Friday, July 29, 2016

Buffalo Wild Wings Burlington

Buffalo Wild Wings in Burlington opened very recently and is located kind of behind Chili's. Since today is National Chicken Wing Day and they are serving 1/2 priced wings all day, today was the perfect day for a first visit.



This is a fairly big place and they have a big parking lot.



The dining area and as expected, there was TVs everywhere. Not the most comfortable chairs and when this place got busy, it got very loud.



The bar area also got packed later on. My waitress said that it have never been this busy but it's also the first time they have offered 1/2 priced wings.



What's wrong with this menu? Right, they don't tell you how many wings are in each order so you have to ask. Turns out it starts with 5 wings and they are then incremented by 5. I was going to order two small but quickly figured out that was smarter to order one large instead. They do allow you to pick a different flavor for each 5 count.



Of course I had to try the classic Buffalo Wing that is just called MEDIUM on the menu. "Classic wing sauce: perfectly balanced, comfortably hot." The wings were cooked perfectly and are prepared to order. The sauce was delicious and super tasty with a good amount of heat and medium was just right for me. The wings are really good sized and even at full price are a pretty good deal.



My second choice was the CARIBBEAN JERK. "An excellently exotic sauce: red peppers you love: island spices you crave." I love a good jerk chicken and this one was up there with the best. Flavorful and with a good amount of heat and the pimento flavor (allspice) was certainly present. This was my favorite but not by much. What a great addition to the bustling dining scene in Burlington.



They don't lack choices, either for sauces or rubs. I'll be back on a Tuesday when they have 70 cent wings all day. 

Address 15 South Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803 
Phone number (781) 365-1907

Buffalo Wild Wings Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Crossroads Cafe Acton

Crossroads Cafe in Acton is located in Nagog Square and quite a few restaurants are located here. Nagog Square is really in the middle of nowhere.



Plenty of parking and easy to find. I should have moved a couple of feet more, so the fire thing wasn't in the picture. Well, still learning.



This is the bigger dining area. They did a pretty brisk business at lunch today.



There were a couple of these dining nooks around. I really liked the layout, it kept the noise level down even when they got busy.



The bar area with a multitude of TV's going. It got busy in here as well.



For some reason, I ordered a cup of Soup of the Day (3.95) and I was glad that I did. It was a bean, vegetable and sweet sausage soup and holy crap, was it tasty! Veggies were cooked nicely and the broth was excellent. Adding some of the freshly grated parmesan cheese added another layer of flavors. It was also literally served in a cup. There is some good cooking going on here. Did I mention the linen napkins? The only thing missing was a lunch menu.



Buffalo Wings ($9.25). "Deep-fried bone-in chicken wings, served with a tangy hot sauce. Served with bleu cheese dressing, crisp celery and carrot sticks". I was impressed by how nicely they were plated, again the kitchen shows that they care. The wings were lightly breaded and cooked perfectly. They were super tender and juicy and actually seasoned. My waitress, Tony, was a delight and very pleasant and also attentive. 

Address 405 Nagog Sq, Acton, MA 01720 
Phone number (978) 263-9733


Crossroads Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Changsho Cambridge

I had an appointment in Cambridge, so I decided to pay another visit to Changsho in Cambridge. If it weren't for the parking situation, I would go here much more frequently. Not the cheapest lunch buffet but the quality of the items and the selection is excellent. This really is one of the best buffets around. They also replenish the dishes very frequently and before they are completely empty, so the food seems very fresh. Today I decided to take pictures of the food on the buffet instead of the food on my plate. Any thought about this approach?



One of the attractions is that they have proper Soup Dumplings on the buffet and there is also black vinegar and finely sliced ginger available so that you can eat them the right way. Very tasty little morsels and I had lots of them.


Another big draw is the Salt and Pepper Calamari that is perfectly fried and have hot peppers mixed in. Tentacles included, yeah! I would be happy with just these two dishes and would gladly pay the $12.95 for just them.



The pickled cabbage was crunchy and tart.



Perfectly cooked and super tasty green beans and I didn't really mind that they weren't perfectly cleaned. Looks like a boring dish, but it isn't.



Seafood Delight has some super tasty shrimp that was well seasoned, what a concept!



Chili Chicken was tender and there was chili's but it was just mildly spicy.



The shumai was tasty and tender and they also have a very tasty chili oil available, not super hot but very good.



The fried fish was of good quality and moist and flaky and perfectly cooked. 

Address 1712 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138 
Phone number (617) 547-6565

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

La Provence Concord

La Provence in Concord is located opposite the train station, not to be confused with the train station in West Concord. No website was available.



There is free parking on the side of the building and also in the back.



The menu is on the wall and you order at the counter, pay at the register, pick up your napkins and silverware and the find a table. Food is brought out to you.



Nice and bright seating area. You bus your own table.



Salmon Provencal ($9) served with a slice of baguette. Today's starch was Lyonnaise Potatoes with Brussels Sprouts. I didn't notice the sprouts on the menu so I couldn't ask for a substitute. The salmon was overcooked and dry and I'm not sure what made the dish provencal. Maybe the tomatoes in the gravy? There was also some sorry looking mushrooms in the gravy. The potatoes were overcooked and soggy. The "slice of baguette" could have come out of a Pillsbury can. I'm not surprised that their last day of business is on Friday.



