Dinsdale45's Profile
Pls help me choose 1 stop for Cambodian in Lowell!?!
What are your recent experiences? I really want to keep going there, but I feel like it may be a lost cause.
Pls help me choose 1 stop for Cambodian in Lowell!?!
I don't think Heng Heng is open past 7PM. Actually, there's a place across the street called "Yummy". The food is a little less accessible to a non-Cambodian, but they have spring rolls and mini-prepared meals to go. These guys close around 7-8, too. Mekong has regular hours.
Pls help me choose 1 stop for Cambodian in Lowell!?!
Actually, maybe Pailin City is an "event-only" place that caters the big Cambodian/Lao weddings/graduations/parties. There used to be a nice little Cambodian buffet on Westford St. that turned into one of these places. It only opens for events.
Pls help me choose 1 stop for Cambodian in Lowell!?!
Two more tiny places to recommend. One is Mekong on Broadway, the other is Heng Heng on Branch. The latter is a "fast food" place with prepared dishes that rotate daily. Usually 3-4 soups and 4-5 stir-frys/salads to choose from. Also fried rice, pad thai, banh mi, and bubble teas. VERY cheap. The owners are really nice. Once I was short of cash (they only take cash) and they told me to take the food and pay them another day. I came back in an hour with a big tip.
New BBQ place in Fall River
Happened to catch my eye while driving to Sam's Bakery. Stopped in for some brisket and pulled pork takeout. Very tasty. Nice assortment of homemade sauces. Someday I'll go back for the ribs. I hope they do well.
http://www.edsfamousbbq.com/
Pls help me choose 1 stop for Cambodian in Lowell!?!
I just had takeout last week. The kid said that Grandma went back to the old country and took her recipes. They no longer make the Mieng Lao (pork in lettuce leaves) because she won't tell them how to make it. This used to be my favorite restaurant. The dishes I ordered were so salty (and I love salt), that I wound up tossing them. The papaya salad was drenched in fish sauce with a few tomatoes, the larb gai had no complex herbal flavors, the beef gratiem was all heat and salt, even the chicken satay was too salty to enjoy. All this and they still took 45 minutes to make it, when I was the only one in the place on an early Saturday night.
I also recommend the 5 places mentioned by Galangatron, especially Red Rose. There's also a little place on RT110 between the Gaelic Club and Bangkok Market called Neak Meas.
Has anyone ever been to Pailin City Restaurant? The woman who owns the attached market once took me up there (she was impressed that I was buying all these Asian ingredients), and it was full of Cambodian businessmen in suits. It was no web presence, though. No reviews, no website. Odd.
Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe, Chelmsford
Of course I don't fault Gene for having Americanized options, that's just how you do business. I just wonder about the other side of the business decision, going with only 6-7 other menu items. Most other "authentic" Chinese restaurants that appear to be favored by expats and Chowhounders have quite a few more choices. How often do you eat anywhere that offers 6-7 menu items? If you're not into noodles or bread, you're out of luck. He's making the good stuff for a select few, anyway, why not offer more? As I said before, this place is right around the corner, and I hope he succeeds, because we're lucky to have this representation of regional Chinese cooking.
http://www.tourdechina.cn/Blog/shanxi/Mouth-watering-Shanxi-cuisine.html
Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe, Chelmsford
So, seven menu items (if you exclude the Americanized right half of the menu), including two flatbreads, and weekend-only noodles. The cuisines of China are some of the most varied and diverse in the world. I think they can do better than that.
Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe, Chelmsford
The Uyghur place was Cafe Kashkar on Brighton Beach Ave, right in the middle of Little Russia. I was only in Brooklyn for 3 days, and I wanted to try things I can't get around Boston. I thought it was pretty good, but my wife and 2 kids hated it. More for me...
Sichuan Palace - Chelmsford
I've eaten there a few times, since it is in town. The cumin lamb/beef is still pretty good, the beef and tendon and Sichuan dried beef appetizers are very good, and the dan dan mein is better than it used to be. The Sichuan green beans are incredible. The braised fish filets and the "sizzling" dishes are pretty good, too, although I do agree that there is precious little "ma" here to complement the "la".
Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe, Chelmsford
I want so much to like this place, Gene seems like such a nice guy. I went back and had the lamb stew, which was OK, but not full of flavor. Not spicy at all. It pretty much was a big bowl of bread chunks with a few shreds of lamb and black fungus. I bought beef and pork sandwiches to take home, and it looked like they did a better job at least warming up/semi-toasting the bread (the first time I had it, the bread was cold, as if right out of the fridge). I must've missed the lamb skewers on the menu, but I really want to try those. There must be more regional dishes Gene can offer on the menu.
How similar is this cuisine to Uyghur? I believe they both are from W. China. I ate Uyghur dishes in Brooklyn, once, and I notice a similarity, especially with the number of lamb dishes.
Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe, Chelmsford
Since this is in my backyard and they seem like nice people, I really want to give them my business, but I'm trying to go easy on carbs and their menus is so limited. I can only go so far with big chewy noodles.
Hand-pulled noodles in Chelmsford [moved from Southern New England board]
I've been waiting for Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe to open for a while, especially because I was intrigued by the name and curious about what they would serve. It's also very near my house. So far, I only tried the chicken sandwich and some spring rolls, but I will be back soon for the soup and noodles. The sandwich was basically a stir fry in a round flat bland roll. Cool idea, and it was pretty good, but small (it's only 4 bucks, and you can easily eat 2). It's a good sign that there were mostly Asians in the place, but this location is somewhat cursed, perhaps by it's proximity to a trailer park and down and out liquor store. I'm a bit worried about their survival if they don't expand the menu a bit, since they only have about 12 items right now. I'm not talking about Crab Rangoons and General Gau's, but more along the lines of Chinese comfort food. I hope they do well.
JoJoTaipei Report 9/18/11
BTW, the owner of JoJo has a restaurant in Chelmsford (Szechuan Chef), that mostly caters to Americanized Chinese food customers, but there is an "secret" authentic Taiwanese menu and they will also prepare nearly anything on the JoJo menu.
Best places for VERY spicy food??
Simply Khmer in Lowell is my new go-to place for Cambodian. They bring the heat if you ask for it, like in the chicken with lemongrass.
Looking for a great dinner restaurant in the Chelmsford area
Cafe Madrid may be good for you, although I've only eaten one appetizer there, so I can't really comment on the rest of the menu. I know they serve more American food than Spanish these days, to cater to the locals.
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Cafe Madrid
28 Alpine Ln, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Floating Rock Recs
Wow, they really are scaling up prices to reflect the new locale. I think I paid 8-9 bucks for the Tiger Tears in Revere. Now it's $16. I'll stick with Lowell for all my Cambodian needs.
Chatham Bars Inn
I went to a conference there about 20 years ago. They had a pile of seafood salad at a buffet that was both a work of art and possibly one of the best things I've ever eaten. I still remember that.
Pretzel Rolls
We've ordered them from this place, too. Not bad for a fix, but not fresh.
http://bialys.com/onionflatsorpletzels.aspx
Pretzel Rolls
Don't believe everything you read online. My wife is from Brooklyn, grew up around delis, and a pletzel is not a cracker. It's a doughy roll that tastes like a bialy. I've eaten them and we have some in our freezer from our last NY trip.
Pretzel Rolls
I think pletzels are made from bialy dough, and just formed into a baguette shape, or flattened out.
Best Chinese in Providence RI
Try Gold Stone on Allens Ave. If you want something beyond the usual, ask for the Chinese menu.
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Gold Stone
840 Allens Ave, Providence, RI 02905
Taiwanese in Chelmsford
Right, the dan dan mien isn't very good (but neither is the version at Jo Jo), and the chicken with chiles and poached beef dishes aren't as good as the Sichuan places. I order the lo mien for my kids, but I've become addicted to it. They have 3-cup chicken, cumin lamb, oyster pancake, and other things I want to try. I would've gone right to the special menu, but I already ordered my food before I saw it.
Taiwanese in Chelmsford
Here's a link to the pre-New Year specials.
http://www.szechuanchefrestaurant.com/special_promotions.htm
He said that you can order anything here that you see at Jo Jo.
Taiwanese in Chelmsford
Nothing, eh. I figured all the Jo Jo Taipei fans would be all over this.
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JoJo Tai Pei Restaurant
103 Brighton Ave, Boston, MA 02134
Pretzel Rolls
I see these used in places that specialize in gourmet sandwiches, but I've never seen them around Boston. Where can I find these?
Taiwanese in Chelmsford
I've posted about Szechuan Chef in Chelmsford before, and some folks were disappointed that it wasn't close to the cuisine we know and love at Sichuan Gourmet, Top Garden, etc. I happen to like most of the "Chinese Menu" options and some of the standard stuff (the roast pork lo mien is the best I've had), since they are several cuts above the average Americanized Chinese fare.
Last night I was up there for takeout and I happened to ask the owner what region of China he was from. When he told me he was from Taiwan, I mentioned that I just ate at Jo Jo Taipei in Allston for the first time last weekend. It turns out that he owns Jo Jo, designed the menu there, and offers the same food at the (misnamed?) Szechuan Chef. Apparently, there's a second "Chinese Menu" that he breaks out if non-Asians know what's what. They are also doing specials next week leading up the Chinese New Year, with many traditional dishes. I'll be back there soon to explore the Taiwanese menu.
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JoJo Tai Pei Restaurant
103 Brighton Ave, Boston, MA 02134
Top Garden
1921 Main St Ste 1, Tewksbury, MA 01876
Szechuan Chef's Restaurants
6 Vinal Sq, North Chelmsford, MA 01863
Sichuan Gourmet
1004 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446
Most common fish caught and eaten in Boston?
The difference between freshly caught bluefish and store-bought is night and day. I was amazed, based on all the bluefish hate I've seen over the years.
Xinjiang/Uyghur restaurants near Boston?
The closest one is probably in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach. I ate there last year.
