deglazer's Profile
What are you favour 3 cuisines?
-American (by which I mean regular sort of meat and potatoes stuff, midwestern, southern, meat and three, casseroles. I guess British, Irish and European roots (mixed with native american and african influences of course.) Think thanksgiving dinner. Sunday roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttered green beans, simple salad, roll w/ butter, pie. Don't mean to exclude anyone with this definition of American. It's a complicated matter.
-Mexican (with American variants)
-Chinese (does any cuisine even come close?)
-Middle Eastern/Greek/eastern Mediterranean/North Africa/Persian/Turkish. (Trying to be inclusive and not offend anyone.) This is a very close fourth place. I basically mean falafel as well as the more meaty sandwichy sort of casual foods like souvlaki and shawarma. I could seriously practically live on that sort of stuff. (I acknowledge the impressive breadth of these cuisines. Have tried it a lot, cooked it a lot. But I'm talking craving, and that for me means falafel and souvlaki, more or less.)
Gyros in the South End
Thanks for doing this. Love gyros and anything related, and love searching the traditional sub hops for something tasty or interesting (eg. the fish sub). Adding to the to-try list: Emilios and Corner Cafe
http://www.emiliospizzaboston.com/EmiliosMenu.pdf
http://www.eatatcornercafe.com/Menu.html
Where to eat like Caroline Knapp, Morphine, the Lemonheads, and other 1980s Bostonians past
Don't know about Caroline Knapp. Didn't she live in Beacon Hill? I do miss her column. For Mark Sandman, I have no idea how he ate but I don't think anyone would argue with starting in Mark Sandman Square at the Middle East. 80s Local rock and 80s Caroline Knapp might be slightly different ghost towns.
canary (yellow) beans used in Peruvian cooking
Frio Rico for sure, as yarm said. But for me this is another sad reminder of the passing of the HiLo - they carried a good portion of the Inca's Food line (dry and frozen) http://www.incasfood.com/. But I think the Chelsea MB has a shelf or two of Peruvian products that would surely contain canary beans. The JP Stop and Shop also carried them in a surprisingly large (but not, you know, large.) Peruvian section. Haven't been there in over a year though so I can't say if the situation is the same. Will report back on Chelsea MB since I'll be there over the next few days. Of course another answer would be to not worry about the exact product from the specific place and just have fun tracking down a regional equivalent.
best corned beef to buy?
Wondering about the type of corned beef that is "fully cooked", "ready to serve". I've bought a few brands over the years (Pearl, Boston Brisket) and I guess the idea is that it's sort of a ready-to-go deli meat that you can just slice and serve. But I've found this style to be tough and lacking good corned beef flavor. So I ask, is there a good "fully cooked" brand or is it better to get a raw/cured one and finish it yourself (Know about curing your own starting from raw and I've done it, hundreds of pounds of it. It's clearly superior. Just really wondering if you can buy a supposedly finished product and get a decent sandwich out of it.)
What is the superlative taco and where to find it in the Boston area?
I lived in Union during the first two years it opened and found it pretty good but nothing to get excited about. Guess I'm just adding to this chorus. I considered myself lucky to be able to get nearly great tamales from Taqueria La Mexicana, really good pupusas from El Potro and good enough tacos from both, a few blocks from home. Always liked the tostadas from T La M as well.
Nice dinner in theater district? What's new? What's good?
Don't forget Pigalle. They recently renovated and have a bar menu that could work for pre-theatre, as well as a specific pre-theatre option from the regular menu. Haven't been since the changes but it seems like you can still do the sort of French/Eclectic fine dining thing if you choose to but can also dine more informally with small plates or even a burger, for example. Dug the cocktails (and bartender) last time I went but I'm no expert in the beverage area.
March 2012 Openings and Closings
Good one. I remember that, now that you bring it up. Such a good show. I guess our local equivalent is the Dunkin cup. Studies show 85% of which are spiked.
March 2012 Openings and Closings
I too like the sketchiness. But I think there were practical reasons. I remember 80s nyc eg., buying single beers at a bodega and routinely getting a paper bag sleeve. I think you could that way be discreet with your street drinking, at least symbolically. But the paper sleeve also serves as an insulater, koozi.
A Good Negroni -- why so difficult?
(with apologies to my many friends in the business) Brava! Way to speak some truth. I want to drink at your house. (But if you're like me, you probably wouldn't want me around.)
March 2012 Openings and Closings
The Herald bit doesn't mention the real estate. I know nothing about this particular sale but I do know that restaurants are often bought and sold without the real estate. It wouldn't surprise me if the business was sold separately, with the new owners making an independent agreement to take over the lease or create a new one with the landlord.
Musubi mold?
Haven't ever seen one. Have you considered the empty spam can? http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/04/tutorial-how-to-make-hawaiian-spam-musubi-sushi.html
Uncanny Sauerkraut?
Reporting back on Lewis Mountain kraut: !00% agree, this is great stuff and at a third of the price of Real Pickles (but again, not organic, not from Mass.) I found it two weeks ago at the Chelsea MB in the exact location you describe - in the back left of the store with the presliced salami (and Bosnian meats!), not with the Silver Floss which is in the case with packaged hot dogs. It has been out of stock the last two weeks I've been, but a call to the Lewis Mountain revealed that a large shipment has been made, so it perhaps has simply not made it to the shelves yet. Thanks for the rec! Won't stop my love for Real Pickles, but it puts all supermarket kraut to shame for sure.
New Cambridge St. Spot in East Camb.; Former Deep Elum Chef ?
Looking forward to checking it out. Reviewed in On the Cheap in last weeks Phoenix. http://thephoenix.com/Boston/food/132755-on-the-cheap-lizzys/
where can I find Marash pepper/where did I buy M'hamsa cous cous?
Cristina's has carried maras, urfa and aleppo in the past. Haven't been recently. I have purchased marash at Turkuaz Market (as mentioned by Taralli). I'm partial to the stuff at Formaggio. Ihsan is Turkish and though the store is obviously more European in focus, if there's something Turkish it will be top quality.
Uncanny Sauerkraut?
It is not cheap. $8/pint jar sounds about right. It definitely puts in in a luxury good category - it's a lot of money for a few handfuls of shredded cabbage. But to me it's worth it since I find it delicious and I use just a little bit at a time. I also like voting with my dollars for a good company like this making a traditional product in an artisanal manner. But yes, buy some organic local cabbage and some good sea salt and spend a fun hour in the kitchen making your own. In theory. Or just splurge.
Uncanny Sauerkraut?
Real Pickles http://www.realpickles.com/. Fantastic lacto-fermented, real deal kraut and pickles. Organic, from Western Mass. Definitely available at Harvest and I believe at Whole Foods.
Farmer seeking ideas for a CIDER DONUT SUNDAE
You might want to post this question on a more general board but I'll meanwhile say that though I, like many, am tiring of the whole bacon thing, what would be really great would be some bacon. Make a sundae that evokes a plate of apple-y pancakes with a side of bacon.
Sweet Cheeks
I haven't been yet but very much look forward to it. Just want to comment on the comments on the pricing. The meats used all seem to be special in some way, more humanely raised, heritage breeds (berkshire pigs), perhaps smaller producers and more time on pasture. Not saying it's from happy pigs running in fields ten miles away. But better. It's my experience that this would at least double the food cost (you can go to Restaurant Depot and get standard spareribs from confinement pigs for under $2/pound. I don't think this product would come close in price.) Sourcing means little if the food, service, atmosphere etc. doesn't deliver. But I appreciate the effort to resist the urge to go cheap with ingredients, especially if it's only to live up to romantic notions of "true" bbq from "authentic" locales. I'm currently fairly conflicted with my restaurant going. I want pasture raised, humanely raised etc., but that essentially wipes out all restaurants except the top tier and some more activist-y places on the casual end like City Feed. Particularly painful to me: all Asian, all Latin, all subs and, until now, all bbq. (well actually I think BBQSmith (on hiatus) had some more careful sourcing. And of course I don't count Hungry Mother and others that occasionally incorporate bbq in a different type of place.) So based on that I'm going in expecting it to be at least $20 head for a good feed before drinks and tip. That's what it costs.
