Weekend in Portsmouth

Rolfe and I spent a long weekend at Wentworth by the Sea in New Hampshire. We got to explore the Portsmouth area and eat at a few really great places.
Friday night -- Jumping Jays Fish Cafe http://www.jumpinjays.com/menu.htm
Great bar, bartender and the best seafood we've had in a long time. We started with raw bar staples (shrimp cocktail and local oysters). They were fresh and delicious. The bar specializes in some pretty interesting concoctions. Rolfe had a dirty martini that was made with peperoncini and jalapeno juice. Very interesting. We will try to replicate this home. We had a appetizer of soft shell crab that was also a little different in presentation and preparation. This was excellent. For main courses I got local grilled Yellow fin on Caesar and Rolfe got 'diver' scallops with lobster volute sauce. Both were fantastic!! The fish was fresh and cooked perfectly with great attention to detail for sauces and sides. This restaurant gives high end seafood places in Boston a run for the money. I will drive up anytime for a meal here.
Saturday night -- The Green Monkey http://thegreenmonkey.net/menu.php
This restaurant was another great find in this town. There seems to be so many wonderful places to hang out and eat. Another place that I would like to make a return visit. We started with pork won-tons and 'grilled' romaine salad. I would say they have an Asian tilt to their menu but the salad was delicious and I just loved how the romaine wilted into the light drizzle of Caesar dressing. We both went with beef options. I got the fillet with an espresso and Chile rub and he got a rib-eye. I am not sure which starch side I liked better (both were really good). Mine came with a Gorgonzola like Au gratin and Rolfe's came with a Vermont cheddar croquette. We tried a Spanish Tempranillo that went perfectly with our dinner. They have a small but interesting wine list.
Best Breakfast in the area -
Shout out to the 'Golden Egg'. (is that just the best name for a breakfast joint?) This was just on 1A around the corner from the main road to New Castle and on the way to Portsmouth. We ate large and Delicious breakfasts Sat and Sun morning that included omelettes, muffins, blueberry pancakes, eggs Benedict etc. Great little spot that the locals seem to flock to as well as the 'vacationers'. Since I suffered with the 'charbucks' coffee at the hotel, the smooth and Delicious coffee here was a welcome respite.
Dessert? - yes we indulged on Saturday night http://www.popoversonthesquare.com/index.html
A great little coffee, cafe and dessert place right on the corner downtown called PopOver (guess what they feature). This is a comfortable spot to hang out and eat or just have a sweet or just some great coffee, espresso etc. I got the 1/2 portion of a the popover sunday. I saw the full portion go by and it was enought for 4 people. It was full of vanilla ice cream, cinnamon sugar nuts, banana slices, hot fudge and caramel sauce (oh yah - whipped cream too!) We also indulged in a piece of chocolate cream pie. That was good, but if you go, definitely get something in the popover.

Best Margaritas - The 'list'

So I am putting my 'diet' margarita at the top of the list. I call it diet because I make the 'mix' out of low sugar ingredients. I pull together - fresh lemon juice, fresh lime juice, 'light' limeade (from Minute Maid), light lemonade (from Minute Maid) and fresh OJ. I mix and add until I have the just the right flavor of sweet and sour. I have two margarita versions that are my favorite right now. The first is the basic Hornitos. I plop a few cubes in a glass, squeeze some lime (you never have enough lime) - pour in a good amount of Hornitos (Sauza), some Cointreau and then splash the home made mix. Just wonderful - and potent. So next my antioxidant version....in a blender add frozen blueberries, Sauza Gold, Bluesberry(schnapps), the homemade mix, a splash of pomegranate - blueberry juice and crushed ice. Whirl to frozen alcoholic bliss.

Now on to my list of other top margaritas-
1) The Border (Harvard, Saugus and now Burlington)
2) Margaritas (Waltham and Revere)
3) McCormack & Schmick (they squeeze everything fresh and add a sugar cube)
4) Cottonwood Cafe (haven't been there in a while, but remember them as being EXCELLENT)
5) Agave(Newburyport) - been there once, but those margaritas impressed me.

Stay tuned for Part II where we'll do the next 5 on the list.

