'll plan ahead for that next time. Also recommended by one of my sister's LA restaurant friends was Avec, which looked pretty good. Also, I'm interested in trying any authentic Asian or Mexican places. In different company I would be able to visit more diverse restaurants.
Thanks again, Chicago!
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Avec Restaurant
615 W Randolph St Ste A, Chicago, IL 60661
The Drawing Room
937 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611
Gino's East
8725 W Higgins Rd Ste 100, Chicago, IL 60631
Violet Hour
1247 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
XOCO
449 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
Girl and the Goat
809 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60661
A very small shout-out to The Druid
Best veggie burger in town and a great place to watch soccer matches!
french style macaroons
I really enjoy the macarons at Crema in Harvard Square. They do creative flavors as well (they had a great egg nog one around Christmas), unless you prefer the more traditional varieties.
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Crema Cafe
27 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Black truffle butter
The Aux Delice des Bois black truffle butter is what made me fall in love with truffles (I love cooking it with eggs). Whole Foods is usually my go-to as well.
I'd also recommend a truffle cheese that I often pick up at WH. It's called Sottocenere and has a really nice delicate truffle flavor.
Of course, if you want a full-on truffle experience and don't want to pay $200, I'd definitely suggest paying a visit to Gran Gusto for their black truffle pizzas. The last one I had there was exquisite, and it won't break the bank.
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Gran Gusto
90 Sherman St, Cambridge, MA 02140
Sesame Balls
My personal favorite for this sort of thing is the Yi Soon bakery in Allston. Fantastic taro buns. Not sure if they have sesame balls, though.
Recommendations for an upscale restaurant that you need to *drive* to?
I really liked Blue Ginger when I was there earlier this year, and I was there under somewhat similar circumstances (we almost always take the T when going out, so it was a "destination" for us). It was a treat in and of itself to get out in an area where I don't spend much time.
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Blue Ginger
583 Washington St., Wellesley, MA 02482
A little Gran Gusto love
I was inspired by your post, so we went last night and had an equally enjoyable experience. The truffle pizza was out of this world. We also really enjoyed the calamari appetizer, which was served with sauteed mushrooms in a light lemon sauce.
Fall veggie dishes
Had a great veggie dish last night at The Haven in JP. Stewed lentils and kale topped with local mushrooms, served with a big piece of bread. Excellent.
Where to find flavored cofee syrups in greater Boston area?
"Coffee Time" coffee syrup spoke to me at a MB as well, because it has the most fabulous retro font on its label!
http://www.famousfoods.com/coticosy6oz.html
I never knew what it was for either, but I'm intrigued to try a coffee milk now!
Kebab Factory Thanks for the Reccomendation
They usually have one soup as part of the buffet and it's always really good.
Help!! Cambridge restaurant with private room for group of 12???
The Elephant Walk has a private dining room downstairs that I use often for work-related events with groups about that size.
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Elephant Walk
2067 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140
ISO dried limes
Thanks! They did indeed have them and it was a real treat for us to go there as we'd never been before. We were spellbound! As a result, we're currently enjoying the lehmejun, baked lima beans and stuffed grape leaves we purchased there as well!
ISO dried limes
I'm in search of dried Persian/Omani limes for a koresh recipe I'm making and seem to be having a little trouble finding them (even though I swear I've seen them around before). Any recommendations for sources are appreciated -- particularly in the Somerville/Cambridge area!
Lemon Hart 151 still avail anywhere?
I've seen it consistently at the Wine and Cheese Cask in Somerville.
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Wine and Cheese Cask
407 Washington St, Somerville, MA
Notable Mooncakes at Yi Soon
So glad this thread was bumped, because I'd forgotten how good the Yi Soon mooncakes are. I'll have to make a trip down there to stock up! The special this year sound excellent.
I'm a really big fan of the taro cake at Yi Soon. Nothing brightens my day like big purple baked goods!
Juice Bars in the Boston Area?
This isn't really helpful for the moment, but I believe a juice bar/health food place is going to open up in Central Square in Cambridge in the old Hollywood Express space in August/September. I'm blanking on the name at the moment, unfortunately.
I'm personally a big fan of the juice cart inside Harvard Square Station. Their selection isn't as broad as it used to be, but they're really friendly there and the juice is great.
Looking for Candied Violets In Greater Boston
Cardullo's in Harvard Square has them.
Trina's Starlite Lounge
Totally agree about the menu drinks vs. ordering "off menu". I had a Ramos gin fizz there for brunch the other day that was second to none! I'd ordered a regular gin fizz initially since I wasn't sure if they knew the recipe or had all the ingredients for a classic Ramos. I was pleasantly surprised when the bartender asked if I wanted to "Ramos it up"!
Indian mangoes?
We found some great ones recently at the little Indian market across from the Somerville Market Basket.
scones, where do you buy the most delicious ones?
Wow, this really makes me miss Quebrada. I used to live nearby and always thought the currant scones were out of this world.
Bachelorette Party Suggestions? Never been to Boston...help
28 Degrees, which is not too far from Copley Place, would probably be a fun yet chic choice for a bachelorette party:
http://www.28degrees-boston.com
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28 Degrees
1 Appleton St., Boston, MA 02116
Harvard Square dinner recs
I second Harvest. I might be jaded as I have worked in Harvard Square for a long time, but I find their food to be consistently better and more interesting than most other restaurants in the immediate area. It's pricey, but it's worth it.
Broadway Ripoff
I work very close by, and go to BM every now and then. I confess that their prices do put me off a lot of the time, but I do occasionally like to have their antipasto bar (I highly rate the spring rolls). The other bars perhaps not so much. Also, to their credit, I find that their produce is really fresh, and when I've had to ask questions in the past, they've been pretty helpful in that department.
In any case, I'm playing devil's advocate mostly because it's my local, but I can definitely see why it can be a frustrating experience, especially in terms of price.
Where to find bleu cheese stuffed olives
These are a personal favorite of mine when it comes to garnishes for dirty martinis. I highly recommend the Divina brand in jars if you can't find them at the aforementioned antipasto bars, and I usually get the best price on them at the Wine & Cheese Cask.
Vegan soul food???
Exactly. There's also a great vegan soul food cookbook by Bryant Terry called Vegan Soul Kitchen.
ISO orgeat syrup
I recently bought the Fee Bros. falernum syrup, and although it's passable, I keep thinking I should have sprung for the Velvet Falernum.
Best martini?
Interesting. I'm suddenly thinking that you might be right, but I think what I've read is that the martini is the exception to the shaking rule. I am also not a bartender, though, so I certainly could be wrong!
