I would second the Navy Yard Bistro!
If you're willing to pay for parking, sure Joe's is great....but parking in the NE/Waterfront can be quite something. Whereas parking is not "residential" or anything during the weekends in Charlestown. Figs and Warren Tavern are both great suggestions. However, Warren Tavern is larger and might be able to offer something for everyone (simple bar food, salads, pastas, shephard's pie, etc).

There is also a Max&Dylan's right at the foot of the bridge going into the North End. I haven't been, and perhaps they're not even still open (that location is a black hole)...but if your reservation is early enough, I imagine it could be family/kid friendly, with enough options to please everyone...

Have fun!
Make sure to take the nieces up to the Monument! perhaps pick up some sandwiches from Sorelle's on Main St...if it's a nice day (fingers crossed), it's a little slice of ctown heaven. Actually, as are most of the parks in the area (and there are some awesome playgrounds for the kids too; harvard mall, and Paul Revere park which is kind of hidden under the bridge to the north end. just go into the coldstone and they should be able to give you directions there!).

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Warren Tavern Restaurant
2 Pleasant St, Charlestown, MA 02129

I dont know how many tables/seats they officially have, but I have called Grotto to be told that the evening we were wondering about they had a private party. They managed to bring us in as the party was dwindling, which worked for the larger party, and for my small group.
I dont remember if it was a weekend evening, but worth a call. It's cozy, intimate, and I've enjoyed the food the few times I've been over the past handful of years :)

http://grottorestaurant.com/index.php

Hello NYhounds!

Thank you so much for your words of advice :) We actually ended up getting a reservation at La Esquina's downstairs restaurant. With 8 ladies making plans, it turned out someone had been able to make that a while ago, and I hadn't been aware.

It was delicious! Great margaritas, sans sweet/acetic sour mix.
-Queso Fondito was gooey, salty, sweet, and a great crunch from the pumpkin seeds. It came with plantain chips, though not too many, and they were thin so one needs to be a little careful when scooping up the cheese.
-Tortilla soup. I actually haven't ever had tortilla soup, and thought it was really great. Fresh avocado mixed in, tomato base, chunks of chicken, and crunchy tortilla strips.
-Grille corn which had a nice char and tangy cheese sprinkled on top.
-Quesadilla with mushrooms and black beans. was the least impressive of the dishes, but still good. served with a spicy and slightly sweat sauce (perhaps a smooth salsa?)

I got the carnitas tacos which were AWESOME! I could have had two orders (only two small tacos per order). I also tried the fish tacos made with shark, which was also really tasty. Both were fresh, crunchy and cooked perfectly.

We ordered one of the crab tostada and while it was good, the ratio of crab meat to tostada was a bit overwhelming (meaning, there was about a golf ball of crab meat on a cracker). Perhaps if you LOVE crab it would make you super happy. also, a squeeze of hot sauce on top made the whole bite burn a bit, which I could have done without.

The downstairs is very cool, and has a unique atmosphere. The service....well, let's just say that when we placed our app order and asked for more time to look over the entrees we were told that we had to decide at that moment because of time constraints. That was a first for me.... Though, a nice waiter did follow me from the restroom to tell me i had some tp on my shoe. So that was nice :)

Again, thank you so much for your suggestions. I will keep them in mind for my next trip to NYC!
mollyditty

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La Esquina
106 Kenmare St, New York, NY 10012

Hello NY Hounds!

I am in charge of finding a place for a group of friends to dine at for this coming Friday. I understand this doesn't give much time for making a reservation for our biggish group (5-8), but would love any/all recommendations.

We're staying at hotel in Chelsea, so it would be great to keep it local as we're all getting in from out of town.
I'm thinking that the pricing of Otto is right down our ally! Er, and that's about my only point of reference for places in NY. Ideally, apps/entree would total about $30/person. We love cocktails as well as wines.
We dont have any dietary restrictions, and I believe most of the ladies are adventurous eaters.
If there is any french or swiss place that comes to mind, that would be awesome as well!

Thanks in advance for your guidance!

boston hound mollyditty

Grotto used to have this! It was quite charming :) Just checked the menu, and doesn't seem to be on it anymore. Perhaps they have it as a special?

Flash from the past! Circle Pizza was fresh, cheesy, and wonderful! Thanks for prompting this trip down memory lane :)

My friends and I had dinner at Desfina in Cambridge a short while ago. We thought it was great! Especially the steak kebob and leg of lamb.
http://www.desfina.com/

Pretty low key and small.

I have enjoyed the couple meals I've had at Grotto, on beacon hill. very well priced, and especially for the winter it's very cozy. I've had a couple different things, and while tasty and very good, they were not as refined as perhaps some other places...but still, good quality for a great price.

Hello! Sorry for my delay in response!
We had a lovely time at Angela's, and I wanted to thank everyone for their suggestions.

