Double the Fun, Double the Meh

Today, I had lunch with Thu at Double Chin in Chinatown. There's been so much talk and a good amount of hype about the restaurant, that I really was expecting maybe too much. Let's start with the decor - it was sad. I thought it'd be more modern and hip, like a daytime Shojo. No. No. It was as if Eldo expanded, just another place in Chinatown that put in minimal effort on the walls, tables, chairs, etc. And what is with the weird old people Asian smell?

Okay, but then the food should be great, right?

Spam and taro fries - sooo these really need to be thicker. The spam just tasted overcooked, because it was so thin. The taro fries were not bad though.

Portuguese pork spaghetti - I think I would have liked this better with rice. The noodles were cut, which was nice. But they really reminded me of Campbell's chicken noodle type of noodle. And the color didn't help in that regard either. Flavor-wise, it was just okay. Didn't wow me. Didn't make me plan my next trip back here.











Soooo I blame Thu for the next two pictures. I was too distracted to take pictures. So these are the photos off the restaurant's menu.

Tomato pork chop rice - this was probably my favorite dish of the day. Sounds weird: tomato sauce, cheese, pork and rice? But it worked. Again, it didn't blow me away. But it was good.

Mac n cheese - so our mac and cheese didn't look like this at all. For one, it was not served in a cup. They used wide rice noodles, a cream sauce, and topped it with cheese and baked it. It was like creamy noodles with cheese. Meh.

Matcha ma call it cube toast - interesting. Definitely a lot going on. Thu said the red beans weren't good at all. I could have done without the mochi as well. And we definitely needed two more people to help eat it. It was okay. Different, but at the end of the day, ice cream with a lot of random stuff. I also would have preferred a bowl instead of the small plate I was given.










Super interesting concept. I just don't think they thought execution through. Plus, the menu was not really helpful or descriptive enough. You can't really just have a page of "Create Your Own Bowl" without instructions. I wish them luck, but nothing here, from the atmosphere to the service to the food, was exceptional or noteworthy.

Dinner was at Teatro with Alex and Tai for Alex's birthday. Located on Tremont Street next to the movie theatre and within walking distance to many of Boston's theatres, it has previously served me well before shows. They're quick, efficient, and reliable. And although it gets really loud inside, the food is usually fantastic.

Mussels - the broth was great and the bread was perfectly toasted and buttered.

 Alex's linguine.

Tai's ribeye - really good. Cooked perfectly, great flavor. And the fries were delicious.

My rigatoni - salty today, but otherwise really good.


















I am not sure that I will be back though. The waiter today so irked me, the experience has just left an awful impression on a place I have previously really enjoyed. It probably started with the fact that I asked for tap water. But really, I'm okay with the city's water. And then I ordered a half portion of pasta. I did so knowingly - I've eaten here and don't usually finish the half portion if we get appetizers. But when I asked for the half portion, the waiter was just so condescending. "It's the size of this," as he motions to the bread plate. Yes, I know. And that's just about as much as I eat. If I didn't know, I would ask.

Ugh. Maybe just come before a movie or musical, when their curtness won't bother you and their efficiency will be appreciated. Otherwise, pass.

BONUS:

Sake Kit Kats from Japan

Asian Appreciation Week

Not really, but it seems like it could have been, after reviewing what I've eaten for the week (minus everything I didn't take a picture of haha).

Monday was grey and rainy, so I opted for ramen at Pikaichi in Allston. And really, I'd been craving it for some time.

Tai's usual, Jigoku ramen.

My shoyu ramen with corn and half an egg.


















Ramen is just great for rainy days. Super comforting.

Friday after work, we went to Q Restaurant in Chinatown for dinner. Q is always busy, it seems. And every time we try to go (which admittedly isn't very often), there's a long wait and so we go somewhere else. I thought that since it'd be right after work, it shouldn't be too bad. Right? Wrong! There was a wait, and we ended up eating at the sushi bar, where there was not much space.

Beef short ribs, watercress, and half of the assorted vegetables.

The pot! Half tom yum, half regular.



















We had rib eye as well, and udon. The portions here are smaller than some other places, but the quality of the meat is great. Perhaps we'll have to do a weekday after work next time in order to get a table.

Because you can't have dinner in Chinatown without getting bubble tea after.

















That leads me to dinner Saturday at Fugakyu in Lynnfield. I was really looking forward to this dinner. The space is all new, I figured they'd be at the top of their game.

The restaurant itself is really nice. The table we sat at had closing panels so you felt as though you had your own private room. The service is a bit odd. Imagine a waitress at a Chinese restaurant on Route 1 from Saugus to wherever, and that's what we got. She took Moe's drink order, but not mine or my sister's. She just went, okay I'll put that in, and walked away. Odd. Very odd.

