Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Three Amigos Stoneham

It's Taco Tuesday, and I thought about going to Temazcal, but I go there all the time. I then saw that On The Border in Woburn has a Taco special on Tuesdays. After reading a few reviews, it seems that the issue I had on my last visit persists. I was seated by the hostess, and then nothing. Waitresses were walking by, and after about 15 minutes of this, I walked up to the hostess and told her what didn't happen. She wasn't very interested, so I left. I then remembered Three Amigos in Stoneham, that I like but don't frequent often enough.


They look the same from the outside, and the parking lot outside have expanded quite a bit.


The uncomfortable seats have been replaced by nice upholstered seats. Apart from that, the place looks the same as on my last visit.


You get (not homemade and cold) chips with either a mild or a hot salsa and I tried the hot salsa that this time was respectfully spicy.


On the specials board, I noticed Two Jalapeño Chorizo Tacos ($6.99). "Mexican Spicy Sausage with lettuce, Pico De Gallo and Guacamole". Plenty of tasty guacamole, and plenty of Chorizo. The Chorizo was tasty but not very spicy. The Pico De Gallo was fresh. I must admit that I really liked this. Service was pleasant.

Address 125 Main St, Stoneham, MA 02180
Phone number (781) 438-2773

Monday, October 30, 2017

New Brothers Danvers

I wanted something homely today, and I have heard really good things about New Brothers Restaurant & Deli in Danvers.Not sure what the Deli is doing in the name, it's just a restaurant. There is no way to get to the menu section from their webpage, but you can get to it from HERE. Be aware that the prices are out of date.



They are located in downtown Danvers, and there is ample free parking behind the restaurant. There is also an entrance back there.



It's a cafeteria style setup. Get in line, pick up your tray, order, pick up your food and then pay at the end. You don't have to sign the CC slip, I really like that and wish more places implemented this.



Roast Pork Dinner ($14.95). You have the pick of about four starches and four veggies. I picked roast potatoes and corn and extra gravy. You can never have too much gravy. Since this is a greek style place, I was hoping for lemon potatoes, and that's what I got. The corn was OK. When the counter guy sliced off a good sized porkchop, I thought "this looks good!". He then proceeded to slice of two thick slices of pork loin. The pork loin was tender and the blade chop was falling apart tender. Everything needed more seasoning, but salt and pepper fixed that. They also have lunch specials for $9.95, and I might be back to try that. They also do a Prime Rib Dinner ($14.95) Fri-Sun.

Address 31 Maple St, Danvers, MA 01923
Phone number (978) 750-0100

New Brothers Restaurant & Deli Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Anthony's Roast Beef Reading

The research into the Big Beef three-way continues today with a stop at Anthony's Roast Beef in Reading.



I wish my GPS was smarter so that I could have taken a right into the plaza instead of a left that had me crossing Rte 28. There is parking, but not in abundance.



The inside was bright and clean. The furniture was strange, either the tables were too high or the chairs too low.



Big Beef three-way ($7.99) with horseradish sauce. I got upcharged 90¢, I'm assuming for the cheese, but there was no mentioning of this on the menu. The onion roll was buttered and toasted. I got two slices of (unmelted) cheese on the bottom. This seemed to be a proper size of a big beef.



I forgot to specify rare, but the beef was pink and tender. It was also somewhat beefy. The menu board said Hot Roast Beef, but it wasn't. The horseradish sauce was excellent and tasted of horseradish. This was soo big that I had to use a knife and fork. A gentleman at the next table, who must have done this before, managed to eat the whole thing in about three minutes, right out of the wrapper. Yes, there was paper napkins involved. This was a good sandwich, so maybe there is something to this big beef thing.

Address 216 Main St., Reading, MA 01867
Phone number (781) 942-0100

Anthony's Roast Beef Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Friday, October 27, 2017

Jim's Market Medford

Jim's Market in Medford is the home of the famous B-Boys. The B-Boys started out as a breakfast sandwich that was just ham, eggs and cheese on a sub roll.



They are located in a mostly residential area. On street parking and I'm assuming that the playground parking is available as well.



There is seating inside. The kitchen is up front. All tables have a big bottle of BBQ sauce on them.



You can now have the B-Boys with bacon and sausage in addition to the original ham. I went with the Clogger ($6.00). "Ham, bacon, sausage". It was hot, and the eggs were cooked nicely. I bit stingy on the proteins, I think. This turned out to very tasty, but wait, it get's better!