Pre-RedSox Nosh - The 'Bleacher Bar'

What better place to hang out before a Redsox game then under the center field bleachers. There is a new bar/dining place that you can access from Landsdown St. You don't need a ticket and there is no access to the park. There is a large garage door/window that looks on to center field. Pretty cool - you can watch batting practice and other activity. I understand they close the window when the game starts. (they don't want us watching the game for free I suppose)
They have a full bar and pretty decent beer on tap and bottle. The food is simple - think deli. Lots of sandwich options, roast beef, pastrami, corned beef etc. They have the requisite sliders and fries. They don't have any appetizer options. It was a night I was going to be 'bad' and would indulge in Nachos only they don't have them. I settled on roast beef on rye - which I had to send back because they put mayo on it. What?!? Who does that? The second sandwich was pretty good. Susan got the salad with grilled chickie. They gave a good size salad and to my surprise a good amount of well seasoned chicken breast. Definitely will try that next time. Anyway... it is a novelty but I would go back.

Enjoying Kenmore Sq. while the Red Sox are Away - Eastern Standard

After a full day at the spa with Margaret (massage, Turkish scrub, facial, mani, pedi and make-up) we met the 'husbands' at Eastern Standard.

For those of that are old enough and remember the dump rat-hole (bastion of punk rock) Rathskeller..... this place is in the old site. Nothing like it - it is attached to the Hotel Commonwealth. Really nice - decor. Feel like I am in NOLA.

Great cocktails to start with. I got something called a strawberry cobbler - oh my! with infused vodka and mint - just delicious. They also offered a 'cocktail flight'. They bar staff is very accommodating. On to the food....
We started with some great apps - soft shell crab corn dog style, oysters, salad nicoise- all wonderful. I got the sage roasted chicken and Rolfe got au poivre pork tenderloin. Carmen got a sinfully rich pasta dish and Margaret got the seared Bass. This is a great place to hang out and and have creative and inspired food and cocktails. There is a lot of patio seating as well. Too bad it is a mob scene on baseball nights. Oh well. Good thing the Red Sox travel a lot.
http://www.easternstandardboston.com/ES_viewer.html

Tresca - Dinner Party Part II

Had a second dinner party with work in the same week. We went to Tresca in the North End. This is a 'new' style Italian - that focuses on Tuscan food. They have great home made pastas, meats (grilled) and seafood. I was in a rush to run to a Celtics game so I didn't really 'dine', I ate dinner quickly. We shared antipasti and cheese - that was just right. The bread baskets have really great breads, crackers and crostini. I ate a LOT of this. I tried the Fillet and it was a good piece, perfectly cooked and seasoned. We ordered a side of polenta that was fantastic. It had real corn mixed in and I will steal this idea the next time I make it. Nice touch. I am hoping that anyone that attended will post comments to this as I can't speak for them since I ran out early to catch the game and missed a lot of the dinner experience as well as dessert.

Having Tom harass the hostess (Ray Bourque's daughter) was also a nice touch to the evening.

http://www.trescanorthend.com/about.htm

Neptune Oyster - North End Seafood

We finally tried Neptune Oyster in the North End before recent Celtics playoff game. They may not have a full website yet, but they do have a full list of oysters, clam and general raw bar treats. Their daily list may change, but they offer a lot of different oysters, etc from various parts of the country. I like cold North East oysters and I had a lot to choose from. We started with Wellfleet and sampled a few others from New England. They were clean, crisp and delicious. We added shrimp cocktail and Florida Stone Crab claws - Yum! The place is tiny but comfortable if you sit at the bar. They also promote local beer and wine so I was happy they had Westport Rivers available (great wine and sparkling from Massachusetts south coast). We did dinner. I had Sturgeon (never tried it before) and Rofle got Cioppino). Food was well presented, seasoned and extremely fresh. I can't wait to return. This is a great alternative to Italian when strolling around Haymarket or Salem Street.

Avila - dinner party !

I planned a work dinner party for 11 last night at Avila. We were NOT disappointed. The cocktails, wine and food were great. I got the crispy whole Bass. It came on it's stomach and stuffed from the top. It was an interesting presentation and absolutely delicious. Everyone else seemed to like their food - from fillet Mignon to paella to veal chop. The apps and sides were tasty. (I especially liked the 'richness' of the truffle mac-n-cheese and the yucca fries). Even the simple roasted beets were earthy and caramelized perfectly.
We sampled several reds and whites - all good. My favorite was one of the Chardonnays (I forget the name)
http://www.avilarestaurant.com/

This is one of the Steve DeFillipo places. It is as consistent and expensive as it's neighbor, Davio's.

P.F Chang's - Chain Asian Adventure

Usually we do a movie then dinner so we deal with less crowds at the theater. This time we did dinner (actually, drinks, then dinner) then the movie. We went out with Dave and Jenny and both couples had PF Chang's gift cards. We used ours up (plus another 20) at the bar before meeting up with Dave and Jenny. Rolfe notes that they make a really strong and tasty Orange Margarita. I had wine - nothing special but it was good. So we had the perfunctory lettuce wraps. They were a lot better than the last time I came here. I also got the seared Ahi tuna. Dave and Jenny tried it and they don't like fish. They liked this and it was raw. We split the candy beef (Mongolian Beef), the candy chicken (lemon chicken) and a special of candy sirloin (sliced sirloin in a 'special Asian marinade'). Everything here is made with tons of sugar and tons of salt. Makes everything taste like salty candy. So you eat it, feel guilty and feel like crap the next morning. My eyes were puffy and my rings were tight. Oh well, I can't be good all the time. I do eat junk on occasion. 2 hours at the gym ha ha.
Oh by the way... we went to see Ironman - that was excellent and I highly recommend it.

Girls go (semi) wild at No 9 and B&G

Well, not wild in the least. I had a nice afternoon and evening (Rolfe had a boy's poker night) last Saturday with Margaret. After the mani-pedi thing at Emerge on Newbury, we walked the VERY crowded streets waiting for our nails to dry. Did you know that the Wine Cellar on Boylston St. has wine tastings every Saturday afternoon? They had at least 10 different bottles. This is a good take while killing time waiting for No 9 Park to open for cocktails at 5:00 PM.
So - go see the 'mixologists' at No 9. They will take really good care of you. I had something made with Elderflower liquor. This seems to be hot ingredient in new cocktails. We had 8:00 reservations at B&G Oysters over the other side of town and left early so we would be able to walk over without falling. I figured Margaret's VIP status with the Barbara Lynch group would get us a seating before 8. Yup, I was right. Two prime seats at the bar. We had a wonderful mix of Northeast oysters. My choice over the Pacific ones. My favorite, Wellfleet, were included in the mix. We shared an appetizer of squid with beans and red pepper and lemon. Just to die for. As we were deciding to split a baked stuffed lobster, Barbara ('chefing' there that night) sent over two pots of melted cheese with morels (oh my - my diet is shot! How do bypass melted cheese) We ate up and order the lobster. It came with a gooey, fattening side of fancy mac-n-cheese. We sampled that and decided better to bring that home to Carmen since our splurge with the fondata type tasty that Barbara sent over. Oh - ya - we split a bottle of white (forget the grape)
So much for a light night of champers and seafood. I did double duty at the gym the next day.
Two great places to dine and imbibe.

http://www.bandgoysters.com/index.php
http://www.no9park.com/index.php

Bonfire - Time to go back

Sorry - I've been distracted a while and haven't had time to keep you posted. A few weeks ago, we were walking around the theater district after a movie and decided to hit Bonfire at the Park Plaza to hang at the bar, watch the Sox, imbibe and snack. (BTW - there was a Scientology protest going on in the Common - if anyone knows what THAT was all about please comment) They make STRONG Margaritas using top shelf Herradura and homemade (not sweet) lime mix. They have an awesome deal for mini-gourmet tacos at the bar. Normally you get 3 for the price but during this time and only at the bar you 4 between 5 and 7. You can mix and match from the list of tacos. There were delicious. I got lobster, tuna, fried clam (omg) and fish tacos. Rolfe got pulled pork and beef. You can mix and match from the list. Take a gander at the menu. http://www.bonfiresteakhouse.com/
After another margarita we ordered the Paella to split. It was made in the untraditional/traditional way. Oh, so good. I forgot about this place. Best to hang at the bar - you get the taco specials if it's early enough and they also have specials on nights the Sox play $2 beers. That's right - $2 Beer. Sol, and two other Mexican varieties. Such a deal.

