Boston Chinese New Year

Went down to Chinatown on Sunday to see the parade, dragons, and other assorted Chinese new year festivities. Took a some coworkers too so that was pretty cool. Took this picture right by the chinatown gates and people playing chess in the park. Yee!!

Bonus restaurant review of Vinh-Sun BBQ sadly without pics. Got BBQ pork which was great and fresh, duck which was so-so (not a lot of meat), black pepper beef which was not nearly as good as Peach Farm, Chinese broccoli that was good to average, and beef chow foon that was pretty good. I would give it a 3, though coworkers seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. I did not think it was better than Peach Farm by a longshot though.

Vinh-Sun
58 Beach St
Boston

Vazzy's - @@@

Meh another Italian restaurant last night. Nothing overly exceptional as it was a local Italian spot. They gave decent free naan-like bread topped with cheese at the beginning of the meal. I ordered the cavatelli with broccoli and sausage in garlic and oil. Very standard, disappointed the sausage was crumbled and not slices. There could've been more broccoli as well. Cavatelli is basically a solid penne, which I thought was decent and better than a lot of other pastas I have had. Decent garlic oil sauce but wished it was thicker to coat the pasta more. Needed to add parm cheese to try and thicken it. Also was disappointed because the menu said it was to be served in the sizzling pan but as you can see was most definitely not.
Average Italian for me, so the generic 3 rating. Would perhaps be enticed to go back on Monday's as it is steak night every monday. I am always leery about this though since I dont know if the steak has sat around for a week or it is all fresh. Anyone have thoughts on theme nights once a week?

513 Broadbridge Rd
Bridgeport, CT 06610 

Tiago's - @@@@

Easily the best meal I have had so far in Bridgeport. This was a local Portuguese restaurant close to work that we went to tonight. Obviously went with the traditional bife a Portugesa. For those that don't remember, this is the steak with ham and fried egg with a brown gravy. This compared very favorably to the heavily Portuguese area of East Providence, RI. While not quite as good as Madiera, it was better than Riviera Inn. The steak was a very good sirloin, perhaps even strip steak as opposed to the more common top sirloin. It was cooked well, still being juicy and along with the gravy and egg was quite good. One area not quite authentic was the lack of double starches. In RI, you would get both fried potatoes and rice whereas here you got only one. Not a deal breaker and they also included freshly sautéed veggies that they claim does not usually come with it.
Dessert tonight was fried Oreos! These were pretty good, as they were served over ice cream, chocolate sauce and cherries. The Oreo was surprisingly light tasting for being fried which I liked because I did not want an overly salty, heavy ending to the meal. Sadly no picture.
So this rating was a weird one for me. On my hand, I thought it was good but a few others did not like their meal. I think it's because they got pasta at a Portuguese restaurant?? I also liked how they played current hip hop and pop music as this is a bar/restaurant and not just some old restaurant. As we left, a dj was just starting to setup. I guess they spin every Tuesday, Thursday, and on weekends. May have to check that out too. In the end, I am basing this on my meal so will go with a 4 of 5 for tonight. As I said earlier, best meal in CT so far.

211 State St
Bridgeport, CT 06604 

Ralph and Rich's - @@@

Went to Ralph and Rich's tonight for dinner with the group already in Bridgeport. It's a local Italian restaurant that was reasonable but not excellent. Review grade could also be biased because it is yet another Italian restaurant. I would be ok missing Italian for the next month we have it so often and its not my favorite.
I had the veal chop sasi?? I believe. It was basically a veal chop topped with mushrooms, garlic, roasted red peppers, and jus. Sides were mashed sweet and regular potatoes, green beans and carrots, and broccoli rabe. All similar, nothing outstanding. Nothing exotic to report tonight. Colleagues seemed to like it but no raving reviews like other places. Would definitely go to other places before going back.

815 Main St
Bridgeport, CT 06612 

J. Porters again - @@

As predicted went here again tonight. Steak and blue cheese salad. Passable but didn't wow me. Getting old quick so that's why a 2 of 5. Still have good odds to make it back yet again this trip so will try something different next time.

