Not sure if this has already been reported. We tried to go to Pedro's in Billerica last night, but it was gone. Sign in the window said, "Coming soon, Max & Dylan's." Very sad - Pedro's had excellent arepas.

Thanks for the detailed trip report!

We went to Acitron this week and had an excellent meal. My chicken with mole verde stuffed with huitlacoche was delicious. The corn on the cob with cojita was awesome, and we didn't have to wait in line at Toro to get it. Excellent addition to Arlington!

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Toro
1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

We've now been to RIB about a dozen times and I have never had a bad meal. We haven't had the dosa so I can't comment, but the basil naan and coconut chicken are out of this world. I had a really nice Pimms cup there a few weeks ago, too. Hmmm...maybe that's what's for dinner tonight...

Oh, and while I'm updating, have you checked out the food court at H-Mart? There are Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese stalls. Awesome for a quick pre-grocery shopping dinner.

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H-Mart
3 Old Concord Rd, Burlington, MA 01803

Hi Michelle,
I've been neglecting my CH threads, and missed your question. Glad the post was helpful! I don't know of any Cambodian in Lex. Elephant Walk in Waltham has some Cambodian dishes, but if you're willing to drive 20 minutes it's worth it to go to Lowell. A quick search should turn up a list of SE Asian spots to try there.

I agree with tatsu that Dabin is not really bad, we just don't love it. It's worth the drive to Nu Jang Su (sp?) in Burlington for Korean.

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Elephant Walk
663 Main Street, Waltham, MA 02451

Dabin Restaurant
10 Muzzey St Ste 1, Lexington, MA 02421

I loved Rikki's class! If you are still having trouble finding supplies, I bet she could send what you need by mail. Che re is very easy to make though. I made some after coming back from her class, and don't recall needing to test the pH.

Woohoo!!! Congratulations! That sounds wonderful, and I'm so glad Clio was as great as you had hoped. Looking forward to the food report, too!

The best pastry I've had in recent recollection was a simple lemon square from Lakota Bakery in Arlington. The lemon curd was perfectly tart, and the crust was incredibly buttery. Their shortbread cookies are incredible, but that lemon square was a revelation.

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Lakota Bakery
1373 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476

Fisichelli's, in my opinion, makes the best cannolis. There is a rumor in my family that they use my Nana's recipe...I choose to believe it.

A few more options, slanted toward staying in Lexington or neighboring towns:

Bagels - Bagels by Us on Mass Ave in Arlington (near Lexington line) has H&H bagels. Closer than Newton, but a little overpriced.

Indian - The relatively new Royal India Bistro in downtown Lexington is really, really good. We no longer drive to Waltham for Indian.

Thai - Takeout in Lexington, Rice Cube. Very good (especially the spicy wings and beef basil.) Sit down in Lexington, Lemongrass Thai. Not great, but OK and close.

Chinese - Takeout, as mentioned before, Formosa Taipei in Marrett Sq., Lexington. For pu pu platter/pork fried rice type Chinese takeout, Changhai at the corner of Woburn and Lowell Streets in Lexington. No good sit down option in town. (Yangtze River in downtown will make you wish you drove to Sichuan Garden in Woburn.)

Pizza - takeout not too bad from Mario's in downtown. Upper Crust takeout is consitently lousy. Frankly, we order takeout from Nicola's in Arlington.

Diner/breakfast - Via Lago is open for breakfast M - Sat. We go to Classic Kitchen on Mass Ave in Arlington Heights.

Bakery - There are a few options for fresh bread in Lexington. Tutto Italiano has fresh baguettes and sub rolls, Great Harvest has a variety of breads (including a really delicious apple pie bread that is more of a dessert) and Wilson Farms offers a variety of local breads, including Iggy's. For pastries, Royal Pastry Shop has excellent Italian cookies and pastries, and Cake in downtown does very nice cakes and cupcakes. For the best cookies in the world, drive to Arlington Heights to Lakota Bakery.

Weekend dinner with the kids - we really enjoy Via Lago. It's the kind of place where you can get a decent glass of wine or cocktail, roast chicken, cubano sandwich, or cassoulet, and the kids can have real mac and cheese. It's small, but if you go fairly early it shouldn't be an issue squeezing in with the kids.

Other good spots nearby that you didn't ask about:
Ixtapa in Lexington is good for quick sit-down Mexican.
Daikanyama has very good sushi.
Prime Roast Beef and Seafood has really good roast beef sandwiches and onion rings.
Tutto Italiano - delicious prepared Italian takeout and Italian sandwiches
Candy Castle - ice cream!!!
Rancatore's - ice cream! and Lakota Bakery cookies!!!!
Avenue Deli - very good sandwiches, and Mexican Cokes in glass bottles with real sugar

Places in Lexington that we wish we could like but just don't (non-chains)
Mario's
Kushboo
Dabin
Lexx
Nourish
Yangtze River
Three Gorges
Nick's Pizza
Lexington House of Pizza
Waxy O'Connor's (except for wings and beer)

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Wilson Farm
10 Pleasant St, Lexington, MA 02421

Lakota Bakery
1373 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476

Yangtze River Restaurant
21 Depot Sq, Lexington, MA 02420

Changhai
321 Woburn St, Lexington, MA 02420

Dabin Restaurant
10 Muzzey St Ste 1, Lexington, MA 02421

Lexington House of Pizza
399 Lowell St, Lexington, MA 02420

Formosa Taipei
315 Marrett Rd, Lexington, MA 02421

Is Tom Yong Koong open again? It closed due to a fire several months ago. You could try Buona Vita which is right in the same area. We really enjoy it there, and should be fine with a baby.

Legal Test Kitchen sounds like it would fit the bill.

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Legal Test Kitchen
12 Harborside Dr, Boston, MA 02128

Two fave spots in the Aquarium - the Sea Dragon tank (wow, those are some beautiful, magical creatures), and the first window at the bottom of the center tank, which is sort of tucked in a corner.

Sounds like a fantastic trip - thank you so much for reporting back! I love it that you really took the Boston 'hounds' advice to heart. You really hit the highlights on this trip. Kudos!

Yes, Simply Heinz (made with real sugar, not HFCS) tastes like it used to. Coke from Mexico, sold in glass bottles and also made with real sugar, brings me right back to my childhood in the 70s.

Also, Armour Vienna Sausages and Sunbeam Bread.

We've had a couple of decent meals at the Colonial Inn over the last few months. We usually stick to New England types of dishes - beef stew, Indian pudding, etc.

We went to one of the Salem Cross Inn spit-roast dinners and had a great time. I don't know how the regular menu is. The clam chowder/popover/prime rib/apple pie meal we had was good (not great), but the whole experience was really memorable.

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Colonial Inn
48 Monument Sq # 2, Concord, MA

Ooooh, I'm so excited for you both! Please report back afterward!!

OK - that's awesome.

I believe it's around $110.

I don't think there are any manatees at the Aquarium, but there are seals! There is an outdoor tank where they swim in front of the Aquarium, and a show in the back.

Also, a little more on the Christian Science dome - it's called the Mapparium and is really cool. Basically, it's a big stained glass lighted map of the world. The acoustics are interesting - you can stand on opposite sides of the dome and whisper, and hear each other. There's a wiki page on it - check it out.

Each course of the tasitng menu at Clio is small (same thing at O Ya), and designed as such so that you can pace yourself. I believe we had 9 courses during the tasitng we did at Clio and left full but not stuffed.

For tasting that is not in the nose-to-tail category, I'd go with either Clio (quite romantic and creative, but not quite as pricey as L'Espalier), or O Ya if you like creative sashimi. Very sexy vibe.

As for where to pop the question, do you and she have any specific interests (other than each other?) There are some cool locations around town - inside the dome of the Christian Science building, the courtyard at the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum, Top of the Hub (for the view and a glass of champagne, not for the food), the gazebo on the harbor walk behind the Boston Harbor Hotel, the deck of the USS Constitution, a variety of cool spots within the Museum of Science if that's your thing, or in the Aquarium... You'll note that there aren't any outdoor spots on the list. Basically because even in the end of March it may still be icky outside here. In June I'd be sending you to the public garden.

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L'Espalier
774 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02199

O Ya
9 East Street, Boston, MA 02111

Top of the Hub
800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02199

And one with watermelon and habanero. Typicall, I'm a margarita purist, but that habenero infused tequila at Masa has a really addictive kick.

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Masa
439 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116

Hmmm...may have been one of my husband's and my first "dates". If you can call getting drunk at a show then gobbling pizza before hooking up a date. All's well that ends well. I like the Sportello suggestion. Nothing more romantic than sitting next to your date at a counter.

We've only eaten there once, and had a few Polynesian/Chinese dishes and sushi rolls. It was all just OK. A good non-chain option in that immediate complex, but nothing to go out of your way for.

I like my (brothy, slightly thickened with a light roux) black eyed peas over a slice of white bread. Reminds me of my childhood - so yummy.

We frequent their Lexington location, and have never had a bad meal. In fact, just ate lunch there today.

They have a lovely app of uni three ways - I especially like the uni wrapped in shiso and deep fried.

They have some creative rolls - the Fuji maki is one of our favorites. Today I had the Makimono lunch combo - three rolls - spicy tuna, avocado, and salmon. Serviced with miso soup and salad, $9.75. The simple rolls were lovely - super fresh, well formed, good rice. My daughter had the Sumo combo - 5 nigiri, Alaska maki, soup, and salad, also $9.50. She loved hers as well.

I believe some of their key Lexington staff went to work at the new Bloomingdales location when they first opened, though they may be back in Lexington now.

The Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation is on Moody. I'm assuming that's where grey's headed.

For the combo of great food and value, Taqueria Mexico is probably the best bet on Moody.

I also like Ponzu. I've always found the sushi to be fresh and the rice bowls to be yummy.

You might also want to check into Tara Pizza, not for the pizza, but for the Chilean menu. They have a good variety of empanadas and chacarero sandwiches.

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Taqueria Mexico
24 Charles St, Waltham, MA 02453

If you want a REALLY "dumbed-down" version, you can take a tip from my dyed-in-the-wool southern Louisiana mother. 30 years ago, when we moved to Massachusetts from Louisiana, andouille sausage was not nearly as easy to find as it is now. She always substituted Hillshire Farms Hotlinks in her recipes that called for andouille. It's not at all the same, but can work in a pinch.

But now I find andouille at Roche Bros in Burlington.

I had the same view of the Steer House that you expressed. My parents (both members of AARP) really wanted to go, so we went. It actually was not bad. I had a decent steak, potato, and salad. It's not anywhere that we would choose to go, but it's not awful. Prices are very reasonable, cocktails OK, decor and service just fine. Overall, probably a little better than you'd expect.