masterson's Profile
Baba Market in Malden
I am happy to see Baba open in Malden. I first met the owner of Baba Supermarket at a shop in Haymarket and fell in love with the place for the tasty meals, low prices, and friendly workers. I was sad when I went one day and he was gone, but was happy to hear that he was opening a new shop in Malden and was anxious for it to open. The falafel and other meals are still good and at a good price. The spicy olives have a lemon zing and also better quality and less expensive than Stop 'n Shop. Try the soup! He's quick to give a sample. I will be a regular there and plan on using the butcher shop to make goat curry.
Moving to Malden...?
Second for Ristorante Serena. I live nearby so I go there a lot and it's consistently good.
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Ristorante Serena
18 Lebanon St, Malden, MA 02148
Umbria - overcharging for bottles of wine
A little google maps research reveals that it was Tresca.
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Tresca
233 Hanover St., Boston, MA 02113
Umbria - overcharging for bottles of wine
I had something similar happen at RW a few years ago. We were at some Italian joint in the North End (can't remember the name now) and they had a bottle of something or other on the table. One of our party was a wine salesman so he knew the wine as a decent and inexpensive red. Because it was on the table we didn't think to ask the price. Surprise! We paid at least double what the normal restaurant price should have been. So as MC Slim said, caveat emptor.
Bars or restaurants with free WiFi near Kenmore?
Looking to do a business lunch in the Kenmore/Fenway area. Anybody know places that have free Wifi?
Recs for tiki bar/polynesian/americanized chinese spots?
I'll second Tiki Island. Friendly, accommodating staff and the food is better than most that I have tried of the polynesian style.
Boston Tiki Bar?
Not Boston adn no bar, but I like Tiki Island in Medford. Cheesy murals and masks on the walls, stiff drinks in goofy mugs and better food than Kowloon.
Downtown Malden
I tried Habesha for the first time last weekend. We got lamb, 2 kinds of beef and the sampler plate. Everything was really tasty and I washed mine down with Ethiopian beer. I had read some reviews about bad service, but I had no complaints. The bill for 4 people came to a whopping $61 and nobody left without a full belly. I'll definitely be going back.
BBQ Pork Shoulder on my Weber
I'll second this. I followed the Cooks Illustrated method described above and it came out fantastic. I used soaked Hickory chips and Kingsford coals for the grill.
Porchetta in Boston?
My Italian friend and I did this and came up with a great alternative to roasting a whole pig. Get a pork shoulder with the skin on and bone in, some pork loin or boneless pork chop, and a piece or two of just pig skin. Debone the shoulder and fill the cavity with the extra pork and some sprigs of rosemary. Take the extra skin and wrap the exposed meat areas, and bundle the whole thing up with butcher's twine. Now you've got a nice pork football. Cook it in the oven on a rack at 325 or so until the pork is up to temp using a meat thermometer. The skin will get crispy and hold the moisture in at the same time. Not exactly Rome, but the closest I've ever had in the States.
Porchetta in Boston?
The Porchetta at Salumeria is a cold cut. It's pork with a skin rind and flavored with rosemary. It's not really like the porchetta in Italy, but it's delicious in its own right.
Chicago for 1 night
Hi Chicago Hounds,
I'm going to be in Chicago monday night staying at the Hard Rock (hello corporate discount) Hotel. What should I have for supper that's in walking distance (a mile or so). No more than $50 for an app, main course and 2 drinks (per person) and casual dress, preferably kitschy local favorites, unique regional experience or other hidden gems. Thanks!
Half-sour pickles
Half sours are super easy to make at home. Here's a link to a recipe I use: http://tommyjskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/05/recipe-half-sour-pickles.html
A fresher cucumber yields better results, so buy your cukes at the best produce place you have.
Any good eats in Malden?
I like Serena's in Maplewood Sq. for Italian and, of course, FuLoon.
Patrick's (Maplewood Sq) is good for a no-frills breakfast.
Publick House - Only for the Beer
Last time I was there we got shut off after 2 beers on a saturday afternoon unless we wanted to order food. Goodbye Publick House.
Whole Pig
FB Packing (also in the Newmarket area) can get you a pig. http://www.fbpacking.com/index2.html
Malden?
Maybe I hit an off night, but as they say, "You only get one chance to make a first impression." I'm looking forward to checking out some of other places people have reccomended. I won't be going back to the Bistro.
Malden?
I tried Exchange St Bistro a couple weeks ago and was not terribly impressed. I ordered a Basil Gimlet which advertised fresh lime juice. I got a plain old Rose's lime juice gimlet with a lone basil leaf floating in it. For $9 they could at least make an effort. The food wasn't too bad. The GF and I shared rabe springrolls which were interesting and she had scallops and lobster ravioli which was pretty tasty, but my ostrich was overcooked and tough and the proscuitto mashed potatoes were unmemorable. Overall not bad, but not for the prices. The weirdest thing was the booth we were seated in had really tall backs covered in a cloth that had a repeating patern of some object about the size of a nickel. After about 1/2 an hour of looking at this it started to moire and create weird visual effects. Interesting, b ut not with dinner.
Malden?
I've had the breakfast at Frannie's. Nothing fancy, but the food was good and not to expensive. I'll definitely be going back there and it's right down the street.
Malden?
I just moved to Malden near Maplewood Sq. What are some reccomended places near me to try. I lived in Rozzie for 13 years and don't know anything North of the city. I did a search and the entries that were coming up seemed to be a from a couple years ago. What's currently good?
Reccomendations for Ft. Worth?
Welp, here's what we did.
The first night we started at Reata on the roof for a drink and an app. The roof deck was great, the drinks were tasty and the calamari app was good as well. The squid was cut long-ways so it was more of a french-fry shape than the rings I'm used to, but it was tender and the tomato based dipping sauce had a little kick but wasn't overpowering. The service was spotty, though. It seemed like there were 3 managers running around but only one waitress for the entire deck. Then we went downstairs for dinner. The food was good, but not memorable. I had the chicken-fried steak which was tasty and the batter was nicely spiced. The mashed potatoes and broccoli it came with were unremarkable. Nobody had a bad meal, though, and the waiter was attentive although I didn't personally like his style.
The next night we tried to go to Mi Cocina for drinks but we wanted to sit outside and even though they had tables and chairs set up on the patio, they wouldn't seat us there, so we headed back to Reata. Again there was only one waitress on, but we liked the rooftop. For dinner we headed down to the Stockyard and H3 Steakhouse (or something like that, you know, the place with the saddles). The meal started off well enough. Drinks arrived, the waitress made a tasty guacamole table-side and orders were placed. It was all downhill from there. My rib-eye was a little over-done (which I can live with) but you might say the secret ingredient was salt, and plenty of it. Another in our party ordered his steak medium and it was barely rare and had to be sent back. And yet another lady in our party had her steak sent to parts unknown so all she could do was watch as everyone else dug in. The waitress was apologetic (it seemed like the problem was in the kitchen) but when the missing steak finally arrived after 15-20 minutes it was practically raw and had to be sent back for more time on the fire. The waitress did the appropriate thing and had the manager adjust the bill without any prompting, but all–in-all it was a frustrating experience in a place that wasn’t very busy.
I guess my overall reaction was that at $50+ a head for drinks and dinner I expected a little more from both places. Hopefully if I have to go down there again I can get off the beaten path and find a hole-in-the-wall that I’ll really enjoy.
Reccomendations for Ft. Worth?
I gotta be in Ft. Worth next week for business. Anyone have reccomendations for a good place near Sundance Square that isn't a chain? Since I'll be in Texas something regional would be nice, but my palate is broad so if there's anything outstanding let me know. Doesn't need to be fancy, in fact probably better if it's not.
Thanks!
