Most Refreshing Replacement for Water

March 9, 2006

I'm now posting from Budapest, and taking a little break from Sydney here on Arthur Hungry. Those of you who follow the food blogosphere may have noticed that the 2006 TasteEverything Independent Food Festival & Awards have been taking place this week. Hillel over at tastingmenu.com has been awesome enough to organize this yearly event, which basically gets a bunch of us food blogs together to hand out some awards to recognize food items of our choosing. Basically, we get to think of an award of any kind, and give it out to someone we feel is deserving. The awards have been going out all week, so be sure to check out all the great stuff out there over at the TasteEverything site.

After much deliberation, I decided to make my award the "Most Refreshing Replacement for Water" and give it to the house jasmine green tea at Infusions Tea Spa, served cold. The truth is that with Infusions just a couple of blocks away from my apartment at school in Allston, the green tea really has replaced water for me... I drink one every day, and I certainly drink more of it than I do regular water. Those of you who know me probably know that I go through one of their frequent customer cards (get a free drink after every 10 you buy) in a week or less. I figure, what deserves an award more than something I have every day? I have it so frequently that it doesn't really get the Arthur Hungry recognition it deserves...

large house jasmine green tea, cold - $3.26 Here it is, in all its glory. Note the EasyWay packaging - EasyWay is a bubble tea chain based out of Taiwan. Funny enough, there are EasyWays all over Sydney, where it is sort of like a McDonald's of bubble tea. At Infusions though, they pretty much just use the cups and the little plastic sealing machine. The tea is certainly different than all of the EasyWays I tried in Sydney. And boy is it good - there's nothing more refreshing when you're thirsty. It goes well with all kinds of food. Ask for it with just a bit of sugar, and it has a slight bit of sweetness with a nice jasmine flavor. Vincent, half of the husband-wife duo (they've just had a baby, who is often hanging out as well) that run this place will shake the tea with some ice and sugar, and pour it out like a cocktail. The drink becomes ice cold, with no ice to dilute everything. There's nothing better, and I'm seriously going to miss this stuff when I graduate and move away from Boston. I sometimes wish that I could have a faucet that poured Infusions green tea instead of water - it sure would make my life easier (and less expensive). Infusions also has a huge variety of other teas... all good, but I really like the plain green tea the best. There are a few very good food items, most notably the minced pork on rice and the egg salad on toasted baguette, both of which cost less than $3. The place is a great place to study, or just hang out and have a drink. In short, if you're in Boston, try Infusions right away. You'll get hooked.

Teatro

July 13, 2005

Okay, I thought I was through with my Boston photos, but I found a couple from Teatro that I'd forgotten about because I was hoping to grab a picture of their sign. Of course, I actually did go back there, but forgot my camera. That's life I guess. Anyway, Teatro is a nice little Italian spot at Boston Common. The room looks pretty swanky, with a high, arched ceiling and blue lighting. There's also a small bar in the front. The place is actually right next to the Loews movie theater - Geoff and I went before a showing of Batman Begins right before I left Boston (the trip on which I was camera-less). The following photos are actually from a trip like 2 months ago.

Teatro antipasto for two - $23 This massive appetizer plate for two is somewhat famous, so I was eager to try it. I'll try to name everything on the plate from left to right, but I'm sure to have forgotten something. There's also stuff hidden behind/under other stuff, so I'm sure I'll leave something out. But here goes: some kind of eggplant spread/salad, marinated bell peppers on top of crostini, a bell pepper salad, mozzarella & tomato, various cold cuts (if I recall correctly, soppressata, prosciutto, and salami) with some cheese, arancini, fennel salad, olives, and a hummus-like spread. The highlight for me was the arancini, which are little deep-fried balls of risotto with cheese in the middle. I first tried this dish when I was a very small kid, at a restaurant called Bonta[1]. The arancini at Teatro were hot, crispy and cheesy. Then again, the concept of deep fried rice balls with cheese means automatic deliciousness to me. Pretty much everything else on the plate was good, too. Mike, who absolutely hates celery, took a bite of the fennel salad and made the most hilarious face ever (he didn't see it until too late). I, on the other hand, found the fennel salad was tasty and refreshing. [1] Bonta, rest in peace, was a small Italian place on Union here in SF, and it can take a lot of credit for cultivating my tastes at a young age. It's there (and at North Beach Restaurant - still thriving) that I learned to love pasta, fried calamari and Italian food in general when I was like 10 (or even younger). Italian food was easily my favorite food for a long time, until I went to Japan for the first time and sushi challenged pasta's seat on the Arthur Hungry throne.

fettuccine all'uovo with Vermont butter and parmesan cheese - $16 What I really wanted to try at Teatro was the pasta. The menu has a bunch of selections that I want to try. First on the list was the above fettuccine. It sounds all fancy but basically it's egg pasta with butter and parmesan - in other words, an authentic alfredo!!! As soon as I saw this item I flashed back to several years ago in Rome, when I tried the original Alfredo in Rome. I learned that despite the omnipresent cream in alfredo sauce in this country, the original was just hot fettuccine tossed with a lot of butter and a lot of cheese. And boy was it delicious. The version at Teatro was good, though different from what I remember in Rome. There was more of a "sauce" to it (I suspect they do use a bit of cream too), and the toasted breadcrumb topping added a different but interesting element. Every few chews you get a little crunch in there. This pasta is probably one of the richest and heaviest you can find in the city, but it sure tasted good going down. As it turns out, many of Teatro's pastas are extremely rich. I've tried the carbonara and the bolognese as well, and both are very generous with the butter/oil. The result is that an appetizer and a pasta turn into quite a big meal. No complaints here... as you all know I love butter, but I'll again warn those who are fainter of stomach. :) San Francisco is up next, and let me assure you, I'm on a true eating rampage from now through the rest of the summer.

Brasserie Jo

July 12, 2005

I felt like French so I brought Geoff to Brasserie Jo in the Colonnade Hotel, where I've had solid bistro-type fare in the past. Mike and even Dave came along. The prices are reasonable. They've actually got a bar menu with a croque monsieur I've been wanting to try - just haven't gotten around to it yet. They also serve a nice warm baguette and nicely-dressed carrots at the beginning of the meal.

french ham crepe gratin - $7.95 This thing is bolded in their list of appetizers, which I guess means it's some sort of specialty. It turned out quite delicious, not to mention quite rich for an app. I've never really seen crepes baked like this - the result was a lot of nice, gooey cheese and a softer, cooked-through texture throughout. All four of us liked it, but I suspect it might be too heavy an appetizer for many. Still, this dish made me want to try the croque monsieur even more.

steak tartare, pomme frites - $17.95 Every time I go to Brasserie Jo, I want to try something new like the coq au vin or the skate wing, but I always end up trying to decide between the steak frites or the steak tartare. It must be that part of the reason I go is because of that steak craving. Anyway, the steak tartare here is pretty solid, despite the fact that they don't mix it tableside. It certainly has lots of nice lemon/caper/onion flavor going on. The whole dish is actually quite refreshing. The accompanying grilled bread (not pictured) is good, and the fries are great. Next time, I'll try the skate. Really!

Via Matta

July 7, 2005

Okay, for some reason, I've been doing a really bad job lately of remembering to photograph restaurant signs, so two posts are coming up that will be signless. After a quick weekend in NYC, I had dinner in Boston at Via Matta with Geoff (who came to visit for a bit less than a week), Mike, Cat, her brother, Marc, and Brian (a friend of Cat and Sean's who was also visiting). I'd been once before a long time ago with Roger and his parents when they were in town, and I remember it being quite good. Our meal this time was parent-less, but when it came time for the check we got a bit of a surprise. Somehow, Cat's boss knew we were eating dinner there and pre-footed the bill for us. This was a bit of a shock since none of us (other than Cat I guess) even knew Cat's boss knew anything about the meal. It felt like finding a $20 in your pants pocket before throwing said pants into the laundry, except better. In any case, thanks a lot Cat's boss! It was a nice meal indeed.

bruschetta with marinated eggplant and peppers

tagliatelle alla bolognese - $19 The bruschetta came out as a surprise as a treat from the kitchen. Perhaps at that point we should have figured something was up... I didn't think much of it. The bruschetta was nicely toasted, and the eggplant/peppers had a great flavor. Afterwards, we shared a couple of apps that I forgot to take pictures of - a sauteed calamari and some kind of baked cauliflower gratin. Both were delicious. I was especially impressed by the cauliflower, which is not a veggie I'm generally too fond of. Here it was rich and buttery. I felt like pasta, and I'm quite partial to pastas that begin with "taglia," so I figured the bolognese would be a good choice. It turned out very nice. The pasta was cooked very well and had a great texture to it, while the sauce was hearty and fulfilling. Great meal all around. It felt that much better when we found out we didn't have to pay. Thanks again Ms. Sawyer (if I heard the waiter correctly, that is)!

