Guys, I don't know if I remember how to cook. What am I going to do once this eating out craze ends?
Easter Sunday was another gluttonous day. Felt more like Fat Tuesday, but then, it's not like I had a lean Lent anyway. It started with brunch at Viale in Central Square. Viale is pretty much what you'd expect of a Central Square restaurant - hip, modern, quirky, a bit pretentious.
The first of two mimosas for me.
Harry's lamb special. He said this was really good. Doesn't look so appetizing though, does it?
Tai and Jessica each had a lobster omelet. Tai didn't love the asparagus inside. Those potatoes were great though, super crispy.
My breakfast pizza. Pretty good, but so filling. Why did I get something so doughy for brunch?
Viale was good. Not great. And there are just too many places to go to for me to come back.
We had time to kill before our movie, so we went to HMart in Central, and ate some more.
So pretty, eh?
After HMart and the movie, we drove to Allston to dine at Holly Crab. Everyone wants to call this place Holy Crab, but no, there's definitely a second L in there. This place is small. And has a clueless hostess. And although we had made reservations, they had no record of it. And well, I was not impressed with the place prior to being seated. We managed to get seated because a party of 9 didn't show up. But I can only imagine how long we actually would have had to wait if they did show.
Since everything is market price, they have a black board with the prices listed. That was at an odd angle so I didn't actually read any of it.
Hot wings basket with cajun fries - both could have used additional cooking time. Plus more seasoning for the fries.
Wei's gumbo.
So. My food took so long that they gave me a free pound of shrimp to keep me entertained, since everyone else had been eating. I appreciate that they tried to make it up to me. But I laugh that they gave one of the cheaper options, instead of you know, comping my dish. The shrimp was pretty good though.
Tai's crab.
My crab - which was supposed to be in a mild spicy sauce. And it wasn't. It was really spicy. Spicier than Tai's, which was medium spicy. I think I ate a claw, before I went um, nope.
Alright. So they definitely need to figure things out to be more consistent, especially in terms of flavoring/spiciness. And I'm not sure I'm down for paying $58 for 2 pounds of crab that you just boil and toss in a sauce. But to each his own.
I didn't bring lunch on Monday, so a few of us went up to the 31st floor for lunch.
The view. For some reason, I have only made it up here on awful days, weather-wise.
My winter beef stew with mashed potatoes. This was really good - the meat was sooo tender.
That pretty much ends my March. I did go out for drinks at Slate Bar & Grill after work Wednesday, but no pictures were taken. Typical bar atmosphere, food, and service (lack of?).
Onto April!
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Food Fit for a Princess
I'm breaking this out into its own post, because although this wonderful meal ended my week, I feel as though it deserves its own write-up.
Today we celebrated Alice's 100 days, and what a celebration it was - Chinese banquet-style. And while I have been to plenty Chinese banquets, not many other babies have received a full 10 course menu.
Thu and Jeff chose to host this special day at Ming's Seafood Restaurant in Malden Center, which has opened fairly recently. This interior is slightly more modern than most Chinese restaurants (as in, this one doesn't have a giant gold dragon on a wall). And the bathrooms are nice and actually clean, but you can definitely see into the bathroom doors, which I found really strange.
And while Asian banquets never start on time, I was disappointed that the food wasn't served until an hour after it was scheduled. I should really bring snacks to all of these events.
The pink and red eggs - props to Jeff's mom for boiling and dyeing all these eggs.
Crab rangoons (really good) and fried calamari (eh). The calamari was on the salty side, and not crispy enough. I really wanted to steal some jellyfish and char siu from Thu's table though haha.
Melissa's bean curd and vegetable dish.
Seafood and egg soup - a little sparse on the seafood, but overall a decent soup.
Honey walnut shrimp (minus walnuts) - If I come back to Ming's, it might be for this dish. I just hope the walnuts make it in there next time, as I do love them in the mayo. But the shrimp were cooked really well - crispy and sweet. And who can say no to fried milk?
Gold sand stir fried lobster - hm. Interesting. Different. But I found this just okay. It needed something.
Fried fish fillets in creamy corn sauce - also different. But I wish I had a bowl and a spoon to actually get a better taste of the sauce.
Crispy skin chicken - even though it looks like duck, this chicken was really good. Flavorful and not dry.
Shiitake mushrooms, bamboo, and Chinese broccoli - I don't think I've ever had bamboo like this, but it worked. I still prefer the strips of bamboo shoots though.
Sweet and sour pork - also really good. Crispty pork in a really great sauce. But would have been sooo much better with white rice.
Fried rice - not as oily as some places, which is a plus in my book. Bowl and spoon, please.
