phipsi102's Profile
My last Speed's Dog
I had a Speed Dog with everything about a month ago, was just as delicious, loaded, and memorable as all of the many I've had in the past!
San Sebastian - Question about tasting menus at Akelarre, Arzak, Mugaritz, Martin Berasategui, etc...
hgray14,
I was in San Sebastian with my wife for our honeymoon in 2008. To be sure, we had a fantastic time and ate amazing food at all of the pintxos bars in the old town. We also had a 17-course lunch tasting menu at Arzak, which was almost as expensive as a 9 course tasting menu we had for dinner at Zuberoa. Arzak's food was fantastic, but the atmosphere was stale and stuffy, service minimal/shaky, people smoking next to us, and overall "smoothness" was not NEARLY as impressive as Zuberoa. Absolutely everything at Zuberoa blew us away, from approaching the front door and them opening from the inside "Good evening Mr and Mrs Weiss", to speaking with Chef Hilario (via our waitress as translator) per his request, and getting his recommendations for where to eat in Madrid, on the way out. Unbelievable. Go there. They have their own hawks, etc, to catch game. Also had a bottle of 1976 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 for 65Euro. Incredible, seriously. Dinner was worth every penny, unforgettable. Do these things when you have the chance.
Best Bolognese in town
Il Casale in Belmont has an excellent Tagliatelle Bolognese, made of beef, pork, veal, mortadella, pancetta and chicken livers. Good stuff.
Where to find whole nutmeg?
Can't recall having seen it anywhere, was hoping to make Alton Brown's eggnog recipe, which specifically calls for whole nutmeg freshly grated. Anyone seen it recently? I live in Belmont, so hopefully close to home?
Neptune Oyster Feast of 7 Fishes 12/23; Who Else?
Il Casale is doing a 7 Fishes Menu in addition to the regular menu, for 12/24 only.
ISO Thanksgiving To Go?
Il Casale in Belmont is doing it this year, and I had a very good one from Savenor's in Cambridge a few years ago.
Recommendations for old school/divey/gritty Boston spots - restaurants and bars (w/ or w/o food)
I would second Aces High in Southie and JJ Foleys South End, I would add Hogan's Run in Brighton, Model Cafe and Silhouette Lounge in Allston.
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Hogan's Run
8 Lincoln St, Brighton, MA 02135
Best Tapas in Boston (with super good Paella) :)
Regarding paella, noodles is NOT an option. Rice. It should have strong flavors of saffron and Spanish chorizo sausage and/or pimenton (smoked paprika). Period. Other ingredients are variable. One of the key characteristics of good paella is that it is supposed to have a hard "crust" of rice on the bottom. Glad you liked the "tapas" at Toro, I consider them one of the best restaurants in Boston, based on food. However, if you're looking for tapas like you would get in Spain, I find Estragon to be the most authentic. I've had very disappointing experiences at Taberna De Haro and Tapeo. Dali and Solea have been a little better IMHO. Zaytinya in DC I agree is fantastic, but a whole different animal, being Greek, Lebanese, Turkish-based cuisine. Small Plates DOES NOT EQUAL Tapas. Tapas are from Spain.
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Toro
1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118
Taberna De Haro
999 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446
Italian Style Roast Beef Sandwich OR Roast Pork Sandwiches
FYI it looks like the soon-to-open NY Pie in Waltham will be offering Italian Beef sandwiches. http://bostonrestaurants.blogspot.com/2011/05/ny-pie-to-open-in-waltham.html. Also, I recently made the trip down to Weymouth for a beef from Windy City Eats, which I agree was solid, but wouldn't stand out in Chicago. Worth driving Weymouth occasionally though! Also, if you are a fan of Windy City Eats, join their mobile phone mailing list- they sent text messages with insider specials once a week or so.
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Windy City Eats
407A Middle St, Weymouth, MA 02189
2011 el bulli reservations
Just wanted to follow up on our visit to El Bulli this past Saturday night. We too, got lucky with a nice email and a cancellation a couple of months ago, and went with a party 4 for dinner at 7:30pm. It was absolutely amazing. We rented a car in Barcelona- I recommend renting ahead of time from SIXT car rental online, I got a BMW 1 series diesel for 52 Euro for 24 hours- AWESOME! We drove to Roses from Barcelona- Basically Highway A-7 or AP-7 the whole way to Figueres, then follow signs to Roses. Be prepared for about 10-15 Euro of tolls on the way. I reserved a hotel in Roses online too- Hostal Rom, stayed in one of their apartments they rent, which was nice and equipped and had a full bed and bunkbeds in another bedroom, about 80 Euro for the night in downtown Roses. Took a cab with a lovely cab driver to the restaurant, cost about 16 or 18 Euro I think, not sure. They open the driveway (the only gate) right at 7:30, so if you arrive earlier you'll have to wait on the road. We took that opportunity to take some photos with the sign, mountainside, etc. Dinner was unbelievable, we had 51 courses (some served simultaneously). Got out around 12:30 or so, so around 5 hours. If anyone is interested (I hope you will be), I wrote up a detailed blog post with photos and descriptions of the food here: http://tinyurl.com/3cszxjz Please leave a comment if you have any thoughts! Again, thanks to El Bulli for doing what you do, and thanks to all of you for your advice! Hope this helps someone make plans.
Rube-ish question about ordering in San Sebastian....
I spent 10 days in San Sebastian for my honeymoon 2.5 yrs ago. In my experience, the ordering process varied a lot from bar to bar. Most places you ask for a plate and help yourself. Some places you point to what you want and they plate it up for you. All have menus with additional hot items available. Some places run a tab for you with everything you asked for, then charge you when you leave. others, when you ask them to charge you, ask YOU what you had. Others simply count the toothpicks on your plate. Just relax and go with it. I should note- almost every single tapas bar also has a dining room- these are seated by a host, and serve larger "raciones" portions, and paella, local favorites, etc. Didn't try any of these myself, was having too much fun having a bit in each place! Also note, when you order tapas, and your order a vino tinto (red) or blanco (white), it will be a small glass in a flat-bottomed tumbler. It's small, but it's really cheap too. You can also order a "Zurita" which is a small pour of beer. I highly recommend the white wine called "txakoli" pronounce Chah-koh-lee! It's slightly effervescent, tart and refreshing, and usually poured from a great height into the glass by the bartender, so as to bring out some of the bubbles! Also, 2 local dishes I ordered at real sit-down restaurants that I feel should not be missed- Txipirones en su tinta (squid in its own ink) and Txangurro (basque spider-crab baked-stuffed in its own shell- DELICIOUS!
Shasito peppers (sp?)
I have bought Shishito peppers at HMart in Burlington, I have also bought them at Mirim Korean Grocery on Harvard St in Allston. I like to blister them in a hot cast iron pan with olive oil and kosher salt. DEE-lish. If you want to eat them in a restaurant, I have seen them recently on menus at Toro and Estragon. Enjoy!
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Toro
1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118
Cheapest 30packs of beer in Boston area?
Stopped by there tonight, PBR 30pack was $19.49- No dice.
Cheapest 30packs of beer in Boston area?
Any suggestions? I usually buy Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Light, or PBR. At my local Shaws/Star Market the Bud/Coors/Millers are 21.99-22.99 per 30pk cans, pbr is usually 16.99-17.99 for the same. I haven't seen it cheaper anywhere else, but I also don't know where to look.
Has anyone seen these for significantly cheaper anywhere?
Thanks!
rocca or union tonight?
At the risk of getting a bit off-topic- I have worked as a waiter at 8 or so Boston-area restaurants, and the hourly wage is always the same- $2.63/hr. If you have health insurance offered from the employer, once it is deducted from your check, this hourly wage isn't even enough to cover social security and medicare tax, so you end up owing not only all of your federal and state income tax for the year, but also a bunch of soc. sec. and medicare tax! This on top of receiving $0 paychecks all year, living on tips. If you do NOT have health insurance deducted from your check, soc. sec. and medicare will be taken care of, but you still receive $0 paychecks all year and owe thousands at the end of the year! No joke. Boston waiters live on tips, and tips only.
korean tacos in Boston?
Are you talking about Trader Joe's Boolkogi? I buy that too, but discovered that it is in fact Chuck meat, although the delicious marinade certainly tenderizes it nicely. I agree that it would be delicious in a taco. Let me know if you try it!
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Trader Joe's
1427 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476
korean tacos in Boston?