J. Porters - @@@

Happy Chinese new year all! For that I went to the restaurant in my hotel to get a steak haha. Dry aged sirloin with Parmesan fries. It was ok, definitely not revolutionary though. Will probably go back cause there are no restaurants around Trumbull, CT. Actually 100% chance I go back during these next 3 weeks in Bridgeport...

180 Hawley Ln
Trumbull, CT 06611 

Parish Cafe - @@@@

Spiced pork sandwich. Tasted really good. Great sandwich integrity too, stayed together really well for being so big.

361 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02116 

Peach Farm - @@@@

Went to Chinatown when I got into Boston the other night because I knew they would be open. Real good choice to check out this place and they are open until 3.

I got the sizzling beef with black pepper (also one of the only Chinese dishes i know the actual name for) and a side of Chines broccoli. The beef was really tender but not as much pepper flavor as Lucky Garden. Broccoli was also cooked really well, with a bit of crunch and lots of garlic flavor.

Will go back into the area lots more, and would not be shy to come back here if I need a solid late night spot.

4 Tyler St
Boston, MA 02111

Fogo beef ribs in LV

These are the beef ribs being cooked in the front window. I personally like the beef ribs best due to the heavy marbling and intense flavor. I have been unable to find or duplicate ribs like this other than at Brazilian steakhouses.

Cambridge Brewing Company - @@@

Surprisingly good local bar that we went to tonight. When I initially looked at the menu, I was not inspired at all and figured it was going to be all about the beer.  Seeing as I did not order a drink, I figured this was not going to be a good meal.  

I ordered the clam chower, ox-tail poutine fries, and this burger which was cooked medium with Vermont cheddar, caramelized onions and bbq sauce.  The chowder was ok, nothing special and would not order again.  It just did not taste as rich as some of the others I have had around here and had some fake oyster crackers on it.  The crackers were made to be unique though, so credit to them for trying.  The fries were interesting, as the ox-tail was braised so it had the consistency of pot roast.  The meat was shredded and layered in with a gravy that topped the fries.  There were also 3 dabs of a mysterious cheese that was soft, spreadable, and sweet.  The mixture worked and the fries stayed remarkably crispy given they were covered in liquid, and they were quite good.  I would order those again.  The last part of the meal was this burger which again surprised me with how good it was.  First off, it was cooked medium, which made it juicy and tender.  The toppings really worked with the sauteed onions, cheddar, and bbq sauce.  Bun was good too and was overall a good burger.

Coworkers seemed to like it, although didnt rave about it as much as yesterday.  Solid, local food place that also has a ton of beers.  May go back since its walkable from the hotel.  Give it a middle 3 out of 5 because they didnt do anything drastically right or wrong.

1 Kendall Sq
Cambridge, MA 02139

Koreana - @@@

Pretty good Korean BBQ but smallish portions. Will post review soon.

Went to this Korean BBQ last night with a few coworkers.  Both have never been so it was up to me to try and pick something good.  Real easy selections then...went with kalbi (right) and pork belly (left).  Got plenty of side dishes as well which we basically all tried, even the more exotic like fish cake and assorted pickled items.  They also had really good service that was very accommodating to getting us more rice, potatoes and water.  Green tea ice cream was also ordered for desert, but I didn't have any.

On to the meat though, I thought it was pretty good.  The pork belly was sort of marinated, but still retained that great taste.  I cooked it on low heat to render out some of the fat but not crisp or char it.  I feel that it tastes better when it is still soft and retains some of the natural juices.  The kalbi was good, but nothing special.  Very similar to what I have had in the past with the sweet marinade that paired well with the lettuce wraps.  However I did feel the portions were a bit tiny, but it still filled us up.  Also different was the cooking surface, which was steel as opposed to iron.  It did make cooking a little different, but since the meat was so thin it wasnt a big deal.

My coworkers have never been to Korean BBQ and by all accounts they liked it.  They mentioned that they would definitely go back again, so that is a really good sign.  For me, it was good, but nothing special like the now defunct all-you-can eat BBQ that was in Southfield, MI.  I enjoyed it and would go back, but would also like to try the other places around the city.  Overall good though.

