Saturday, February 28, 2015

Temazcal Lynnfield

It was time for a return visit to Temazcal Tequila Cantina in Lynnfield to try some more dishes from their lunch menu. It still amazes me that an open air mall like this is so busy on a cold but sunny day.



Tried to get everything in one picture, didn't work out too well. Tacos Mechados ($15) Braised Shortribs, Green Cabbage, Crema Fresca, Avocado and flour tortilla served with saffron rice and beans. The salsas are good, the bean dip is still outstanding, and the chips were nice and warm. The short ribs were tender and nicely seasoned, and the rice was tasty, but the beans were the star of the dish. They were excellent the last time but even better this time. Very quiet in here today, except for the kids running screaming around the bar, despite the rest of the mall being really busy.

Friday, February 27, 2015

WooRi Arlington

No, I don't go to WooRi in Arlington every week, just every other ;-).



The banchan today had fresh peanuts (top left) and fish cake (bottom right) apart from the standard offerings. Then they brought out some lightly fried zucchini, and grandma brought out a bowl of white kimchi leftovers, and everything was, of course delicious.



Decided to try the salmon on the Special Lunch Combo ($11) and ordered it medium rare and it comes out closer to rare but that made me very happy, it's almost impossible not to get overcooked salmon in most restaurants. There was a sweet homemade sauce drizzled over the salmon, but I completely forgot the name. This was another delicious lunch at this excellent little restaurant.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Snappy Pattys Medford

Time for some non-Asian food and what's more American than Snappy Pattys in Medford? I shouldn't judge a restaurant on external issues, but the newfangled parking meters really pisses me off, not only do you have to pay, but you also have to enter your plate number, but you can use a credit card and pay in 25 cents increments. Yes, it's a dollar per hour.



I had to take another picture of the interior, I wasn't sure if the artwork had changed or not. It hadn't.



Grilled Steak Flatbread ($9) with Brie, Arugula and Red Onion. This was much improved from my first visit, the flatbread was now nice and soft and was cuttable with the supplied knife. The onion was a nice pickled red onion, and this was a serious sized portion, I got leftovers. The linen napkins that I got on the first visit are also gone. In fact, I think that was the only time I got them.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Taipei Gourmet Lexington

Taipei Gourmet in Lexington is now my go to restaurant for Chinese/Taiwanese food for lunch. Good food, excellent service, great prices and they are busy at lunchtime with a lot of nonwhite customers.



I decided to try the Wonton Soup for lunch instead of the excellent Hot & Sour soup. I should have stuck with the H&S, this was OK but a bit bland. Just two small wontons were included.



Flounder Fish Fillet with Sour Mustard ($7.99). I really like this, good quality fish and the sour mustard adds a nice contrast to the mild fish. Vegetarian spring roll is OK.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Dumpling Daughter Weston

It was time for a second visit to Dumpling Daughter in Weston for some more delicious dishes.



I know that this was my next choice after I saw it on the menu, Dan Dan Mien ($7). This is a favorite of mine, and here it was as good as it gets, spicy and tangy from the preserved vegetables (Sichuanese ya cai) and some cold book choy on top. The bowl looks small, but it could have done for lunch for me.



This was a weekly special and I couldn't resist, Shrimp and Vegetable Dumplings with soy sauce ($6.66). Rice paper dumpling with a rather dense filling but they tasted great.



They have added some lanterns since my last visit, and again the place was packed with people waiting for tables shortly after noon. Of course, they also had two groups of 10 people that showed up. I got the same number (10) as the last time. You can see the owner, Nadia Liu Spellman, in the middle of the room. She was busy, delivering food and talking to the customers.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Bonefish Grill Burlington

So the expected snow and rain was pretty much a bust here, couple of inches of snow was all we got so it was easy to shovel out and head to Bonefish Grill in Burlington for some brunch today.



Bang Bang Shrimp Eggs Benedict with a toasted English muffin, crispy shrimp, poached eggs, green onions + spicy Hollandaise sauce (11.3) was my choice again. I think this is an excellent dish and the eggs were cooked reasonable and the potatoes were nicely seasoned. The green onions were, as usual, absent.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Felicia's Stoneham

I had a hankering for some calamari for lunch today, and I have been eyeing them at Felicia's of the North End in Stoneham for a while.



Only in America can you make a meal out of an appetizer! Fried Calamari ($9.95) was a big plate of perfectly cooked calamari with a very light batter, normally comes with marinara sauce but when I asked if I could have tartar sauce instead, the waitress responded with "Of course you can!". There is always service with a smile here. The only drawback was that it was rings only, and I asked if the tentacles were optional, but she said they only do the rings. Too bad, I really like them, but this was still a very nice dish with lots of calamari.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Masa Woburn

I wish the weather would make up its mind. We had sun, snow, snow squalls and then sun again. I headed to Masa in Woburn for lunch again.



