Eagles Deli - after, @@@@

Answer here is a definitive YES!!!! Crushed it in 22 minutes. It was actually really good too, the patties were really juicy and bacon crisp. Amazing for a 1.5 lb burger even though it was split in 3 patties. I am now in training for the 5 lb burger and 5 lb fries combo...

Eagles Deli
1918 Beacon St
Brighton, MA 02135

Eagles Deli - beginning

Just ate lunch here out by Boston College. Saw this place on Man vs Food for their 5 lb burger challenge. I did not do that one but this is the Nick Lachey challenge. 1.5 lb burger, 6 slices of Swiss cheese, 6 pieces of bacon, half pound of fries and drink.

Did I do it??

Only One Jamaican Restaurant - @@@@

Well reviewed Jamaican spot that some locals told me about. It's a hike but really good. Jerk pork dish on right came with rice and beans and steamed cabbage. Pretty good, well spiced and seasoned. However that did not compare to the dish on the left...esco chicken. Wow that was great. It's like spiced fried chicken smothered in a light sauce or oil or something and topped with fried carrots and onions. The dish was amazing. Not sure if you would classify it as fried chicken since it wasn't crispy, but you can tell it was originally fried. Overall really good though

160 Norfolk St
Dorchester Center, MA 02124

The Helmand - @@@@@

After the kaddo, I ordered the lamb chops that looked so good last time I was here that my friends ordered. They did not disappoint.

Here they are called Chowpan. This is important because you should always go for these as they were that good. Cooked a perfect medium rare, they were served right off the grill and the char was still brittle and flaking off the bone. Forget special touches like frenching the ribs, you just want to dive into these meaty delicacies and clean the bone yourself. They had a subtle marinade flavor but not overwhelming with oil and spices that could ruin the flavor of the lamb. Rice was good with a touch of spices in it and the eggplant side was ok. Don't let that deter you from the lamb though as that was clearly the star.

This is the 2nd time I have been here and I didn't think it could be better than last time. But they did. I am going 5 this time because everything was so good. Even the bread was fresh out of the oven and the trio of dipping sauces it goes with are flavorful. Check it out, get the kaddo and chowpan and call it a night.

PS - I think my picture of the chowpan looks better than their website pic

143 First St
Cambridge, MA 02142

The Helmand, appetizer

Kaddo appetizer. Their specialty in my mind worthy of a separate post. Description from website: "pan-fried then baked baby pumpkin seasoned with sugar and served on yogurt garlic sauce, topped with ground beef sauce (which I had on the side)". Picture does not do it justice, but it is so good. Tender and sweet, with the contrasting savory-ness of the meat sauce it is something I recommend to all

Salvatore's - @@

Big valentines day dinner with the coworkers so we went to this Italian restaurant where we had reservations inside the bank vault. The company was much better than the dinner.

I actually went to this place earlier in the project but can't find the review. Maybe have to go through my pictures to see if I missed it. I remember it wasn't that good last time and this time is no exception. Slow service made for a long night as well.

We got a large spinach and garlic pizza to start out but didn't have plates to eat it on. Luckily by the time the plates came the pizza was still hot. It was ok. For my main meal I had some Alfredo with large pasta noodles, broccoli, chicken and sausage. For some reason they didnt have fettucini noodles so I was stuck with these large noodles that didn't hold the sauce well. Also for me way too much pasta vs broccoli and chicken. I guess that is why I have a problem with Italian places...they often are imbalanced with pasta and filling. Like I want broccoli and chicken, not just a few pieces of it. Anyways, flavor not rich enough for me and missing the chicken.

Overall disappointing meal that was made up for it by the great work my coworkers did to make it fun. Valentines king, queen, and princes were awarded along with pictures, candy, and flowers made it pretty cool. Just go to a different restaurant for the meal!

55 High St
Medford, MA 02155

Oasis Brazilian Restaurant - @@@

Went out for some Brazilian food last week at a local restaurant in Medford. Unlike the fancy Fogo's, this place had the food at a counter and the meat was in a large rotisserie spit where a gaucho served you. There was minimal table service except for the great fruit drinks that I had the waitress pick for me. I guess the cherry one is the traditional Brazilian specialty.