Skipjacks rewind - went back a week later with Susan

Okay so the following week I went back to Skipjacks because I can't get enough and that was Susan's first choice. We drank a bottle of sparkling white at the bar and another at the table. In between we had some delicious sushi (yes!! I got Susan to eat raw tuna!) and gingered calamari. I had a 'special' of white roughy on ginger rice and Susan had mahi. We were happy and full. I will say again - best seafood in town

Dante during restaurant week - Go back for more!

We went to Dante (at the Sonesta in Cambridge) during restaurant week. When they posted their restaurant week menu, I was excited because most choices were from their regular menu. The atmosphere is great and the service is wonderful. We had a fantastic waiter that knew the menu and preparations well. I started with what seemed like the healthiest first course, cauliflower soup with smoked scallop. This was a butter and cream dream. This was not "healthy", but it was delicious. Rolfe started with something (I forget what it was) that was essentially pulled duck. We loved it. Cheryl got the antipasto - which was also great. They pay attention to the littlest details.
For the main courses (restaurant week features 3 courses for 33.08) Rolfe got the hanger steak, I got the 'chicken under a brick' and Cheryl got salmon. All of us were happy with the portion, flavor and accompanying stuff. We split a 'side' of roasted summer squash and leeks. We all opted for the same dessert course (boo hoo - no sharing) of panna cotta with hazelnut chocolate. I have to learn how to make this. Anyway... I want to go back soon. They make interesting cocktails and the wine list is good too.
http://restaurantdante.com/
BTW - I finally found out what 'hanger' steak is and why it is now showing up on everyone's menu.

Hello Skipjack's - Melissa wants Seafood for her birthday

Melissa - the niece - wanted seafood for her birthday celebration. We took her to our favorite fish place in Boston. (Sorry, Legal) Rolfe, Jen (another niece), Melissa and I went there last Saturday night. While having some wine and cocktails waiting for Jen to meet us at the bar, we watch scrumptious plates of raw bar and sushi passing us. We were hungry! At the table, we immediately ordered the 'house favorite' - gingered calamari. It is fried calamari tossed in a ginger salsa. It is the best calamari ever. (you should note that 13 years or so ago, Rolfe and I went here for a kind of 'first date' and I introduced him to this calamari) Since we were celebrating and imbibing, we opted to get the 'party boat' as well. That has lobster, shrimp and crab meat with oysters and clams you normally find on a 'shellfish tower'. However, when this thing arrived at the table, it was literally, a boat. It was a huge boat that took up the entire table. The shellfish was fresh and (I hate raw clams) the clams were the best I ever tasted. We were full but forced ourselves to order entrees (Jen and I ordered entrees, Rolfe and Melissa got a bunch of maki to split) This is one of the places that still has sea bass (the Chilean kind that is politically incorrect) on the menu and I HAD to get it. It was sweet and gingered and so good. Jen got swordfish that was sweet and mild. Rolfe and Melissa enjoyed the maki. Spider maki and lobster maki were flavorful, colorful and as good to look at as they were to eat. If you want seafood - check this place out.
http://www.skipjacks.com/

Yeeha! Texas Roadhouse - where the beef is at!

So we wanted steak, wanted to be casual and the mother-in-law was treating us so we wanted something not too expensive. We went to local Texas Roadhouse after going to the movies on a recent Sunday. We were hungry so we munched and made a mess with the peanuts while waiting for a table and then ate more while sitting at the table. I love peanuts. They encourage you to just through the on the floor. Be careful while walking around. I love their salad - good house vinaigrette and chopped eggs. I got filet while Rolfe and his mother got sirloins. The meat is well trimmed, well seasoned and cooked to perfection. The sides are homey and delicious. If you like sweet potatoes they have an option to stuff it with cinnamon butter(it can come that way anyway), caramel and pecans. Can you say yum! I wouldn't eat it that way - it seems more like a dessert to me. I like my spuds: white, red, sweet or otherwise, basically plain. They have really good chili and you can get this as a side. This place is fun too as the wait staff dances country line dance every so often. BTW - Rolfe likes the ribs here.
The used to have jumbo sized margaritas but you know, in Massachusetts, you can't do that very long without getting into trouble. They make good drinks and have decent beer. Check out one nearby when you are in the mood to visit a Texas style steak house.
http://www.texasroadhouse.com/TRHintro_flash.html

Tremonte - Best Italian in Woburn (yes, Woburn)

So our favorite local hang out just reopened after an expansion/remodel of the bar area. We missed it! We probably go here at least once a month. I would go more, if I were able to restrain myself and stick to my diet while there. I have no will power over mussels 'white' or melanzana with basil crème sauce. http://tremonterestaurant.com/
Tremonte is the very best in town and I would put it up against most joints in the North End. They do standard Italian (Veal Parm, pork chops and vinegar peppers), meats (filet, stuffed rib eye, porterhouse, pork loin, lamb rack), seafood and pastas that are just fantastic. The portions are large and the sides are included (you don't see that in Boston).
We went the other night with two other couples (yes! more people to share appetizers with!!) and everyone was really excited and left completely full and a little tipsy from the cocktails. Rolfe's pork chops with vinegar peppers were better than "mama's". It came with 2 double thick pork chops, multi-colored peppers, onions and potatoes in a mouth watering vinegar sauce. (not heavy or greasy - just perfect) That night I got grilled pork loin in Chianti reduction - with my favorite sides: polenta and sautéed spinach.
Next time you are looking for great Italian - check it out in Woburn.

Be my Valentine - yet more gourmet in the 'burbs

We are excited that the Mistral/Teatro/Sorellina/Moo gang has come out to Burlington. The new place is L'andana Grill http://www.landanagrill.com/.
We went there for Valentine's Day last night. It is consistent with the group's other places: great attention to detail, high quality, attentive wait staff, management, etc. AND IT IS 10 MINUTES FROM OUR HOUSE!!!!!
Our experience started with great bartenders - they have something called a bloody gazpacho. It is from their Brunch menu - but they will make it anytime. It is made with muddled basil, spicy tomato juice and - get this - home made infused smoky habenero vodka. He made us a small glass to sample. Wow!! I can't wait to try brunch and have a few of these.
So after we sat at the table- we got that excellent bread with a tomato relish/EVOO spread. Their bread is absolutely the best: crusty, crunchy and with just a bit of garlic oil. We opted for a Tasmanian Pinot. It was okay. We drank it. Their wine list has good selections and is reasonably priced.
The food was fantastic. We started with the Bolognese and mussels as appetizers and I got the wood grilled sword fish and Rolfe got the 'rib eye'.
The mussels were shelled (what a bonus) and floating in this basil cream and garlic broth. They give a soup spoon for good reason. There was not a drop left. The pasta was just the best as well. Rolfe is savoring the leftovers (we needed to save room for the entree) today for lunch.
My sword fish came with peppers and onions - oh my - all grilled and smoky. It was just wonderful. The fish was tender and cooked to perfection.
Rolfe's 'ribeye' was actually a sirloin. We pointed this out and it caused a big stir. The managers came over a few times to cajole and try to replace the dish. Rolfe would have none of that as he wanted to eat with his wife not after his wife. They understood. The meat was really good, but it wasn't rib eye. We declined dessert since we had some waiting for us at home and this got them really concerned. They thought we were upset (we weren't). So we left happy anyway (they took his meal off the bill) and will return.
The food is great (portions are large), the service impeccable and we are so happy not to have to go to Boston for this luxury.

