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From: ellis@osf.org (Ellis S. Cohen)
Newsgroups: rec.food.restaurants,ne.food,rec.travel,ne.general
Subject: Boston Restaurant List (very long)
Date: 6 Jun 1994 20:37:08 GMT
The Whole Boston Restaurant List
********************************
(As of 6/6/94)
This is a list of recommended restaurants in the Boston area with a
focus primarily on flavor, quality & value, though the list reports on
things like service & ambience as well.
The emphasis is on moderately-priced restaurants which serve
interesting food. At the same time, I've included the really fancy
expensive restaurants that are reportedly good as well.
If a typical meal costs $30/person or more, I've noted that
(each $ means $10).
Either I've had a good meal at each restaurant listed, or more likely,
someone else has recommended it. Note that most of the comments in the
list are not mine, but are from other people who've taken the time to
write up something about their dining experience.
If you have comments you'd like me to include (especially if they
differ from the current review or are for an unlisted restaurant), let
me know at ellis@osf.org, post them to the ne.food or
rec.food.restaurants Usenet newsgroup, or send them via the
Restauarant Review form available via the World Wide Web.
I'm happy to get information about any and all aspects of any
restaurant you've eaten at, including
* Rating
Overall, is the place great, good, a place to avoid?
* Food
What kind of food -- what cuisine?
Quality, quantity, richness, flavor, seasonings, preparation, etc.
Are some kinds of food done better than others?
Are there vegetarian or low fat options available?
What did you order that was especially good or bad?
Wine/Beer/Drinks
* Service
pleasant, formal, helpful, rude, slow, etc.
* Ambience
size, seating, crowded, noisy, calm, comfortable, posh,
hole-in-the-wall, dark, danky, etc.
* Location & Phone
Address, Nearest cross streets & landmarks,
Nearest T stop, Phone(s)
* Other
Prices, Hours, Non-smoking area, credit-cards,
Wheelchair accessibility, Child-friendliness, etc.
Entertaining quotes I can include, as well as any information that
would fill in holes in the current list are especially appreciated.
I'll attach your e-mail address to the archived review, unless you
tell me not to, or tell me an alternate pen name to use instead.
Ordinarily, recommended restaurants are not included in the list
unless I get two positive reviews (or unless I get a detailed review
of a restaurant which sounds particularly good).
I maintain a list of restaurants which only have one positive review
so far, or which were previously included, but have skimpy or
out-of-date reviews. I'd really like to get reviews of these
restaurants. Sending a positive review will get the restaurant on the
list; a negative review will keep it off. The list of these
restaurants is available on-line for web users, and is also mailed out
twice a month to the ne.food news group.
The Boston Restaurant List has been in existence, and posted on Usenet
to rec.food.restauarants and ne.food since mid-1993. It's been on the
web since March 1994 at URL
http://www.osf.org:8001/boston-food/boston-food.html
The list primarily covers restaurants within Rt 128 along the Mass
Pike corrider.
However, the "Outside Boston" part of the list covers highly
recommended restaurants anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts (as far as
Worcestor), Southeastern New Hampshire (bounded by Nashua / Manchester
/ Dover), Southwestern Coastal Maine, or Rhode Island. I try to only
include restaurants that are especially good or very good and an
exceptionally good value -- that is, if someone should seek them out
if they were visiting nearby or travelling through the area.
If you have questions about this list, contact the maintainer,
Ellis S. Cohen, at ellis@osf.org or 617-621-8718.
As noted above, restaurants are only included in the printed version
of the Boston Restaurant List if they are recommended; the list does
not attempt to cover the vast number of decent and mediocre but
unexceptional places to eat in the Boston area.
However, on-line users who access the list through the web can get
access to reviews for all restaurants received, including mediocre and
awful restaurants, and restaurants which have only received a single
positive review thus far. On-line users can also access interesting or
controversial long reviews from which the reviews "in the list" have
been distilled.
In addition, the printed version of the list only covers places where
you can sit down and eat; take-out only places aren't included.
Finally, the printed version of the list primarily covers places where
you can get dinner; lunch-only places are not included unless they are
very very good.
I'm not likely to support new locales or new categories myself, but if
you're interested in maintaining a new related list, let me know and
I'll include a link to it from this list.
I'm happy to receive suggestions about how the information in the list
can be made more useful, however, the time I can spend on the list is
fairly limited. If you're excited enough to make a suggestion,
consider being excited enough to do the work, so that I can include it
or link to it.
Words of Wisdom (from betsys@cs.umb.edu)
========================================
I read an article once where a reviewer replied to people who had bad
experiences at places he had given good reviews, and his advice made a
lot of sense.
The reviewer said that people who complained had usually been to the
restaurant at the busiest times, Friday and Saturday nights. At those
times the staff is rushed and more likely to make mistakes, the
kitchen is crowded and might be running short of ingredients, the
customers can be boisterous, everyone is under stress, and you will
experience the restaurant at its worst.
When this reviewer went to eat, he tried to go weeknights, at the very
beginning of the dinner hour. The staff is fresh, the food is fresh,
and everyone has time to pay attention to your dining experience.
Of course, it is always reasonable to expect a certain standard, but
if you want to experience the restaurant at its BEST, visit at the
best times.
======================================================================
Boston Area Restaurants (by SubArea)
************************************
======================================================================
Arlington
---------
Cafe Barada -- Lebanese / Middle Eastern
China Cafe -- Chinese
Shanghai Village -- Chinese
Tandoor -- Indian
Belmont
-------
Andros Diner -- Greek Diner
Ling Gardens (Waverly Sq) -- Chinese
Boston (Allston)
----------------
Armadillo Cafe -- Tex/Mex
Barbeque's International -- Indian Bbq
Big Burrito -- Tex/Mex
Blackbird Baking Company -- Cafe
Cafe Brazil -- Brazillian
Cafe Lampara -- Italian
Cafe Shiraz -- Kosher Persian
Chung Wah -- Chinese
Ichiban -- Japanese
Pho Pasteur -- Vietnamese
Quan's Kitchen -- Chinese
Rama Thai -- Thai
Saigon -- Vietnamese
San Francisco Noodle House -- Chinese
Siam Cuisine -- Thai
Thai House -- Thai
V Majestic -- Vietnamese
Viet Hong -- Vietnamese
Boston (Back Bay, Copley to the Commons)
----------------------------------------
29 Newbury St -- Eclectic
Blue Wave -- Eclectic
Cottonwood Cafe -- Southwestern
Grill 23 ($$$) -- Steakhouse
Kaya -- Korean
Mister Leung's ($$$) -- Chinese
PapaRazzi -- Northern Italian
Plaza Dining Room ($$$$$) -- Continental
Rattlesnake Bar and Grill -- Latin American / Caribbean
Ritz Dining Room ($$$$) -- Traditional
Skipjack -- Seafood
Small Planet -- Eclectic
Spasso -- Italian
Turner Fisheries ($$$) -- Seafood
Boston (Back Bay, West of Copley)
---------------------------------
Boodle's of Boston [Steaks] -- Back Bay
Cactus Club -- Southwestern
Cafe Budapest ($$$$) -- Hungarian
Caffe Jaffa -- Israeli
California Pizza Kitchen -- Italian [Pizza/Pasta]
Casa Romero -- Mexican
Capital Grille ($$$) -- Steakhouse
Ciao Bella -- Northern Italian
Davio's ($$$) -- Italian
Emporio Armani Express ($$$) -- Italian
Famous Atlantic Seafood Company -- Seafood
Gyuhama of Japan -- Japanese
House of Siam -- Thai
Hsin Hsin Chinese Noodle Restaurant -- Chinese
India Samraat -- Indian
Kashmir -- Indian
Kebab-N-Kurry -- Indian
King & I -- Thai
Legal Seafood -- Seafood
L'Espalier ($$$$$$) -- Nouvelle French
Miyako -- Japanese
Morton's of Chicago ($$$$) -- Steakhouse
Oceanic -- Chinese Seafood
Sonsie -- Eclectic
Steve's -- Greek / Middle Eastern
Wild Ginger Bistro -- Asian/French
Boston (Beacon Hill / West End)
-------------------------------
Another Season ($$$) -- French-American
Bangkok & Tokyo Grille -- Thai
Black Goose -- Nouvelle Italian
Hungry I ($$$) -- Contemporary French / American
King & I -- Thai
Phoenicia -- Middle East
Ristorante Toscano ($$$) -- Northern Italian
Siam Cafe -- Thai
Tangiers Cafe -- North African
Boston (Brighton)
-----------------
Bangkok Bistro (Cleveland Circle) -- Thai
Bluestone Bistro -- Italian / Pizza
Chef Chow (Cleveland Circle) -- Chinese
Han Mi Ok (Brighton Center) -- Korean
Jasmine Bistro (Brighton Center) -- Eclectic
Korea House -- Korean
Uva -- Italian
Boston (Chinatown)
------------------
Art Zone -- American Casual
Asian Garden -- Chinese
Ba Dat -- Vietnamese
Blue Diner -- American Casual (Funky Diner)
Buddha's Delight -- Vegetarian Chinese / Vietnamese
Carl's Pagoda -- Chinese
Chau Chow -- Chinese Seafood, Dim Sum
China Gate -- Chinese
China Grove -- Chinese
China Pearl -- Chinese w Dim Sum
Dynasty -- Chinese w Dim Sum
East Ocean City -- Chinese
Eldo Tea House -- Chinese
Food Hall -- Chinese
Fortune House -- Chinese Seafood
Golden Gate -- Chinese
Golden Palace -- Chinese w Dim Sum
Ho Yuen Ting -- Chinese Seafood
Hong Kong Eatery -- Chinese
Imperial Seafood Restaurant -- Chinese Seafood, Dim Sum
King Fung Garden -- Chinese
New Shanghai -- Chinese
Ocean Wealth -- Chinese Seafood
Pho Bang -- Vietnamese
Pho Pasteur -- Vietnamese
Siam Square -- Thai
Vietnam Restaurant -- Vietnamese
Boston (Downtown / Financial District)
--------------------------------------
Cecil's -- Latin / Caribbean
Country Life -- 7th Day Adventist Vegan Vegetarian
Dakota's ($$$) -- Eclectic
Fajita & 'Ritas -- Tex/Mex
Julien ($$$$$) -- Nouvelle French
Locke-Ober Cafe ($$$$) -- New England / American
Maison Robert ($$$$) -- Classic French
Marais ($$$) -- Eclectic
Milk St Cafe -- Kosher Vegetarian
Nara -- Japanese
Parker's ($$$$) -- Traditional American
Rami's Felafel -- Kosher Israeli
Sakurabana -- Japanese
Schifino ($$$) -- Italian
Boston (Dorchester / Mattapan)
------------------------------
Beijing Garden Restaurant (Dorchester) -- Chinese/Vietnamese w Dim Sum
Pit Stop (Mattapan) -- Bbq
Thai Gourmet (Dorchester) -- Thai
Boston (East Boston)
--------------------
Mama Julia -- Colombian / Salvadoran
Nana Cora's -- Italian
Sablone's Veal 'N Vintage -- Italian
Boston (Jamaica Plains)
-----------------------
Acapulco -- Mexican
Black Crow (Hyde Sq) -- Cafe
Center Street Cafe [Cafe] -- Jamaica Plain
El Embajador -- Latin American
Five Seasons -- Macrobiotic
International Restaurant -- Dominican
Pupuseria Quintanilla -- Salvadoran
Water Cafe -- Eclectic
Boston (Kenmore Sq / West Fenway)
---------------------------------
Buteco (West Fenway) -- Brazillian
India Quality (Kenmore Sq) -- Indian
Maluken (Kenmore Sq) -- Japanese
Sorento's (West Fenway) -- Italian
Stars Ocean Chinese Seafood Restaurant (W Fenway) -- Chinese Seafood
Boston (North End)
------------------
Al Dente -- Italian
Artu -- Italian
Bella Vista -- Italian
Daily Catch -- Seafood
Da Natale -- Italian
Dom's -- Nortern Italian
Five North Square ($$$) -- Italian
Giacomo's -- Italian Seafood
G'Vanni's ($$$$) -- Italian
Il Nido ($$$) -- Italian
Il Panino -- Italian
L'Osteria -- Italian
La Conte -- Italian
La Piccola Venezia -- Southern Italian
Mamma Maria ($$$) -- Nouvelle Italian
Massimino's -- Italian
Mother Anna's -- Italian
Nicole's -- Italian
Pomodoro -- Italian
Ristorante Lucia -- Northern Italian
Saraceno's -- Southern Italian
Terramia -- Nouvelle Italian
Trattoria Il Panino (Dining Room) -- Italian
Boston (Roslindale)
-------------------
Sami's (Roslindale) -- Middle Eastern
Boston (South End)
------------------
Addis Red Sea -- Ethiopian
Appetito -- Italian
Azita Ristorante -- Northern Italian / Nouvelle American
Bluestone Boston -- Italian / Pizza
Bob the Chef -- Soul Food
Botolph on Tremont -- Eclectic
Butchie's -- Bbq/Creole
Buteco -- Brazillian
Claremont Cafe -- Eclectic
Giacomo's -- Italian Seafood
Hamersley's Bistro ($$$$) -- Eclectic
Icarus ($$$$) -- Eclectic
Jae's -- Asian Eclectic (Hip Pacific Rim)
Legal Seafood -- Seafood
Moka -- Cafe
Nadia's Eastern Star -- Middle Eastern
On the Park -- Eclectic
St Botolph -- Eclectic
St Cloud ($$$) -- Eclectic Nouvelle American
Thai Village -- Thai
Boston (Symphony Area)
----------------------
Arirang House -- Korean
Bangkok City -- Thai
Bangkok Cuisine -- Thai
Bangkok Room -- Thai
Boston Shawarma -- Middle Eastern
Dixie Kitchen -- Cajun
Goemon -- Japanese Noodle
Shawarma King -- Middle Eastern
Thai Cuisine -- Thai
Boston (Theater District / Park Sq)
-----------------------------------
Aujord 'Hui ($$$$$) -- Nouvelle French / Continental
Biba ($$$$) -- Eclectic
David's -- Mediterranean
Joyce Chen -- Chinese
Legal Seafood -- Seafood
Montien -- Thai
Rocco's ($$$) -- Neo Italian
Star of Siam -- Thai
Boston (Waterfront / Faneuil Hall)
----------------------------------
Bay Tower Room [Continental/French] ($$$$) -- Downtown
Cornucopia on the Wharf ($$$) -- Eclectic
Daily Catch -- Seafood
Durgin Park -- Traditional NE Regional
Eastern Pier Seafood -- Chinese Seafood
Jaspers ($$$$) -- Eclectic New England
Joseph's Aquarium -- Seafood
Marco Polo -- Chinese
No Name -- Seafood
Old Spaghetti Factory -- Italian-American
Sally Ling's -- Chinese
Seasons ($$$$) -- Eclectic
Tatsukichi -- Japanese
Ye Olde Union Oyster House ($$$$) -- Seafood
Brookline (Coolidge Corner / JFK Crossing / North Brookline)
------------------------------------------------------------
Beijing III -- Chinese
Bombay Bistro -- Indian
Chef Chow -- Chinese
El Bandido -- Tex/Mex
Enzo Ristorante -- Italian
Harvard St Grill ($$$) -- Nouvelle American
Mi Vami -- Israeli
Niko's -- Greek
Noble House -- Chinese
Providence ($$$) -- Eclectic / Tuscan
Rami's Felafel -- Kosher Israeli
Rubin's Deli -- Kosher Deli
Ruth's Kitchen -- Kosher
Shang Chai -- Kosher Vegetarian Chinese
Shawarma King -- Middle Eastern
Takeshima -- Japanese
Victor's Pizza -- Kosher Pizza
Yu's -- Chinese
Brookline (St Mary's / Longwood)
--------------------------------
Atlas Kitchen (St Mary's) -- Turkish
Chef Chang (St Mary's) -- Chinese
Milk St Cafe (Longwood) -- Kosher Vegetarian
Sol Azteca (St Mary's) -- Mexican
Veronique ($$$) (Longwood) -- Classic French
Brookline (Village)
-------------------
Davio's ($$$) -- Nouvelle Italian
Fajita & 'Ritas -- Tex/Mex
Sawasdee -- Thai
Shalom Hunan -- Kosher Chinese
Skipjack -- Seafood
Village Fish -- Seafood
Village Smokehouse -- Bbq
Brookline (Washington Sq)
-------------------------
Golden Temple -- Chinese
Indian Cafe -- Indian
T.J.'s Taqueria -- Brookline
Tam O'Shanter -- Eclectic
Vinny Testa's -- Italian
Cambridge (Central Sq / MIT)
----------------------------
Anago Bistro ($$$) -- Mediterranean
Asmara -- Ethiopian
Brookline Diner -- Middle Eastern
Crystal Restaurant -- Chinese
Fishery -- Seafood
Green St Grill -- Eclectic Caribbean
India Pavillion -- Indian
Indian Globe -- Indian
Korea Garden -- Korean
La Groceria -- Northern Italian
Larry's -- Chinese
Middle East -- Middle Eastern
Miracle of Science -- American Casual
Oh Calcutta -- Indian
Picante -- Tex/Mex
Pu-Pu Hot Pot -- Chinese w Dim Sum
Rhythm & Spice -- Caribbean
Royal East -- Chinese
Shalimar -- Indian
Taj India -- Indian
Tandoor House -- Indian
Viceroy -- Indian
Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
----------------------
Algiers -- Middle East
Bangkok House -- Thai
Bennett St Cafe -- Eclectic
Bombay Club -- Indian
Border Cafe -- Cajun/Southwestern
Cafe of India -- Indian
Cafe Sushi -- Japanese
California Pizza Kitchen -- Italian [Pizza/Pasta]
Casa Mexico -- Mexican
Casablanca -- North African
Chef Chow -- Chinese
Delhi Darbar -- Indian
Dolphin Seafood -- Seafood
Giannino's -- Northern Italian
Harvest ($$$) -- Eclectic
House of Blues -- American Casual
Il Panino -- Italian
Iruna -- Spanish
Mimi's Oriental Grill -- Asian Eclectic
Pampas -- Brazillian
Roka -- Japanese
Rosalita's Texas Backyard Bbq -- Bbq
Shilla -- Korean
Singha House -- Thai
Skewers -- Middle Eastern
Skipjack -- Seafood
Ta Sheng -- Chinese
Troika -- Russian
Upstairs at the Pudding ($$$$) -- Eclectic Continental / N Italian
Cambridge (Inman Sqaure)
------------------------
Akbar India -- Indian
Cafe China -- European-Style Chinese
Cafe Jae -- Asian Eclectic (Hip Pacific Rim)
Casa Portugal -- Portuguese
Chez Vous Creole -- Creole
Daddy-O's Bohemian Cafe -- American Casual
East Coast Grill -- Eclectic
Jake & Earl's -- Bbq
Koreana -- Korean
Magnolia's Southern Cuisine -- Southern / Cajun
Midwest Grill -- Brazillian/Portuguese
Portugalia -- Portuguese
Sunset Cafe -- Portugese
Cambridge (Kendall Sq / East Cambridge)
---------------------------------------
Biggs Restaurant -- Jamaican
Blue Room ($$$) -- Eclectic
Boca Grande -- Mexican
Chandra's -- Caribbean / Indian
Davio's ($$$) -- Nouvelle Italian
Florentina -- Italian
Goemon -- Japanese Noodle
Helmand's -- Afghan (opening June 1st)
Izzy's Sub Shop -- Puerto Rican
Legal Seafood -- Seafood
Michela's ($$$) -- Nouvelle Italian
PapaRazzi -- Italian
Poppa & Goose -- Asian Eclectic
Rayz -- American Casual
Sindibad -- Middle Eastern
Thai's -- Thai
Cambridge (Porter Sq / North Cambridge)
---------------------------------------
Boca Grande -- Mexican
Cafe Mami -- Japanese
Changsho -- Chinese
Chez Jean -- Classic French
Cottonwood Cafe -- Southwestern
Dali -- Spanish
Ittyo -- Japanese
Jade Flower -- Chinese
Kotobukiya -- Japanese
Maharajah -- Indian
Masao's Kitchen -- Vegan Macrobiotic
Matsu-Ya -- Korean / Japanese
Mexican Cuisine {Forest Cafe} -- Mexican
Noelle -- Eclectic
Passage to India -- Indian
Porter Exchange Mall -- Japanese Food Mall
Porter House Cafe -- Bbq
Ristorante Marino -- Italian Natural
Sapporo Ramen -- Japanese Noodle House
Seki Tei -- Japanese
Snakebites Canteen -- Southwestern
Cambridge (West Cambridge / Fresh Pond / Alewife)
-------------------------------------------------
Jose's -- Mexican
Joyce Chen -- Chinese
Koto -- Japanese
Peacock -- Country French
Pentimento -- American Casual & Natural
Tokyo Restaurant -- Japanese
Trattoria Pulcinella ($$$) [Northern Italian] -- West Cambridge
Charlestown
-----------
Blossoms -- Nouvelle Italian
Figs -- Italian (Pizza/Pasta)
Olive's ($$$) -- Nouvelle Northern Italian
Chelsea
-------
New Bridge Cafe (Chelsea) -- Bbq
Lexington
---------
Cafe Bellecour -- Mediterranean
Hartwell House [American Traditional] -- Lexington
Lemon Grass -- Thai
New Asia -- Chinese
Peking Garden -- Chinese w Dim Sum
Sweet Peppers -- Italian
Yangtse River -- Chinese
Medford
-------
May's Cafe -- Chinese
Newton (Centre)
---------------
Amarin -- Thai
Appetito -- Italian
Chengmai -- Thai
Ha Ha -- Chinese
Sabra -- Middle Eastern / Israeli
Seoul House -- Korean
Seven Stars Mandarin -- Chinese
Sol Azteca -- Mexican
Newton (Chestnut Hill)
----------------------
Bernard's -- Chinese
Legal Seafood -- Seafood
Marco Solo -- Eclectic
PapaRazzi -- Italian
Newton (Four Corners / Highlands / Upper Falls)
-----------------------------------------------
Cantin Abruzzi (Highlands) -- Italian
Mill Falls ($$$) (Upper Falls) -- Contemporary American
Moon Woman Cafe (Upper Falls) -- Nouvelle Italian
Vinny Testa's (Four Corners) -- Italian
Newton (Lower Falls / Auburndale / West Newton)
-----------------------------------------------
Pillar House (Lower Falls) -- Traditional
Shogun (West Newton) -- Japanese
Newton (Nonantum / Newtonville)
-------------------------------
Genghis Khan (Newtonville) -- Chinese / Mongolian
Karoun (Newtonville) -- Armenian
Ru Yee (Nonantum) -- Chinese
Somerville (Beacon St)
-----------------------
Chang Feng -- Chinese
Chef Lee -- Chinese
Jimmy Mac's -- Bbq
Little Bali -- Indonesian
Somerville (Davis / Teele / Ball Sq)
------------------------------------
Daily Catch (Davis Sq) -- Seafood
India (Davis Sq) -- Indian
Johnny D's (Davis Sq) -- American Casual
Panda (Ball Sq) -- Chinese
Picante (Davis Sq) -- Tex/Mex
Redbones (Davis Sq) -- Bbq
Rudy's (Teele Sq) -- Mexican
Sepal Cafe (Teele Sq) -- Middle Eastern
Somerville (Union Sq)
---------------------
Elephant Walk -- French/Cambodian
Hometown -- Korean
India Palace -- Indian
Neighborhood Restaurant -- Portuguese
New Asia -- Chinese
Oasis Grille -- Middle Eastern
Union Square Bistro -- Eclectic
WooChon -- Korean
Waltham (Moody St Area)
-----------------------
Bangkok Flavors -- Thai
Bombay Mahal -- Indian
E.J.'s Barbeque -- Bbq
Erawan of Siam -- Thai
Iguana Cantina -- Tex/Mex
Il Capriccio ($$$) -- Northern Italian
Little India -- Indian
New Mother India -- Indian
Sadie's -- Bbq
Taqueria Mexico -- Mexican
Tuscan Grill ($$$) -- Nouvelle Italian
Waltham (Not Moody St Area)
---------------------------
Bluestone Bistro -- Italian / Pizza
Buckaroo's -- Bbq
Green Papaya -- Thai
Sakura -- Japanese
Saro's -- Northern Italian
VietFoods -- Vietnamese
Watertown
---------
Ararat -- Armenian
Casa Elena -- Latin American
Demo's -- Middle Eastern / Greek
Hunan Palace -- Chinese
Kareem's -- Middle Eastern
Le Bocage ($$$$) -- Nouvelle French
Pars Cafe -- Persian
Porcini's -- Italian
Sepal -- Middle Eastern
Stellina -- Nouvelle Italian
Taste of India -- Indian
Verona -- Nouvelle Italian
======================================================================
Boston Area Restaurants (by Cuisine)
************************************
======================================================================
Afghan Restaurants
******************
Helmand's -- East Cambridge (not open yet)
143 First St (nr Galleria), 492-4646
T: Green Line: Lechmere, Red Line: Kendall Sq
American Casual Restaurants
***************************
Art Zone -- Chinatown
150 Kneeland St, 695-0087
(While the food is perhaps not especially noteworthy, it is usually
fairly tasty, somewhat eclectic for barbecue, and comes in large
portions. The rib platters & pulled pork are quite good, though
you can get the occasional annoying huge glob of fat in pork
sandwiches, and the barbecue sauce (served in a plastic cup) is
very sweet -- something that Kraft would sell in a supermarket.
The bbq should become better, now that the kitchen staff has been
specially trained by a barbeque expert.
The grilled calamari in balsamic vinagrette is an excellent
appetizer, they have some of the best onion rings, sweet potato
chips, and cornbread in Boston, and there's very good guacamole
and veggie chili (with grilled eggplant and zucchini, which is
quite nice, but has nothing whatsoever to do with chili). OK crab
cakes (with a lamentable sauce) and fajitas; other dishes are even
more ordinary, including the salad, served with "industrial"
dressing. They do have a fine beer list, including Burton Bitter
from the Commonwealth Brewery. Overall, the place is upscale and
very pricey though, with the same owner as the Blue Diner next
door.
The main reason to come here is for the amusing decor -- its a
lot of fun, especially if it's uncrowded enough that you can
look at the tables on the way in and out -- they are all different
creations from local artists, in glass-topped boxes. The decor
really steals the show - every table is different, and their
artistic content (or lack thereof!) provides plenty of material
for good dinner conversation among friends. Good juke box too.)
[=>interesting long review]
Blue Diner -- Chinatown
178 Kneeland St (edge of Leather District), 338-4639
T: Red Line @ South Station
(Fine retro-diner food, which is to say all the flash and fresh
ingredients of a gentrified neighborhood bistro (plus beer and
wine) in a genuine diner setting (assembled on-site in 1947).
The sign in the window says: "Food like your mother would have
made, if she'd gone to a very good white-trash cooking school."
Traditional diner dishes with a twist that makes them inauthentic
but worthwhile. A tad pricy, but top notch burgers, hand-cut
fries, homefries, omelettes & excellent sausage. Pies are worth a
trip all on their own, esp the pineapple meringue or apple)
Daddy-O's Bohemian Cafe -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
134 Hampshire St, 354-8371
(Good imaginative home cooking. Try the latkes, mussel fritters,
black bean soup. Sunday Jazz Dinner. Interesting wine list.)
House of Blues -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
96 Winthrop St, 876-3030, T: Red Line @ Harvard Sq
(Pretty good food, but go for blues entertainment upstairs.
Try the smoked ribs & chocolate/peanut butter pie. 3 hr Gospel
brunch Sundays, 1/2 for eating, 1/2 for music -- you can get
reservations a week in advance, but they're often not necessary.
Recent reviews decry the unpleasant ambience however)
Johnny D's -- Somerville (Davis Sq)
17 Holland St, 776-2004, T: Red Line @ Davis Sq
(A music club and restaurant owned by vegetarians. The menu has
some vegan options, but is not strictly vegetarian. It is pretty
good food, natural hormone-free ingredients, reasonable prices.
Try the chicken palermo, blackened chicken strips, broccoli, cajun
fried shrimp, pecan pie. The music tends to be blues, cajun, and
folk; the place gets crowded when the music starts later in the
evening. Also good for Sunday Brunch.)
Miracle of Science -- Cambridge (MIT)
Mass Ave, T: Red LIne @ Kendall Sq
(Mostly a bar (albeit very trendy) in an otherwise isolated
stretch of Mass Ave. They have small tables and a limited menu,
but the food, though occasionally bizarre, is generally done well.
Specialty is shish kebab -- dry rubbed beef, chicken, shrimp,
or veg. Good veg side dishes. Good juicy burgers, which come w
tasty fried potatoes and tomato chutney. Good hummous w pita.
Nice chutneys, relishes, and hot sauces. If you don't drink, the
meal will be extremely cheap for the quality. Techies gotta love
(or not) the well executed science-lab decor, w cutesy little
petri dishes and ehrlenmeyer flask. On the other hand, there
are those who hate the place -- the "100% pushy yuppie scum crowd
of the most obnoxious stripe" and because it can be overcrowded,
noisy, and the waitstaff can be slow and unprofessional.)