Longevity noodles - I know this dish is a must, but it's just so plain.
Thankfully tomorrow is Easter, so this cake wasn't hugely out of place hah.
For a Chinese banquet for over 100 people, Ming's definitely held its own. Spotty in some areas (slow to start, and a really long intermission), but overall the food hit the right marks. I might come back and try some of these dishes with rice though.
Today we celebrated Alice's 100 days, and what a celebration it was - Chinese banquet-style. And while I have been to plenty Chinese banquets, not many other babies have received a full 10 course menu.
Thu and Jeff chose to host this special day at Ming's Seafood Restaurant in Malden Center, which has opened fairly recently. This interior is slightly more modern than most Chinese restaurants (as in, this one doesn't have a giant gold dragon on a wall). And the bathrooms are nice and actually clean, but you can definitely see into the bathroom doors, which I found really strange.
And while Asian banquets never start on time, I was disappointed that the food wasn't served until an hour after it was scheduled. I should really bring snacks to all of these events.
The pink and red eggs - props to Jeff's mom for boiling and dyeing all these eggs.
Crab rangoons (really good) and fried calamari (eh). The calamari was on the salty side, and not crispy enough. I really wanted to steal some jellyfish and char siu from Thu's table though haha.
Melissa's bean curd and vegetable dish.
Seafood and egg soup - a little sparse on the seafood, but overall a decent soup.
Honey walnut shrimp (minus walnuts) - If I come back to Ming's, it might be for this dish. I just hope the walnuts make it in there next time, as I do love them in the mayo. But the shrimp were cooked really well - crispy and sweet. And who can say no to fried milk?
Gold sand stir fried lobster - hm. Interesting. Different. But I found this just okay. It needed something.
Fried fish fillets in creamy corn sauce - also different. But I wish I had a bowl and a spoon to actually get a better taste of the sauce.
Crispy skin chicken - even though it looks like duck, this chicken was really good. Flavorful and not dry.
Shiitake mushrooms, bamboo, and Chinese broccoli - I don't think I've ever had bamboo like this, but it worked. I still prefer the strips of bamboo shoots though.
Sweet and sour pork - also really good. Crispty pork in a really great sauce. But would have been sooo much better with white rice.
Fried rice - not as oily as some places, which is a plus in my book. Bowl and spoon, please.
Longevity noodles - I know this dish is a must, but it's just so plain.
Thankfully tomorrow is Easter, so this cake wasn't hugely out of place hah.
For a Chinese banquet for over 100 people, Ming's definitely held its own. Spotty in some areas (slow to start, and a really long intermission), but overall the food hit the right marks. I might come back and try some of these dishes with rice though.
March Madness Part 2
Another food-filled week. It starts Sunday with lunch at Blue Asia Cafe in Allston with Thu, Jeff, and Alice. All the meals I've had here have been great, but I really do not love this block of Brighton Ave - parking is such a pain. I also don't love Blue Asia's policy of not seating you until the entire party is there. And although they claim to be a Taiwanese restaurant, a bunch of their dishes are Korean.
Tai's salt and pepper fried chicken over rice.
My General Gau's tofu over rice - I wanted to like this more. The meat sauce on the rice and the fried egg are nice touches. But my tofu looked a lot more flavorful than it actually was.
Jeff's fried chicken cutlet over rice - huge portion.
Thu's stewed beef noodle soup.
Soy milk with grass jelly and milk tea with boba - the drinks here are definitely solid.
We also had the house shaved ice, but my arms were full of Alice. Blue Asia is a consistent place, and cheap. But maybe I'll stick to the beef noodle soup, which I really enjoyed in my previous visits here.
Monday after work, I met with Richmond for dinner. The roads were clear, since schools were closed and so many people stayed home due to the "snow" that turned out to be maybe 3 inches (that melted in the afternoon sun). I wanted to try something new, so we went to Vejigantes in the South End.
The drinks here are fantastic and definitely poured with a heavy hand. The interior is a bit odd, but not awful. Just kind of yard sale-ish. One of our menus was really sticky though - those could definitely use a wiping.
Codfish fritters - so weird. Crispy on the outside, mushy in the middle, but bland throughout. Would not get this again.
Conch salad - also really weird. Cubes of conch with diced peppers and olives, in an olive juice. And I have no idea what those fried things are. Would also not get this again.
Beef pastellillos (aka beef empanadas) - this I liked. Really good flavor. But I wanted a sauce of some sort.
Yuca frita - would also not get this again. It was not at all what I envisioned.
Paella Valencia - paella with chicken and chorizo. This was also enjoyable, mostly thanks to the chorizo. The chicken was eh.