Pre-Celtics noshing - The Harp, an old standby

So the other night we wanted something simple to eat with our cocktails before the Celtics game. We haven't been to the Harp in a long time. (Well, I went there with the 'girls' as stop #1 on a pub crawl, but that's another story) Rolfe has been pining for the Harp's boneless Buffalo wings. "They are the best ever". Guess what, they don't have boneless anymore, just on the bone. Real wings. So we sit at the bar, get a couple of drinks and glance at the menu. You know, I haven't looked at their menu in a while. They've gone 'upscale'. Blue corn nachos? Goat cheese and pesto? What happened to the old standby??? We started with the blue corn and pulled pork nachos. They were 'okay' could have used more cheese - that is always my biggest complaint with nachos, although these were layered okay. Nothing worse than a clump of stuff on the top layer and a bunch of naked, greasy chips underneath. These were somewhere in the middle. We split the chicken and pesto Panini with sweat potato fries. The sandwich and fries were delicious. Wished we weren't splitting, I wanted my own.
Anyway - we'll be back before the next game. It's close to the Garden, the beer is cold and there are lots of other items on the menu I want to try.
http://www.harpboston.com/harpboston/

Ixtapa - Mexican in Woburn Center!!! We are big time now.

Ixtapa finally opened in Woburn Center. We've been watching the reconstruction and build out for over a year now. I wonder if the mayor and funky alcohol licensing board had something to do the long delay. Anyway, the local outpost of the Lexington family cantina is open for business. We stopped by on a blustery Sunday night after seeing Michael Clayton (the movie - read the review here http://shakeonmovies.blogspot.com/2008/02/michael-clayton.html). The cute little bar and larger restaurant area is comfortable and nicely decorated. They have a long list of margaritas and tequila to choose from. I got a blueberry Hornitos (as did my niece Melissa) and Rofle went the traditional with Hornitos. They make good (i.e. boozy) margaritas here. Although the salsa was a little watery for my taste, it was fresh and accompanied hot crispy tortillas. We scarfed these up. (and gladly accepted refills)
I ordered the standby - Arroz con Pollo, Rolfe went with the tres enchiladas (beef, chicken and chicken with a trio of different sauces) and Melissa a taco salad - beef. Food arrived hot and delicious. Oh ya - we tried the tortilla soup too. I love Mexican and we often make our own Mexican type food at home. Most restaurants stink at Mexican. This place is authentic (I guess so since I have never been to Mexico). The food isn't greasy - it tastes homemade and is nicely seasoned. They do not need to mask crappy ingredients with fat and tons of salt. The clean fresh flavors stand on their own.
The service is attentive and the people that work there seem genuine and gracious. I am looking forward to spending more time there. We will go back often.
Here is the Lexington web site. The menu is exactly the same in Woburn. It is located on the corner of Main St (RT38) and Montvale Ave
http://www.ixtapacantina.net/home.nxg

Remember the Salad Bar? Dandelion Green does.

Saturday night before the Super Bowl (let's not even get into THAT subject) I was craving steak au poivre and we were lazy so went down the road to the Dandelion Green. This is part of the small Barnsider chain that STILL has a salad bar yes, I said salad bar - and a GREAT one at that.
http://www.barnsiderrestaurants.com/3dandgrn/index.html
Their salad bar is great because it is full of extremely fresh and high quality veggies along with good cheese and salad toppings (croutons, raisins, etc) and that's it. No crappy pasta salads or weird protein sources - just good stuff to make a salad out of. And their dressings are delicious.
Anyway, we waited a few minutes in the lounge for our table. While sipping wine we nibbled on the self-service snacks. This takes me back to date night. I love the pub cheese and crackers. They added a snack mix to the complimentary lounge snacks that has corn nuts in it. I love corn nuts. I was happy to stay there and munch while waiting for our table.
I ordered what we went there for and Rolfe got a 'special' of rack of veal. Another throw-back here is that entrees include the salad bar and choice of starch. We ordered a veggie side of butternut squash. (this was absolutely decadent and wonderful). My steak au poivre was to die for and Rolfe liked the veal rack. I don't eat veal - but I tasted it and seemed okay. The herb rub and sauce were really good. We pigged out on the salad bar first.
I can't decide whether I like this location or the ones in Danvers (Hardcover) or Beverly (Depot). I even went to the Albany location once years ago while traveling on business. I do like this - simple, fresh and tasty.

