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The Wine and Cheese Cask, located just outside of Inman Square at the corner of Washington and Beacon, is a great market that will handle all of the Wine and Cheese needs you have. Their selection...
The Wine and Cheese Cask, located just outside of Inman Square at the corner of Washington and Beacon, is a great market that will handle all of the Wine and Cheese needs you have. Their selection of cheese, pate, and cheese accoutrements is quite thorough. Feel free to ask to try a cheese, they usually will accommodate and help you make buying decisions without making you feel like an idiot for not knowing the difference between Tellagio and Gruyere. (One of my absolute favorite cheeses available here is the Double Cream Gouda). The wine selection is not mammoth, but what they have is top quality at very reasonable prices.
Sidenote: the cheese counter stays open as long as the shop is open for those late night cheese binges!
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Automotive Services of Medford is a reliable automotive repair shop that deals mainly in heating and AC repair/recharging. They have very reliable service and reasonable prices. These guys treat...
Automotive Services of Medford is a reliable automotive repair shop that deals mainly in heating and AC repair/recharging. They have very reliable service and reasonable prices. These guys treat their customers right and always are willing to treat a customer fair. I do not belive they own their own towing rig so you may need to get AAA or an indipendant garage to handle that if you are unable to get your car to them.
I have NEVER had as helpful a mechanic and I recommend these guys 100%.
Automotive Services of Medford is right near the Meadow Glen Mall and Rt 16
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The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is a grand cultural institution. Often thought of as stuffy or set in it ways, I believe the MFA is a true cultural Mecca with avant-garde film festivals, outdoor...
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is a grand cultural institution. Often thought of as stuffy or set in it ways, I believe the MFA is a true cultural Mecca with avant-garde film festivals, outdoor and indoor conferences, Friday night drinks and music among the art, and of course a truly beautiful collection of art. I urge everyone to go to MFA.org and check out the calendar of events. Most are very inexpensive one of a kind opportunities!
The art collections really have something for everyone…There is Ancient and Modern, there is photo and sculpture, there is a Rock Garden and outdoor sculpture. My Favorites are:
1)The Contemporary Wing featuring work by current artists.
2)The Impressionist room with some staggeringly beautiful Monet's
3)The Japanese Samurai collection with swords and kimonos
4)The Musical Instrument collection
5)The Black and white photography
The MFA is on the T's Green line, along the Fenway which is a lovely stretch of green space that borders various college campuses. (Northeastern campus, Boston University, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, MassArt, and more!!!).
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This is a fun, tasty and slightly pricier Indian Place than your standard Indian fare. The Kebab Factory is a hip restaurant with Indian flavors that you will not find all that often outside of...
This is a fun, tasty and slightly pricier Indian Place than your standard Indian fare. The Kebab Factory is a hip restaurant with Indian flavors that you will not find all that often outside of London or New York. The bronze pots they bring your Kebab's to the table in have hot coals warming and smoking your food well after they leave the kitchen. They also have delicious standard fare on the menu. The appetizer plater is delicious and well stocked! The dinners are very nice portions, but you would hope so for the money you will have to lay out.
I have heard they do a very good lunch buffet, and I am looking forward to giving it a try.
All in all, this unique Indian spot is a place I would LOVE to go to more, but it hurts the wallet a little.
For a like minded eatery, Try Tamarind Bistro in Harvard Square. I believe if you like one, you will like the other.
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There are things in this life you can count on. There are incontestable, irrefutable laws in this universe that you must trust, like the existence of gravity, that you will lose one of your socks in...
There are things in this life you can count on. There are incontestable, irrefutable laws in this universe that you must trust, like the existence of gravity, that you will lose one of your socks in the dryer, and that the best Italian food in the world is at Mom and Pop restaurants named after a man or a woman.
In Somerville, within site of the towering Scraffts building, stands a small, unassuming supermarket called Vinny's Superette. A yellow sign that proclaims 'Vinny's' was still lit at 9:30pm and the only real evidence that inside this dim store front was culinary greatness. With the steal door gate still left open, we approached with caution, and after opening the door we found not just a jewel but a treasure chest. I COMPLETELY credit the Phantom Gourmet TV show for this most excellent tip. Vinny's at Night is a true testament to the fact that good food and a loyal dining public can lead to success. In this closed convenience mart or 'superette' was some of the most sumptuous Italian food we had ever had. The backroom at Vinny's is a small OLD SCHOOL restaurant, long and thin, and full of fantastic smells and tastes.
App:
Antipasto Salad: Mmmmmmmmmmm...Is there anything you cant pickle? The antipasto was a delicious assortment of artichoke, yellow and red roasted tomatoes, red and orange peppers, mozzarella in herbs, prosciutto, and small onions that had been marinated in balsamic vinegar. The crusty bread was great for sopping up the left over oils and vinegars sliding around the big platter. For the money, it would be tough to find such a high quality appetizer for two people in any North End establishment I know of.
Entree:
Pork Sausage with Rabi on Homemade Fusilli- I chose to have the tomato and basil sauce on this dish. The hardy homemade sausage tasted the way fresh sausage always should, bold with spice and meat flavors. I love a good Italian sausage, and I mean love it. I usually prefer it hot, but this dish didn't need it. The broccoli rabe was tart and bitter, still crunchy and it was such a great contrast to the fresh fusilli. Al dente, yet tender, the fusilli was fresh and held the thin sauce around its coils. It filled me up AND left enough for an entire 2nd meal in leftovers!
Beef Bracciola on Homemade Fusilli - Every once in a while I will take a bite of food, and I will simply forget about everything in the world. It may sound cheesy, but its the damn truth. Good food transcends everything and leaves you happy and fulfilled.
You didn't have to chew the meat, merely allow it to melt in your mouth and let the flavors take over your taste buds. This slow cooked beef was almost impossibly tender. The Marinara was hearty and fresh and its flavors came through in the beef. This was the best Bracciola (pronounced Bra-jgol) we had ever had...and I have to say that I was jealous of my lovely date's meal. I liked my sausage dish very much, but the Bracciola was the kind of signature dish that you suggest along with the restaurant.
Price:
Vinny's at Night was totally reasonable for two people. The Entrees were from 11 to 18 dollars. All told, tax and tip, bottle of wine, appetizer and two entrees cost less than $40 a head.
OVERALL - This is the best 'out of the way' restaurant I have ever found in Boston. If I thought anyone actually read this blog, i wouldn't even tell you what it was really called...but since you all seem to be my nearest and dearest I am happy to let you in on this one.
Like minded eateries:
Pomodoro, North End, Boston
Carlo's Cucina, Brighton, MA
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Flour Bakery + Cafe
@ 1595 Washington Street (at Rutland St.), South End, Boston, MA
A sandwich is not a simple thing. The concept is simple enough, but variations on the theme make it anything...
Flour Bakery + Cafe
@ 1595 Washington Street (at Rutland St.), South End, Boston, MA
A sandwich is not a simple thing. The concept is simple enough, but variations on the theme make it anything but. A melting hot cheesy Panini or Cuban sandwich, a Foot Long Submarine piled high with salty Italian meats and cheeses, dripping with oil and vinegar, a hot Phili Cheese Steak sandwich (Steak Bomb in my parts)…or there is the more Homemade nostalgic sandwiches like PB&J and the ubiquitous Grilled Cheese, or maybe you grew up with Mayo-heavy Egg and/or Chicken and/or Tuna Salad. Any which way, you have a memory of brown paper bags from childhood that has more than likely carried over in some way to adulthood. A sandwich from Flour not only dresses up the brown bag version, but maximizes anyone’s idea of a simple sandwich.
Sandwiches: There are about a dozen or so sandwiches to choose from including the daily specials and the regular menu. They all sound great, look great and…taste even better! While we stood in line debating our options we told the guy behind us to skip right ahead. He thanked us and then proclaimed: "Don't worry, anything you get will be excellent!" As he waited to order, our decisions were quickly made and an outdoor table was procured.
Roasted lamb, tomato chutney & goat cheese: The greatest surprise in here was the moist and pink Roasted Lamb. I am certain this meat had been cooked the same day, allowed to cool and carved on site. The chutney was strong and tangy, and made me think of a cross between a regular pickle relish and the tomato and onion mixture you get with Nan at an Indian restaurant. The goat cheese just added a little mellowing to the tangy chutney, and the bread was toasted from a very crusty white loaf. The crunch, the juicy meat, the tang of the chutney and the mellow cheese…it was a perfectly balanced meal between two slices of warm bread.
Oven-roasted veggies & goat cheese: A mound of freshly roasted veggies tasted fresh and sweet, most assuredly roasted that day. Zucchini, squash, portabellos and red peppers were sweet and salty in their own natural goodness, mellowed by the same creamy goat cheese from the lamb sandwich. The red peppers were the most deliciously perfect marinated and roasted version of this. Not oily at all, they tasted as fresh as my grandmothers homemade peppers used in antipasto! The bread was the most perfect part of this sandwich. Its outward crustiness and inner softness reminded me of the Tuscan-style breads that are baked with cornmeal, to assure the crustiest of crusts! There were no runny juices from the veggies to destroy the perfect texture and handling of this superb sandwich.
A side note: if you like seltzer or a tart soda, Flour makes its own Raspberry Seltzer…give it a try, its very refreshing on a summer day!
Dessert: A Peanut Butter 'Oreo' cookie sandwich was inventive and familiar all at once. The two midnight black cookies the texture of Nilla Wafers and flavor of semi-sweet chocolate sandwiched a soft and smooth peanut butter filling. It did not crunch like an oreo, but it was a great twist on the concept. I still believe that the greatest thing in the world for dessert is any chocolate with any peanut butter, so I was not a partial judge. It was rich and filling, and the price, $1.50, was more than justified.
Price: The sandwiches were $6.95 to $7.95, the pastries were $1 - $3 bucks. Its basically the same cost as a Au Bon Pain/Panera-ish place, but HIGH Quality and fresh as can be.
Overall: As a sandwich shop, a pastry shop, a place to get a cup of coffee…this is the kind of small local food establishment that people should put their money into to help us keep the Mom and Pop places alive. Next time you are near the South end and need a fresh sandwich or something to satisfy the sweet tooth - the only answer is Flour Bakery + Cafe.
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OISHII
Chestnut Hill, MA
There is something magical about sushi. Sushi has such rich and delicate flavors and when done right, can affect you like a great painting or song or movie. I don’t...
OISHII
Chestnut Hill, MA
There is something magical about sushi. Sushi has such rich and delicate flavors and when done right, can affect you like a great painting or song or movie. I don’t entirely understand how, but after leaving Oishii in Chestnut Hill, I was a little drunk. Maybe euphoric is a better word than drunk, but you've probably got my meaning.
Oishii (there are two locations, the other is in Sudbury, MA) is tiny. A sushi counter that seats 12, at most, and just one single table. Zagat's Boston guide lists this as the ONLY 29 for food in Boston, but the décor gets a 13. On a Sunday afternoon, the place was pretty full. Three sushi chefs and two servers worked diligently and in perfect rhythm. Our seats at the end of the sushi bar afforded us an excellent view, and we sat like wide eyed children waiting to see what tempting creation would roll off the fingers of the sushi chef next. The menu is extensive, and I can barely remember what our ordering process consisted of but it involved lots of low moans and exhilarated readings. When we found a menu item that sounded good, its ingredients were read aloud as though we were reading to one another a nostalgic children's story. We were hooked before the first bite.
App:
It may not be fair to call our first two rolls appetizers, but this is how our meal progressed. We had a Shrimp Tempura Maki (rice on the outside) and an Unagi and Avocado maki. I have had the Tempura Maki before, but it usually seems excessive. By that I mean that it seems that good tempura, lightly battered and just the littlest bit of crunch, should stand on its own as a good dish. To me the tempura maki always seemed like a TurDucken…or as Moe says at a fancy Springfield Restaurant "Bring me the best dish you have stuffed with the second best dish you have." Consequently, they end up with lobster stuffed with tacos. Oishii changed my mind on this front (not about lobster stuffed with taco's though), and I loved the Shrimp Tempura Maki as much as any roll I have ever tasted. It was just the right amount of salty and crunchy, the shrimp was fresh and the tastes worked perfectly. The Unagi roll was very good, but overshadowed by the true greatness of the other roll. Unagi (Eel) is a wonderful thing, and I implore you to try it if you haven't taken the leap. Generally it is cooked in a sweet sauce and its tastes are really much different than other sushi.
