Beat Ohio!!!!

liking the first 2 round matchups.

this video should get you hyped for march madness...

East Coast Grill, apps

Rib appetizer from ECG.  These ribs were really good, and the reason that I gave it a 3.  The rib on the left was fried and topped with their "inner beauty hot sauce" which was quite hot.  It combined habaneros and scotch bonnetts, and was just crazy hot.  Ate it all surprisingly because I usually dont like stuff that hot.  The ones on the right are their dry-rubbed spareribs that were amazingly tender yet not falling off the bone.  Still had a bite to them, and had a really nice crust that snapped when you bite into it.  Great spicing too.  Served with a side of their sweet bbq sauce that was ok, but definitely not needed to enjoy the ribs.  Check these out for sure!

East Coast Grill - @@@

Main course at East Coast Grill. Brisket with beans, slaw, cornbread, and watermelon.  Foolishly forgot to tell them to put the bbq sauce on the side of the brisket, but I dont think it would matter.  The meat was ok, better than the Village Smokehouse but that bar was not that high.  Sides were all ok, and due to the great apps I did not want to finish them.  The reason this place gets a 3 is due to the ribs, not the brisket.  I should just leave the brisket to Texas and try other stuff at these bbq places.

Also pretty cool was that Man vs Food was shown here.  He had their "Hell Pasta" which is an even spicier pasta sauce than the inner beauty hot sauce on the ribs.  I guess ECG has a hell week where all they do is serve redicuously hot foods.  I thought that was pretty sweet.  This place also has fresh seafood and had oysters at the counter.  So it is an odd combo of specialty seafood and bbq which I guess works so you have land and sea.  I would go back for the ribs they were that good but would try something else for the bbq (or just have ribs as the main dish).

1271 Cambridge St
Cambridge, MA 02139

Parish Cafe - @@@@

Meatloaf club sandwich. Was bold since I never get meatloaf other than at home but sandwich was great.  Was on toasted white bread, with cheese, tomato, lettuce, bacon, and some sort of dressing that I forgot but remember it was tasty.  Also had the chicken corn chowder which I tried last time and was great again.  A repeat, but well worth it because it is so good.  Highly recommended!

493 Massachusetts Ave
Boston, MA 02118

Antonio's - @@

Average Italian restaurant which by default now for me is 2 of 5. Coworkers liked it a lot, my veal piccata had too much egg mixture so it tasted like almost cooked eggs! Also no capers which I thought was odd (even though I don't eat them).  Garlic bread was pretty good though, but the main dish left to be desired.

286 Cambridge St
Boston, MA 02114

Kantin - @@@@

Ideal weekend lunch from Kantin, a quick serve Chinese stall in the Super 88 food court. Can't believe I haven't posted this as I have been here multiple times already.

Even though it is a hike for me, I like it cause they are consistent, well priced and good. I got the spicy salted pork chops and side of Chinese broccoli. Good flavor and well spiced, I really enjoy their food. Judging by their trays around me, it seems like others enjoy it just as much.

1095 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215

The Beehive - @@@

Three stars for food, five for the really cool atmosphere/building. Went here Monday night while looking for some place in the city. This South End place came recommended both by online and in person. Also it's open pretty late as an added bonus.

I will go into the food first. I had the seared duck breast with pan fried rice and roasted grapes. Also had a side of chard and kale that was sautéed. The veggies were not as good as earlier in the project at Stoddards. I didn't like the kale as much since it was neither crisp or wilted. It was in a weird medium state that didn't have the best texture. The duck was cooked medium rare, which I still find really strange for poultry. If anyone can explain that to me I would be really grateful. It was good, with a nice glaze that reminded me of the Chinese marinade used. It may have been the five spice?? The fried rice was just not that good. It was mixed with green beans, peas, and onions but just lacked flavor.

The building itself was really cool. After talking to the bartender he told me the top used to be an old theater (really small one) and the downstairs was a boiler room. What was interesting is that they still have the existing coal shoot on the top floor. Another cool thing is the downstairs bar was carved out of raw space, which amazes me that empty space could be turned into something that unique. The place was also surrounded by brick and the downstairs felt like you were walking outside into a courtyard. The description doesn't give it justice because I can't describe the little nuances that the place has.

Overall it is a really cool place to just check out and it has some good food as well. I would recommend it for sure.

541 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02116