Saturday, September 29, 2012

Tenoch Medford

Quick and early lunch at Tenoch in Medford today.



Two tacos Adobo Pork for lunch today. Double wrapped as they should be! This was really tasty with some cilantro, onion and a slice of avocado on top. Squeeze some lime over the top and it was ready to go. A good amount of pork.

Friday, September 28, 2012

MuLan Waltham

Grey and overcast day so maybe some dumplings will help?



Steamed Pork Dumplings with Chinese Cabbage ($6.95 for 12 or 50 frozen ones for $14). I was going to get the 50 pack to go but found the dumplings to have a slightly thicker skin and being a bit chewier than my go-to place in Belmont, Golden Garden so I skipped that. Not sure what the sauce is that comes with the dumpling, but some Chili oil have never hurt a dumpling! Another good thing about Mulan is that you always get soup at lunchtime regardless if you order from the lunch menu or not.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

The Mughals Burlington

Time for some Indian food and since The Mughals are around the corner off I go.



As soon as I entered I was asked if I would like to try a different Naan so I chose Garlic Naan and it was really good, just the right amount of garlic on a very light Naan. 


  
Lots of good stuff today! Chana Masala, Mutter Pulao (Basmati Rice with Peas), a couple of different Pakodas, one potato and one onion. Ginger Chicken, Butter Chicken, both new to me here and both very good. Bhindi Masala was a dry fried spicy Okra, I have never had Okra like this and it was REALLY good. Crispy, spicy and just excellent. Malai Kofta was OK.


More Butter Chicken and also some Chicken Biryani that wasn't as spicy as before. Another big heap of the Okra and a piece of Tandoori Chicken. There is also a few pieces of Fish Chettinad in there since fish are good for you.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Border Cafe Burlington

Border Cafe in Burlington isn't really outstanding in any way apart from being very good at what they do. The call themselves TexMex and Creole and they have a good selection of food with very reasonable prices.



I was going to have the Caesar Salad with Shrimp and Crayfish but saw the Shrimp and Crayfish Quesadilla on the menu and opted for that instead. It was OK, plenty of Shrimp and Crayfish, might have been a bit overcooked since the cheese was a bit too well done. Regardless it was tasty and the salsa was nice and sharp.  

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Pho & Spice Waltham

Ever since I read Kenji's article earlier this week on how to make your own Pho I felt the urge to have some ;-). While Woburn's Pho #1 is convenient and have a decent Pho they can't stand up against Pho & Spice in Waltham located on the famous Moody Street.



The broth here is really fragrant and rich. This is the Dac Biet (Medium) that comes with everything, brisket, tripe, tendons and rare eye of round. Lime, bean sprouts, mint and a birds eye chili come separately. Look at the condiments in the background, not really sure what they all are apart from the standalone one that has chili oil with crushed chili's in it and, of course, the new ketchup, the red rooster sauce, Sriracha.



Did I say it was a small place? This is it. There is a six top to the right otherwise this is it. They had move the counter since I was here last and this makes more sense even if it confused me.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Tenoch Medford

Went back today for some more delicious Mexican food from this hole in the wall restaurant.



Plato Mexicano this time with Chicken, Refried Beans and Mole sauce. The Refried Beans was really nice as was the Mole, even if they (unexpected) charged 50 cents extra for the Mole. It was worth it, really nice flavor.

Friday, September 21, 2012

MuLan Waltham

Kind of gray and dreary day today so a bowl of Noodle Soup sounded good and since it's Friday it's Mulan day! When I sat down, the couple at the next table had a plate of pork chops among other things on their table and I didn't think more of it and ordered my Pork Chop Noodle Soup. Then a big bowl of Noodle Soup arrived at their table and I thought "Wouldn't it be funny if.."



And yes, then a plate of Pork Chops arrives at my table. This is from the regular menu, not the lunch specials.


Shortly afterward my big bowl of noodles arrives and it had a marinated hard boiled egg in it as well as the ground pork and spinach. In most restaurants for this price, you would get the noodles and ground pork but here you get a plate of pork chops as well. How good is this! It was delicious and perfect for the day. When the Chinese couple left they made a comment about my good taste in food.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Sichuan Gourmet Billerica

Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica is such a nice restaurant, always packed and today, for some reason, it was filled with Indian customers! I now take Rte3 to get here since 3A is the most demented road anywhere. It has 2 (marked) lanes at the intersections and 1 lane otherwise but people think it's 2 lanes everywhere so it's terrifying. If you overtake, you get a ticket for "Failure to keep right". Didn't happen to me but somebody else.



The Hot and Sour soup was excellent today. Look at that dark color and that's how it tasted too! The pickled veggies were especially good today.



Twice Cooked Pork Belly. What can I say, excellent pork belly, spicy and delicious. Having had this, the normal twice cooked pork pales in comparison.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Tudo Na Brasa Woburn

Still having my Sunday Fish Fry at Tudo Na Brasa (Taste of Brasil) in Woburn.



Getting here just after 11:00 AM when everything is fresh out of the fryer. A couple pieces of crackling is so good, probably not the healthiest stuff, and I added a chicken wing today so the total ended up being a whopping $4.50. Normally it hovers around $4. Perfectly good lunch for me before heading up to the shelter for an afternoon of doing adoptions.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Blue Ribbon BBQ Arlington

My last Groupon was expiring at the end of the month so back for some more ribs at Blue Ribbon BBQ in Arlington. Updated website, nice! Last year they had Groupon's on two sites so I bought as many as I could, $8 for $15 worth of BBQ, can't go wrong with that.



Boring! Same thing again, Ribs, Mashed Potatoes and Baked Beans. Well, if it's good, it's good so why change? The ribs were good as always, some of the beans could have cooked a bit longer and I don't mind lumps in the mashed. Some pickled cucumbers (help yourself) gives it a nice crunch and tartness.

Friday, September 14, 2012

MuLan Waltham

It's Friday so off to MuLan in Waltham we go. Asked about the name today since it's Mulan on the front, Mu Lan on the menus and also at the entrance and Mu Lan is the correct name. Tried to get an explanation from the owner as to what it meant but only got as far as "Strong Girl, every Chinese person knows her"? Looking at Wikipedia it seems to refer to Mulan, both the legend and the Disney film but, of course, the spelling doesn't make any sense at all now.
Actually, looking a bit further I found this so both spellings seem to be common.



As you can see, I finished my peanuts! Fish in spicy bean sauce is a favorite both by me and a lot of other people, almost every other table order this and it's excellent and today it was nice and spicy. Look at the amount of fish you get for $7.95! Here comes dinner!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Pasha Arlington

Back to Pasha in Arlington Center for some Turkish delights.



Adana Kebab Wrap, Ground Lamb and Beef, small salad and unfortunately frozen supermarket FF. The lamb/beef mixture was seasoned well with a nice char to it. Just a delightful meal. I'm continuing complaining in writing on the slip about the FF.


A sunny window table, good food and a pleasant and pretty waitress, what more can you ask for? Pretty little Turkish runner on the table as well.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Biryani Park Malden

Biryani Park in Malden is a Sri Lankan restaurant that recently started to serve a buffet at lunchtime and have never had their food this was an easy way to try it. They have got raves for their normal menu.



This is a fairly small buffet, there was a couple of soups and the okra to the left next to the buffet. Strange place, it was like they had taken a living room and just added dining tables to it. Water comes in the form of a whole pitcher left at the table and I really like that, good move.


The Rasam soup lacked veggies apart from the chili, but it was nice regardless and it was SPICY, not deadly so but not for the faint of heart.


Chicken curry was really nice and hot and fresh, Gobi something, forgot that Gobi is cauliflower that I don't really like, Chicken "65" was really nicely spiced but was reheated from yesterday or the day before but was tasty (and RED). Dal Curry was nice, really good flavor, The Okra was cold but when I pointed that out, I was told that it was supposed to be a cold appetizer, Veg Kotty Paratna (Probably have the name wrong since I can't even Google it) was, I think, shredded cabbage and was tasty but cold, Malabar Chicken Curry was fresh and really good. Rice was nice. Not too much business, it was only me there today. There were a couple more dishes that I didn't try. Really nice and friendly people working there, their office was a table about 6 feet from my table! Interesting food, not your normal Indian buffet. My GPS took me on a wild ride to get there, should have looked at a bigger map before starting out. Pass FuLoon and hang a right and they are just up the street.


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Tenoch Medford

Saw on Tenoch in Medford's Facebook page that the specials for this week was Taco Placero (chicharron, carnitas, pico de gallo), Pozole Rojo, Pollo con mole poblano (chicken with mole sauce, rice, and tortillas). For some reason, I can see this on my timeline but not on theirs! Since I love a good Pozole off I went. What wasn't mentioned was that the specials are only served after 5:00PM so no Pozole.



Instead, I opted for two Tostadas, one with Chorizo and one with Marinated Grilled Chicken. The Chicken one with Salsa Rojo and the Chorizo one with Salsa Verde. Both were excellent apart from that both the Chicken and the Chorizo was cold.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Tenoch Medford

Having had an excellent Torta last week at Tenoch in Medford, I decided to visit again. They also added the clip from TV Diner with Billy Costa to their web page.