Legal Sea Food - what can I tell you that you don't know already

Went for lunch yesterday. It was a 'business' lunch. Take that for whatever you think it means. My management team dined together during an all day strategy session. Nice lunch break when you include wine. (wink, wink)
I got what is the single best lunch item - Cioppino (sp?) Basically it's Italian style Bouillabaisse. It is full of mussels, clams, shrimp and a 1/2 lobster tail - simply delicious. Anyway.... a few were jealous of my meal. Everyone loved (there were 9 of us) their food. The seafood is fresh and always well prepared. They loved their dessert even more. Legal does a consistently excellent job with everything they do. I love to go with my friend Susan or when there is an opportunity for a 'business' lunch or dinner since there is one very close to the office. I don't go to often with Rolfe because he thinks it's overpriced (he is still living in the 80's Revere - fish should be cheap world - remember the 1.98 fish plate at Kelly's?) and prefers Skipjack's much more than Legal. So there you have it.
http://legalseafoods.com/

Just a quick note about the Village Smokhouse

Okay, Rolfe wants to make sure I mention the Smokehouse. We went a few weeks ago. I haven't been there in 10 years. The place hasn't changed much. The BBQ is very good. The ribs are wet and Rolfe really likes them. They are second to his number one fav - Bugaboo Creek (go figure). We'll do a top 10 bbq list soon. But if you are in or around Fenway, the hospitals or Brookline and you are craving good BBQ and a margarita (those are AWESOME) go here.
http://villagesmokehouse.com/

You will not be disappointed in anything and did I mention the margarita's? I'll be doing a margarita top 10 soon. hmmm. It's amazing that there are places out there (hello, Redbones?) that people flock and rave about that don't do ribs this good. I'll tell you, most people don't know what they are talking about. Bugaboo's ribs are way better than Redbones. So are Soul File and the Village Smokehouse.

More Gourmet in the Burbs - Summer/Winter

I heard the guys from Arrows in Ogunquit were opening a place in Burlington. Then we met this guy at a cocktail making class as Stir last summer who was going to bar tend at this new restaurant in Burlington that had their own greenhouse and a commitment to using fresh, local ingredients. I was happy to find out that they were one and the same. They opened in November and we finally made it last Saturday. It is called Summer Winter and is in fact located in the Marriott Hotel in Burlington. Don't be a location snob. This place is easily accessible - close to the mall and RT 95.
http://www.summerwinterrestaurant.com/index.cfm
They have fancy cocktails make with fresh fruit, herbs and spices. I had a Blackberry Nightshade. It went right to my head and tasted sweet and tart. Rolfe had something that tasted like gingerbread. I loved, he said it got too cloying half way through. I am looking forward to trying other concoctions next time. We were doing wine with dinner so nixed another cocktail.
The space is beautiful (bar and dining areas) and comfortable. The kitchen is open so you watch what's coming and going. Makes it tough to pick. They have great list of appetizer and small plates(of which you can combine a few and make a 'picnic' basket)
I started with the Blue Cheese soup. (who knew Massachusetts made blue cheese - Great Hill I think) Rolfe got some butternut squash ravioli that was to die for. It some fancy Italian name that must of meant ravioli. The saucing and presentation was outstanding. Fussy Rolfe deemed this the 'best' butternut squash ravs he's ever had. I agree.
The soup was rich and think - something I would have again. They really pay attention to detail here and the waitstaff is extremely knowledgeable. My entree of cedar plank sea bass was fresh and tasted of the sea (and fresh herbs) and Rolfe's short ribs with corn pudding was comfort food that had that 'something' that it made it special.
Overall, this place is worth the slightly big ticket for the burbs and will even more popular once people venture out of the city. I will return many times.

Soul Food for a non-football Sunday

What to do on the empty Sunday between the AFC Championship and the defining moment of the Patriots utter domination of world (Super Bowl)? Go buy new running shoes at the New Balance outlet in Brighton and then go have some home cooked BBQ at Soul Fire in Allston. http://www.soulfirebbq.com/
It was our first time to Soul Fire. The place is small and clean. They have the worst and best beers in the cooler (from Schlitz to Magic Hat). They also have PBR, Harpoon and Sam on tap. Rolfe was all over the PBR while I decided to go with UFO (love that unfiltered wheat). We sampled the corn dogs while waiting on some bbq. The corn coating/batter was light and tasty and it came with a bbq mustard dipping sauce. We really like these. Would get them again.
For lunch I had the 'Reuben' with a side of collards. It was made with their brisket, bbq sauce, cole slaw and swiss. It was heaven in a grilled rye sandwich. I heard some people claim that Soul Fire has the best collards. I agree. They are the fattening variety (you know what I mean if you eat collards) but worth every calorie. I tasted everything from Rolfe's platter of baby back/pulled pork with mac-n-cheese, fries and corn bread. The meat was nicely smoked and dry rubbed. There are several sauce choices to accompany your meat. All excellent, especially their own regular bbq. I must say that all sides sampled (including the corn bread) were way above average. You can tell this place really takes bbq seriously. The meat is smokey but not too much that you taste it for hours later. The brisket in my sandwich had that perfect smoke ring. I am looking forward to post-Super Bowl Sundays to enjoy more Soul Fire BBQ. I figure this place would be really crowed and full of young Allstonians most nights. I'll take the quiet lazy Sundays.

Nebo - Pizzeria

http://www.neborestaurant.com/



So, before last night's Celtics game we decided to try Nebo (my husband wanted pizza for his birthday). This place is beautiful - nice bar and bartenders. Both owners were there last night and greeting regulars. I started with a key lime pie martini and Rolfe had a Blue Moon. My drink was a real martini, not the loli-pop variety you get at other places. We were excited to see how the food would turn out given the attention to detail that the bar exhibits as well as the wonderful aroma of garlic and tomato lofting from the open kitchen.

We got the ribs as an appetizer and ordered two pizzas (individual sized) - he got the traditional (read:boring, albeit with caramelized onions as an extra) and I got the white clam. Rolfe asked for his to be 'well done'. The ribs were tasty, if not a bit scant for 18 bucks. I would suggest a few minutes under the fire to caramelize the bbq sauce. It was loose and ran off the ribs onto the plate when you picked them up. I would have wanted more if I ordered this as an entree. It was listed under the carne section not the appetizer section. So overall - it was not worth the price tag.

As the pizzas arrived I was looking forward to tasty, crispy and delicious. It was tasty, chewy and way too oily. You don't need to put more oil on a pizza with full fat cheese. I enjoyed the clam pizza although there were not enough clams and way too much oil for my liking. I like a crust with some chew but this was a little over the top and kind of tasteless dough. My husband was disappointed with his pizza for the same reasons. Additionally, it wasn't well done and he thought the sauce and crust could have more flavor. I think we are spoiled by coal or wood fired pizza. I am not sure how these are cooked but they definitely lack that special char that we like. The most telling comment after woofing everything down, was 'we make better pizza'. Note: we did woof everything down so it wasn't all that bad.

Overall - a bit overrated and overpriced. The pre-game crowd and after work gang mingled together to make this a good meet up, have a drink or two and snack type of place. If you really want to go out for traditional style - stick with Regina's or gourmet (I'd rather have Figs).

Teppanyaki - Yum Yum Yum

New spot in Lexington in the old Peking Garden. Waltham Street - in the Center, right off Mass Ave. We were skeptical - Japanese (sushi) and Chinese? In the same space? Hibachi tables? Scorpion Bowls? Too much to believe. We made early reservations and expecting the bum's rush on New Year's Eve. - brought my sister (who was in from out of town) to enjoy a wonderful dinner of various Maki (spicy tuna, lobster and spider), Soba, and traditional Chinese food. We were pleasantly surprised by terrific food and great service. They did a good job on the ubiquitous Pu-Pu platter but we were really impressed by the quality and presentation of the sushi. We we also oohing and aahing as some of the beautiful dishes that passed us on their way to other tables. We had a booth by a peek-a-boo window that looked upon the hibachi room. We drank our scorpion bowls (that arrived with flaming 151 rum) entertained by the hibachi artists in the other room. All in all - I will be back. They have a cute little bar and two seating areas - Hibachi and regular. You can order Hibachi from the traditional tables as well. Check out their extensive menu

http://www.teppanyakiasiancuisine.com/