Seaweed salad - standard here. But expensive. I think this little dish was $7.50, $9 if you want tobiko.

Hamachi kama - not bad but could have been crispier.

Our sushi - Hoho tuna maki on its own plate, then on the boat there was the volcano maki, the Louisiana maki, the dragon maki, the spider maki, and the rainbow maki.















Overall, it was just okay. I wasn't blown away. Honestly, the quality of fish was better at Wegman's than here. And I paid a looooot more here. The Fugakyu restaurants do so well, and I am always wondering why, when there are better sushi restaurants. But their locations definitely serve them well, as do their space and private areas. I just don't think the food here is ever worth it. But perhaps for some people, the dining experience is.

Chicken and Burgers and Waffles, Oh My!

We're going to call this weekend the weekend of miscommunication. Alternatively, the weekend that everyone shows up at different places.

Friday evening, I'm meeting up with my family for dinner after work. This dinner was supposed to take place last week, but we had to reschedule. I had originally thrown out Yong Yong as an option, but later decided on Ming's in Malden Center. My family apparently did not get the memo and went to Yong Yong, while Tai and I waited at Ming's.

Thankfully they did not order and drove over to where we were, because we had ordered. And they had no say in what they ate hah.

Seafood soup - this was really good and "meaty." My family really liked it as well.

Fried fish fillet with sweet corn sauce - this was the favorite of the night and the only dish to be finished. The corn sauce is really sweet and works so well with the fish.

Sauteed three delights with vegetables - I really liked the celery in this dish. Good thing too, since they gave us so much of it. I liked this dish, it was nice and light. But this was an accident - I meant to order the salt and pepper fried seafood.

Beef chow foon with Chinese broccoli - also done well here. The vegetables were not overcooked, the beef was soft and not chewy, there was enough gravy.

Fried crispy chicken - I did not eat this dish this time around, but everyone said it was good and the skin was really crispy.

Sauteed pea pod stems - perfect here as well. Fresh, good amount of garlic, not oily.

Fried chicken wings - this was okay. Not super spicy, not super crispy. But not bad.

















I really wanted fried milk, so hopefully next time. Overall, I was impressed. And I had a great time watching my mom drink wine. Ming's is great for larger groups/families, that way you can order more.

Saturday, after my first professional massage experience ever, we met Harry and Jessica at Boston Burger Co in Harvard Square. Not knowing that there are three locations, Harry and Jessica initially went to the Davis Sq BBC. Ooops.

This is kind of your typical college area burger joint, with alcohol. I do like the relaxed vibe. And the beer and drink menu is definitely above many places I frequented in college. The food menu is also pretty creative and extensive. The burger options range from pretty normal to pretty crazy.

Our strawberry frappe - when we ordered it, I had no idea this concoction would be served. It was pretty good until we got to the super sweet bits at the bottom.

 Harry's cherry vanilla Coke float.

Jessica's nutella frappe - with crushed peanut butter cookies on the outside.

Cajun fries - again, we were expecting fries dusted in cajun spices. Apparently they also get mixed in with peppers, onions, and bbq sauce. Interestingly enough, this dish works.

Pizza fries - these were okay, I expected better. The fries underneath the "stuff" were too soft, pretty much just cooked potatoes.

Jessica's alpine burger, sans cheese - this has mushrooms and a parmesan garlic butter.

Harry's hot mess burger - and boy is it. This is topped with homemade 1000 island dressing, bacon, american cheese, jalapenos, pickles, fried onions, and shredded lettuce. I don't know how, but he finished it.

Tai's artery clogger - this is a beer battered and deep fried burger topped with bacon, bbq sauce, and American cheese. He also added jalapenos.

My mac attack - mac and cheese and bacon. Sounds kinda strange, definitely not your usual burger. But it worked. The meat was great (although way generous). But it was seasoned really well. I think I ate a bit more than a quarter of this burger. Hah













You'd think we'd be so stuffed we couldn't eat any more. And that may be true for all except Jessica, who always has room for waffles or crepes or ice cream. So we head over to Zinneken's.

 Strawberry and nutella.

Banana and nutella.



















Oh Zinneken's, you break my heart. I really want to like you, but you're always so disappointing. The fruit and nutella were both great, but the waffle, our vehicle of choice for fruit and nutella, major letdown. It was chewy? But hard? And towards the end I just smothered strawberries in nutella and ate those alone, minus the waffle.

Today I was back in Harvard Square, brunching at Park with Thuy. And she didn't end up at the wrong place, because I drove :). My previous experience at Park was pretty great, and I had high hopes for today.

