Service can make or break a meal.

When a professional kitchen puts out good food on a consistent basis, the success of every meal becomes the responsibility of front-of-house staff. A great bartender, a knowledgeable server, efficient service, all these make for a memorable meal. When bartenders give a little attitude about a drink they don’t know how to make, when a cold dessert spoon is brought to the table for a hot soup, when a cocktail is placed on the table and the glass is chipped, these things obviously have a negative impact on a meal. On the other hand, when a bartender is not familiar with a drink but still says, “sure, we can figure that out” and asks questions about the ingredients or looks it up on a smart phone, when table service is so efficient and flawless you hardly recognize the presence of wait staff, when small mistakes are acknowledged and corrected quickly, these are signs of a great restaurant that pays attention to detail.

After eating out twice this weekend I experienced both ends of the spectrum. A fantastic meal with stellar service from the moment we walked in the door to the moment we left, and a meal rife with service gaffes from start to finish with some pretty good food in the middle.

While I don’t ordinarily write negative reviews I know this restaurant can do better, and has done better during several of the previous times I’ve dined there. I’ll first tell you about the less than favorable experience I had at Sel de la Terre Natick. My wife and I arrived early; we were meeting friends, so we went to the bar for a drink and an order of SDLT’s famous rosemary fries. It was at least a few minutes before either bartender acknowledged our presence and when one finally did, she was certainly friendly, waving from halfway across the bar like we were old friends as she came over to talk to us.

I asked if she could make an Old Cuban, my favorite cocktail at the moment and one I was introduced to at Eastern Standard. The bartender said she had no idea what it was and when I mentioned that I’ve had it at a few places in Boston and maybe it’s a Boston thing, she responded with what I perceived to be an attitude saying, “well I’m from Boston and I’ve never heard of it.” She made no effort to inquire about its ingredients and that was that. So, I asked for a cocktail menu and asked her to put in an order of fries. J and I order a couple drinks, and waited for our friends to arrive, the fries never did and we settled the bill, no fries, to move to a table in the dining room.

Our server at the table was nice, telling us about the specials and taking orders for another round of drinks. I ordered a martini, when my drink arrived I noticed the rim of the glass was chipped, after I took a sip. I informed our server and he replaced the drink right away with a fresh one. That’s great but the glass should have never made it to the table – the service bartender or the server should have noticed the chip. The next gaff came when the soup I order arrived at the table, without a spoon. I asked the server for a spoon and he disappeared for a couple minutes. He finally returned to the table from the kitchen with a spoon, an ice cold spoon which I presume he grabbed from a reach-in cooler where spoons intended for dessert are stored. There were a couple other issues with the meal that can be chalked up to miscommunication but I feel like a more attentive server would have cleared things up with questions before it go that point. At the end of meal the food was good, very good even, and we enjoyed a side of the rosemary fries that we ordered at our table. With better service this would have been a very enjoyable evening, instead, we talk about how the food was good but the service really fell short. With that said I would still go back to Sel de la Terre Natick because I know from personal experience they can do better, they have done better, and the food is quite good. Although I must say they outsource their bread service now and the quality has really suffered.

Now on to the better dining experience of the weekend, dinner at The Regal Beagle in Brookline. I’ve heard good things about the Beagle since they opened two years ago. Arriving around 7:30pm, our party of four was told the wait would be about an hour so we headed to the back where the small bar was crowded. One of the two bartenders saw us right away and handed us cocktail menus. After looking at the menu for a moment I asked the bartender if he knew how to make an Old Cuban, he said, “no but we can figure it out, we’ll make you whatever you want.” I think he overheard me describe the drink to one of my friends and I also think he looked up a recipe on his iPhone. Either way, he figured out it, recommended making the cocktail with a 23 year old Ron Zacapa rum from Guatemala and managed to make a fantastic Old Cuban. I was very impressed by his willingness to make something new to him and at how great it was. Score 1 Regal Beagle bar, 0 SDLT bar. After a couple more cocktails our table was finally ready. Once seated, we were greeted right away by our server; she was friendly, knowledgeable of the menu, and willing to make suggestions and help us make decisions when we asked. All four of our meals were excellent, appetizers and entrees were great. And, we were having such a great time we had some desserts too, equally as good. The one slip up that our server made was that she forgot to bring a green tea we had ordered with the rest of our dessert, and when reminded she quickly returned with the tea saying that since she forgot the tea was on her. She acknowledged the mistake, took responsibility, and made it right. Well done!

So two different restaurants, both with very good food and clearly very qualified kitchen staff, however one meal was okay and the other was outstanding. Service can make or break a meal but can never make up for bad food. Do you agree?

Are you in the restaurant business? How do you make sure your staff is ready for anything? Do you empower them to make decisions that could impact the restaurants bottom line?

Guest Post: Russell House Tavern Review

For the first time in One Food Guy history I have a guest editor, Chad Lingle, professional eater, artist, photographer, and owner of the Real Estate and Property Management firm Artisan Properties.

Before getting to Chad's review of the amazing Russell House Tavern, let me tell you how we got here. Earlier this year J and I were at Coppa with Chad and his wife Leah, demolishing plate after plate of amazing food, fawning especially hard over the amazing charcuterie and beautiful might-cost-more-than-my-car Berkel hand slicer. While on the subject of the charcuterie, J and I gushed to them about how great the charcuterie is at Russell House Tavern and that they should go. Fast forward a couple weeks and I receive an email from Chad while I'm sitting outside a Starbucks in Frankfurt, Germany, sipping on a cappuccino, killing time before my flight to Bangalore, India. Side note - I abhor sitting in an airport for hours and hours on a layover so I hopped on the S-Bahn to downtown Frankfurt for a few of hours of fun. Chad tells me about this amazing meal he had just had at Russell House Tavern, really it was more of a short story than an email but it was a pleasure to read and he has graciously agreed to edit it for your reading pleasure.


When you're finished, go eat at Russell House Tavern.Seriously. Go. Or go now and read Chad's story later. Whatever you decide, just be sure to eat at Russell House Tavern. Maybe I'll see you there.

And now, Chad's Russell House Tavern Review:


I was really looking forward to eating at Russell House Tavern all last week and now it seems I'll be spending all of this week looking back and reminiscing! Visions of smoked pork loin are dancing in my head - seriously. So I actually have a lot to say about this place & since it is still fresh in my mind/belly & since you asked... here's my take:


Ok, so let me preface this by saying on the spectrum of good-to-great, there really can't be any disappointments. But since good was the worst the RHT seemed to be able to do, the only qualified disappointment of the night came at the very beginning of the meal with the Lamb Trio Cassoulet. Overall the meat was perfectly savory, but there just didn't seem to be enough of the dark lamb meat (belly/shoulder/sausage) to balance out the small abundance of white beans. It was like an NBA team photo in the 1950s.


The Crispy Pig's Head Cake (besides being fun to say) was awesome. It makes me want to write the word awesome with periods in between every letter. It's a super-inventive take on head cheese that's so distinguished it should rightfully spawn its own evolutionary branch of pig-food. It was served warm with a perfectly crispy, breaded, puff-pastry style shell with possibly the most beautiful poached egg I've ever seen plopped on top. Whoever thought to add the egg deserves a raise. The creaminess it added to each lightly fried breaded bite was godly. Plus there was some Maple syrup involved in the Aioli so, while it went perfectly well with beer and a 5 o'clock shadow, I think they may have created the most perfect breakfast food - ever.