We did get the guacamole, which was WONDERFUL! I like my guac to have a decent amount of lime, and this one did! It was nice and chunky too. We also enjoyed the little hot sauces they served for us to nibble on while we ordered.
The sangria was very good as well! it had a great spice to it, and yet managed to stay light and refreshing.
We all got a Taco Al Pastor. It was tasty, and the pineapple added a light sweetness.

Two of my friends got the pork mole (which our server recommended over the chicken), and they enjoyed it.
My other friend and I split a couple things; Enchiladas Verdes and Camarones a la Cilantro (shrimp). Both were very good. In particular, the enchiladas came with added avocado and some shaved radish, which was a great contrast to the melted/shredded components of the enchilada. The shrimp was in a good sauce.

We enjoyed the experience :) Service was quick, attentive, and it was nice to see such a wide variety of clientele.

I'm headed to Angela's with some friends this evening, and was wondering if anyone has recommendations for things we simply should not miss!
There will be 4 of us. We're fairly adventurous eaters :)
I do love my classic tacos (esp if the tortilla isn't too corny...for some reason, I find a lot of the smaller tortilla shells at Anna's, etc, have a gritty texture that just doesn't compare to some tacos I had once in Mexico), but would love to know what else is great.

The menu looks quite exciting, and I promise to post what we get, and our feedback :) Here's to a fun night out with the ladies!

Molly

Ohhhh, great to know a little more about those baguettes at Russo's. I think they top my list of any baguettes I've had in the area. amazing crust, sweet/buttery insides....just delightful. And of course, when paired with a yummy cheese from the amazing cheese-guy....well, watch out world!

Please help!

I'm having a large group (12+) of people over to my house on Friday night. We're going to be having a Domincan feast!
However, it's right after work, and we're not going to have ample time to really cook etc. It's for a book club....sooo, we need to order.

We're comfortable doing grub hub delivery, since most places I've looked up are in JP/Roxbury, but I have no idea which places are better than other.
OR, what things would travel better! for example, something about delivered Ceviche just sounds wrong....

What are your favorite dominican places? Closer to Charlestown, the better! If it's close enough, I can even go pick up the food and leave the guests for a brief bit.

Thanks!
molly and crew!

Hello!
Wanted to loop back with you :) I called Louie's, and they were going for $10.99/lb and James Hook was just $9.99. Eh, only a buck, but I had to stop off at work downtown for something else, so it just made sense.
Was very happy with the lobsters we got :) This was only the second time I've bought lobsters and cooked them at home, and it was perfection.
We had clarified butter (lots and LOTS of it), baked potatoes, and a light salad of mixed greens/red onions/tomatoes/blue cheese/lemon vinaigrette.

oh, and this was after our 5 dozen hood canals. wonderful way to begin the weekend :)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend, thanks so much for your advice!

molly

a friend of mine is ordering them from the West Coast....he had a gift certificate from a wedding present that he's using for this....5 Dozen Hood Canal and a 1lb of smoked salmon....
we had a big seafood feast over the summer in the Cape and a couple of our other friends are now "experience" shuckers from the 4 dozen oysters we had at that point.

Hello!

I was wondering if anyone had a favorite seafood place where you always purchase your fresh lobsters. My friends and I are planning an evening of Lobsters and Oysters for Friday night, and I wanted to make sure we were getting it from somewhere trusted and, if possible, cheaper than others.
Was thinking that Whole Foods would be trusty, but probably expensive.

We live in Porter/Davis area, but I have a car and don't mind some driving....

Thanks in advance for you suggestions!

Hello!
We ended up at Gaslight! Thanks so much for the suggestions, all. We had 9pm reservations, and were not seated till 9:45 or so. during this time there was an overwhelming smell of feet every now and then. it was gross. later on someone said the smell was coming from fondue. eh, perhaps some like the smell, it was just a bit too much for us.
the bread was wonderful! and i love that they just bring the full baguettes to the table!
not sure what everyone got....but everyone was pleased :) We did find that most of the entree's were very salty. things were good, but I don't think i'd go back for the food alone....and with all the other reviews, i'm excited to try some new places next time we have a big group here.
we actually went to Rocca afterward for drinks. fun place :)

again, thanks so much for the recs.

Saturday evening.
around 6-8ish....
price...entrees around $20.

just looked at Gaslight, and it sounds like they'd fit the bill nicely!
any thoughts on Rocca?

Thanks for the recs so far!

Hello!
I have a number of friends coming in from out of town. We'll be having drinks at a friend's place in the South End, and hope to go out to dinner around there after. We could head over to the back bay area, but South End has sooo many places! so many awesome unique restaurants!

Ummm, clearly 12-15 is a tall order.
We were thinking Pops....but I dont know if they'd do a reservation like that.

Maggiano's....uh, waaaaaaaay too much food, and doesn't have an intimate/unique feel...

I know this is a tall order. I look forward to suggestions. Splitting into a couple tables is always fine too....

THANKS!

Thanks for the suggestions! Ended up sauteing up a bunch of mushrooms and lights dredged chicken. Kept it simple and really enjoyed this easily thrown together dish.
Am excited to cook my own sauce in the future :)

Hello! I'll making some pasta with Vodka sauce tonight, and was wondering what people think would go with it?
I would LOVE to get in some greens, but not sure if that would just be an insult to the sauce (it's from a jar....so I'm not too concerned....).
Would Kale stand up to the flavor? is the flavor of the sauce usually on the milder side?
mushrooms?
chicken? sausage? shrimp?
Just hoping to get away from a straight pasta and sauce dish.... add some extra protein and health stuff :)

Thanks in advance!

Hello! Thanks for your recs everyone!

We ended up at Pho Hoa, on Beach St. I called in advance, since there were 12 of us coming. with just 15 minutes notice, they were able to give us a 4 top and 8 top, right next to each other. of course, service was quick, friendly, and everything was tasty.
for many of my friends who never had Pho before, it was a perfect intro!

:) and now back to the end of the work day.....

Hello!
So, a handful of coworkers and I are going to hit up Chinatown for some wonderful, steaming, tasty, and comforting Pho.
I think there will be about 8 of us or so, and we've got an hour (perhaps more!), but want to go somewhere that moves tables pretty quickly, and can serve all 8 of us. I know, a tall order!

I do love me some Xinh Xinh, and Pho Vietnam, and Pho Pasteur (is it still called that?),....thoughts? Any other great suggestions, especially for people who have never had Pho before? again, we'll be a large-ish group, and sure we can split up, but it would be lovely to have us all together!

Thanks!

haha, true! However, I am planning another evening out there (giving the brother and sis-in-law a night off), so will be ordering pizza! i will take these new suggestions and make a few calls. perhaps we'll have a pizza taste-off!

happy new year

sadly, i've gotten the Mac and Cheese a couple times and it has just been on the bland bland bland side. I've had to add pepper and salt, just to bring a little life to it :( That being said, the price is pretty sweet, and it's nice it comes with a side salad!

Hello!
I was just reading another post in which someone mentioned the Jasmine Bistro in Brighton.
My grandpa was Hungarian, and my mom has always spoken fondly of the food his mom (her grandma) used to make...
I see they also have French and Middle Eastern food, but am more interested in the Hungarian aspect.

I'd love to bring her out to dinner here, OR...if there is another wonderful Hungarian place in the boston area, that would be cool too. Any dishes that are a MUST by way of "traditional hungarian cuisine" (my knowledge is slim to none...)?

Thanks :)

Hello!
I'll be coming into Baltimore this weekend of the Half-marathon and was wondering what Pho places people would recommend. Cheap, and hole-in-the-wall are always welcomed suggestions, as those are the kinds of the places i do in Boston.

-we're in mount vernon
-and the half marathons near camden yards

We'll have a car, but would prefer to walk/take T(?not sure what stop we're by...? is there are a subway system in Baltimore?!? eek! things I should have probably looked into before posting).

I have read some recent posts about Baltimore Pho, and while it looks like a fun and unique experience, the review on the Pho isnt exactly calling our name....

Look forward to hearing feedback!
Where would you go after running 13 miles?!?!? what would hit the spot?!?!

THANKS!

Hello!
With the fall upon us, I want SOUP! Warm, filling, delicious soup.
I am wondering where people go to fix this craving.
I have an ABP in my building, Temptations right across the street (not a big chili fan, though, i have heard RAVE reviews of theirs!), Souper Salads...doesnt appeal for some reason (i can be convinced!)....and yes, I know Chinatown is just a few minutes away, but on a busy and crazy day, i need me a quick fix.
Thoughts?!?
If only there was a New England Soup Factory around here. that would be heaven!
THANKS!
most likely will do ABP today, but excited for suggestions that can be tried out TOMORROW!!

word on the street. Temple Bar is doing a 3 course Pumpkin Meal.
perhaps too much pumpkin? havent been there in a while but my friend went the other evening and was pleased with the regular menu :)

Hello!
So I'm down on the Cape with some friends. tonight/tomorrow (wednesday). we're getting:
Oysters, Mussels, Clams, and Lobsters. we're going to show case each on its own.
Oysters. well, a little lemon juice and perhaps some cocktail sauce, but really just some lemon. UNLESS, someone has a simply-must-try vinegrette!
Clams. I want to do a simply pasta dish. looked up a bunch on-line, but none really grabbed me, especially with FRESH clams. sadly, i dont have my cook books down here! :( So, if you know of a quick, and tasty recipe, PLEASE send it my way!
Mussels. something with lots of garlic, tomatoes, red wine, red pepper......parsley....grilled bread.....anything I'm missing?
Lobster... BUTTER

hope to here from someone soon!
THANKS!!!!!

i made some Panna Cotta a couple months back! thanks to MANY helpful hints from ChowHounders :) of course. thought i would copy the link in here for you. I ended up making mine in smaller plastic wine glasses (short, flat bottomed, wide at the top), with basic cream base and some vanilla bean. it was TASTY. especially with some fresh berry mixture on top.
enjoy!
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/477979