Cockroach of the Sea

Leap Day Special at Legal Seafoods: 2 lobsters for the price of 1. We're so there.

My apple sangria. Behind is the forbidden colada. Both were delicious.

Twin lobsters with lotsa butter.

My ginormous baked potato and broccoli.

Six lobsters! :)














The lobsters were great. I haven't cracked open a lobster like that in a very long time. But it was well worth it (even if it was rather messy). We all left very happy. Thanks, Legal!

Eat More Chicken!

All the talk today about chicken wings made me want some, and one of the closest places for good chicken is Crave in Chinatown. And while the food generally ranges from decent to good, the service is always sub-par.

Let's start with the hostess, who would not seat us until our entire party of 4 arrived. Mind you, it's 6:30pm on a rainy Wednesday, and there are plenty of tables. And the chicken takes a good 30 minutes to cook anyway. But fine. We wait until we're all there  and are seated. Then our waiter is either around a bit too much, or not enough. Basically a case of bad timing.

Now for the food:

Truffle fries - often a hit or miss, but this time they were a big hit. Crispy, good flavor, not too much truffle oil.

Seaweed salad - can you really mess this up? You can (I can attest to this), but it's pretty awful if you do.

Chicken and waffles - we opted for the soy garlic boneless chicken, and this was surprisingly good and very filling. The waffle itself wasn't as dense as I like, but I'll let it pass. Very interesting to have bonchon style chicken with waffles, and I'm happy to say I didn't hate it.

Sushi deluxe - would not get this again. The toppings on the nigiri really were overpowering and overwhelming.

And finally the chicken - half mad (soy garlic) and half angry (mildly spicy). What can I say, it's delicious bonchon chicken. The chicken is fried twice, making it very crispy and not at all greasy. Yay chicken!














Oh Crave. Every time I start think the chicken is worth the bad service, I go and then am not so sure again. Maybe opting for takeout is the key.

Coy + Koi = Koy?

Tuesday evening, and I meet up with the ever-traveling Richmond for dinner. I ask for a place within walking distance from work; he suggests Koy. Koy is a smallish restaurant across from Faneuil Hall in Boston. The hostess was really nice, service was there but not great. Not Basho awful either though.

I had the soju sangria which was okay, with a hint of lychee. For food, we had:

Grilled octopus - this was okay. I've had better. I didn't really understand the small bed of red bell peppers.

Japchae - a traditional Korean dish. Their take was pretty good, and was a generous portion.

Soondubu - a spicy seafood and soft tofu stew. Again, this was more traditional. The stew was good, but I'm not sure the portion justifies the $18 they charge.

Caramelized bananas and coconut ice cream - this was my favorite thing of the day. The bananas had that creme brulee sugar top, and the ice cream was subtle but delicious.
















I think Koy is a good addition to the area, as there are not many good Korean options in the area (if any). But other than dessert, it was just okay for me. Serviceable, passable, but not crave-worthy.

The Waiting Game

So it's Friday night, and Tai and I are off to meet with Alex and Joyce at Basho in Fenway. Located on Boylston street, which has seen a re-emergence of sorts, Basho is a pretty spacious place with subtle but modern decor. They also validate parking in adjacent garage for $4.

Here's a rundown of what happens (times are estimated):
7:32pm Tai and I arrive first and are seated promptly
7:48pm Our waiter finally decides to grace us with his presence and asks for our drink order. I ask what flavors of soju they have - he doesn't know but will check. I also ask for water.
7:53pm He comes back with the list of flavors, no waters. I order a strawberry soju.
8:05pm The bar is behind, he says. And they are washing glasses for water. Never mind that a few tables near us have waters and drinks (and had arrived after we did).
8:12pm Water arrives. Hallelujah!

Never is it acceptable to make your diners wait 40 minutes for water, especially if they have no other beverages. Awful awful awful.

Alex also arrived over 40 minutes late, but that's another story.

Now for the food:

Strawberry soju - clearly not served with soju glasses. The soju was okay, not as flavorful as I like. We also hand the mango soju after, which was also not bad. Tai preferred the mango.

Spicy seafood salad - I liked this. But I couldn't tell you much more because I was so hungry at this point, I would have been happy with almost any food.

Fried chicken wings - not as crispy as I wanted, but definitely spicy. Really good flavor.

Bao with braised pork belly - also really good. With pork that just melts in your mouth.

Soft shell crab tempura - superb crab; it was meaty and the tempura (and I guess the shell too) was perfectly crunchy.

Rainbow roll on the left; yuzu yellowtail roll on the right

 Basho boat

Close up of the sushi on the boat



















The sushi was really really good. The rice was perfect. The rolls were well made and did not fall apart. The fish was flavorful and firm. The spicy rolls were decently spicy. Overall, everything was delicious.

Which only makes the bad service that much worse. I want to come back, Basho. But for the prices you charge, I expect my water within 20 minutes (and let's not get into the waits for the food to arrive, or for the waiter to appear throughout the night, or for water refills). I get it, it's a busy Friday evening. But that's just not okay.

Figaarooo Figaarooo!

Rainy Tuesday evening and Tai and I go for...pizza? Not a usual for us, at all. But I love Figs, and if it takes a random rainy Tuesday to find parking right across the street and to get seated immediately, I'll take it.

 And a view! Of the rain, and our car.

Mussels - not sure about the croutons but the mussels were fantastic. The tomato-based sauce/broth was flavorful but not overdone, with a slight spiciness that was really enjoyable.

The pizza! Half spicy shrimp, half Red Sox. SO good. The crust is great - thin but substantial, the sauce is a little sweet, and the spicy shrimp is actually spicy. Plus, for $22, this pizza is a steal in the city.
















Thanks for another great meal, Figs!

Every Weekend Should Be a Long Weekend

Seriously, long weekends are the best. Even though this weekend was the coldest weekend in Boston in ages, I still got out so I can't complain.

Since it was too cold to snowboard, the snowboard crew met up for dinner at New Golden Gate in Chinatown. And we ate lots of food.

Seafood soup - one of my favorite things to get when there are enough people. Didn't hurt that it was freezing out.

 Close-up of my bowl of soup.

 Clam with vermicelli - yum.

Crispy pork intestines on pickled vegetables - sounds weird, I know. But it's really good. Kind of like eating crispy duck or pork skin.

Salt and pepper calamari and silver fish - also yum.

Pea pod stems - because it isn't a proper dinner in Chinatown without it.

Sweet and sour pork - okay, but they ordered it with the bones, and these little nuggets would be better without bones, at least to me.

 Scallops with vermicelli - garlicky and delicious, but after the clam, eating this one small piece of scallop is not as satisfying.

Dungeness crab.



















Chinatown is great for lots of good, cheap food. No fuss. I do wish I had gotten a bowl of rice though. We also went to Kung Fu Tea after, and it was okay, but I still prefer Tea Do. And just like that, the coldest day in Boston is over.