Anyway on to the food. As mentioned earlier, all the sides were at a self serve buffet station. This included the rice, plantains, vegetables, potatoes, various stews, and a basic salad bar. As you can see from the pic, I got a good amount of sides in addition to the meat. I thought the sides were interesting if unspectacular. They were just things I normally wouldn't try like the stewed chicken. But on to the meat, which is why I really come to Brazilian spots. Admittedly the quality is not up to the Fogo level, but for $13 all in for food vs $45 what can you expect. All the meat was good an I sampled plenty. Beef ribs, picanha, chorizo, garlic beef, beef and bacon, chicken wings, pork ribs, and top sirloin were all items sampled. Again I feel the beef ribs were the best followed by the picanha which is my normal rankings.

Items in the picture from left are chorizo, beef rib, beef and bacon, picanha along with mashed potatoes, broccoli, plantains, and polenta.

Overall good place with tremendous value. I was hurting from eating so many plates all for $13. This is my 2nd visit here this trip so I would definitely go back. If you are expecting only Fogo quality, you may be disappointed but for what seems to me as traditional Brazilian food definitely check it out.

373 Main St
Medford, MA 02155

Quarter Bistro - @@@

Went here for dinner tonight for a rare Michigan meal. Got the Louisiana beef brisket, sauce on side as usual. It was cut thicker than most and while not super moist was better than the Boston BBQ spot. Sides were ok (hush puppies, cole slaw, roasted redskins, baked beans). Also had the gumbo which was universally disappointing by the 2 others that had it. It was lacking depth of flavor and just a richness to the sauce; it also did not help that i had no pieces of andouille in it. Overall average place which was also echoed by all who went. Worth a try but don't expect to be wowed.

300 S Maple Rd
Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Raising Cane's - @@@

Stopped by this specialty chicken only fast foodish type spot on Friday night for a quick snack. Never heard of it but was really busy along the Boston University main strip. Hockey game next door also helped add to the commotion, as BU was taking on Umass.

All they serve is chicken fingers so I got those. Really good and juicy, they were fried just right. Fries were crinkle cut and crispy and paired well with the Cane's sauce, a creamy spiced dipping sauce. Toast was as expected.

I guess do one thing and do it well. I thought it was a good quick snack that hits the spot if you want some hockey fingers. I still like bone-in fried chicken but if you want the more convenient tenders find this spot and give it a try. I guess they are in 13 states but none in Michigan. They seem mostly southern based.

949 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215

Roast Beast - @@@@

Had this sandwich for lunch yesterday while we were walking around Boston University. Really good sandwich that hit the spot.

Forget what it was called but it was their roast beef with the chipotle mayo, "beast" sauce (rich tomato/BBQ sauce), carmelized onions, and Colby jack cheese on an onion roll. Good flavor throughout, definitely a multiple napkin sandwich. Onion roll tied the sandwich together well and stayed remarkably stable with the surplus of stuff inside. Sauces mixed well, but I also had some of the roast beef by itself and it was medium rare tender.

Only downer was the fact that I didn't know about this roast beef challenge that they had until after I ordered. It is a pound of roast beef in a 10" hoagie roll topped with cheese and some spicy beast sauce which you have to finish within 5 minutes. I tried this sauce and did not feel it being overly spicy even with the ghost pepper claim. I definitely want to try this challenge before I leave. But overall great sandwich that if you can get to I suggest you try. I think they only have roast beef sandwiches, so vegetarians need not stop by.

1080 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215

Village Smokehouse - @@@

Went to this BBQ spot today. While it can't compare to the famous spots in Texas and Kansas, it did an adequate job. This place was modeled after the Texas BBQ pits with the open grill where the food is finished before serving. The fire pit itself is quite cool and definitely commands your attention when you walk in.

As for the food itself, I got the Texas sampler or something like that. Basically had most of the meats available and from left to right we have chicken, sausage, brisket, beef rib, and baby back ribs all with no sauce. Sides that I tried were cole slaw, mashed potatoes, sweet potato fries, baked beans, and corn bread.