There was a more formal dining room in the back.

La Provence Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Sichuan Gourmet Burlington

It's Sunday so back to Sichuan Gourmet in Burlington we go and why not?



I have been dying to try their version of the classic Sliced Roast Beef & Tendon with Chili Sauce ($9.50) from the Sichuan Delicacy appetizer section. I have had this in other places but this was a super rendition with both the beef and the tendon sliced super thin and served with a seriously spicy chili sauce.



This was followed by the Old Sichuan Chicken ($12.95). Super crispy with a very thin batter over chicken that was still moist and tender. Of course there were Chilies involved as well as garlic. The cabbage with black vinegar helped cut down the spiciness. Another excellent version of a classic dish. I must admit that you can't complain about the portion size here and still only .99 cents for a big bowl of rice. Hm, .99 cents doesn't make sense but somehow looks right to me.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

True West Acton

True West in Acton is yet another local brewery that also serves food.



They are located on Rte 111 and there is free street parking and also a lot below.


The bar area was nice and bright and looked a bit industrial. Not the most comfortable chairs and I couldn't hang my murse on the back since it was rounded.



The dining area was a bit dark, so I opted to sit at the bar instead.



I like dark beer, so I decided to the locally brewed True West Campfire Session ($6.50). "A Complex, malty dark beer with a lightly burnt character" and that was spot on.



True West Wings (12). "Beer roasted wings. Small batch buffalo or sweet and spicy dry rubbed. Served with ranch or whipped blue cheese, celery curls and hop pickled onions". I opted for the dry rubbed with the blue cheese. The wings were very good and cooked nicely but could have been spicier. I did like the pickled onions.



I also ordered the Tots (7). "Handcrafted tots, served with horseradish mustard aioli." The tots were excellent and the aioli was really nice. A bit expensive for what you got, it was only seven small tots.



There were some interesting decorating touches.



The flights of beer seemed to be very popular, 6 small glasses of beer but I didn't see any pricing anywhere but might just have missed it. 

Address 525 Massachusetts Avenue, Acton MA 01720 
Phone number (978) 206-1600

True West Brewing Co. Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Friday, July 22, 2016

Vincenzo's Ristorante Concord

Despite being in 90's, it was a very pleasant day for a cruise down to Vincenzo's Ristorante in Concord.



They are set back a bit from the road and are located in a plaza in West Concord. Plenty of parking and there was even parking in the shade under some trees.


There is outdoor seating but not on a day like today.



The inside was very pleasant with good furniture and a nice bar.



You get bread with dipping oil and of corse, linen napkins. The BREAD! This was the lightest focaccia I have ever encountered and it was soo tasty. The cheese on top helped as did the dipping oil that had cheese in it. What a good start this was, there is always a gamble with Italian restaurants, you never know what you will encounter.



The menu said "add a side salad for $.99" so I went "Caesar please" and was told it was just a mixed salad with a vinaigrette dressing. It was still a very pleasant salad with a nice and tasty dressing.



For my mains, I picked the Vincenzo’s Parmigiana. "Chicken or veal cutlets sautéed in olive oil and topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, served with your choice of pasta." Chicken 9.95 Veal 11.95. I went with the veal and for pasta they had fresh Garganelli. I had no idea what the pasta was so I had to ask. Turned out to be a penne-like pasta and it was cooked perfectly and in seasoned water as well and it had the proper amount of sauce on top. The marinara sauce was bright and really tasty. The parm was a little bit on the crispy side at the edges but was otherwise excellent with just the right amount of sauce and cheese and it was also seasoned properly. Service was excellent and very pleasant. I looked at the dessert menu and noticed that they had Mini offerings on some items and I thought that this was an excellent idea since sometimes you just want a little something. 

Address 1200 Main St, Concord, MA 01742 
Phone number (978) 318-9800

Vincenzo's Ristorante Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Fiorella's Express Belmont

I had a very pleasant lunch at their Newton location that I decided to try Fiorella's Express in Belmont for lunch today.



They are located on the busy Belmont Street and parking can be tricky but are free.



You order at the counter and the food is brought out to your table when it's ready. Open kitchen in the back and a real wood-fired pizza oven to the left.



There is some seating but they are geared for takeout. The inside was nice and homely.



Light lunch today so I started with a small Greek salad ($3!) that was pleasant and not bad for that price. I did like the dressing and appreciated that it was served on the side.



I had the Calamari Fritti (8) from the lunch menu at the other location and had to order it again. "Tender calamari & cherry peppers flash~fried to perfection & served with Fiorella’s signature marinara." Unfortunately, neither the quantity or the quality measured up, The legs especially were overcooked and so were some of the rings and I found that a bit strange.



I like hot fried pepper as much as anyone but when you get as much peppers as you do calamari, I'm not happy. 

Address 263 Belmont St, MA 02478 
Phone number (617) 489-1361

Fiorella's Express [Belmont] Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato