Masa Woburn

Decided to stop by Masa in Woburn today for some lunch in a nice environment, I like this place, great interior and very friendly staff.

Bread basket and three spreads are included. There is also a piece of cornbread in the bread basket but I like this thick crusty slice better.

Again I went for the Caesar wrap with grilled chicken and Fries. Seems the wrap is getting smaller every time so there was a lot of tortilla ;-). A good heap of the chile dusted fries. Overall, not bad for $7.95

Feng Shui Chelmsford

Sorry, no pictures today, I couldn't be bothered. Price for the lunch buffet has gone up and the quality has gone down. The nigiri now comes out on very small plates and in small quantities as well but it did include salmon and tuna. The ultra thin slice of fish resides on a giant mound of unseasoned rice. The maki rolls were actually more pleasant. Spicy tuna roll was mushed tuna. The chicken wings on the buffet was on the dry side, the shu-mai was dry and rubbery and the "grilled clam" was tasty but there was very little clam present. The pot stickers were OK. The only thing on the buffet I liked was the dry cooked string beans, marked as spicy which they were not but they were cooked well. Scallops and something in XO sauce was not very memorable. Their chili oil was really good but that didn't help the overall experience. Service is the bar was excellent as usual.

PHU KET Wakefield

Finally a nice day so I decided to go to PHU KET in Wakefield for a lunch al fresco. This made me realize why I don't like to sit outside, even on a nice day. The wind will always blow your hair in your face. The sun will promptly disappear behind a cloud. The food gets cold very quickly. Most tables outside is not level so your sauce/gravy will pool in a corner that always in the wrong direction. Your napkin will also make a quick getaway. Your photochromic glasses will go dark so it's really hard to read your book on the Nexus 7.

The patio is nice despite my grumblings above and at least my table was stable and it was sunny most of the time.

A couple of complimentary Crab Rangoons with applesauce made a surprise appearance today. Crispy wrapper with a nice filling, this was a nice treat. Not sure if applesauce is the right condiment for the Rangoons.

Todays lunch was the Garlic & Clams with a couple good sized slices of tender pork. Everything was cooked nicely and with a really tasty flavor. What's better than pork and clams? Yes there was garlic in the garlic and wine sauce! If you are really hungry, try asking for the $1 special when ordering from the lunch entree's.

Banh Mí Ba Le Restaurant Dorchester

The word on the street is that Banh Mí Ba Le Restaurant in Dorchester makes the best Banh Mí in the area and today I decided to pay them a visit even if it's a bit of a hike and they are takeout only and of course, cash only.

I ordered one BBQ pork and one BBQ beef both extra spicy. This was the first one filled with BBQ pork, pickled daikon and carrots and cilantro stems. There is a thin layer of mayo on the top and bottom and the pork is also drizzled with their secret sauce. The bread is very fresh and the veggies are crunchy but the pork was a bit chevy. The taste was very balanced and with a nice crunch from the pickled veggies. It also was spicy, no idea from what since I didn't see any chillies in there.

This was the second one and it doesn't look like BBQ anything but contained sliced meats and the same fillings as the other one. There was a thick slice of ham in there that was delicious, in fact the whole thing was delicious and I thought this one was better than the BBQ one. This one was spicy also and you can see some sliced chillies in there. They were $3.50 each plus tax and the total come to $7, you go figure!

Szechuan's Dumpling Arlington

Due to my shortcut to Szechuan's Dumpling in Arlington being paved I found another better one, how neat is that!

Lunch special Calamari with Sour Mustard Greens comes with soup but I'm not even bothering with posting a picture since the soup is forgettable at best. This was an interesting dish and I really liked the mustard greens and there were also some string mushrooms in there and it was listed as spicy on the menu and it had a good amount of heat. Unfortunately the calamari was overcooked and chewy, too bad on an otherwise really tasty dish. Service was pleasant as always.

PHU KET Wakefield

Saved a bundle by using my dental insurance for a cleaning so a small splurge was in order and since someone mentioned the Lobster Soup at PHU KET off I went. People were eating outside today, nice to see.

Spicy Lobster Soup might not look too exciting but what a nice soup! Rich broth with a good amount of lobster chunks and fragrant with coconut milk and lemongrass. There was jasmine rice in there as well and this was a lot of food for an app and well worth the price. I asked for it extra spicy and it did come out with a nice tang to it and was about the advertized one pepper.

Whale Tails served with a plum sauce was five good sized shrimps wrapped in egg roll skins, fried to a crisp with perfectly cooked shrimp inside. Not as good as the soup, who was outstanding, but very nice nevertheless.

Blue Ribbon BBQ Arlington

I just realized that I had 4 groupons to Blue Ribbon BBQ that will expire in a month so I guess I have to endure going here every week for a month ;-). Tough! I saw on their Facebook page that one of todays special was Pork Belly Sliders and how can you resist that?

Asian Style Pork Belly Slider's with mashed potatoes and baked beans. This was really outstandingly delicious! Tender pork belly slowly cooked in the smoker with a really nice crust on the outside and nicely spiced. Served with an Asian Slaw and drizzled with hot sauce (Sriracha?). The presentation could be improved a lot. Putting three buns down and then heaping stuff on them makes it really hard to eat not to mentioning that the slaw and belly go everywhere when you try to bite into them. I rather see them individually wrapped so that the contents are contained.

The rest of the groupon I spent on a Smoked Meatloaf Sandwich with, again, mashed potatoes and baked beans. You can never have too much mash and beans and I have plans for the leftovers. The trick here is to ask for the sandwich as a wrap, makes it so much easier to eat and the tortillas are delicious as well. This is another favorite item of mine that has been on the daily specials menu since they opened. Tasty smoked meatloaf, lettuce, tomato, onions and a chipotle mayo with some finely sliced cabbage throw in for a nice crunch. Delicious! Sorry, misremebered about the cabbage, it's in the spicy chicken salad rollup.