[=> intense review]
Pentimento -- West Cambridge
344 Huron Ave (nr Fayerweather), 661-3878
(Generally very good food, especially "comfort food" such as stews
& shepherd's pie, but service is uneven & sometimes disdainful.
Soups always sound better than they taste. Homemade muffins and
other desserts are great. At lunch, sandwiches seem small but
fresh. Wonderful place for Sunday Brunch, especially the french
toast & hash browns, though food is limited to omelets & such,
and beware of long lines.)
Rayz -- East Cambridge
Cambridgeside Galleria, 577-0044, T: Green Line @ Lechmere
(Friendly service, large portions, good bbq and grilled fish.
Pleasant place and good food, especially for a mall, but nothing
to write home about. Warning: the dinner menu and dinner portions
are virtually the same as the lunch menu and portions, but all the
prices go up for the dinner stuff.)
Asian Eclectic Restaurants
**************************
Jae's [Hip Pacific Rim] -- South End & Cambridge (Inman Sq)
520 Columbus Ave, South End, 421-9405
1281 Cambridge St, Inman Sq, 497-8380
(Very good and very fresh tasty Korean/Thai/Japanese mix with a
twist. The Korean dishes were truest to tradition, but still
with some interpretation, esp the nouvelle / non traditional
preparations of standards like BibimBap. Good large pieces of
sushi w tuna nigiri, excellent tuna tartare and eel maki. Also
exceellent Pad Thai, and the Crispy Pad Thai is even better.
Weird hot&sour soup though, and not many veggie options.
Calm and restful decor without being subdued, but it can be
noisy when crowded; not a place for kids particularly. Service
is usually good and a bit eclectic too: "Brown Rice, Good Choice".
Reasonably wheelchair accessible. Reasonable prices; light dinner
about $15/person w beer) [=>interesting long review]
Mimi's Oriental Grill -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
950 Mass Ave, betw Central Sq & Harvard Sq, 354-1665
(Mixed reviews, a tad pricey -- some find it completely
unimpressive, others think it's great. Nice atmosphere, though.
Try the Korean beef dish, Formosa squid, and tangerine scallops)
Poppa & Goose -- East Cambridge
69 First St (nr Galleria/Lechmere), 497-6772
(Excellent creative tasty inexpensive Asian, mostly Vietnamese,
food by the same people whose truck serves wonderful cheap lunches
on Main St at Tech Square in Cambridge. It's best to go for their
lunch buffet, incl a terrific thai roll, meat kabob, brown rice w
veggies, and various combos w chicken, meat, or tofu. Salad
fixing and soup too (though the hot & sour soup is really awful),
all for $7. If you order off the menu, there are great dishes
available, incl crabmeat & white asparagus soup, mi lanh, and
seegoo chicken, but the service is horrendously slow -- it's hard
to get in and out in an hour for lunch, and it's best to go early
if you go for dinner. Apparently the place isn't run to make
oodles of money -- they just want to break even mostly and be able
to serve neat foods that people otherwise wouldn't get a chance to
savor. P.S. great Vietnamese iced coffee too.)
Wild Ginger Bistro [Asian/French] -- Back Bay
95 Mass Ave, 267-2868. Wheelchair Accessible.
Barbeque Restaurants
********************
Barbeque's International -- Allston
129 Brighton Ave (nr Harvard St), 782-6669
(Barbeques from around the world, wildly mixed reviews. In
general, stick to the Indian food, especially the Bengal Shrimp,
the Chicken & Lamb Tikka and the Tandoori Lamb, although a recent
review indicates that the Chicken Tikka was bland -- it came with
onions and had a lot of paprika (which didn't really make up for
the lack of spice) on a bed of rice. Some like the pulled pork
and beef kabob as well. If you like their food, then with the
recently done interior, it's not a bad place to go for a nice
informal dinner at reasonable prices ($25-30 for two).
Buckaroo's -- Waltham
(This places has has a VERY Western atmosphere, from the upholstery
on the booths to the murals on the wall, to the Navajo type rugs
on the back of the barstools, to the branding irons on the walls.
Amazingly enough, it's tastefully done. The menu has ribs (pork
only), BBQ sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, chargrilled lamb and
beef tips, enchiladas, and some miscellaneous other items. The
lamb tips over rice were tasty, served with lots of grilled
vegetables, for $8 or so. The ribs, a light portion for lunch,
were of the dry variety -- but meaty and good. No sauce was
served on the side; it was a decent sauce but not memorable.
Probably not unusual enough for rib enthusiasts but a fine item on
the menu.)
Butchie's [Bbq/Creole] -- South End
Washington St nr Mass Ave
(The menu mostly emphasizes bbq, which is pretty good, but the
Creole dishes on the menu are quite good as well, esp the hush
puppies & Jampbalaya, which may be the best in Boston, as well as
an excellent Gumbo, with lots of crab, shrimp, and fish)
E.J.'s Barbeque -- Waltham
275 Moody St, 891-7427
(Mixed reviews -- the bbq ranges from ok to excellent, with
large portions and low prices. Good Memphis dry rub ribs,
texarkana ribs, babybacks, chicken, mashed potatos. Beef brisket
& pulled pork are not as good)
Jake & Earl's -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1273 Cambridge St, 491-RIBS
(Excellent southern bbq, same kitchen as East Coast Grill.
Excellent dry rub pork chops. Try the pulled pork & the Memphis
dry-rub rib plate. Mostly take-out plus a small counter, though
the food is also featured next door at the East Coast Grill.)
Jimmy Mac's -- Somerville
300 Beacon St, 547-1700
(Southern-style food place. Food has declined somewhat; the pulled
pork sandwich is now chopped pork and the sauce is not as good.
The new owner actually speaks, so that part has improved. The
hand-made sign on the door says something like "We are now
friendly", but evidently also now mediocre as well. Now sharing
space with Little Bali, an Indonesian restaurant.)
New Bridge Cafe -- Chelsea
650 Washington Ave (at Woodlawn), 884-0134
(Best steak tips and pork tips & ribs (red/chinese style) on the
North Shore; their dishes are accompanied by huge steak fries that
are awesome and a house salad with an vinegar-pepper dressing. Be
prepared to wait, esp on Fri & Sat nights, because the place is
always packed.)
Pit Stop -- Mattapan
888a Morton St, 436-0485
(Great bbq, better for take-out. Only open Th, Fr & Sa. Park in
the fenced yard.)
Porter House Cafe -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
2046 Mass Ave, 354-9793
(Good barbecue, in a different style than Redbones, more
(occasionally experimental) variety of sauces on the ribs, and a
different assortment of dishes (for fried okra, go to Redbones;
for hoppin' john, go to Porter House). Very good Texas bbq,
superb pulled chicken & beef ribs, great hot sauce, interesting
food in enormous portions, often good draft beer. The spicy fries
& sides of beans and rice are average. The "hashes" (sautes of
whatever - such as chicken, shrimp, and Texas sausage-veggies) are
very good, as is the Texas brisket and chicken-fried steak. It
looks like a dive from the outside, but they have separated the
tables from the bar, so the eating situation is reasonable. The
servers are congenial and helpful, and do not rush you.)
Redbones -- Somerville (Davis Sq)
55 Chester St (off Elm), 628-2220
(Great atmosphere, all kinds of bbq -- Memphis, Arkansas [bbq pork
chops/great ribs], Texas, Georgia. They are the quality leader in
Texas bbq, including the brisket & beef ribs; elsewhere, almost as
good as Jake & Earl's. Also good sausage, catfish, corn pudding,
greens, pecan pie, and an improving selection of draft beer)
Rosalita's Texas Backyard Bbq -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
50 Church St, 492-8458
(Great atmosphere: casual furniture, outdoor-type with umbrellas;
the decor really does look like someone's backyard, complete
with laundry hanging on lines all over the place -- like being
transported back to Cozumel. The portions are humongous and very
good, and you get 'grazing rights' (salad bar, beans, corn cobs,
dirty rice, corn bread) for all entrees over $7. Mixed reviews
on the bbq itself though, which can be mediocre, with the bbq
brisket especially bad. Variable service. Good quesadillas,
guacamole, pecan pie. Avoid the cheesecake) [=> negative review ]
Sadie's -- Waltham (Moody St)
just off Moody, across from Iguana Cantina
(Good inexpensive ribs and steak tips, w a decent spicy sauce for
the ribs. Service is friendly and efficient. The drawback is
the bar which is noisy and smoky, and the incredibly loud
jukebox.)
Village Smokehouse -- Brookline Village
1 Harvard St, 566-3782
(A bar/restaurant, with a brightly lit homey dining-room decor that
is full of Texas influences, including neon signs, checked
tablecloths, and country music. The atmosphere and presentation
aren't as trendy or authentic as Redbone's, but for some, that's a
plus. Mixed reviews on the food, though it seems to keep getting
better -- good meat, esp. the delectable brisket, the ribs (the
pork ribs are almost always tender, and the beef ribs are huge),
and chicken. No choice of bbq sauces; the sauce is ok though,
very tasty, but not too hot/spicy. Good pecan pie too. Some
people love this place, but the general consensus is that
Redbones is still somewhat better. Cash only.)
Brazillian Restaurants
**********************
Buteco -- West Fenway, South End
130 Jersey St (nr Park Drive & Boylston), West Fenway, 247-9508
57 West Dedham St (betw Tremont & Dartmouth), 247-9249
(Good solid Brazillian fare; the one in the South End is better.
For appetziers, try the frango a passarinho and the little
chicken/meat/cheese turnovers. Good black beans & rice, fried
breaded thin steak (w fried onions & limes), rolled steak w ham
and cheese, and chicken dishes. The feijoada is a bit dry.
Decent but not great desserts & coffee. Limited wine selection,
but a good hearty house wine.)
Cafe Brazil -- Allston
421 Cambridge St (nr Harvest Food Coop), 789-5980
(Good flavorful food in a cozy atmosphere, sometime w a quiet
guitarist playing. Meat & poultry dishes are authentically
prepared and won't disappoint those w heartier appetites. The
tastiest food can be high in fat, e.g. fried manioc & chicken
livers. Nice variety of Brazilian appetizers and side dishes.
Feijoada Completa, served on Saturdays, is superb. Not very child
friendly, though.)
Midwest Grill -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1124 Cambridge St, 354-7536
(Excellent Brazillian & Portuguese food & service, family run w
friendly waitstaff. Generous meat and vegetables, but salad
bar, ambience & service are better at Pampas. No liquor license)
Pampas -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
928 Mass Ave, between Central Sq & Harvard Sq, 661-6613
(Great churrasqueria -- 15 kinds of skewered meat [not strongly
seasoned], including beef, pork, sausage, chicken, turkey, lamb,
goat, and even chicken hearts, all you can eat for $15. Price
includes an awesome salad bar (which can be ordered separately,
for the herbivorously inclined), containing lots of palm hearts.
A great place to go with friends or out-of-town guests. Clean,
comfortable, and apt to be filled with boisterous Brazilians, who
pack many of the tables until they're kicked out. The service may
be leisurely at times, but that's perfectly authentic, too.)
Caribbean / Cajun / Creole / Soul / Southern Restaurants
********************************************************
Biggs Restaurant [Jamaican] -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
111 Harvard St (at Portland, betw Main & Broadway), 492-5154
(A pleasant place serving very good and plentiful Jamaican food.
Cash only. The beef patties and the ackee & salted fish are
especially good. Also try the curried chicken (usually excellent,
though on one visit, it was very bony), curried goat, jerk
chicken, & Jamaican fish. Jamaican soft drinks & superb home made
concoctions including ginger beer, sorrel, and irish moss drinks.
They also have serve beer, including Red Stripe.)
Bob the Chef [Soul] -- South End
604 Columbus Ave (nr Mass Ave), 536-6204
(Quite good traditional soul food, as well as BBQ ribs to die for.
Especially good fried chicken, sweet potatoes, cornbread and
collard greens. Also good desserts, esp sweet potato pie.)
Butchie's [Bbq/Creole] -- South End
[see under Barbeque]
Chandra's [Indo-Caribbean] -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
266 Broadway (a few blocks west of Kendall Sq), 497-6955
(Indian & Caribbean food, Trinidad style. A nicely done interior,
with decent food. Often plagued by long waits, caused by making
everything [except the microwaved frozen appetizers] from scratch.
Best to go when they have a lunch buffet, with jerk chicken, rice,
aloe chole, a steamed vegetable dish (esp good when its calaloo,
akin to creamed spinach), and chicken roti, all of which can be
quite good. Avoid the mushy veggy mixture over rice. No liquor
license but good soursop punch & ginger beer.)
Chez Vous Creole [Creole] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1263 Cambridge St, 868-3161
(Not much atmospehere -- a little on the shabby side w tacky
posters & a few tables, but large portions of tasty interesting
inexpensive food, especially the flavorful conch stew and goat.
The menu is interesting, but often only a few items are available.
Pleasant and very low-key, though service can be lackadaisacal.)
Dixie Kitchen [Cajun] -- Symphony Area
182 Mass Ave (betw Boylston & Huntington), 536-3068
(Pretty good, not as upscale as Magnolia's, and on some nights, the
balance of seasonings can be off, resulting in bland unsoulful
food. But, on other nights they're great, and they mean well,
have dishes that can't be had elsewhere in Boston, and the food
always is inexpensive and comes in large portions. Definitely try
the Gumbo Ya-Ya, Etoufee, Jambalaya, and the Jalapeno Cornbread.
They even have fried alligator tail. Also, good bread pudding,
as well as other huge decadent desserts incl key lime pie and
banana custard. No liquor, and you can't BYOB. The background
music is great though!)
Green St Grill [Caribbean] -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
280 Green St (betw Magazine & Pearl), 876-1655
(Caribbean influence, very good spicy seafood and ribs. A funky
place with unusual combinations of ingredients that usually works.
Often music late. Some of their food (e.g. seafood stew,
gazpacho) can be extremely fiery. Try the conch fritters, and
the Caesar salad (one of the best in town). A very child-friendly
place)
International Restaurant [Dominican] -- Jamaica Plain
3160 Washington St, 522-7410
(Great inexpensive food. Funky neighborhood.
Try fish escoveitch, carne cerdo con berenguena, mondongo)
Izzy's Sub Shop [Puerto Rican] -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
169 Harvard St (at Windsor), 661-3910
(Not a sub shop; the owner (Izzy) is Puerto Rican and most of the
food is also Puerto Rican. The owner is quite a character and
calls frequent visitors "primo(a)" for cousin. A hole-in-the-wall
that's not in the nicest of neighborhoods. It is nicer than La
Espanola, though, and the service is good, friendly, and quick.
The food has a comfort food quality (if you are Cuban or Puerto
Rican) although it is not quite as good as La Espanola in quality.
The black beans are canned and the steaks a little bland. Then
again, Puerto Ricans don't really eat black beans, preferring red
kidney beans or "gandules" (pigeon peas?), of which they have
plenty at Izzy's. Besides these, they also serve some great
snacks: filled (with meat) potatoes, alcapurrias, bacalaitos,
limbos (these seem to be Jamaican in origin), etc. These are deep
fried and fatty but delicious! They also serve a wide variety of
beverages popular with Latin Americans, such as malta (non-
alcoholic sweet malt drink) and Goya fruit juices. Not wheelchair
accessible.)
Magnolia's Southern Cuisine [Southern] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1193 Cambridge St (nr Prospect), 576-1971
(The old Cajun Yankee has gone Southern, the food is still good,
though the decor is worse, it's more crowded, and consequently
seems really overpriced, especially for dishes like the grilled
chicken & fish. Some old favorites are gone, but they still
serve jambalaya, blacked redfish, cajun popcorn, awesome banana
muffins & Blackened Voodoo beer. Other good dishes include the
vinegary fried green tomatoes, home smoked salmon with olive oil
biscuits, and grilled pork tenderloin with mango chutney. The
desserts can be unpalatably sweet. Reasonable wine list.)
Rhythm & Spice [Caribbean] -- Cambridge (MIT)
315 Mass Ave (across from Larry's Chinese), 497-0977
(The best atmosphere and service of the Caribbean restuarants; it
is also the most expensive. The chef and much of the staff from
the Seagrape Tree restaurant in Arlington have moved here. The
atmosphere, formerly pastel and serene, is now colorful, and the
size has gone from small to large. Not as cozy as Arlington was,
but still a very helpful and pleasant staff w very good service.
The food here is the same style and quality as the Seagrape
Tree, with a few changes, generally for the better. The rice and
beans has cut back a bit on the coconut milk, to good effect, and
the vegetable side dish remains superb, especially the cabbage &
sauteed greens. The Jamaican pattie appetizer is excellent -- 3
small stuffed turnovers with a light flaky crust and a well-
seasoned ground meat filling. The smoked herring salad appetizer,
a dish of shredded smoked fish tossed with vinegar and spices,
served with plantain chips for dipping is very good, though some
think the plantain chips here, in general, are over crispy. The
conch fritters are good, but are somewhat bland without the tasty
dipping sauce.
The escoviched fish is excellent, as is the curried goat -- very
lean tender goat, in a brown gravy w potatoes and carrots; the
curried chicken is ok, but can be too salty for some. The jerk
chicken entree, roasted over an open fire, is juicy and
outstanding, as is the grilled grouper w jerk seasoning. The ribs
were done with a tasty jerk seasoning but can be dry. The
consensus is that the jerk seasoning is too mild. There are also
various stews; Matouk or Pukka hot sauce can be added if you like
them spicier. Dinner about $15/person.
The space is larger than the Seagrape Tree and quite reminiscent
of some city restaurants in the Caribbean. They also have a full
liquor license, with a good selection of Caribbean beers,
including Banks, which is hoppy yet light and fresh. Good
homemade sorrel drinks too. The restaurant seats about 60 and
the bar can hold maybe 10 or so more. Reservations seem like a
good idea on weekend evenings. Great reggae background music,
though it can be distractingly loud, and they have live music late
in the evening on weekends, with a complimentary buffet from
10:30 pm - 11:30 pm, and a $5 after 11 pm.
They also have a limited lunch menu, with jerk pork, a jerk
chicken cutlet sandwich, a jerk hamburger, and one or two other
things, served with plantain chips which appear to be out of a
bag. The quality of lunch varies tremendously; it is certainly
worse than dinner, and definitely overpriced [see review])
Chinese / Mongolian Restaurants
*******************************
Asian Garden -- Chinatown
46 Beach St, in the basement, 695-1646
(Good fresh food, esp great steamed fish (taken from the tanks by
the door, Hong-Kong style seafood, and excellent hotpots. Try
the eel, whole roe scallops, lobster, crab, chinese broccoli in
oyster sauce. Reasonable prices. If you're Chinese or know
enough to ask, you get an interesting dessert -- taro root and
tapioca in coconut milk -- instead of the ubiquitous fortune
cookie.)
Beijing Garden Restaurant [Chinese/Vietnamese Dim Sum] -- Dorchester
1111 Dorchester Ave, Savin Hill (nr U Mass), 288-5345
T : Red Line @ Savin Hill
(Dim Sum from 9am to 10 or 11pm. The dim sum are light, not
greasy, very fresh, w no MSG. Other items on the menu are of the
same quality. Tell them you heard about them via netnews.)
Beijing III -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1366 Beacon St, 2 blocks west of Coolidge Corner, 277-1011
(Mixed reviews, a bit pricey -- some questions about whether food
is handled/prepared safely. Try Dragon & Phoenix)
Bernard's -- Newton (Chestnut Hill Mall)
199 Boylston, 969-3388, 10 min walk from Chestnut Hill T Station
(Excellent food, a bit pricey. Coldish ambience. Try the Hunan
Lamb or Sesame Chicken.)
Buddha's Delight [Vegetarian Chinese] -- Chinatown
5 Beach St (across from Naked I strip club), 451-2395
T: Orange Line @ Chinatown, Red Line @ Downtown Crossing
(Temple cuisine -- very good vegan variants of Chinese & Vietnamese
dishes, well presented. Try the spring rolls, summer rolls,
noodle soup, hot & sour soup, moo shi, Lake Tung-Ting "shrimp",
tofu and vegetables, anything spicy or w lemongrass. Excellent
bbq gluten! Service can be slow when crowded.)
Cafe China -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1245 Cambridge St, 868-4300
(Pretty food, reportedly bland, though. Good wine list
and Swiss desserts)
Carl's Pagoda -- Chinatown
23 Tyler St, 357-9837
T: Red Line @ South Station, Orange Line @ Chinatown
(A hole-in-the-wall that's been around for 25 years, with Carl
sitting in the back. Good food, with lots of things on the menu
worth trying that are unique or at least done differently than
elsewhere. Try the tomato soup, Carl's Special Steak, and the
better-than-average lo mein, with pan fried noodles added to the
dish. OK service, seats about 30, NOT wheelchair accessible,
$10-15/person, no credit cards)
Chang Feng -- Somerville
289 Beacon St (across from Chef Lee's), 864-6265
(Some unusual dishes on menu. Try the bean curd homemade style &
strange flavor chicken. Excellent appetizers, fried & steamed
dumplings & noodles, esp garlic noodles. Occasionally an off
night)
Changsho -- Cambridge (betw Harvard/Porter Sq)
1712 Mass Ave (nr Linnean), 547-6565
(Mixed reports, lots of meat, somewhat elegant but unimpressive;
reports that it has gone downhill since under new management,
though still reasonable. They're now a step above your typical
neighborhood Chinese, but not worth going out of your way for.
Used to have wonderful dumplings, and a very good roast duck.)
Chau Chow [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown
52 Beach St, 426-6266
(Good cheap Chinese, sometimes long lines. Try pea greens, chicken
w black bean sauce, peking ravioli, hot & sour soup. Excellent
seafood, incl steamed fish w ginger sauce, salted jumbo shrimp,
and fried squid. Avoid the beef dishes; thet're often mediocre &
the moo shi beef, while tasty, was way too oily. Try the fatty
but tasty fried pig intestine [seriously!] and fried tofu w
seafood. The seafood is so good here, that some people think of
this place, rather than a standard seafood place, when they want
good fresh seafood!)
Chef Chang -- Brookline (St Mary's)
1006 Beacon St, 277-4226
(Average food -- lots of excellent dishes, especially the seasonal
specialities, as well as some real disappointments. Overall,
moderate prices & a pleasant place to eat. Try the potstickers,
the crispy beef, and the hot & spicy green beans.)
Chef Chow -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner), Brighton (Cleveland Circle),
Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
354 Chestnut Hill Ave, Cleveland Circle, 566-2275
230 Harvard St, 1 blk s. of Beacon at Coolidge Corner, 739-2469
50 Church St, Cambridge, 492-2469
(Many people find the food consistently good; others are
unimpressed; good lunches, though, and try the Szechuan
Spicy Fish)
Chef Lee -- Somerville
296 Beacon St (across from Chang Feng), 876-7666
(Pretty good, especially considering the neighborhood. Specials
tend to be very flavorful and occasionally interesting. The
potstickers are seasoned very differently from most other places
in the area, which makes them worthwhile just for the variety.
Style is basic neighborhood Chinese, w good Szechuan food, esp
the Yu Hsiang dishes, Kangsho shrimp, Ta Chien chicken, and
shrimp-stuffed eggplant. BYOB)
China Cafe -- Arlington Center
882A Mass Ave (betw High School and Stop & Shop), 646-6621
("Interesting" flavor variants of hot & sour soup and peking
ravioli [they like to add extra sugar to soups and sauces]. Try
the schezuan wontons, scallion pie, spicy aromatic & dry-cooked
garlic shrimp, yu hsian fish, peking noodles, and beef chow foon)
China Gate -- Chinatown
21-23 Edinboro St
(Ok for conch in black bean sauce, seafood in ginger & scallions,
chow foon)
China Grove -- Chinatown
10 Tyler St, 542-5857
(Good food, good prices, possibly slow service. Try the grilled
eel and the scallop or shredded eel w yellow leeks)
China Pearl [Chinese Dim Sum] -- Chinatown
9 Tyler St, 426-4338
(Very good dim sum, almost or as good as Golden Palace & less
chaotic. Good soups & Cantonese & Hong Kong style seafood. Also
excellent dinners, with good flavors and good variety, at very
affordable prices. Crowded and friendly on weekends, more
comfortable during the week.
Chung Wah -- Allston
Harvard St
(Cheap & funky, good food, try the Broccoli in Garlic Sauce)
Crystal Restaurant -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
460 Mass Ave, 576-1550
(Good, but not outstanding -- good Dun Dun noodles. Stick with
the specialities, like red sauce eggplant)
Dynasty [Chinese Dim Sum] -- Chinatown
33 Edinboro St (nr Beach), 350-7777
(Very good dim sum, though I've had money stolen by a waiter,
and there are rumors that the wait staff is badly treated
by the management)
East Ocean City -- Chinatown
25 Beach St, 542-2504
(Good place, good service, nice atmosphere, a lot of unusual
dishes which are really excellent. Try house-special soup, clams
in black bean sauce, and chow foon. While they have good familiar
stuff like sesame beef, this is the place to get adventurous,
especially w the seafood dishes, which may be best in Chinatown)
Eastern Pier Seafood [Chinese Seafood] -- Waterfront
237 Northern Ave, Fish Pier, 423-7756
(Excellent Chinese seafood, moderately priced, w one of the best
hot & sour soups in Boston. Try sauteed pea-pod stems as a light
first course. Good entrees include ginger crab, salt & pepper
squid, and squid w ginger & scallions. The sole dishes, such as
sizzling grey sole in black-bean sauce, are superb, but not cheap.
If you're adventurous, try the goose intestines with yellow
chives. Don't be afraid to ask for house recommendations which
might not appear on the menu.)
Eldo Tea House -- Chinatown
57 Beach St, 338-2128
(Cheap, good, generous portions. Seafood is good. Try the
Singapore dishes, esp laksha noodle soup)
Food Hall -- Chinatown
Northeast corner of Beach & Harrison, 2nd floor
(The atmosphere is unique, the opposite of elegant, with rows of
tables crowded with every sort of person at lunch time. If you're
looking for good, cheap Chinese or Thai food in Chinatown, this is
it.
Wua Pei has some excellent dishes - sesame [chicken/tofu/beef],
garlic [chicken|pork|beef|shrimp|...], vegetable curry with or
without meat. The hot & sour soup, however, offered free if you
eat there, is best declined. The rice plates are the best deal
and the owners are generally very accomodating to special
requests.
The stall next to Wua Pei isn't as good but does have one dish -
satay chicken on pan-fried noodles which is great.
Rod Thai across the room also has very good food - the usual
curries, ram long and pad thai are very popular. The other
vendors tend to draw a more exclusively Chinese clientelle and
offer more unusual dishes like duck feet with tripe in black bean
sauce.)
Fortune House [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown
3 Beach St, 2nd floor, 482-9800
(Good Hong Kong style seafood; try stone oysters w garlic,
ginger & scallions)
Genghis Khan [Mongolian] -- Newtonville
on Walnut St
(Mixed reviews. They're known for their specialty dish, Mongolian
Hot Pot. Some think the food in general is very good; others
think the food is some of the blandest in the area.)
Golden Gate -- Chinatown
66 Beach St (between Hudson & Tyler), 426-5022
(All the ambience of an aging truck stop, but consistently high
quality. Try the Butterfly Shrimp w mixed Veggies & the Golden
Gate Chow Mein)
Golden Palace [Chinese Dim Sum] -- Chinatown
14 Tyler St, 423-4565
(Wonderful variety of tasty Dim Sum, probably best Dim Sum around.
Get there no later than 1 pm for hot food and the best variety)
Golden Temple -- Brookline (Washington Sq)
1651 Beacon St, 277-9722
(Good suburban Chinese food in a dramatic Chinese-modern setting
(without a hint of red!). Many good dishes, including the crispy
orange beef, and excellent lamb, though they can overdo the MSG.
Fast seating, even on a busy Saturday night. Usually good wait
staff, but if there are problems, the owner can be unpleasant
if you're not a regular. Great place for large unusual drinks.)
Grand Chau Chow [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown
41-45 Beach St, 292-5166
(Same menu as Chau Chow, across the street, but is a tad more
expensive and is fancier & cleaner. Very elegant food, and
extremely flavorful and fresh fish (they bring the still-living
fish to your table for inspection before steaming it). Very
friendly and effeicient service. Try the stir-fried pea pods,
squab, fried pig intestine, and fried tofu with shrimp; the latter
three are only on the Chinese menu, which you can actually ask the
waiters to decode.)
Ha Ha -- Newton Centre
(A new restaurant located in the same space that Sally Ling's
used to be. They still have the "core" of Sally Ling's menu, but
the focus is on "healthy" Chinese food, will a willingness to
accomodate diet restrictions. They have a whole slew of new,
healthy, dishes. More vegetable and noodle dishes. Less fried
food. Lots of dishes sans meat. Beware -- though there is less
salt than usual, it is still too much for those on salt-restricted
diets.
The style of food seems to be more northern Chinese than
southern... not so hot and pepper-spicy. The food seems to be
quite good (spiced well, not over or undercooked, garnished
nicely, etc.), but the portions are small, and somewhat
overpriced, though the prices are low as well, with the new dishes
in the range of $4.50 to $7.00 or so.
