Visiting Boston -- 5-year Anniversary Dinner

Thanks for the link. Are there reviews on Chowhound? I haven't been able to find any.

hermance in Greater Boston Area

Visiting Boston -- 5-year Anniversary Dinner

Thanks for the responses so far. I had read a little about Troquet but not enough to put it on the list. Could you tell me more about it?

Similarly, I ran across a couple of mentions of Salts on the boards, but nothing more than a quick mention in a sentence. It's also hard to search for because I keep getting returns for all instances of "salt." Is there a thread on the restaurant so that I could learn more about it? Thanks for your help!

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Troquet
140 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

hermance in Greater Boston Area

Visiting Boston -- 5-year Anniversary Dinner

My husband and I will be in Boston (from Austin) for our fifth-year anniversary, which is this Friday. I've read around the boards, but think I still need some help. Though we love food, our palettes certainly are not as refined as many on the chow boards. We love wine, too, but are not the types to go looking for specific bottles on a wine list. Rather, we appreciate knowledgeable staff who point us to great wine picks. So, I have a feeling that many of the restaurants on our potential list would fit our food/wine criteria very well. What I am less sure about ambiance, and I think that will be the deciding factor, assuming that food quality is relatively even across our potential list. We are looking for some place not too stuffy (we're in our early 30s) but definitely something that feels special occasion. We probably do not want a "hip" place. We'd prefer a quiet, romantic, fantastic service kind of place. We'd also prefer New American or French-leaning as opposed to Italian, but that's just a slight inclination. We'd be open to changing that. We're looking to spend around $200, give or take, but would spend more if it meant really having one of those meals you remember forever.

So, I'm posting our list of potential places for your feedback. We're also aware that it may be a challenge to get reservations.

10 Tables
No 9 Park
Oleana
Craigie Street
Toro
Chez Henri
Hammersley's Bistro
Hungry Mother
Vee Vee

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No 9 Park
9 Park Street, Boston, MA 02108

Toro
1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

Chez Henri
1 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

Hungry Mother
Cambridge, MA, Cambridge, MA

Vee Vee
763 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Oleana
134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, MA 02139

hermance in Greater Boston Area

NYE dinner with the parents

My parents will be in town for New Years Eve, and we're looking for a great, special dinner experience. Here are some of the qualities we are looking for:

(1) Not over-the-top dressy. My dad's not bringing coat/tie with him for the trip.

(2) Quiet, intimate, and classy. My dad is hard of hearing, so it's important that we can get a quiet table. (I also really hate music that intrudes on a dining experience.) So, clearly, we are not interested in the hippest spot, but to go somewhere that still feels really "special" would be lovely.

(3) In terms of food, the menu can be anything from "rather adventurous" to "more traditional steakhouse" type food. The only types I would like to avoid are Asian and Southwestern. It would be fine if the food was New American crossed with Asian or Southwestern flavors, but strictly Asian or Southwestern probably wouldn't work.

The only Austin restaurant we've taken them to before is Mirabelle, which they like, but isn't of the caliber that we're looking for on such a night.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

hermance in Austin

Austin hound/former Chicagoan needs help!

I live in Austin now, but lived in Chicago (Hyde Park, Lincoln Square, and Logan Square) for five years about a decade ago. My husband and I are coming in town tonight through Sunday for a major national convention. We'll be staying at the Fairmont. We have tonight and all day Thursday to go anywhere on public transportation + taxi that we want. Then on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we will *have* to eat near the hotel for lunch due to time constraints. We can't venture out on Friday night either but can on Saturday.

I don't want to eat at particularly hip or expensive places. I'd rather do cheap, neighborhood/ethnic places. I would very much like to avoid tourists or other conventioners, so off the beaten path would be great (though remember we can't go far during lunch on Friday, Saturday, or Sunda). Here are some areas we're looking for:
*Great authentic Asian (probably Thai or dim sum)
*Good Italian (can't get it in Austin really)
*New American-ish place
*Good place to have a drink
*Great bakery

Tonight and Thursday, I'd love to go back to my old neighborhoods, particularly Logan or Lincoln Squares. (Rogers Park might also be nice to go to.) Though the last time I went back to Lincoln Square, it's upscaleness kind of scared me. I loved Cafe Selmarie and would appreciate suggestions for other places like it, if you 'hounds like other places more.

For lunch on the weekdays (when we have to stay near the hotel), it'd be excellent to find a place that is cheap, has a line that moves pretty quickly, and we can take the food back to the hotel or eat at packed tables and enjoy deliciousness.

We don't mind if the New American-ish place and Italian place are slightly more expensive; we'll probably try to do one of these for dinner Thursday night as our "date" meal.

On Saturday it's likely we'll have a group of other conventioners with us. Any suggestions for a large party, place that serves drinks (they don't have to be fancy drinks), and decent food? We probably won't be able to make reservations, but we'd like to wait less than an hour. This can be a kind of bar type place, just not one that is too noisy or fratty.

hermance in Chicago Area

Georgetown Restaurants

The owner at Chantal's (Bob, I believe?) is a bit much--in that overly friendly, northeast, how ya' doin' kind of way. It's not my favorite personality, but in his defense, I think he is trying his best to make folks feel welcome so that his business stays afloat.

I too suspect they have made a misstep in offering such a high price menu in this area, though recently they are offering less expensive dinners on weeknights from a more limited menu. This piques my interest, and we are hoping to try it soon. I just wish they would rotate their wine list more often.

Generally, we're pretty supportive of small local restaurants, particularly ones in the "downtown" area because it seems an uphill battle for them. I'd rather pay much more and support them, even if I'm not bowled over, because I hope that this kind of behavior will eventually convince restauranteurs that real people who like real food do live up here and really don't always want to drive into Austin.

hermance in Austin

Georgetown Restaurants

This looks like you are replying to my post, so I did want to chime in to remind that I was speaking of Nonna's, not Romeo's. I don't want folks to confuse the two, since I agree with your assessment of Romeo's.

My SO and I went to Nonna's again last Friday night. We had a smoked salmon appetizer that was suffering from a terrible case of schizophrenia--an attempt to be innovative left a confused dish with too many flavors. However, once again, our entrees were quite good for this area, and the pasta is clearly still being made fresh in house. The dessert, however, was terrible--reheated in a microwave. Shudder. Unfortunately, the town still won't seem to pay much for food, so it wasn't very crowded. It's no wonder that can't afford a pastry chef. Still, I'd rather they just not offer desserts.

In addition, I will say I've now frequented the sushi place in Wolf's Ranch (a shopping center west of 35 in G-town) several times, and it is very, very good for this area--better than what I've had in Austin (though admittedly, I've not gone to any 'hound recommended sushi places in Austin, just a few places with friends).

hermance in Austin

Visiting NYC--need cheap rec's

Thanks for all of these recommendations so far. They are incredibly helpful. It's good to get oriented toward the places we'll be spending most of our time. I'm not opposed to going on a trek for food, and I know the subway system fairly well. (I've been to Manhattan about a dozen times on my own, but always stayed with a friend on the lower east side who has since left.) However, on this trip, because I'll be trying to get as much work done as possible in the archives while I'm there, I'll be pretty limited by how far I can go for food, especially for breakfast, lunch, and/or snacks. (And who doesn't love a great snack in Manhattan?) So it's really helpful to get a sense of what's in the area close to the hotel and library, particularly since I've never really spent any substantial time in these areas when visiting previously.

I also really appreciate the coffee suggestions. Good coffee is important, but I know that Starbucks has pushed a lot of independent places out of Manhattan. So it's good to get an insider's feel for this.

Thanks again for all of these suggestions, and please keep them coming. It's a bit intimidating to go back to Manhattan without a local to be your guide.

hermance in Manhattan

Visiting NYC--need cheap rec's

Hi! I've searched a bit on the board but thought it would help to ask my question directly. I'm a professor coming on a research trip to NYC with a student. We're staying at the Affinia Hotel at 34th and Lexington. We'll be doing most of our research at the New York Public Library and a little at Columbia (for one day).

I'd like recommendations of relatively cheap places to eat since we will be using our travel budget, which is deflating rapidly due to cost of airline tix and lodging. I don't think she's been to NYC before so anything you would consider "quintessential" would be great. I'd love to take her for good bagels, cheap Asian food (like dumplings), decent Italian, but I'm also open to suggestion. We're certainly not opposed to subway rides and adventure, but I'm a bit nervous since this is the first time I've been responsible for a younger person in New York. Also, we're coming from Austin, if that helps give a sense of what kind of cuisine she's had (good south of the border and 'que).

I have to admit that I'd love to go to Perilla but am worried about our ability to get in and the expense.

Thanks for any help!
Hermance

hermance in Manhattan

Georgetown Restaurants

I'm really surprised that no one has mentioned Nonna's. It's right off the square and serves pretty good Italian food. The lunch is solid, not fantastic, but dinner--when they serve it--is pretty noteworthy for this area. From what I know, they make all their pasta in house. And because it's BYOB and because it's located in G-town (which so many people seem to think is being "stuck" somewhere), the price is quite reasonable.

Chantal's probably has more of the ambience you want. It's in an old house that has been lovingly renovated. Good wine list. The food, I have found, is tasty, albeit not that innovative (though I would say not that much less innovative than most other restaurants in this area).

hermance in Austin

Back Stage Steakhouse

Nab, thanks for pointing me to the web site. I did a quick Google search (emphasis on quick) for it and didn't find it. This helps a lot.

hermance in Austin

Back Stage Steakhouse

I love Sunflower, so I take his eating there as a good sign. I think all of us would enjoy a chef without pretense. I just wasn't sure if the ambience was necessarily tied to a nice sunny day. It's a long drive, and my folks last night in town. So we want to make sure we choose right. Still, I think we are all so intrigued....

hermance in Austin

Back Stage Steakhouse

Is Back Stage still worth the drive if the weather is kind of lousy like today?

I'm also curious how Southwestern-influenced the menu is. My husband, mother, and I like Southwestern, but my dad does not but would like a good (by hound standards, I mean decent) steak.

hermance in Austin

Hungry & Desperate in Pflugerville.

I don't know if you'd feel like coming all the way up to Georgetown, but the Monument Cafe is a really good diner experience. We've been there about five times now, and for the most part, they make standard diner dishes with high quality ingredients. The only misstep I had was a shrimp dish that was doused in cream and cheese. I would recommend staying with burgers, sandwiches, soups, and their surprisingly good veggie dishes.

I think it would be great to amass a list of good restaurants on the far north side. I can understand why most people on these boards consider it a culinary wasteland and stay down south. But still, when you live and work up here, you don't always want to drive 20 miles for a taco. I will say that the dinner at Nonna's--also in Georgetown--is excellent. Fresh Italian food with everything made in house. Since it's BYOB, it's pretty darn cheap relatively, though we're still talking $15-$20 entrees. However, this doesn't seem like the kind of thing you're looking for.

hermance in Austin

AUS blow out dinner

Thanks for the suggestions for Wink. Originally, this was high on my list, but after reading some comments on these boards, I began to be concerned about the "one out of four mediocre" experiences that tom mentioned. If there were only some way to know that we were going to get one of the "very good" experiences. I'm a little worried about the hipness factor, I guess. Still, I am very interested.

Thanks also for the suggestion of Cafe 909. I had not yet considered this place and will do some digging.

hermance in Austin

AUS blow out dinner

MPH, Thanks again for a great, detailed post. I'm curious, though. Given your descriptions of the meals at the Driskill and at HOTB, it seems like you enjoyed the food at the Driskill more, yet you aren't planning a return trip. Can you tell me why this might be? What about the overall experience makes you willing/wanting to try Hudson's again but not necessarily the Driskill? (I know that your answer to this might be very subjective, but I'm just interested in how you're thinking of the experiences overall.

Tonight, we are off to try the best new restaurant in Georgetown, where we live, Nonna's, which is right off the square. My husband's student is a manager there, and we've heard that everything is made in-house, a true rarity in Georgetown. I'll report back on this meal and later on our big meal, which we probably won't do until mid-January.

Thanks again, everyone. I hope we win the lottery (which we don't ever even play, but still...) so that we can try Uchi sometime. It does sound really great.

Does anyone want to make a claim for Aquarelle?

hermance in Austin

AUS blow out dinner

First, MPH, THANKS for this review of the Driskill. Interestingly, though I have not been there, I have been somewhat concerned that the dishes might be too busy to cohere and deliver the punch. I value inventiveness, but I also like dishes in which the main ingredient is made the star, particularly for an entree. I am anxious to hear about your Hudson's experience. Who knows? For one night, I might relinquish my rules about beef and pork, which are really health choices rather than the more noble moral reasons.

Tom in Austin, Uchi is another restaurant that I have considered, primarily because of all of the rave reviews around here, so thanks for suggesting it. For some reason, Uchi seems to me like something we would do for "special date night" in terms of ambiance and feel of the evening. But then again, from what I understand around here, the price may be such that we might want to consider it for this meal.

My sincere thanks to all of those who have posted. Please keep your opinions coming. Since we can only choose one meal, it stokes my foodie dreams to hear about others that could be in our (distant) future.

hermance in Austin

AUS blow out dinner

My inlaws sent us a cash card for the holidays and insisted that we use it on a great meal. (Twist my arm!) After doing some research on Chowhound, I think we are deciding between Hudson's, Driskill, and Aquarelle. I know all of these places are good, but since we've been broke ever since we've moved here eight months ago, we want to pick a place that we will love without hesitation! (We recently went out for a fancy date night--for us--at Andiamo, and though my husband's special entree was amazing, my regular menu dish was lackluster, if not utterly lacking and rather awful. It kind of ruined the specialness of the night. So, as I said, we're trying to make the best possible choice here.)

Our hopes/limitations/requirements/etc:
*I don't eat pork or red meat, so I will probably opt for seafood. My husband does eat pork and red meat, so he will probably opt for one of those.

*We'd prefer intimate, quiet, and romantic to loud/crowded/hip. However, since we are in our early 30s, it would be nice if it didn't have a clubby, 50+ feel to it.

*A good wine list would be great, though because our funds are limited, it would be nice if there was a reasonable bottle option (around $40). If this is impossible, we can make do and have two glasses each.

*I think for this meal I'd prefer inventiveness over the "local ingredients" trend, if I have to make a choice. (Ideally, I'd like both.)

*Superior service. I don't want to be hurried through my one nice meal this year (!), and concurrently, I don't want to be ignored because there are other large parties who will spend more money. I also want a waitstaff that knows the menu very well and can recommend the best dishes and wine pairings, if possible.

*We are both off from regular work for the next few weeks, so we can go on a weeknight and avoid possible crowds. (Though if there is a special weekend menu, I'd like to know, and maybe we could get Friday reservations for some week in the future.)

Any recommendations, opinions, reviews would be really helpful. Though it seems a lot of 'Hounds recommend the Driskill, I haven't been able to find that many reviews of actual meals there. Right now, that's my top choice, but Aquarelle is running a close second. Everyone seems to believe that Hudson's is one of--if not *the*--best restaurant in the Austin area, but again, I haven't read many reviews here about the actual dining experiences. Am I just missing them?

And of course, if you would recommend another restaurant that I've overlooked here, please post about it! I know I've picked fine dining choices, but again that's because we really want an ultimate experience. However, if there are slightly less formal but still high quality restaurants that you think beat these places out in terms of value, I'd of course love to know.

THANKS!

hermance in Austin

[AUS] Need tex mex that won't be too crowded from ACL

Thanks, sambamaster. This helps me, too, as I am looking for things further north.

hermance in Austin

[AUS] Brother-in-law visiting

Thanks! I hadn't heard of Hoover's or Charlie's Steak House.

We've been meaning to try Monument, so we might give that a try for breakfast rather than search out tacos.

Just for clarification: I'm happy to travel into Austin. I just know from reading that people recommend a lot of spots on the south side and wanted to hear about possible options north of, say, 6th street.

hermance in Austin