158 Prospect St
Cambridge, MA 02139

Fogo de Chao - @@@@

Dinner at Fogo tonight. If you know anything about Brazilian steakhouses you can assume lots of meat. This was the case here.

Typical high quality salad bar with lots of cold items such as broccoli, cured prosciutto, salami, and cheeses. Then comes the meat course or courses depending on how hungry you are. Below is my first plate, from left, filet, ribeye, sausage, and filet wrapped in bacon. What made it good was the different levels of doneness provided which is rare for a rodizio.

What was really outstanding was the service. There were at least 4 people helping us out excluding the gauchos. If a certain cut was requested, it was delivered promptly. All that went tonight thought it was great, except for the over consumption of all food. Would go back but also want to try others in the same type like Texas de Brazil.

360 E Flamingo Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89169

Golden Steer - @@@

Quick medium rare ribeye from a more local steakhouse. This place was located off the strip, a little past Circus Circus on Sahara. Also got a side of creamed spinach and lyonnaise potatoes. Sides were ok, creamed spinach could've been a little creamier. The steak itself was good, but not over the top good from a upscale steakhouse. It was well marbled but maybe a touch overcooked. More medium-medium rare than med rare.

The interior of the place was cool, real old school vibe which makes sense since its Vegas' oldest steakhouse. Seats did seem a little under cushioned due to the age of the place.

Two of the diners with me gave it a 3 and a 4. I will go 3 cause it was a quality meal. Would try other steakhouses on the strip before coming back here.

308 W Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89102

Legal Seafood, Logan airport - @@

Shrimp gumbo before flight. Supposed to have andouille sausage in it but had 1 piece. Boo. Chowder was good though. Rich and creamy. Would go back though, just have a different entree

MuLan - @@@

Salt and pepper pork chops

This was a Taiwanese place that I went to one night that is close to the hotel.  Interesting in that even though it is Chinese based, it is still very different presentation.  I also ordered the beef and vegetables and the food was very shredded.  Not large pieces like Chinese at all.  Pretty good.  Wished the pork chops were spicier, but according to the staff spice is not as large a part of the food like it is for Szechuan.  Would go back if I need quick take out close to the hotel.  Glad I tried it out to see the difference.

228 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139

beef and shredded vegetables - green mustard, edamame, peppers??

Union Bar and Grill - @@@

Quick post, will update later. Got creamed spinach and pork chop with dirty rice. Cornbread in skillet served with all meals. Pork chop was dryish even with glaze and brine, I think cause it was boneless. Mouth has been dry since. New rule...only order bone-in pork chops.

1357 Washington St
Boston, MA 02118 

Champions, Copley Square part 2

Dessert portion of Saturday night. Some chocolate marshmallow thing, strawberry shortcake, and brownie topped with all sorts of toppings. Didn't eat much of it, was still trying to digest the appetizer platter

Champions, Copley Marriott

Mega appetizer platter that we had Saturday night while watching the Lions game. 24 wings, loaded waffle fries, 8 sliders, stack of onion rings

New King Fung Garden - @@@

Went to this Chinese hole in the wall saturday night for an early dinner (you will see why early dinner is key a little later). Again went with friends who highly recommended it for the Peking duck. So obviously we got that.

The duck was good but because I got there a little late the duck wasn't the warmest. It still had a good skin and lots of tender meat for the pancake part. The stir-fry portion was next and was good as well. Finally came the soup part which was as expected.

Also before I got there, some apps were ordered. I guess they are famous for scallion pancakes but I didn't get or want to try them. Xiao long boa were also ordered which are the Shanghai pork soup dumplings. Very unfair to compare them to the famous Joe's Shanghai in NYC because they were not right from the steamer by the time I got them. They were pretty good though for being not as fresh as possible.

Also of note here is the pure smallness of this place. Literally 4 booths and 1 round table. Max capacity has to be like 25, but in true Chinatown fashion about 40 people were packed in there. The food was good and I think it would be a 4 of 5 if I got the food right when it came out. Also should get bonus points for it being a byob. Overall good place that I would like to try again.