Service can be quite problematic [=> review ] )
Ho Yuen Ting [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown
13 1/2 Hudson St, 426-2316 [original, and still the best]
58 Beach St, 426-2341
(Very good food; specializes in seafood, but does a good job w
everything. Try hot & sour soup, peking ravioli, hunan chicken,
beef ginger scallion hot pot, hon sue sea bass, steamed & stir
fried flounder, lobster w black bean sauce, salted spicy shrimp,
beef satay, sizzling hot pots, Westlake beef soup, house special
eggplant.)
Hong Kong Eatery -- Chinatown
79 Harrison Ave, 423-0838
(Just like being back in Hong Kong! Try the special for two,
including a special soup made from tiny, black-skinned chickens
and enough medicinal ingredients to cure anything that might ail
you, stir-fried conch with chives, lamb and dried beancurd hotpot,
and rice -- plentiful, cheap, and very tasty.)
Hsin Hsin Chinese Noodle Restaurant -- Back Bay
25 Mass Ave, 536-9852
(Mixed reviews. Many think this is a wonderful soup and noodle
restaurant w excellent scallion pancake and house-special pan
fried noodles. Other reviews decry the mega-oily Chow Foon and
the odd tasting soups.) [=> menu ]
Hunan Palace -- Watertown
Galen St, just across the river from Watertown Square
(One of the best of the suburban Chinese restaurants, with good
food and a good menu. Decor is minimal, but prices are low enough
so that you don't need to complain. Szechuan style food is the
specialty, particularly the two lamb dishes and a wonderful
ginger-coriander-fish soup that will feed four. They also do a
very nice job on Crispy Fish Filet.)
Imperial Seafood Restaurant [Chinese Seafood, Dim Sum] -- Chinatown
70 Beach St, 426-8439
(The place has been done over since they were Imperial Teahouse --
not only decor but, it seems, the kitchen as well -- and the food
is fresher and the menu's a lot more interesting. The kind of
place where you go with a group of people and you have a hard time
narrowing your choices down to a dozen different dishes, and then
everything's really good. The dim sum is also pretty good, and
the wait is shorter than at China Pearl or Golden Palace, with a
good chance of getting your own table. Smoke isn't as bad here as
at some dim sum spots because the ventilation is decent, there's
space between the tables, and there are more (nonsmoking) gringoes
here than elsewhere. The new owner is frequently on the floor,
chatting with clients and making sure that all is well.)
Jade Flower -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
1908 Mass Ave, 497-8638
T: Red Line @ Porter Sq (just across the street)
(Not a fancy place; just a long broad hall with tables on either
side. The food gets mixed reviews, but is reasonably priced --
$10 gets you enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch. Good bets
are Scallion Pancakes, Peking Ravioli, Eggplant in Garlic Sauce,
Rice Sticks Singapore Style or just about any noodle dish, Chicken
in Black Bean Suace, Cold Sesame Noodles, and Orange Chicken. The
Suan La Sho Chow actually is hot & sour soup w wontons. There are
reports that the food is gluey & that many dishes taste tomato-ey,
based on a sweet version of yu-shiang sauce. Fast, friendly
service; quick delivery.)
King Fung Garden -- Chinatown
74 Kneeland St (across from the Mass Pike approach), 357-5262
(A hole-in-the-wall dive converted from a gas station w terrific
food w lots of oil. Not a place to go to if you're looking for
refined atmosphere, healthy food, or fancy cooking. You will find
great Hunan style food, including a GREAT scallion pie, good
dumplings, noodles, and shrimp/tofu w vegetables.
Service is good and dishes arrive promptly if the restaurant is
not packed. A very casual atmosphere; a place you can stay and
talk for hours. Not wheelchair accessible. Probably no credit
cards. Open for lunch. Closed Mondays.)
Joyce Chen -- Cambridge (Alewife) & Theatre District
115 Stuart St, Theater District, 720-1331
390 Rindge Ave, Alewife, 492-7373
(A comfortable place, very good food, w a high standard of
preparation, but a bit over-priced. Previously the food has
sometimes been overly greasy or salty, though they really excelled
at sauces. Recently, the quality has improved and the menu has
undergone some changes w a focus on low-fat low-sodium foods, and
interesting non-traditional dishes using local ingredients. Some
say the downtown restaurant is better, w excellent peking ravioli
& lemon chicken, and great service, even when crowded before the
theater. At Alewife, the food can be blander (though the soups
are excellent and the Ma Pa Tofu & General Gau's Chicken are very
good), the service is worse, & parking can sometimes be a problem.
If you like Joyce Chen's (and many think it is a major
disappointment) go soon, before they are closed down for
nonpaymenet of rent -- at least downtown.)
Larry's -- Cambridge (MIT)
302 Mass Ave, 492-3170
(Good place for cheap neighborhood urban Chinese fare, nice owners,
no MSG, recently redone decor -- a good place to hang out, but can
sometimes get annoying from the loud jukebar at the bar next door.
Extremely delicious Suan La Sho Chow and very good Dun Dun
Noodles. Also try the General Gau Chicken. They now have a new
menu w new items including several Chow Foon dishes, but no longer
deliver.) [=> menu ]
Ling Gardens -- Belmont (Waverly Sq)
(A good find in a dismal part of Belmont. Fresh food, quickly
prepared, and tasty, with lots of good fresh veggies. Service is
quick, friendly, and eager to please, and all of the food is
msg-free. Prices are average for Chinese food: $6-10 for most
dishes. Not a life-transforming experience, but very pleasant.
Separate non-smoking area.)
Marco Polo -- Boston (Faneuil Hall)
19-21 Union St (next to Union Oyster House), 720-7811
T: Green/Orange Line @ Haymarket, Blue Line @ Govt Center
(Excellent food. The pan fried Peking Ravioli that was not oily;
the meat inside is better quality than most in Boston. The
Paradise Chicken has perfectly cooked vegetables, and a good
novel flavoring. The Szechuan shrimp has a nice slightly sweet,
yet tangy and spicy sauce. The Orange Beef is pretty much like
the standard Chinatown dish, but made with higher quality beef.
The steak teriyaki strips are hot, juicy, and thick, and the Pork
Fried Rice is chock full of non-rice goodies. One of the best
General Gau's Chicken around, and even the hot mustard has a nicer
flavor than many. Also a large wine & beer list, reasonably
priced. 2 Meals - Appetizer, about $22.00.
Pleasant, genuinely warm, friendly staff, quick service. ~25
tables. Upscale compared to Chinatown, but not lavish; suitable
for an evening out; light bright enough to read by comfortably but
subdued enough to be intimate.
Open 11:30AM - 2:00AM daily, delivery downtown, good luncheon
buffet as well. Wheelchair accessible.)
May's Cafe -- Medford
(Well done Szechuan and Mandarin dishes; the Yu Hsiang dishes are
particularly good. Efficient service, very fresh ingredients)
Mister Leung's ($$$) -- Back Bay
545 Boylston St (betw Clarendon & Dartmouth), 236-4040
(Some say best Chinese in town, but quite pricey)
New Asia -- Somerville (Union Sq) & Lexington
326 Somerville Ave, 628-7710
211 Mass Ave, Lexington 863-5533
(Pretty good; very quick-cooked Szechuan-style food, try the
Yu Hsiang [savory green beans])
New Shanghai -- Chinatown
21 Hudson St, 338-6688
(One of the best Peking ducks around -- ask the waiter to have soup
made from the bones -- it's wonderful. The broad beans (actually
fava beans) are also good.)
Noble House -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1306 Beacon St, 232-9580
(Well prepared Szechuan & Cantonese food in a pleasant atmosphere,
though some find it uninteresting and overpriced. Try the
Singapore Rice Stick)
Ocean Wealth [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown
8 Tyler St, 423-1338
(Very nice, dressier than the average Chinatown place. Emphasis is
on fresh and exotic seafood which is very good (often taken from
the tanks you see as you enter), with some dishes you don't find
elsewhere, but can get quite expensive. In their tanks they keep
live lobsters (including very large ones), scallops, abalone,
giant clams (geoducks), rockfish, etc. The steamed fresh rockfish
with ginger and scallion is very good, as is the soft tofu with
shrimp (very good). Non-seafood dishes, like the baby bok choy
with garlic and the Chef's special duck can also be quite good,
but things like sesame beef are just ok. More upscale than
many Chinatown eateries, it even has carpet on the floor, and the
second floor is particularly clean and well-ventilated. Ask for
help from the manager to deal w the chinese-language menu.)
[=> review ]
Oceanic [Chinese Seafood] -- Back Bay
91 Mass Ave, 353-0791
(Good seafood dishes, a little expensive. While still seafood-
oriented, the menu is now more slanted to the usual meats &
vegetables. Food is tasty and varied, and they're not really
bound by the "neighborhood Chinese" formula. Good squid dishes.)
Panda -- Somerville (Ball Sq)
719 Broadway, 625-9441
(Very decent neighborhood Chinese food. Good spicy wonton
appetizer -- variation of Suan La Sho Chow. Also a good spicy
pork dish w basil.)
Peking Garden [Chinese Dim Sum] -- Lexington Center
27 Waltham St, 862-1051
(Well established, excellent, very good Hot & Sour soup, Dim Sum
on the weekends; try the Chicken with Pine Nuts.)
Pu-Pu Hot Pot [Chinese Dim Sum] -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
907 Main St (nr Mass Ave), 491-6616, T: Red Line @ Central Sq
(A nice friendly place, one of the best in the area -- very popular
and busy at lunchtime. They do a nice job w duck in general &
especially w the Pressed Duck Appetizer. The Kung Pao Shrimp,
General Gau's Chicken (flavorful, w interesting spices & slightly
hot) & Szechuan Braised Beef (quite hot) are good too. Pu Pu
Scallion Donuts are interesting. Great vegetarian dishes. Note
that by default, the steamed rice has veggie pieces mixed in.
Tasty dim sum on the weekends.) [=> menu ]
Quan's Kitchen -- Allston
1026 Commonwealth Ave (betw Brighton Ave & Babcock), 232-7617
T: B Green Line @ Babcock St, #57 bus. M-Sat 11am-2am, Sun 1pm-11pm
(Not for that fancy sit-down dinner with a hot date, the prices and
decor say "cheap eats" -- this place is just a handful of plastic
tables in a fluorescent-lit room; most people get take out.
The menu has over 180 items on it, incl Hong Kong style soups,
Congee dishes, and Chinese Bbq. Very satisfying & good food for
the price, though highly variable. No MSG & 100% veg oil, but
many of the dishes are overly oily, esp vegetable dishes like
watercress; go with dishes where this doesn't matter, esp good are
the rice dishes w duck, smoked chicken & bbq pork (better than
Chinatown), salt & pepper shrimp, most noodle dishes, esp
seafood fried noodle & soup noodles w beef brisket. Also avoid
the hot & sour soup, stir-fried noodles, and Ma Po Tofu.)
Royal East -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
782 Main St, 661-1660
(Still erratic, but some say this is one of the best in the area.
Good quality Chinatown-style food -- chow fun, rice sticks,
fantastic tangerine beef, good Suan La Sho Chow. Very nice hot &
sour soup with good dose of Szechuan peppercorns.) [=> menu ]
Ru Yee -- Newton (Nonantum)
Adams & Rt 16 (Watertown St)
(Not fancy, but the food is great and the lunch specials are
an excellent value. Also good Lemon Chicken and Hot & Sour Soup.)
Sally Ling's -- Waterfront
256 Commercial St (next to Long Wharf Marriot), 227-4545
(Mixed reviews -- some say bland food, overpriced, small portions;
others say expensive but good. Their lamb with scallions is
remarkable. Do not fall for desserts though.)
San Francisco Noodle House -- Allston
1029 Commonwealth Ave, 783-5111
(Pretty good place, spacious, extremely clean. Service is very
polite, but can be haphazard, since it just recently opened.
Nice potstickers and scallion pizza; excellent cheap large
portions of chow foon noodles. Also good tangerine chicken w
tangerine rind actually ground into the sauce. Lots of unusual
seafood entrees on the menu, but many were not actually available,
and you should avoid the sea conch w vegetables unless you like an
overly strong smell of conch.)
Seven Stars Mandarin -- Newton Center
22 Union St, 527-3841
(Probably the best Chinese food in the area. Fast service & cheap.
Decor leaves something to be desired, but it is comfortable &
child-friendly. Good ravioli, great five-flavor chicken, and
"ants climbing the tree"; maybe the best scallion pancakes around)
Shalom Hunan [Kosher Chinese] -- Brookline Village
92 Harvard St at School
(Tasty well prepared food, generous portions, a tad pricy [though
possibly due to the extra cost of kashrut]. A diverse menu
including veal, beef, chicken, duck, and whole fish dishes, as
well as moo shu, not to mention chicken soup w matzoh balls.
Polite attentive wait staff, pleasant comfortable dining room,
wine/beer available. Quite good for Chinese food; Excellent for
Kosher Chinese. Try the hot & sour soup, veal in garlic sauce,
triple crown, orange-flavored chicken. May have to wait -- it's
very popular).
Shang Chai [Kosher Vegetarian Chinese] -- Brookline (JFK Crossing)
404A Harvard Ave (betw Beacon & Commonwealth), 783-2090
(Kosher Veggie Chinese with mock-meat using tofu, seitan, etc.
Good salmon, "beef" w broccoli & "chicken" curry, but dishes are
generally greasy & service is extremely slow & disorganized)
[=> long negative review ]
Shanghai Village -- Arlington Center
434 Mass Ave on left just before center of town, 646-6897
(Mixed reviews, though most find the food consistently good &
reasonably priced. Szechuan-style entrees are quite fiery.)
Stars Ocean Chinese Seafood Restaurant [Chinese Seafood] -- W. Fenway
70-72 Kilmarnock St, 236-0384
(Cheap & good, w no atmosphere to speak of, but very very nice
people. One of the best hot & sour soups around, and their
wonton soup is also an order of magnitude better than what you get
in most places -- the wontons actually taste like, well, wontons,
and not like boiled lumps of dough wrapped around last week's
mystery meat, but avoid the house special soup, which is flavorful
but uses canned mushrooms & isn't very special. Try the crispy
crispy scallion pancake, the Shanghai duck, lemongrass shrimp,
and the green beans).
Ta Sheng -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
Elliot St, 2nd floor, across from the Charles Hotel
(The reviews vary from just ok w greasy beef dishes to excellent)
Yangtse River -- Lexington
21 Depot Square, 861-6030
(Peking Garden's longtime competitors, very, very good, though
not quite great -- try Hacked Chicken, Yangtse River Beef,
Ma La Shrimp, Twice Cooked Pork)
Yu's -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1374 Beacon St, 734-2929
(Takeout, with sitdown area, now serving noodle dishes. Not fancy,
but good food at reasonable prices. Good hot & sour soup, Peking
noodles, Beef Chow Foon)
Continental / Traditional / French Restaurants
**********************************************
Another Season [French-American] ($$$) -- Beacon Hill
97 Mt Vernon St (nr Charles), 367-0880
(Odette Berry's imaginative French-American restaurant.
Food at lunchtime is only average)
Aujord 'Hui [Nouvelle French] ($$$$$) -- Park Sq Area
Four Seasons Hotel, 200 Boylston St, 338-4400
(Mixed Reviews: Some say maybe the best restaurant in Boston;
others say there are much better places in this price range.
Reasonably interesting food, superb presentation, excellent
service. The dining room is extremely spacious, and has a very
nice view.)
Bay Tower Room [Continental/French] ($$$$) -- Faneuil Hall Area
60 State Street, next to Faneuil Hall, 33rd floor, 723-1666
(Terrific food, wine list, live jazz on Fri and Sat, smashing view
of Boston, contingent on good visibility. It falls in the
romantic, posh, elegant, and pricey categories, but the food,
ambiance, and view of the city and harbor is well worth every
cent. Good dishes are escargot, lobster bisque, swordfish with
lobster-chive vinaigrette and roasted tomato couscous.)
Cafe Budapest [Hungarian] ($$$$) -- Back Bay
Copley Hotel, 90 Exeter St (at Huntington), 266-1979
(Expensive classic Hungarian food, good food, classy ambience, but
some say the prices are a bit high for the quality, and that it
has gone a bit downhill lately. The mixed grill for two is
wonderful, and the Gulyas soup has a nice kick to it. The
desserts, of course, are to die for.)
Chez Jean [French] -- Cambridge (Harvard/Porter Sq)
1 Shephard St (at Mass Ave), 354-8980
(Reasonably priced traditional French food; needs redecoration.
Great Steak Au Poivre)
Durgin Park [Traditional NE Regional] -- Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall Market, 227-2038
(Food is basic American seafood and steak. So traditional that
they regularly have mashed turnips on the menu, and their beef
stew also has lots of turnips in it. The beef is always in large
amounts. delicious prime rib, well-flavored and tender. Try
their baked beans, which are excellent. Fish chowder is good, but
do not depend on their fresh fish. There is a "Bale of Hay"
(vegetarian platter) for those who discover they came to the wrong
restaurant.
Interesting atmosphere -- you can watch the cooks preparing
since the kitchen is open to customer view & waitresses always
seem to be hustling around. Their waitstaff is renowned for an
"attitude" -- sharp tongue, but the service is basically good, and
the waitresses are not as rude as they were years ago. They
mostly don't yell at you any more, or refuse to get you desert if
you didn't eat your vegetables. Tablecloths are still red
checker. That will never change.
Excellent place for very fast lunch. Singles seat at a common
table. Have lunch with a busy Beacon Hill legislator.)
[=>interesting long review]
Hartwell House [American Traditional] -- Lexington
Hartwell Ave (first left with a light N or 128 on 4/225)
(Excellent food, nice atmosphere, but pricy. Good steaks, burgers,
and simple seafood dishes. Good early bird special before 6:30,
w prime rib on Friday's)
Hungry I [Contemporary French / American] ($$$) -- Beacon Hill
71 1/2 Charles St, 227-3524
(Wonderful food in a very romantic elegant atmosphere, esp
downstairs, which has a warmer ambience than the upstairs room,
which can stark & uncomfortable when empty. Food as expected for
the price, excellent service. Try the game dishes.)
Julien [Nouvelle French] ($$$$$) -- Downtown
Hotel Meridian, 250 Franklin St, 451-1900
(An impressive French Nouvelle place w a beautiful dining room that
really must be seen. An enjoyable place but too expensive & too
stuffy [real French accents w real French snobbery]. The food was
very good but w very small portions for the entrees although the
excellent desserts were large & spectacularly presented.)
Le Bocage [Nouvelle French] ($$$$) -- Watertown
72 Bigelow Ave (nr Mt Auburn), 923-1210
(Nouvelle French food. They often host full course meals w various
vineyards & running wine commentaries. Portions are on the light
and rich end of the scale, though there's also regular dishes like
poached salmon)
L'Espalier [Nouvelle French] ($$$$$$) -- Back Bay
30 Gloucester St (nr Commonwealth Ave), 262-3023
(Very expensive Nouvelle French)
Locke-Ober Cafe [Traditional New England] ($$$$) -- Downtown
3 Winter Place (betw Winter & Washington), 542-1340
(American / New England Cuisine in a wonderful (some say stuffy)
old-Boston atmosphere. A meat-heavy menu, dark, rich decor, good
wine list, minimal experimentation. The kind of place where firms
take lawyers when they pass the bar or join the firm, or where you
might go for a very private dinner. Excellent appetizers &
steaks. Reservations a must.)
Maison Robert [Classic French] ($$$$) -- Downtown
45 School St (betw Tremont & Washington), 227-3370
(Classic French w some Nouvelle touches, cooked to perfection.
Not very experimental or inspiring, and somewhat meat-heavy, but
very consistent and very very good. Upstairs is a formal, though
pleasantly open, dining room; Ben's Cafe downstairs has a more
modern ambience, with a $22 prix fixe menu available. A rather
formal dining experience with knowleadgable, impeccable, though
slightly haughty service. One of the best wine lists in Boston
esp. for clarets (and also unusual Alsatian wines). Limited list
of traditional appetizers, w some pastas and soups changing daily.
Very good sauce reductions on the main entrees, and very good
desserts, especially the apple tart & souffles) [see long review]
Mill Falls [Contemporary American] ($$$) -- Newton Upper Falls
383 Eliot St (at Chestnut), 244-3080
(Basic & contemporary American food w a lovely view of the falls.
The food can be very good, though often bland, and the prices are
really for the view. Dress code; a nice place to take the
relatives. Service is pretty good, but can vary. Very good filet
mignon; good, and somewhat inexpensive pasta dishes. Lunch is a
better deal, especially on a hot day when you can sit on the
terrace next to the roaring waterfall.)
Parker's [Traditional American] ($$$$) -- Downtown
Omni Parker House, 60 School St (at Tremont), 227-8600, ext 1600
(Ritzy atmosphere, with beautifully prepared classic traditional
food. Great dessert tray.)
Peacock [Country French] -- West Cambridge
5 Craigie Circle (betw Concord & Brattle nr Radcliffe), 661-4073
(French country cooking using an interesting combinations of
ingredients serving a clientele of tweedy older professor types.
The menu is sort of nouvelle-style and changes every week or two.
Mixed reviews on the food -- varying from excellent, consistently
good although not terribly plentiful, to competent but not great.
If you do like the food, then its a good place for a special,
intimate dinner, well prepared and nicely served. Mixed reviews
on the service too, from really bad, to patient, helpful, and
well informed, and there are also complaints from some that the
decor has become quite dingy. Can't be too bad, though ...
reservations -- often far in advance -- are a must, though the
prices are on the high side, though not out of sight.)
Pillar House [Traditional] -- Newton Lower Falls
(While the clientele is often "older", the food is universally
excellent. They also offer a single table actually in the kitchen
so you can watch dinner being prepared! There is only one "chef's
table" and it only seats four, but it is a very different
experience!)
Plaza Dining Room [Continental] ($$$$$) -- Back Bay
Copley Plaza Hotel, Copley Sq, 267-5300
(Expensive Continental food)
Ritz Dining Room [Traditional] ($$$$) -- Back Bay
Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Arlington & Newbury, 536-5700
(Mixed reviews. Some say super reliable food that is not creative,
but classic dishes are well prepared. Others say that the food
quality has declined precipitously in the last 18 months; that the
beef has never been good, and now the fish has become suspect.
Quite formal but comfortable. Service people are experienced and
do an effective non-intrusive job.)
Veronique [French] ($$$) -- Brookline (Longwood)
Longwood Apts, 20 Chapel St, 731-4800
(Classic French cuisine)
Eclectic / Nouvelle American / Californian / Cafes
**************************************************
29 Newbury St -- Back Bay
29 Newbury St (nr Berkeley), 536-0290
(Nouvelle at quite reasonable prices. Gracious, attentive,
pleasant service in comfortable surroundings despite its chic
reputation. Excellent flavors, wonderful presentations, and
enormous portions, all at very reasonable prices (e.g. $15 for
an excellent veal risotto, and $6-7 for an excellent large
fried calamari appetizer). Tasty duck soup too. A decent wine
list as well.) [=> review ]
Bennett St Cafe -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St, 661-5005
(Pleasant environment w decent food)
Biba ($$$$) -- Park Square
272 Boylston St, 426-7878
(Trendy and stylish but informal, strange and unusual food
combinations, food that can be showy but inedible; people's
reactions vary widely from "it's amazing" to "how awful". Richly
flavored food, but not heavy, w relatively generous portions. The
wide ranging menu has some great individual dishes, but you won't
necessarily get a great meal overall. High energy room
intriguingly designed, somewhat lacking in comfort, tables spaced
closely. Good service. Excellent but expensive wine list.
First course $8-$16, entrees $15-25. Good bets are the lobster
and the spit-roasted quail.)
Black Crow [Cafe] -- Jamaica Plain (Hyde Sq)
403 Centre St (at Perkins), 983-9231
Nearest T: the #39 bus stop at Perkins and S. Huntington;
(Small, excellent full-service California-style casual cafe, w
an emphasis on fresh fish and expertly cooked seasonal vegetables,
and light flavorful dishes that may use regional or ethnic
flavorings as inspiration, w attention paid to presentation.
Pizzas, extravagant desserts, Beer & wine also too. Friendly
service. Prices are not cheap for a cafe, but not out of line for
the quality.)
Blackbird Baking Company [Cafe] -- Allston
1032 Commonwealth Ave (nr Brighton Ave), 739-9755
(Food is not that great or special, but it's a nice cafe
atmosphere w excellent baked goods & coffee as well as nice lunch
& dinner menu. A high-design interior decoration job, with
counter seats as well as tables; the upstairs landing is more
homey and a fine place to listen to live music many nights. The
menu ranges from unusual vegie-combo sandwiches (asparagus or
artichoke hearts, pesto, various European cheeses, grilled
eggplant, etc.) to soups, pasta, fish & other light entrees,
artfully presented. Good baked brie & a subtle but flavorful
squash soup.)
Blue Room ($$$) -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
1 Kendall Sq (On Hampshire St), 494-9034, T: Red Line @ Kendall Sq
(Very good unusual combinations of multi-ethnic grilled foods;
always an innovative menu and very pleasant ambience. I love it,
because of the flavorful, exciting, well-prepared dishes, and the
majority of the reviews are very positive, but others have been
disappointed. It is possible here to go for entrees, or just
stick to the appetizers; a group can graze nicely on appetizers
for less money. They have a fairly well-stocked bar with some
unusual entries, like their own list of flavored grappas, as well
as special beers from the Cambridge Brewery next door. They
also offer free parking for a nearby garage. On weekends they
have live performers, and they periodically host reservation-only
shindigs with all-you-can-eat-and-drink buffets. Excellent
Sunday brunch & evening buffet.)
Blue Wave -- Back Bay
142 Berkeley St (betw Stuart & St James), 424-6711
(Hip, interesting menu, a good value, can be noisy. A bright open
atmosphere; one of the most Californian restaurants in town. Food
is ample, tasty & reliable. The salads, pizzas & roast poultry
are all first rate. Well chosen wine list w nice selection of
wines by the glass)
Botolph's on Tremont -- South End
569 Tremont St (betw Dartmouth & Clarendon), 424-8597
(A cafe menu w wonderful appetizers and entrees served all day;
the food is very flavorful, though some dishes are overly rich.
Good calamari in a nice light batter & great sweet potato fries w
w maple sour cream. Great foccacio, wacky gourmet pizzas -- the
bbq pork & onions is esp good. Excellent skewered veggies w rice
noodles & pnut sauce; superb penne w tomoatos, gorgonzoal & wild
mushrooms. The risooto is very tasty but way too oily, and the
duck ravioli is very falvorful but the buerre blanc sauce is way
too rich).
Center Street Cafe [Cafe] -- Jamaica Plain
597 Center St, 524-9217
T: Orange Line / Arborway Bus (E Green Line extension) @ Green St
(Cozy cafe w great food and vegetarian options. Also an excellent
Sunday Brunch served from 9am - 3pm)
Claremont Cafe -- South End
535 Columbus Ave, 247-9001
Cornucopia on the Wharf ($$$) -- Waterfront
100 Atlantic Avenue, 367-0300
(Delicious, creative food in a comfortable atmosphere, w great
views and ambience, and an emphasis on fruits & vegetables, but
not vegetarian. Try grilled portobello mushroom carpacio, seafood
specials, oven-roasted lobster w veg enchilada, white chocolate
bread pudding. Good wine list.)
Dakota's ($$$) -- Downtown
34 Summer St/101 Arch St, 737-1777
(Food is good, fresh and creative, the service is quick, but the
room can be too noisy to hear across a large table. For lunch,
its probably the perfect place for salesmen to bring their
slightly-hip-but-ultimately-not-too-hip prospects. Try the
lobster dishes -- especially the mesquite grilled lobster,
the lobster tempura, and Dakota's lobster)
East Coast Grill -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1271 Cambridge St (nr Prospect), 491-6568
(Very very good. No reservations. Excellent bbq and jerk dishes,
made next door at Jake & Earl's, as well as superb grilled fish
(esp tuna). Terrific veggie platter (w or w/o dairy), great
salads, and terrific desserts. Very nice collection of bottled
microbrewery beers that go well w the food.)
Hamersley's Bistro ($$$$) -- South End
Clarendon & Tremont (at Boston Center for the Arts)?, 423-2700
(The new location in the Cyclorama bldg is more elegant than than
the old, and the clientele seems richer and better-dressed.
Service is generally impeccable, but since they cater to a well-
dressed middle-aged crowd, service can potentially be a problem if
you're out of place. Food continues to be very good -- delightful,
interesting, meticulously prepared. Try the veal chop, or the
roast chicken w garlic, lemon & parsley. Interesting wine list
also. The environment is pleasant though it can be overly noisy
at times. Caveat: you'll need reservations, and you'll need to
reconfirm them the day you plan to dine. About $55/person (first
course, main course, dessert, 1/2 bottle of their cheapest wine
($20/bottle) per person) [=> dissenting review]
Harvard St Grill [Nouvelle American] ($$$) -- North Brookline
398 Harvard St, betw Beacon & Comm Ave, 734-9834
(Expensive but wonderfully prepared food; reasonable portions,
though big eaters will leave hungry; great wine list; very warm &
friendly owners. Try the rack of lamb with hoisin sauce, and the
chocolate ganache flan. The place is small and reservations are
always needed [=> review ])
Harvest ($$$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
44 Brattle St, 492-1115
(Well prepared interesting food, a bit pricy [some say overpriced],
in a very Cambridgy [some say stuffy] atmosphere crowded w upscale
academic types, and decent service. Sometimes quite creative, but
not always successfully. Very good wine list, and a wonderful
place for a business lunch. A bit expensive for Sunday brunch
($10-15), but go early for great Eggs Benedict. The attached cafe
is good for smaller and simpler meals.)
