Margaritas Waltham

There are only a few more days when you can get the Taco Gigante at Margaritas and today I headed to their Waltham location.

They are located at the start of the famous Moody Street. There is parking behind the building.

The inside is very nice, and they have an enormous bar.

The chips were fresh and warm. The salsa was way better than their Lexington location. They still like their chunks of onions.

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". It's served in a shell made from the same thing as you get your taco salad in. I should have taken a picture before I broke it open. It looked really good, not like this mess. However, it's really tasty, and it should be with both bacon and jalapeños.

Address: 211 Moody St, Waltham, MA 02453 Phone: (781) 893-9990

Not Your Average Joe's Burlington

It's raining, it's cold, and I wanted something hearty, so I headed over to to the nearby Not Your Average Joe's in Burlington.

I must say that everything here is nice, the focaccia was warm and fresh. I still think the dipping oil has too much cheese, but one side was fine today.

I have had my eyes on the JAMBALAYA (13.99) for quite a while, and today was a good day to try it. "Andouille sausage, tasso ham, spicy chourico, pulled chicken, shrimp, veggies and rice, simmered in a cajun-spiced tomato broth". This was a good sized portion, and it was absolutely delicious! Really well seasoned and it almost qualified as spicy. I was delighted with this. I also really like that the manager is walking around and checking in with the customers.

Address 4c Wayside Rd, Burlington, MA 01803 Phone number (781) 505-1303

Anchor Pub & Grille Beverly

The Seafood Pie seems to be featured on the specials board at Anchor Pub & Grille in Beverly every Thursday and Friday. After checking Google Traffic and seeing that Rte 128 North was fine, I set out for them. It's a fairly quick drive to Beverly.

The two pandas have been joined by a few more animals. They have dedicated parking outside and also across the street. They are a bar that serves food with a small kitchen. Cash only and they have an ATM inside.

The dining room is a no-frills place, and the daily specials can be seen on the screens. They also post them on their FB page.

This didn't work out too well, sorry about that. Crab Cakes ($5) from the apps section. This was surprisingly good with more crab than cake. Their remoulade sauce is excellent.

The Seafood Pie ($11.95) with two sides is excellent. I picked the Baked Potato (gigantic) and Onion Rings (+75¢). The pie has scallops (small), shrimp, fish and chunks of lobster. Very little topping and there is butter involved. The onion rings were okay, a bit on the well-done side. The butter for my potato was at room temp. Service here is always service with a smile. A nearby table had the fried haddock plate, and the fish was gigantic!

Address 20 Cabot St, Beverly, MA 01915 Phone number (978) 921-0504

BayBerry Cafe Woburn

Not only is BayBerry Cafe in Woburn vegetarian, but they are also vegan, and I'm neither. Despite that, I have had some really delightful lunches here, much to my surprise.

They are located on Main Street but have their own parking lot on the side of the building. There is also an entrance there.

The inside is bright, modern and welcoming.

Lunch comes with Miso soup that, for once, is really tasty. Of course the slices of Shiitake mushrooms help.

For my lunch, I picked the "Malaysian Curry Stew (spicy) W. Soy Protein Carrots, Broccoli & Potatoes". Hold the broccoli. Lunches are $9, and dinners are only a few dollars more. All lunches come with a spring roll and brown rice. I wasn't happy that they put my spring roll in the curry. On previous visits, it was placed on the dry part of the pate. The dipping sauce for the spring roll is really excellent and I suspect that it's made in-house. The curry was excellent and really tasty. I ordered it extra hot and it worked. It's not specified what the soy protein is supposed to emulate, but I went with chicken. It had a very nice texture, The brown rice is on the al dente side, but on the right side. The spring roll in the curry says everything about the service. This was still an excellent lunch, but it wasn't very busy.

Address 502 Main Street, Woburn, MA 01801 Phone number (781) 935-1288

Tavern in the Square Burlington

Tavern in the Square is one chain where it's worth signing up for their rewards program. Now they loaded my card with a Free Small Bites, so I headed back to their Burlington location.

I decided to go with two small bites and here is the Truffle Tots ($8). "Rosemary, truffle oil, shaved parmesan". They were tasty and really crispy. If the parmesan had melted, it would have worked better. The truffle oil, of course, has no truffle at all, but it tastes good.

The second small bite is the North Carolina Style Pork Ribs ($9.25). "Peach bourbon bbq sauce, watermelon pickle". It was four tender ribs that were not fall off the bone and had a delicious BBQ sauce. The watermelon could have done with some more pickling, it was barely noticeable. The waitress took the more expensive item off the bill. I didn't expect that so that increased the tip.

Andiamo Chelmsford

Bacon! I wanted bacon today, and I had a decent Sunday Brunch at Andiamo Restaurant + Bar in Chelmsford, so I went back on this sunny but very windy Sunday. The brunch was $15 but have now gone up to $17.

Their lunch offering is just sandwiches. Plenty of parking in this big plaza.

The inside is nice and bright with an open kitchen in the back. The brunch offerings are lined up on the counter. There is also a big bar around the corner to the right.

The first trip yielded cold cuts, bacon, sausage, Caesar salad and something eggy. I think the Caesar salad was tastier the last time, but it was still OK. The eggy thing was really good with fluffy eggs and tasty sausage slices. The bacon on this trip was a bit limp. Of the very tasty potatoes I had on my last visit there was no trace. Too bad, they were one of the reasons for the revisit.

The second and subsequent visits were pretty much the same except for the change to the beet salad. The beet salad was excellent with a nice dressing, walnuts and of course beets. I don't like beets, but the salad was tasty, especially if you grabbed it from the top where all the cheese was. The bacon had improved and was now nice and crisp.

If you fancy one, omelets are made to order.

I'm not sure if I agree with salt and pepper being served this way. How many people do as I did without thinking, and just grab a pinch of salt out of the container?

Address 18 Boston Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 Phone number (978) 710-7218

Jimmy's Steer House Saugus

On all my previous visits to Jimmy's Steer House in Saugus, I have had the $11.99 (now $12.99) Prime Rib lunch special. However, there is another dish on the lunch menu that has received a lot of acclaims.

They are located on the busy Rte 1 where everything is always on the wrong side. Plenty of parking.

The inside is what it is, but it's clean and well maintained.

The dish is the JUMBO MARYLAND CRABMEAT PIE (10.99). "Prepared by our Chef to bring out its sweet, succulent flavor". I went with the baked potato as my side. Jumbo crabmeat it wasn't, but it was just the crab and the topping. The topping was too sweet for me, and the crab was unseasoned. Some kind of sauce would have helped here. The baked potato was perfect, light and fluffy. I'll stick with the Prime Rib.

Address: 114 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906 Phone: (781) 233-8600

Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe Woburn

If you are looking for beef and broccoli, Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe is not the place for you. If you are looking for food from Xian, you are in the right place. Hand-pulled noodles, savory lamb skewers, and hot and sour soups are the good stuff here. He's now only open Thurs-Sund in Woburn, and it's cash only.

There is a new big communal parking lot across the street.

The menu is VERY limited, but everything is delicious. Even his spicy dishes aren't that spicy, and there is a chili paste at the counter if you want it spicier.

There is seating in what used to be a Liberty Bell. Shortly after noon, there was standing room only.

It turns out that there is one dish that I have completely overlooked, and that is the #2 Lamb Hand-pulled Noodle Soup ($11), but that will be rectified today. There were mushrooms in the soup, and the only one I recognized was the Wood Ear Mushroom, but they all were tasty. The lamb actually tasted of lamb. The hand-pulled noodles are really Escherish since they have no beginning and no end, but they are really toothsome. The broth looked really weak but wasn't. Full of flavor with a hint of heat. I managed to eat about half and will have the rest for dinner.

Other things I like here is the #10 Hot Sour Dumpling Soup that is chockful of delicious dumplings. #9 Cumin Lamb with hand-pulled Noodles. #16 Hot Sour Hand-pulled Noodles Soup. #4 Handpulled Noodles is just noodles in chili oil with a heap of garlic on top.

Address: 466 Main St, Woburn, MA 01801 Phone: (781) 938-6888

Royal India Bistro Lexington

On my visit to Royal India Bistro in Lexington last week I had an excellent curry and wanted another one today.

Today I went with the Fish Curry ($8.50). "Boneless, skinless pieces of haddock cooked in a light sauce". I asked for it hot, and it really was hot. Impressible. The fish was cooked perfectly, and the curry itself was excellent. Did I mention that it was hot? You also get plenty of nice and fluffy basmati rice.

At 12:15 there was standing room only.

The Irish Cottage Methuen

The Irish Cottage in Methuen recently moved across the street to a bigger building with more parking. I was told that the Cottage Pie here was really good so off I went.

Plenty of parking but my GPS had no idea that the rotary was gone, but I had a good idea where they were located.

I must say that the inside was nice and bright. They were packed, and it turns out they have an AYCE buffet on Sundays. It was ending in 10 minutes, so I passed. The buffet was being restocked despite finishing soon, so that was a good sign.

I went with the aforementioned Cottage Pie ($16). "Traditional Ground Beef Pie with Peas, Carrots, Onion, Fresh Herbs In A Tomato Base And Topped With Mashed Potato". If it had a tomato base there was no taste of it at all, in fact, the whole thing lacked seasoning and taste. Not even salt and pepper helped since they had nothing to work with. The mashed was OK, could have used some butter and cream and, of course, salt. I got charged $15 instead of $16. The table had not been wiped down.

This is the amount of mashed it was topped with. It turned out that the other side had a reasonable amount of mash on top. The service wasn't very friendly either, no water refills, but I got my bill quickly and also the CC slip.

Address: 17 Branch St, Methuen, MA 01844 Phone: (978) 208-4347

FuGaKyu Lynnfield

On this miserable and wet day, I wanted some comfort food to cheer me up. FuGaKyu in Lynnfield isn't the first place that springs to mind when mentioning comfort food but I haven't been here for a really long time, and they have some really excellent and reasonably priced offerings on their lunch menu and they recently added a Chinese menu.

Sorry for the funny picture format, my trusty Canon developed a lens error, so I had to use my phone and of course held it the wrong way. Yes, there is a cow from the Hilltop Steakhouse peeking out over there.

This is another elegant restaurant with top-notch service. The miso soup was very bland, but the little salad was excellent and it was properly dressed.

The CURRY KATSU DON ($12) is excellent. "Deep fried chicken cutlet with Japanese style curry over rice." The curry is rich and dark with a really intense curry taste, and the dish is even better if you get a crispy pork cutlet instead of the chicken one. The pork katsu is also really big.

Aha, so this is how the phone should be held. After lunch fruit is presented really elegantly.

Address: 630 Market St, Lynnfield, MA 01940 Phone: (781) 334-3833

Nobo Chelmsford

Somebody asked for recommendations for a nice place in Chelmsford and while looking through my blog posts Nobo in Chelmsford popped up. I have had a couple of excellent lunches here, and it was time for another visit.

They are in a fairly new plaza, and there is plenty of parking.

The inside is very modern and elegant.

You get Miso soup with your lunch, and this one was pretty tasty. Inside the linen napkin, there is a single fork.

Last time I had this the menu said: "Assorted 13 piece sashimi over a bed of seasoned rice" and that was clearly wrong. It has now been changed to Chirashi Lunch (13.95). "Assorted 9 pieces of sashimi and 4 pieces of naruto over a bed of seasoned rice". The naruto have shrunk down seriously. The fish was super fresh and tasty, I especially like the red snapper. The rice was well seasoned but well below room temperature. The service is good and very friendly, and the manager checked in with the guests. A nearby table had the lunch Nobowl with Chicken Katsu and it looked really good.

Address 18 Boston Road, Chelmsford, MA 01824 Phone number (978) 710-7218

Ixtapa Woburn

I haven't been back to Ixtapa Mexican Grill & Cantina in Woburn since I started blogging and that's a long time ago. I used to go for the $5.99 lunch specials, and they still have them, but I was never very excited about them. I have been to their Lexington location where much confusion ensued.

There is some street parking available and also the big communal lot above the restaurant.

The inside is nice and bright and clean. I managed to get one of the window booths.

They still have the lunch specials that come with rice and beans. Not a bad deal.

You get decent chips and a thin, but tasty salsa. Everyone at the table gets their own salsa dish. so that you can double dip to your heart's content. Much to my surprise, they now have a two-sided lunch menu. Not as extensive as the dinner menu but plenty of choices and priced very reasonable. Of course you get the dreaded rolled up silverware, but the waiter brought over some decent napkins.

I decided to go with a Lunch Combo Plate. Combo Laredo (Choose Two) ($8.75). "Enchilada, Chimichanga, Chile Relleno, Tostada, Burrito, Taco or Tamale". I went with the Chile Relleno and the Chimichanga with pork. This was a BIG plate. The rice was light and fluffy, and the refried beans were very good, but I'm a sucker for refried beans. The Chile Relleno was prepared correctly, battered and then fried. It was filled with melted cheese. I got lucky and got a spicy one, you never know. What's more, I got a properly cleaned chili! No seeds, no stem left, this never happens.

The Chimichanga might have been deep-fried, but very lightly. There were ample amounts of tender and tasty pork inside. The tomatillo sauce was also really delicious. I never understood the lettuce and tomato salad with no dressing. Pouring some salsa over it helped a lot. I was very happy with my lunch today, and they are back on my lunch rotation. Service was very pleasant. The website has a buy one, get one for half price coupon.

Address: 349 Main St, Woburn, MA 01801 Phone: (781) 759-1250

Brothers Peabody

Brother's Restaurant & Deli in Peabody are located just a short walk from the free parking where I again managed to get a spot.

They are close to the square, and there is metered parking on the street. Only a quarter/hour.

Again there is cafeteria style ordering. All Brother's are now independently owned. I had a hard time to get him to understand that I wanted roasted potatoes.

The nice dining room is separated from the ordering area. It was nice and bright and really well maintained.

What did I have? Kokinisto ($14.95) of course! The lamb on the bone was excellent and tasty and very tender without being mushy. The tomato sauce was well seasoned and delicious. The roasted potatoes were overcooked and not very lemony. If it wasn't for the potatoes, this could have been the winner of the Kokinisto battle. Next time I'm back to Brothers Kouzina where I had my first taste of Kokinisto to see if it's as good as I remember.

Address: 11 Main St, Peabody, MA 01960 Phone: (978) 717-5578