black bean can's Profile
Looking for the ultimate eating in Seattle
for a "nice" meal, I'd recommend Tilth in wallingford as an example of the fresh / local PNW kind of place that's not common in NY. Just went there with an out of town guest and really enjoyed it. I have noticed that the simpler the dish sounds, the better it is. soups have been fantastic.
easy bus ride from U district.
As a beer and a snack, I second Ivar's: the service is often bad, and you may get someone else's food, but I don't think there's any experience in NY like having some calamari and a beer on the dock and watching the float planes and boats go by like in a Richard Scary book.
recent winners from a boston transplant
Thanks for the recs! I'll have to be contrary though and argue that, at least as far as the lamb sandwich is concerned, the U district Gyrocery beats Alladin (although I think they are the same people... weird)
Barriga: not my favorite styles of torta, but very glad to have the variety
El Caminon tacos: Fish and carnitas were both super tasty! I might need to do more shopping at home depot!
SEA: Dinner @ louisa's in Eastlake
We hit Louisa's for dinner this week. They recently expanded into dinner service, and we'd been meaning to check them out for a while.
The meal was good, but a few things could have made it a lot better. Maybe they read this... I'm not bold enough to give actual feedback at the time when they ask "how is everything"
Salad: dressing was just Balsamic vinegar, no oil. it was a good balsamic, and nicely sweet, though not reduced. But it was just too harsh on its own without oil. The Focaccia that came with the salad wasn't very fresh, and would have been a lot better toasted.
Corn cakes: good flavor, heavy sodden texture though. these are really more like heavy pancakes. I don't really know how one would fix them, maybe it should be more of a cornbread. grilled zucchini and gazpacho were great. could have used more salt.
Grilled chicken : good sear nice crust. Basmati rice underneath was swimming in butter.
I can't remember if veggies as a side order were on the menu, but the chicken could have used more vegetables.
Service was friendly and fine
I have high hopes for this place, they have a good (and simple) menu, and they've priced it well for the neighborhood. We're going back for sure. Hopefully they can work out the kinks.
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Louisa's Bakery & Cafe
2379 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA
Paladar Cubano
Had the shredded pork + onions sandwich, spicy. really great! also had steamed yuca and the rice + beans. Rice + beans were more like a cumin-y fried rice, better than paseo's which I find too sweet. very tasty! Yuca was tender.
The truck is up on blocks, so ordering is kind of funny because they're way up high.
I kind of want another one now....
Not a (Mexican) taco, not a truck
Had the oxtail soup last night. very tasty!
The beef taco was the standout. pork was a little sweet for my taste, but not offensive.
Not a destination taco, but a very nice addition to the eastlake scene!
I like that it interacts well with zoo (and vox) and I appreciate their very simple menu.
recent winners from a boston transplant
It is indeed a great torta, and in a totally different style. thanks! (the rest of the menu looks good too)
recent winners from a boston transplant
Stefani's / dimitrio's in cambridge for example. spongy crust, not much gluten. cooked in a pan. doesn't fold well. I'm not really a fan of the style myself. I think they all buy from the same distributor(s).
I see wikipedia is on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_pizza.
Also quite a few of the [town name] house of pizza places are greek style.
bbc
recent winners from a boston transplant
thanks for the tips! [off topic porter sq rec: tacos lupita's torta al pastor.]
recent winners from a boston transplant
Hi folks,
We recently moved to seattle from boston, and are getting used to the food landscape.
I'm a little surprised at the low volume on CH, given what appears to be a higher food nerd density. Is there some other forum that is more popular?
But more about food:
Some places we've eaten in the last couple of months that have been good:
(And I know the regulars are rolling their eyes about some of these --- just trying to inject some more data into the system...)
Alladin Gyro-cery in U district: Lamb sandwich.
Araya: lunch buffet -- a good way to get some vegetables. Dinner - more put together.
Pagliacci: I might get razzed for this, but I've found it to be totally acceptable delivery pizza.
I liked the margherita. Also I appreciate that they have logistics down.
Jack's tapas: I'm not sure the region (Some of the dishes seemed taiwanese..) , or why it's called tapas or cafe, but the eggplant basil hooked me up. ALso the green hot sauch with chiles and fermented black beans. Hand cut noodles were good too. I think one of the specials menus never changes and should just get printed up as a menu...
Galway arms: Burger + beer. I like a high food quality to ambience ratio, and this is off the chart with what I think has been the best burger so far, the second diviest atmosphere so far. (first is the blue moon...) Fried fish was also well fried, but more of a batter style than I like.
Sitka + spruce: Simple preparations, good ingredients. We had some apps and drinks standing at the "bar", and the menu lends itself well to getting a few small plates to share.
Tilth: Pretty awesome. The standout was a smoked bean dish that we ordered as filler. Maybe too nice service and atmospere for my liking.
rancho bravo taco truck on 45th: Pretty solid. Not sure why, but no one seems to put beans on a torta by default here. Also I haven't seen al pastor on as spit.
salumi: porchetta (duh...)
Paseo: roast pork sandwich. messy and a bit sweet, but delicious. Beans and rice: meh.
Seattle deli: pork banh mi (and the other ones in a one block radius. All pretty good)
Green leaf:; their marinated mushrooms were particularly amazing.
Overall observations as a boston transplant
Grocery store sticker shock. Where's a market basket when you need one?
expensive low-end food -- sandwiches etc.
(A lot of mediocre $6 sandwiches)
Even bad coffee is better here.
Farmer's markets are a whole different scale.
Ethiopian on Cherry... sorry, I forget which ones but so far all good!
Things I'm missing and would love to find if they exist here, though I know I should learn to love Seattle's unique offerings as well:
Brazilian by the pound
portuguese
a cheap steamed tortilla burrito (A la anna's/boca/felipe)
Greek. At first I thought I was in luck seeing "olympic" this and that, but no, those aren't greeks.
the gyro at pike place was pretty good though.
Turkish (brookline family....)
Low end Indian
budget Puerto Rican (izzy's)
-beancan
Baraka cafe: still a really hidden gem
It's hard to tell that they're open from the outside. At least there's a sign now.
Highlights:
Vegetarian platter du jour. I'm not veg, but this was fantastic. you must like garlic though. Very smoky eggplant.
ricotta mushroom ravioli: in mushroom broth with more mushrooms, thyme, leek. subtle. nice.
chocolate cake: dense, rich, cake itself wasn't too sweet. maybe the best bargain dessert I've seen at $5.50. Mrs. black bean thinks it totally blows away anything from finale.
turkish coffee... rose water and cardamom and probably why I'm WIDE AWAKE RIGHT NOW....
I appreciate that there isn't pressure to turn the tables over, we were able to take our time.
Where are the great sit-down breakfast (not brunch) spots in Cambridge!?
another vote for danny's as a solid option. BYO maple syrup to class it up a bit. Pancakes have been uniformly good, and it's a bit crazy that you can get pancakes instead of toast.
"Roadhouse Craft Beer and BBQ "
Just had some great beer ( dogfish Indian head) and several of the meats:
smoked wings: no option to have the sauce on the side. Way too much sweet sauce
brisket: actually could have used just a little sauce, or more rub, or salt or something. almost there, certainly not bad, but not really that great either.
pork ribs: nicely rendered, but not very smoky, and not much flavor.
*Pulled pork: one of the better I've had recently, worth returning for.
sides: mash, collard, mac, cornbread were all ok.
*the winner
service was fine. It was a weeknight and totally full.
Shanti: delivery Indian in Southie
Had some delivery from Shanti last week. Ordered everything "Spicy", and wow was that a transcendent near-death experience of flavor.
CTM: bright, flavorful, spicy in a region just below unbearable, but above the involuntary crying threshold. some separation of of oil, but not bad.
Lamb curry: similar.
Palak paneer: good, but I don't recall the specifics.
Pakoras: nicely spiced. must have been really great when hot.
shrimp biryani: also insanely spicy. I would try chicken next time -- the shrimp didn't really work with it. Also delivery shrimp is a bad idea because it can (and did) get overcooked in the container.
Nan: stretchy / crispy. flavorful. Garlic Nan: the same, but with the jarred garllic flavor.
recent eats - guru, mass ave, machu picchu
First the bad: had enchiladas for lunch at mass ave restaurant -- tasted like it had been sitting in the fridge a long time. I like their breakfast so I was a bit surprised at how bad lunch was. My friend barely ate any of his chicken.
now the good: got takeout from guru the caterer: Chicken Tikka Masala, a paneer / cashew sauce dish, potatoes, lamb curry. all really great.
Also good, based on recs here: grilled chicken and pork sandwiches at machu picchu. Pork had some gristly bits, but was tasty.
Inman Sq. Breakdown.
Central bakery plugs:
-The corn bread when it's fresh (and not sold out!)
-country loaf
Best sandwich... ever?
lupita torta al pastor (my drop-of-a-hat anytime sandwich)
Bob's (medford) Lamb tip
Emma's pizza BLT
great thread!
Taco Lowdown
mostly a me too post:
lupita tacos al pastor
angela's tacos arabes
anna's tacos al pastor aren't bad
totally different style, but I was pleasantly surprised: middlesex lounge jumbo taco (maybe lunch only?)
I still need to try taco loco's tacos.
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Taco Loco Mexican Grill
44 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145
Middlesex Lounge
315 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
Burrito lowdown
Hit Taco Loco this weekend -- The burrito is grilled instead of steamed. Got a 'small' chicken burrito. It's a moist filling -- lots of crema and guac -- better roll up your sleeves. The rice has frozen mixed veggies in it; we were skeptical at first, but it worked just fine in the burrito context. Small is plenty large, BTW.