Icarus ($$$$) -- South End
3 Appleton St (betw Arlington & Berkeley), 426-1790
(Creative food which keeps getting better, nice atmosphere. Try
the polenta w mushrooms, thai squid, grilled tuna w cumin &
coriander, scallops w black ink ravioli stuffed w white beans,
grilled salmon w lemon sauce. Mixed reviews on the hazelnut
sweetbreads. Avoid curried pork tenderloin & grilled chicken.
Wonderful desserts, eclectic wine list. Romantic setting.)
Jasmine Bistro -- Brighton Center
412 Market St, 789-4676
(A small storefront, made elegant, serving Hungarian Goulashes,
nouvelle pasta, curries, kabobs, and more, presided over by the
ex-chef of the Cafe Budapest and his family. All the food is
excellent, with high quality ingredients, subtly spiced, and yet
the prices are very reasonable. Exceptional choices include the
tuna cake appetizer, veal gulyas, lamb curry, and the chocolate
mousse. They also do a take-out business.)
Jaspers ($$$$) -- Waterfront
240 Commercial St (at Atlantic Ave), 523-1126
(Fresh native New England ingredients sensually prepared.
Definitely worth going to every couple of years. Prepares some
of the best seafood in town.)
Marco Solo -- Newton (Chestnut Hill) [The Atrium]
(Recently opened by the ex-manager and son of the owner of Legal
Seafood, and already quite popular. The olive sampler is an
unassuming little bowl of perhaps half a dozen different varieties
of olives and an exquisite olive pate. The chicken sate was done
to perfection & the grilled chicken was tender, moist, but
minimally spiced if at all, accompanied by a sauce that was
tastier than it was hot. The create-your-own salads are huge --
basic Caeser/Garden/Spinach salad to which the customer can add
such things as calimari, grilled mushrooms, roasted peppers, etc.
Desserts, including the flourless passover cake & the white
chocolate cheesecake are terribly rich and terribly good, and can
be got with a very good cappucino. Lunch for 2, about $35.)
Marais ($$$) -- Downtown
116 Boylston (betw Charles & Tremont), 482-7799
(Pricy. Other reviews have recommended the chicken bstilla, goat
cheese terrine, lamb w polenta, chocolate pava & clafouti)
Moka [Cafe] -- South End
next to Back Bay Station
(Moka explicitly calls itself a California cafe -- we're talking
about a very self-consciously casual interior setting, with both
table service on the upper level (including a livingroom sofa)
and take-out counter service on the lower level. Al fresco
dining, too, when weather permits.
The menu is soups-sandwiches-burritos-pizzas, with an emphasis
on fresh ingredients and artful combinations. The burritos are big
and tasty, and possibly the best value on the menu. The pizzas are
individually sized, meaning small, and somewhat disappointing: the
chicken-pesto topping rested in the center of the too-tough square
crust like an oversized hors-d'oeuvre. No sauce held the ensemble
together; a couple of bites and the whole thing crumbled into
fragments, spilling the topping off. But, the baked brie is
delicious, as well as the mushroom/leek duxelle sandwich. Also,
delicious desserts, incl a sweet potato pie with whipped cream
that's very rich, but not too sweet, and a nice white chocolate
covered mousse. Good coffee too.
Very nice atmosphere, eclectic clientele, beer and wine license,
and friendly service, although the tables inside tend to get
slighted when the tables outside get busy. All in all, a great
place to hang out. Cheap for dinner (under $10 a meal), average
for lunch, as far as prices. Higher price, but better value than,
say, Au Bon Pain.)
Noelle -- Cambridge (Porter Square)
1755 Mass Ave (nr Linnean, betw Harvard & Porter Sq), 491-7750
T: Red Line @ Porter Sq, #77 Bus
(Mixed reviews. While some have found the food to be good and
well-prepared, others thought the food uninspiring and mediocre.
However, the prices are low ($7-12), although the main courses
might be a little bit small if you're very hungry. Lunches are
also a good deal, and the homemade soups are very good, esp the
clam chowder. Try the spicy "Chicken Noelle", the steak tips, fra
diavolo, and the excellent pork chop special. The specials seem
to be higher-priced than the menu items. Some interesting beers
on tap, incl Sam Adams, Bass & Tucher. [=> review ]
The "posh" Cambridge facade belies a very friendly restaurant.
Service is VERY friendly and VERY professional/formal at the same
time; pretty much they start out on the formal side until they
decide they can relax a little. There are two floors; the
downstairs room feels a bit too much like a basement painted
white; the bright, airy, skylit upstairs area includes a bar area,
and seats around 20, but a dark ceiling makes the lighting
somewhat difficult. No smoking, Wheelchair accessible.)
On the Park -- South End
1 Union Park (on Shawmut Ave), 426-0862
(An absolutely delightful hole-in-the-wall with friendly informal
service, and uniformly delicious food. The daily specials are
reliably good, as are the standbys - garlic chicken is a perennial
favorite. The wine selection is thoughtful and changes month to
month. Reminiscent of Hamersley's Bistro, but a little less
formal, a little more friendly and crowded, and less expensive.)
rovidence ($$$) -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1223 Beacon (at St Paul), 232-0300
(A mix of Tuscany & nouvelle New England food in a room transformed
from its former stuffiness to funky w columns, fireplace, blue
cobalt ceilings, black marble pillars, gargoyles everywhere, and
interesting lighting. The menu is set up like Biba's but is more
interesting. Mixed reviews, though most are very positive, citing
subtly presented, excellently prepared great food; the negative
reviews argue that the food is complicated, but not complex. The
pastrami-style veal, which usually gets rave reviews, also can be
mealy and fatty. One person loved the thick braised pork chop
over white beans and cabbage; another thought that it was ok, but
not as good as Porterhouse Cafe's. Go figure. Great vegetable
side dishes too w lots of flavor, unlike insipid renditions
elsewhere. You will either love or hate some of the more unusual
appetizers like the fruity(!) squash polenta w grilled squid.
Desserts still need improvement, though the chocolate fondant cake
is excellent. Service also seems to be extremely variable.
Entrees from $7-20, appetizers and desserts from $5-$9. Good wine
list in the >$15 range. Try about $35/person. Reservations
needed, though even with them there can still be long waits.)
Seasons ($$$$) -- Fanueil Hall
Bostonian Hotel, 9 Blackstone St (nr North St), 523-3600
(Excellent food, with different fixed prices depending on the # of
courses, and a beautiful overall presentation of dishes. An
excellent ham appetizer, and the fried sweetbread appetizer is
exactly the right crispiness; "Brings to mind my grandmother's
best turkey stuffing, only much better". Excellent soups include
the Nantucket & Sweet Corn Chowder, and the lobster chowder; the
carmeized onion soup has a good flavor, but the texture is off.
Excellent wine list as well, though not very many wines are
available by the glass.)
Small Planet -- Back Bay
565 Boylston nr Dartmouth, 536-8993/4477
(Groovey vibes, nice service, reasonable prices, casual, gets
louder later. A colorful place serving multicultural food which
is quite good, but lacks the extra something that would make the
food exceptional -- on the other hand, the food seems lower in fat
that similar food elsewhere. Try the jerk chicken salad, gourmet
pizza, ratatouille, quesadilla, fried conch, veggie risotto. The
kitchen can be slow at lunchtime.)
Sonsie -- Back Bay
327 Newbury St, 351-2500
(Well, the food is supposed to be quite good, especially entrees
like the Filet of Sole in Chervil Sauce & the Roast Lamb Stew.
But beware the ambience -- the crowd is young and affluent and
mostly foreign... which is to say, you'd better be hip, urban, and
xenophilic or you may feel a little out of place. The wait staff
is, naturally, also hip and snooty, and if you're not a Newbury St
regular, the service may be lacking unless you order an expensive
meal. See review.)
St Botolph -- South End
99 St Botolph (at W. Newton), 266-3030
(A pleasant open sunny casual techno-brick environment, w slightly
formal but very pleasant service. The same cafe menu as Botolph
on Tremont is served at lunch; separate dinner menu.)
St Cloud ($$$) -- South End
557 Tremont St (at Clarendon), 353-0202
(Interesting Nouvelle American cuisine serving some of the best
food in town, visually appealing, though not always exceptional.
For example, the veal, though high quality, can be bland and
uninteresting, making the appetizers and potatoes au gratin the
highlights of a dinner. Small menu, but each offering is equally
appealing. The portions are not huge; rather, they are perfectly
sized so you can eat an appetizer or salad, an entree, a dessert
(which can be quite large though), and a cappucino and not feel
bloated when you leave. The atmosphere is typical snobby, arty
South End, but don't let that deter you. Now serving a dessert
buffet 11pm-1am on weekends.)
Tam O'Shanter -- Brookline (Washington Sq)
1648 Beacon St, 277-0982
(Good food, good value, live music later in the evening. Often
food combines unusual ingredients that work perfectly [but not
always]. Good inexpensive food on the menu too; try the meat
loaf. Perfect for lunch & Sunday Brunch as well.]
Union Square Bistro -- Somerville (Union Sq)
16 Bow St, 628-3344
(Good food, romantic atmosphere, reasonable prices, very friendly
service. There's a bar/lounge on the first floor, upstairs is a
light and airy dining room, with windows along one side that open
up onto a roof deck used for outdoor dining. The food is all
superb, esp the very onionny french onion soup, baked lamb, an
incredibly tender osso bucco w garlicky potato cakes ($11), and a
huge wonderful paella ($13). Good bread too. You can order from
a separate "Nutritionally Correct" menu, then blow it all on one
of their really decadent desserts, such as the chocolate mousse
cake with fresh raspberry sauce, or some of the best the home-made
expresso ice cream in the city.) [=> review ]
Upstairs at the Pudding ($$$$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
10 Holyoke St (off Mass Ave), 864-1933
(Expensive, but romantic & sublime -- very good imaginative
cooking, though the result can be extraordinarily variable.
Game meats are a specialty. Reasonably priced lunches. For
dinner, the best bet (though expensive) is the complete dinner.)
Water Cafe -- Jamaica Plain
701 Centre, 522-6458
(Pleasant place to eat. Try the barbecued duck & white bean
empanada, and the cajun seafood gumbo)
Ethiopian Restaurants
*********************
Addis Red Sea -- South End
544 Tremont St (betw Dartmouth & Clarendon), 426-8727
(Good well-spiced Harrar food, more than adequate portions.
For folks who don't know much about Ethiopian food, the numerous
combination plates provide excellent samplers. Intimate seating;
authentic woven tables, close together. Fancier, larger menu &
higher prices than Asmara. Heating problems on cold days. Down
one flight; not wheelchair accessible.)
Asmara -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
739 Mass Ave, 497-9635/864-7447. T: Red Line @ Central Sq
(Quite good Eritrean food, especially for the price, and good
service too. Small and family run, this place has a limited
menu and a very relaxed atmosphere, with an incredibly warm &
hospitable owner. The food is inexpensive and pretty good, though
a lot of the dishes do seem very similar to each other, both in
description and taste. It's a great place to go with a group to
talk, since the style of eating puts you around a central platter
and really forces you to interact. Intriguing homemade honey wine
also. Good vegetarian options.)
Indian Restaurants
******************
Akbar India -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1250 Cambridge St, 497-6548
(Very good buffet, unusual South Indian items like black doughnut,
sambar, masala dosai. Try the samosas, allo bada, dahi vada,
garlic naan, tandoori fish, chicken, and shrimp masala special)
[=> menu ]
Barbeque's International -- Allston
[Look under Bbq Listings]
Bombay Bistro -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1353 Beacon St, west of Harvard, 734-2879
(Excellent Indian food w a very pleasant slightly upscale ambience.
The focus is not on hot and spicy food, but on food which is very
flavorful, fresh and well-prepared. This is possibly the least
oily Indian food I've ever had. Good sheesh kabobs & tandoor.
Also try the makhabar curry, chicken tikka, chicken or seafood
xacuti, and sour chicken soup. Also excellent vegetarian dishes,
including a very flavorful aloo chole, as well as an excellent
eggplant in tamarind sauce. Excellent breads including terrific
papadum topped w onions and cilantro, kulcha, and peshwari nann.
A good beer selection, but also check out the yogurt drinks, esp.
the one with saffron. The food is fairly priced - $33 for two,
incl. 2 dishes, 2 drinks, a bread, tax&tip. Service isn't super
speedy, but acceptable. Not very wheelchair-accessible or
particularly child-friendly though. Quite popular; even a line on
weekday nights.)
Bombay Club -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
57 JFK at Winthrop, 661-8100
(Better than average, and perhaps the best in Boston for taste,
atmosphere, and lower-than-usual oiliness, with an adventurous
menu to boot. The kadai (similar to a wok) dishes are
particularly good and relatively low-fat. Also try achar gosht
[for spice freaks], chicken methi, lamb shorba, veggie curries,
reshmi kebab, kachumber salad, the kadai dishes, the nan, prawn
saag & (for dessert) badami kheer. South Indian brunch on
weekends w idlis, sambar. North Indian buffet weekdays)
Bombay Mahal -- Waltham
Moody St
(Mixed reviews. A great, though slightly pricey, South Indian
brunch on Sundays w good dosai. Some questions about sanitation.)
Cafe of India -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
52a Brattle, 661-0683
(One of the best in the square, reasonable prices too.
Try bhindi masala kadahi, aloo chole, baingan bharta)
Delhi Darbar -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
14 Holyoke St, 492-8993
(Pretty good overall, w excellent weekend brunch -- some say even
better than Bombay Club's -- though they overuse their tomatoey
sauces. Special menu of South Indian vegetarian dishes served
Sunday afternoons. Very extensive menu, and they will adjust the
spices on any dish as you wish. Try the chicken w spinach,
tandoori mixed grill, chick pea dish, mango lassi)
India -- Somerville (Davis Sq)
256 Elm, 354-0949
(Mixed reviews, food said to range from excellent to uninspired,
service can be careless. Good bhajia, breads, chicken tandoori,
curries & mango lassi.)
India Palace -- Somerville (Union Sq)
23 Union Sq, 666-9770
(Great food, esp. the garlic naan (w lots of garlic), the subtly
flavored chana masala, the chicken saag, and a saag aloo that was
very hot but still retained the separate flavors of the spinach
and the spices. Romantic Indian music videos for ambience.)
India Pavillion -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
17 Western Ave (at Mass Ave), 547-7463, T: Red Line @ Central Sq
(Quality of food can vary, but often excellent, and cheap. The
Pullao dishes are tasty but somewhat greasy. Superb carrot
(gazer) halwa! Not a particularly insprired or exciting menu, but
decent cheap standard Central Square Indian fare. Always full and
can be quite cramped, a wait on weekends. They'll vary the
spicyness on request. Lots of veggie options.)
India Quality -- Kenmore Sq
536 Commonwealth Ave, 267-4499
(Funky place, but one of the best Indian restaurants with Punjab
(North Indian) cuisine, and very reasonably priced. Try the
Chicken Dahiwala, Beef Shajahanai, Beef Kabab Masala & Chicken
Tikka. Also excellent breads, esp the chapati, garlic naan &
spinach poori. Food tends toward the hot side)
India Samraat -- Back Bay
51a Mass Ave, 247-0718
(Mixed reviews. Some say forgettable yucky food; others like the
lamb jalfrozie & chicken tikka masala)
Indian Cafe -- Brookline (Washington Sq)
1665 Beacon St (at Winthrop), 277-1752
Green Line: C train, Tappan St stop (at Star Market)
(Standard Indian fare, very high quality, better in some ways than
the more popular Bombay Bistro in Coolidge Corner, esp since the
wait staff here is very pleasant and congenial. Above average
tandoori dishes and shrimp samosas. One note: if you like your
food spicy-hot, make sure you ask for 'hot'.
Nice decor, spacious room. Very open feeling with large windows
looking out onto Washington St, but avoid sitting by the window;
it feels kind of like you're in a fish bowl. The overall ambience
is very pleasant though. Open till ~10:30pm. Wheelchair
accesible. Lots of veggie dishes. Very child-friendly.)
Indian Globe -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
474 Mass Ave, 868-1866
(Reasonable prices. Good for take out. Try the Malia Kofta)
Kashmir -- Back Bay
279 Newbury St, 536-1695, T: Green Line @ Hynes Auditorium
(Average food, good prices, nice atmosphere, polite service,
vegetarian options)
Kebab-N-Kurry -- Back Bay
30 Mass Ave (betw Beacon & Marlboro), 536-9835
(A good value for pretty good, and often excellent food, though
some dishes are only so-so. Really good chicken kachumbar salad,
chicken jal frezi and do piaza. The vegetable kofti curry is
flavorful and piquant, and the marinated lamb uses good quality
meat and actually tastes like lamb, but the mint chapathi is just
mediocre. It's a very small place, and there can be a long wait
on weekend nights.)
Little India -- Waltham
Moody St
(Reasonably priced, good veggie fare, tandoori chicken, and various
biryanis)
Maharajah -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
2088 Mass Ave (at Walden), 492-9538
(A small place which doesn't look like much on the outside, but
it's superb, esp for vegetarians, and has great service. Very
good dal, not heavy, and alu gobi. Good tandoori & curries,
though one reviewer though the place was awful w chicken curry
that looked like dogfoof on minute rice, w awful service too.
Selection at different levels of spicyness, though specializes in
especially spicy food.)
New Mother India -- Waltham
336 Moody St, 893-3311
(Kind of pricey, since they got a modern, swanky mauve storefront,
but very good food, though now somewhat less spicy. Lots of
bottled beers. Service recently reported to be problematic.)
Oh Calcutta -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
468 Mass Ave, 576-2111
(Favorite of many Indian connoisseurs, especially for lunch.
Good for dinner too; try golden biryani)
Passage to India -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
1900 Mass Ave, 497-6113
(The food gets mixed reviews. Good bets are the special dal nan,
and the vegetarian stuffed pepper, a roasted yellow pepper with a
chili-flavored sauce. Service is friendly, place is comfortable
and warm.)
Shalimar -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
546 Mass Ave, 547-9280
(Great place for dinner, w a few things that don't show up at other
places, like the Shrimp Do Piazza [which is entirely different
from the Lam Do Piazza]. Realiably high quality, w extra points
for freshness & adjustability of spice level.)
Taj India -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
781 Main St (nr Mass Ave), 354-4984
(Decent inexpensive lunch buffet which is an excellent deal. Good
service. They now have a liquor license.)
Tandoor -- Arlington
(Mixed reviews, with the worst saying that Tandoor serves small
portions of cheap Indian fast food and doesn't pretend to rise
above medicrity or be anything more.)
Tandoor House -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
991 Mass Ave, 661-9001
(Reasonable prices, excellent tasty Mogul style food, friendly
service, though it can be noisy when crowded. Good & cheap for
lunch. But the food can be greasy, and the chicken pullao can
include bits of gristle and cartilage; might be best to go
vegetarian here. )
Taste of India -- Watertown
91 Bigelow Ave (nr Mt Auburn), 926-1606
Viceroy -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
567 Mass Ave, 2nd floor, 354-0611
(Excellent food -- in fact, this is one of my favorites, but the
service can be erratic, and is sometimes downright awful.
Especially good curries & tandoors, a very good vindaloo and an
excellent mixed grill. Nice, quiet, upstairs restaurant. Prices
low to moderate.
Indonesian Restaurants
**********************
Jimmy Mac's)
they still offer a bbq menu as well. Seating for about 20. They
have what they call a rijstaffel but it's more just a dinner at
$35 for 2 persons. You can also get other dinners (about $14) and
order a la carte as well.)
Italian Restaurants
*******************
Al Dente -- North End
109 Salem St, 523-0990
(Comfortable, though crowded, place, serving ample quantities of
well-flavored good quality food. Moderate prices; pleasant
helpful service. Delicious appetizers; succulent clean mussels &
a light flavorful rotini of eggplant. Wonderful specialities,
particularly a melange of chicken, seafood, artichokes,... w the
ubiquitous side of pasta. Go for the specials of the day.
Gets busy early in warm weather; always is packed late)
Appetito -- Newton Center, South End
Beacon St, Newton Center
1 Appleton St, South End, 338-6777
(Good food, accent on Italian cuisine, moderate prices; long lines
sometimes. Excellent linguine with shrimp, scallops, garlic,
tomatoes, basil and scallions and "arrosto di pollo")
Artu -- North End
Prince St, nr Hanover
(Pleasant informal place with good Italian bistro food, more
eclectic & less expensive than usual for the North End. Good
lamb & pork loin)
Azita Ristorante -- South End
560 Tremont St (at Clarendon), 338-8070
(Combination of Northern Italian & Nouvelle American, stylish &
romantic. Very very good, thoroughly modern Italian, moderately
pricey. Service is pleasantly informal but attentive. There's a
candle-lit annex which looks major-league romantic.)
Bella Vista -- North End
288 Hanover St, 367-4999
(A very attractive place, with a more open feeling than many other
North End restaurants. Though there are rarely lines there, this
is a wonderful place to go for pasta. The penne pasta with spicy
tomato sauce or the ziti al'arrabiata are favorite of vegetarians.
The grilled lamb and sausage dish is very good too, well prepared,
though it may be slightly tough. Service can be a bit slow.
Entrees around $7-10. Amex only.)
Black Goose -- Beacon Hill
21 Beacon St (at Bowdoin), 720-4500
(Great food, and for lunch, quite reasonably priced)
Blossoms -- Charlestown
One First Ave (Rear), Bldg #34, Navy Yard, 242-1911
Bluestone Bistro [Italian Pizza] -- Brighton, Waltham
1799 Commonwealth Ave (at Chiswick), 254-8309,
T: Green Line, C train, Chiswick St stop
663 Main St, Waltham, 891-3339
(Excellent pizza, pasta, calzones & appetizers at very reasonable
prices in a pleasant bistro atmosphere. The food is well-flavored
but more importantly, everything here tastes very fresh, including
an outstanding tomato sauce, and well-balanced salad dressings
that go on large inexpensive salads. Superb vegetarian lasagna,
made with mascarpone cheese, and fine appetizers like the smokin'
shrimp, and the maple glazed scallops in bacon. Small, but very
nice wine selection and hard cider available too. Service is
friendly, but can be a bit scattered at times, and waits for food
can be stretched by the large take-out business. Busy, so come
early or expect to wait. Child-friendly (high chairs available),
and wheelchair accessible, though the restrooms are downstairs.)
Bluestone Boston [Italian Pizza] -- South End
480 Columbus Ave
(Used to be a branch of Bluestone Bistro with the same menu,
but recently split off; current status unknown)
Cafe Lampara -- Allston
916 Commonwealth Ave (nr St Paul's), 566-0300
(Good atmosphere, dependable food, great bread. Authentic pizza.
Reasonably priced, pretty good wine list. Good fried polenta,
lentil soup, salads, antipasto & pastas)
California Pizza Kitchen -- Back Bay & Harvard Sq
Eliot St nr JFK, Harvard Sq, T: Red Line, Harvard Sq
Prudential Mall, Back Bay
(Quite good! Delicious soups and salads, tasty sauces for pasta.
The Field Green salad was great, the small was enough for two,
with a dozen difficult-to-identify greens in it, and the greek
salad is very good as well. Not an Italian style "crust/tomato-
sauce/cheese" pizza-place, instead, lots of funky Calif-style
pizzas, many with chicken, or more unusual ingredients, such as
the very good peking duck pizza. More unusual and exotic than
Bertucci's, but reviews are mixed as to which is better. Also,
pizzas come in individual sizes only. Avoid the Black Bean Shrimp
and Pasta and beware of flat soda. Good lemonade though. Overall
very good service, bright atmosphere, casual but neat. Not too
crowded (yet). Wheelchair accessible. Beer & Wine.)
Cantin Abruzzi -- Newton Highlands
(Family friendly, reasonably priced, pleasant atmosphere, friendly
staff. The food is good, though not particularly adventurous, and
not as good as it was when it opened ~5 years ago. Often a long
wait for tables from Thursday to Sunday. All-you-can-eat pasta
Mondays and Tuesdays for ~$6)
Ciao Bella -- Back Bay
240A Newbury St at Fairfield, 536-2626
(Upscale, excellent pasta, but last time I was there, admittedly
late at night, the Carpaccio was dry and tasteless)
Da Natale -- North End
448 Hanover St (nr Commercial), 720-4480
Davio's ($$$) -- Back Bay
269 Newbury St, 262-4810
(Very good tiramisu)
Davio's ($$$) -- East Cambridge
Royal Sonesta, 5 Cambridge Pkwy, 661-4810
(Very good Nouvelle Italian food in a dressy atmosphere.
Try the grilled squid & chick pea crespelle, pizzas, corn chowder,
rabbit ravioli, chicken w pappardelle, salmon, skirt steak. In
general, the meat & fish dishes are great but perhaps too rich.
For dessert, try the white chocolate torte & mango sorbet. Good
wine list. Inconsistent service. Also very nice lunches.)
Davio's ($$$) -- Brookline Village
204 Washington St, Brookline Village, 738-4810
(Good Nouvelle Italian food in a dressy atmosphere.
Try the salt cod lobster cakes, pasta, duck, lamb & salmon,
braised lamb shanks, and rib steaks)
Dom's -- North End
100 Bartlett Place, off Salem St, 367-8979
(A somewhat eccentric restaurant w mixed reviews. You will find
the tiny faux brick dining room in the basement to be somewhere
between lovely and tacky, and it can be noisy. The menu is ummm..
interestingly organized, but Dom or his son will sit down with
you to have a detailed serious discussion about your order, and if
you express indecision about dishes, on occasion he will offer a
small portion of the cheaper one for free. Outstanding veal
dishes, and very fine pasta dishes, but some dishes, especially
the more expensive ones, are simply too rich, without the subtlety
or variety of flavoring that redeem them from simply being artery
cloggers. Desserts are quite good, especially the chocolate
cheesecake, but are marred by perhaps the worst espresso in the
North End. They offer a discount (5%) for cash payments.)
Emporio Armani Express ($$$) -- Back Bay
214 Newbury St, 437-0909
(Marvelous food, exquisite pastries, very good service. More a
scene than anything else, though the food is rather good with
superb pizza & risotto. A place for the glitterati)
[=> review ]
Enzo Ristorante -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
329 Harvard St, 277-1288
(One of my favorites; very nice ossu buco w risotto, excellent wait
staff, moderately priced lunches, nice wines & romantic ambience.
Also try antipasto, carpacio, saltimbocca, pappardelle alla
bolognese, or anything grilled)
Figs -- Charlestown
67 Main St, 242-2229
(Memorable pasta & the best pizza in town; try the calamari pizza.
And try any dessert)
Five North Square ($$$) -- North End
5 North Sq, 720-1050
(Enjoyable food & intimate atmosphere. Great Caeser Salad for 2)
Florentina -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
143 Main St, 577-8300
(A great place for a cheap, interesting, authentically Italian
lunch in a pleasant atmosphere. Much pricier but fairly good
food for dinner w great service. Excellent, though somewhat
overpriced appetizers, including the antipasto & portabella
mushrooms. Excellent pepper pasta w grilled chicken, well made &
perfectly spiced, and a very big portion. Excellent tiramisu &
cinnamon ice cream.) [=> lunch menu ]
Giacomo's -- North End, South End
355 Hanover St (betw Little Prince & Fleet), North End, 523-9026
431 Columbus Ave, South End, 266-1122
(A tiny, get-em-in-and-out place, with prompt, but not overly
rushed service. Go early or expect a long wait. Not a place for
an intimate, lingering evening, but a fun, light, busy atmosphere.
The food is better than what might be expected -- excellent
Italian-style seafood, though the prices seem a bit high.)
Giannino's -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
in the Charles Hotel courtyard
(Attractive, quiet place, with wonderful northern Italian food and
very pleaant service. Nice ambience incl nice view of the hotel
courtyard. It's been suggested, with justification, that the
power lunch crowd goes to Rarities, while people who don't need to
impress anyone go to Giannino. This is a place where anything you
order will be excellent. The wild mushroom w garlic cream sauce
is especially good. Also try the eggplant appetizer & the
risotto. The desserts are very good also. Many entrees can be
ordered in half portions. Excellent wine list with many wines not
widely known.)
G'Vanni's ($$$$) -- North End
2 Prince St (nr Hanover), 523-0107
(Consistently excellent food, emphasis on quality meat & seafood,
prompt & professional service. Good cream of mushroom soup,
excellent seafood pescatore (huge portion!), and superb raspberry
cannoli. Good, but not exceptional house wines)
Il Capriccio ($$$) -- Waltham
53 Prospect St, 894-2234
(Excellent Northern Italian food, a great wine list, a tad snooty.
Try the lemon mousse nut dessert)
Il Nido ($$$) -- North End
257 North St, 742-4272
Il Panino -- North End, Cambridge (Central/Harvard Sq)
295 Franklin St, 338-1001 (Il Bistro, 1st floor)
Mass Ave, Cambridge
(Good sandwiches, subs & pasta, homemade mozzarella)
L'Osteria -- North End
109 Salem St (at Parmenter), 723-7847
(Nice enough place, not a terribly inspired menu, quiet, not fancy.
Dinner for two was under $30, with a couple glasses of wine.)
La Conte -- North End
Salem St
(Small restaurant with excellent food, very generous servings,
good, inobtrusive, fast service, and reasonable prices. Excellent
spaghetti carbonara and chicken marsala. Ok wine list)
La Groceria -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
853 Main St, 497-4214
(Still good food, some say it's overrated and overpriced, and eats
like "Cambridge WASPS do Italian". Good Penne Amalfi. Beware of
coming for the early dinner special, but being seated late. And
beware of an older woman who is an especially rude waittress.)
[=>interesting long review]
La Piccola Venezia -- North End
63 Salem St (betw Cross & Parmenter), 523-9802
(Very straightforward, cheap Italian-American food. A fun place w
a family feel. The place is small, the tables are VERY close, the
waitresses call you dear and put their hand on your shoulder when
you order, and the owner's relatives serenade you on accordian.
This is an order a pitcher of the house red wine kind of place.
The traditional dishes (gnocchi, calamari) are best. Always a
wait.)
Mamma Maria ($$$) -- North End
3 North Sq at Prince St, 523-0077
(Pricey, but wonderful food and an interesting menu. Fawning
service. Good wine list. A romantic evening in a charming
building.)
Massimino's -- North End
207 Endicott St, 523-5959
3 min walk from North Station or Haymarket T stations
(One of the better of the not so expensive North End Italian
restaurants. Small, unpretentuous, excellent food, especially
vegetable dishes. Fast service. Casual. Try the pork chops w
potatoes & vinegared peppers)
Michela's ($$$) -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
1 Athenaeum St (off First), 225-2121
(Equivalent of very good eclectic restaurant in Italy; good
flavorful food, formal yet relaxing, awesome ambience (wide open
modern). Menu changes seasonally. Also a lunch counter usually
serving very good food at a very reasonable price. Go now, since
Michela's is scheduled to be replaced by a new restaurant in the
summer.)
Moon Woman Cafe -- Newton Upper Falls
Oak St, betw Highland Ave & Chestnut St
(Creative American/Italian, including pasta dishes and a full
gamut of seafood, meat, poultry. Creative breads with a red
pepper spread are set out on the tables to whet one's appetite and
the wine list is also quite good. The menu is surprisingly large,
and there are also daily specials. Friendly and knowledgable.
Under Stellina's management w desserts brought in from there
(excellent chocolate cake w raspberry sauce). Tables are closely
spaced, so it can get noisy. Nice ambience w a bar area & a
number of small connected rooms. Large parking lot. Main dishes
in the teens to low twenties.)
Mother Anna's -- North End
211 Hanover St (at Cross St), 523-8496
(Great food, good portions, reasonably priced. Try the Chicken
Creation [kind of Chicken Eggplant Parmesan] & Shrimp Exquisito)
Nana Cora's -- East Boston
295 Bennington, 569-1551
(Small family-owned restaurant w very good moderately priced food,
including some excellent made-to-order dishes)
Nicole -- North End
54 Salem St (betw Cross & Parmenter), 742-6999
(A wonderful place. Cozy atmosphere, wonderful food, an admirable
wine list. It's not cheap, but it's not excessively expensive
either.)
Old Spaghetti Factory -- Waterfront
44 Pittsburgh St (nr Northern Ave), 737-8757
(Inexpensive family restaurant w funky entertaining furnishings.
Mostly standard fare except for the excellent spaghetti in
browned butter and mizithra cheese)
Olive's ($$$) [Nouvelle Northern Italian] -- Charlestown
10 City Sq, 242-1999, 5 min walk from North Staton T
(No reservations, great food, semi-Italian creative, but very
noisy. Yuppie hangout. Excellent creative seafood dishes, such
as whole sauteed red snapper with garlic mashed potates & olive/
eggplant chutney, good lamb & duck, good wine list, excellent
desserts. The food is never disappointing. However, service can
be extremely slow when they are busy, especially in the bar.)
[=> review ]
PapaRazzi -- Newton (Chestnut Hill), East Cambridge,
Back Bay
Chestnut Hill Mall, Newton, 527-6660
Cambridgeside Galleria, Cambridge, 577-0009
271 Dartmouth St nr Boylston, Back Bay, 536-9200
(Lots of people like this place, though I found the pasta
entries disappointing. Unusual appetizers, mixed reviews on
pizza, good salads, good for lunch. Try the antipasto plate,
insalata toscana, grilled eggplant & mozzarella sandwich, chicken
sandwich & pesto pizza. Good veal dishes, roasted chicken,
lobster ravioli, Tuscan sausage. Chestnut Hill is the best
location)
Pomodoro -- North End
319 Hanover St, 367-4348
(A small place w a small menu and an exposed kitchen that can serve
some wonderful imaginative dishes, including a nice collection of
soups, stews and specials, at reasonable prices. Try the suckling
pig. Cash only.)
Porcini's -- Watertown
68 School St, 924-2221
(Most people think the place is great -- imaginative flavorful
preparations using quality ingredients (though one dissenting
review found the food overseasoned), good portions, moderate
prices, pleasant professional waitstaff; overall a very enjoyable
place to eat. Excellent Cacciucco (flavorful Italian fish stew);
maple-roasted pork rib chop; wood-grilled shrimp w tomatoes,
fennel & oyster mushrooms; beef tenderloin tart w risotto &
porcini sauce, tuna steak w pimentoes, roasted garlic & tomatoes;
pan fried ravioli w butternut squash & prosciutto; exquisite veal;
very good Spaghetti Bolognese; and irresistible desserts. The
actual entrees available will probably be different when you go
though; the menu changes seasonally.)
Ristorante Lucia -- North End
415 Hanover St, 367-2353
(Crowded & pricey, but quite good)
Ristorante Marino [Italian Natural] -- North Cambridge
2465 Mass Ave, 868-5454
(All pesticide-free, anitibiotic-free, hormore-free ingredients,
unfortunately also reportedly flavor-free and overpriced. Good
sourdough rolls. Try the porchetta & pasta. Better than average
wine list.)
Ristorante Toscano ($$$) -- Beacon Hill
41 Charles St (nr Mt Vernon), 723-4090
(Mixed reviews. Some say elegant food, w nice ambience; others
say hugely over-rated w boring food & small selection.)
Rocco's ($$$) -- Theater District
Transportation Building, 5 Charles St South, 723-6800
(Pricey, but very good. Similar to Michela's. Wild theatrical
decor. Great pasta. Very creamy sauce w the Spaghetti Carbonara.
Bread served w olive oil & roast garlic. Interesting wine list.)
Sablone's Veal 'N Vintage -- East Boston
(Excellent veal. Mostly patronized by locals, next to impossible
to get in on weekends.)
Saraceno's -- North End
286 Hanover St (betw Cross & Richmond), 227-5353
(Great Italian food -- perhaps the best traditional Italian in the
North End. Unfortunately not cheap. Get the vegetable side
dishes, because someone in the kitchen really knows how to saute.
Very good service, lovely presentation of the food. Reservations
needed for dinner. A wonderful place to take out of town guests.)
Saro's -- Waltham
Main St (Rt 117 nr 128), 899-SARO
(Not fine dining, but a hole in the wall. Mixed reviews -- from
"unusual and great dishes, w nice ambience and great jazz on the
stereo" to "awful ambience, bored and ignorant waitstaff,
no better than what you can make at home". Lots of food though)
Schifino ($$$) -- Downtown
21 Broad St (betw State & Milk), 523-0590
(Wonderful restaurant w good friendly service. Superb calamari
salad and main courses)
Sorento's -- West Fenway
86 Peterborough St (betw Kilmarnock & Jersey), 424-7070
(Wonderful small casual place; you can taste the garlic when you
enter! Service is sometimes flaky, but the food's always very
good here. They know how to cook pasta al dente. Try the Rigatoni
Milano, and the reliably good scampi. Good pizzas & calzones too.)
Spasso -- Back Bay
160 Commonwealth (at Dartmouth), 536-8656
(Yes its a hotspot and a meat market, but the food is quite good,
and at off hours, it can be a nice quiet little place. The
somewhat overpriced food is rumored to be going downhill though,
and the wine list still leaves something to be desired.)
Stellina -- Watertown Sq
47 Main St, 924-9475
(Bistro ambience, combination of Italian & Nouvelle. Well prepared
and flavorful foods. Friendly place. Excellent warm tomato
salad, good spicy black bean soup, outstanding bread. Minority
opinion is that meat entrees & desserts can be disappointing)
Sweet Peppers -- Lexington Center
20 Waltham St, 862-1880
(Good portions of reasonably good somewhat nouvelle Italian food;
very good pizza. Crowded, but accepts reservations. Reasonably
priced.)
Terramia -- North End
98 Salem St, 523-3112
(Very good Nouvelle Italian food. Entusiastic wait staff)
Trattoria Il Panino (Dining Room) -- North End
295 Franklin St, 2nd floor, 338-1000
Trattoria Pulcinella ($$$) [Northern Italian] -- West Cambridge
147 Huron Ave (nr Concord Ave), 491-6336
Transport: #72, 74, 78 bus at Concord Ave.
(An informal cafe serving terrific Northern Italian food, much more
relaxed than previous restaurants in this space, but still not
cheap. Depend on the waiters for useful recommendations. Good
range of Italian reds wines, adequate whites. Dinner only, closed
Mon. Wheelchair accessible.)
Tuscan Grill ($$$) -- Waltham
361 Moody St (betw Spruce & Walnut), 891-5486
(Very good nouvelle cuisine. Pricey, need reservations, worth it.
You can sit at the food bar in the back and watch them cook. The
softshell crab is exceptional. Also try the gnocchi, cacciucco,
grilled squid, shrimp, steak & duckling)
Uva -- Brighton
1418 Commonwealth Ave, 566-5670
(Nice neighborhood bistro, large portions, good antipasto & pizza)
Verona -- Watertown
18 Mt Auburn, 926-0010
(Mixed reviews, from "awesome wonderful Italian food" to "a dump to
be avoided". Emphasis on steaks, seafood, and pasta)
Vinny Testa's -- Brookline (Washington Sq), Newton (Four Corners)
1700 Beacon St, Washington Sq, 277-3400
Beacon St (west of Walnut), Newton Four Corners
(Good food with overly enormous portions. Large pleasant room w an
informal, comfortable & tasteful atmosphere. You'll be happiest
if you stick to simple foods. Good pasta, eggplant, chicken &
veal parmigiana, shrimp scampi, and very good salads, though the
Caeser salad gets mixed reviews. The bread served with roasted
whole garlic in olive oil is great. Meals come in either solo or
large size. Solo meals run from about $9-16 & includes a large
dish of pasta. The large meals cannot be finished by anyone.
For $3.50, you can get a side salad that is served family style
and is easily enough for three.)
Japanese Restaurants
********************
Cafe Mami -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
[see Porter Exchange Mall], 547-9130
(Very authentic food, but service can be very slow)
Cafe Sushi -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
1105 Mass Ave (betw Harvard & Central Sq), 492-0434
(Just reopening, previously known for good quality food. It's
mostly sushi with a few salads and appetizers and one or two other
dishes, including hot pots, which are unexceptional. The quality
is good. Quality comparable to Roka, with a wider variety of
ingredients but fewer interesting combos on the menu. On the
other hand, the guys at Cafe Sushi will make you whatever you want
if you ask them nicely. For beer, stick to the Kirin. Service
can be glacial if you don't sit at the sushi bar, which can be
good or bad depending on what you have in mind. Beware of the 15%
service charge they add for takeout!)
Goemon -- Symphony Area
267 Huntington Ave (nr Gainsborough), Boston, 859-8669
(Japanese Noodle house with good Soba, Udon, and Ramen with Hot or
Cold Broth and a wide choice of toppings, generously provided.
There are complaints that at Symphony the soup is served
luke-warm w mushy overcooked noodles.)
Gyuhama of Japan -- Back Bay
827 Boylston St (betw Gloucester & Fairfield), 437-0188
(Good sushi; opinion varies as to whether it is great or not.
In any case, it's a fun place, esp for late nite dining -- with
Rock & Roll sushi from 11pm - 2am)
Ichiban -- Allston
166 Harvard Ave (betw Coomonwealth & Brighton Ave), 787-5656
(A small storefront, a tad crowded, lower than average prices.
A good place to sit at the sushi bar. Good sushi, noodle dishes,
esp seafood yaki udon & chachamen noodles & dumplings. Also try
the pressed sushi, cucumber roll, spicy tuna, salmon salad,
soft-shell crab maki (pretty good, but not quite great), chicken &
beef teriyaki. The songpan is ok, but not great, and the miso
soup was flavorless. On a Sunday night a few weeks after the
place opened, the service was truly awful.)
Ittyo -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
[see Porter Exchange Mall], 354-5944
(Excellent noodle dishes and donburi, especially the eel. Very
good Shrimp & Veggie Tempura w Udon)
Koto -- Cambridge (Fresh Pond)
465 Concord Ave, 491-6600
(Small mom & pop sort of place w nice tempura)
Kotobukiya -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
[see Porter Exchange Mall], 354-6914
(Perhaps the cheapest sushi in town; the quality is ok, but the
ambience and presentation are not fancy)
Maluken -- Kenmore Sq
645 Beacon St on west corner of Kenmore Sq, 859-3149
(Huge menu with lots of variety, especially lots of appetizers.
excellent but expensive fresh thickly cut sushi, good soups &
ohitashi. The tempura is somewhat disappointing; the batter is a
tad too thick, and too little variety in the vegetables)
Miyako -- Back Bay
279A Newbury St (at Gloucester), 236-0222
(Wonderful sushi and other dishes, with a stylish twist.
try the eel and the mackarel oshi sushi, the smoked salmon
sushi & the basil & plum paste maki)
Nara -- Downtown
85 Wendell St (at Broad), 338-5935
(Very fresh and tasty food. Good selection of sushi and also other
dishes for non-sushi eaters. Very friendly owner and waitstaff.
Frequented by Japanese business folk - always a good sign. Try
futomaki (large maki roll), chicken katsu (fried chicken bits w/
veggies), version of California roll using eel rather than crab.
Prices are moderate (more than Porter Square, less than Roka).
Very busy at lunch, but more relaxed at dinner time.)
Porter Exchange Mall -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
1815 Mass Ave, T: Red Line @ Porter Sq
(The place to go for an authentic Japanese eating experience,
with a number of little stalls such as you might find at a Tokyo
train station -- modest and fresh food, well prepared. Includes
Kotobukiya, Ittyo, Cafe Mami, and Sapporo Ramen. There's also
Seki Tei, a sit down Japanese restaurant, a Japanese grocery,
Shiatsu massage, and Masao's Kitchen -- a macrobiotic restaurant.)
Roka -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
1001 Mass Ave (betw Harvard & Central Sq), 661-0344
(Reliably good, fresh sushi, also lots of interesting maki rolls.
Perhaps not the best in the area, but a good alternative. Not
much of a sushi bar; it's more of a sit-down place w good service.
Great eel! Watch out for extra charges for extra ginger, wasabi &
inside-out California roll)
Sakura -- Waltham
on a little street off Rt 117, a block or so from Rt 20, 891-0720
(A very nice homey traditional Japanese place in a non-descript
clapboard house, reminiscent of a somewhat rundown Tokyo
restaurant. Small, maybe 8 tables, service sometimes suffers.
Karaoke music. Average but not excellent food. BYOB. Possibly
closed Sunday; limited hours in general.
Sakurabana -- Downtown
57 Broad St (nr Milk & State Sts), 542-4311
(Excellent sushi, a tad pricey. Good Sushi heaven & Boston Maki.
Recently redecorated, so its nice inside, but the sushi has gone
downhill some. Small parking lot next door, but you need to pay.)
Sapporo Ramen -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
[see Porter Exchange Mall], 876-4805
(Japanese noodle house, very good, just like Japan)
Seki Tei -- Cambridge (Porter Sq), 354-8393
[see Porter Exchange Mall]
(Mixed reviews. Most recently the news is that the food is just
ok, not good enough to make up for the horrible service)
Shogun -- West Newton
1385 Washington St (nr Elm), 965-6699
(Small homey pleasant place, a couple of blocks from the W Newton
Cinema. Consistently good food, reasonably priced for Japanese
food. Non-smoking. Very low staff turnover. Can fill up as the
evening progresses. Good Chicken Katsu.)
Takeshima -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
308 Harvard St (nr Babcock), 566-0200
(Pleasant place, reasonable prices, very good food & service.
a perfect neighborhood Japanese restaurant. Good sushi and
popular enough to be crowded on weekday nights.)
Tatsukichi -- Faneuil Hall
189 State St (nr Atlantic Ave), 720-2468
(Very fresh, reliably excellent sushi. Also good cooked
appetizers, especially their specialty, kashiage -- little
tidbits deep fried and served on sticks. Huge portions of
shabu-shabu. Karaoke bar upstairs w stiff cover that caters to
Japanese.)
Tokyo Restaurant -- Cambridge (Fresh Pond)
307 Fresh Pond Parkway, 876-6600
(Authentic Japanese food, frequented by visited Japanese business
people. Excellent fresh, well prepared sushi in many varieties,
and a good yakitori bar also. Don't miss the Dobinmushi (soup).
The sushi lunch platters are really nice, but a bit expensive
($12 to $15); the general consensus is that the place is
overpriced. Service is on the slow side - not a place to go for a
quick meal. Tatami rooms can be reserved for $20 extra, a really
nice touch for a quiet, private dinner.)
Korean Restaurants
******************
Arirang House [Korean] -- Symphony
Mass Ave
(The reviews on the food overall seem to vary [other Korean
restarants seem to be better), but the reason to come here is
the all-you-can-eat buffet for $9, featuring a great variety of
Korean food cooked to all levels of spiciness, and generally,
quite good. About the only drawback is that the buffet dishes
aren't labeled, so you should ask for help if you're wary of very
spicy foods.)
Han Mi Ok -- Brighton Center
351 Washington St (nr Market), 783-2090, T: #57 & #86 bus
(Very good Korean food in a slightly funky but pleasant cozy
atmosphere. The food is not as highly spiced as some other
places, the portions are larger, and prices are moderate. Very
fresh sushi, wonderful noodle soup dishes, especially the seafood
ones. Lots of beef dishes, lots of seafood specials on the
blackboard, not much for vegetarians. Try the squid dish or the
beef bulgogi for a safe intro to the cuisine. The bibimbap is
good, too. Sometimes the service can be slow when crowded (mostly
w Asians at the sushi bar). Thai & Chinese food too, and the
spicy fried squid, under the Chinese menu, is outstanding.
No sushi on Wednesdays.)
Hometown -- Somerville (Union Sq)
9A Union Sq, 623-7220
(Mixed reviews on food, ranging from ok to delicious, and on the
sushi from below average to fresh & well prepared. Friendly
service, reasonable prices, mostly Korean clientele (including
some w diplomatic license plates). Try squid Korean style.)
Kaya -- Back Bay
521 Boylston St, 236-5858
(Try skewered chicken, yaki gyoza, steak tartare, red snapper
shioyaki, galbi, spicy stir-fried squid, bi bim bap, chapchae,
tempura udon, green tea & red bean ice cream. Also good cheap
sushi)
Korea Garden -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
20 Pearl St, 492-9643
(This is a very good, small, family-run restaurant. A nice
traditional place w nothing too inventive and a fairly limited
menu, but what the place serves is prepared well and consistently.
And with lots of garlic! Their Ok dol bi bim bap is excellent,
and stone-pot dishes are good also. Lots of Koreans eat here,
giving confidence that the food is fairly authentically Korean.
Service is friendly and low-key; the atmosphere is casual and
relaxed. Reasonable prices.)
Korea House -- Brighton
111 Chiswick St (off Comm. Ave, betw Wash. & Market), 783-7030
(One of the better Korean restaurant in Boston, great soup dishes,
though some are extremely fiery. Clientele is almost exclusively
Korean, therefore there is no such thing as a non-smoking section.
Service can be slow since it's a family run place. The restaurant
does traditional dishes traditional style (as opposed to Jae's or
Han Mi Ok, which adds more vegetables than usual). Best Bul Go
Gi and Kim Chee stew around here. Stir-Fried Squid and Bi Bim Bap
are also good. Avoid the sushi.)
Koreana -- Cambridge (~Inman Sq)
154 Prospect (at Broadway), 576-8661
(An ambitious variety of Korean food in a pleasant atmosphere with
comfy booths and somewhat variable service. Very fresh sushi;
especially the hamachi. The Korean food is really very fiery,
though they will make it milder on request (but it will still be
quite hot). Some dishes are exceptional (such as the stir fried
squid and baby octupus); others are still fairly good, but not as
good as elsewhere. Good standard condiments. Open til 1 am some
nights. Parking can be a problem. Prices somewhat high.)
Matsu-Ya -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
1790 Mass Ave (nr Arlington), 491-5091
(Food generally well done, not very spicy though, with good noodle
dishes. Reasonable prices. Small place, relatively quiet, though
it can get crowded on weekends, when service can be quite slow)
Shilla -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
95 Winthrop St (off JFK), 547-7971
(Very good Korean food -- a fun place w a wondeful menu and lots of
interesting things to try. Excellent Bibim Bap, cold noodles, and
a delicious huge bowl of soup which included meat dumplings, rice
sticks, noodles, cilantro, and other goodies.)
Seoul House -- Newton Center
57 Union St (across from T stop), 244-6438
(Small family run place w good, reliable, but slightly suburbanized
food. Portions just a tad small; prices just a tad high)
WooChon -- Somerville (Union Sq)
290 Somerville Ave, 623-3313
(Excellent high quality Korean food in a pleasant contemporary
setting, often crowded, though still not overly noisy. Nice group
of side dishes come incl with your meal, which they will keep
refilling, including spinach, seaweed, kimchee, & marinated tofu.
The food tends toward the fiery side. Good dumplings, mung bean
pancake, bulgoki, bibim pap and chap chae, and the many eel and
fish items on the menu provided a pleasant surprise. Good, piping
hot barley tea too. Reasonable prices, though a tad higher than
some competitors. Service somewhat variable, but generally quite
pleasant. No liquor license, but BYO from across the street.)
Kosher Restaurants
******************
Cafe Shiraz [Persian] -- Allston
[see under Persian]
Milk St Cafe [Vegetarian] -- Brookline (Longwood), Downtown
350 Longwood Ave, 739-2233
0 Post Office Sq, 350-7275
50 Milk St, 542-3663
Rami's Felafel [Israeli] -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner), Downtown
[see under Israeli]
Rubin's Deli -- North Brookline
500 Harvard St (nr Commonwealth), 731-8787
Ruth's Kitchen -- North Brookline
401 Harvard St, 734-9810
(Run by an Asian woman who converted to Judaism. Latke's and
Szechuan beef right next to each other! Not really a restaurant
as much as a prepared foods counter with seating. The food is
quite good & reasonably priced.)
Shalom Hunan [Chinese] -- Brookline Village
[see under Chinese]
Shang Chai [Chinese Vegetarian] -- North Brookline
[see under Chinese]
Victor's Pizza -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1364 Beacon St, 730-9903
Latin American Restaurants
**************************
Casa Elena [Peruvian / Spanish / Mexican] -- Watertown
45 Lexington St (at Main, nr Waltham line), 926-3222
(Small, casual, family-run restaurant -- Peruvian owner. Good,
well-prepared, interesting dishes, good-sized portions. Service
ok, bt it can take awhile to get the food. Good fried yucca w
carrot sauce, paella. Moderate prices, dinner only.)
Cecil's [Latin / Caribbean] -- Downtown
129 South St, 542-5108
(Variety of Latin & Caribbean food. Good black bean soup &
Jamaican Jerk Pork)
El Embajador [Latin American] -- Jamaica Plain
3371 Washington St, 524-6812
Mama Julia [Colombian / Salvadoran] -- East Boston
54 Bennington St, 568-9020
(Good Colombian & Salvadoran food, but make sure you speak some
Spanish, since the staff doesn't. Cheap delicious soups, and good
fish in "homemade" sauce. The main dish comes with a huge plate
of rice, beans, banana and a generic salad. The food is very home
style and way filling.)
Pupuseria Quintanilla [Salvadoran] -- Jamaica Plain
Washington St, 522-9680
(Try Salvadoran pupusas, tamales, arroz negro, shrimp soup)
Rattlesnake Bar and Grill -- Back Bay
384 Boylston (betw Arlington & Berkeley), 859-8555
(Good reasonably priced food, fairly authentic.
Urban Canyon Patio in back is nice in the summer)
Mediterranean Restaurants
*************************
Anago Bistro ($$$) -- Cambridge (Main St)
798 Main St
(Small intimate place serving well prepared Mediterranean-
influenced food, pricey, but with a wonderful, very inventive menu
and knowledgeable, enthusiastic waitpeople. Often simple food,
elegantly presented. Try the pan roasted baby manila clams w
rabe, duck croquettes, grilled mushrooms, chocolate rum bread
pudding. Reservations needed.)
Cafe Bellecour -- Lexington Center
10 Muzzey St, 861-9400
David's -- Theater District
123 Stuart St (Transportation Bldg), 367-8405
(Gutsy, full-flavored food. Try the spanakopita, shish kebab,
grilled squid. Fun ambience.)
Mexican, Tex/Mex, Southwestern Restaurants
******************************************
Acapulco -- Jamaica Plain, Back Bay
464 Centre St, 524-4328
(Good food, very inexpensive, good service. Try the Camarones
Veracruzanos, which is broiled shrimp in wine and garlic with
mexican rice and beans @ 7.95. No margaritas, just wine & beer)
Armadillo Cafe -- Allston
1314 Commonwealth Ave, 2 blocks west of Harvard Ave, 232-4242
(Small range of generally reliable, somewhat eclectic Mexican food
(though not very hot or spicy) and chicken and ribs as well, all
very good. Great smoked chicken quesadillas. Good chips & salsa.
Good size portion, reasonable prices -- dinner for 2 w drinks is
about $25. Nice decor, service can be slow on off nites. Live
Mexican music on week-nights, old rock&roll on weekends. A recent
review suggests that the food and service may be going downhill,
and live music is just on Wednesday's.)
Big Burrito [Tex/Mex] -- Allston
Brighton Ave just W of Harvard
Transport: 57 Bus, Harvard T Stop (B Line)
(Fresh, massive quantity for a great price. Most Bs are at $3.95 -
$4.95. Basically the idea is a burrito wrapped around rice,
lettuce, and fresh cooked meat, made to order. Even cheaper than
Boca Grande or Picante, superdelicious, and you won't leave
hungry. Excellent beef burrito and cilantro salad. Very friendly
pleasant counter service, food came up pretty quick. Not really
crowded, but has the atmopshere of a Taco Deli. Designed for a
quick bite, not a quiet dining experience. Cash only. Wheelchair
accessible.)
Boca Grande -- Cambridge (Harvard/Porter Sq & E. Cambridge)
1728 Mass Ave (betw Porter & Harvard Sq), 354-7400
149 First St (nr Galleria), 354-5550
(Not ambience or decor, but nice burritos, and cheap. The
burritos are all good, including the chicekn, beef, carnitas, and
grilled veggie ones; all but the veggie are worth spedning 50
cents on for guacamole. Sometimes more interesting stuff,
including tamales and elote. The 1/2 grilled chicken w hot sauce
is definitely a steal for $4 or so. Great lemonade. See review)
Border Cafe -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
32 Church St, 864-6100
(Fun, cheap, pretty good cajun/southwestern food, rodents &
roaches. A noisy studenty Harvard Square-y kind of place with a
party-like atmosphere. Great fajitas & popcorn shrimp, good
jambalaya, but think of it as a sort of Bennigan's with a quasi
tex-mex/cajun slant.)
Cactus Club -- Back Bay
939 Boylston St, 236-0200
(Good lunches, abundant food, reasonable prices; great Venison
stew, and the Mountain Oysters are worth a try. Good people
watching; good place to unwind after work. Dinner said to be
less exciting, though they now have a new dinner menu, including a
very good, tho nonstandard Caesar salad.)
Casa Mexico -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
75 Winthrop St (at JFK), 491-4552
(Mixed reviews -- it used to be better 20 years ago, but on a good
night, some entrees may still be quite good. Try the Chicken
Mole, Enchilada Mole, and the Camarones al Cilantro. Also
excellent Mexican coffee)
Casa Romero -- Back Bay
30 Gloucester St (betw. Comm Ave & Newbury St), 536-4341
T: ICA/Hynes Green Line stop, also the #1, #55, & inbound #39 buses
(Prices may be on the high side, but for an excellent sampling of
Mexican haute cuisine, this is *the* place to go in Boston. From
the handpainted tile decor to the desserts, this place could have
been lifted right out of Mexico city. Try the chile relleno, the
mole poblano, the avocado soup, and the flan with Cognac and
pleasantly dispel the notion that Mexican food means nothing but
nachos and burritos. Also good margaritas.)