Thuy's Patty melt - she enjoyed it. The fries were pretty good too.

My chicken and waffles - making up for last night's waffle. The chicken and waffles were both really good, but I could have done without the collard greens.















But our waitress. Honestly nowhere to be found for at least 30 minutes. And then I had to flag her down when I did spot her. She would have walked right by us. I know, people often take their time at brunch. But at least check in on us before the 30 minute mark. Especially if our utensils are at 10 and 5 on our plates.

But validated parking in Harvard Sq is such a boon. Would still come back.

April Fools

April. Spring. Rain. The smell of cut grass and blooming flowers. Allergies. Rain. Longer days. Open patios. Rain. Only, we've had snow thus far instead of rain. 

April 1st also marks the return of the Cookie Monstah food truck. So this is what I had for lunch. Not very responsible of me, but I have no regrets.

Coffee Oreo ice cream with a chocolate chunk cookie

Because I hadn't indulged enough for one day, we went to Anh Hong in Dorchester for butter beef for dinner.

The cooking equipment.

Two plates of beef. They top it with lemongrass and it's just so delicious. We also got a plate of fish, done the same way, but I must have neglected to take a picture. So the meat is cooked in the butter, and then you use rice paper to wrap it with vermicelli and vegetables. Work for your meal!

Saturday was a busy day, but nothing super memorable in terms of food. Sunday I met up with Christine, Caitlin and Thu for a belated birthday gathering at Bocado in Wellesley. Of course it snows the morning of (seriously, it's April, people). But I'm super grateful these ladies still made it out.

Table decoration, courtesy of Madi.

Whipped roasted garlic, spinach, feta dip with grilled pita bread - this was tasty, but I feel like the pita could have been warmer.

Fried avocado, spicy shrimp salad, lemon ginger dressing - this was sooooo delicious. Creamy, spicy, just yum.

Fried calamari with garlic, lemon, parsley and orange horseradish crema - this was supposed to be the chilled calamari with wakame, but I guess the waiter misheard. Still good.

Fried goat cheese with honey & almonds - um, I have dreams about this. It's that good. I could eat this whole thing myself. And probably nothing else haha.

Grilled venison steak, creamy saffron rice & peas, balsamic tomato glaze - this was so surprising and so good. The venison was not what I expected; I actually really enjoyed it. And that rice was delectable. I even ate the peas (and I really don't like peas).

Grilled Spanish octopus, roasted potato, olive oil, smoked Spanish paprika, sea salt - so the waiter said this was the best dish on the menu. And I was so disappointed. It was bland. And just sitting in oil. The potatoes needed salt, and help. But salt would have helped some.

Oven-roasted Brussels sprouts, crispy pork belly lardons, piquillo crema, bacon aioli, bread crumbs - whoa that list of contents. And the taste was the same. Too much going on, a bit all over the place. I could have done with the Brussels sprouts with some salt, pepper, and maybe the pork belly.

5 hour braised beef brisket, bbq braise sauce, Yukon mashed, Espelette crème fraîche - I was really full at this point, but the mashed potatoes were good.

 Berry bread pudding - yum.

Churros with chocolate - also yum.



















A few misses, in terms of food and service. But great company always manages to offset all that. We missed you, Kerry! Sorry Plymouth got hammered.

And Monday comes. It's an awful Monday. I am so tired and out of sorts. I accidentally lock my sister's bedroom door. The handles of my paper shopping bag break clear off, one block into my walk to the train station.  It's snowing. I can't stay awake.  But then, there's always dinner to look forward to. Because of the snow and just yucky weather, we stay close to work and go to Townsman.

Their take on brown bread (reminds you of bread in a can, doesn't it). I can't even tell you what kind of butter it is, and what they put on top of it. I didn't expect to enjoy it, but it was interesting and pretty good.

Smothered duck leg with lentils - I don't eat duck (usually too fatty for me). This duck was fantastic. So crispy but not dry, I couldn't even tell I was eating duck. And the lentils were delicious.

Sweet potato fingerling salad - eh. Don't get this.

Broiled snail toast - this was sooo good. And the various mushrooms? Loved them. Each bite was sweet but then you'd get the bite from the cheese and then you get the earthiness from the mushrooms. Yum.

Braised pork shank - well hello, giant hunk of meat. How are you? Seriously. I was full before this came out. Daunting. But the meat was so tender and really friggin good.















I had zero expectations for Townsman, and I was so impressed. Minus that fingerling potato salad. Hah.

Bonus:

Snowy April day in Boston.

Post drinking fare at Legal on the Mystic.