jkv's Profile
Pickled Turnip in Boston
I am like 99% sure that Aceituna in Kendall Square has it--Jenga-sized blocks of pickled something, at any rate. Purple, presumably from the pickling brine, as I'm sure they're not beets. And their falafel wraps are a mere $5 (including tax), to boot! Make sure to get their homemade hot sauce...
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Aceituna Cafe
605 W Kendall St, Cambridge, MA 02142
EVOO and Za in Kendall Square
Totally agree. The crust is the problem. The toppings are all fine and all that, but the backbone of the pizza isn't so dissimilar to something you'd find in the frozen food section of, say, Super Stop & Shop. The salads, meanwhile, are on the excellent side. Beets and goat cheese, all the way.
Oddly, this will mean that I will have Za within two blocks of both my apartment and my office. Why are you following me, Za?
What is going on with the Lord Hobo?
Actual news-like update: Lord Hobo ran a big ad in the Weekly Dig yesterday (I know, I know), featuring what seems to be their menu, including fried oysters, lobster mac and cheese, duck confit salad, house-made gnocchi, and, um, paella.
Sounds like they're feeling ambitious and, in some way, running ads is kind of like saying that you may, someday, open.
What is going on with the Lord Hobo?
I'm not really sure that you can police people's worrying...especially since it's known by many that worrying CAN in fact make things outside of your control move faster and better. I think that MIT did a study.
Seriously, though--I have to imagine that there are quite a few people excitedly anticipating the openings of LH and Trina's Starlite. That their respective opening dates have slid isn't surprising, per se, nor even reason to fret...but, again, who needs a reason to fret?
Q Tonic
While $8 for a four-pack does seem to more or less be the going rate for the Q, I have seen the comparably good Fever Tree at Liquor World in Porter Square for (I think) $6 for 4.
And, annoyingly, Pemberton Market, a little further down Mass Ave, had several of the Fever Tree products--ginger ale, bitter lemon--but not the tonic water, for like $4 for a four-pack. This was a couple weeks ago, and may have changed since then.
Looking for: Magner's (or other) cider in big bottles
Success! Liquor World had Magner's in their fridge. I'll definitely have to check out some of the local cider--did you know that Magner's has artificial coloring? It was for my gluten-intolerant wife, so I don't judge, but...blech.
Looking for: Magner's (or other) cider in big bottles
I know it's an odd request, but has anyone seen big bottles of cider around? Ideally in the North Cambridge/Porter Square parts of the universe...
Best working chef in boston.
I didn't know, but it proves my point even further. It's not a slam on ye hounds, but more a comment on the city at large. It's not like this in New York or San Francisco--I know that we don't live in either of those places, but for a relatively evolved part of the world, it's pretty stunning that outside of, say, Jody Adams, Lydia Shire, Barbara Lynch etc. (who aren't necessarily "working chefs"), things are same as they ever was.
Healthy lunch options : 20 minute walk from Kendall Square
The 2nd Street Cafe is a ways down from Kendall, and has nice homemade soups, and solid salad options as well. I like the spinach salad, but that could be due to the bacon vinaigrette. I'm no angel, no.
Köstritzer Schwarzbier in Boston?
I want to say I've gotten it from Downtown Liquors in Davis Square in Somerville. I've definitely had at least one schwartz beer from there--I can't guarantee that it was Köstritzer, though.
Best working chef in boston.
You may propose Ms. Benatti, but only if you want an actual woman to be on this list.
I am *shocked* at how white and how male this list turns out to be. Totally blown away. Just when you think that maybe we've made a little progress in this backwards little town...
Why won't bars stock good vermouth?
My problem is that while I do wish there was a way for bars to stock better vermouths, I personally really do dislike dry vermouth. I've had the standard Gallo, Noilly Prat etc. I have a bottle of Dolin dry vermouth in the fridge. To me, it really does ruin cocktails. Tried a perfect Manhattan--gross. Tried a Martinez (which seems to be capable of containing either sweet or dry vermouth, depending on the recipe you use)--nasty (though awesome with sweet vermouth).
On the other, other hand, most bar-goers have likely only had spoiled vermouth in their martinis. They might think that's how it's supposed to taste, and shouldn't necessarily be blamed for not liking it...unlike anchovies. There's no good reason not to like anchovies, Up With Olives.
Za: Hospital food, at airport prices.
I'm really just split on this. I've only eaten AT Za once, but have gotten takeout several times, as I live about three blocks away. I like the IDEA of Za very much. I like EVOO. I like the we-use-local-ingredients-when possible aesthetic. I like having a place like that in the 'hood. But...
You're right--the pizza is really not that great. How can they justify putting all that creativity and effort into the ingredients and toppings, but then fall SO short with the dough/crust? It really does have an either previously frozen or, worse, not-a-big-priority-to-us quality to it.
On the other hand, Za's salads are reliably good and interesting (love the beet salad, for example), but on the whole, the experience doesn't really add up. $20 for a good salad and a basically single-serving retrograde pizza is just bad math. I'll probably still order it on occasion (it's amazing what personal rules one will bend in favor of proximity), but I'll hate myself in the morning. Maybe we could all chip in and get them a wood-burning oven or something...though I'm sure that Arlington has some 200-year-old law against that...
Why won't bars stock good vermouth?
I think that the real answer is that vermouths have a much shorter shelf life than spirits (which can have a pretty much indefinite lifespan). Throw in that there are enough people who order their martinis "extra dry" that, for example, a 750-ml bottle of dry vermouth could last months behind a bar. If not kept in the fridge, that's going to be a pretty nasty beverage in relatively short order.
