Trackside Peabody

On my first visit to Trackside Bar & Grill in Peabody, I had their much talked about Grilled Octopus (Polvo Grelhado). They also have another classic Portuguese on the menu. Despite the rumors about their imminent closure, they have no plans to close.

This is the bar entrance, the dining room entrance is around the corner. They have a dedicated parking lot behind the building.

The interior is pleasant and impeccably clean. The bar to the left quickly filled up.

You get olives and fresh bread and real butter.

The soup of the day was kale, but it wasn't ready so I got Caldo Verde instead, and I was happy with that. I thought that the orange thing you can see at 11 o'clock was a carrot, but it turns out to be sliced sausage, and there was quite a few of them. She soup was thick and creamy, but a bit on the salty side.

And now for the main attraction. Carne Alentejana (Marinated Pork & Little Necks) $15.95. "Pan fried marinated pork loin cubes with little neck clams and cube fried potatoes". I only got four clams. The potatoes were cooked perfectly and just lightly fried. There was a ton of tender pork underneath. The Sauce? Broth? Was very tasty. It was a good amount, and it didn't really make sense until I remembered that I got a spoon, and then everything came together.

How substantial was the portion? This is how much of a dent I made after eating myself silly. The stewed rabbit on the specials list tempted me sorely.

Address 30 Warren St, Peabody, MA 01960 Phone number (978) 531-1047

Salem Diner Salem

Salem Diner in Salem is one of two Sterling Streamliner diners left in Massachusetts. No website but a menu can be found HERE, and the prices seems current.

I thought this was the entrance and when it wasn't, I completely forgot to take a picture of the real entrance. They have parking back here, and you can't get to it from Loring Street. Salem State is across the street.

The interior was impeccable. It turns out that Salem State bought them about six years ago and completely renovated the interior. They were not very busy at lunch today.

I have heard really good things about their homemade hash, so Two Eggs over easy with the Hash ($7.45). It comes with excellent home fries and toast that wasn't toasted. At the most, it was warmed since the butter did soak in. The hash was excellent and the real deal. My over easy steamed eggs was correctly cooked apart from that they were not fried. It was a small serving, but so was the price. Service was friendly. I think that I'll stick with Brothers Kouzina where the same dish is 30¢ more, and you get twice the amount of food AND toasted toast.

Address: 70 Loring Ave, Salem, MA 01970 Phone: (978) 542-2373

La Cocina Tropical Lowell

La Cocina Tropical in Lowell opened fairly recently in what once was the much beloved Sout East Asian Restaurant. A number of similar venues have since failed here. I wonder if it has something to do with Viet Thai on the other side of the block?

There is a good amount of parking, but only expensive metered spots. A dollar got me 45 minutes. The all you can eat lunch buffet ($9.99) turns into a dinner buffet at 3:00PM.

The interior is unchanged since my last visit but they have added TVs.

The first part of the buffet is the Asian section. It was heavily loaded with starches.

The Spanish section had four trays of rice.

The crispy chicken was really crunchy and cooked well. The spicy chicken wasn't, it tasted like they had poured Thai sweet chilli sauce over it. The pork from the Spanish section was bone dry as was the chicken. The chicken from the chicken stew wasn't much better. The best thing was the rice and beans with the stew broth mixed in. Surprisingly good quality silverware.

The outside of the beef empanada was dry, but the beef inside was good. Beef and Chinese broccoli had appeared and were pretty good, but it's just beef and broccoli. More rice and beans with the stew liquid. When I was about to leave a big tray of freshly fried shrimp appeared. I think you are better going closer to one instead of noon.

Since I was so close, I had to stop at China Star on Broadway and pick up a pound of Roasted Pork Belly ($11.75). This is excellent as is their Roasted Duck ($15.75 for a half). This picture could have been taken in any Chinatown.

Brothers Deli Wakefield

I have been thinking about the Roast Lamb at Brothers Deli in Wakefield and it's on the menu today.

This is the Roasted Lamb ($12.95) with double Roasted Potatoes. You can't complain about the portion size. Me asking for some pink lamb got the response "the lamb is never pink". It was tender and the potatoes were really good as was the gravy. Has all the flavor been breed out of the lamb in this country?

This is the normal lunch crowd and no lines for the food. Never again a Saturday.

Margaritas Lexington

Margs loaded my card with a free entre for today, so I headed out to their Lexington location. This is as far away from Lexington center you can go and still be in Lexington.

The parking lot was quite busy, but the dining room was almost empty. The hostess/manager tried to seat me in the bar without asking. When I indicated that I would prefer the dining room she offered me a dark booth next to the entrance. I finally got seated next to a window.

The chips were fresh this time, but the salsa is way too tomatoey for me.

For my free entre, I went with the Fish Tacos del Mar (3) (12). "Beer-battered fish, scallions, orange slaw, three-pepper sauce and avocado on soft corn tortillas". Scallions? Orange slaw? I got thickly sliced raw cabbage. This was also obviously flour tortillas. The avocado was nice and ripe. The two tacos at the ends had fish that was so severely fried that I had a hard time getting my fork in there. When my waitress (very lovely) asked how it was, I showed her the fish, and she offered to make two new ones since I managed to finish my first carbonized one. I then started in on the middle one that looked much better, and this one was perfectly cooked. The manager stopped by, and I told her that this one was good and one replacement taco would be OK. Did I get two leftovers that were refried? This is a bit strange. I also ordered a side of rice and beans (2.5). Their refried beans are delicious, with a nice texture and even a hint of heat.

The replacement taco was okay. I guess that must have upset the manager since she promptly seated two mommies with toddlers right next to me and much screaming ensued. The dining room was empty apart from another table. I think that between this and them utterly destroying a Chile Relleno, I think I'll go to their Waltham location instead.
Update: Margs reached out through Social Media and put another free entree on my card.

Sakura Organic Wakefield

I looked at the menu at Sakura Organic in Wakefield a little while ago, and it was the old not too exciting menu. A Groupon+ enticed me to pay another visit, and I was handed a completely different menu that had lots of good stuff on it.

They are on Main Street in Wakefield so getting a parking spot is a bit of lottery. They also have outdoor seating now.

The inside is very pleasant with a big sushi bar. This is a perfect spot since you can watch the chefs practice their craft.

Lunch comes with a very edible Miso Soup in a cute bowl and a fresh salad. The dressing was way better than the orange stuff you normally get. Of course the dressing was all on top. I wish they would toss the salad before bringing it out. It's really hard to do in that small bowl. Maybe they will do that if you ask? Never occurred to me. You now get linen napkins as well.

One of the new things on the lunch menu was the Poke Bowl ($12.95). "*Served Raw* *Vegan* Choice of tuna, salmon, or vegetable. Served with rice". As you can see, I went with the Salmon. Not only was it a big bowl with a good amount of salmon, but it was also delicious. The dressing had a hint of acidity and was very tasty. There was also a ton of interesting stuff mixed in. I was pleased with this so I guess the Groupon+ worked since I'll be back.

Address: 3017, 397 Main St, Wakefield, MA 01880 Phone: (781) 224-3479

Ginger Gourmet North Reading

I haven't had a good Chinese Curry Chicken since a visit to Mr. Chan's back in '15. Sichuan Gourmet took over their space in '16. Ginger Gourmet in North Reading has got some decent reviews, so I decided to head over for lunch today.

They are located in a fairly big strip mall that is anchored by a Stop &Shop. Plenty of parking. It turns out that they are a sister restaurant to Golden Ginger in Wilmington.

The inside was very pleasant. The front of the house looks exactly like Golden Ginger.

You get the fried wonton skins and a sweet dipping sauce. The skins were stale. I went with the H&S soup, and it wasn't either. It was bland and somewhat on the thin side. Silverware is the default.

Spicy Curried Chicken ($7.95) with chicken wings. There was only one wing, and the menu said wings. This is still only 2/3 of a wing. The curry itself was very good but where is the sauce? The chicken was delicious, but the peas were dry. The jicama was crunchy. The wing pieces were crispy but bland. They needed a marinade or something.

I must admit that I have never seen a strip mall with a parking limit. The parking outside Stop & Shop had no limits.

Address: 265 Main St, North Reading, MA 01864 Phone: (978) 664-3333

Sugidama Somerville

Sugidama Soba & Izakaya in Somerville are really in Davis Square. Izakaya is a type of informal Japanese gastropub.

Parking is free on Sundays, and they also have customer parking available after five. Check with the hostess.

The interior is inviting and bright with sleek furniture. They have both a bar bar and a sushi bar.

Appetizer day today. First to arrive was the Kurobuta Sausage (2.5). "Grilled honey pork sausage". It was grilled nicely but could have been any sausage.

The next item from the Yakitori section was the Negi Pon (3.5). "Berkshire pork belly w/ scallion and ponzu sauce". It's hard to see the pork, but this was tasty.

More hot appetizers. Scallop Hokkaiyaki (10). "Baked scallops w/ crab stick, mushroom & roe". This was absolutely fantastic, hot, spicy, creamy and really tasty. I could have had another one. I blew out the flame before it could be overcooked.

Last was the Lobster Okonomiyaki (11). "Cabbage pancake topped with lobster salad". This was my least favorite dish, and it was also cold. It did have real lobster in the salad, but the pancake lacked texture. It was just soft and soft. It would have helped if the pancake was crispy or the cabbage had some texture left. The service was delightful, but to my horror, I realized on my way home that I undertipped. Now I really feel bad. The Hot Soba Tempura seemed to be really popular.

Address 256 Elm Street Davis Square, MA 02144

Phone number (617) 764-5770

Davio'S Lynnfield

This is the last day of Dine Out Boston, so I decided to end it with a splurge at Davio'S in Lynnfield. Their three-course lunch is $25, but usually worth it.

The dining room is very elegant. There is a big bar straight ahead.

My pick for the first course was the Charred Asparagus with Pancetta, Poached Egg, and Pecorino. This was delicious with perfectly cooked asparagus. The poached egg was overcooked with only half the yolk being runny.

My mains was the Seared Atlantic Salmon. "Fregola, Corn, Cucumbers, and Dill Crème Fraiche". I think they have one comma too much. What I got was cucumber dill creme fraiche. If there is one place that will cook the fish as you order it, it's here, and they didn't disappoint. This was an excellent dish with an interesting pasta.

I finished with the Strawberry Napoleon with Mascarpone Cream, Strawberries, and Strawberry Coulis. The pastry was light as a feather. 

Not done yet, with my check I got a trio of mignardises. Sometimes I get them and sometimes I don't. Service is, of course, excellent.

Tuscan Kitchen Burlington

Tuscan Kitchen in Burlington haven't been very exciting during Dine Out Boston Week on previous years, so I didn't even look at their menu until I saw a picture on IG of one of their lunch offerings. They have also lowered the lunch price to $20.

It's a prominent place, and they certainly have visibility in The District. The parking lot outside is now dedicated to restaurant parking.

The inside is very elegant with an open kitchen.

The bar area. I snagged a high top in here. Best view in the place.

The bread is back to being phenomenal with a delicious dipping oil.

Fierst course was the Shrimp Spiedini. "Rosemary Olive oil skewered shrimp, Lemon garlic aioli". The shrimp was cooked perfectly, and the aioli was tasty, but why do they leave the tail on? Impossible to eat without messing up your hands.

For my entree, I picked the Grilled Sirloin. "Pan seared gnocchi, Spinach, pancetta". There was no trace of the pan searing, and the spinach was kind of sparse. The sirloin was cooked as ordered and was tender. The gnocchi was light and airy in a delicious sauce. I would have gone twice for this.

I finished with the Pear Marscapone Gelato, and I was stuffed. Now I'm kicking myself for not checking them out last week.

Khao Hom Billerica

I had one more half-priced app to try at Khao Hom in Billerica and also a special curry that's not on the menu.

She brought out a fruit for me to try. I wrote the name down as Lambochan but googling that gives me nothing. I was then informed that the name is Ramboutan. Googling that gives me Rambutan. It was very pretty and has a big stone in the middle. The flesh was firm and slightly sweet. It was very refreshing and pretty.

The last half priced app was the Potsticker (Gyoza) normally $5.95. "Chicken, cabbage, green onion served with ginger sauce". You can have them steamed or deep fried. The filling was tasty, but the skin was on the thicker side. I really liked the roasted garlic. The ginger dipping sauce was excellent.

The Panang curry isn't on the menu but can be had if you ask for it. Here is it with fish ($8.95). Despite asking for the fish not to be crispy, it was crispy and hence overcooked. The curry was excellent and super tasty. It did have the requisite kaffir leaves on top. Wikipedia says that a Panang curry is a "Thai curry that is thick, salty and sweet, with a nutty peanut flavor". This is the lunch portion, but it might have been a special for me.