Agreed on Korean Garden- by far the the biggest spread of banchan that I've gotten in this city.
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Korean Garden
122 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134
August Openings and Closings
Yeah, saw that too- really too bad, I liked John's Market MUCH better than Mirim- cleaner and friendlier, I felt better about giving them my business. Shopped there about once a month or so. I would guess the location on a side street did them in.
Authentic Spanish restaurants in the Boston Area?
Ooh ooh I love the R.Lopez de Heredia wines! I've had a 97blanco, the 99 rose, and the 81 red- all fantastic! FYI Brix on Washington St recently had the 1981 red for $85- not sure if it's still there...
Any other restaurant in Boston doing mandatory tips on checks over a certain amount?
In my 30 years of life and 11 years waiting tables and working in 13 different restaurants in Boston and Chicago, I've never heard of a amount-based gratuity-included policy. Very strange.
THE VERY BEST chilaquiles
I had some pretty decent chilaquiles at brunch on a Sunday at Tu Y Yo in Somerville.
Rao's Coffee Roaster Co. Ethiopian Yrgacheffe
Rao's (which is based in Amherst and Hadley, MA, by the way) sells their coffee, including the Ethiopian Yrgacheffe) online at http://www.raoscoffee.com/. That coffee is $13 online, plus shipping, so it isn't cheap, but it IS available, so it's a start anyway!
Korean BBQ
I've been to Nu Jang Su in Burlington, Kaya in Porter Sq., Apgujung in Newton, and other places in Chicago, and my current favorite in Korean Garden in Allston. Great BBQ at the table, TONS of panchan, including some kind of soup- around $18/pp. Exactly what I expect to spend when I go out for Korean BBQ, and exactly what I want to be served- delicious!
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Apgujung
1114 Beacon St, Newton, MA
Korean Garden
122 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134
CHINATOWN LOBSTER SPECIALS
Stopped by Jo Jo Taipei in Allston specifically to try this lobster dish, having heard about it right here. My wife and I are HUGE fans of the same dish at Ocean Wok in Hampton Beach, NH. Never had it anywhere else. Jo Jo's rendition is good, and cheap, but not AS good. The lobster was stuck to the inside of the shell on many pieces, and the sauce was a little too sweet. Nevertheless, quite enjoyed it!
FWIW, I called first to confirm that it was available, at 9pm on a Monday. Yes it was so we went! We were 1 of only 2 tables in the place.
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Ocean Wok
7 Ocean Blvd, Hampton, NH 03842
JoJo Tai Pei Restaurant
103 Brighton Ave, Boston, MA 02134
Boomer's in Worcester- anyone been recently?
I had an Italian sandwich on half an Italian loaf of bread at this Sub shop called Boomer's in Worcester when I was in high school and still haven't forgotten it. Anyone else been there, maybe recently? Still good? Here's a link to the menu if anyone wants to check it out.
http://www.boomerssubanddeli.com/files/17972496.pdf
Boomer's in Worcester- anyone been recently?
I had an Italian sandwich on half an Italian loaf of bread at this Sub shop called Boomer's in Worcester when I was in high school and still haven't forgotten it. Anyone else been there, maybe recently? Still good? Here's a link to the menu if anyone wants to check it out.
http://www.boomerssubanddeli.com/files/17972496.pdf
Taberna de Haro - Great atmosphere, horrible food.
Allow me to be more specific: Dali to me feels a little over the top trying to be Spanish in ambiance, but festive nonetheless, and the food I've had there has always been tasty, and mostly true to what I've had in Spain. Service has always been friendly as well, if not extraordinarily professional. Always a good experience.
Estragon's ambiance to me is like a Boston fancy-fied version of a downtown Madrid upscale restaurant- feels swanky with a big touch of Spain in it. The service (disclaimer: I've always sat at the bar) has always been excellent and professional, and the food delicious and frequently on the money with dishes I've had in Spain. Once again, always a good experience. As a bonus, the Las Ventas shop attached to Estragon has many Spanish products that are difficult/impossible to find anywhere else. The owner Julio happens to be around frequently and quite friendly as well, which never hurts.
Taberna de Haro - Great atmosphere, horrible food.
Excellent, please do let us know how it goes- Thanks BobB!