Plato Mexicano with Carnitas and Salsa Verde. Everything was nice and well cooked, the Salsa Verde was bit sparse but they happily topped that up. The Salsa Verde was nice and tart and not very spicy. I got here early and when I left shortly after noon, people were streaming in. I might have to follow them on Facebook since they had some interesting specials this week. 

Friday, September 7, 2012

The Mughals Burlington

This is a hard place to stay away from since the food is delicious and it's really close to home. Haven't been here since Tuesday last week it was time.



Mixed Pagoda, the spinach one was really good, not to sure about the other round thing, very dense. Chilli Chicken, Lamb Rogan Josh, Chicken Biryani, Veg Manchurian looks like meatball but was vegetarian and very nice, Bhindi Masala was new to me, Okra sauteed with onions and spices. The okra was a bit dry, but the dish was OK. The Daal Makhani got its own dish since it's a bit runny, you can still eat it with a fork.



The second trip, Tandoori chicken, nice and moist, more Chilli Chicken and Chicken Biryani. What's the spiciest thing on the plate? Much to my surprise it was the Chicken Biryani. Hadn't noticed before until I tried it on its own. I'm stuffed!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Sichuan Gourmet Billerica

After my pretty miserable attempt at Chinese food earlier in the week I decided to go back to a place that have a nice Sichuan lunch menu albeit quite limited. Sichuan Gourmet Billerica is one of the leading restaurants in the NE area when it comes to Sichuan cooking. You need to get here early or late because they are always packed and they are doing so good that they don't serve from the lunch menu on Fridays.



The Hot and Sour Soup is excellent, sometimes a bit too vinegary, but today it was perfect. You also get a small bowl of spicy pickled veggies that such a delight to nibble on.



Smokey Hot Shredded Chicken w. Cayenne and it's HOT! Really really good and I thought previously that the portions was getting smaller but not today and I finished all of it. Not all of the rice, not trying to kill myself, but all of the chicken.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Scugnizzi Arlington

Back to Scugnizzi in Arlington to try a sandwich.



This was the Lazio, braised ribs, mustard, crispy pancetta, pickles served on Italian Bread. The bread was good, looked like a baguette to me, the pancetta wasn't really crispy and I'm not sure if it was short ribs either! When asked about it I was assured it was short ribs. This was a humongous sandwich and it was overall very nice with the beef cooked well and a bit of tasty gravy added. Two meals for $6.95.



If you look at the second layer of beef it has the grain going two ways and I have never seen that on a short rib, so this is a bit confusing.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Sichuan Garden II Woburn

Decided to give Sichuan Garden II Woburn another try for lunch. Apart from the MaPo Tofu there hasn't been anything on the lunch menu to impress me. I frequently do dinner takeout from here but stick to the Sichuan dishes which are excellent. They do have a secret menu that you can ask for with more specials. Some are not for the faint of heart.



Their Hot and Sour is really excellent. Rich with a really deep flavor.



Shredded beef with Cayenne pepper ordered extra spicy and it wasn't very spicy and the beef was a bit chewy and overall the dish was meh! Another thing they do really well is the Chicken wings, crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Punjabi Tadka Arlington

Went to Punjabi Tadka in Arlington today hoping that they would serve lunch on a Labor Day Monday and they did. A lot of places excludes lunch on holidays. Cheap bastards!



I had seen other pople order this and I couldn't wait to try it. This is the Non-Vegetarian Thali on the lunch menu. Lamb Curry, tender lamb and the portion was big enough for a meal in itself. Tandoori chicken was nicely marinated and really juicy and tender and cooked on the bone. Dal Makhani was really good as well. The Seekh Kabab contained ground lamb, chopped onions and spices and was tasty and moist. Raita was included but left untouched, don't like yogurt in any form. Rice was again perfectly cooked and so was the Naan's this time. 

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Tenoch Medford

Tenoch in Medford opened recently and is a small Mexican restaurant with a small menu (to start with) and I decided to visit for lunch today. The menu is available on the website.



I had the Torta Campechana. Telera bread, carnitas, chorizo, chipotle mayo, beans, onions, tomatoes, avocado, Oaxaca cheese. I have no experience with Tortas at all, rarely have a sandwich but this was REALLY REALLY delicious! Carnitas was tender and tasty, Chorizo was mexican, the pickled onion and the cheese was there in a good amount. The Chipotle Mayo had a really good kick from the chipotle. Not sure what the tomato was doing in this company.. No idea if this is authentic or not, but I really don't care.



They do have indoor seating and the interior is bright and clean, food are prepared as you watch and comes out very quickly. I'll be back!
Update. They were featured in Billy Costa's TV Diner tonight.