Cottonwood Cafe -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) & Back Bay
222 Berkeley St (at St James), Downtown, 247-2225
Porter Exchange Bldg, 1815 Mass Ave, 661-7440
(The most upscale and eclectic of the Southwestern places, with
creative tasty food. Good salads, pot stickers, puebla
duckling, zuni roll, desserts, esp. pecan pie. Expensive
appetizers.)
El Bandido -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
1412 Beacon St (at Summit), 730-5663
(Pleasantly decorated storefront, serving excellent homemade
Tex/Mex food. No lard! Superb Carnitas Burritos, and they have
Chicken Mole too. No liquor license.)
Fajita & 'Ritas -- Brookline Village, Downtown
48 Boylston (Rt 9), Brookline, 566-1222
(A charming kindergarten atmosphere, with the crayon on the walls
and the butcher paper tablecloths. The service is friendly and
fast, w very good fajitas (esp chicken), pretty good assorted
munchies, and good margaritas and beer. Lunch is better than
dinner, as the portions are similar and it's a bit cheaper. A
very boisterous & noisy place, but it's lots of fun.)
Iguana Cantina -- Waltham
313 Moody St (betw Crescent & Spruce), 891-3039
(Trendy, good meat dishes. Try the chicken Veracruz & the catfish)
Jose's -- Cambbridge (Alewife)
Sherman St between Harvard & Alewife
(Freshly made chips, OK food, nice people -- perhaps the best
cheap Mexican place. Good salsa w lots of cilantro. Good
fajitas & burritos. Avoid the frozen drinks) [=> menu ]
Mexican Cuisine / Forest Cafe -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
1682 Mass Ave (betw Harvard & Porter Sq), 661-1634
(Looks like a dive, but don't be put off -- excellent authentic
Mexican food very reasonably priced. Yucatan Peninsula style w an
emphasis on seafood; try the Tuna with Mole Verde or the Salsa
Mocajete con Pescado. Also excellent chicken-coriander soup.
They temper their use of spices for the delicate New England
palate, but they'll put some kick into your food if you ask. Be
prepared to spend $40- for the two of you. Entrees are in the $10
to $20 range, with most between $13 and $15.)
Picante -- Somerville (Davis Sq) & Cambridge (Central Sq)
217 Elm St, Davis Sq, 628-6394
735 Mass Ave, Central Sq, 576-6394
(Good burrito place with big wonderful burritos, and a changing 6
choice help-yourself salsa bar (though some think the salsas are
all too smoky). Also flan to die for. It's nothing fancy, but
it's good food.)
Rudy's -- Sommerville (Teele Sq)
248 Holland St (off Broadway), 623-9201
(Good cheap basic Mexican, and they have Pacifico and Catamount
beer! Not as cheap as Jose's, but more options, w quality a bit
below Armadillo or the Border Cafe. A dissenting review calls it
a a cross between Taco Bell and the Sizzler w endless psuedo-
Mexican variations on ground beef and diced tomatoes.)
Snakebites Canteen -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
Porter Exchange Bldg, 1815 Mass Ave, 661-7440
(A more casual, less expensive sidekick to the Cottonwood Cafe.
Try the baked Sonoran Chimichanga) [Possibly CLOSED]
Sol Azteca -- Brookline (St Mary's) & Newton Center
914A Beacon St, St Mary's, 262-0909
75 Union St (betw Beacon & Langley), Newton Center, 964-0920
(Good haute-Mexican food, reasonably priced, though the quality
can be somewhat variable. Try the Pork in Orange Chipotle sauce
or Adobo, the Shrimp in Cilantro sauce, and the Fish in spicy
Tomato sauce. Service can be lackadaisacal as well)
T.J.'s Taqueria -- Brookline (Washington Sq)
690 Washington St (nr Beacon), 734-8226
(Mostly takeout w small eat in area. Excellent burritos & other
authentic Mexican food, which keeps getting better. Try the
chicken & carnitas fillings as well as the soups. No liquor
license, but lots of tasty homemade Mexican candies & sweets)
Taqueria Mexico -- Waltham
139 Prospect St, off of Modoy
(The place is kind of a dive, but they serve large huge tasty
burritos w lots of onions at prices which are probably cheaper
than Taco Bell. The corn tortillas tend to be gritty & fall apart
easily, but you can ask for a flour tortilla instead. Try their
plain nachos-chips, cheese, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, onion
and jalapenos -- all for $2. Entrees run from 3.95 to about 8.95.
The large Mexican clientele is a good indicator. No liquor
license, but you can BYOB, or get the great "liquados" (banana,
made fresh is especially good). The service, however, is pretty
lackadasical -- in other words, you could be in for a long wait to
get your sodas!)
Middle Eastern Restaurants
**************************
Greek / Turkish / Israeli / Persian / Armenian
**********************************************
Algiers -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
40 Brattle St
(Although not entirely Middle Eastern (is grilled steak a Middle
Eastern dish??), the Algiers in Harvard Square has the usual
assortment of hummus, falafel, tabouli, etc and is cheap. Plus
the tiny tables jammed together, various odd people with 15 books
in front of them, and the regular erratic service. What more
could you want?)
Andros Diner [Greek Diner] -- Belmont
Trapelo Rd
(Good, high-quality food, generous portions, friendly surroundings,
casual, and inexpensive! The accent is on diner-like Greek food,
w excellent lighty-spiced gyros w a perfect yogurt cucumber sauce,
monstrous souvlaki, and very good spinach pie & loukiniko. They
also have an extensive menu of breakfast and excessively generous
sandwich items as well (very good grilled chicken sandwich w good
fries). No liquor. Open Sundays only til 1:30 pm.)
Ararat [Armenian] -- Watertown
Arlington St, betw Mt Auburn & Arsenal Mall
(An Armenian barbecue place described as a Middle Eastern version
of "Mom's Diner," which sums up its ambiance pretty well. The TV
is on all the time. You pretty much get to choose between
barbecued chicken halves, falafel, and schwarma (well, there's
more than that, but that's the general idea, anyway). The chicken
comes with a garlic sauce that (to garlic lovers) is a good reason
to go there on its own. Decent variety of beer & soda.)
Atlas Kitchen [Turkish] -- Brookline (St Mary's)
1002 Beacon St
(Quite good authentic Turkish cuisine in a pleasant spacious room,
reasonably priced, though a bit higher than most Middle Eastern
places. Excellent appetizers include the stuffed eggplant & red
lentil soup, though the grape leaves were bland, and the eggplant
spread was definitely overpriced. Tasty lamb w okra, though short
on the lamb. Excellent desserts, esp the milk "cake". Beer
available. Open til midnite weekdays.)
Boston Shawarma -- Symphony Area
Huntington St
(If you're in a hurry and don't mind being dressed better than the
restaurant, Boston Schwarma on Huntington Ave. serves up some very
tasty schwarma and other Middle Eastern sandwiches. Like Schwarma
King on the same block, but Boston Schwarma has tables whereas
Schwarma King just has a counter.)
Brookline Diner -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
9 Brookline St, 354-9473
(Small place w stylish food. Good cashew chicken salad for lunch)
Cafe Barada [Lebanese] -- Arlington
Mass Ave nr Capitol Theater
(Lebanese, uniformly good & cheap; excellent grape leaves)
Caffe Jaffa [Israeli] -- Back Bay
48 Gloucestor (between Newbury & Boylston)
(Good inexpensive Israeli/Middle Eastern food. Interesting falafel
& very good steak tips, shashlik, hummus, and eggplant dishes.
Avoid dessert)
Cafe Shiraz [Kosher Persian] -- Allston
1030 Commonwealth Ave (nr Brighton Ave), 566-8888
(Fairly tasty Persian food (as well as a diverse selection of other
stuff), but nothing spectacular if you don't keep kosher, and a
bit pricey for what you get. A spacious place that doesn't get
too busy, nice owners, unremarkable service. The Persian Wedding
Soup is different and worth trying, excellent skewers, and there's
a vegetarian platter very heavy on the garlic).
Demo's [Greek] -- Watertown Sq
64 Mt Aurburn St (Rt 16), 924-9660
(Decent cheap food, very good shish kebab -- in fact, get the
Demos special sandwich -- a lamb shishkabob with pita and a greek
salad -- enough very good food to fill you, for the extraordinary
price of $3.75. Seating for 100, split between smoking and non.
Tables for 2, 4, 6, with a good chance you'll share with people
you don't know. Stand in a line (sometimes long, but it moves
along) to order. Generally full but not crowded, noisy, child-
friendly, wheelchair accessible. Great for take-out, too.)
Kareem's -- Watertown
600 Mt Auburn St, 926-1867
(The food is superb, the ambiance a somewhat nice version of
storefront, and the prices are reasonable. It is NOT open late,
however; I believe they close around 8PM. The menu is small but
augmented by a continually changing set of specials, and tends
more to kibbeh than falafel (which are both excellent). Also
try the fine hummus, kebabs, and sauteed chicken)
Karoun [Armenian] -- Newtonville
261 Walnut St (at Washington), 964-3400
(A family run Armenian restaurant, with a friendly atmosphere and
excellent food. Most of the wait staff are family members of the
owner, and regular patrons are greeted like old friends. The best
dishes include the Dolma (a combination of stuffed grape leaves,
stuffed zucchini, and stuffed cabbage), Patlijan (a layered meat
and eggplant dish) and the various kabobs (lamb, swordfish, and
shrimp are excellent). Excellent shwarma as well. They have a
whole range of tasty Armenian appetizers and delicious baklava for
dessert, along w excellent coffee brewed in Ibriks. Very good
wine list as well. Entertainment on weekends after about 8:30 PM,
including middle eastern music and belly dancing. Inexpensive.)
Middle East -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
472 Mass Ave, 354-8238, T: Red Line @ Central Sq
(Quite good, w a great pumpkin kibby)
Mi Vami [Israeli] -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
14A Pleasant St (at Beacon), 277-0272
(Inexpensive, no ambience, but very good shish kebab [which can be
chewy on occasion], grilled chicken, greek salad, felafel &
hummus, and a wonderful smoky baba ganoush that's one of the best
I've ever had)
Nadia's Eastern Star -- South End
280 Shawmut Ave (betw Tremont & Columbia), 338-8091
Niko's [Greek] -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
187a Harvard St, 277-2999
(Small family-run Greek place with decent moderately priced food.
Pretty good avgolemono. Try the skordalia & taramosalata, spinach
pies, gyros, meatballs, grape leaves & roast lamb. Avoid the
combo platter; go for the daily special instead)
Oasis Grille [Middle Eastern] -- Somerville (Union Sq)
255 Washington St, 666-5122
Rami's Felafel [Kosher Israeli] -- Brookline (Coolidge C.), Downtown
324 Harvard St (Coolidge Corner), 738-3577
48 Winter St (Downtown), 426-9770
(Mostly a takeout place. Some think it is excellent, esp the
felafel/hummus plate, but I find the food too greasy)
Pars Cafe [Persian] -- Watertown
Washington St.
(Perhaps the best Persian food in Boston. While other Persian
restaurants have come and gone, Pars Cafe has consistently
provided authentic, rich-tasting, and mouth-watering Persian
dishes for several years, and at reasonable prices. Try the
beef & chicken kabobs and the traditional stew dishes, all served
over rice. No alcoholic beverages, but they have yogurt drinks &
persian tea as well as ice cream and other deserts. Nice and cozy
place, with traditional Persian arts and crafts decorating the
dining area along w lots of plants. Service is always cordial and
quick. About $15 for dinner; lunch specials about half that.
Open daily from 11 am - 10 pm.)
Phoenicia [Middle Eastern] -- Beacon Hill
240 Cambridge St, 523-4606
(Good solid middle-eastern food. The name was changed from Anne's
recently when it was expanded and spruced up. The food is the
same; good cheap great stuff)
Sami's -- Roslindale
4197 Washington St, Roslindale Sq, 323-2799
Shawarma King -- Symphony Area & Brookline (Coolidge Corner)
Beacon St, 2 blocks west of Harvard, Coolidge Corner
Huntington St, Symphony Area
(Very good shawarma & grape leaves -- mediocre baba & hummus. The
downtown one is takeout - counter; the Brookline one is a tad less
funky with a few tables)
Sabra [Isareli] -- Newton Center
45 Union St, 527-5641
(Quite good Israeli food; good lunch buffet. Try the dardara,
moussaka, pilaf, tabouli, hummus, shwarma & shish kebab)
Sepal -- Watertown, Somerville (Teele Sq)
555 Mt Auburn St, Watertown
235 Holland St, Teele Sq, 776-7771
(Excellent baba, falafel, hummos, plus the best falafel in Boston,
sold by the piece.)
Sindibad -- East Cambridge
145 First St (across from the Galeria), 492-2421
(Mixed reviews, but good sized portions, very reasonable prices
(mostly about $3-5 per item), and the folks who run it seem quite
nice. The place is huge, and at least at off-peak times, you
order at the counter and they bring the food to you. Lots of
vegetarian items as well as halal meat dishes.)
Skewers [Middle Eastern] -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
Mt Auburn St nr JFK
(While the reviews are mixed, many think this crowded basement dive
has reliably good and sometimes great food for great prices, with
especially noteworthy shwarma and hummos. Service is always prompt
if not elegant.)
Steve's [Greek] -- Back Bay
316 Newbury (at Hereford), 267-1817
(Excellent hummus, interesting chips, very good gyros.
Rude waitresses)
North African Restaurants
*************************
Casablanca -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
40 Brattle St, 876-0999
(Moroccan & other foods, very interesting, and pretty good,
especially for brunch or lunch. If you like spices, this is the
place to try. Their food generally is a bit hot. The appetizers
should not be missed, and are reasonably priced. The grilled
eggplant, crab cakes, and Middle Eastern platter are particularly
good. Good wine selection. Very good desserts. Nice interior, w
a warm and comfortable atmosphere. The service is a bit slow.
Weekends are very crowded.)
Tangiers Cafe [North African] -- Beacon Hill
37 Bowdoin St, 367-0273
(A small informal place with reasonable prices, but the food gets
Mixed reviews. Good middle east appetizers, plus Moroccan
entrees. Try the harina, mujadara, mashwi chicken & sokatha tea.
But the lamb dishes can vary from overly oily to watery.
[=> see review ] )
Russian Restaurants
*******************
Troika -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
1154 Mass Ave (at Arrow St), 864-7476
(A charming Russian cafe with a nice atmosphere serving good,
though simple food at very reasonable prices. Good lentil soup
& pelmeni. Several vegetarian selections. Service can be slow.)
Seafood Restaurants
*******************
[In addition to the places below, there are a number of Chinese
and Italian restaurants that specialize in seafood.]
Daily Catch -- North End, Somerville (Davis Sq), Waterfront
323 Hanover St, North End, 523-8567
261 Northern Ave, Waterfront, 338-3093
215 Elm St, Davis Sq, 623-0375
(good Sicilian seafood dishes, great place for calamari (esp
the fried stuffed calamari & calamari scampi), lobster fra
diavolo, black pasta aglio et olio (w calamari). You may have to
wait if not there early. Best calamari is in North End. Avoid
the Davis Sq location, which is reportedly awful except for the
fried calamari [=>review] )
Dolphin Seafood -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
1105 Mass Ave (betw Harvard Sq & Central Sq), 354-9332
(Good simple fresh seafood at good prices in a neighborhood
atmosphere. Many say its as good as No-Name used to be, though
some say its not that lately good and too crowded and unrelaxed.
All agree the lunch special is a good deal. Try the fish chowder,
lobster & broiled fish. Also good farm-raised catfish, esp the
Cajun-style. 100% No Smoking. A child-friendly place. Also
a fancier branch in Natick.)
Famous Atlantic Seafood Company -- Back Bay
777 Boylston St (betw Fairfield & Gloucester), 267-4000
T; Green Line, Auditorium stop
(The best food here is plain fish: broiled, grilled, fried or
baked. It's fresh and carefully prepared in the best yankee no-
frills style. Their bowl of clam chowder served in a hollowed-out
loaf of bread is an outstanding antidote to winter. Full licence.
Fair beer list, short wine list. Service is sometimes hurried but
usually competent. Saloon ambiance, oak & brass decor. High
ceilings help keep the noise level tolerable. Most entrees
$10-15.)
Fishery -- Cambridge (Central Sq)
718 Mass Ave, 868-8800
(Very good seafood. Other reviews recommend the crabcakes,
calamari w roasted garlic, briney oysters, mussels w lemongrass,
smoked alligator sausage, & hazelnut cappucino torte)
Joseph's Aquarium -- Waterfront
101 Atlantic Ave, 523-4000
(good seafood -- the specialty is cheap twin lobsters)
Legal Sea Foods -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq), Newton (Chestnut Hill),
Back Bay, Park Sq, South End
Park Plaza Hotel, 35 Columbus Ave, Park Sq, 426-4444
Statler Office Bldg, 27 Columbus Ave, 426-5566
5 Cambridge Center (Main St & Ames), Kendall Sq, 864-3400
43 Boylston St, Chestnut Hill Mall, 277-7300
Copley Place, 100 Huntington Ave (bet Dartmouth & Exeter), 266-7775
Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St, 266-6800
(Very nice fresh fish, but a long wait & somewhat overpriced.
Avoid anything fancy. e.g. cioppino. Excellent chowder, clam
chili, haibut, lobster casserole, and bananas foster. On good
days, the fried clam roll is wonderful, w tender, sweet, big-
bellied clams. Cost for two for dinner, excluding booze, should
be between $40 and $50. Lobster is very overpriced. Kendall Sq
is the best location; Chestnut Hill is the worst, especially when
it is busy -- beware of over-righteous management and small fish
portions. Natick is a good location as well. Also in Burlington
and Peabody. [=> menu ] [=> interesting long review ]
No Name -- Waterfront
15 1/2 Fish Pier off Northern Ave, 423-2705
(Mixed reviews. Many think it has gone down the tubes -- no longer
has great food, except perhaps for the seafood chowder, usually
fast but obnoxious service, reasonable prices)
Skipjack -- Brookline Village, Cambridge (Harvard Sq), Back Bay
2 Brookline Place on Boylston St, Brookline Village, 232-8887
199 Clarendon St, Back Bay, 536-3500
5 Bennett St in Charles Sq, Cambridge, 876-9900
(Consistently good, w several "lite" entrees. Service efficient
and light-hearted, pleasant atmosphere. Mostly standard fare,
except for their wonderful but spicy blackened tuna sashimi.
Good broiled bass, fried seafood platter, crab cakes, pan-fried
scallops & shark. Clam chowder has an odd flavor. Excellent
chocolate bread pudding.) [=> review ]
Turner Fisheries ($$$) -- Back Bay
Westin Hotel, 10 Huntington Ave (in Copley Place), 424-7425
(Upscale ambience and prices, but pleasant waitstaff and good
service. Best elaborate seafood dishes you could find in Boston.
Expensive, so no need to go there if all you need is just broiled
salmon or somesuch. Awesome clam chowder & bouillabaise. Also
try the poached fish w tapenade, the salmon fennel soup, and the
crab cakes. They also have an outstanding steamed dish, prepared
in a bamboo steamer, with several types of vegetables and seafood,
and 3 dipping sauces. Reservations helpful.)
Village Fish -- Brookline Village
22 Harvard St, 566-3474
(Casual atmosphere, comfortable open brick-modern, red & white
checkered tablecloth kind-of-place. The kitchen is in the open,
so you can watch your food being prepared. The waitstaff is
always very busy but always in good spirits. There's a raw bar
for "snacking" while you wait for your table, and a nice selection
of wines by the glass. The menu is written on a big chalkboard
high up on one of the brick walls. The food is quite good, and
there's lots of it. Try the excellent fresh fish, or the shrimp
or scallop marsala, which arrive in front of you in the frying pan
they were cooked in, and the lobster fra diavlo, or fried calamri.
Entrees come with pasta, with a choice of red (marinara) or white
(clam) sauce (which is excellent) and salad. No reservations, so
be prepared to wait more than an hour on weekends, and cash only.
Beer and wine license. Used to be called the Village Catch; it's
rumored the Daily Catch complained.)
Ye Olde Union Oyster House ($$$$) -- Faneuil Hall
41 Union St, 227-2750
(Wildly mixed reviews. At worst, this is an over-rated, over-
priced tourist trap serving overcooked bland food. Prices are
definitely steep, but still the place may be worth a shot,
since the crab cakes and the seafood pasta are said to be good,
and I've had excellent poached salmon there.)
Spanish & Portuguese Restaurants
********************************
Casa Portugal [Portuguese] --- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
1200 Cambridge St (at Prospect), 491-8880
(Mixed reviews. The seafood stews and salt cod dishes are good,
and the sausage & fig appetizer is delicious, as are the Vitella
Grilhada (grilled veal) [ask for extra garlic] & Porco Escallopes
[in a spicy sour onion sauce]. The House Special Shrimp is good
too. Ask for your potatoes extra-well done (less oily that way),
and hope that the soup of the day is kale soup. I may have been
there on an off night, but I thought the food was unimpressive
(starting with the bread), as have some other respondents, though
you do get lots of it. Friendly service, low prices, and a nice
selection of inexpensive Portuguese wines)
Dali [Spanish] -- Cambridge (~Porter Sq)
415 Washington St (at Kirkland/Beacon), 661-3254
(Very good tapas, and wonderful Catalan Spanish food in reasonable
sized portion. Good spanish wine selection and excellent Sangria.
A great unique fun place to go with friends or out of town guests,
though it can be noisy when it gets crowded. Can be a long wait
at peak periods, but you can get tapas at the bar. Warm, homey,
romantic, funky Dali-esque decor. Service is quick & not overly
formal service, but can be occasionally fussy. Can be pricey if
you go overboard; it can be better to get a variety of tapas and
fewer main courses. Most of the tapas are very good; try the
baked goat cheese, mussels, marinated mushrooms, chorizo & tripe w
chickpeas. Good oxtail soup. Most main courses are wonderful;
the rabbit is especially good. Some of the desserts are good as
well, esp the dessert crepe w chocolate sauce.)
Iruna [Spanish] -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
56 JFK (nr Mt Auburn), 868-5633 (not wheelchair accessible)
(Mixed, but mostly positive, reviews for a restaurant that's been
around a long time. Many people love the place, others find the
food bland. The food is not as complex as Dali's, but Iruna
serves the sort of food that people in Spain might actually eat at
home on a regular basis. Crowded, relatively plain atmosphere;
service good, friendly, fairly efficient except when the kitchen
bogs down. Somewhat short menu. Wonderful garlic soup, good
squid in ink sauce, authentic Cuban Black Bean Soup, delicious
steak w herbed butter, very good paella. Good lunch deals, about
$5-$6 for soup, salad, and a potato omlette. Outdoor seating
during the summer. They now take credit cards.)
Neighborhood Restaurant [Portuguese] -- Somerville (Union Sq)
25 Bow St, 623-9710
(Huge cheap portions of Portuguese food, very tasty, but not necc.
high quality. Try the roasted chicken, baked cod, grilled pork
casserole w clams. Large aluminum washtubs filled w arroz con
pollo. Fried Sardines in tomato sauce is a strongly flavored
treat. Very tight seating indoors, w no decor, but they open a
very pleasant wheelchair accessible terrace in summer. Also good
cheap, very large, somewhat unpredictable, breakfast specials --
pancakes with fruit, lobster omlettes, homemade bread and jam.
Unusual oatmeal on the weekends. Interesting waiters too, esp. if
you're into the 70's)
Portugalia [Portuguese] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
723 Cambridge St (at Tremont), 354-9340
(A nice clean little upgraded neighborhood restaurant, and an
excellent value. Smallish place, w nice ambiance, not overbearing
at all, soft Portuguese or Spanish music in the background.
Polite but inconsistent service, faster on weeknights, which are
not very busy. For lunch, the mussels steamed in beer is an
unbelievable value. For dinner, the piece de resistence is the
mussels in wine broth appetizer - ask for additional bread (it's
good & toasted hot) to sop up the broth. The veal entree is
tender and tasty, and the accompanying veggies are ok. The shrimp
entrees are also good, perhaps the shrimp could be a little softer
but they're decent size. The prices are moderate, and well worth
the food.)
Sunset Cafe [Portuguese] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq)
857 Cambridge St, 547-2938
(Large amounts of food, good & flavorful, though sometimes heavy on
the salt, good service, reasonably priced. Specialities include
garlic soup, roast goat, octopus stew, pork & littleneck clams,
seafood casseroles, as well as a killer paella chock full of
clams, mussels, lobsters, etc. Fun to go on Fri or Sat evening
for the fados (Portuguese torch songs) w acoustic guitar accomp.)
Steak Restaurants
*****************
Boodle's of Boston [Steaks] -- Back Bay
Back Bay Hilton, 40 Dalton St (btw Boylston & Huntington), 266-3537
(Service & food went downhill for a while, but they're better
again, and moreover, they serve about 90 different beers from
micro-breweries. Both their regular and their brewers dinners are
fine, and prices are reasonable. They have bi-weekly beer dinners
and monthly brewer's dinners that feature different beers matched
with each course, typically from one brewery which then does a
presentation. When Brooklyn Beer Company was there with their
Brooklyn Lager and Brown Ale, the main course was duck, buffalo
and pheasant that had been marinated in a sauce with the beer
before roasting and was very good.)
Capital Grille ($$$) -- Back Bay
359 Newbury St, 262-8900
(Upscale steakhouse, aged steaks almost as good as Morton's, but
this place has the more elegant atmosphere. Stick to meat,
seafood & salads)
Grill 23 ($$$) -- Back Bay
161 Berkeley St (at Stuart), 542-2255
(Steaks and other traditional food in an elegant atmosphere; a nice
place to show off or celebrate. Food has mixed reviews -- some
say food is good; others say terrible. The place is very noisy.)
Morton's of Chicago ($$$$) -- Back Bay
One Exeter Plaza on Boylston St, 266-5858
(Superb prime rib, amazing porterhouse steak, wonderful shrimp
appetizer, seafood dishes & desserts; good souffles too. Best
steak & potatoes in Boston in a high-class, steakhouse atmosphere
w prices to match. Avoid the coffee, though)
Thai Restaurants
****************
Amarin -- Newton Center
287 Centre St, Newton Center, 527-5255
(Very pretty restaurant, and excellent food, alomost as
good as Erawan. Great Pad Thai & Tom Kar Gai; the noodles and
beef at lunch are good and not served elsewhere. Service is
generally good, but there can be exceptions. They have a pretty
good tolerance for noisy kids.)
Bangkok & Tokyo Grille -- Beacon Hill
26 Charles St, 723-5939
(Thai w Japanese dishes too. Good soups, satay, green curries)
Bangkok Bistro -- Brighton (Cleveland Circle)
1952 Beacon St, 739-7270
(Good and consistent, especially good chili fish, shrimp, sate,
pad thai, and stir fries)
Bangkok City -- Symphony Area
167 Mass Ave, 266-8884
(Biggest & nicest & best of the thai restaurants nearby, & easiest
to get seated before a concert. Tell them your time constraints
and they will meet them. Very good food and surprisingly
inexpensive. Try the shrimp mermaid, garlic fish, beef jungle,
mee grob noodles. Good soups too.)
Bangkok Cuisine -- Symphony Area
177A Mass Ave (nr Berklee), 262-5377
(Some say this place is better for soups than for main dishes.
But said to have great Chicken Cashew Nut, Pad Thai & Tom Mar Gai.
The service can be rude though, and the mostly student clientele
makes for a noisy place. Recent report that it has perhaps "lost
its edge"; it is still good, but not as good as it once was -- the
duck choo-chee, in particular.)
Bangkok Flavors -- Waltham
585 Moody St, 647-4484
(good Thai food at very reasonable prices)
Bangkok House -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
50 JFK, 547-6666
(Very good food, but cramped accomodations, small portions for the
money. Fast lunch specials Mon-Sat)
Bangkok Room -- Symphony Area
329 Huntington Ave, 859-2969
(Good hot & sour shrimp soup, satay & golden bags)
Chengmai -- Newton Center
Picadilly Square
(Ok food & decor; service not so good)
Erawan of Siam -- Waltham
469 Moody St, 899-3399
(Excellent food -- as good as Amarin. Beautiful, stylized Thai
temple setting. Attentive, pleasant, friendly service. A large
place, so never a wait for a table)
Green Papaya -- Waltham
475 Winter St (at Rt 128), 487-9988
(A pleasant surprise. Don't be put off by the name and the chubby
cartoon-character pictures of happy little Thai people on the
menu; this turns out to be a serious place with some unusual
dishes not seen on other menus. Especially recommended: Oriental
Salmon, which managed to be quite spicy without killing the
delicate taste of the salmon, and Hot and Crazy Noodles, a sweet/
spicy dish using wide udon-type noodles. Service was amazingly
fast on a crowded Friday night. BYOB, but next door to Wine
Cellar of Silene)
House of Siam -- Back Bay
21 Huntington Ave (nr Exeter), 267-1755
King & I -- Beacon Hill & Back Bay
145 Charles St, Beacon Hill, 227-3320
259 Newbury St (at Fairfield), Back Bay, 437-9611
(Good sized servings of good Thai food, though some say it's not
quite as good as it used to be. One of the best Pad Thai's
around. Try the Chicken w basil, mint & chili peppers, and the
beef tar-tar (oddly named, since it is cooked). The Back Bay
location has better atmosphere, but the food in Beacon Hill is
better.)