Figs N' Blankets could alternately be called candy for carnivores. Little roasted figs wrapped in the RHT's house Guanciale were such an extremely good balance of salty and sweet that they definitely set the record for least time at the table. They lasted like 4 seconds.


I wouldn't have picked this place for raw bar offerings, but at the behest of one of my table mates, we ordered 12 (6&6) of their 2 oyster offerings. Misty Points and some other kind of Points (I was too busy with the Pig's Head Cake to pay attention to that part). They were sweet, a little briny - everything they were supposed to be. I even enjoyed their pickle mignonette but didn't order more, because I've heard oysters can be an aphrodisiac and I was at a table with 3 other dudes who probably didn't need any encouragement.


The stand out award of the night (sorry Pig Cake) goes to the Tavern Pizza with house-made Cotechino Sausage & house-made Ricotta. It was so perfect I don't even want to write about it. It must be eaten to be appreciated.


Next, the Crispy Long-Island Duck Confit and Ozark Heritage Pork Trio battled for space on the table. The Duck was perfect, & exactly what you would expect it to be. It came with a little side stew of pork belly, roasted chestnuts, and figs with some crispy sage. It was just some straight-up farm-style goodness. The Pork Trio included a smoky-tasting Loin (yum), already-fell-off-the-bone Butt, and some more Pork Belly. Unbelievably the most memorable part of the Trio dish was its pancake-shaped base of grits. The pale & creamy grits were nearly invisible against the white plate - hidden under a small salad of greens, but once we found it - whoa baby. I could have eaten a mixing-bowl full of 'em. Mmm...


With the first round of pizza-pie making such a good impression on us, we couldn't leave without digging in to some more of the cheesy stuff. So, we ordered (at our delightful server Maria's suggestion) the Andria. This concoction was so full of Very Local Buratta that it bordered on fondue. I'm told there was some sweet garlic and even more figs on there, but really it was just a lot, a lot of Buratta - which is a good thing really.


We rounded out the night with an order of their Redondo Black Serrano Ham which came with a torched square of Manchego. The cheese was topped with some caramelized honey which made for a crunchy top to one of my favorite cheeses. Along with little toasted brioche points... this was like some other-worldly deconstruction of the best ham & cheese sandwich of all time. I plan to begin reconstruction efforts at home asap.


Feeling cordial, full and friendly (a few glasses of Old Rasputin Imperial Stout @ 9% ABV will cause friendliness) we actually spotted an old pal who, as it turns out, is now the GM of the place. A real blast-from-the past... He stopped by the table to say hello before heading off to the awaiting company party at RedLine. So we say our goodbyes and send him off to his fête but he finds out it is my table mate Alex's birthday and proceeds to send half of the dessert menu over to our table.


Round 2's first victim was the Flourless Chocolate Chili Cake with chili salted caramel and Mexican chocolate ice cream. Now, chili-spiced chocolate can sometimes walk the fine line between artfully decadent dessert and some overweight tourists' "look what we brought back from our trip to Cancun" disaster. What the kitchen (more specifically Jessica Pelletier) at RHT produced was sublime. A dense but not fudgy; sweet (without being cloying) little chocolate mini-cake with just the perfect amount of spice to let you know it was there.


Another great take on a traditional favorite was the Carrot Cake Bread Pudding with raisins, toasted walnuts and a cream cheese swirl. Wowsers... I mean, has there ever been a concoction so excellently suited for bread pudding as carrot cake. I think not.


Finally we make it to our last dish; the Layered Ginger Spice Cake. The thing was big. Layered with a coffee buttercream and an espresso reduction - this Ginger definitely had a soul. The buttercream alone was enough to curl your toes and by the time we got down to deftly scraping the espresso reduction off the plate with our spoons I was in heaven.


So I went there with a few friends with the simple intention of doing some hearty eating. I left the place that evening with the distinct feeling that I was somehow a better, happier person than the one that had walked in a few hours earlier. It could have been Old Rasputin whispering in my ear, but I do know that I left thoroughly impressed with the restaurant & I hope to return soon.

Transendental Dining in The Eliot Hotel

When is the last time you've been to a restaurant for which you had high expectations and those expectations were not only met, but exceeded to the point where you were left speechless by some of the plates set in front of you? For me, it was a few months ago when I ate at Uni Sashimi Bar.

Considered one of the best restaurants in Boston, if not the country, Uni Sashimi Bar is tucked  inside the Eliot Hotel in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. Owned by James Beard award-winning chef Ken Oringer, chef Chris Chung was heading up the sashimi bar at the time of my visit. Since then, chef Chris Gould has taken over the reigns has been doing a fantastic job.

On this night at Uni Sashimi Bar, Chef Chung transported me and my fellow diners to Japan for an amazing feast of fresh Japanese seafood prepared with both subtle and bold flavors. Chef Chung masterfully sliced and prepared flown-in fresh Japanese fish like pink sea breem, Japanese sea robin, and Japanese greenling. I had never heard of these fish or the incredible Japanese pen shell, a giant type of razor clam with which I would instantly fall in love. In addition to the incredible raw fish preparations, I also tried a few tempura preparations. First, the highly regarded and oft-reviewed rock shrimp tempura served with spicy red pepper aioli and Korean pepper threads, and then, the tempura of seasonal vegetables with soy-dashi dipping sauce and miso aioli. The tempura batter on both of these preparations was very light and well seasoned. Both the shrimp and vegetables were fried to perfection.

Of all the great Japanese fish I ate on this night, my favorite dish may have been Chef Chung's Scottish Salmon preparation of perfectly sliced salmon sashimi served with homemade Chinese black bean tapenade and fresh ginger. The salmon was the freshest, most perfect melt-in-your-mouth salmon I have ever had, and the black bean tapenade was a delicious blend of fermented black beans, fresh ginger and garlic.

Another dish that really blew me away was the taragai and uni. Taragai is the Japanese pen shell (giant razor clam) and uni is the roe of the sea urchin. The pen shell as I mentioned is a giant razor clam from Japan that reminded of both a scallop (sweetness) and a clam (texture). The uni, slightly warmed, was super fresh, delivered earlier that day from a fishery in Maine. The flavors and textures of this dish were amazing. The sweetness of the super fresh uni and the texture of the slightly sweet pen shell worked so well together.

In addition to having the freshest available fish and shellfish, Uni also has some pretty outstanding cocktails. Prepared by the bartenders in Clio, another Ken Oringer restaurant inside of the Eliot Hotel, the hand-crafted cocktails did not disappoint. I tried an original creation, allowing the bartender to craft my cocktail based on a few simple instructions, make it with good gin, not too sweet, and stiff. Whatever I was served (I failed to write it down) was outstanding. My friend tried the Enter the Dragon cocktail (Stoli Ohranj vodka, Cointreau, kalamansi lime juice and cayenne pepper) which was also excellent, spicy, tart, and sweet.

I highly recommend a visit to Uni Sashimi Bar whether it is for a special occasion or just a night out on the town. Follow them on Facebook for information on their Maki Monday and Sake Bomb Tuesday specials that make it fun and affordable to eat there on a regular basis.

Offerings at Uni change regular with what is fresh and available, here is what I ate on my visit:


* Anago Tempura (Salt Water Eel) with green tea salt and shirred egg
Duck egg is removed from the shell, gently cooked with butter, yogurt and fleur de sel, then returned to the shell creating this amazing, custardy, incredibly delicious compliment to the beautifully fried, unbelievable fresh salt water eel that was dusted with green tea salt.


* Taragai & Uni (Japanese Pan Shell and Sea Urchin) with XO Sauce, myoga & garlic soy
Outstanding dish, salty, sweet, fresh, amazing textures. Tairagai, or Japanese Pen Shell is a giant Japanese razor clam. It had textural qualities of both a scallop (sweetness) and a clam (texture). The Uni was slightly warmed and the combination of flavors and textures in this dish were out of this world. The Uni was from Maine.


Rock Shrimp Tempura with spicy red pepper aioli and Korean pepper threads
Lightly battered, perfectly cooked rock shrimp. The spicy aoili was slightly spicy and delicate, a perfect emulsion.


Tempura of Seasonal Vegetables with soy-dashi dipping sauce and miso aioli
The soy-dashi dipping sauce was a perfect accompaniment for the lightly battered, tender vegetables. The miso aioli was slightly sweet. The two dipping sauces offered a choice of salty, sweet, and incredible umami flavors to the already nicely seasoned vegetables.


* Tuna Ceviche (Yellowfin Tuna) with coconut, chilies and lemongrass
Perfect pieces of tuna dressed in wonderfully sweet, slightly spicy, and incredibly fresh sauce of coconut milk, fresh chilies and lemongrass. Topped with fried ginger and fresh scallions, this was delicious. While the amazing tuna would have been perfect by itself, the addition of the sauce made me very happy. I would have been almost as happy with some tuna sashimi and a glass of the coconut, chile, lemongrass sauce to drink on the side.


* Scottish Salmon with Chinese black bean tapenade and fresh ginger
The most perfect piece of salmon sashimi I have ever had and the most fresh and unique black bean tapenade. To make the tapenade, Chef Chung combines Chinese fermented black beans with fresh ginger and garlic. So good.


* Ainame (Japanese Greenling) with shiso, asian pear puree, romesco & benetade
Sweet, nutty, delicious.


* Houbou (Japanese Sea Robin) with candied yuzu kosho, radishes and myoga
Citrusy, very mild fish, great combination of flavors.


Uni Sashimi Bar
370 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
Ph. 617.536.7200
http://www.unisashimibar.com

Hall of Fame Sandwiches at All Star Sandwich Bar

I remember hearing about All Star Sandwich Bar when Chris Schlesinger, of East Coast Grill fame, opened it back in 2006. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I finally walked through the doors to this casual sandwich bar in Inman Square. Now, owners/brothers Kosta and Johnny Diamantopoulos are serving up incredible sandwich after incredible sandwich. It was February 26th when I walked into the restaurant for my first of two sandwiches, an Extra Funky.

In addition to the sandwiches served up from the regular menu, All Star has daily sandwich specials. One of those daily specials is the Extra Funky Sandwich which on February 26th was jerk grilled chicken with jack cheese, sliced pineapple, chayote slaw, and mango habanero bbq sauce on sourdough. Grilled on a flattop and served with a homemade coleslaw of finely sliced cabbage and carrot. The chicken was grilled perfectly and was incredibly juicy; the sliced pineapple complimented the sweet and spicy bbq sauce, and the chayote slaw added great texture. For my very first All Star Sandwich, this was a winner!

I also ordered a plate of Hell Fries; a huge plate of hand-cut french fries dusted with cayenne and doused in Inner Beauty Hot Sauce. The fries were fresh and crispy, sweet and spicy, and really really good. Garnished with cilantro, the single order is easily enough four people, I think I ate half of my plate nearly inducing instant food coma. Fortunately I had a glass of their fresh squeezed lemonade, refilled once by the friendly staff while I sat and enjoyed my lunch (more on the staff later.)

After my first great sandwich at All Star, I was prepared to write my review. Hold on you might be saying, for one of the most common complaints that professional food critics and restaurant owners alike have about food bloggers is that they/we write reviews after trying a place only once. I'm certainly guilty of writing reviews after only one visit, but I will never write a bad review after only one visit. I would have had no guilt posting a rave review of All Star Sandwich Bar after only one visit, but I went back and I'm glad I did. Without my second visit, I would never have known that they have table service.

During my first visit to All Star Sandwich Bar, I ordered from the take-out counter. I didn't know it was the take-out counter at the time, I just thought it was where you placed your order whether you decide to eat in or take your food away. So when I sat down to enjoy my Extra Funky sandwich and plate of hell fries, I thought I was just getting good service when asked if I wanted a refill on my lemonade. My ignorance also explains why one of the kitchen staff asked if I was eating in with a bit of surprised tone, "Oh! You're eating in?" It might also explain why my french fries were in what appeared to be a to-go container. But I digress.

So, yes, All Star Sandwich Bar has table service AND a take-out counter. On my second visit, I sat at a table and received exceptional service. As for what to eat, it was an easy decision. After tweeting about my great lunch in February, All Star picked up my feed and commented on their Facebook fan page.

So of course I ordered the Atomic Meatloaf Meltdown. Best meatloaf sandwich I've ever had, and I have had a few in my days on this planet. The Atomic Meatloaf Meltdown sandwich is a thick slice of grilled meatloaf with jack cheese, Inner Beauty Hot Sauce and red onion jam on grilled sourdough bread. The meatloaf was juicy and firm, like a good meatloaf should be, and full of delicious, grilled meaty flavor. The Inner Beauty hot sauce, if you've never had it, is a spicy hot sauce made from a combination of scotch bonnet peppers (HOT!), yellow mustard, orange, papaya and pineapple juices, and some other tasty stuff - created and bottled by the aforementioned chef Chris Schlesinger. The red onion jam added a nice sweetness to balance out the spice. I didn't think that this was too hot, actually, I was hoping for some more heat. With a name like "Atomic" I expect it to be hot. In an email exchange with owner Kosta, he explained that not everyone loves the heat like I do, and next time I should ask for extra sauce. Fair enough.

Two visits, two great sandwiches. Great service, great creativity. All Star Sandwich Bar is a winner and I am going to do everything I can to eat my way through the menu. I know that will be difficult with daily specials changing, well, daily, but my stomach is begging me to try. With muffalatas, cubanos, gobblers and BLTs on the regular menu, I might need some help deciding what to eat next! In addition to the great sandwiches, they offer soups, salads and an assortment of sides including poutine and hush puppies. All Star Sandwich Bar also sells beer and wine, including Narragansett tall boys!

All Star Sandwich Bar
1245 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 
Ph. 617.868.3065
http://www.allstarsandwichbar.com

A New BEST at Myers + Chang

Looking to get out of the house this past Saturday, J and I headed into the city [Boston] for some lunch and an afternoon of fun. Craving sandwiches we decided to head to Myers + Chang for some of their famous banh mis only to find out when we arrived that they were only serving dim sum. Although we were both craving a banh mi, we would soon find out that we were in for a treat by lunching on their amazing dim sum.

We both started with one of the house-made sodas on the menu, J with a lychee-vanilla soda, and me with a mint lime rickey. J's lychee-vanilla soda was delicious, not too sweet, and my mint lime rickey was a bit like a mojito, without the rum. We then ordered several dishes off the dim sum menu, still unaware of the amazing food we were about to eat.

The first dish to hit our table was the Thai ginger chicken chicken with rice vermicelli. Served in a Chinese take-out box, the chicken was tender and rice vermicelli perfectly cooked. A good start to our meal for certain, but the best was yet to come.

Next to hit the table were Mama Chang's pork dumplings. Three deep fried pork dumplings, crispy on the outside, deliciously tender and flavorful on the inside, served with a slightly sweet and savory dipping sauce. J and I both prefer our dumplings steamed but these were really good.

At this point the plates were coming at us fast and furious and our table was filling up. Our table was now covered in plates of garlicky and spicy chicken wings, salt + pepper calamari, braised short rib with Asian pear bao, 5-spice grilled tofu bau, and the most amazing, incredible, delicious, wok-roasted lemongrass mussels.

The garlicky and spicy wings were, as the name would suggest, garlicky and spicy. These excellent chicken wings were meaty, perfectly cooked, and drizzled with sriracha, our favorite condiment. I could eat these wings all day long and would have ordered more were it not for all the other delicious plates on our table. 

The salt + pepper calamari was also perfectly cooked. Lightly dusted with some salt and pepper then very lightly fried. At least I think they were fried, does anyone know any different? The calamari is served atop a spicy aoili and garnished with cilantro. A perfectly simple preparation with a most delicious result.

Next up were a couple baos, the word bao means bun in Chinese. Now you may know that I am not a big consumer of pork, but one of my absolute favorite dim sum items is char siu bao, preferably baked but steamed is great too. Char siu bao is a steamed or baked bun filled with barbecue pork and I absolutely love the flavor of the bbq pork and the bun. At Myers + Chang, they maked steam bao and stuff them with your choice of braised short rib with Asian pear, 5-spice grilled tofu, soy braised chicken, roasted duck, or crispy pork belly. J and I ordered one braised short rib with Asian pear bao and a one 5-spice grilled tofu bao.

The braised short rib with Asian pear bao was the winner of these two. Incredibly tender, flavorful short rib on a perfectly steam bun. The 5-spice grilled tofu bao had good flavor from the sauce but really didn't excite us too much. At this point in our meal, all we could talk about were the incredible, amazing, best we've ever had, wok-roasted lemongrass mussels!

 

Yes, the dish we likely would have missed had we been able to order banh mis from the regular lunch menu are the wok-roasted lemongrass mussels. I can make some pretty awesome mussels myself, I even once considered them the Best Damn Mussels, Period. However, now, I have to give that title to Myers + Chang for absolutely knocking it out of the park with these incredible, amazing, wok-roasted lemongrass mussels. These mussels have such incredible flavor from a combination of lemongrass, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, lime, chili, cilantro and fish sauce but what really set these mussels apart is the cooking method. The wok-roasting over incredibly high heat imparts this amazing charred/grilled flavor that would simply not be possible on your average home cooktop. I'm seriously considering buying an outdoor, propane-fired burner capable of up to 65,000 BTU's just so I can make these mussels at home. The average home cooktop is capable of less than 10,000 BTUs with more expensive models having high output burners capable of up to 18,000 BTUs. Most restaurants have commercial cooktops capable of 20-50,000 BTUs while others even have dedicated wok burners capable of up to 250,000 BTUs! Until I have a worthy burner, I'm just going to have return to Myers + Chang for my mussels fix.

There are many reasons why J and I want to return to Myers + Chang including trying the banh mis but it is definitely the wok-roasted lemongrass mussels that will keep us coming back for more. Myers + Chang can be found at 1145 Washington Street in Boston's South End neighborhood. 

Happy New Year

As 2009 comes to a close I want to say that I'm going to make more time to write about my food travels and my food experiences in 2010. I still have a lot to share from the last year and a half. Some of the highlights from 2009 that you can expect to read about in the next couple months include my food experiences in India which include one wedding, two homemade meals, and a visit to Bangalore's central market. I also have some great restaurant reviews for A.O.C. Bistro and 'Snice in the Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY, as well as Uni Sashimi Bar in Boston, MA.

With that I bid a fond farewell to another amazing chapter in my life of food. I wish all of you a very happy, healthy, and successful 2010 and beyond. And remember, if it's on the menu, try it! Be adventurous in life and at the dinner table. Cheers!

Winfield's on Block Island

As the summer comes to a close here in Boston, I figure now is as a good a time as any to post my review of great New England destination restaurant. My wife and I have been taking vacations on Block Island for the last few years and have made it a point each time to stop into Winfield's for dinner at least once.

Winfield's is a casual fine dining restaurant attached to a great night spot called McGovern's Yellow Kittens which features live music every night of the week during the summer. Winfield's presents a contrast to the sometimes rowdy night scene at Yellow Kittens, with it's own bar and comfortable dining room. You're almost certain to have a good, comfortable, delicious meal every time you visit.

Now Block Island, for those of you that don't know it, is a small island that is part of the state of Rhode Island and is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 13 miles (21km) south of the mainland. Less than 10 square miles in area, this is no Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. While the island may be small, there is no shortage of beaches or quiet places to relax. There are many good restaurants and several fun bars to hang out at and there are lots of houses for rent and great B&Bs at which to stay. If you decide to visit the island, I highly recommend The Old Town Inn; the inn keepers, Lucinda and Dave, are wonderful people and the rooms are clean and comfortable. Dave is very capable in the kitchen and the daily breakfasts are outstanding! He bakes an assortment of fresh breads daily to go along with hot egg dishes, fresh fruits, juices and more.

Now, back to Winfield's. On our visit this year J and I had some friends with us and once again had a great meal. The food is consistently good and on each visit there have been a variety of specials. On this night, I started my meal with Winfield's signature salad, a mix of field greens with toasted pistachio, cucumber, dried cherries, blue cheese, and tarragon vinaigrette. The sweetness of the dried cherries balanced out strong, stinky blue cheese paired and the crunchy, meaty pistachios added nice texture. The salad was a little heavy on the herby tarragon vinaigrette but it was very good.

J and I also shared Winfield's Tuna Crudo appetizer. The incredibly fresh tuna was mixed with olive oil and smoked sea salt and served with with caponata, lavender, taro chips, and soft herbs. The smokey, salty, melt-in-your-mouth good tuna was excellent, no teeth needed, and the taro chips were nice and crispy.

Our friends had some clam chowder to start, but this was no ordinary clam chowder. Most people know that New England Clam Chowder is cream based and that Manhattan Clam chowder is tomato based, but do you know that Rhode Island has its own version of clam chowder that is broth based? Winfield's take on Rhode Island Clam Chowder is a clam broth based chowder with whole in-shell clams, crushed fingerling potatoes, and tasty chunks of lardon. There was also a nice small crust on top. I had a taste of this chowder and it was excellent, well seasoned, lots of clams and potatoes and a very interesting and creative presentation!

For my entree I ordered a pan-seared wild sea bass served with morels and cippolini onions in a creamy oyster stew. The wild sea bass was local and line-caught and incredibly fresh. Cooked perfectly, the fish just melted in my mouth and was seasoned very nicely. The morel mushrooms and a nice earthy flavor to the sauce and the cippolini onions added a nice little zip. The star of this dish was definitely the perfectly cooked wild sea bass but it would have been lost without the incredible oyster stew. The oysters were tender and sweet and the stew was seasoned perfectly. A great dish.

J ordered Winfield's Steak a La Mamma. The steak was a Painted Hills Farm sirloin served with roasted fingerling potatoes, roasted asparagus, and a green peppercorn-garlic demi-glace. Painted Hills Farm is in Oregon and their cattle are raised naturally, free of antibiotics and growth hormones and are fed a 100% vegetarian diet consisting mainly of barley, corn and alfalfa. This steak certainly tasted like the cows lived a happy life before their time was up. It was tender, flavorful and cooked to a perfect medium temperature. The potatoes were roasted to a nice crisp exterior and had a tender, creamy interior, and the asparagus was cooked just enough to give it nice roasted flavor while retaining the some of the crisp crunch of a good fresh vegetable. The green peppercorn demi-glace was nice but neither J or I are much into saucing our steaks.