Houston's

July 3, 2005

Well, I'm back in San Francisco. Just arrived last night, and I'll be here for about 3 weeks or so before a much-anticipated trip to Provence and Paris. I've got a few more places from Boston to post about before I switch coasts again - first up is Houston's (Boston). With a Houston's so close to my home in SF, I never really thought I'd go to the one in Boston... Actually, I had no idea there was one in Boston at all until Yuen called me up and suggested we go there. I've had pretty good experiences at the SF one so I figured why not. The place is down by Faneueil Hall, flirting on the edge between hardcore tourist area and downtown. From the outside, their sign looks the same except that it's blue instead of red. The interior is eerily similar to the one in SF - almost identical, actually. Dark wood, a pretty good-looking bar, and big comfortable banquettes deliver a pretty cool vibe. The menu, it turns out, is pretty much exactly the same as well.

guacamole

portuguese-style littleneck clams - $14 It was just me, Michelle and Yuen, so we decided to split a couple of apps. The guacamole was a special (didn't catch the price) and surprisingly good. It had nice, big chunks of avocado - something I tend to see a lot less in Boston. The clams were served with chorizo and a tasty broth with plenty of garlic, shallots, and parsley. It was an excellent dip for the accompanying grilled bread.

hawaiian ribeye - $27 I couldn't decide what main to get so I just gave up and went with the ribeye. The steak is marinated a bit with a hint of sweetness. It was nicely charred and tasty, but slightly overcooked (medium rather than medium rare, but not flagrant enough to complain about). I love the fries - thin, crispy, and even served with mayo (they actually ask if you want ketchup or mustard or mayo!). Anyway, it was another solid meal at Houston's, which appears to be a pretty good chain, relatively speaking. It definitely isn't cheap though.

Reef Cafe

June 17, 2005

So I've posted a few times about Reef Cafe already. You guys know the story. Family-run Lebanese joint in Allston; delicious food. Unfortunately, the Mexican place right next door had a fire earlier this week. This has caused some power problems and whatnot on the block and Reef has been closed for a ocuple of days. Hopefully they'll be open again soon... I won't be back in Boston for 6 months after July, so I need to load up on my Reef intake for the rest of 2005. Anyway, in my previous posts, I never posted a photo of the true lifeblood of my Boston diet - Reef's chicken shawarma sandwich. I finally got a shot of it a while back.

chicken shawarma sandwich - $4.75 The sandwich is just their chicken shawarma, tomatoes, pickles, and lemon-garlic spread from the gods. Everything is rolled up into a pita and put on the little grill for a bit. The result is amazing. I'm not a big fan of pickles, but this sandwich has really converted me. The sourness of the pickle complements the chicken and the lemon-garlic perfectly. I have honestly lost count of how many of these sandwiches I've consumed in the past year. 40 might be a good ballpark number... Then again that sounds extremely high. I dunno. But I've eaten a lot, and you should too!

Matt Murphy's

June 12, 2005

I love fish and chips. Though I've never had the so-called real thing in England or Ireland, I order fish and chips all the time when I see it. One day Jeremy asked me where to find the best fish and chips in Boston. After some research, the consensus appears to be Matt Murphy's Pub in Brookline Village. I ended up going with Jeremy and Tony to check it out for lunch.

crispy cod and chips served with malt vinegar and pickled onions - $13.95 Our first reaction was that $14 for a lunch of fish and chips seemed pretty steep, but we were there for a reason. The meal came wrapped in a huge bundle of newspaper. It actually took us a while to unwrap it well enough to eat! Anyway, once I started digging in, I was very satisfied. The fish was tasty, but perhaps even better was the absolutely delicious tartar sauce that came with it (not pictured). The fries were meaty and filling. They also have a homemade ketchup which a lot of people like, but you guys know where I stand on ketchup... By the end of the meal, all three of us were stuffed. I'll probably go back some time, but I admit it's tough to pay $14 for fish and chips.

Cafe Mami

June 7, 2005

Although I was disappointed by my trip to Sapporo Ramen at Porter Square, I wasn't going to hold that experience against all of the other stalls too. Jeremy and Andrew told me that Cafe Mami, another stall that specializes in semi-Westernized cafe food is very good. The place is extremely crowded for Saturday lunches - like most of the stalls there are only a couple of tables (and a small counter). The menu at Mami is quite interesting indeed, boasting a variety of rice bowls and plates, all served with katsus, hamburg steaks, curries and various other Japanese interpretations of Western cafe foods. I'm glad I tried this place - we've actually gone back again since the first trip.