Mrs. black bean can got a revueltas pupusa. Somehow not quite as tasty as other area pupusas (lupita, cafeteria el salvador), but certainly tasty and incredibly generous serving for $1.49. Curtido was a little less vinegary than she likes, the red salsa was delicious.
Punjab Dhaba 1/2/08 - that's a lot of food for $7
Unfortunately it's pretty random.
I've been sticking with ordering "extra extra spicy" or "even extra extra extra" which is the equivalent of spice roulette, today we got a lot of diced chiles on our chicken tika
BTW, I tried the jerk chicken, and at least that time it was plenty hot.
There are usually chiles at the counter that you can grab if it's way under spiced.
Cafe Baraka: North African Soul Food
I really like their "ultimate vegetarian platter" It's hard not to order it when we go.
Calling all hounds: Angela's Cafe needs your help!
I agree competely -- had lunch there a few days ago:
stuffed poblano -- soggy mess.
tacos arabes -- superb, especially the salsa.
looking to try more.
Tea Zone
Just had a super grapefruit iced tea after a lupitas taco (it's next door).
I like that you can get anything in the store brewed -- I definitely want to go back and try some other things.
The location is pretty tough for walk-in business though -- I hope it sticks around.
The Paddock is open again
I didn't see the marinated tomatoes on the pizza toppings list.
The menu was newly printed and in a clean binding. clean tablecloths!
The decor is pretty much unchanged unless you consider a layer of grime as decor (I'm on , but they did get rid of one of the larger and uglier horse paintings
also the clear budweiser horse lamps are now spotless.
The Paddock is open again
We hit the paddock tonight for an onion pizza.
the crust was a bit different: more fluffy and very dry, and could have used some salt. I'm hoping that they can get back to their excellent crust flavor and texture of the past, or that this pizza was an exception. anyone else check it out yet?
BTW, someone cleaned the place, and amped-up drunk guy with all the gold chains in the track suit was nowhere to be seen.
Wisteria House in Cambridge now open
visited twice:
for lunch:
beef + chinese watercress. not very spicy, but good.
crispy chicken w/ basil -- I found it delightfully tender, but mrs black bean found it distressingly tender,
dinner (based on recs from CH!)
egg pancake -- rolled up pan-fried egg + pancake -- well fried, but I was hoping for the non-rolled up street food version I remember from taiwan -- anyone know what I'm talking about?
pipa tofu -- fried shrimp + tofu balls -- super soft texture with a crispy batter coating. really well fried
leek chive pork dumplings -- similar to dumplings on good days at MuLan + QingDao
Basta Pasta in Cambridge
I'll put in a plug for the milanese sandwich, the white risotto, and (surprisingly) the burger
Brookline Family Restaurant -- tasty
We ate there with a big group last weekend. Mostly shared a lot of mezze, a few entrees.
Highlights I can remember:
stuffed baby eggplant,
a warm red bean dish (a standout for me)
Adana Kebab (on salad... otherwise it's way too much rice imho)
shepherds salad w/cucumbers + tomato.
all of these I'd order again.
the manti (a special that night) were a bit disappointing -- more oregano and mint than I like.
I'm not sure how it would work going with a smaller group, but it was really excellent for a crowd.
turkish coffee was good
j&j beef prego sandwich - awesome. taqueria mexicana torta-bad
Hi all,
I just had two opposite sandwich experiences.
The beef prego at J&J was really great. The red sauce (piri piri? vary garlicky) was really flavorful
and the roll was fresh. It takes a while to make, so I think they grill the beef to order.
I'm definitely adding it to my favorite sandwich list.
Having split it with Mrs Black bean, we thought we'd try splitting a pork torta at taqueria mexicana. It's not that any one aspect of it was terrible, but it was kind of all bad. Roll was standard sub roll, not that fresh. Pork -- bland and stewy, beans nothing special. guac was not very fresh tasting. pretty much just bad. I recall having a good steak quesadilla there a while ago, not sure why the torta was so lousy.
(Lupita totally kicks their butts on the torta front)
while I've got your attention, I'll hijack my own thread and list some other favorite lower-end sandwiches:
tacos lupita torta al pastor
ba le banh mi, pork
emma's pizza BLT
Bob's lamb tip
kiraz goat cheese/beet
basta pasta milanese
Help me find the pizza of my childhood...
Thanks for the suggestions.
We hit Pini's and MR B's for a double lunch today.
At Pini's I had a plain cheese pizza. The crust had a good stretchy texture, with a nice sparser crumb structure. a bit more sauce than I would like. this might be the closest yet for crust type. I'm interested in any suggestions that go even further in the stretchy, high gluten, big bubbles direction.
Mr B's had more cheese, and it was less greasy. The sauce was fresher-tasting.
I think objectively it's a better pizza, but the crust had a finer crumb and wasn't very stretchy.
being a bar makes for what probably is a nice atmosphere in the evening (not much happening at noon on a sunday) though I was bummed that they had guiness tap handles but no guiness.