December 2011 Openings and Closings
Davis seems perfect for a falafel shop. Can you even get a falafel anywhere near there? Bring it.
Gluten free menu items in downtown Boston
Falafel King on Winter Street is tasty and convenient. One can get a falafel or meat plate hold the pita and I'm pretty sure it would be g.f. Might want to confirm that the falafel doesn't have flour but I wouldn't expect it to.
Most of the offerings from the Clover truck at Government Center can be had as bowls not sandwiches - no pita. So again you can get the Chickpea, for example, as sort of falafel plate with hummus and salady-stuff. Short money and tasty too. Also would need to double check about the falafel ingredients. Additionally, there's the issue of contamination from the fryer even if the falafel are g.f. (I know they occasionally do fritters of various types, which I assume would have flour.) Egg and Eggplant as a bowl is pretty great and I can't see where gluten would enter into it.
Boston area breakfast recap
Central Sq. Irish Breakfast options - The Plough, The Asgard, Phoenix Landing. The Druid not that far away. Not bad.
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Phoenix Landing
512 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
Twist Bakery, Millis. Gluten-free
That's good news. Any idea if they will have gf bread products or is it just sweets? And by butter tarts do you mean Butter Tarts, the national pastry of Canada? Because that would be cool.
Posole / mote / hominy—where to buy (dried)?
Glad you found it. I actually have found whole dried hominy to be slightly difficult to find (used to live near Hi Lo so it was no problem at that point.) At lot of grocery stores have goya and/or gonsalves white or yellow hominy, but it's the pieces, not whole. As has been pointed out, the chelsea MB has it, but I think it's not with the dried goya beans like it typically is, but instead in the small Peruvian section. Small latin markets don't necessarily have it either eg. La Internacional, which has only pieces currently, plus the whole type for toasting/"popping". Canned is easier to find.
Tomatillos - Boston / N. Shore
Harvest in Central Square today. Didn't catch the price but would assume it would be in their typical range: somewhat okay - not exactly egregious. They looked fresh.
September 2011 Openings and Closings
No charcuterie plate? No upscale poutine? I feel so cheated.
Fatty_mouthfeel, if you're still out there and looking for injera made with 100% teff,
wild applesauce indeed
East Boston suggestions wanted!
Just adding to the list.
Bohemio's is a relatively new Columbian spot (30 Bennington St.) I haven't been so this isn't a recommendation per se. Just haven't seen much written about it. The menu has a good mix of breakfast, grilled or fried fish and seafood, coctel de camarones, ceviche etc. and classic meat-centric plates, arepas etc.
Taco Mania (244 Meridian). I think it's Guatemalan or Salvadoran. This one I actually did try. I was pleased to see that they had that masa based dish with the name that escapes me - it's a plate with about 8 very small (maybe 2 inch) fried masa boats with filling. Love the idea of this but my version was pretty bland - the filling was pretty much just ground beef with onion and a dull salsa. Maybe some salad. So much potential to be a killer dish, and one that's not that common, but it definitely did not dazzle. Still the place had a nice homey feel and I would go back to try other things on the menu.
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Taco Mania
244 Meridian St, Boston, MA 02128
Good cappuccino around New England Medical Center?
What about Market at the W? It's right there. Obviously not a cafe vibe, more of a luxe hotel. But if your priorities are: a) a nice time with your friend, b) proximity and c) good cappuccino, I don't see why it wouldn't work. I've never been. m-f breakfast hours are 7-11, lunch 11:30-2:30.