Tokyo-style hamburg set - ground marinated beef steak with Mami's special homemade tomato sauce - $7.5

wafu chicken cutlet set - chicken cutlet with daikon and scallions - $8.5 Both sets come with miso soup, side salad, and unlimited rice. The hamburg steak scared me a bit at first because it looked a bit like ketchup. Luckily for me, it was actually a very good and flavorful tomato sauce. The meat itself was like a dense, tender hamburger, and went very nicely with the sauce. On the second trip, I went for their wafu chicken cutlet (they have pork too - no idea why I opted for chicken here). Let me say - this is probably the best katsu I've had in Boston. I really must try the pork next time. The breading was crisp, and the chicken itself was incredibly tender and moist. Likely this is they used a nice piece of dark meat, and even included some skin inside. Simply delicious. The only problem with Cafe Mami is I need a ride to get there. Other than that, the food is great, the portions are hefty, and the prices are reasonable. There's plenty of stuff I want to try on the menu so hopefully I can get back there a couple more times before I leave Boston.

Maria's Pastry Shop

June 5, 2005

This isn't exactly a whole meal, but I thought I should post about it anyway. After our meal at Antico Forno, we did walk around the North End a bit. Anyone who's visited knows about the popular Italian bakeries in the area. Mike's Pastry is easily the most famous and quite a tourist destination. A lesser-known gem is Maria's Pastry Shop, which is a few blocks away and not quite as near the main North End action.

cannoli with ricotta filling - $1-2? (forgot to take note of it) I must say that Maria's indeed puts out a better cannoli than Mike's. The shell was like a delicious cookie, and filled to order with the ricotta. The filling is superb - rich, creamy, and at the same time even a bit refreshing. Everyone always heads straight to Mike's for cannolis. I urge you all to give Maria's a try next time...

Antico Forno

May 31, 2005

Near the end of the semester, my food anthro class took a Saturday morning field trip to the North End. We ended up eating lunch together at Antico Forno, a homey red sauce Italian spot. The dining room is small and simple, with some wooden tables and an impressive-looking brick oven in the back. The lunch menu is very straightforward, with a variety of appetizers, pastas, and pizzas. The prices are extremely reasonable, and the portions are quite hefty.

focaccina con caprino - flat aromatic bread topped with mixed greens salad, goat cheese, fresh roasted cherry tomatoes and grilled zucchini - $9.5

gnocchi di patate - homemade potato dumpling baked in a brick oven with plum tomato sauce topped with mozzarella cheese and basil - $11 A wonderful, simple meal. The focaccina was a great starter for the table. The combination of flatbread and goat cheese was delicious, and the zucchini had nice texture and flavor. The accompanying salad was crisp and refreshing. The gnocchi was a deceivingly large portion. I'm typically more of a white sauce guy than a red sauce one, but this tomato sauce was very good. I think Carlo's sauce might still be better, but Antico Forno's version of the dish was quite different mainly because of its trip to the oven, leading to a more potato-ey, cooked through gnocchi. I also had a slice of pizza from someone else (not pictured), and it was great - thin crust with delicious sauce. All in all, a great place for a nice lunch.

Typhoon

May 27, 2005

A while back, I went out for sushi with Jackie. I wanted to try a new place, so we figured Typhoon might be worth a shot since it is equidistant from us, and they also had a 15% off coupon on their website. I heard they were at least decent. Typhoon serves a bunch of various "Asian" hot foods but I didn't try any of those. The description of the sushi rice process on their website made their sushi look quite promising.

various sushi - salmon, hamachi, tai, uni, spicy tuna, negihama, some unagi roll - about $40-50 I'm gonna keep this short. This sushi sucked. The irony of it is that despite the emphasis on sushi rice on their site, this was the worst sushi rice I've ever had in a restaurant. I'd say it was probably even worse than supermarket sushi rice. It was just horrible. The fish, fortunately, was not bad (not great either), but the rice really made everything almost inedible. I pictured the rice being made in the morning and just chilling on the counter or something all day (we ate at 8pm or so). It would have been better used for fried rice. I've read that Typhoon's hot dishes have more promise, but to be honest I'm never setting foot in there again.

Sapporo Ramen

May 21, 2005

There is a small minimall by Porter Square called Porter Exchange that is the center of a little Japanese Community. Inside, they have a variety of different food stalls. We went there for a food field trip in my food anthropology class earlier in the semester. I was anxious to try it as I'd never bothered to make the trip. We decided to eat at Sapporo Ramen, which I'd heard some decent things about. As many of you know, I'm on an ongoing hunt for good ramen anywhere I can find it. Each stall in Porter Exchange is really really tiny, with room for just a few tables each. On weekend afternoons the place gets really packed. Luckily we were there pretty early and snagged a table right when they opened.

pork gyoza - $4.25

shoyu chashu ramen - $6.25 I was very disappointed by this place. The gyoza were alright - the skins were thin and pretty light, but the filling was a bit on the bland side (and there was too much of it considering the lack of flavor). I used more dip than I would usually. The ramen was absolutely forgettable. The noodles were alright, but I'd say only marginally better than good instant noodles. The roast pork was lean and fairly tasteless, and the broth had little flavor. Men-Tei isn't great but I think it's got Sapporo beat. Or maybe that trip to actual Sapporo has just ruined ramen for me everywhere else...

Steve's

May 15, 2005

I'm finally done with finals. Summer has officially begun! I'm off until summer classes start on May 24th, so it's time to bum around and eat. Here is a meal at Steve's, one of the few relatively cheaper options along Newbury. They serve a pretty good variety of Greek in a very casual atmosphere. They've been at their corner for a long time now, but this is actually the first time I went.

fried kalamari lightly buttered in lemon wine sauce - $7.45

gyro - homemade layers of marinated lamb and beef mixed with herbs and spices, with hot pita bread, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and tzatziki sauce - $5.25 I guess the Greeks spell calamari with a K. It was pretty good, but maybe ever so slightly too fried. I was happy with the abundant tentacle pieces though - people don't usually give a lot of those. The accompanying tartar sauce was yummy. The gyro was quite overwhelming at first - it's stuffed to the absolute brim, and pretty much fell apart as soon as I tried to pick it up. It was pretty tasty, but I'm not sure if it was worth the difficulty of eating it. It was huge though and well worth the $5. I'll probably go back to Steve's at some point... they have a steak sandwich on their menu that I want to try.

Great Bay

May 7, 2005

Mike wanted to show Mishi some place nice so we checked out Great Bay, which I heard a lot of good things about. Keith and I tagged along. Great Bay is a seafood restaurant inside the new Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square. The place has a pretty cool underwater theme going, with an "island" in the center of the room which puts out raw food and appetizers. A nice-looking bar runs along one wall. We sat in the back part of the main room. I've read numerous reports that Great Bay is the best place in Boston right now for good, inventive seafood preparations.

halibut tacos, mango salsa, pickled onions, avocado - $12

maine diver scallops, blood orange, leeks, Carolina white rice risotto - $32 I thought the food was really good. The halibut had a nice fresh taste with a slight tang. The shells were crisp and held their form well. The mango salsa was sweet and refreshing. My scallops were also wonderful - big, plump, tender, and tasty. They had a beatufiul smooth texture. The blood orange sauce went well together with the risotto. Very good scallops overall - Ahrie, you'd like these. Food around the table was not as successful. The prices are fairly steep here, and Mike and Keith didn't find their dishes very exceptional or worth the money (they had salmon and cod, I believe). The big problem with this place however was the service. Our waiter was generally friendly, but there is something very strange with the timing here that needs working out. We went in the middle of the week and the place was mostly empty, but for some reason we waited an hour in between courses. We ended up staying there for something like two and a half hours, which was far longer than we wanted. By the time our mains came, everyone was so hungry and frustrated that we were probably angry at the food. I guess I was lucky to have picked the best dish. That said, come dessert time, we figured we were there for that long already so we may as well stick around a bit longer.

homemade butterscotch pudding, caramelized pecans, whipped cream - $9 We were so glad we stayed. Their signature butterscotch pudding is absolutely decadent - rich, smooth, creamy, and just all-out awesome. One of the best desserts I've had in a long time. That said, it's definitely quite heavy, and the four of us barely finished it. In general I thought my food was pretty good, but the place certainly isn't cheap. I really hope the timing issues were either bad luck, or get worked out, because it really ruined the whole meal for us. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if I stopped by just to eat that pudding again...

Sonsie

April 29, 2005

Okay, so I know I promised to update more, but I've been entering crunch time lately here at school. Had 2 papers to work on this week, and now finals are coming up, so I'm not gonna promise much! I'll note that I do have a stockpile of photos sitting on the computer that need to be posted. Here are some pictures from Sonsie on Newbury St., which I've been to a couple of times this semester. I went for dinner a while back with Mike, his girlfriend Mishi who was in town for a little bit, and her friend Amy. Sonsie by virtue of its location is considered to be a bit of a touristy spot. I guess there's some truth to that, but it really is an excellent Newbury St. people-watching spot on warm afternoons. At night, the dining room is dark and naturally has a bit of a less casual atmosphere. It's crowded anyway even when the big doors to the sidewalk are shut.

stewed black mussels fra diavolo with toasted bread fingers - $11.5

flash fried calamari with lemon parsley gremolata & roasted garlic mayo - $10.25 Mike and I both ordered two courses each, intending to eat them ourselves, but when the apps came out we just had to share. These plates were huge, and both were actually quite good. I get the feeling Sonsie does a pretty good job with these table-style appetizers. The mussels weren't very spicy but still had a nice flavor and texture. I don't recall any bad mussels in the lot, except one that was pretty much closed shut. The bread and broth were great, as is common with mussel dishes like this. The fried calamari was a well-executed version of a very normal dish. The squid was tender and the batter was crisp.

grilled loin lamb chops with creamed spinach & truffled potato croquettes - $27 I elected to go with the lamb chops (I was largely convinced by the spinach and the potatoe croquettes), and I was pretty happy with my choice. The lamb chops had a nice gamey flavor, but were perhaps a bit too charred. The sides were all pretty good, but didn't sit too well - they got cold pretty quickly, and had I known, I would have eaten it all up quicker. It was a decent dish but nothing special. I made another quick stop at Sonsie a bit back on an afternoon with Keith, Steph, and Felicia. The cafe menu during the afternoon is pretty limited, with just a soup, sandwich, a couple of salads, and the full list of pizzas. The front section of the room is open to the sidewalk, and you get a great view of the activity on Newbury.

traditional boston clam chowder with hand made crackers - $7 I just wanted a snack anyway, so I decided to give their clam chowder a shot. $7 is pretty hefty for a bowl of soup when a decent-sized pizza is just a few bucks more, so I was taking a bit of a risk. Unfortunately, the chowder didn't turn out very good. It didn't have too much flavor and was too creamy and thick. The cracker thing was alright, but it was kind of like a biscuit/cookie type of thing more than a cracker - I would have preferred good oyster crackers. Basically, I think Sonsie is a great place to sit with some decent food. If you need a place to just chill when the sun is out, Sonsie is a good bet. Just make sure to get a pizza and not the soup. The food at dinner wasn't good enough to make me want to go back there given the number of places I still want to try around Boston, but if I need a break while shopping or something it's a pretty decent choice.

Audubon Circle

April 23, 2005

One of the best places around BU campus to eat has to be Audubon Circle. It has a simple, modern decor, with some tables lining the black walls and a very sleek (and long) black bar. Check out an older visit here. They a variety of simple dishes, and put out very reliable pressed sandwiches and burgers. They also do a good job with ribeye. On weekends it gets a bit busier as the bar crowd fills up. It's a great spot to stop for a nice lunch though.

crispy cod cakes, roasted corn tartar - $8

burger with swiss cheese, onions, portabello mushroom, and roasted potatoes - $8 I think the prices may have gone up by a dollar or so, but it remains an extremely good deal. The cod cakes came out hot and crisp, but were a bit dry on the inside. I guess when I saw it listed I was reminded of the bacalao I had at Piperade back home. I set the bar high, but I wouldn't order these again... probably the worst thing I've tried on the menu. The burger, on the other hand, is pretty damn good. They're not afraid to cook it medium rare and it comes out very juicy. The bun and the toppings are all exceptional. It's not Mo's, but it's the best burger I've had near campus (far better than the one I had at Sunset Grill). The roasted potatoes are very well done, but honestly I still prefer fries with my burgers.

Chart House

April 19, 2005

Sorry about the slow updating... real work is gonna start soon. Then again, that may mean I'll update more to procrastinate my big paper. Anyway, I've been to Chart House a couple of times this semester. Chart House is a very reliable seafood/prime rib place near the Aquarium, and I stop by every once in a while (here's a past trip that wasn't a full meal). It's actually one of the first Boston restaurants I ever went to. The restaurant has two floors, with a pretty big bar area on the bottom. The place has a pretty old-school feel to it - apparently the building is one of the oldest along the wharf. Hmm, from their website, it seems it's a pretty big national chain... Well, either way, the food is still pretty good. They make a mean prime rib.

clam chowder - $5.5

crab-stuffed mushrooms baked in a white wine sauce - $10.95 I am by no means a clam chowder expert, but I think Chart House does it extremely well. It comes piping hot (which has been a problem in other places) and is neither too thick nor too thin. There are lots of tasty clams and not too much potato. As for the mushrooms, I think the word "rich" sums it up best. Each large mushroom is stuffed with a good amount of crab, and the whole thing is covered in a very thick, very creamy, very buttery sauce. They were great, and quite filling.

fried calamari - $8.95

lobster spring rolls with tangy mustard sauce - $10.95 We had a decent-sized group of people so the fried calamari was a safe choice. Chart House does a pretty good version, although I'm not a fan of the dipping sauce we got. It was some kind of weird very sweet (supposedly Thai-style or something) stuff rather than your typical marinara. The pseudo-Asian theme continued with the lobster spring rolls which were good but not great. The skin was the really thick and really fried egg-roll type. The sauce was indeed tangy - it had an almost horseradish-like kick to it.

prime rib, Chart House cut - $22.95

baked crabmeat-stuffed flounder with rice pilaf - $25.95 The main event here is the prime rib, and boy it's good. I admit I once ordered the bigger Callahan Cut, and it was way too big. The prime rib here is tender, juicy, and just all-around great. I suppose some may be put off by the big red chunk of meat bathing in its own juices, but carnivores such as myself adore the sight. You can also get a topping of jumbo lump crab with avocado pico di gallo (sadly not pictured) which really makes the prime rib great. The second time I went this year I decided to try out fish because I'd gotten the prime rib the past few trips. It was good but perhaps a tad overcooked. It wasn't as flaky and moist as I was hoping for. The buttery sauce of course fixed everything, and paired with the rice it was still pretty good.

hot chocolate lava cake - Godiva chocolate liqueur cake with molten chocolate center, chocolate sauce, Heath Bar Crunch & vanilla ice cream - $8.95 The other reason to go to Chart House is their excellent rendition of this now very common dessert. I prefer the one here to the overhyped version at Finale. I think the key is the Heath Bar Crunch, which melds wonderfully with the ice cream and the molten cake. The serving is huge and can be shared by a good number of people (especially people who are stuffed from prime rib). Generally I think of Chart House as the place to go to fulfill that prime rib craving I get every half-year or so. The place isn't inventive or anything, but it doesn't try to be, and the quality has been very consistent for me. You get exactly what you expect.

Croma

April 13, 2005

We were looking for a spot to eat on Newbury St. after a day of walking and shopping. We decided on Croma, which has gotten a few positive mentions on the Boston Chowhound board. Croma is a sort of fairly hipster Newbury-style place the puts out Neopolitan style pizzas. The menu boasts pizzas with a huge variety of different and interesting toppings, from standards like a margherita to odd things such as a peking duck pizza and a tandoori chicken pizza. The place appears small and bustling around the upstairs entrance, which houses a bar, some high top tables, and a slightly bigger dining area in the back. Going downstairs reveals a very large dining room that has a bit more space than the top level. The crowd appears young and hip - we saw a few other tables of college students, and a lot of 20-somethings.

Croma tomato and basil soup, served in a bread bowl - $4.95 They had the Croma emblem on the menu next to this soup, which I guess means it's a specialty. I thought the soup was alright, but the soup to bread ratio was off. They didn't hollow out the bread bowl enough, which meant there wasn't much soup to actually drink. I basically used all the soup to eat the bread, and afterwards there was still extra bread left over. I'm not sure how intentional this is - the soup is indeed extremely thick, so maybe that's what they're going for. This doesn't hold a candle to the Jeanty tomato soup, but I guess that's an unfair comparison at under $5.

parma - prosciutto di parma, marinated olives, shaved parmesan, mozzarella, tomato sauce, arugula - $12.25 The pizza was good. Not excellent, but still very satisfying and tasty. The crust is thin, but not super thin - it didn't crack the way some thin crust pizzas do, and it had a nice chewiness to it inside. The toppings were all nice, and I'm glad to say they added the prosciutto and arugula after baking, something that apparently not everyone does. My pizza was maybe just a tad heavy on the tomato sauce, but nothing to complain too much about (maybe it was because I just had tomato soup). It was also pretty decent-sized, and a good deal at $12. I will likely go back to Croma - it's a nice comfortable spot to grab a bite, and is a great value considering its location. I am pretty interested in trying the tandoor chicken...

