Saturday, November 26, 2016

Gin U Dee Stoneham

This is my second try to try the Green Curry at Gin U Dee in Stoneham. Let's see what happens today.



Success! Sort of, I tried to order it with dark chicken meat and that somehow got translated into duck. I really didn't mind, especially since the duck is only 70 cents more and there was plenty of duck in the curry. The curry was two peppers on the menu and had some heat but I think I'll try it with three the next time. As a green curry, it was excellent with nice and complex flavors. I really appreciate that it comes in a bowl so that you get plenty of the curry sauce.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Nijiya Medford

It's a rarity for me to have lunch in Medford since I detest the new parking meters but I know where there is free parking so since I was nearby I decided to revisit Nijiya in Medford.



They have AYCE Sushi ($14.95) lunch offering that also included hot food. Here is the Shrimp Shumai that was pretty good. I like that they bring out the wasabi ahead of the sushi so that you can start to mix it into the soy sauce.



First plate, nothing surprising here except the octopus and squid. The salmon was cut paper thin but the rice was the proper amount. The rice was barely seasoned.


The final list. They still increase the price on Fridays, I think they should keep the lunch price the same on Fridays.

Address 9 High St, Medford, MA 02155
Phone number (781) 874-2630

Saturday, November 19, 2016

K Restaurant Peabody

K Restaurant in Peabody opened in October of '16 and as soon as I heard about it, it went on my "must visit" list.



They are located in a small strip mall somewhere in Peabody. How did we get anywhere without the GPS? From their website: "What does the 'K' stand for? The ‘K’ stands for Korean food, and also for the kimchi. Kimchi is the best-known example of the fermented vegetable dish, has long been at the heart of the Korean culture. Spicy, sweet, sour, and crisp, it leads remarkable taste in our K’s home-style cooking".



The interior will not win any prizes for decoration. You order at the counter and the food is brought out to you when it's ready. There are self-serve for water or tea and utensils are on the tables.



No special lunch menu.This is from the Stir Fry section of the menu, Dwaeji Galbi Jjim ($15). "Korean Style Pork Ribs Pork ribs braised with K’s delicious sauce." This was served with rice and Kimchi. No banchan was offered. The ribs were fall off the bone tender apart from the outside on a few that was a bit tough. The sauce was excellent, sticky and flavorful and not overly sweet. The kimchi, made by his mother from granma's recipe, was excellent. I think I have to come back and try their stews, they looked really good.

Address 100 Lynn Street, Peabody, MA 01960
Phone number (978) 595-1889


K Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Friday, November 18, 2016

Sichuan Taste Malden

We're probably going to have to pay for this, but I'm enjoying the 66F on my way to Sichuan Taste in Malden.



I was excited to order the Salt and Pepper Pork Tounge dish from the lunch menu. The dish turned out to be very tasty and I really liked it. It even had Sichuan Peppercorns in it, you can see one at the rim of the dish. My mouth is still numb and tingling after having ingested a number of them. There was also a ton of sliced garlic that was tasty and very mild. Another excellent lunch.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

The Savage Wiener Newton

The Savage Wiener in Newton opened not long ago and armed with a Groupon is visited for lunch today. I figured that I better go, not sure how long they will stay in business.



They are located inside Sandwich Works with just a small sign hanging outside.



Typical sandwich shop inside. They celebrated their 25th anniversary today so there was candy on the tables and cake for everyone.



The Groupon was for four dogs with 50% off. Here is THE COWBOY With bacon, grilled onion, cheddar Jack cheese and BBQ sauce and next to that is THE REUBEN DOG With house made Russian dressing, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut. The hot dogs were nicely grilled and were BIG as was the fresh buns.



To the left are THE ORIGINAL With dijon mustard, green relish, red onions and sauerkraut and to the right we have THE PORKY With crushed hot peppers, yellow mustard, pickle chips, red onions and chipotle aioli. The Porky doesn't really fit the description. The hot dogs were really nice and beefy and it was plenty of toppings on the dogs.

Address 827 Beacon Street, Newton, MA 02459
Phone number (617) 332-6777

The Savage Wiener Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Gin U Dee Stoneham

I went to Gin U Dee in Stoneham with the intent to try their Green Curry, but it was not to be.



One of the owners/chefs came out and said: let's see what in the walk in. In the meantime, the other guy brought out a Coconut Soup with Chicken (3.70) on the house. Are these guys nice, or what? The soup was interesting and flavorful in an understated way. Plenty of chicken and mushrooms.



I ended up with Grilled Shrimp and Squid (11) with a HOT sauce and Sticky Rice (2). The sticky rice was good and the seafood was cooked well. I'm a sucker for squid, so I was happy. He also grilled some eggplant.



A closer look at the spicy sauce that was seriously spicy. I just briefly dipped the food into the sauce, and that was enough for me.

Monday, November 7, 2016

Brothers Marketplace Weston

Brothers Marketplace in Weston is part of Roche Bros new approach to creating a smaller store with a focus on local produce and perishables while still being a traditional local market.



Brothers Marketplace is located in the middle of Weston, actually on Center Street. They have a small outside seating area. They were hosting a Grand Re-opening media event today and will hold a Holiday Tasting event on Saturday, Nov 12 11:00 AM-4:00 PM. There will be samplings available and a selection of holiday food.



Breakfast selection and both coffee and espresso are available. There was a nicely decorated seating area available for us.




Pastries galore was available. If it isn't made in house, then they are using the highest quality items that are available. Bagels come from NY City, and the cannelloni shells are filled in-house.



There were Pecan Rolls on the counter for customers to sample, and I tried one, It was delicious, so I went back for another sample.




The produce section was neatly laid out and loose produce was available in bins. The also have precut veggies and on the far left, loose salads. I really liked that, you can buy exactly what you need, so nothing is going to the spoils.



Another thing that I really liked was that they had items cut in half and left out as display items. This is a Pomellos that I have never heard of before but it looks very nice and even better when cut in half. If you want local cheese, they have a display case dedicated to cheeses from New England.



Lots of really good-looking prepared food and the BIG sandwiches looked delectable.



The fish came from a small local purveyor and looked extremely fresh. The meat comes from Niman Ranch and look at the marbling on the Ribeye!



Perfectly cooked and very beefy tenderloin was brought out for sampling with some scallops that are delivered fresh every day.



They have a partnership with Amir's Natural Food from Dorchester and they have a number of Middle Eastern items available. The Fudge to the right just caught my eye, what a neat packaging.



More food was brought out for us to taste. The Butternut Squash with Baby Spinach, next to the Croissants, was really delicious and I really don't like butternut squash but this I will eat. Next to it was a delightful Arugula Salad with Fennel and shaved Parmesan cheese. The Sushi was excellent, especially for a supermarket sushi. Big pieces of fish in the Maki Rolls.



Cool coffee cups are available at the coffee station. Time to make the Mozzarella and we were invited to watch. The curds are cut up and put into a pan with water and mixed.



Hot water is added and then they start to homologise into strings. After everything comes together Mozzarella Balls are formed and put into ice water. This was pretty cool to watch.

Disclosure: I was invited as a media guest but all opinions are my own

Address 41 Center Street, Weston
Phone: 781.966.3696

Brothers Marketplace Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Saturday, November 5, 2016

3 Country Bistro Woburn

3 Country Bistro in Woburn got rave reviews from Hidden Boston. They list the Indonesian Fried Rice as one of their top 15 dishes.



So here we have it. Indonesian Fried Rice (8.95). "Chicken fried rice with special chili sauce, bell peppers, scallions and topped with crispy chicken and fried egg." I ordered it extra spicy but that failed to materialize, again. She gave me the condiment tray, but that's not what I ordered. The egg was overcooked, except where it was undercooked. The crispy chicken was excellent and even that batter had a little bit of heat. The chicken pieces in the rice were borderline overcooked. The fried rice itself was OK but not very spicy and it lacked complexity. On the plus side, it was a generous portion.

Address 379 Main Street, Woburn, MA 01801
Phone number (781) 376-8030

Thursday, November 3, 2016

The Porch Wakefield

The Porch in Wakefield is high on my list of favorite restaurants. Close by, easy parking and the people working here is super nice and the prices are, sort of, reasonable.



They recently added BBQ items and I decided to splurge on the Brisket Plate ($16) and I was glad that I did. The brisket was outstanding, tender with a good meaty flavor and there was a bit of fat left on and that made me happy. You need some fat left otherwise it tends to dry out. Mac & Cheese was, as always, excellent. The Collard Greens was a bit bland, I liked the older version better since it was more vinegary. Since the brisket was soo good, I have to go back and try the ribs. They also have about four or five BBQ sauces available.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Margaritas Lexington

Margaritas in Lexington is as far as you can get from Lexington center.



I wanted something Mexican like and I have had some decent food at various Margaritas. They are located next to a hotel and you can not legally make a left turn into their parking lot.



All furniture and decorations are imported from Mexico and all restaurants are uniquely decorated.



Of course, you get warm chips and salsa. The salsa was surprisingly tasty and the obligatory wrapped silverware.



Looking closer at the salsa, there were some seriously big chunks of raw onion in it.



The Enchilada Mexicana ($7.95?). "A cheese enchilada with choice of chicken, ground beef, braised beef, pork carnitas or roasted veggies baked in our mild enchilada sauce. Served with Mexican rice and beans". I went with the pork carnitas. The Enchilada was tasty as was the pork inside and the refried beans were nice and chunky. The rice was also tasty and had more raw onions on top. Somebody in the kitchen likes their raw onions. This was a nicely sized for lunch for me.

Address 438 Bedford Rd, Lexington, MA 02420
Phone number (339) 970-2250

Margaritas Mexican Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Vic's Waffle House Tewksbury

I had to visit Walmart and since Vic's Waffle House in Tewksbury is across the street I decided this was a good time to try a waffle, never had one in this country before.



No sign on the building and they are only open for breakfast and lunch. Private parking on the side.



It's a diner and looks like one and they were quite busy at lunchtime.



Fried Chicken & Waffle ($10). "3 Pieces of Crispy Chicken on the bone on a Waffle". I tried to get all dark, but no go. The chicken was excellent, well cooked and seasoned and all on the bone. Even the breast piece was nice and juicy. The waffle was very light and really nice. The taste was somewhat familiar but I have no idea of what. I tried the waffle with some of that synthetic maple syrup on it and it wasn't bad. Pretty pleasant lunch and it was only $10.



This is a Swedish Waffle. Photo courtesy of Katie Cannon / Heavy Table.

Address 283 Old Main Street, Tewksbury, MA 01876
Phone number (978) 640-9610

Vic's Waffle House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato