chowfdf's Profile
Provincetown for Foodies?
need as much info as possible--summer, winter, any season is good. thanks!
Provincetown for Foodies?
Hi--I'm hoping hounds can help me create a list of the best places in P-town for fooodies. What are the best fine dining restaurants? Best ice cream? Pizza? Breakfast places? Cocktails? Wine list? etc. etc. Any help in creating this list for foodies visiting P-town much appreciated!
Somerville Greek Festival
i went to the brookline one tonight. was extremely disappointed in the food. i could have gotten better at steve's on newbury street--and i don't really care for steve's on newbury street.
Need a rec!
Agree with most of finlero's ideas...some others to consider are Craigie Street (unless this dinner falls during transition from to new location), Aura (Rachel Klein who was at Om is there--just tried her RW menu and it was fantastic), Estragon...
Cocktail Party : 20 - 40 people
depends on when you want to do it, but a few suggestions are:
Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge. Great big square space, moveable furniture, fun food that is incredibly reasonably priced, Dj area, tv screen, etc.
Aura at Seaport hotel. Atmosphere may not suit, but food is amazing now that Rachel Klein is new chef. was there for a midmorning cocktail party/press conference...the apps that were coming out incredible.
Cambridge 1--I haven't been to cambridge one hs, but one on boylston at fenway is cool space, for a group of that size could probably take half of restaurant, food good, reasonable.
hope this helps!
Cost of Wedding Rec at State Room and Boston Harbor Hotel
difference between holding an event at a full-service venue like State Room vs a hotel like BHH is what's included. I held an event (not wedding) at State Room last year--they included linens, worked w/ me on flowers, decor, a/v, etc. Am planning same event at a Boston hotel and the catering guy said: we'll give you 5 votives per table. That's it! So that's definitely something to consider in the price as well...how much of the kinds of things you might not otherwise think about asking are included.
foodie visit to Nantucket
marc orfaly of pigale, marco, etc. is out at summer house this season. not exactly sure what that means for the food but may be of interest.
i prefer languedoc for lunch--great burgers. everything else i've had there has been spotty at best.
toppers is way too precious in my opinion. dining room is like granny's house and food expensive and nothing all that out of this world. david daniels, who used to be at the federalist before it went moo, is out there i think. they used to do a prix fixe at lunch--if they still do that, recommend. as mentioned above w/ the galley, the view and property is nice so if you go out in the day you can at least relax in the lawn chairs after looking at the ocean.
brotherhood is the furthest thing from foodie you can get. if you want casual foodie--go to provisions and get one of their amazing sandwiches or the bluefish pate out of the cooler--it is so good. centre street bistro is also good for a more casual and cost effective lunch or brunch. for dinner, my personal favorite is american seasons. it's not just the food--which is always creative, flavorful and plentiful--but it's the entire ambiance. sit on the patio or in the restaurant, dim lights, so much character and soul. the wine list will have your head spinning, service fantastic. for a true nantucket foodie experience, that would be my number 1 reco.
Aura @ Seaport Hotel-Is there a View?
glad i could be of help! Looked at the menus from the link--yes, you're right, those are many of the same dishes. definitely try the steak and peaches! great idea to pair w/ free thurs night at ICA...have fun!
Aura @ Seaport Hotel-Is there a View?
They redid the dining room, think it reopened a few months ago. They have frosted/clear glass walls, so you can see out into the hotel and the street. Don't think this is a space you're going to go for for the view--but the food is really good. Rachel Klein, who used to be at Om, is there now. Was a guest at a company dinner last night in one of the private rooms. the menu was fantastic. We started with a watermelon gazpacho with goat cheese corquetta (sp). I was worried when i saw the set menu--not a big fan of fruity soups--but it was outstanding. really light and refreshing and not overly sweet. It was served with a large portion of goat cheese that had been breaded and fried. Next course was called steak and peaches--a carpaccio of meat with fresh peaches, manchego cheese. literally melted in my mouth. A fish i had never heard of--kajiki i think? was next, served with a corn pudding and super fresh veggies that were perfectly cooked and a wasabi sauce. then a filet with smoked mashed potatos, a blue cheese and fruit mostarda...am not a fan of blue cheese, so only ate steak and potatos but so good. dessert was a vietnamese coffee served with petit fours. interesting dessert--but i loved the petit fours. a little chocolate pyramid and a miniature version of a french pastry, i can't remember the name, that was amazing. So, view or not, i would definitely recommend checking it out.
Nantucket- Summer House or Straight Wharf
amanda lydon and gabriel frasca are at straight wharf. out of those two options, would definitely choose SW. but in my opinion, if you want a super special night out, i would go with American Seasons. I was out a couple times in May & June and it's more than the food--it's the entire dining experience there that makes it so special. Don't know if the menu has changed, but they had an amazing duck dish, this "meatloaf" thing with foie gras....and they always have a steak dish that would fit your friends needs. The food there may actually be more straightforward that you'd think....would definitely give it a try.
Party Favor cupcakes
if you like the frosting (which i do), try the ones w/ the cream centers....they have colored frosting on top w/ little candy circles. so good!
Thoughts on Banq?
haven't tried the food yet, but really like the cocktail list. i love the japanese sidecar and the 540 is really good too.
Da Vinci and Persephone -review
had lunch there yesterday....destination lunch, to be sure. Took a while to find a parking spot. Recommend taking a cab b/c not super easy to park. But lunch was good and glad to have tried it although am not running back unless i happen to be in neighborhood. Had the cheeseburger salad as well. nothing fancy, but good and fresh. Soft shell crab salad w/ asaparagus, hazelnuts (i think) had interesting flavor. crab not very crispy only complaint. had the duck egg too--the bread it was on was great and mushrooms v good. egg overcooked, no yolk. best thing we had though was the pretzel. it's on the bar menu but i had read about it and wanted to try and they were accomodating enough to make one for us at lunch. service was really friendly--everyone there was really friendly--almost felt as if they were so glad to see people come in, they were smart enough to make them feel welcome. cool spot, not as groundbreaking a concept as claimed (been to plenty of stores in nyc that do restaurant/store combo and even in boston the one in wellesley that susan regis used to cook at...can't remember name, louis, etc.) but still cool.
Private Rooms to hold a cocktail party?
middlesex lounge is a great space, food and drinks reasonably priced.
Lunch near Mass general
was in bin 26 for dinner a couple of nights ago. They are promoting a casual lunch for relatively cheap that's starting this summer. from what i gathered, think it's like an antipasto bar kind of thing with all sorts of lunch options that can be eaten in or to go. Also, they were also promoting a specially priced lunch at lala rokh but can't remember the details...just remember the name, Persian Immersion, b/c thought was kinda cute.
Om new chef?
newpaper report i read said both chef and gm were fired. boston herald on thurs or fri.
Martignetti's is closing
wine emporium in south end--two locations--but not size of a martignetti. clarendon wine shop and bauer in back bay. heard about a new bargain wine shop opening next year....not too much info on their website yet, but sounds cool from what there is. binendswine.com.
where to get the best carrot cake in boston?
am interested in either a full-size cake or cupcakes. thanks!
Cheap but upscale with TV
cambridge 1 at fenway. had 2 half pizzas there for $10 each w/ a friend a few wks back. audobon--but not sure if they have TVs.
Desfina-Best Greek, really?
am very glad to hear that it's not me. i know the 'best' issues are somewhat nonsense, but still! heard about greek isles, will have to check it out. maybe this is more of an 'everyday' greek place w/ great food.
Desfina-Best Greek, really?
Wondering others thoughts on Desfina. Love greek food, have never been able to find a good place in the city. A few months ago did some research. From google and chowhound, learned of Desfina. Went in a couple of wks ago, thought it was awful. Everything from the tzatiki to the saginaki to the pita bread was pitiful. We had a whole fish, which was fine--nothing special, and a lamb dish served with some kind of overcooked greens. Add to that, the physical space is dirty and really bad diner-like. Anyway, then Improper and Boston mag's "Best of" lists came out and BOTH gave Desfina best greek! So now I'm wondering if I'm being too hard, or if I don't know good greek food....but I don't think so to either, so am curious as to what everyone else thinks. Also, why don't we have a good Greek spot in the city? Is it not a generally popular cuisine on the East Coast?
Chocolate trip in the city & Hot Chocolate
it's mirabelle, and it's not a powder...it's mini chocolate pieces that are delectable to eat by the spoonful. i bought a tin once and literally did that! try the basic...it tastes the most basic.
Chocolate trip in the city & Hot Chocolate
curious as to what kind of hot cocoa you got at temper? i LOVE their hot cocoa, but i've only had it made "european" style...which is with water. they also make it "american" style, with milk. i've never had it that way, but perhaps not as good? they also have three kinds of hot chocolate--regular, dark and a spicy one. i usually get the dark. so depending on what you ordered, you may want to give it another try but i do agree, it isn't like burdicks, which is more of a traditional hot cocoa. temper's is more of a drinking chocolate.
Finale -- confirming the obvious
if you mean by confirming the obvious that the place is awful, i agree. i will never understand the allure of overpriced desserts that, while admittedly pretty, taste so bad! i haven't been in there for a while, but the space always reminded me of a nightclub during the day....not well maintained, shabby, etc.