Reef Cafe

April 11, 2005

So I'm finally back to posting about Boston. As some of you know I tend to eat a lot of the same stuff over and over again while I'm at school, so this post is as appropriate a start as any. I hereby continue to work through the menu at Reef Cafe, my food destination of choice around here in Allston. I eat at Reef Cafe usually at least every 3 days or so, often in the form of takeout or delivery (see a previous post here). It's a very small, family-run, styrofoam-plate Lebanese joint, and damn the food is good. The people there are as nice as anyone you'll ever meet (usually, younger brother Salam is at the counter when I walk in). I implore you to go if you get the chance!

meat pie - $1.5 The meat pie, which took me a while to discover, is a revelation. They're not too big, and I usually get one as a side for whatever other item I'm eating, but to be honest I'd be happy eating 3 or 4 of them and calling it a meal. I have no idea what exactly is in it - it's some kind of lamb mixture if I'm not mistaken - but it really is delicious. The crust is doughy and thin, and if you're lucky and the pies just came out, wonderfully crisp.

chicken shawarma rice plate - $7.95 Perhaps the most go-to thing I get at Reef is the chicken shawarma. Like many of the items, it comes in either as either a rice plate or a sandwich. I usually get the sandwich (actually, I like it better that way), but I for some reason don't have a good photograph of that, so I'll leave it for another time. When I'm a bit more hungry, I get the huge rice plate. Again, I have no idea what goes into the chicken shawarma - the color seems to indicate a tomato-based sauce, but I don't actually know. I just know it's delicious, and I have to have it at least once or twice a week or I go into withdrawal. That white stuff at the top of the plate next to the pink pickled radishes is a devilishly good lemon-garlic sauce/mixture. More posts about Reef Cafe will surely come in time. They just have so much more good stuff, including lamb-beef shawarma, chicken livers, soujouk... even their french fries. I've contemplated selling out and getting a Reef Cafe t-shirt.

Reef Cafe

December 28, 2004

Here's the first of likely many entries about Reef Cafe. This is a Lebanese place is a few blocks away from my apartment, and this past semester I've been going there a lot (and that's quite the understatement). Usually I stop by for lunch to grab a sandwich (which means a pita roll up) of some kind, and I think I eat there probably at least two or three times a week. At least. And I haven't gotten sick of it yet...

spinach pie - $1.50

baked lamb with rice - $7.99

lamb with okra - $7.99 Everything at Reef Cafe is homemade. The place is essentially run by a family - there's literally a Lebanese mother in the back cooking everything up. The two brothers work the register and stuff, and once in a while the dad is around. The spinach pies are cheap and delicious, with plenty of steaming hot and tasty spinach goodness inside. Every day, they have a "daily specials" board, which is a rotation of different stuff. The descriptions are simple, but they're damn good. The baked lamb with rice was great - fork tender lamb with extremely fragrant rice. The rice plates are all served with their wonderful pink turnip pickles and a tangy tomato/cucumber salad. The lamb with okra was also great. I'm usually not a big fan of okra but this stew-like mixture was delicious, warming (it was around 0 degrees outside), and perfect with a plate of rice. Pretty much all of the specials are great, especially the "spinach" - a lamb/spinach stew with lots of lemon and nuts. I have no idea what's in this stuff, but whatever it is I love it... Often I order the much less photogenic sandwiches. The menu offers all kinds of different stuff. I've tried and loved the chicken shawarma, chicken livers, roasted chicken with potato, lamb shawarma, lamb kebab, soujouk, baked kibby... the list goes on. Each one is unique and delicious. Everything is rolled up in some pita-like bread along with some veggies (tomatoes, onions, sometimes pickles, depending on what you get) and some sauce (somtimes tahini, or a lemon-garlic sauce, depending on what you get) and thrown on a little toaster/grill thing that crisps the outside. Each sandwich is $4.75. This is the best food I've found for a college budget in the area. Also be sure to try the baklava and the coffee. I've heard they have a great soup too, but haven't tried it because there's always something else I'm craving. Anyway, this is the last Boston post until I get back there after the new year. I'm doing the holiday thing with the family in Vancouver now. I've got one meal to post from my night in SF, then it's on to Vancouver stuff, which of course never fails to satisfy.