Gray Summit/Eureka, Mo

I ended up with companions who didn't want to travel (and a week of very bad weather--nobody wanted to hop in the car and drive when the tornado sirens were going off every hour, and my week ended with a tornado hitting the St. Louis airport delaying my departure for a few days). All that is to say that I didn't have much to report on... I ended up going to the Hawthorne Inn (http://thehawthorneinn.net/) in Labadie several times, mostly because it was the closest restaurant to the Purina Farms site in Gray Summit. Given that there was no competition in the area, it was surprisingly decent, and the fried spinach appetizer was more than decent--it was rather transcendent. In fact, I would go back just for that. I also went to a BBQ place one night that was pretty forgettable. Sorry not to be more helpful. That fried spinach was pretty amazing though...

kschive in Great Plains

Gray Summit/Eureka, Mo

Thanks for the help and suggestions. Not sure how far out of the area my companions will be willing to travel, but it's nice to know there are some possibilities in the vicinity as well as in the city. Leaving tomorrow. Will let you know where I end up eating. Thanks again! -Kim

kschive in Great Plains

Gray Summit/Eureka, Mo

I'm going to be spending four days next week in the Gray Summit/Eureka area of Missouri. From what I can tell, the area is something of a culinary black hole, but I will have a car and am willing to drive up to 25 miles (or even a little more) for a good dinner. I like almost any kind of good food. so I'm open to any suggestions. And I was kind of hoping one suggestion might be for some good BBQ... But any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks! -Kim

kschive in Great Plains

Great Cantonese food in Acton

I'm not sure what was there before, but if you are headed toward Maynard, it's on the right just before the bridge. You want to turn right at the light there, and take an immediate left into the little parking lot. I don't know a lot of the local landmarks in that immediate area, but there's a historic house (the Fiske House?) right next to the building housing the restaurant, and Erickson's feed store is across the bridge and on the other side of Rte. 27. Hope this helps.

-Kim

kschive in Greater Boston Area

Great Cantonese food in Acton

I think it has the potential of being a "worth the drive from Boston" place, but it's probably not there quite yet. They're still sorting through the identity crisis reflected in their name, and it's clear they're still trying to find their focus -- the dishes they will concentrate on and do really well (which is why I would recommend ordering only, or at least primarily, from the blackboard right now). And, needless to say, it's hard to do authentic food in the suburbs and make it. It doesn't help that if you come in and don't speak Chinese (even if you are Chinese, in the case of one of my friends), their first impulse seems to be to issue an ominous-sounding warning that this is "real Cantonese food." Obviously, they can't keep making that kind of sales pitch. But if they survive and make the right culinary choices, I think it's going to be a real gem of a place. For instance, the Chinese broccoli I had on my first visit would have been worth a drive from almost anywhere; it may have been the best I'd ever had. It wasn't quite as good on my second visit when, I think, a different chef was working, but it was still as good or better than any I've had in Chinatown restaurants (in various Chinatowns). If you live in Acton or any of the surrounding towns, it's definitely worth a few visits right away. And certainly, if you were driving out Rte. 2 from Boston for any reason, or could go a bit out of your way and take Rte. 2 rather than the Mass. Pike to a westernish destination, I'd say it would be worth a 10- or 15-mile detour to check this place out now, as disorganized as they still seem to be. If you manage to get there, I'd love to hear what you have to eat and how you like it.

-Kim

kschive in Greater Boston Area

Great Cantonese food in Acton

I know that appearances, not to mention names, can be deceiving, but I was still surprised to find that the recently opened and not-so-aptly-named "Acton Coffee and Ice Cream" is a great place to find excellent and very authentic Cantonese cuisine in the western suburbs. It's at 124 Main Street in Acton (Rte. 27, in a robin's-egg-blue building right next to, and on the Acton side of, the bridge over the commuter train tracks). There's no obvious front entrance, and that's because you have to enter from the rear of the building and go into the building's basement. There are printed take-out menus with a large number of choices, but I've seen three versions of that menu in two visits (one, oddly enough, had a "panini" section, and the current menu still has "clam chowder" next to "hot and sour soup"), so I'm guessing it's probably best to order from the six or seven options written on the blackboard in front of the counter. I thought the Chinese broccoli was among the best I've had, and I also really liked the beef chow fun (which they've transliterated as "ho fan"). I've also tried the salt-and-pepper ribs, which were quite tasty. Today's version of the take-out menu features seven varieties of wonton noodle soup on the front cover. The owner pointed this out to me and said he thought people would want to eat wonton soup in the winter. He's probably right, and I'm guessing it will be quite good, but it's not soup weather quite yet.

There are two or three small tables inside and five or six more outside, several perched at odd angles on small areas of not-quite-level land around the small parking lot. Chinese food should be eaten hot, so it's good that there is a place to eat your food immediately. The owner said that when the weather gets too cold to eat outside, he'll be getting rid of the ice cream freezers, which take up about half of the available indoor floor space now, and will have a few more inside tables available.

I think this place is worth a try, and I'll look forward to hearing other's impressions and reports on menu items I've not tried yet.

-Kim

kschive in Greater Boston Area

Recommendations for Neenah, Wisc.

I am in Neenah now, and I just got back from dinner at Koreana. I was a little disappointed not to find scallion pancakes on the menu, but the pork mandoo appetizer was very good. And the Kalbi (beef short rib) was among the best I've ever had. I think it was a very close second to Sorabol in Honolulu, which has always set the kalbi standard for me. I was amazed at how good it was. Not sure where I will end up eating tomorrow. I'll have breakfast and lunch on my own -- and I hope to do some sightseeing, since this is my first visit to Wisconsin. I'm judging at a dog show later in the afternoon, and I think I'm going to be taken out to dinner by dog show people afterwards. Such dinners are usually disappointing.... Anyway, thanks so much for the Koreana recommendation. I second it heartily!

-Kim

kschive in General Midwest Archive

Recommendations for Neenah, Wisc.

Thanks! I'll have a car, so I can get to Appleton easily, possibly even Green Bay. And with "brewery" as part of the name, your Green Bay recommendation sounds promising!

kschive in General Midwest Archive