Not sure I'll be back here. The menu has a lot of options, and maybe that's not a good thing.
On Wednesday, Tai and I went to Shabu in Quincy and ordered what we always get there:
Mango salad.
Fried chicken wings.
Bun Hen - this is new for us. It's vermicelli noodles with clams, mango, taro, rice cracker, and peanuts I think. Served with clam broth and a fish sauce.
Pho.
Definitely a more low-key week, compared to last week. But still delicious. :)
Tai's salt and pepper fried chicken over rice.
My General Gau's tofu over rice - I wanted to like this more. The meat sauce on the rice and the fried egg are nice touches. But my tofu looked a lot more flavorful than it actually was.
Jeff's fried chicken cutlet over rice - huge portion.
Thu's stewed beef noodle soup.
Soy milk with grass jelly and milk tea with boba - the drinks here are definitely solid.
We also had the house shaved ice, but my arms were full of Alice. Blue Asia is a consistent place, and cheap. But maybe I'll stick to the beef noodle soup, which I really enjoyed in my previous visits here.
Monday after work, I met with Richmond for dinner. The roads were clear, since schools were closed and so many people stayed home due to the "snow" that turned out to be maybe 3 inches (that melted in the afternoon sun). I wanted to try something new, so we went to Vejigantes in the South End.
The drinks here are fantastic and definitely poured with a heavy hand. The interior is a bit odd, but not awful. Just kind of yard sale-ish. One of our menus was really sticky though - those could definitely use a wiping.
Codfish fritters - so weird. Crispy on the outside, mushy in the middle, but bland throughout. Would not get this again.
Conch salad - also really weird. Cubes of conch with diced peppers and olives, in an olive juice. And I have no idea what those fried things are. Would also not get this again.
Beef pastellillos (aka beef empanadas) - this I liked. Really good flavor. But I wanted a sauce of some sort.
Yuca frita - would also not get this again. It was not at all what I envisioned.
Paella Valencia - paella with chicken and chorizo. This was also enjoyable, mostly thanks to the chorizo. The chicken was eh.
Not sure I'll be back here. The menu has a lot of options, and maybe that's not a good thing.
On Wednesday, Tai and I went to Shabu in Quincy and ordered what we always get there:
And Friday, we met up with Edmund at Pho Le in Dorchester for comfort food.
Fried chicken wings.
Bun Hen - this is new for us. It's vermicelli noodles with clams, mango, taro, rice cracker, and peanuts I think. Served with clam broth and a fish sauce.
Pho.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
March Madness
March is always a busy month for me. Birthdays. And catching up with friends, since the snowboard season is usually winding down.
This past week started with an unseasonably gorgeous Sunday (considering that it's mid-March). After unpacking and going grocery shopping, Tai wanted to stay out a bit longer. And when it's sunny and warm, he wants fried seafood. After some googling, we find that although Tony's Clam Shop is not yet open for the season, The Clam Box opened March 4th.
Now, The Clam Box is never my first choice, but since it's the only option...we go. And the line is out the door. With one person taking orders, this line is slow to move. And the wait for food is not much quicker.
Fried scallop platter - decent. I prefer Tony's fries. And the scallops could be sweeter. But they weren't bad.
Small shrimp and small whole clam - again, I think Tony's shrimp is better. Clams were okay though.
New England clam chowder - pretty good. Not as thick as I like, but definitely meaty. Add pepper, lots of it. And maybe a bit of salt too.
Tai and I might have to do a fried seafood comparison between Tony's and Clam Box one of these days. But we shall see.
Following a very long week (adjusting back to eastern time compounded with the start of daylight saving time was not a fun thing), I got my weekend started a bit early with dinner at Doretta Taverna Thursday evening. Michael Schlow closed Via Matta to open this Greek seafood restaurant. I had high hopes, but I was not impressed. The space itself is great - homey but lounge-y at the same time. I was early and had a drink at the bar, which sits center stage at this restaurant. The bartenders are friendly without being overbearing, and not at all condescending like many others. The drink I had was also fantastic.
But then my dining companions (Suky, her sister Kim and niece ST) came, and we were seated at a table. I was very excited to meet Kim and ST, as I feel that I know them already. Thankfully, they were of like mind in that they wanted to share small plates as well. And the dishes sounded great - if only they lived up to expectations.
Tasting of Doretta's spreads - I wish I remembered what each was. Bottom right is obviously hummus. To the right of that was something (perhaps eggplant?) that I think had roasted red pepper and was topped with feta. Top middle - I have no idea haha. The hummus was good, but it's hummus, can you really go wrong? The red pepper was also decent. However, my biggest issue with this dish was the bread. It was grilled but hard to bite into and rather chewy. Just did not work for me. Give me a flatbread please.
Zucchini chips with a spicy cucumber yogurt - I liked this until I got into the middle of the bowl and had soggy chips.
Warm shrimp - this dish was pretty good, although the breading was uneven. It looks like they just toss in some bread crumbs on top of the shrimp in the bowl, but I think this dish would be better if the shrimp are coated in the crumbs.
Lamb meatballs - good flavor, but so hard on the outside. Seriously, I was not expecting it, and the lamb jumped a bit on my plate when I went to cut it.
Slow cooked white beans - this would have been so good with a touch less salt.
Greek fries - which are apparently potato chips. Delicious ones though.
Galaktoboureko - I wasn't sure what to expect. And although it was pretty good, I'm not sure I love the graininess of the custard part.
I wanted so much to like Doretta. But there wasn't a single standout dish. How can you serve spreads with awful bread? And everything (minus dessert) was a tad too salty. Perhaps I shall be back for a drink though.
The following night, Tai and I went to Grill 23 & Bar with Rosa and Wei after work. It was restaurant week, so we each had 3 courses for $38 (Rosa's entree had a $15 supplemental charge though). I had made reservations for 6:30pm, and the host tried to tell me they had it for 7pm, but that they'd seat us anyway. Um, no. Don't give me that sht because it took you 3 minutes to find my reservation. Ugh.
Rosa's cauliflower soup.
Oyster duo - the raw oysters were fantastic. The oyster shooter on the right? Not my thing. The glass is lined with old bay seasoning, which I am not a big fan of. And the juice is like a clamato juice, which I am also not a fan of. But the oyster itself was good.
Close-up of the oyster shooter.
Tai's swordfish.
Wei's duck.
Rosa's NY strip.
My steak tips - really good, great flavor, plus a good portion size for restaurant week. And the mashed potatoes were so delicious. Did I mention there's bacon in there? Yup. Amazing.
Tai's strawberry milk pudding - yes, it was as odd as it sounds. Didn't work for me. Or for Tai.
Brownie sundae - with coffee ice cream that kept me up.
The food at Grill 23 is pretty great. But I don't dig the vibe. Too much like an old boys' club that is trying to adapt to current times but is not really happy about it. So they tolerate you because you're keeping them in business. And there are enough restaurants in the city that I don't have to deal with that attitude. Shame, because the food is solid.
And that brings us to today, which was a fun-filled day. It started out at Legoland Discovery Center, which I really enjoyed. They had quite a few activities, two rides, and a 4D movie theatre.
For lunch, we walked over to Fuji at Assembly because the kids wanted sushi. Service was a bit slow, considering it was not busy. I wouldn't want to be there during peak hours. The restaurant itself is definitely more family-friendly than the Fuji in Quincy, which is more bar scene than restaurant. The odd thing was that they have kids meals and offer juice, but do not have apple or orange juice. Just grape juice or lemonade. Grape juice? Really?
Avocado salad - good, but do you see avocado? Because I see maybe one chunk. Maybe rename this one cucumber salad.
Salt and pepper calamari - this was done well, although a bit on the salty side.
Hokkai yaki - no shell? I didn't care for this. The flavor was okay, but the oily aftertaste was not pleasant.
Fried shumai - I wish they warned us that the sauce is a wasabi one, especially since we were dining with three young children.
Stir fried udon with chicken - the kids enjoyed it.
Caterpillar, scorpion, and red crab meat California makis - not outstanding, but okay.
Oyako don.
Fuji isn't a bad sushi option in the area, but it's a bit pricey for your run of the mill sushi joint.
Lego bunny.
FRB in Legos.
This past week started with an unseasonably gorgeous Sunday (considering that it's mid-March). After unpacking and going grocery shopping, Tai wanted to stay out a bit longer. And when it's sunny and warm, he wants fried seafood. After some googling, we find that although Tony's Clam Shop is not yet open for the season, The Clam Box opened March 4th.
Now, The Clam Box is never my first choice, but since it's the only option...we go. And the line is out the door. With one person taking orders, this line is slow to move. And the wait for food is not much quicker.
Fried scallop platter - decent. I prefer Tony's fries. And the scallops could be sweeter. But they weren't bad.
Small shrimp and small whole clam - again, I think Tony's shrimp is better. Clams were okay though.
New England clam chowder - pretty good. Not as thick as I like, but definitely meaty. Add pepper, lots of it. And maybe a bit of salt too.
Tai and I might have to do a fried seafood comparison between Tony's and Clam Box one of these days. But we shall see.
Following a very long week (adjusting back to eastern time compounded with the start of daylight saving time was not a fun thing), I got my weekend started a bit early with dinner at Doretta Taverna Thursday evening. Michael Schlow closed Via Matta to open this Greek seafood restaurant. I had high hopes, but I was not impressed. The space itself is great - homey but lounge-y at the same time. I was early and had a drink at the bar, which sits center stage at this restaurant. The bartenders are friendly without being overbearing, and not at all condescending like many others. The drink I had was also fantastic.
But then my dining companions (Suky, her sister Kim and niece ST) came, and we were seated at a table. I was very excited to meet Kim and ST, as I feel that I know them already. Thankfully, they were of like mind in that they wanted to share small plates as well. And the dishes sounded great - if only they lived up to expectations.
Tasting of Doretta's spreads - I wish I remembered what each was. Bottom right is obviously hummus. To the right of that was something (perhaps eggplant?) that I think had roasted red pepper and was topped with feta. Top middle - I have no idea haha. The hummus was good, but it's hummus, can you really go wrong? The red pepper was also decent. However, my biggest issue with this dish was the bread. It was grilled but hard to bite into and rather chewy. Just did not work for me. Give me a flatbread please.
Zucchini chips with a spicy cucumber yogurt - I liked this until I got into the middle of the bowl and had soggy chips.
Warm shrimp - this dish was pretty good, although the breading was uneven. It looks like they just toss in some bread crumbs on top of the shrimp in the bowl, but I think this dish would be better if the shrimp are coated in the crumbs.
Lamb meatballs - good flavor, but so hard on the outside. Seriously, I was not expecting it, and the lamb jumped a bit on my plate when I went to cut it.
Slow cooked white beans - this would have been so good with a touch less salt.
Greek fries - which are apparently potato chips. Delicious ones though.
Galaktoboureko - I wasn't sure what to expect. And although it was pretty good, I'm not sure I love the graininess of the custard part.
I wanted so much to like Doretta. But there wasn't a single standout dish. How can you serve spreads with awful bread? And everything (minus dessert) was a tad too salty. Perhaps I shall be back for a drink though.
The following night, Tai and I went to Grill 23 & Bar with Rosa and Wei after work. It was restaurant week, so we each had 3 courses for $38 (Rosa's entree had a $15 supplemental charge though). I had made reservations for 6:30pm, and the host tried to tell me they had it for 7pm, but that they'd seat us anyway. Um, no. Don't give me that sht because it took you 3 minutes to find my reservation. Ugh.
Rosa's cauliflower soup.
Oyster duo - the raw oysters were fantastic. The oyster shooter on the right? Not my thing. The glass is lined with old bay seasoning, which I am not a big fan of. And the juice is like a clamato juice, which I am also not a fan of. But the oyster itself was good.
Close-up of the oyster shooter.
Tai's swordfish.
Wei's duck.
Rosa's NY strip.
My steak tips - really good, great flavor, plus a good portion size for restaurant week. And the mashed potatoes were so delicious. Did I mention there's bacon in there? Yup. Amazing.
Tai's strawberry milk pudding - yes, it was as odd as it sounds. Didn't work for me. Or for Tai.
Brownie sundae - with coffee ice cream that kept me up.
The food at Grill 23 is pretty great. But I don't dig the vibe. Too much like an old boys' club that is trying to adapt to current times but is not really happy about it. So they tolerate you because you're keeping them in business. And there are enough restaurants in the city that I don't have to deal with that attitude. Shame, because the food is solid.
And that brings us to today, which was a fun-filled day. It started out at Legoland Discovery Center, which I really enjoyed. They had quite a few activities, two rides, and a 4D movie theatre.
![]() |
Where else would you see a giant ice cream bowl made of legos? |
Salt and pepper calamari - this was done well, although a bit on the salty side.
Hokkai yaki - no shell? I didn't care for this. The flavor was okay, but the oily aftertaste was not pleasant.
Fried shumai - I wish they warned us that the sauce is a wasabi one, especially since we were dining with three young children.
Stir fried udon with chicken - the kids enjoyed it.
Caterpillar, scorpion, and red crab meat California makis - not outstanding, but okay.
Oyako don.
Unagi bento box.
Fuji isn't a bad sushi option in the area, but it's a bit pricey for your run of the mill sushi joint.
That concludes week 1 of post-snowboard season meals. Let's see what else March has in store for me.
BONUS:
Puffle cones at Monkey King Tea in Malden.Lego bunny.
FRB in Legos.
The Zakim bridge and TD Garden in Legos.
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