For the meats, I purposely get no sauce on it to try the meat by itself. "Meat with sauce does not equal juicy meat" as Jeff would say. The chicken was surprisingly moist for being the white quarter and bbq'ed. It did dry out after a while but I was surprised I liked it as I figured that would be my least favorite. Sausage was also decent, with nice fennel flavor and bite to the link. Brisket was biggest letdown by far. Three skinny, dry pieces is not what I have come to expect from a Texas-style BBQ joint. Beef rib was also tougher, which was to be expected but lacked overall flavor when compared to baseline beef ribs of Fogo. Baby back ribs were actually good, with a little snap to the meat and overall tenderness. I am more used to the spare ribs, but I liked these tonight. Meat rankings tonight would be sausage, baby backs, beef ribs, chicken and brisket. The sauce on the side had a little spice to it and was tomato based.

Sides lacked overall depth of flavor. Mashed potatoes were bland and too smooth for me, needing some sort of gravy to make them edible. All others were passable, but not overall recommended.

When rating this place, I want to go 2. But I think I am comparing this to insanely good places around the US which coming from Boston really wouldn't be fair. So from a Boston only perspective I will go 3 knowing that it is really not a BBQ city. If you need some slow cooked meat, try it but do not expect the quality of a KC or Texas.

1 Harvard St
Brookline Village, MA 02445

Miss Thelma's - @@@@

Went back to Miss Thelma's tonight for another soul food dinner. This time they had the smothered pork chops which I promptly ordered. Sides were black eyed peas and corn. Black eyed peas were a good addition as you can see the rice would pair extremely well with the brown gravy on the chops. Corn was really good too, seemed like it had a touch of honey for sweetness. Pork chops overall were good although a touch tough after the slow cooking process. Altogether a really good plate of food though that I would recommend to anyone.

Oh yeah, did I also mention I had a side of fried chicken?? Again great crispness yet not greasy. Add a little salt since its served directly from the fryer and some hot sauce for spice and I could eat it for days.

Also got a chance to talk to the owner for a little while and learned some tips. For example, the oil used to fry is soy oil. She says that is the best available an gives it a super crunchy texture without the grease. Also she simmers the beef ribs, oxtails and chops with the brown gravy. Super cool and why I really enjoy these local places. Tonights meal i feel was even better than last weeks. I recommend to all that wants to try soul food. Strong 4 of 5 rating.

140 Fairfield Ave
Bridgeport, CT

El Pueblito - @@@

Food coma city! I went to this Columbian restaurant tonight for dinner and got the traditional Bandeja meal. Per the server, the Bandeja is the typical Columbian meal. I got the Bandeja Montanera which includes fried pork, steak, sausage, beans, rice, eggs, and plantains. Wow. An amazing amount of food for $13. Love the local spots that full you up like this place.

As far as the taste goes, it was pretty good overall. The steak was a thinly sliced rib-eye, but since it was so thin it can't be cooked medium rare. Juicy and flavorful still though. Sausage was tasty and compared favorably to other chorizo's I have had. The new one for me was the fried pork. Talk about unhealthy...this was some pork cut that was fried up crispy. I would guess country-style boneless ribs and then fried. I actually ate the whole chunk of a few pieces while most traditionally eat up to the skin. Even then, there is a good amount of fat. The pork again I feel suffered from being overly dry. The other sides of plantains, rice, beans, fried egg, arepa, an avocado were all decent although I felt the arepa was again dry.

Oh I forgot about the empanadas that I had to start out with. Those were really good. They were constructed differently than I have normally had them. Instead of a separate shell, the corn/potato mixture was formed as a ball and fried, leaving the outside the same flavor as the filling. Interesting and good.

Overall going 3 of 5 tonight. Wanted to go higher because of all the meats, but the flavor just wasn't all the way there. Still would recommend this place to someone checking out food in Bridgeport as it is different than typical corporate restaurants. The service was also great as he explained to me quite a bit about the dishes available. Go there and just be ready for a nap after!

121 Wall St
Bridgeport, CT

Anthem Kitchen and Bar - @@@

Got a cup of chowder while I was walking around Boston on Saturday. This place won Boston Chowderfest 2010. Was not blown away and felt that it didn't top my current favorite of Legal. It was not overly thick and creamy, which I personally like. Decent amount of potatoes and clams, but I would've never guessed it won the best in Boston. Good to try though if you are around Faneuil Hall sometime, and most likely better than the stalls inside.

101 S Market St
Boston, MA

J Porters - @@

Guinness braised beef brisket last night from the hotel restaurant. Decent that is all. Not overly tender or flavorful, with a high price to boot. The spots at the hotel get you with the prices just cause there is no where else to go...especially in Trumbull, CT. Also had a decent side of steamed broccoli, though not as good as the broccoli at William Penn Omni in Pittsburgh. Sides in picture below include not really garlic mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables (carrots, squash, zucchini perhaps??)

Andreas - @@@

Went to this Mediterranean/Greek themed restaurant in College Hill in Providence Friday night. It was good overall but they were behind the 8 ball due to the vast amount of Mediterranean places around Detroit. Would tell people to check it out to try some of the specialties if they were interested and in the area.
Had the lamb chops med rare served with green beans (haricot vert) and rice spiced with a tomato based sauce. Again they were quite good, tender and flavorful but just didn't compare to places in Dearborn or Greektown. They didn't even light the saganoki, rather serving it already on fire. Where is the Opa!!??

268 Thayer St
Providence, RI 02906 

The Friendly Toast - @@@

Went to this funky diner-ish place last Saturday for lunch. It was the place where the dishes were all plastic and didnt match, had true old pieces of Americana around it, and a mah jong tile framed counter. Cool surroundings in Cambridge.
I ordered the omelette that was stuffed with bacon, ham, sausage, and candied walnuts. What a weird bonus but the walnuts added an interesting texture compared to the sink-your-teeth in rest of the ingredients. It was topped with a slightly sweet sauce which I thought would balance the salt more than it really did. It was really huge and also served with a side of home fries and toast (of course). I also had a side sauce of their sirracha sour cream that was unique and good, though not overly spicy as the dairy tamed the hot sauce.
Cool overall place that I feel a lot of people would like. For some reason I ordered breakfast which I rarely do, so I probably didn't enjoy it as much as true breakfast lovers would. I would recommend it to all those that like quirky local places with great portions.

1 Kendall Sq
Cambridge, MA 02139 

Corporate Deli - @@@@

This is the standard lunch in Bridgeport, a trip to Corporate Deli for any number of their good sandwiches. This is the Italian, filled with all types of meats and cheeses. Sandwich integrity on this one is good as well, it doesn't fall apart even though it is super stuffed.
I have also tried the pastrami Reuben (good, not great) and the Lisaria (chicken cutlet topped with broccoli rabe, fresh mozzarella, and roasted peppers which was good but chicken dry).
Though it's good, I still wouldn't mind going back to the salads at the Medford cafeteria just because this much lunch makes you tired throughout the afternoon. A good diversion for the time being though!

130 John St
Bridgeport, CT 06604 

Miss Thelma's - @@@@

Not sure if it was the lack of Italian or the assortment of soul food, but when I went to Miss Thelma's for dinner last night I was quite happy. I had checked out the menu online before so going in I knew what I was going to get. The smothered pork chops and fried chicken. To be honest I did not really look at the sides much.
When I go in, they were sadly sold out of the smothered pork chops. That's ok as I checked out the beef rib to switch it up. Uh oh, they were out of the too. So I eventually ordered the BBQ ribs and fried chicken. I did get 2 sides so asked their recommendation. They said the collards and Spanish rice so that is what I got.
The first stuff to come out were 2 cornbread muffins topped with butter. They were ok, it tasted a little too mealy for me and I only had one as I knew I would not be short food later. One interesting note was that these muffins were extremely hot which I found strange as they were getting close to closing. I would find out this is a common theme with their food. Then came the main event. The chicken was simply fried with not much seasoning in the batter. I like more seasoning, but it was fried perfectly and juicy. A little hot sauce on top and it was really good. The ribs as you can tell we're smothered in BBQ sauce. The sauce was a sweetish concoction that definitely stuck to your fingers. At the few soul food restaurants I have been too, they seem to have the sauce sweeter and absolutely cover the ribs. Not sure if that's a common thing or not. The ribs itself were good, not overly tender but had a good bite to them. And they were spareribs so they had plentiful meat to them. Spanish rice was ok, nothing overly special but again super temperature hot. Collard greens I liked as they were really wilted down. I do not cook them so appreciated the fact that they take so long to get that way with flavor.
Overall really good meal that I was happy to get to. Not sure how many soul food places Bridgeport has, but I know why this one won the best of award they have posted up. Check it out!

140 Fairfield Ave
Bridgeport, CT 06612