Lemon Grass -- Lexington Center
(Wildly mixed reviews, varying from great to good to awful. I had
a horrible dinner -- they used too much fish sauce in everything!
OK Pad Thai. Wheelchair accessible.)
Montien -- Theater District
63 Stuart St (betw Tremont & Washington), 338-5600
(Very good under-patronized (and under-publicized) Thai food --
it's hard to go wrong no matter what you order. They put a lot of
emphasis on food presentation as well as taste. Service is also
good, and they can speed things up if you are rushing to the
theatre. Hot and Sour soup is very good, as are the curries, the
seafood specialties, and the Pad Thai. Prices are moderate, but
higher than other Thai restaurants in the area, but the food and
atmosphere are better.>
Rama Thai -- Allston
181 Brighton Ave (Osco Plaza), 783-2434
(cheap, large portions, well flavored, good Tom Yung Goong soup,
Pad Thai, Fish Choo Chee, Spicy & Sour salads)
Sawasdee -- Brookline Village
320 Washington St, 566-0720
(Pleasant decor; Usually very good food, elegantly presented, as
good or better than most Thai food in the area. Very good golden
bags, stuffed wings, pad thai, and veggie curry. The food can be
variable though; on a recent visit, the mussel appetizer which is
usually good was gritty and used cheap mussels; the whole tamarind
fish, usually excellent, was too vinegary, and the wait staff
didn't handle my complaints very well)
Siam Cafe -- Beacon Hill
197 Cambridge St (Charles River Plaza), 277-1431
(Good satay & spicy seafood dishes)
Siam Cuisine -- Allston
961 Commonwealth Ave (couple blocks from BU Bridge), 254-4335
(One of my favorite Thai restaurants. Very pleasant ambience
and uniformly good food. Very nice Chicken Coconut Soup and
excellent Beef Macadamia)
Siam Square -- Chinatown
86 Harrison Ave, 338-7704
(Try tod mun, chicken coconut soup, squid pik pow, vanilla tea.
Also good chow foon & steamed ginger fish. Cheap, but small
portions)
Singha House -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
1105 Mass Ave (betw Harvard Sq & Central Sq), 864-5154
(A very good value in Thai food for lunch; more expensive for
dinner. Duck dishes are very good, esp Chili Duck. Soups are
tasty and loaded with stuff (try the chicken coconut soup).
Curries are good w just the right amount of fire. Excellent
vegetarian curry and Chicken in the Garden (especially good
peanut sauce in the latter). A dissenting review notes several
interesting choices on the menu, but nothing very unusual or well
executed. Wheel chair accessible. Service is cordial and prompt.
They usually get a rush at lunch which they handle very well.)
Star of Siam -- Theater District
93 Church St (at Stuart), 451-5236
(The food here seems to be different from that of other local Thai
restaurants, more homey/rustic, but fairly good and copious.
The menu is orthogonal, you can get any main ingredient prepared
in any way (Pork Massaman or Duck Pad Thai, for instance). They
validate parking in the garage on the same block. Good service,
even when crowded before the symphony.)
Thai's -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
1 Kendall Sq, 577-8668
(Nicely prepared and flavored Thai food, though the portions are on
the small side, and the food is mild, so you may need to ask it
to be made hotter. Good beef spring roll & shrimp asparagus roll,
grilled meats w lemongrass, shrimp chee, red curries & pad thai)
Thai Cuisine -- Symphony
(Has good food and is very close to the symphony, but it's small &
hard to get into unless you arrive quite early before a show)
Thai Gourmet -- Dorchester
1155 Dorchester Ave, Savin Hill, 436-0444
Thai House -- Allston
1033 Commonwealth Ave (few blocks from BU Bridge), 787-4242
(Some think it is the best Thai restaurant in Boston;
I thought their soups were only so-so; one duck dish
was good though the sauce was just a tad off)
Thai Village -- South End
592 Tremont St, 536-6538
(Small place, very good food. Try fried sweet potato sticks,
mussel pancake, seafood salad. Good soups)
Vegetarian / Vegan / Macrobiotic Restaurants
********************************************
Buddha's Delight [Vegetarian Chinese/Vietnamese] -- Chinatown
[See under Chinese]
Country Life [7th Day Adventist Vegan] -- Downtown
High St nr Intl Place, nr expressway, 350-8625
T: Red Line @ South Station, Orange Line @ Washington / State,
Blue Line @ Aquarium
(Pretty good all-you-can-eat lunch and sunday brunch buffets
based on low-fat dairy-free vegetarian food, very innovative, w
lots of food for the price. Everyday they have different soups
and entree, and you can always get an advanced copy of the menu
for the entire month.)
Five Seasons [Macriobotic] -- Jamaica Plain
66 1/4 Centre St, 524-9016,
T: Arborway Bus (E Green Line extension) / Orange Line @ Green St
(Tasty, fresh, well prepared fish & veggie dishes. They also serve
poultry, but the focus is on vegan & macrobiotic fare. The
desserts are really good, enough to recommend the place by itself,
especially considering how low in fat and sugar they are. Go for
the mocha-hazelnut tort, it was fantastic. Large portions, too.
Pleasant service, but the place can be quite crowded. No smoking,
wheelchair accessible, very child-friendly. About $15/dinner.)
Masao's Kitchen [Vegan Macrobiotic] -- Cambridge (Porter Sq)
[see Porter Exchange Mall], 497-7348, T: Red LIne @ Porter Sq
(very good vegan macrobiotic restaurant with well-prepared food;
good adzuki bean soup, macro platters & vegan blueberry "cheese"
cake)
Milk St Cafe [Kosher] -- Brookline (Longwood), Downtown
[See under Kosher]
Shang Chai [Kosher Chinese] -- North Brookline
[See under Chinese]
Vietnamese & Cambodian Restaurants
**********************************
Ba Dat -- Chinatown
28 Harrison Ave, 426-8838
(Very good large bowls of pho. Good noodle & rice dishes too,
esp the bbq chicken w/lemongrass & shrimp w/sugarcane. A cafe
like atmosphere, and a nice place to share a long table w a bunch
of people when you're eating alone.)
Elephant Walk [French Cambodian] -- Somerville (Union Sq)
70 Union Sq, 623-9939
(Very good Cambodian and good French food. Need reservations.
Not inexpensive, but plenty of food for the price. Try the soups,
Cambodian salads, noodle appetizer, amok, and poulet phochani)
Pho Bang -- Chinatown
7 Beach St, 422-0501
(Very good food, not a very large menu -- it's mostly pho, noodle
dishes, a few rice dishes, and the usual selection of creative
beverages. Their pho is not quite as good as Pasteur's or Ba
Dat's, but the difference is slight and all three are excellent.
They also seem to use a slightly skinnier noodle. Pho with a
drink and a tip was $6.50.)
Pho Pasteur -- Allston, Chinatown
137 Brighton Ave (just east of Harvard St), Allston, 783-2340/2060
8 Kneeland St, Chinatown, 451-0247
682 Washington St, Chinatown, 482-7467
(Great salads, beef (pho) and seafood soups, very good quail
appetizer, banh xeo, Lemongrass Chicken and Shrimp in Special
Sauce; other entrees not as good. Very inexpensive, nice
ambience. Lots of unusual non-alcoholic drinks. The Allston
location is better)
Saigon -- Allston
431 Cambridge St, 254-3373
(Small low budget restaurant, good & inexpensive -- the husband
minds the tables; the wife cooks. A storefront, but the
atmosphere is quiet and relaxing. Lots of vegetarian food; the
veggie rolls are especially good. Try the lemongrass squid and
the banh xeo. Good spring rolls and tofu dishes. Oversized
soup bowls are filled with rich fragrant broths, vegetables,
chicken and seafood, and rice noodles (not to mention lemongrass)
but avoid the seafood soup. Very good Fisherman's soup, though
the portion is small. All the dishes are made on the spot and
the freshness of the ingredients is exhilarating. Their tea
contains some Jasmine and is heart-warming. Closed Sundays.)
V Majestic -- Allston
164 Brighton Ave, 782-6088
T: B Green Line @ Harvard Ave, also on the #66 & #57 bus lines
(The decor might be Food-Import-Company-Calendar Modern, some
entrees might be forgettable, but within certain categories this
place consistently shines for many people, while others (myself
included) find the food to be somewhat greasy & mediocre. Stick
to anything w Special Noodle or Caramel Sauce. The Rolling Beef &
Sea of Vietnam are very good here, too, and the Yellow Crispy
Noodle dishes and the Shrimp with Vermicelli compares favorably w
more expensive Chinatown versions. Soups are good, too, esp the
Crab Meat soup & the hot & sour soup, though better Pho can be had
elsewhere. I'd avoid the fried greasy spring rolls (though some
people think they're great) but try the excellent Vietnamese rolls
-- a little spicy, not fried, with a wonderful dipping sauce.
Also very good lemon-grass chicken and pan fried fish. A funky
place w friendly service, which is often prompt, but can get
slower when it gets crowded. This place cultivates regulars.
Amazingly cheap.)
Viet Hong -- Allston
182 Brighton Ave
T: Green B Line, Harvard Ave, also on the #66 & #57 bus lines
(Very good food, inexpensive, with very large portions. The
specialty seafood soups, such as sea moss soup and fisherman's
soup are superb. There are lots of Pho variations as well, which
are quite good, though for Pho and for Vietnamese salad,
Pho Pasteur, down the block, is still better). Most of the
entrees are very good here, including the various tofu and
vegetable dishes, caramel shrimp, ginger fish, and beef w lemon
grass. They do tend to undercook chicken and shellfish; if you
order these dishes (which are good), ask them to make sure the
main ingredient is very well cooked. The owners, who generally
wait on the tables, are very friendly, and will make you feel
welcome and taken care of. Open till 11pm most nights.)
VietFoods -- Waltham
Willow St, nr River St
(Out of the way, hole in the wall place with excellent food. No
decor to speak of, and service is slow because only 2 people work
there and only one seems to know English. But they are very nice,
and remember you after only a couple of times. Everything there
is good -- very light and not greasy. Favorites include the Fresh
Spring Rolls, Fried Wonton, Pho, Cha Chien (Vietnamese meat
patties over vermicelli) and Vietnamese iced coffee. Prices are
very cheap.)
Vietnam Restaurant -- Chinatown
38 Boylston St, 423-1665
(Oldest Vietnamese restaurant in Boston.
Great canh chua, goi cuon, bun, cari)
======================================================================
Where to Drink Beer & Cider
***************************
======================================================================
Brew Pubs
=========
Boston Beer Works -- West Fenway (near Fenway Park)
61 Brookline Ave (at Lansdowne St), 536-2337
T Green Line: Kenmore Square
(Excellent micro-brewed beer. Wide selection: well-hopped lagers,
amber ales, porters, stouts, barley wines, Weissbier, and seasonal
brews like pumpkin ale and spiced winter ale.
The food here is not incredibly extraordinary, but it's well-
prepared standard pub food, from light fare in small portions to
huge starch-laden dishes, reasonably priced for the location.
Good sweet potato fries, mako shark with raspberry marinade, and
very good burgers. Avoid the filling but bland and overcooked
pasta dishes.
Not exactly a charming place. Rather big, clean, and slightly
industrial. But interesting architecturally, and not as much
high school cafeteria feel as Cambridge Brewery.
Service is very good for a place that gets very crowded.
Expect big crowds and long waits during concert events and club
nights on Lansdowne St. Extra points to their servers -- they're
friendly folks and don't seem to get frazzled by the zooey
atmosphere. Not recommended, EVER, for an intimate occasion...
very, very highly recommended if you want a slightly noisy time
with a lot of friends. Least stuffy brewpub in Boston.
Snacks: $5-10; meal w a beer: $10-20. Wheelchair accessible.)
Cambridge Brewing Company -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
1 Kendall Sq, 494-1994
(Excellent beer, and they serve it in pitchers! The standard beers
are excellent, especially the pale ale. Special beers vary all
over the place, though they're rarely less than good, which makes
them worthwhile just for the adventure, and there have been truly
excellent brews, incl the raspberry stout. The worst thing that
can be said about the specials is that they're variable, with
flavors changing noticably from batch to batch, so if you want
consistency, go for the standards.
The food is occasionally interesting, but usually indifferently
prepared; it's been better at points in the past -- at present
it's best to avoid anything even remotely fancy.
The atmosphere is lots of red brick and a jukebox that's usually
one notch too loud -- there's not much atmosphere to speak of.
Service is extremely variable, though never positively rude.)
Commonwealth Brewery -- West End (near Boston Garden)
138 Portland St, 523-8383
(The food and the beer are somewhat similar to that of the
Cambridge Brewing Company, with some disagreement about which has
the better brews. At Commonwealth, the dark brews are
particularly recommended, especially the porter and bitter.
Go for the beer, and avoid any truly fancy food.)
John Harvard's -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
33 Dunster St, 868-3585
(Mixed reviews on the beer; some think its great, others find it
disappointing, though recently musch improved. The ales are
light-bodied, and at worst weak & bland, although the flavors that
make it through are worthwhile. The food also gets mixed reviews;
some find it imaginative and tasty, w excellent home made sausages
and great lunch specials, while others think its a ripoff, with
the presentation frequently winning out over edibility; they're
obviously trying hard to provide interesting (if often heavy)
dishes, but they might have done better working on the basics.
The steak & garlic mashed potatoes are good. Enormous desserts
heavy on the maple sugar (although the strawberry shortcake is
good), and poor coffee.)
Other Great Beer Places
=======================
Boodle's of Boston [Steaks] -- Back Bay
[see listing under Steaks]
Cornwall's -- Kenmore Sq
(The best British-style pub in the area, and it is very good indeed.
They have Woodpecker and Welsh Ale on tap, scores of other beers,
and the couple who owns it is on-site, managing really well, an
also doing a first-rate job of cooking good fish & chips, and lots
more. It draws a crowd of regulars, including lots of BU faculty
at lunchtime.)
Sunset Grille and Tap -- Allston
130 Brighton Ave nr Harvard St, 254-1331
T: B Green Line at Harvrad & Comm Ave, also #66 & 57 buses
(Best known for its unparalled selection of beers on tap (74, and
not one of them Budweiser or any of that mass-produced crap) and
in bottles -- a total of 150 beers and 5 or 6 ciders. They also
serve enormous portions of butter-heavy food that gets mixed
reviews. Very good nachos. 3 rooms, one busy and open, one
quieter, one for smokers. Mostly a 20-something crowd with a lot
of BU students. The waitstaff is young and friendly. The wait
can be tough at peak weekend times but otherwise it's pretty easy
to get a seat.)
Places that serve Hard Cider
============================
Bill's Bar Cider Jack on tap about one day in six...
Boston Beer Works Woodpecker (and others?) in bottles
Cornwalls Woodpecker on tap
Crossroads Woodpecker on tap
Plough & Stars Cider Jack on tap!
Sunset Grill & Tap Woodchuck & Woodpecker on tap; also
Merrydown, Strongbow, Cider Jack, Purpom
======================================================================
Other
*****
======================================================================
Where to have English Tea around Boston
=======================================
Ace of Cups Tea Room -- Brookline Village
Colonial Inn -- Concord Center
Four Seasons Hotel -- Boston
Montage -- Chelmsford
Ritz -- Boston
SpecialTeas -- Grafton
======================================================================
Recommended Boston Sunday Brunch Buffets
****************************************
======================================================================
[Note: this list is really incomplete. New entries very welcome!]
Blue Room [Eclectic] -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
(Sunday brunch is recommended highly -- for $15 adults, $8 kids
under 12, patrons are treated to a good combination of your
standard buffet-style brunch as well as hip out-of-the-ordinary
dishes with many unexpected items; its a cold and hot buffet of
delights that fit the Blue Room's standard philosophy of ethnic
blendo nouvelle cuisine, but without any portion control. This
means you might find apple-pineapple-guava crumble next to old-
fashioned chocolate brownies (but updated with that hint of
bitter chocolate instead of gooey sweetness) and traditional
scones (equally modern with their lacing of apricots), or pasta
salad next to maki rolls, buttermilk pancakes next to collard
greens and fried bananas, sausage and bacon next to eggs scrambled
with asparagus tips and sundried tomato. Everything works well
together, and not a thing cannot stand proudly on its own -- a
remarkable feat, I think, for a buffet. Portions of the hot food
are prepared continually in small amounts so that nothing sits
long enough to cool. A full menu of cocktails for the person who
has to wake up with a screwdriver is available, at additional
cost. To add to the whole effect, a pianist belts out a few sets
of foot-stomping ragtime New Orleans jazz from an upright they
wheel in to near the bar; if conversation is critical, don't sit
too close. Goes from 11am - 3pm, with a similar dinner buffet
that starts at 4pm.)
Country Life [7th Day Adventist Vegan] -- Downtown
(All you can eat; serve and bus tables yourself. Very impressive
lowfat selection (I asked specifically about fat content).
Included 2 soups, small salad bar, hot entree, rice, vegetable,
french toast & waffles, fresh fruit, frozen fruit drink, a fruit
tart (all this was non or low fat), "scrambled" tofu, other baked
goods & desserts. Herbal teas and juice included, other (soft)
drinks were extra. $7.95/adults, $4.50/children)
Dick's Last Resort -- Back Bay
(Sunday Gospel Brunch. Every Sunday, 10a-3p I believe. The
entertainment is a rock/jazz gospel group. Food was good,
omlette bar, waffle bar, lots of fresh fruits, breakfast and
lunch foods. Deep southern backwoods feel to the place. A
great new experience. It was about $15pp. Parking validated
for the Pru Mall Garage.)
Marriot Copley Place -- Back Bay
(Great food, about $20/head, excellent shrimp)
Meridian Hotel -- Downtown
(The Meridien hotel in Boston runs an excellent Sunday brunch,
possibly w a special "kids table". Neat way to introduce someone
to sushi (one table) too because they use only smoked salmon and
other commonly-eaten products to produce their maki rolls. Shrimp
& mussel table, crepe table, usual egg & etc. table, usual cheese
& breads table, usual salads table, a pseudo-natural breakfast
foods table, and on the hot food side, they always have salmon en
croute of some sort, as well as the usual beef, vegetable, and
potato entrees. Desserts are worth eating, too; real stuff, not
the usual over-sugared generic goop.)
Park Plaza -- Park Square
Park Plaza Hotel, 35 Columbus Ave, Park Sq, 426-4444
(Really good hotel brunch -- excellent even if seated just before
closing time. Excellent omelettes, roast beef, plus some slightly
more unusual stuff like tuna steaks in orange sauce and capellini
with sun-dried tomatoes. Good selection of dessert stuff too --
cakes, some nice fruit tarts, etc. Good quality. All of it was
fresh, well-prepared, made with the right ingredients. Service
was excellent, plates were removed and silverware was replaced
promptly but without rushing us. Basically, we never had to wait
for anything. Servers were all very pleasant, too. $18/head.)
Parker's [Traditional American] ($$$$) -- Downtown
Rowes Wharf Restaurant -- Waterfront
Boston Harbor Hotel, Atlantic Ave, 439-3995
(One of the most lavish brunches around if price is no object)
Sheraton Commander -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
($21 for very good buffet)
Spinnaker -- Cambridge (Cambridgeport)
Top of the Cambridge Hyatt Regency Hotel
575 Memorial Drive (nr BU Bridge), 492-1234
($25/person, large variety, complimentary champagne,
the whole restaurant revolves)
Top of the Hub -- Back Bay
52nd floor of the Prudential Center (Boylston/Huntington), 536-1775
(Good classical Sunday brunch. Interesting cheeses, and quite a
reasonable wine list (w Frascatti a good value). A good value
overall (about $18.00) and terrific views of Boston.)
Turner Fisheries (Seafood) -- Back Bay
(Extensive excellent seafood-focused brunch. Not cheap at $22/
head, but simply wonderful. They had just about anything you
could want in a brunch, lots of it, and the quality was excellent
-- bacon, sausage, waffles, omelettes, blackened monkfish, sole,
smoked seafood platter, clam chowder, etc.)
======================================================================
Outside of Boston
*****************
======================================================================
Cape Cod Restaurants
********************
Brewster
--------
Chillingsworth ($$$$$) (Brewster MA) -- Nouvelle French / Continental
2449 Main St (on Rt 6A), (508) 896-3640
(Very expensive, but worth it for a special occasion. Generally
considered to be the best restuarant on the cape. The food is
thoroughly excellent; never a bad meal. An excellent bet is the
prix fixe 5 or 7 course meal. The fruit souffle for dessert is
particularly recommended but needs to be ordered at the beginning
of the meal. Formal yet friendly service; graceful, efficient,
and tactful. Get reservations well in advance. They also have a
cafe, which is less espensive.) [=> review ]
High Brewster ($$$$) (Brewster MA) -- Eclectic New England
Satucket Rd (betw Airline & Stonybrook), (508) 896-3636
Bourne
------
Chart Room (Cataumet, Bourne MA) -- Traditional
On the harbor at Kingman Marina, (508) 563-5350
(Food is traditional American family-style - broiled swordfish
w/anchovy butter, baked stuffed lobster, steaks, lamb chops, etc.
but it's very good and is very inexpensive for the location.
Typical entree is ~$10, including salad, veggies, potato. Limited
inexpensive wine list and full bar. Indoor & porch dining w
beautiful sunset views of harbor, Bassett's Island, out to
Buzzard's Bay. As you might expect, the place is PACKED in the
summer time, esp. on weekends, and can be very noisy.
Entertainment on some nights (usually piano player w/bass - show
tunes, traditional jazz, etc.). Hard to get reservations, and
they're definitely advised. Open Thurs-Sat May, all days June -
Sept, Thurs-Sat October)
Cotuit
------
Regatta of Cotuit ($$$$) (Cotuit MA) -- Eclectic
4631 Falmouth Rd (Rt 28, nr Rt 130), (508) 428-5715
(Very elegant, somewhat traditional food. Very fresh, wonderfully
prepared seafood.)
Dennis
------
Swan River Restaurant and Fish Market (Dennisport MA) -- Seafood
Lower County Road, Dennisport
(Very fresh and well-prepared seafood, terrific chowder, with
plenty of non-fried items on the menu. Friendly service, and even
a view if you get the right table. Portions not the largest (not
really small, just not huge), but quality high. Never a bad meal,
and often really good ones. Informal atmosphere.)
Eastham
-------
Lobster Pool (Eastham MA) -- Seafood
Rt 6
(A good place for simple seafood. They will prepare whatever fish
they've got fresh as either poached, broiled, baked, or fried.
They do a splendid job w poached fish, especially swordfish, and
and they also do a great job on lobsters. Atmosphere is very
casual. You won't get anything fancy here but it'll be very
good.)
Falmouth
--------
Regatta of Falmouth ($$$$) (Falmouth MA) -- Eclectic
217 Clinton Ave (nr Scranton), (508) 548-5400
(Very good food -- you can't order a bad meal; everything is
exquisite. Especially good mushroom strudel appetizer and
chocolate decadence dessert. Reservations recommended.
Off-season, the service can be slow)
Mashpee
-------
Flume (Mashpee MA) -- Portuguese / Seafood
off Rt 130, nr the turnoff to Mashpee Commons
(A popular place with good seafood, though a bit overpriced.
Go for the Portuguese items on the menu, which are both
cheaper and more interesting)
Provincetown
------------
Ciro & Sal's (Provincetown MA) -- Italian
in an alley off Commercial St
(Very good Italian, many dishes with fresh seafood in them.
It's crowded, it's noisy, and it's always good. Note this is
not Sal's place, which is good, but this is better.)
Lobster Pot (Provincetown MA) -- Seafood
Commercial Street
(P-town restaurants come and go, but the Lobster Pot is always
there and always good. Still casual, and a bit busy and hectic,
but somewhat fancier than other places. Basic fresh seafood in
rather plain surroundings, with some particularly good dishes.
The Portuguese kale soup is a must as is the wonderful clam
chowder. Other good bets are soft-shell crabs, seafood skewers,
and the cold smoked appetizer plate. They also usually have a
pretty impressive dessert menu.)
Nappi's (Provincetown MA) -- Eclectic
(Interesting and innovative cuisine -- a wide variety of fresh
seafoods and some Portuguese specialties. They have such a large
menu that pretty much everyone can find something that they'll
like.... there's even a page of vegetarian things.)
Wellfleet
---------
Serena's (South Wellfleet MA) -- Italian Seafood
Route 6
(Italian family-style dining, emphasis on seafood. Good basic
stuff -- their menu has changed little over the years. Excellent
scampi, seafood/lobster fra diavolo, great garlic bread.
Preparations are not fancy but the food quality is superb. They're
used to kids, too. Very friendly folks. Casual. Entrees $10-$12.)
Yarmouth
--------
Abbicci ($$$$) (Yarmouthport MA) -- Italian
43 Main St (on Rt 6A), (508) 362-3501
North Shore Restaurants
***********************
(east of US 1)
**************
Beverly
-------
Union Grill (Beverly MA) -- Nouvelle American Grill
208 Rantoul St, (508) 927-2028
(Fresh food, of very high quality, and very imaginatively
prepared. The decor is lovely, the service is excellent, and
the wine list good.)
Danvers
-------
Flash In The Pan (Danvers MA) -- Contemporary American
181 Newbury St (betw Rts 114 & 62), (508) 774-9367
Ponte Vecchio ($$$) (Danvers MA) -- Northern Italian
435 Newbury St (nr Topsfield Fairgrounds), (508) 777-9188
Essex
-----
Tom Shea's ($$$) (Essex MA) -- Seafood
(Good food, mostly seafood, w/some meat entrees. Food done a la
Legal Seafood (traditional (i.e., baked stuffed) cajun, broiled,
fried) and there's several pasta dishes. Setting is nice - right
on Essex marshes so you can watch boats coming in from Ipswich
bay. Fairly extensive wine list, good desserts.)
Gloucester
----------
Bistro ($$$) (Gloucester MA) -- Eclectic
(Very good, with lots of Mediterranean food, including fine seafood
and grilled foods of all sorts)
Newburyport
-----------
Glenn's Galley (Newburyport MA) -- Nouvelle American Grill Eclectic
44 Merrimac St, (508) 465-3811
(Artfully prepared, tastefully presented food, servings tend to be
small. Menu varies weekly - some standards, with lots of
potential for hot (spicy) foods, and lots of specials. Great
seafood. Occasional oddities such as wild boar, antelope,
venison, etc. Get reservations on weekends.)
Grog (Newburyport MA) -- Southwestern/Traditional
13 Middle St (first left off of State St), (508) 465-8008
(1760 meets 1960. Relaxed atmosphere days -- loud R&B/Blues at
night - local artists on display. Try the Black Bean Soup or the
White Ash Blackened Steak - ouch.)
Joseph's Winter St Cafe (Newburyport MA) -- Italian/Continental
Winter St.
(Cozy up-scale room. Piano bar on weekends. Terrace in summer.
Try the roasted peppers, veal. Get reservations on weekends.)
Middle St Foods (Newburyport MA) -- Eclectic
Middle St.
(Similar to the old Black Forest in Cambridge. An excellent
selection of salads and small entrees, which vary by the day --
almost all of it very good. Take out or self serve. Best at
lunch. Good recent bets are paella and the curried vegetables
with lobster in filo. Fairly Spartan decor.)
Peabody
-------
Legal Sea Foods (Peabody MA) -- Seafood
Northshore Shopping Center, (508) 532-4500
O'Fado (Peabody MA) -- Portuguese
52 Walnut St (nr Central), (508) 531-7369
(Mixed reviews. Huge portions, but overall disappointing.)
Revere
------
Mirage (Revere MA) -- Russian
220 Lynnway, 286-3310/3359
(This is the place to come for a unique Russian dining experience.
The decor and location would make it a good candidate for
something more like a VFW post; the food is, well, very meat-and-
potatoes, but apparently genuine enough. The reason to go,
though, is to experience the Russian rock'n'roll band that
provides the live entertainment, as well as the groups of Russians
and Armenians getting as smashed as they can; if you're lucky, the
place will erupt into table dancing and raucous sing-alongs;
toast everyone's health, the health of their spouses and children,
and you'll get along just fine. Needless to say, it's the sort of
place you would best go to in the company of at least six others,
so you can raise your own hullaballoo if no else does. It's only
open on the weekends, and reservations are advised, mostly because
they do a lot of Russian parties, weddings, receptions, etc.
Oh, the Mirage also has a dress code (jackets, ties preferred,
absolutely no jeans or sneakers) and runs $20/person easy, more
depending on your alcohol consumption.)
Rowley
------
Agawam Diner (Rowley MA) -- Diner
(Food from your childhood, or from your parents childhood.
Salisbury steaks, turkey with gravy.... Good quality food, good
desserts (excellent pie), inexpensive.)
Seafood Village (Rowley MA) -- Seafood
Rt 1, about a mile N of rt 133
(Great fried seafood; one of the best on the North Shore. Nothing
fancy. Not a place for someone who is watching their fat intake.)