Drench the B-Boys in BBQ sauce, and it gets even better. This is the traditional way of eating the B-Boys. You can also add hash browns to the sub for another dollar.

Address 463 Fulton Street, Medford, MA 02155
Phone number (781) 395-5704

Jim's Market Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Maple Street Bistro Danvers

Maple Street Bistro in Danvers is part of Essex Technical High School and staffed by the students. They are open Tuesday-Friday 11:00-12:30 and reservations are required. Call (978) 304 - 4700 Ext. 2120 after 9:00 AM to reserve a table. Call early, they fill up quickly. They take reservations for one. Both the days and the hours have expanded this year.



Of the three vocational schools that I have visited, Maple Street Bistro is the clear winner by far. The food is good, and you get plenty. The service is always nice and professional. They publish their menu daily, and there is plenty of choices. They are also not expensive. This might be the understatement of the week.



The inside is pleasant and bright with the open kitchen in the back.



Very nice place settings. You get a breadbasket that today had, of course, pumpkin bread and something with berries in it.



I always try to go on a day with a soup that I like. Today's soup was Farmers Chicken with Rice Soup (Cup $2.00 Bowl $3.00). "Fresh Homemade Chicken Broth, Carrots, Celery, Leeks, Onion, Poached Chicken, Steamed Rice, and Fresh Parsley. Served Piping Hot with Gluten Free Biscuits". The parsley didn't make it. The soup was very tasty with big chunks of tender chicken, that was not mushy. For $2/cup you can't go wrong.
.

London Calling Fish and Chips ($6.95). "Atlantic Haddock Lightly Dusted with Our House Crumb, Crisp Fried Served with Tartar Sauce, Homemade Coleslaw and Crispy French Fries". The french fries were not crispy, but nicely browned on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. The fish had more than a light dusting but was crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. I got six (6) large pieces of fish! The slaw was OK as was the tartar sauce. I got extra tartar sauce with my leftovers.



Today's complimentary dessert was Pecan Pie until they ran out, so I got an Eclair, and that was fine with me. I can also recommend their steak tips.

Address 565 Maple St, Danvers, MA 01923
Phone number (978) 304-4700 Ext. 2120 for reservations

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Margaritas Lexington

To celebrate National Taco Day, Margaritas Mexican Restaurants restaurants will once again offer the Taco Gigante Challenge throughout the month of October. Finish it, and you will get a spot on the wall.



Yes, this was the kind of day we are having. No left turn here, so you have to go all the way to the next exit to turn around.



I really like the thin and crispy (cold) chip that comes with a surprisingly tasty salsa. Of course you get the rolled up silverware. Don't they realize how tacky this is?



The inside is very pleasant. All the furniture and decorations are imported from Mexico.



So what is the Taco Gigante? The Taco Gigante ($12.99) is a mammoth, 12-inch, 2 pound Taco filled to the brim with lettuce, refried beans, rice, ground beef, chicken, carnitas, cheese, salsa fresca, bacon, queso, hacienda sauce, picante sauce, crema and pickled jalapeños. Hold the crema. The shell is made of the same thing that you get your taco salad served in. It was light and crisp. I started at one end and first encountered ground beef (bland) followed by chicken (very good). This got me halfway in, the rest were leftovers. I tried the carnitas, and they were tasty. This wasn't bad at all, rice was OK, beans were tasty, and there was just a small amount of lettuce on the bottom. If they do this next year, I'm going on NTD, since if you order one then, you get a voucher for another one. I'm pretty happy with the food from Margaritas, one of the few places that serve a properly cleaned and cooked Chile Relleno.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Lucky Fast Foods Malden

I was going to check out the new Thai place in Malden, Crying Thaiger, that is in a soft opening state, but halfway there I remember that they are closed on Tuesdays. No problem, Lucky Fast Foods in the food court of the 99 Supermarket has been on my list for a while.



This place beats the 88 Supermarket by a mile. Plenty of parking.



This place has gotten some pretty good reviews. On my first try, they had just closed for vacation and would reopen in a month.
 

I forgot that what you order here is the Wonton soup, so I went with the Grilled Short Ribs over Rice ($9 incl tax). Plenty of rice, if the ribs had seen a grill it had left no marks. The ribs were tender and tasty, but at the same time, they were chewy. Not sure how they managed this feat. The little salad was fresh. The common dining area was kept spotless by an elderly gentleman.



Afterwards, I took a walkabout in the supermarket. Live frog or live eel anyone?

Update 11/13/17. Went back for the Wonton Noodle Soup ($8) today.



The broth was very good as was the Wontons, all six of them. There was also some Chinese Broccoli and roasted onions in there. The noodles could have come out of a ramen package, and considering where they are located, they probably did.  

Address 60 Broadway, Malden, MA 02148
Phone number (781) 605-1577

Lucky Fast Food Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Calibasil Beverly

Google maps said no problem, so I headed up to North Beverly for either AYCE sushi or some Vietnamese food. I was early, and the sushi place wasn't open, so it was Cailibasil for some Vietnamese food. They just got written up in Boston Globe.



They are located in a shopping plaza just off Rte 128 with plenty of parking. Believe it or not, but the owner's name is Pho.



I didn't realize that it was cafeteria style setup. You order to the left and pick up at the right. That is also where you get condiments and utensils.



I had to try the Pho and went for the House Special (10.95). "Beef, Beef Brisket and Meatballs". There was no tendon or tripe offered. Make that Meatball since I got only one. The broth was very good, rich and fragrant. The brisket was also good. You can pick your garnishes, and I went with everything. The noodles were a solid lump on the bottom, and trying to separate them meant that you got soup all over the place. The noodles weren't overcooked and had a slight bite. A bit on the expensive side and I think I stick with Pho Paris.



I also ordered the Banh Mi (6.45). I picked the Special that comes with Vietnamese Ham and Pate. This was a seriously big sandwich and a very good rendition of the classic Banh Mi. The bread was fresh and had a light crust, could have been crustier. All the elements in the sandwich were there, and you could really taste the pate. Normally the pate seems to get lost. This was the clear winner today.



There is a poster on the wall that lists what garnishes are available. I really liked this. The ladies behind the counter was very friendly and happily packed up my leftovers.

Address 55 Dodge Street (Rt. 1A), Beverly, MA 01915
Phone number 978-969-3255

Calibasil Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Bobby C's Melrose

Bobby C's in Melrose is so far from the center that it's almost in Malden. I was going to the North Shore today, but traffic dictated otherwise.



There is on-street parking and also parking around the corner, but only on one side.



They have outdoor seating. They also have live music at dinner on Wednesdays.



The inside was nice and bright. It was very quiet at lunch today.



Nice place setting with linen napkins. You get some soft bread and a dipping oil.



The dipping oil was a surprise! Really tasty and flavorful. Look at all the stuff in there.



They have a lunch menu and I went with the Pork Chops ($9.99) from the BBQ section. "With vinegar peppers and potato". Well, the pork chop on the bone wasn't medium as requested, but it wasn't overcooked, so it was still tender and juicy. The potatoes were cooked well, and the sauce was terrific. The vinegar peppers weren't the flabby sort out of a jar, but crispy and vinegary made in-house peppers. What a surprisingly good lunch this was. I have to get back and try their Linguini Alle Vongole since this was such a good meal. Service was also very pleasant and professional.

Address 20 Main St, Melrose, MA 02176
Phone number (781) 662-5472

Bobby C's Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Bill & Bob's Famous Roast Beef Woburn

I think I have been to Bill & Bob's Famous Roast Beef in Woburn once and have also tried other roast beef places, but I was never impressed. With the recent flurry of reviews and write-ups about this local iconic meal, and me learning about the Tree Way and even the Four Way, I had to give it another shot.



They are located a short distance from Woburn Center on Rte 38 going towards Winchester. Lots of parking.



You order from the nice lady behind the counter, and then wait until your order is called.



The dining area upstairs.



Here we go, Big Beef ($5.55) ordered Three Way (+55¢), rare and with horseradish. I could have ordered it Four Way, but paying 55¢ for some shredded lettuce didn't sit right with me. I didn't get the expected Onion Roll but got a very fresh sesame seed roll. The roll was toasted and maybe buttered. Only one slice of cheese. Half the roast beef was rare, the other half was grey. It was tender, but I have no idea how the amount of beef compares to other shops. More research needed. The horseradish sauce barely tasted of horseradish. Maybe they did the 50/50 thing, 1 tub mayo, and 1 small horseradish? The roast beef wasn't very beefy. I have a few more places bookmarked that come highly recommended.
Update: the reason I didn't get the expected onion Roll was that I made the rookie mistake of ordering a Big Beef instead of a Super Beef. Now I guess I'll have to try again.

Address 57 Main St, Woburn, MA 01801
Phone number (781) 935-9842

Bill & Bob's Roast Beef Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato