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I went to the Green Papaya for the first time with a friend who is vegetarian. It is tucked away from busy Winter Street in a strip with Bertucci's and some parking. The restaurant is well-lit and...
I went to the Green Papaya for the first time with a friend who is vegetarian. It is tucked away from busy Winter Street in a strip with Bertucci's and some parking. The restaurant is well-lit and very clean inside and the waitstaff is friendly. I ordered the traditional Pad Thai noodle dish with chicken (without peanuts) and my friend ordered a noodle disk without the eggs since there was no strict vegetarian dish offered. We were both concerned we would not receive our dishes as we asked or it would take longer to get our order. We were happy that our dishes arrived quickly and were hot, well presented and freshly cooked to our specifications. It seems everyone there works to get the food to you quickly so you can get back to work on your lunch break. The food is comparably priced.
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I really appreciate that this restaurant is in my neighborhood. It's a perfect place to go when it's late and most other places have closed or when you have a group of people who all have different...
I really appreciate that this restaurant is in my neighborhood. It's a perfect place to go when it's late and most other places have closed or when you have a group of people who all have different food and budget requirements.
For those on a budget there is a choice of Steamburger, Oceanburger (fried fish patty), Chicken Breast or Veggie Burger all under $5. They come with a bag of chips. You can upgrade to fries for and additional $1.95. You can also add items such as cheese or tomatoes or bacon for a nominal fee. All the above items are good. The veggie burger is bigger than the type you'd buy at the grocery store.
Their appetizer list is long and vast. Nachos are giant and could easily feed 6 to 8 as an appetizer. I was never that impressed by the potato skins but if you like wings, you're in luck. They have real wings, as well as the boneless variety. Wings are pretty much a staple in any beer-themed restaurant but they do prepare them well here.
They also have entrees that start around $10 and go up. I almost think that these items are unnecessary. There's plenty of sandwich options from $6-$8. The Tuna sandwich is served open face with mounds of tuna on each slice of bread. The Cajun Chicken sandwich is slightly spicy but not overwhelmingly so. Both come with fries and are tasty and filling. There are salads, which are pretty mediocre. Lettuce is lettuce no matter where you go. If you really want a salad, this isn't the best place to grab one.
If you want a beer, with over 100 different varieties, this is the place to be. The place can get really noisy when it's full and the service is usually good but occasionally it could be better.
Usually we're too full on beer and food to order dessert. But we did order the Mud pie once. It was good once it thawed. It arrived at the table frozen rock hard. We took it home with us and 20 minutes later, it was of the perfect consistency.
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My friend and I met at Upstairs on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, which turned out to be very handy. The wait for a table indoors would have kept us hungry for some time, but there was no wait for an...
My friend and I met at Upstairs on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, which turned out to be very handy. The wait for a table indoors would have kept us hungry for some time, but there was no wait for an outdoor table. Once we got settled, we faced the eternal problem of deciding if we wanted appetizers or dessert since the portions are large enough to keep us from going for both with our main course. I imagine it will not surprise you to discover that we decided that dessert was the way to go.
We passed on wine and went with Kir Royales as our drink of choice. (In case you wondered but never actually tried them – they are champagne with raspberry liqueur added – and they are delicious.) From there we went on to order our meals.
My friend ordered the quiche and I had the eggs benedict with home fried potatoes. They were excellent. The eggs were beautifully done. The yolks were just the right consistency to be sopped up by the English muffins. The sauce was divine and the ham was some of the best I have ever had. The edge of it was covered with ground peppercorns, so it had a nice “bite” that worked well with the saltiness of the ham. The potatoes had a bit of spice to them too.
We asked our server for recommendations for dessert and she suggested the butterscotch pudding with pecan tartlet or the coconut bread pudding. My friend had the butterscotch pudding and I went with the bread pudding. Mine was wonderful. The bread pudding was dense and rich with a lovely coconut flavor and came with fresh whipped cream, a berry sauce that was a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the dessert and a diced mango salad on the side. My friend really enjoyed the pudding but found that the tartlet was salty (perhaps someone mistook one thing for another in the baking process).
The service was wonderful. Our server got us settled outside and took our orders. After we had eaten our main course, we found it was pretty chilly (due to the sun shifting) so she found us a table inside for our dessert. The outside eating area is lovely. If you go during a time of the year when it is warm enough, make sure you eat outside. There are trellised plants everywhere and the atmosphere is very comfortable. Inside is also lovely.
With tips and the drinks we had we each dropped about $30 for brunch. If you have something to celebrate, this is the place to go.
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El Sarape
Category:
Restaurants
5 Commercial St
Braintree, Massachusetts 02184
(781) 843-8005
Though this restaurant is located in sleepy Weymouth Landing, it definitely serves up some of the most authentic Mexican food I've ever eaten. The outside of the restaurant is definitely not...
Though this restaurant is located in sleepy Weymouth Landing, it definitely serves up some of the most authentic Mexican food I've ever eaten. The outside of the restaurant is definitely not impressive, it could even be slightly discouraging. It's located amongst many neighborhood type stores, and the location isn't the best for accessibility. When you get inside, the restaurant is small, but rich Mexican spices and food smells are quite heavenly.
You'll be seated promptly, but service is slow. The waiters will forget about you if you take too long to decide on your order. There are lots of delicious dishes on their menu, and picking one or two wouldn't do the restaurant justice. The Pork and beef dishes are marvelous as are the chicken and seafood dishes. Their servings are quite generous, so bring an empty stomach. They have an interesting variety of dishes, and most of them are quite original. I quite liked the chicken with the chocolate sauce- it was definitely unique. The decor is quite drab, but who cares about that when the food is SO good!! You'll be presently surprised by this little hole in the wall.
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Christina's ice cream is the best. The menu is always changing so there's always something new to try. There are all kinds of exotic and seasonal flavors (pumpkin, mexican chocolate, chocolate...
Christina's ice cream is the best. The menu is always changing so there's always something new to try. There are all kinds of exotic and seasonal flavors (pumpkin, mexican chocolate, chocolate orange, etc.) But most of the really great, classic flavors are usually available as well. Christina's also has an interesting (and ever changing) selection of sorbets and frozen yogurt. If you're in the area, Christina's is definitely worth the trip.
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This Back Bay is my favorite Boston place to celebrate a special occasion. The food is perfection, as is the entire dining experience. The restaurant has large dining rooms on the first two floors...
This Back Bay is my favorite Boston place to celebrate a special occasion. The food is perfection, as is the entire dining experience. The restaurant has large dining rooms on the first two floors of the building (my favorite is upstairs in the back). The room is tastefully decorated in grey and shades of white and there is a gorgeous fireplace.
The menu has a wonderful selection of fish and meat and there are a few delightful vegetarian options. Guests choose between the regular menu or a 7-course tasting menu which includes a selection of wine to accompany each of the small courses. I totally recommend it! They happily accept substitutions if there are one or two items from the selection that you cannot eat, or do not care for. Allow plenty of time if you choose the tasting menu. The wine list is like clibing Mount Kilimanjaro. The good news is that it's pretty easy to select a bottle that nicely complements a meal for $50 or less. The service is superior and provides the right touches to make the evening perfect. The staff is knowledgeable, warm, and courteous. They engage you in every aspect of the dining experience yet are never intrusive.
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St. Petersburg is my favorite Russian restaurant in Boston. Even though you have to make the reservation or you might not get a table for dinner on Friday or Saturday night, it is absolutely worth...
St. Petersburg is my favorite Russian restaurant in Boston. Even though you have to make the reservation or you might not get a table for dinner on Friday or Saturday night, it is absolutely worth the wait. I’ve come to a conclusion that St. Petersburg provides best food, best vodka and best prices. The food is excellent. It's not greasy at all and they don't serve lard. The menu is a combination of somewhat americanized Russian, Georgian and Ukrainian cuisine.
For those who like spicy food for appetizers, I'd recommend Georgian dishes: eggplant caviar, smoked spicy meats and various pickled vegetables. For those who don't watch their diet and are not afraid to try something new there are pancakes with caviar, smoked fish and awesome crusty potato cakes. I'd also recommend puff pastry filled with meat or cabbage.
My favorite soup is borsht made of beets, cabbage and beef - very flavorful. There is a large selection of soups but I can never resist borsht so I can’t tell you whether other soups are good or not.
Dinner Entrees include selection of fish (sturgeon) and meats. You probably won't find a vegetarian entry in St. Petersburg. Pozarski Cutlet (ground crusty chicken), chicken Kiev and fried chicken tabaka (chicken fried under press) are the best. Veal stew is nothing special but a good veal stew. The dish that also deserves attention is meat dumplings with sour cream. Most of the entries are served with homemade fries and are beautifully decorated.
This is paradise for coffee lovers. The only place I know of in Boston which serves Turkish coffee. The desserts are a bit heavy and I usually don't get that far because dinners are very filling.
Decorations and entertainment: The room is decorated with modern paintings and a huge display of vodkas. Live music (piano) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
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Located on a quaint, hidden corner in the North End of Boston, this historic and well-known hole is about the best pizza you will find anywhere. Yeah, it's one of those restaurants where they only...
Located on a quaint, hidden corner in the North End of Boston, this historic and well-known hole is about the best pizza you will find anywhere. Yeah, it's one of those restaurants where they only serve one menu item, but they do it right. Man, do they ever.
It's very small inside, about a dozen tables, and although the weather can be brutal, there always seems to be a line of people waiting just to get inside. Once inside, you realize from the dated pictures on the wall that this place looks the same as when it was serving Boston's best pizza in the 1800s. Only the help has changed.
You won't see a fancy menu here.. only a greasy listing of beer and pizza toppings. Short and simple, nothing fancy. There's the usual selection of meats, veggies and cheeses for toppings and your pizza can be doughy, medium or burn: your choice. They warn you that everything is made fresh, so if it's crowded you might have to wait a while. However, on a recent (and very crowded) Saturday night visit, the wait for our pizza was less than 10 minutes.. not bad.
We managed to get a booth near the kitchen window where we were tortured with the smells of diner's delights until our order hit the window. We saw several different varieties of Pizzeria Regina's creations, but my favorite is still thin-crust cheese pizza. It's basic, but so good! It makes you wonder how Pizzeria Regina gets it right and everyone else doesn't.
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Addis Red Sea is a place where you can eat with your hands. In fact, you have to eat with your hands- you won't be given a fork or knife or even a spoon. If you haven't been to an Ethiopian...
Addis Red Sea is a place where you can eat with your hands. In fact, you have to eat with your hands- you won't be given a fork or knife or even a spoon. If you haven't been to an Ethiopian restaurant before, let me give you a quick primer on how they work. First, you and your dining companions will be seated at low stools around a very small, round straw table called a mesob. You will not be given any utensils, which is okay because the protocol here is to scoop up your food using delicious thin, spongy bread called injera. After you order, everything that your table orders comes on one large plate, and everything is served on top of injera, which soaks up the sauce and is very good to eat afterward.
At this particular restaurant, you can tell that you are in for an exotic experience the minute you step down into the restaurant. The rooms are dark, yet cozy and inviting, and are decorated with ethiopian art and strong colors. The small tables and stools dot the room, giving an intimate feel to the place. You smell warm and exotic spices, both sweet and spicy.
For drinks, Addis Red Sea has a fine selection of familiar wines and beers, but I would recommend branching out and sampling one or more of their Ethiopian wines. My favorite Ethiopian wine that I've tried is made from honey. Be warned: they are most likely not what you are used to and are, in fact, quite sweet. But if you keep in mind that you are trying something different and exotic, then you will most likely enjoy them, as I do, and find that they complement the food very well.
For an appetizer, I would recommend the sambus, which are fried pastries that are filled with lentils, vegetables, or beef. The appetizers cost between $3-$5.
All of the entrees are different varieties of stews, made either with meat or vegetables or a combination of both. If you are a vegetarian, then you are in luck, as there are many meatless options here.
Can't decide or are overwhelmed by the menu? The waiters are extremely friendly and are happy to explain the menu to you and make recommendations. There are many "combo" options available, where you can order smaller portions of a number of dishes. The combination dishes are very reasonably priced from about $11 to $16, and you can try a number of different dishes this way. When I go with a friend, both of us usually order a combo and then share- this way, we get to try lots of different dishes.
A couple of warnings: even though the waiters are very, very friendly, the service is always slow, no matter how empty or full the restaurant is when you are there. So don't go if you are in a hurry. The ambiance of the restaurant is very pleasant, so you probably won't mind the leisurely pace. Also, parking in this part of Boston is quite difficult, so plan to look around for a space and walking a bit.
That said, this is a really fun place to take friends and I have had many enjoyable meals there. I'd imagine kids would enjoy the restaurant- what kid that you know doesn't like to eat with his or her hands? If you're looking for something fun and different, then give Addis Red Sea a try!
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In the pursuit of cheap, filling, satisfying, high-quality, authentic cuisine, there's only one place to go: Anna's Taqueria.This restaurant serves up the best burritos this side of Mexico. The...
In the pursuit of cheap, filling, satisfying, high-quality, authentic cuisine, there's only one place to go: Anna's Taqueria.This restaurant serves up the best burritos this side of Mexico. The restaurants themselves are clean, and well-run, but a bit too small and often crowded. Their burritos are of the highest quality. The meat is fresh, the chicken is a bit dry but fresh, and the carnitas (pork) is incredible. They also make vegetarian burritos containing terrific grilled vegetables. Their rice, salsa, hot sauce, guacamole and sour cream are all savory and delicious. The make-your-own-burrito feel really personalizes it and makes it your own.Though friendly in the past, there has been a noticeable decline in the morale and friendliness of the staff. The decor is cool, nice music, though not overly mexican.
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