Salem
-----
Asahi (Salem MA) -- Japanese
21 Congress St, (508) 744-5376
(Very nice Japanese food, lovely service, pleasant decor. Good
sushi, also specializing in simmered dishes. Nice bento box
selections.)
Grapevine (Salem MA) -- Nouvelle Italian
26 Congress St, (508) 745-9335
(Very nice -- pizzas, pasta, duck dishes. One of the better
restaurants in the area.)
Red Raven (Salem MA) -- Eclectic
75 Congress St, (508) 745-8558
(Very striking decor. Food represents various international spicy
cuisines. Moderately priced.)
Saugus
------
Border Cafe (Saugus MA) -- Tex/Mex
(Like the one in Harvard Sq, but with fewer vermin and better
ambience.)
Hilltop Steak House (Saugus MA) -- Steakhouse
Rt 1 [look for the cow!], 233-7700
(A family place w long lines and very good reasonably priced steak)
Swampscott
----------
Palmer's ($$$) (Swampscott MA) -- Italian
408 Humphrey St (at Greenwood), 596-1820
Restaurants North of Boston
***************************
(east of Rt3, west of US 1)
***************************
Burlington
----------
Cafe Escadrille (Burlington MA) -- Italian/American
on 3 nr 128
(Most upscale decor and highest prices of nearby Italian
restaurants -- a big place with above average quality and prices;
not overly expensive, but not cheap. Not gourmet fare, but
solid, though the frog legs are delicious. Dissenters say that
dinners are dull with indifferent preparation (esp fish). But
this a place with a great Sunday brunch.)
Jimmy's on the Mall (Burlington MA) -- American Casual
In the Burlington Mall
(Standard American fare -- meat-chicken-seafood -- with good sized
portions of above average food at average prices; never a bad
meal, and hard to beat for the price. A large restauarnt with
plenty of seating and speedy service. Excellent Salmon w Dill
sauce & Baked Stuffed Shrimp and great desserts too, including
Mud Pie & Strawberry Shortcake. Entrees, which include potato or
rice (a nice pilaf w spinach), are generally $8-$11. Salads
~$1.45 extra.) [=> review ]
Legal Seafood (Burlington MA) -- Seafood
In the Burlington Mall
(Good food, pricey, always crowed, forget it for 6-8 people unless
you arrive after 9:00 PM or want to wait an hour. Excellent
baked stuffed lobster and the salmon is also good.)
Haverhill
---------
Hong Kong Kitchen (Haverhill MA) -- Chinese
Rt. 125, Bradford (Haverhill), 508 521-3399
(This is owned by the same people as Royal East in Cambridge, and
has the same menu; it is certainly the best Chinese outside in the
area. Best dishes: any of the daily specials (including whole
fish), Cantonese fried chicken, veal ribs, rock crab, pork and
pickle soup, pork with pickles, the chow foons, swan la chow show,
chow meins (believe it or not), the list goes on ... You can
never get a bad dish there. Prices are moderate (about $50-60
after tip for a family of three, but that includes leftovers to
take home with you). The ambience is typical for a small suburban
Chinese place, but here you go for the food.)
Lawrence
--------
Bishop's (Lawrence MA) -- Lebanese / American
(Bishop's has two types of food: American steaks, chops, and
seafood, and Middle Eastern (Lebonese) specialties. Both are very
good to excellent. The American food comes in huge portions --
lobsters start at perhaps 3 pounds, for example. Prices are
expensive, but you really do get your money's worth. The french
fries (served family style) are not to be missed, as well as the
Syrian dressing on the salad. Even though the prices are on the
high side and the atmosphere and service are very nice, dress is
informal.)
Lowell
------
Khemara (Lowell MA) -- Cambodian
(It's nothing fancy, but it's run by a very pleasant Cambodian
family, and they serve wonderful House Special Sizzling Rice Soup
and Cambodian-style fried fish, for those who like spicy dishes,
at very low prices. The smoke can get bad here at times.)
La Boniche ($$$?) (Lowell MA) -- French
110 Gorham St
(Intimate atmosphere, the courses are perfectly cooked & seasoned,
and the desserts are to die for)
Southeastern Asian Restaraunt (Lowell MA) -- Asian Eclectic
(Possibly the best food of it's type in the Boston area - really!
They have Laotian, Viet, Thai, Cambodian and Burmese food - and
are *NOT* afraid of the heat! Try the Nom Prik Ong or Pad Prik
Bai Grapow. Both are hot and good. Sticky rice is excellent,
(when they remember to wash it well enough so it doesn't have a
film of gooey starch) -- one order is plenty for two people.
Gyoza is ok, but ask them to try not to make it soggy. They now
have buffets at lunch and dinner, incl weekends, where you can eat
quite reasonably.
The worst part of the Southeast Asian is it's downtown location.
Don't forget to lock your car and arm the laser turrets :-)
The owners are an Italian Database Consultant named Joe and his
Thai wife. If the food isn't up to snuff, let Joe know. He's
techmar!joe@wang.com)
Stoneham
--------
Three Amigos Taco Shop (Stoneham MA) -- Mexican
(Pretty good. Very small, *great* chili verde, a bit of bite for a
change! Other food's just ok, but they deliver and are cheap and
give large portions.)
Wakefield
---------
Szechuan Restaurant (Wakefield Center MA) -- Chinese
across from the police station on Centre St
(Very good food, reasonable prices. The shrimp & veggie dish is
fine, and a dish called Patriarch Chicken (small sauteed pieces of
chicken over broccoli, sweetish, spicy sauce) is really good! Hot
& Sour, wonton soups are very good. Friendly, pleasant staff.
The seafood is pretty much limited to shrimp.)
Restaurants West of Boston
**************************
(as far as Worcester)
*********************
Acton
-----
David's Bistro (Acton MA) -- Eclectic
Rt 2A, (508) 263-6161
(A relatively new, and wonderful restaurant, serving very well
prepared and delicious food, and the portions are large, which is
unusual for this type of restaurant. Many of the dishes are
complex and somewhat spicy; if you want fairly simple food, this
place may not be for you. Entries worth trying include
Roasted Lamb Loin and Grilled Venison Sausage with a barley and
wild rice timbale with natural drippings ($16), Roasted Rainbow
Trout stuffed with smoked shrimp and scallops with a brown butter,
caper sauce and lemon couscous ($15), & Grilled Semi-Boneless
Duckling, soy-marinated, with lo mein noodles, and spicy peanut
sauce ($14). The menu includes vegetarian dishes as well. For
the price, quality, and portion size, this restaurant is a very
good deal.) [=> cautionary review ]
Le Lyonnaise ($$$$$) (Acton MA) -- French
on 2A, west of 2/2A rotary, past 27
(A very pleasant restaurant in a converted house w an intimate
atmosphere, and delicious excellent food. Wonderful duck w plum
sauce and Coq au Vin. Complete Table d'Hote dinners available.)
Bedford
-------
Cafe Luigi (Bedford MA) -- Italian
on 4/225 in front of Marshall's in the Purity shopping ctr
(Very good, though not very adventurous, Italian food, fairly
cheap. The Northern Italian dishes are best. Try the Chicken
Tornelli, or the nice selection of black pasta dishes.)
Great Wall (Bedford MA) -- Chinese
309B Great Road, 275-7007
in the shopping center on the west side of 4/225 before Bedford Ctr
(Not stupendous, but extremely good standard suburban Chinese food,
probably the best in the area. Serves good Suan La Sho Chow.
Good veggie dishes, as well as a very good buffet.)
Chelmsford
----------
Szechuan Chef (North Chelmsford MA) -- Chinese
6 Vinal Square on Rt 3A, (508) 251-9888
take exit 33 from the south, exit 34 from the north
(Good Chinese restaurants in the area are in very short supply,
and this is the best. Good lunch buffet with about 6 items,
including peking ravioli.)
Concord
-------
Aigo Bistro ($$$) (Concord MA) -- Mediterranean
84 Thoreau St, Concord, 371-1333
(Try the brandade, the seafood entrees, any North African food,
and the honey-lavender-thyme flan)
Chang An (Concord MA) -- Chinese
at the Concord Train Station on Sudbury Rd, across from Stop & Shop
(very good restaurant aiming for high quality ingredients and
excellent preparation, but with overly bland seasonings, even when
asking for spicy food. Very tender, perfectly cooked poultry, and
perfectly cooked, juicy tender duckling. Nice decor, but prices
are on the high side, $4 to $6 for appetizers, and $10 to $15 for
entrees.)
Framingham
----------
Thai Orchid (Framingham MA) -- Thai
Rt 9
(Good food, freshly prepared w fresh ingredients. Basil Beef a
good choice for those who prefer western tastes; Masuman Curry is
a good choice for those who like the unusual. The "Golden Bags"
appetizers are wonderful, and the grilled seafood skewers with a
sweet and sour sauce are also good.
This is a really nice Thai restaurant. The atmosphere is among
the most pleasant seen locally, with a central seating area under
a wooden platform; in this area you sit on the floor. Around that
area are standard tables and booths. Prompt pleasant service.
$10-15/person. Seats about 60. Mixed drinks available.
Wheelchair accessible. Smoke can be a problem.)
Yen's Wok (Framingham MA) -- Chinese
(Great lunch and dinner buffet Sunday through Thursday. Very good
Chinese food.)
Littleton
---------
Yangtse River (Littleton MA) -- Chinese
(Wildly mixed reviews -- from excellent to very disappointing.
A nice comfortable place w very good service -- pleasant and
quick. Those who like it think it is the only good Chinese place
in the immediate vicinity and recommend the KungPao shrimp,
chicken, or beef, the Spicy jumbo shrimp w/tomato & onion, the
crispy beef dish, and the veggie lo mein. Those who don't, find
it very dissapointing, w lousy food & service, much inferior to
the Lexington branch. Open daily till ~9:30)
Marlborough
-----------
Tom's Seabreeze (Marlborough MA) -- Seafood
on Rt 20
(Not a fancy place, but the fried clams and scallops are impeccably
fresh, the breading light and not greasy. You order at the
counter and they bring the food out to you. Highly recommended!)
Maynard
-------
Grappa (Maynard MA) -- Italian
on Rt 62
(An unassuming place that serves unique inspired Italian dishes at
moderate prices -- a very enjoyable place to eat. Try Eggplant
Napolean, Spit-roasted chicken, and Veal scallopine in vanilla
infused lobster sauce. Reservations recommended, especially on
weekends)
Little Pusan (Maynard MA) -- Korean
83 Main St, (508) 897-5107
(Small family place -- she's Korean and cooks, he's American and
serves. Food is quite good (a lot of it is spicy), with several
complimentary appetizers. Portions are fairly generous too, esp.
for the appetizers. The Korean-style futomaki and the noodle
appetizer are especially good. Entrees are very good as well,
esp a steamed layered big bowl of meat and vegetables that seemed
to be a specialty. No liquor license but you can bring your own.
Only seats 25, so you might want to avoid on weekends (they really
can't handle a crowd); weekdays usually uncrowded. When not
crowded, the owner is very good w special requests also.
Very reasonable prices for the amount of food -- $30 feeds 2
adults and 1 child very well.)
Quarterdeck (Maynard MA) -- Seafood
on Rt 62
(Excellent, and known for its very fresh seafood, reasonably
priced. Casual. Reservations recommended, especially on weekends)
Thai Chili (Maynard MA) -- Thai
(Really good food, and best Thai in the area. The spicy dishes are
authentic -- really spicy and flavorful)
Natick
------
Dolphin Seafood Too (Natick Centre MA) -- Seafood
on South St, opposite the train station
(Fancier version of the Cambridge restaurant. More spacious, full
bar, fish market, similar low prices. Closed Sunday. There can
be a long wait on weekend nights. But even after an hour wait the
food, atmosphere and service are great. The swordfish special
dinner for $10.75, is very reasonable and tasty. The children's
menu offered "fish sticks" which are actually haddock pieces.
Also on the children's menu are shrimp, and other choices all for
$3.95.)
Legal Seafood (Natick MA) -- Seafood
(Excellent fish chowder. Overpriced fish and lobster. Long waits
on weekend nights.)
Sherborn
--------
Sherborn Inn ($$$) (Sherborn MA) -- Traditional
33 Main St (Rt 27 nr Rt 16), (508) 655-9521
(Very upscale, elegant, pricey. Superb menu and wine list. Many
dishes are quite good, including the veal chops, crab cakes &
shepherd's pie, but others fall short of the mark, incl the salad
w roasted mushrooms, and the cheese tortolini with grilled chicken
and pesto. Service is spectacular, though for the price, more
attention should be given to the details of presentation. Also
does a good job with small group functions)
Southboro
---------
Ipanema (Southboro MA) -- Brazillian
Off Rt 85 south of Rt 9, (508) 460-6144
(Very authentic Brazilian food, casual atmosphere. Reasonably
priced, enormous portions. Offers all you can eat marinated/
grilled meats, served right off the skewers by the chef who
wanders through the dining area. Servers are helpful with
suggestions if you are unfamiliar with the food - will also tell
you if they think you have ordered too much !! Offers live
Brazilian music and dancing on weekend. Definitely worth the
trip.)
Sudbury
-------
Lotus Blossom (Sudbury MA) -- Chinese
Rt 20
(Run by the same people that run the Lotus Flower in Framingham, but
the interior and atmosphere are much nicer -- very tasteful
(un-chinese-restaurant-like) decor. The food is both prepared and
presented well, with some of the best Chinese food outside of
Chinatown. Good mu-shi, vegetarian dumplings, with some steamed
entrees and brown rice available for healthier choices. Good
shang-hai panfried noodles and their peking duck is ok too (but not
served with pancakes unless you ask for them). Sometimes they have
unusual specials like chicken w/champagne sauce, which are good.
Prices are moderate to a bit high, but worth it. They also do
impressive special banquets w VERY good food and service. Always
jam packed on Saturday nights - wall to wall people waiting to be
seated.)
Wellesley
---------
Amarin II (Wellesley MA) -- Thai
27 Grove St (at Spring St), Wellesley, 239-1350
(Very pretty restaurant, and excellent food, almost as
good as Erawan. Great Pad Thai & Tom Kar Gai; the noodles and
beef at lunch are good and not served elsewhere. Service is
generally good, but there can be exceptions. They have a pretty
good tolerance for noisy kids.)
Captain Marden's Takeaway (Wellesley MA) -- Seafood
Linden St
(good seafood, cheap prices. Avoid the broiled food; get
the fried stuff. Get the seafood rather than the clam chowder)
Weston
------
Cafe 456 (Weston MA) -- Eclectic
(By day, it is a sub shop / pizza joint featuring very good
sandwiches (good roast beef w boursin cheese, and chicken salad w
fresh tarragon & grapes). In the evenings (they used to do this
every night, but they scaled back recently to just Friday and
Saturday nights), they transform into a gourmet restaurant w
excellent food creatively prepared from fresh ingredients and
elegantly presented. The place has a certain charm to it with the
combination of fine food in a (very) casual setting (you won't
likely ever see any two pieces of silverware at a table that
match). The place is decorated with artwork which changes every
few weeks. Very good beef tenderloin and chicken risotto,
wonderful hearty lentil/tomato soup; desserts were fantastic. A
very pleasent dining experience. Not a cheap one, mind you, but
satisfying.)
Worcester
---------
Thai Orchid (Worcester MA) -- Thai
(Moderate prices, pretty good lunch & dinner buffets, though better
choices off the regular menu. The sesame beef appetizer w
coriander and fried crispy is really excellent. Service is good,
as long as you don't go on a night with a popular Centrum event.)
Restaurants South of Boston
***************************
(east of US 1)
**************
Abington
--------
Vin & Eddie's ($$$) (Abington MA) -- Northern Italian
1400 Bedford St (Rt 18 betw Rts 58 & 139), 871-1469
Braintree
---------
El Serape (Braintree MA) -- Mexican
5 Commercial St, Weymouth Landing, 843-8005
Dartmouth
---------
La Rivage ($$$) (Dartmouth MA) -- Classic French
7 Water St, (508) 999-4505
Hingham
-------
Navona ($$$) (Hingham MA) -- Italian-French-American
415 Whiting St (nr Rt 3), 337-0757
Hull
----
Sapporito ($$$) (Hull MA) -- Northern Nouvelle Country Italian
11 Rockland Circle (nr Nantucket Ave), 925-3023
(Inventive delicious food in a homey trattoria atmosphere.
Terrific food; everything is superb. Well worth the drive.)
Randolph
--------
Caffe Bella (Randolph MA) -- Italian
19 Warren St (Rt 139 E), 961-7729
Southeastern New Hampshire Restaurants
**************************************
(bounded by Nashua, Manchester, Dover)
**************************************
Newicks (NH Chain) -- Seafood
(Delicious seafood. Gigantic nightly specials. Giant fried
seafood platters, and the broiled stuff's ok too. They all have
*slightly* different names, but all the names contain "Newick's."
Ambience? Open, casual, friendly -- like a big, indoor picnic.
Cheap. Good. Fun. Avoid the fast food versions in malls though!)
Shorty's Mexican Roadhouse (NH Chain) -- Tex/Mex
(Much better than passable, even to those who have sampled what
California and Texas have to offer. Good mexican food with a
good atmosphere and good beer selection.)
Lyme
----
D'Artagnan ($$$$) (Lyme NH) -- Nouvelle French
13 Dartmouth College Hwy (Rt 10), (603) 795-2137
(very pretty country inn sort of restaurant. They serve the
freshest of ingredients -- which is quite a feat in the middle of
winter in northern NH -- in tasty and interesting ways.)
Nashua
------
Cafe Mardi Gras (Nashua NH) -- Cajun/Creole
(Nice cafe style restaurant w inexpensive tasty food, though
small portions (at least for lunch). Lots of alligator on the
menu.)
Chili's (Nashua NH) -- Southwestern
DW Highway, across from Pheasant Lane Mall
(Noisy, friendly, busy place w southwestern decor, and well-
prepared southwestern style food. Good chicken fajitas. The
best appetizer is the awsome blossom (fried onion with horseradish
sauce) although the quesadillas are good also. They also have
good salads and burgers. Sam Adams and lots of soft drinks
available w free refills. Short wait, very good service.
Most things on the menu are between $6-10. Very child-friendly;
the waiting area has children's books!)
Coyote Cafe (Nashua NH) -- Southwestern
Main St, (603) 883-1610
(Recently opened, so the waitstaff is still undertrained, but the
food is excellent. A bit less creative than Cottonwood Cafe, but
still very tasty and a better value. Try the Hopi Pan Bread
appetizer, the Smokehouse Saute, and the Grilled Scallops (with
pumpkinseed pesto), as well as the almond flan.)
Giant of Siam (Nashua NH) -- Thai
(One of the best around... great food, good service, classy
presentation/surroundings, reasonable prices. Still others
think it has gone downhill since it first opened.)
Indian Village (Nashua NH) -- Indian
(Still the best Indian food in the area, and an excellent lunch
buffet, authentically prepared and spiced. Lunch buffet: $6;
dinners: around $10-12. 100% Non-smoking)
Osaka Tea Garden (Nashua NH) -- Japanese
(Very good sushi along with other Japanese food)
Ya Mamma's (Nashua NH) -- Northern Italian
Canal St
(Very good to excellent Northern Italian food; especially good
seafood, and the fra diavolo, sun-dried tomato butter, and
pesto sauces. A bit on the expensive side; entrees are $12-15.
Ugly neighborhood)
Portsmouth
----------
Blue Strawbery ($$$$) (Portsmouth NH) -- Nouvelle American
39 Ceres St (off Bow St), (603) 431-6420
(Wonderful prix fixe dinners using unusual combinations of
ingredients)
Strawberry Court: Restaurant Francais ($$$) (Portsmouth NH) -- French
20 Atkinson St (betw State & Court), (603) 431-7722
Salem
-----
Metastasis (Salem NH) -- Eclectic
(603) 890-3362. Take I-93 to NH Exit 2. Head east. It's on the
right side of the road about 1/4 mile after you cross Rt. 28.
(Cuisine is an unsual combination of Portuguese, Italian, French,
Californian. Double Diamond & Sam Adams on tap. A wonderful
place & well worth a trip. If you're thinking of a Friday or
Saturday night, better call for reservations.
Southwestern Coastal Maine Restaurants
**************************************
Cape Neddick
------------
Cape Neddick Inn ($$$) (Cape Neddick ME) -- Nouvelle American
At Rts 1 & 1A, (207) 363-2899
Freeport
--------
Maine Dining Room ($$$$) (Freeport ME) -- Nouvelle American
Harakeeset Inn, 162 Main St, (207) 865-9377
Ogunquit
--------
Arrows ($$$$) (Ogunquit ME) -- Nouvelle American
Berwick St, (207) 361-1100
Portland
--------
Alberta's Cafe (Portland ME) -- Eclectic
21 Pleasant St (betw Danforth & Foke), (207) 774-0016
Newicks (Portland ME) -- Seafood
(see NH Chain writeup)
Rhode Island Restaurants
************************
Newport
-------
Le Petit Auberge ($$$$) (Newport RI) -- Country French
19 Charles St (betw Washington Sq & Marlboro), (401) 849-6669
Newport Grill ($$$) (Newport RI) -- Italian
1 Broadway (Washington Sq), (401) 847-8353
White Horse Tavern ($$$$) (Newport RI) -- Eclectic New England
Marlborough & Farewell Sts, (401) 849-3600
(Beautifully maintained/restored Colonial setting, friendly but
very professional service, excellent food, good (and not overly
price-inflated) wine list.)
Providence
----------
Al Forno (Providence RI) -- Nouvelle Italian
577 S Main St (behind Corliss Landing), (401) 273-9760
(Creative Italian Like Olive's in Boston (Charlestown), but better
& more refined. Lots of grilled items, excellent pizzas, a fine
apple tart, nice wine list, fairly expensive. Large portions.
Attention to small details. Eat slowly to savor the taste. Some
might find the atmosphere stuffy or the waits too long
(occasionally 2 hrs, though rarely); if so, try Lucky's, a
more casual room in the bldg w the same kitchen [272-7980].)
Blue Point Rrestaurant & Oyster Bar ($$$) (Providence RI) -- Seafood
99 N Main St (at Elizabeth), (401) 272-6145
(Cozy well-worn blue-blood room. Fantastic, and always
interestingly prepared seafood. Wine Spectator award-winning wine
list. This serious fish restaurant is not for the baked-stuffed-
haddock crowd. There's a focus on regional fishes such as trout,
shad, pollock, flounder, salmon and of course, shellfish. Try the
shad with roe, spiced in earthly realism. The menu changes weekly
with daily specials and some house standards - such as oysters/
mussels which are recommended. Casual, but not inexpensive.)
La Fogata (Providence RI) -- Mexican
East Avenue, about 3 miles from Brown University
(Has the best Mexican food in RI (perhaps the best anywhere). The
chef spent much time in Mexico, and the food reflects that. The
chef was also on the new cable tv food channel demonstrating her
dish "Camarones rellenos" (wood grilled shrimp dipped in chipotle
sauce stuffed with goat cheese and baked in verde sauce.) You'll
find tacos and burritos here, but there is much more interesting
fare that you won't find at the "chain" Mexican restaurants.
Everything is wood grilled, most entrees come with wood-grilled
vegetables. Try the chile rellenos con pollo (fresh roasted
poblano pepper stuffed with chicken that's been grilled with
chipotle orange sauce, then topped with chile con queso and
baked) and beef fajitas that are *hot*. Prices are reasonable:
$7.95 to $13.95 for an entree. It's not high on atmosphere
(very casual), but the food is excellent. No liquor license, but
you can bring your own and they'll supply glasses and corkscrew,
opener, etc. They don't take credit cards, but will take a
personal check if you're relatively local (and maybe if you're
not, check first). Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through
Saturday. (Great salsa, too!). It's worth the trip.
L'Epicurea (Providence RI) -- Italian
Federal Hill (the Atwells Ave. area)
(The menu is limited to only about 20 things, but the food is very
good and the atmosphere and presentation are also done very
nicely. The restaurant is sparkling new; they've renovated their
older, much smaller restaurant. Excellent Lobster Ravioli,
Pecorino Seafood (penne pasta w shrimp & scallops), and focaccia.
The portions are about average in size and the price is a little
up there for a-la-carte meals but the food is outstanding.)
New Rivers (Providence RI) -- Eclectic
7 Steeple St, (401) 751-0350
(Another winner in the interesting, novel dishes category. Fresh
ingredients, interesting herbs. Nice atmosphere, small,
reasonable prices)
Pot Au Feu ($$$) (Providence RI) -- French
44 Custom House St (at Weybosset), (401) 273-8953
(Great creme brulle at Pot Au Feu in Providence. They have an
upstairs which is expensive and posh (jackets required), but
downstairs is casual, with both inexpensive soups/salads/quiches,
etc. and more expensive entrees ($15-20). But, the creme brulee
is amazing!)
Toscano's ($$$) (Providence RI) -- Italian
265 Atwells Ave (DePasquale Plaza), (401) 274--8820
======================================================================
Changes Since Last Month
************************
======================================================================
Changes since May 1994
======================
The list of restaurants to avoid has been merged in with the other
Boston restaurants not on the recommended list (and distribured
separately).
New Entries
-----------
Agawam Diner (Rowley MA) -- Diner
Andros Diner [Greek Diner] -- Belmont
Bay Tower Room [Continental/French] ($$$$) -- Faneuil Hall Area
Big Burrito [Tex/Mex] -- Allston
Bluestone Bistro [Italian / Pizza] -- Waltham
Butchie's [Bbq/Creole] -- South End
Cafe Mardi Gras (Nashua NH) -- Cajun/Creole
Center Street Cafe [Cafe] -- Jamaica Plain
Chang An (Concord MA) -- Chinese
Chili's (Nashua NH) -- Southwestern
Giacomo's [Italian Seafood] -- South End
Jimmy's on the Mall (Burlington MA) -- American Casual
Legal Sea Foods [Seafood] -- Prudential
Legal Sea Foods (Peabody MA) -- Seafood
Little Pusan (Maynard MA) -- Korean
Lotus Blossom (Sudbury MA) -- Chinese
Newicks (NH Chain) -- Seafood
Sadie's [Bbq] -- Waltham (Moody St)
Seafood Village (Rowley MA) -- Seafood
Thai Chili (Maynard MA) -- Thai
Trattoria Pulcinella ($$$) [Northern Italian] -- West Cambridge
Vinny Testa's [Italian] -- Newton Four Corners
Wild Ginger Bistro [Asian/French] -- Back Bay
Yen's Wok (Framingham MA) -- Chinese
Updated Reviews
---------------
Asmara -- Ethiopian
Bangkok City [Thai] -- Symphony Area
Bella Vista [Italian] -- North End
Bernard's [Chinese] -- Chestnut Hill
Biggs Restaurant [Jamaican] -- Kendall Sq
Boca Grande [Mexican]
Chillingsworth ($$$$$) (Brewster MA) -- Nouvelle French / Continental
David's Bistro (Acton MA) -- Eclectic
Dixie Kitchen [Cajun] -- Symphony Area
Eastern Pier Seafood -- Chinese Seafood
Genghis Khan [Chinese / Mongolian] -- Newtonville
Glenn's Galley (Newburyport MA) -- Nouvelle American Grill Eclectic
Great Wall (Bedford MA) -- Chinese
Hamersley's Bistro ($$$$) [Eclectic] -- South End
House of Blues [American Casual] -- Harvard Sq
Indian Cafe [Indian] -- Washington Sq
Ipanema (Southboro MA) -- Brazillian
Johnny D's (Davis Sq) -- American Casual
Joyce Chen [Chinese]
Karoun [Armenian] -- Newtonville
L'Epicurea (Providence RI) -- Italian
Mama Julia [Colombian / Salvadoran] -- East Boston
Massimino's [Italian] -- North End
Middle St Foods (Newburyport MA) -- Eclectic
Noelle [Eclectic] -- Porter Sq
Ocean Wealth [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown
Olive's ($$$) [Nouvelle Northern Italian] -- Charlestown
Pu-Pu Hot Pot -- Chinese w Dim Sum
Sally Ling's [Chinese] -- Waterfront
Sherborn Inn ($$$) (Sherborn MA) -- Traditional
Shorty's Mexican Roadhouse (NH Chain) -- Tex/Mex
Skipjack [Seafood]
Sonsie -- Back Bay
Szechuan Chef (North Chelmsford MA) -- Chinese
Taqueria Mexico [Mexican] -- Waltham (Moody St)
Top of the Hub [BRUNCH] -- Back Bay
Troika -- Russian
Turner Fisheries ($$$) [Seafood] -- Back Bay
Union Sq Bistro [Eclectic] -- Union Sq
V Majestic -- Vietnamese
Viet Hong [Vietnamese] -- Allston
White Horse Tavern ($$$$) (Newport RI) -- Eclectic New England
Removed Entries
---------------
Bay Tower Room [BRUNCH only] -- Downtown
[still open, but no longer open for Sunday Brunch]
Daily Catch [Seafood] -- North Brookline
[has not been open for quite a while]
Goemon [Japanese Noodle] -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq)
[they will be opening on Commonwealth Ave up by BU and in the
Harvard Square area]
Haim's Deli -- Kosher Deli
[No longer Kosher; the same people run the place now as
Washington Sq Deli]