We washed all this delicious food down with a couple stiff cocktails. J and I like vodka, really good, premium vodka. In fact you might find six or seven different top shelf vodkas in our bar or freezer at any given time, vodkas like Stolichnaya Gold, Stolichnaya Elite, Belvedere, Ciroc, Van Gogh Espresso and Van Gogh Double Chocolate, plus a handle or two of good old regular Stolichnaya. Stoli is definitely my go to vodka when other premium choices aren't available. I like to drink it chilled, straight up with olives, no vermouth, no olive juice, just give me the vodka - also known as a bone dry martini. J on the other hand likes her vodka martinis dirty.

Finally, the one negative part of our dining experience. Since we were on vacation and expected to party hard into that night, J and I decided to finish our meals with a couple espressos. We placed our order with our server and he went off to take care of things. I had a view into the server station at the entrance of the kitchen and witnessed an unacceptable, atrocious act perpetrated by our server who up until this point was very capable and attentive. The restaurant was not very busy at this point but I think our server may have been in the weeds. In Winfield's the servers are responsible for pulling their own espresso drinks and our server must have felt like he did not have the time to brew two doubles. With my own two eyes I watched our server pour regular coffee from the carafe into two espresso cups and bring them straight over to our table! He didn't see me see him but I certainly knew what to expect. As I was about to say something the manager came over to ask how our meals were and the server walked away. I told him that I saw our server pour coffee into the espresso cups, there was no crema on top and the coffee was certainly not the dark, rich color of good espresso. The manager apologized and went off to brew two new espressos, which I did see him do. Can you believe that?!

Have any of you ever experienced something similar in a restaurant where you ordered one thing and either knew your server was duping you or suspected that you did not get what you expected? How did you react? I've worked in restaurants in the past, as a server, in the kitchen, in the front of the house and I know what it's like to be in the weeds, the densest, thickest, Everglades weeds, but NEVER would I pour coffee into an espresso cup and try to pass it off.

Otherwise we had a fantastic meal and we will definitely go back. Here are a couple pictures from a visit to Winfield's in July 2008. Enjoy!

Pumpernickel Crusted Salmon with Chickpea Ragout and Shaved Fennel

Wild Rack of Boar with Swiss Chard and Creamed White Beans

I missed my anniversary!

I can't believe I missed my own anniversary! No, not my wedding anniversary, that's in May, but the third anniversary of my first post, August 4, 2006 here on one food guy. Has it really been three years? After one hundred ninety posts, I have eaten a lot! I also have a different job than I did three years ago, one that I really enjoy although still not food related, and I have traveled a lot. I've been to England, France, Germany, India, Jamaica, Scotland, and Switzerland. I've also traveled domestically to Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, and Miami. I have eaten great food in almost all of those places and have written about many of them.

When I started writing three years ago I had just returned to Boston after a six month consulting contract in New York City. While I did eat VERY well, taking full advantage of my expense account, I had no idea that I would soon eat so well around the world. Then that winter I went to California for a week, visiting friends in and around LA then driving north to Napa and Sonoma Valleys. I ate very well there too. Later in 2007 I began the new job and my worldly travels began.

I ate snails in London, England. I devoured several crepes and some foie gras in Paris, France - I bet a foie gras crepe would be fantastic! In Frankfurt, Germany I bought the most amazing gummy bears, and a beer stein. While in Luzern, Switzerland I ate an ostrich steak, and lots of fondue, although not at the same time. And I ate many buttered pretzels, some with salami, some without. I also discovered that the city has some pretty outstanding sushi. In Edinburgh, Scotland I ate haggis, and liked it, a lot. While in Chennai, India I ate sheeps brain, it wasn't bad although the texture was a little...challenging. I only wish I was able to eat some local jerk chicken while in Jamaica. Alas, I was there on business for just a few days and never got to leave the hotel, what a shame.

So why did I start writing you ask? Fresh from six months of eating well in NYC, I was flipping through the August 2006 issue of Food & Wine Magazine and read about taking perfect food photographs and four Best-Shot Blogs were referenced . I thought, "Wow, what a great idea! I can write and I love to eat, why don't I start my own blog!" So I did. The first few blogs I visited included Chez Pim and 101 Cookbooks but my real inspiration came from some of the west coast writers I would soon come to know. I learned that LA had a burgeoning food blogger scene and Eat Drink & Be Merry, Oishii Eats, Daily Gluttony (now Rants and Craves), and Immaeatchu became regular reads. I started writing more, I came up with Tuesday's Tastings - a once weekly review of products found in Trader Joe's freezer case now currently on hiatus - and I mourned the loss of one of my favorite Trader Joe's products, Spinach and Tofu Egg Rolls.

I also starting making pizzas at home. I have nearly perfected my fig and goat cheese pizza and I owe my sister-in-law a big thanks for sharing her idea for this amazing apple, pear, goat brie and walnut pizza I made a few months ago. I always use sheep or goat milk cheeses and bake my pizzas on a stone at 475-500 degrees fahrenheit. Somes I use red sauce, sometimes pesto, and sometimes no sauce at all, just some good olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano and crushed red pepper. I love making pizza so much that I hope to construct a wood-fired pizza oven in my backyard some day.

Sometimes life can get in the way of writing, but I have always found time to eat, always. I've been to many amazing places on this great earth and have enjoyed many a great meal. As I eat and drink my way through life I will continue to share my plate with you so; I hope you decide to leave a comment every now and then to let me know you're there.

Thank you so much for reading, I'm just one food guy.

The Best Sushi in...Switzerland?!

I'm talking about Kaiten Sushi Bar in the new city neighborhood of Lucerne. To be fair the only city in Switzerland I have spent any significant amount of time in is Lucerne, and, this is the only place I have eaten sushi. But, this sushi is seriously good and it's fun. The sushi is served on small, color-coded plates that you help yourself to from small sailboats cruising around the sushi bar. Enjoy these pictures and the next time you are in Lucerne, eat at Kaiten. They also have a take away location a few blocks away. In three trips to Lucerne I have eaten here five times, it's good!

Kaiten Sushi Bar
Kauffmannweg 16
6003 Luzern, Switzerland
Ph. 041 210 42 40

The Sushi Boats Sail Around the Bar

Crab and Seaweed Salad

Yellowtail, Salmon and Tuna Sashimi

Rainbow Roll

Spicy Tuna Roll

Not your usual Elements

After spending an afternoon on the Santa Barbara shore and hopping from tasting room to bar room, J and I were ready for dinner and knew where to go thanks to a friend back home AND the fine folks over at Carr Winery. We were headed to Elements Restaurant and Bar, home of the Firetini. Elements has about a dozen signature martinis and a half dozen more Elementinis. One of their most talked about Elementinis is the Firetini, also known as "The Inferno". The Firetini is a habanero infused Skyy vodka martini shaken with passionfruit puree and simple syrup and served with a sugared rim. It is spicy and sweet, and amazing!

Elements entire menu has the elements theme mixed in. For example, J and I started our meal with a piece of the earth. That is, we started with a Wild Arugula Salad with heirloom tomato carpaccio, Humboldt fog, pickled shallots, and golden watermelon. Until J and I discovered Truffle Tremor last November, Humboldt fog may have been our favorite cheese. Humboldt fog is a soft, ripened goat cheese with an edible ribbon of vegetable ash along its center made by my favorite cheese maker, Cypress Grove Chevre. Needless to say when we saw this salad on the menu our decision to order it was an easy one, and we were not disappointed. The combination of the ripened cheese, the peppery arugula and the slightly sweet and tart pickled shallots was just perfect.

Wild Arugula Salad - earth

For our entrees, J and I both ordered something from the water. I ordered a lemongrass-panko crusted seabass with thai green coconut curry, ginger and saffron basmati rice, stir-fried vegetables, and chili oil, and J ordered the bacon wrapped Alaskan halibut with pancetta, clams, Spanish sofrito, lobster fumet, and grilled crostini. Both of our entrees were cooked perfectly, constructed masterfully, and tasted wonderfully. Take a look at my pictures then book your trip to Santa Barbara as soon as possible. Help support the economy - eat good food!

Lemongrass-Panko Crusted Seabass - water

Bacon Wrapped Alaskan Halibut - water

Finally, the perfect ending to a perfect day. My notes are fuzzy and so was my head at this point in the day after micheladas, wine, beer, martinis, and lots of amazing food, so forgive me for not remembering exactly what this dessert was other than it was delicious - I think it was a dark chocolate mousse. Chef Matthew Webster Reddy at Elements, if you read this, please let me know the name of this dessert so I can appropriately give credit! Thanks for a fantastic experience.

Find yourself at Tao

Taoism is a philosophy, a religion, and a way of life; Tao Restaurant in New York City could be considered the same. Opened in the Fall of 2000, Tao has been cranking out some of the best Asian food in all of New York and is still generating the same buzz today as it did nine years ago. Frequently visited by celebrities and athletes alike, Tao makes you forget about everything else when you walk in the door. You are warmly greeted by a giant statue of Buddha upon entering the restaurant, and the restaurant invites you to try a lot of what they are offering with small plates, large plates, noodles, sushi and more.

I was alone for my first visit to Tao, working in New York City and eating out every night. I sat at the bar upstairs in what used to be the balcony of an old movie theater with a great view of the entire restaurant. I was immediately greeted by a friendly and very helpful bartender who quickly poured me an Asahi and helped me decide what I should order. After discussing several of the amazingly delicious sounding menu options with the bartender, I settled on the following three small plates (no pictures, I didn't have my camera!)

Crispy Tuna Sashimi Roll with Edamame
This roll was excellent. Four pieces atop hot, steaming edamame served with a spicy edamame wasabi dipping sauce. The roll was crunchy on the outside and deliciously soft and rare on the inside.

Satay of Chilean Sea Bass with Wok Roasted
This small plate came with two skewers of Chilean sea bass sitting on top of four spears of roasted asparagus and it was fantastic. The sea bass was cooked perfectly, no teeth necessary. The rich and buttery fish simply melted in my mouth and the roasted asparagus was peeled for presentation and provided great balance to the entire plate.

Lobster Wontons with Shitake Ginger Broth
This small plate included 6 wontons in a shitake ginger broth. The shitake ginger broth was great but the the wontons were definitely missing something. They were good, sure, but were pretty flat on flavor and definitely lacked any significant lobster flavor. It would be fair to say this was just another wonton served in a fantastic shitake ginger broth.

I can't wait to get back to Tao New York to try some more things on the menu. Everything sounds so great and the few things I have tried tell me that the kitchen at Tao knows how to crank out excellent food that looks AND tastes great.

If you find yourself in New York City, find your way to Tao for some Asian enlightenment.

Tao New York
42 E 58th Street (between Park and Madison Avenues)
New York, NY 10022
Ph. (212) 888-2288

A Swedish Meal to Write Home About

Vacation has suddenly become all about the food for me no matter where I go, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering how much I enjoy eating. I get really excited about eating great food since we all know that life is too short to eat bad food.

On my recent trip to California in December, dinner at AK Restaurant + Bar in Venice was no exception to the "life is too short to eat bad food" mantra. Everything about this meal was fantastic, except for when we met the chef; he wasn't very interested in saying hi even after my friend said hello in Swedish and started speaking to him. This is, afterall, a Swedish restaurant that is generating a lot of buzz so you thought a fellow Swede would make him feign even a little interest, but I digress, the food was fantastic!

We started off with some freshly baked bread and an assortment of fresh cheeses from the bar. One of the cheeses that REALLY struck a chord with us is a small production goats milk cheese from Haystock Mountain Goat Dairy called Snowdrop, it was amazing and unfortunately not available anywhere in Massachusetts...yet.

I started my meal off with a fantastic salad of young frisee, smoked salmon loin, and a poached, breaded and fried organic egg, cooked perfectly! The frisee was tender and crisp, not overly bitter like mature frisee can be, and the smoked salmon loin was absolutely wonderful. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender and tasted just right, not fishy, not oily, not anything bad, it was definitely all good and I highly recommend starting with this small salad when you visit.

Young frisee salad, smoked salmon loin, poached/breaded/fried organic egg 13

For my main course, I decided to go with a pan seared Alaskan black cod with green tomato jam, duck prosciutto and crispy sage. I thought that I first learned about black cod in 2001 while visiting Pike's Place Market in Seattle. My dad bought a whole black cod from one of the fish markets on their recommendation and had it shipped back to Massachusetts. What I later learned after a little research is that black cod is also known as sablefish, or butterfish. I grew up eating smoked sablefish as well as lox and whitefish, but never had I had fresh black cod (sablefish) until my dad made that purchase back in 2001. Black cod is a very rich, flaky white, velvety fish that when prepared properly literally melts in your mouth; it is considered a delicacy among fish connoisseurs and takes to smoking very well, which explains why I had it smoked so often growing up. I love this fish and when I saw it on the menu I knew what I was ordering.

The black cod at AK was cooked perfectly. Probably seasoned lightly with a little salt and maybe some pepper, nothing else would be required. The fish was indeed rich, velvety and melt-in-my-mouth delicious. The accompanying duck prosciutto was excellent, and the green onion jam was sweet and tangy providing the perfect balance for the rich fish. Finally the crispy sage and a few leaves of rocket (arugula) finished the dish.

Alaskan black cod, green tomato jam, duck prosciutto, crispy sage 27

Other dishes ordered by my dining companions included the artichoke three ways appetizer, the roasted five onion soup with a baguette brie cheese melt, the spinach and goat cheese kofta with tomato coriander concasse, and the lamb sirloin with dukka spice, medjool date, tomato, and saffron cinnamon smear. All these dishes were fantastic as well as the thumbelina carrots with cardamom saffron and smoked paprika, roasted green asparagus with bernaise sauce, and the brussels sprouts with shallots and applewood smoked bacon that we ordered for sides.

Finally, what would any great Swedish restaurant be without Swedish meatballs! J was the one who ordered the lamb sirloin but our friends both ordered the Swedish meatballs, and they were in one word, amazing. My Swedish friend who made us his own Swedish meatballs later during our visit said that these meatballs at AK were the BEST he had ever had. I of course tried some, and concurred. The meatballs were seasoned perfectly and were incredibly tender. The cucumber salad was perfect with the cucumbers still retaining some crunch in their vinegary bath, and the lingonberry preserve found such a place in my stomach that I think it may replace cranberry sauce at next year's Thanksgiving feast. Finally the mashed potatoes were good, if not a little too smooth. A few small chunks of potato mixed in to let me know I was eating at least some real potato would have been nice. Still, an amazing Swedish dinner!

Swedish meatballs, cucumber salad, lingonberry preserve, mashed potatoes 22

If you live in the greater Los Angeles area or are visiting for any reason, I highly recommend AK Restaurant + Bar on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice. Make reservations because this place is going to be busy!

AK Restaurant + Bar
1633 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
Ph. 310 392-6644

Lucca-licious

The North End. It's a fascinating neighborhood that is teeming with sights, sounds and smells that are sure to win you over the very first time you walk down Hanover Street. I covered some of my favorite North End jaunts back in July when I wrote my Eating Guide to the Neighborhood so I won't get into the neighborhood details. Last night I was fortunate to eat at one of the restaurants I mentioned on my places to try list, Lucca, and it was very good. A two time winner of Best of Boston (2003, 2001) and Best of Citysearch (2006, 2005), and five time Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner, Lucca impressed me. My wife was upset that I went with a friend and not her, but I'll be happy to take her there another time.

I was camera-less last night so have no pictures to share but I'll do my best to describe my degustation. I started the evening off with a Belvedere Martini, bone dry with olives, just the way I like it. It was expertly prepared and had flecks of ice indicating a vigorous shaking. For my entrée I ordered up the gnocci ai funghi, homemade potato gnocchi served with a wild mushroom ragout, leeks, escarole and shaved pecorino. The wild mushroom ragout was light and bursting with flavor, a perfectly balanced sauce with just the right amount of seasoning. The gnocchi were little pillows of pleasure, not too soft, not too firm, and they stood up very well to the sautéed greens. Each table is also given a basket of Italian bread accompanied by separate ramekins of a pesto chickpea dip and some garlic butter. The bread was perfect for soaking up the sauce remaining in the bowl once the gnocchi were gone.

I thought for just a moment that I would pass on dessert, until I saw the tiramisu offering on the menu. Described as having "strawberry soaked" ladyfingers, I couldn't resist. When the dish arrived however, I must have raised an eyebrow. This "tiramisu" certainly was not. There was no espresso, no cocoa, no anything remotely dark in color which would indicate a well soaked tiramisu. This dessert was more strawberry shortcake than anything else, but let me reassure you, it was delicious! It just wasn't tiramisu.

I highly recommend Lucca but it's not cheap. Dinner for two, two cocktails, two entrées and two desserts will run you close to $100. Make a reservation for a special occasion and enjoy some fine Italian cuisine. Request a table by the open windows and enjoy the view, Lucca is in a prime people watching location on Hanover Street.

Lucca Restaurant & Bar
226 Hanover Street
Boston, MA 02113
Phone 617 742 9200
Make a Reservation

I'm still eating....

Where have I been? Tuesday's Tastings have been absent for months. Restaurant and neighborhood reviews have been missing for just as long. All this really means is that I haven't had time to write. It doesn't mean that I haven't been eating out and trying new products from Trader Joe's freezer case. In fact I have, quite a bit.

I rode in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge on August 4th and 5th; a 192 mile bike-a-thon raising money for Cancer research and treatment. I rode my bike nearly 1,500 miles over the summer months while training and burned thousands and thousands of calories doing so. That means I've been eating, a lot! Especially on the weekends when I might burn six or seven thousand calories from cycling alone.

So where have I eaten? Well I posted about my dinners at Great Bay in Boston and Rendezvous in Cambridge. I've also had dinner at Via Matta, Michael Schlow's third restaurant, I've had drinks at Cuchi Cuchi and Excelsior, sushi at Sushi Man in Chestnut Hill, and lots of great food at Big Fresh in Framingham. And of course lots of pizza from my favorite pizza place, Goody's, also in Framingham, the cheese-less veggie special.

What's new in my freezer from Trader Joe's freezer case? How about some buffalo burgers, they were great; and Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers, they were also great, especially on a toasted whole wheat english muffin with tomato, sliced avocado and dijon mustard. I'll post complete reviews soon, I promise.

I also started a new job at the end of August that brought me to the other side of the world. I spent a week and a couple days in Chennai, India. Here's a taste:

Breakfast,

Lunch,

and Dinner

I'll be sure to write more about India, too. The food was amazing, the people friendly and welcoming, and the flights from Boston...REALLY long!

Stay tuned, One Food Guy will be back soon with plenty of new musings on food.

Jinius, this post's for you!

Eating Guide to Boston's Neighborhoods - Part II

Boston has some phenomenal restaurants spread out all over the city and western suburbs with so many of them concentrated in the city's unique neighborhoods. Come with me on this multi-part eating guide to some of Boston's many neighborhoods then follow me west as I visit the 'burbs.

Part II - The North End
The North End is Boston's first neighborhood. Much of neighborhood today is built on landfill, not unlike Boston's Back Bay, named aptly for the body of water it once was. Today, the North End is Boston's Italian neighborhood with a storied past. At one time, the neighborhood was "a haven for gamblers, criminals, whores and often drunken and violent sailors."

The North End is now known for its narrow, one-way streets, its severe lack of parking, and its restaurants. The North End is the place to go for some of the best Italian food in the Northeast. This is most definitely a neighborhood sustained by food. There are enough restaurants that you could try two a week for an entire year and still miss a few. I'll be honest, I'm a novice when it comes to dining in the North End. I've been to some winners for sure, but there are so many places to choose from and so few places to park, I don't visit the neighborhood often enough (mostly because parking sucks.) Here is what I know:

Neptune Oyster 63 Salem Street, Boston, MA 02113
I reviewed Neptune Oyster a few months ago. It's a star among stars in the North End restaurant scene. A dozen oysters to choose from in the raw bar as well as apps and entrees that shine all on their own. An absolute must for an oyster or seafood lover.

Carmen 33 North Square, Boston, MA 02113
It's been several years since I've been to Carmen but I remember it being fantastic. The bar is small and the restaurant is smaller. Close in size to Neptune, if not a little smaller. The bar has some delicious antipasti offerings such as grilled vegetables and marinated olives. Make reservations or be prepared to wait a long time. On a side note, one night while waiting at the bar for a table, a super nice woman told me and J about two of Trader Joe's greatest frozen items, the French-cut rack of lamb and the spinach and tofu egg rolls. Unfortunately the spinach and tofu egg rolls have been discontinued.

Trattoria Il Panino 11 Parmenter Street (Corner of Hanover), Boston, MA 02113
A North End institution, Trattoria il Panino e Giardino puts out consistent, high quality Italian food night after night. Always a good meal, and ALWAYS a long wait.

Pizzeria Regina 11 1/2 Thatcher Street, Boston, MA 02113
Waits are sometimes unbearable here, but the pizza is great. Don't waste your time getting Regina's Pizza at a mall food court, get the real deal here in the North End of Boston.

Pat's Pushcart Restaurant 61 Endicott Street, Boston, MA 02113
It has probably been 12 years since I've been here, but I had a great time when I went. It's about as classic and home-cooked as you can probably get. I remember the chicken marsala being outstanding. When I was there they had the red and white checkered plastic table clothes out. I love it!

Cafe Vittoria 290-296 Hanover Street, Boston, MA 02113
One of the most popular after dinner hangouts in the North End, for visitors to the area at least, is Cafe Vittoria. The locals can probably point you to a quieter cafe off the main drag, but I like this place. Great espresso and cappuccinos, great tiramisu and canolis, and a nice selection of Limoncellos and other digestifs.

Some places that I want to try:
L'Osteria
Lucca Restaurant & Bar
Ristorante Fiore
Sage
Sel de la Terre
Taranta Ristorante


Remember when you're visiting the North End that parking on Hanover Street is Resident Only (Sticker) after 8pm. Park in the Financial District and walk the ten minutes, take a taxi, or take the T to Haymarket. Walk into any restaurant in the North End and I'll bet you'll get a great meal. Buon appetito!

Happy Anniversa-three from Great Bay

May 31st was my anniversa-three, my third anniversary. Cute, right? Give the credit to my wife. Anyway, we went to Great Bay in Kenmore Square's Hotel Commonwealth for dinner. Great Bay is the third restaurant in the Michael Schlow empire. Having taken J to Radius, Schlow's first success, for her birthday a few years ago, I had high expectations for Great Bay. Radius is fantastic. Unfortunately on this evening, those expectations were not met.

We each started off with a cocktail. J had a Ghost of Mary, spicy tomato water with Ketel One Citroen garnished with a tomolives and a sweet 100, and I forget what I had, but it was good. I had heard good things on Chowhound about the spicy halibut tacos from their island bar menu, so we tried them. The plate came with four small crunchy taco shells filled with fresh halibut, tomato salsa, pickled onions and avocado. They were good, but something was missing. Instead of the mouth full of flavors I was expecting from the tender halibut ceviche, it was a little flat. I got lime, halibut, then avocado. Stayed tuned for my review a fantastically prepared halibut ceviche that I had at Rendezvous in Cambridge's Central Square neighborhood.

J had a sole dish for her entrée, which was very good, and I had a parsley crusted cod dish which was under seasoned and really didn't taste like much. To be honest, neither dish was all that great, both certainly less then the spectacular that I expected. J liked her sole, and I agree it was good, but for the money I was disappointed, yes this place is expensive. Sorry, no pictures, this was a special night for us and the camera stayed home.

I will, however, give Great Bay an A+ for service. They offer valet parking at the front door for $14 and we were seated right away when we walked in the door. We had a reservation and it was a Thursday night, the restaurant was not busy. Finally, like I said, it was our anniversary. When I made the reservation using Open Table, I sent a note to the restaurant informing them of our special day. We were seated at a nice corner table in the restaurant and were treated to a great dessert, a warm chocolate bread pudding on the house, to finish our meal. The icing on the proverbial cake was that they wrote Happy Anniversary in chocolate sauce around the rim of the dessert plate. This apparently is a Schlow signature, we got a Happy Birthday dessert plate when we went to Radius.

Thanks for the dessert, Great Bay, but we may not be back any time soon. At least not for dinner. Great cocktails, great service, great dessert, but I was unimpressed with the tacos and the entrées.

Eating Guide to Boston's Neighborhoods - Part I

Boston has some phenomenal restaurants spread out all over the city and western suburbs with so many of them concentrated in the city's unique neighborhoods. Come with me on this multi-part eating guide to some of Boston's many neighborhoods then follow me west as I visit the 'burbs.

Part I - The South End
Boston's South End is a diverse neighborhood populated with its fair share of young professionals and an active gay and lesbian community. There are many art studios, dog parks and plenty of fantastic restaurants to keep you busy for a long time. Here are some of my favorites:

Tremont 647: Executive Chef/Owner Andy Husbands "serves up boldly flavored American cuisine, with inventive global influences." Chef Husbands believes in supporting local producers and purveyors and changes his menu every two months to keep up with whats freshest at the moment. When you go, try the Momos and the Banana Leaf Wrapped Halibut, two of Chef's signature dishes. Note that the banana leaf wrapped fish sometimes changes, I've had it with Chilean Seabass before, and it's always delicious.

If you really want to treat yourself, make a reservation for the chef's table and get the chef's tasting, you will not be disappointed! The chef's table is actually two seats positioned at the end of the open kitchen, right next to the grill station. Go for the wine pairing as well and have a good time. Go hungry, and take a cab. Parking can sometimes be a problem.

Tremont 647
647 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02118
Ph: 617-266-4600

Franklin Cafe: Executive Chef David Dubois has created a modern American menu that can stand up with the best of them. What I love about the Franklin Cafe is that its comfortable. When I go there I feel all warm and cozy sitting in the high back booths, enjoying a glass of wine from their limited but well thought out wine list, and a perfectly prepared dinner, whether its the olive crusted local cod, the bone-in filet or the miso grilled salmon. The menu changes frequently so pick something that sounds good and it will be. The Franklin Cafe has been growing in popularity over the years and they don't take reservations. Go early or be prepared to wait. Parking in this neighborhood can be difficult since most of the spots are Resident Only, see their web site for some tips. One more thing, they are open late serving dinner until 1:30am, the bar is open until 2am.

Franklin Cafe
278 Shawmut Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
Ph: 617-350-0010

Red Fez: Specializing in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine, this is a great place to go with friends. The menu is divided into three parts, mezze (appetizers, or small plates,) salads, and entrées. The hummus and baba ghanoush at the Red Fez are great for starting things off. Don't miss the roasted beet salad with goat cheese and arugula either. Try the sheefa or the mussels for some hot mezze and you can't go wrong with anything lamb here, they know how to cook it well. There is a large bar with lots of TVs, usually showing local sports, and parking is a breeze with a large lot right behind the restaurant.

Red Fez
1222 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02118
Ph: 617-338-6060

Masa: Take a trip to the Yucatan without ever leaving Boston. Chef Philip Avilies is right on with this Southwestern, Tex-Mex establishment. With over seventy, yes seventy kinds of tequila and salsa dancing and lessons every Thursday night, it's actually not all about the food here. Although it could be. Start with the Mixto Ceviche or the Spicy Ahi Tuna Cabo Rolls and indulge in the roasted salmon with chipotle and horseradish crust or the southwestern style steak frite with chile dusted fries, chile lime arugula salad and Guajillo bourbon sauce. With all the tequila they have in house, they also make a fantastic margarita. Visit for brunch if your in the mood for a lazy southwest Sunday morning. Reservations are recommended.

Masa
439 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116
Ph: 617-338-8884

Some other places I've been to that you should check out:
28 Degrees One Appleton St Boston, MA Ph: 617-728-0728
B&G Oysters 550 Tremont St Boston, MA Ph: 617-423-0550
The Butcher Shop 552 Tremont St Boston, MA Ph: 617-423-4800
The Dish 253 Shawmut Ave Boston, MA Ph: 617-426-7866

And some places that I still want to try:
Bob's Southern Bistro
Mistral
Pho Republique
Toro

Coming soon... Part II - The North End

Food for thought

I've been pretty busy lately. Not so busy at the office, but busy enough. It's at home, in the evening, on the weekends that I've been really busy. Working around the house - I've been painting all the closet, bedroom and bathroom doors, installing recessed lighting, painting the hallway ceiling where I installed the recessed lighting, changing all the doorknobs on the closet, bedroom, and bathroom doors so they matched, and looked nice. I've been working out in preparation for the training I'll need to do this spring and summer for the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge.

All this busyness has meant no time to blog. I have even eaten at some great restaurants lately. I had fantastic guacamole prepared table-side at Anamia's Tex-Mex in Southlake, Texas. Kumamoto oysters and a salad with bottarga at Neptune Oyster in Boston's North End. I had some Wellfleet oysters and grilled spiced Mahi Mahi with beans and rice, pineapple salsa, fried plantains and a grilled avocado at East Coast Grill & Raw Bar in Cambridge, MA.

So as you can see, I've had no shortage of good food to talk about, just no time to talk about it. Even tonight, I'll be going to Tuscan Grill in Waltham, MA. It's been about a year since I've been there, but what I can tell you from past experiences is that their gnocchi are little little pillows of heaven that melt in your mouth. I can't wait for dinner.

I'm hungry. Have a great day. Oh yeah, and Tuesday's Tasting is postponed again. Sorry readers. I promise that Tuesday's Tastings will be back soon, I have lots of new stuff in my freezer to try!

I'm just one food guy, thanks for reading!