74 Kneeland St
Boston, MA 02111

The Helmand - @@@@

Went here Thursday night with some friends who used to live in Boston. It was an Afghani restaurant they highly recommended. I can't remember ever having that cuisine, so I was a little skeptical and worried it would be too much like Indian. Looked at the menu online and the Arabic influences convinced me to go.

Am I glad I did. We started with a pumpkin app called Kaddo. It is pumpkin baked with sugar and topped with yogurt sauce and a separate ground beef sauce. It sounds weird, but tastes amazing. The pumpkin was soft but not too mushy. Sweet but not too sugary. Beef sauce savory but not too salty. Overall one of the best apps I have ever has right up there with the stuffed Italian hot peppers from Bravo Franco in Pittsburgh.

For my entree I had the shish kabobs. They were lamb and cooked medium rare. It was seasoned pretty well, but not as good as the Arabic back home in Michigan. Also served with it was pallow rice, which is rice seasoned with cardomum, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, and black pepper. The rice was kinda Indian-y but ok. My friends got the lamb chops, which looked much superior to mine.

Overall I thought this was a great place and am really glad I tried it. I will definitely come back for the app and the lamb chops. Thanks Aviva for the recommendation!

143 1st St
Cambridge, MA 02142

Tequila Mexican Grill - @@

 

Another mobile posting from a taqueria in Boston.  

We were walking around Downtown Crossing after work today just hanging out and shopping.  While walking around we were getting kinda hungry and saw this place.  It had some good looking tortilla chips on the table and was a real small, local place.  It looks like an old ice cream store with a counter in front that kept all the food warm.

I ordered steak tacos and they came with all sorts of stuff on it.  Lettuce, cheese, pico, sour cream...all stuff I like in warmed corn tortillas.  The "steak" was pre-cooked beef resting in water.  This description isnt the best, but it is like how all pre-cooked stuff is.  While I was not expecting La Pasadita, the meat was sadly not cooked to order.  The small chunks of beef were pretty good, but just not what I was expecting.  Also there was not much flavor or seasoning, even after adding some homemade salsa.

In the group that was eating, I got a score of 3, 2 or 3 and a 2 by me for the place.  It was a good try as I like the small, local places rather than a bigger, standardized restaurant so I am not mad that we tried it.  I would not go out of my way to go there though

55 Bromfield St
Boston, MA 02108

Meadhall, part 2 - @@

So this was dinner, it was a duo of pork. We have ribs and "bacon", which was a slice of pork belly. Actually a hunk of it. The main thing you will notice is the covering of red BBQ sauce. This was too much. The sauce itself wasn't bad, but just covered up the meat flavor more than I liked. I always try and get the food without sauce on it to taste the food and have the sauce on the side for accompaniment.

The pork belly was good tasting, with a good layer of flavor (aka fat) in the middle. The ribs were a bit charred but not the worst I have had. Below sat a cold?? 3 bean salad. Why it was cold below warm food escapes me. Thus it was slightly warmed by the food but tried to be cold. Not a good combo.

Overall the decor was pretty cool, but the food left to be desired. It had the urban loft vibe to it and the upstairs with big leather chairs and flat panels looked inviting. Next time just go back for the wide beer selection. As this is a mobile blog, I have the benefit of asking others what they thought. I got a 1, 3, 2, and 3. This was right in line with my initial thoughts of a 2. I would go back to chill and have a drink especially since it is essentially connected to the hotel, but would explore other eateries if hungry.

4 Cambridge Ctr
Cambridge, MA 02142

Meadhall

Charcuterie/pâté. Not sure what it is, tasted not delightful. Item on right looked like head cheese, tasted even stranger. Kinda like chunky sausage?? Back left item was kinda like cold meatloaf, again not recommended. Interesting way to start the meal. On the other hand the corn chowder was tasty, just a bit much salt.

Kitchen pic 2

Better quality image

Kitchen pic

Trial mobile blogging