jira's Profile
source for black chickpeas?
I was in Ocean State Job-lot store in Dedham and they have black chickpeas. Two pound bag for $2.99. They also have some other varieties of dal.
Has anyone tried the Red Eyed Pig in W. Roxbury?
It's been a while since we went. I thought the portions were very generous, but I was not impressed by the food. The brisket had a smoky taste without the red ring. It was also the thickest brisket I have ever seem, at least 4 inches including 1/2 inch of fat. Smoked fried chicken didn't do much for us - pick one or the other. Hushpuppies were okay, pulled pork was probably the best thing we had.
Recommendations for lunch in the city, and dinner in the suburbs (staying n Bensalem)
Mostly interested in restaurant.com places, but open to other places, particularly "don't miss" places, or the Amish/Mennonite place that I was asking about in my earlier reply.
I didn't mention, but we will probably be eating breakfast in Bensalem, so any suggestions there would be appreciated. I will be searching through saved threads for prior suggestions.
Recommendations for lunch in the city, and dinner in the suburbs (staying n Bensalem)
Sorry, I just threw that post up without much thought. Sort of like the way we do road trips :-)
Not really sure where we are going inside of Philadelphia. I assume Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, Reading Market, Museum of Art, Magic Gardens. There are three of us, including a 16 YO daughter who is a sophisticated eater (most of the time).
Some of the cuisines we like, in no particular order: Indian (Northern), Italian (both N and S), Thai, Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese), Mexican (Tex-Mex, Sonoran, Baja), American (Seafood, BBQ, Regional), Gastropub, Greek, Middle Eastern, Brazilian, Spanish, Jewish Deli.
We are omnivorous: vegetables, starches, proteins, and chocolate. Don't tend to drink very much, although I have been known to down a few well-hopped IPAs.
We view restaurant.com as a way to stretch our budget, so our usual range for lunch entrees - $5-15 and dinner entrees - $10-$25 could go up by 50% or so.
I am very interested in things that you can only get in Philly. I'm also interested in a "7 sweets and 7 sours" meal. Doesn't have to be Lancaster County, we're coming from the north, so Berks or Lehigh counties would be fine (and I assume less crowded).
Recommendations for lunch in the city, and dinner in the suburbs (staying n Bensalem)
We will be visiting the area next week. Staying in Bensalem, but doing the usual tourist stuff downtown. We have this deal with restaurant.com where we "bought" $400 for $40, and we can use that $400 to "buy" certificates.
We're looking to use some of that next week. Would people make recommendations for lunch in the city, and dinner in the suburbs. We're also thinking about side trips to Valley Forge and Lancaster County.
Health Food muffins from the 1970s
Wow, two years later someone replies! In the interim I emailed Barbara's Bakery and they confirm that they discontinued the muffins a long time ago and they were unwilling to give me the recipe, or even an ingredient list.
It may be a case of sour grapes, but I suspect I would be somewhat disappointed if I was to eat a muffin made from the recipe.
May 2011 Openings and Closings
Wife and I were there for dinner a couple of weeks ago, our first time. We were bummed to find out that they had no salmon and no lobster, the only seafood was mussels. Food was mostly very good except for my still cold in the middle pork shank. They warmed it, replated it, and comped us two desserts.
Moving to Chestnut Hill
I have to say that the worst dining experience we ever had was at Bernards. They literally (yes, literally) started removing our plates from the table while we were still eating. They wanteded our table to add to a large party and didn't care if we were still eating.
The little secret about Chestnut Hill is that you are close to West Roxbury. Deno's Pizza does great pizza and subs, the Brookline Village location is closed.. Himalayan Bistro is good Indian, although the few Nepali dishes I tried were overly salty. Thai Spice makes big servings of tasty takeout food - just don't believe the 30 minutes they tell you - they are slow. Sticky Rice Cafe is new and we haven't come to any conclusions. Viva Mi Arepa, on the Dedham side of West Rox, makes a variety of Venezuelan food, try the arepas.
Back in Chestnut Hill, Mandarin Gourmet is okay Chinese. A lot of people hate it, but they are very fast for take out. Say hello to Doris at King Fung Garden II. The food is usually very good, dumplings, buns, noodles, and Scallion pancakes particularly so. They can be slow on large orders.
-----
Mandarin Gourmet
1020 W Roxbury Pkwy, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Viva Mi Arepa
5197 Washington St, West Roxbury, MA 02132
King Fung Garden II
370 Boylston St, Brookline, MA 02445
Thai Spice
1745 Centre St, West Roxbury, MA 02132
Sticky Rice
26 Hawkes St Apt B, Marblehead, MA 01945
Malted Milk Question Please
I'm in Boston, so I can't say anything about sources local to Chicago. A HUGE Korean grocery store opened here about a year ago. Name is H-Mart, I think, a national chain. I bought some "Fine Malt Flour" there. There were actually a number of similar products. My first use of it in baking was disastrous. I used about 1/4 cup in a 3 cups of flour recipe and it digested much of the starch to syrup. I'm trying a single teaspoon now.
As far as using it for malted milk. I would say that it is at least twice the strength of malted milk powder. If you want to get real technical, there is about 1/8 of a teaspoon of baking soda in each 1/4 cup of malted milk powder.
Pizzeria Dante -- Brookline
For my money, Deno's is the best. Not as impressed by their Sicilian as I am their regular pies and slices. They opened a second location in Brookline a number of months ago.
I thought Upper Crust was an overpriced disappointment.
Fresh Sardines/Brookline Family Restaurant
I noticed Sardines on the menu at Brookline Family Restaurant, which is becoming one of our favorite restaurants for good, quick, and inexpensive. There are quite a number of fish entrees at BFR, but I have not tried any. Also, I have never had fresh sardine, but I am dying to try them. So I'm asking two questions:
How is the fish at BFR?
Have you had sardines there, or anywhere else in the area, and what did you think of them? Is there any similarity to smelts?
Tomato based clam soup (aka Manhattan Clam Chowder)
First, I want to assure everyone I am a loyal fan of the Sox, Patriots, and Celtics.
Second, while I do like a good cream based Clam Chowder, I still yearn for what is properly called Zuppa di Vongole, but commonly referred to as Manhattan Clam Chowder. Don't bother to correct me, I know it's not a real chowder. But I still love and miss it, even after 20 + years up here.
I've had enough bad renditions (Campbell's Vegetable Soup with Snow's chopped clams added)
to understand why even New Englanders open minded enough to try it, probably don't like it.
Has anyone had a decent bowl of it recently? Here, or anywhere between Boston and New Jersey?
Paella
I've recently had a hankering for paella, but don't feel like making it myself. Problem is that I think that I make a really good paella, and long ago decided most restaurants can't.
For me, the rice is the key. Not to say that some lobster, chicken, and sausage aren't appreciated, but if the rice isn't good enough to shine on its own, the paella is flawed. I remember a long time ago eating leftover paella that had just been come from a restaurant in the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ. Even without re-heating it was fantastic.
So where can I get really good paella? I've searched the postings, but it sounds as if the last year has taken its toll of local restaurants, so I'm interested in recent experiences.
Health Food muffins from the 1970s
Does anyone remember a commercially produced muffin sold in health food stores around 1972? I thought it was called Barbara's Incredible Fruit and Nut Muffin, but I can't find any references to that. I was actually in New Jersey at the time, but got the impression the muffins were nationally distributed.
The muffins were small by current standard, and quite dense. Unlike Morning Glory muffins, these did not have carrots, and also seemed to have a lot less oil than most muffins nowadays.
They were packaged in clear printed cellophane.
I'm interested in what the exact name was, and if anyone has a recipe that bears a resemblance to the muffins.
Seeking Greek Gyros/Souvlaki in Roslindale area
I second the opinion on that little market. I love the wild cucumber pickles (I think that's what they are called) in the sandwiches.