Dinner:
For dinner we decided to get the most bang for our buck by getting the Regular Sushi Dinner for two. It gave us two pieces of 6 or 7 different kinds of Nigiri, and two rolls. The assortment of fish was excellent, and I didn't even make my normal request for no octopus. I have never gotten used to the toughness of octopus, but I figured I would take another shot since everything was so fresh here. Now, I am a sushi lover. I like to have it as often as I can afford it, and rarely does it surprise me. The Shrimp Tempura Maki was surprise number one, but the second surprise came in an unexpected form: Yellowtail. I like yellowtail a lot but if it sits around too long it gets too fishy. The yellowtail (my mouth actually is watering right now) melted in my mouth. I cant say for certain if I chewed at all, but I know it just melted away. Honestly, I felt privileged to have eaten it. I felt a better man for having experienced it. That’s how good this meal was.
Price:
Oishii was not that expensive for some of the best sushi I have had anywhere. 60 bucks fed two of us with drinks (non-alcoholic) and tip. I would say these prices were on par with any respectable sushi restaurant in Boston.
Overall:
This may be one of the best sushi meals I have ever eaten. If you enjoy sushi and live with an hour of Boston, make it you business to go to Oishii.
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East Coast Grill in Inman Square is a fun and lively place with an informal vibe. East Coast has two sides to its personality that merge well- New BBQ and Ultra Fresh Fish. My favorite place for a...
East Coast Grill in Inman Square is a fun and lively place with an informal vibe. East Coast has two sides to its personality that merge well- New BBQ and Ultra Fresh Fish. My favorite place for a fresh piece of fish in Boston is the Village Fish, but East Coast is a different beast.
Its dishes have an artistry that far surpass its décor (a sort of Miami Vice vintage neon lighting theme), and its flavors seemed unpretentious but full of life. This is NOT a quiet place, so be prepared for some Rock Concert decibel levels. So many restaurants tempt me with dishes that feature fancy mixes of ingredients that are from the "Ingredient-name dropping school." You know these places that offer too many black truffle oil infused and wasabi drizzled dishes. Don't get me wrong, some of the restaurants that offer these flairs deliver in a big way (Ariadne in Newton, MA, Blue Ginger in Wellesley, MA), but many fall flat. East Coast's Menu had some of those tendencies, but all the flavors they chose worked well together. Our waitress was friendly, enthusiastic and best of all knowledgeable about the things we all know best about ourselves: the dishes & flavors we love! She shared with us her favorite appetizer as being “her favorite thing on the menu and what she ALWAYS eats,” and we were convinced.
App:
The Black 'n' Blue Tuna Taco which was nearly excellent. The thing that stood out was the uniqueness of this dish. The small tortilla (spinach I believe) had avocado slices, a collection of herbs and a generous amount of fresh thin slices of seared tuna. The dressing was the most delicate orange chipotle glaze that perfectly complemented everything underneath it. Fish taco is not a new idea, but this concoction was just like the restaurant itself, full of life and flavor, but grounded in solid ingredients. I would recommend this appetizer to anyone.
Entree:
The Dishes we had were: Half of a Roasted Duck with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Greens ($18) and a Braised Short Rib with Blue Cheese Polenta ($16 or $17) and Greens. Both of these entrees were delicious. My duck was immense! A truly huge dish with more food than even I could finish. The mashed sweet potatoes were a great complement. If I had to call this dish any one style, I'd say New Soul Food. It reminded me of a fried turkey leg, full of flavor but a bit drier. I had a few beers with the meal, and I tend to get India Pale Ales that are very hoppy like Sierra Nevada with such flavorful food. The Braised Short Rib packed some serious heat. It was tender and moist, with a huge amount of Flavor. Hot Chili and Bourbon were the predominant flavors. The rich serving bed of Blue Cheese Polenta was expertly prepared to help put the fire out! While it was worth the burn, the intensity of the flavors was a bit overbearing.
Price: The price range was a bit high but understandable because of the excellent quality of the food. I will always pay the extra cash for a meal I consider well prepared. I would simply say economize here, and be careful to watch your cash to alcohol ratio!
I highly recommend the East Coast Grill for its service and its flavors!!! Try it if you have a reasonably flexible budget and some fun dining partners. I will be back for more meals, and when I do I will fill you in…
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