That said, I totally agree with you. Punt e Mes is a great example, as it isn't terribly hard to get or expensive, but totally transforms otherwise blah cocktails. It's even pretty good (though crazy bitter) on its own.
Looking for cocktail ingredients?
They were relatively pricey--I can't remember exactly, but I want to say somewhere in the $16-$18 range.
Looking for cocktail ingredients?
Was actually at Liquor World (in Porter Square) last night. Lots of new (to me) stuff. They did have creme de violette. The had the Luxardo cherries ($18 or so), Angostura and Regan's orange bitters, Fee's whiskey-barrel-aged bitters, and, most impressively, about four different bitters from the Bitter Truth, which I've never seen before in a store. I'm not entirely sure what to do with celery bitters, but there they were.
This store has really come a long way. The wine selection is still questionable, but the cocktail situation is now quite serious.
best pancakes in boston?
Second the Deluxe Town Diner, but I'd add that their regular sour cream flapjacks are the very best pancakes I've ever had. And I don't even really LIKE pancakes.
Gluten-Free Friendly Dinner Tonight
Stone Hearth Pizza in Cambridge (technically a chain, with three locations) now has gluten-free pizza and pasta. While most certainly a chain, Papa Razzi has a gluten-free menu that includes various pastas--not the best thing in the world, no, but it's something.
East Coast Grill has a method that apparently guarantees that your meal is gluten-free. Elephant Walk, as mentioned, is a solid option as well.
I almost forgot: Marco in the North End has gf options, and it's a pretty excellent restaurant. They're quite aware of the whole celiac phenomenon, and bend over backwards to help out. If you call ahead, they'll make GF bread for you, if you can believe it. Move that to the top of the list.
Here's a decent forum that should help you out:
http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.php?s=05ba5b8adfd6aed1bbd9592a750649f7&showforum=28
Good luck!
Rum that you can sip??
Nice! Thanks for the heads-up.
I had been using the Zaya as an exotic sub-in for my wife's sidecars. It had this booming vanilla thing going on that made it a beautiful sipping rum, but also an interesting addition to a cocktail. My most recent bottle I found is completely different (and no longer from Guatemala, I noticed), and not nearly as distinctive.
I figured that the Monk would work just as well, at less than half the cost. Viva la recession!
Rum that you can sip??
I haven't seen Old Monk in stores around Boston. Where are you getting yours? Tried it at Drink, and would be thrilled to land a bottle (or two).
One Hit Wonders
This might get me killed, but I'd throw in the cubano at Chez Henri. It isn't so much that everything else is bad news, but I bet the bar wouldn't do half the business without that crazy sandwich.
the friendly toast opening in cambridge!
Actually, I had a similar lousy service experience the last time we were up there. Couldn't hail anybody down...food took forever, and then was COLD when it arrived...couldn't get coffee refills (an absolute diner no-no)...
Be all that as it may, I love that place, and am beside myself at the prospect of their cowboy eggs right here in the people's republic.
P.S. Interesting that several people decided that your use of the word "dirty" referred to tattoos and not actual dirt. Kind of a big leap, don't you think?
Pho n' Rice - Somerville
Sounds fabulous. I'd have to think, though, that Lady Siam, regardless of their menu, is no place to get Vietnamese good. Likewise with Pho n Rice.
Be all that as it may, I clearly will need to hit PnR, as I no longer really consider Le's a viable option (though the only option in Som/Camb/Arl). I pretty much could eat bun every day, given the chance.
Pho n' Rice - Somerville
Is there really a Vietnamese restaurant in Arlington? Surely not...
Gluten-free pizza - Stone Hearth in Cambridge
Sounds great. And let me throw in that Zing Pizza (right near the Dunkin Donuts in Porter Square) is also doing gluten-free pizza, with a rotating selection of toppings. My GF wife rated it well above several other GF pizzas we've encountered. It reheated especially well.
Porter Square Favs?
I swore that place off years ago after a truly unfortunate full-body evacuation brought on by their yellowtail. As I recall, their fish is pre-cut, never a good sign in raw-fish world.
Green's Gluten-Free Beer available anywhere?
My wife has celiac disease, so I'm always on the lookout for gluten-free beer options for her. While I haven't seen Green's in any restaurants, I have seen it at Julio's in Westboro and at the Fresh Pond Kappy's at Alewife. The good news is that several restaurants around the area are starting to stock New Grist and Redbridge (the Anheuser-Busch GF beer). For example, I know that the excellent Hungry Mother has Redbridge. Hope that helps.
Recession Busters
Here's another log to throw on the fire:
http://www.laverdadtaqueria.com/tacotuesdays.html
$1 tacos on Tuesdays at Le Verdad. The limit of 5 tacos per person seems...unnecessary. Even a little gross to think about.
Would you go to Starbucks just for the Clover?
Now that the Clover has been deployed to 30 Massachusetts-area Starbuckses, I must say that I in fact HAVE gone there just for the Clover. It has been a clear upgrade over the now-standard Starbucks coffee experience (which I find to mimic the cardboard cup sleeve in flavor). While Peet's remains the cream of the local coffee world (you just don't know how good you have it, Bay Area java drinkers), Starbucks has much broader influence (surprise). That I can now get a relatively superior cup of coffee all over the city (for up to $4 a cup, it should be noted) is certainly good news.
And, to address another part of your posting, I've yet to have a cup of Terroir coffee that I liked at all. And that's supposed to be the height of New England coffee roasting. If Blue Bottle wants to start a roastery in my basement...