Soup, salad and sandwich ($9.95). The soup was Beef Chili and it was really good, hot but very flavorful. The salad was nice, I especially like the pickled onions. Not sure how much this is costing me, I got 25% off when buying the gift card, I get one lunch free after having four so probably a $10 lunch is about $5, how good is that? And in a very nice place with excellent service and of course linen napkins and you get the good bread with three spreads included.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Beijing Chinese Dining Lexington

After a harrowing morning, I drove to Beijing Chinese Dining in Lexington in a rental car for a late lunch.



Lunch Twice Cooked Pork (belly) ($7.95) with Fried Rice and a Chive Dumpling. The pork was nice, and I ordered it extra spicy, and it was! Since you don't get a plate I think they expect you to eat this Chinese style .e.g. pork to rice bowl then pork and rice to mouth.



The Hot & Sour soup here seems to be a work in progress, it was hot and something else today. Not bad, just different again. I'm not really sure if you should drive if you were born in 1932.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Cilantro Woburn

Cilantro in Woburn reopened recently under new management, same name and the same menu at least for now. Closed Mondays and they now have free WiFi.



A flatscreen TV has been added and some decor on the walls as well.



Drunken Noodle ($7.95) the lunch version. It was marked as two peppers on the menu, and I also asked for it spicy, but it completely lacked heat, maybe half a pepper. The chicken was dry, and there were big chunks of veggies, and the noodles was a tad overcooked. Pair this with the lack of heating at lunch, I'll give them another try in the spring after they have been open for a while.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Taipei Gourmet Lexington

Sunny but COLD day and another snowstorm tomorrow night! I headed to Taipei Gourmet in Lexington for lunch today, at least I know that they serve from the lunch menu even if it's a holiday. Not that I order that often from the lunch menu here since a lot of the standard menu dishes are about the same price.



I have never tried the Da-Lu Mien ($8.59) described as Noodles Soup with Seafood. Turned out to be a kind of egg drop soup with shrimp and pork and noodles. The soup was very good, thick and tasty with a heap of noodles underneath. Again they were very busy and only two tables with non-Asian customers.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

FuGaKyu Lynnfield

I can't believe how busy the Market Street Complex is on a bitterly cold day like today. What's wrong with a nice warm indoor mall? I stopped by FuGaKyu in Lynnfield for lunch today but had to hunt for a parking space for a while.



Mix and match Bento Box ($12). Pork Katsu, Sauteed Udon and a Beef Kushiyaki for an appetizer. Everything was cooked nicely, and the udon had some asparagus, and the pickled veggies were nice. There was Miso soup involved as well. Not a bad lunch. I had planned to stop by Whole Foods afterward but gave up on that, parking was a nightmare at that corner.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Bonefish Grill Burlington

I swear that the menu has changed every time I go to Bonefish Grill in Burlington for lunch. This time, at least, the prices remained much the same. I also had a completed survey, and that gets me a free Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer that makes a nice dinner. Probably my last one since I again got the survey, but now you only have a chance to win prizes.



Soup and half a chicken roll-up (9.5). The clam chowder was, as usual, very nice but the chicken roll-up was just so so. Dry wrap and dry chicken and the rest of the filling weren't too exciting either.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

WooRi Arlington

WooRi Korean Fusion Grill in Arlington finally have got their website up and running. I love this place, great food and great people working there.


The banchan today included Lotus Root, and that was a first for me. This is the Lunch Special Combo ($11) here with the Pork Belly. Looked very different from my last visit maybe because that time it was offered as spicy. I think I like this version better, much cleaner and I also like the bib lettuce. The pork belly was nice and tender and made a nice package when rolled up with the rice in the lettuce. Messy to eat but good. The Chicken and veggie dumpling was flavorful with a very nice and tender skin. I also got a cup of lotus root tea that Grandma assured me would be very good for me.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe Woburn

I had a number of places in mind for lunch today, and the first one with good parking was Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe in Woburn, so that was it.



#10 Hot Sour Dumpling Soup ($8.87) and this actually comes out to $9.50 after all taxes. The soup is delicious and is both hot and sour. I think the number of dumplings has decreased from my previous visit, but there still was plenty of perfectly made pork and chives dumplings.



Gene has gone all high-tech, and the menu is now displayed on three flat screen TVs. Makes it easier to change things.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Taipei Gourmet Lexington

Finally, I can get out for lunch again after the last storm finally ended so I went to Taipei Gourmet in Lexington. All the roads were clear, but there are high snowbanks on every corner.



