Strip-T's Watertown

Strip-T's in Watertown has been in business for over 24 years in a quiet neighborhood and not much was happening until the owner's son, Tim Maslow, returned from New Your City where he worked under David Chang at the Momofuku Ssäm Bar. Tim Maslow is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, but hat alone will not get you a job in a David Chang's restaurant, you need to excel in what you do and Tim does. Almost immediately, this small restaurant started a pretty serious buzz here in Boston and I finally made it there today for lunch.

It's a small place with a dining room and there is also counter service in the front room and a few more tables. Interior is nice, handwritten menus on chalkboards and there is also daily specials that incidentally looked very good but I was here on a mission and could not get detracted.

The Eggplant Bánh Mì is what it's all about! Japanese eggplant with crispy tofu, pickles, cilantro and spicy mayo. The eggplant was cooked into a soft mess with crispy tofu on top and the whole thing was absolutely delicious with the different textures and a bit of kick from the Sriracha laden mayo. It was served on a locally baked crispy baguette. I must admit that I'm not a fan of eggplant or tofu, but I'll happily eat this one again. Service was very friendly and the waitress couldn't have been nicer or more enthusiastic about the food.

From the outside, you would never guess what delicious food hides inside this gem of a restaurant. Free on street parking and at least at lunch there was plenty of parking.