Seafood Noodle Soup ($8.59). A while ago a gentleman at the table next to mine ordered the Seafood Soup for two and was raving about it, so I decided to try the noodle soup version, and it was not bad. Good amount of seafood in the thickish soup and there was a serious amount of white pepper added. Interesting to see that they get a lot of customers that order the good stuff as well as customers that go for the traditional Chinese/American fare.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Sichuan Garden II Woburn

Managed to lock my car keys and door key inside when I left for lunch today, and my neighbor who has a spare key wasn't home and wouldn't be home for a couple of hours, so I decided to walk down to Sichuan Garden II in Woburn. Not a good day for a walk.



I got there in the end and ordered the ChongQing Hot Dry Chicken ($13.95) from the specials menu. Note, that the specials menu at the restaurant isn't the same as the one that you can find online. Spicy? Oh yeah, when they mark dishes as spicy, they are not kidding, and they will not hold back for us whitey guys. The chicken was nicely coated and very tender, and despite the serious heat, it was very tasty. Sorry for the crummy picture, some idiot left the rice spoon in the middle of the picture.

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Friday, February 6, 2015

Artistry On The Green Lexington

Artistry On The Green is located in The Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington. I tried to have lunch here earlier but that they were all booked for a private function but today they were open for lunch.



Beautiful dining room with enough sound absorbing material on the ceiling to keep the noise level down. It worked, they got quite busy at lunch, but it never got loud. The chairs looked uncomfortable, but they turned out to be very pleasant.



Warm homemade Rosemary Focaccia and a small Brioche arrived with some delicious butter that was in spreadable condition. Of course you get linen napkins. They offer both sparkling and still water with your meal.



A Cup of New England Clam Chowder ($6). Quahogs, Salt Pork, New Potatoes. The chowder tasted really good, but I prefer my chowder slightly thicker.



Fried Chicken Sandwich ($13). Herbed Buttermilk Dressing, House Pickles, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, and house made toasted Brioche Bun. You have a choice of side salad or hand cut fries, and there was really no other choice than the fries. The fries was excellent, really really good. I kept on eating them even after I was stuffed. Despite the chicken being a breast it was really moist and tasty and both the pickles and the dressing was a delight.



Everything has a provenance, and the sources are listed on the menu. I think my chicken had a happy life, it certainly tasted that way. The service was excellent, could not have wished for a better waitress.

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Thursday, February 5, 2015

Border Cafe Burlington

The food is consistent, and the prices are reasonable at Border Cafe in Burlington, but the place is still VERY loud, but at least they have the heat on.



Busy busy at lunchtime and VERY loud, did I mention that? Service is usually very good, but today I got a very disinterested waiter, only saw him when ordering and when he delivered the food and after I flagged him down to get my bill.



A big glass of water and chips and salsa. I think I was so early that I got yesterday's chips. They were still OK but could have been fresher. The salsa was OK.



Catfish New Orleans ($12.96) is a large fresh fillet of catfish, royally seasoned, deep fried with a shrimp and basil cream sauce. One of my favorites here and this time ordered with the jambalaya. Fish was nicely cooked, and the jambalaya was tasty. Not sure what they did with the lemon, it was completely devoid of lemon juice. I'm also intrigued by the reasoning behind pricing something at $12.96? What's wrong with just plain $13?

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Thai E-Sarn Cuisine Arlington

I had a hankering for squid today, so I stopped by Thai E-Sarn Cuisine in Arlington for some lunch.



Spicy Squid ($8.95) is marked as two peppers, and I asked for it spicy, and it had a little bite but no more than one pepper. Deep fried squid sauteed with assorted veggies is what the menu said, but as you can see there was no crispy squid to be had and on top of that, the squid was a bit slimy and not pleasant to eat at all and in fact, I left a lot. Guess I lost another favorite dish and restaurant.



The salad was fine but it's a pain to try to get the dressing on all the salad when the bowl is full and the dressing is just on the top.

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Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Taipei Gourmet Lexington

Sunny but brutally cold day and again a massive shoveling effort was required. Enough for a while. Soup required, so I went to Taipei Gourmet in Lexington who was doing a brisk lunch business today.



This is the Pork with Snow Cabbage in Noodle Soup ($7.59). Apart from the cabbage, it was some finely julienned pea pods and shiitake mushrooms. Big heaps of noodles underneath and this was an excellent lunch even if the soup itself was a bit bland today.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Yard House Lynnfield

Pretty quiet at the Yard House in Lynnfield at lunchtime today. I suspect that this will change as we get closer to tonight's game.



Street Tacos can be ordered ala carte or with rice as beans as I did. This is the CARNITAS ($11.35), roast pork with grilled onions, Pico de gallo, guacamole and pineapple. For the first time, everything was hot, and the spicy rice was, the beans were pretty good as was the tacos. Not a bad lunch.



Quiet at the humongous bar.