Stonewood Tavern Peabody

My Groupon+ for Stonewood Tavern in Peabody didn't work, and maybe it was because I used a debit card. This time I used a CC, and it didn't work either.

This time I went for the PASTRAMI MELT ($10). "Thinly sliced pastrami, melted Swiss cheese, dijon mustard and caramelized onions served on toasted dark rye bread". I got toasted white bread instead of the rye. This was good, nicely toasted bread and the pastrami was tasty.

All sandwiches come with a side, so I decided to be brave and picked the Caesar salad. The romaine was fresh and the parmesan was freshly shaved. The croutons were light. The dressing was on the milder side. This was a pleasant little salad. The service was better, and I even got a water refill.

Address 139 Lynnfield St, Peabody, MA 01960 Phone number (978) 531-5311

Tres Petite Crêperie Lexington

My last visit to Très Petite Crêperie in Lexington was pretty good. This time I had a Nift voucher for $10 off. No website but Grubhub seems to have an up to date menu. They have a website listed on the printed menu, but there is nothing there.

They are under new management, and things have improved. They now have tacos and a few other Mexican dishes on the menu.

It's small inside, and the tables are close together. Order at the counter and the food is brought out to you. There is (warm) water available to the right.

The L'oignon Soup ($6). "Classic French onion with crouton and melted Swiss". The soup was very good and full of flavor. Even the crouton was tasty. Unfortunately, the soup was brought out at the same time as the crepe, so this didn't work out really well.

I went for the Jambon Crepe ($10.00) again. "Ham, Swiss, Dijon mustard, bechamel sauce and white cream sauce". It a very tasty and surprisingly filling meal. The salad is fresh and dressed just before serving. No cornichon today.

Address: 1707 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420 Phone: (781) 538-5538

3 Amigos Malden

It's Taco Tuesday, so I went back to 3 Amigos Bar & Grill in Malden for some more Tacos. The website is currently unavailable, but you can get to the old one.

They have private parking in the lot at the end of the street.

The inside is very inviting with the big bar and the nice booths next to the windows. Not a very exciting view outside.

The chips were fresher today. The salsas were ok but the tomato one needed garlic or something, and the tomatillo one needed some more heat.

I have been eyeing the lunch Fish Tacos for a while. Was 12 now 10. "Crispy battered cod, pickled cabbage, pico de gallo , crema fresca , chipotle aioli". I also asked for the refried beans since they are way better than just the beans. The rice was a bit mushy. The fish tacos were excellent. Super crispy thin batter with perfectly cooked fish inside. I asked for some extra chipotle aioli on the side, and now it was even better. Only a few customers at lunch today and that's really a shame since everything is excellent here, including the service. They have half priced tacos on Taco Tuesdays, but only after 4 PM.

Address: 375 Main St, Malden, MA 02148 Phone: (781) 605-1191

Acitrón Arlington

Time to head back to Acitrón Cocina Mexicana in Arlington. I rarely go to Arlington Center during the week after they installed the on-street parking meters. I have been here a number of times and been very happy with their food. Maybe not the Chile Rellenos since it was only one chile and it was not battered and deep fried. It was tasty though.

They only do lunch/brunch on the weekends. This was the kind of day we had today.

The inside is nice and bright. I saw on their website that they have outdoor seating and couldn't figure out where it was. Today I spied the door to the outside. See it? Remember when this was Punjab? I had many excellent lunches there. I'm really bummed that they only do dinner now.

You get chips and salsa, and the salsa is left in with the chips. The chips were cold and stale, but the mild salsa is excellent. I did eat most of it.

Today I picked the HUEVOS CON NOPALES Y CHORIZO ($9.95) from the brunch menu. "Three eggs scrambled with seasoned cactus and Mexican chorizo". This is the first time I have had this, and it was really excellent! Super tasty and the cactus was very interesting, but in a good way. The potatoes must have been braised in stock since they were also super delicious. Fresh warm tortillas are hiding in the napkin. Service is always excellent and friendly here.

Address 473 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02474 Phone number (781) 777-2839

The Local Woburn

I have been to The Local in Woburn once before, and it was just OK, but I figure I'll give them another try for the weekend brunch ($16).

They took over where Masa used to be. They are conveniently located in the same plaza as Whole Foods. I noticed that there were no tastings available at all in WF today.

The interior is nice with separate dining areas. They still have the high tops at the windows.

You get some warm cornbread with a spread. I probably shouldn't have asked what the spread was since the reply was cornbread. Anyway, it's maple butter.

A Mimosa or a Bloody Mary is included in the brunch. It was tasty enough but seemed more like a Virgin Mary.

USDA PRIME BRUNCH BURGER. "Prime grade burger, brioche, vt cheddar, slab bacon, fried egg, potatoes". The egg whites on top were uncooked, so it went back for an over easy. The slab bacon behind the burger must have been deep fried and was so overcooked that it crumbled. The burger was okay, could have used some more seasoning. The potatoes were fantastic! Seasoned, cooked well with a crispy outside and a fluffy inside. Not impressed with the service, took a long time to get the check and it wasn't very friendly either.

Address 350 Cambridge Road, Woburn MA 01801 Phone number (781) 932-5910

Stonewood Tavern Peabody

Last time I went to Stonewood Tavern in Peabody was for their AYCE Fish & Chips on Wednesdays. This was kind of wasted on me since I was done after the first plate. They now have a Groupon+ for 20% off, so it was time to return. Using a debit card doesn't seem to work even if it was run as a CC. A CC didn't work either.

A big parking lot and a nice patio.

The inside is nice and bright with a big bar. There is a dining room to the right.

I started with a cup of TAVERN STEAK CHILI ($4). "Chunks of slow cooked tender beef in chili spices topped with cheddar jack cheese, sour cream & green onion. Add tortilla chips $1". Well, the cheese didn't make it, and I forgot to tell them to hold the sour cream. The chili had chunks of beef and chunks of tomato and tasted mildly of chili. Linen napkins and good silverware.

The AYCE deal is gone, but they still have the FISH & CHIPS ($10) on the lunch menu. "Fried Atlantic haddock served with fries, coleslaw and tarter sauce". Their spelling. They had quite a few lunch items for $10 that also included soda or coffee. I was offered neither. The fries are excellent and had been seasoned when they come out of the fryolator. The fish had a very light batter and was cooked really well with the fish still being moist and flaky. The tartar sauce was tasty but light on content. The slaw was Ok, but it was dry. The service was impersonal, I only got my water refilled at the end of the meal.

Address 139 Lynnfield St, Peabody, MA 01960 Phone number (978) 531-5311

Commune Kitchen Arlington

Who needs Papa Gino's when you have Commune Kitchen in Arlington? Every time I have visited, it has been with their Breakfast pizza in mind, but I have got sidetracked every time. I haven't been back in a while, but they are only doing lunch on weekends.

Luckily the new parking meters haven't made it this far, so there is still free on-street parking. There isn't a lot of parking.

Yes, this used to be a Mexican restaurant. The inside is nice and bright. The artwork on the walls is for sale. I think this is a nice thing to do.

There is also seating in the front room where the open kitchen is. You now get a bottle of cold water delivered to your table, so no need to serve yourself.

Finally, the Breakfast Pizza (15). "Red sauce, bacon, egg, mozzarella, roasted red pepper, avocado, green onion, parmesan, olive oil". Extra Egg +1. The pizza was pleasant, maybe a bit too tomatoey, it kind of overpowered the rest of the ingredients. The crust here is fantastic, light, airy and very tasty. I usually don't like the crust, but here it's almost the best part. Probably adding a couple of eggs would be a good idea. It was a good pizza, but probably my least favorite.

Bored anyone?

Address 203A Broadway, Arlington, MA 02574 Phone number (781) 777-2597

Brothers Kouzina Peabody

I have been eating Lamb Kokinisto in most of the different Brothers locations to find the best one. They are all independently owned. I had my first at Brothers Kouzina in Peabody, and that was the benchmark. Today I went back for another Kokinisto to see how they held up.

And the winner is Brothers Kouzina. Lunch Lamb Kokinisto ($13.99). "Lamb baked on the bone in a traditional red sauce with Greek seasoning". At all the restaurants the lamb was really tender, but both the sauce and the potatoes here was way better than the rest. They also have table service. You get the choice of two sides, and I always go with double roasted potatoes. They were absolutely packed at lunch today, and when I mentioned that to the hostess, she said, wait until tomorrow. The good news is that they will not close or move, but stay where they are now. Despite being on Rte 1, they are easy to get to for me and also easy to get back on Rte 128.

Address: 25 Newbury St, Peabody, MA 01960 Phone: (978) 535-9297

Feng Shui Burlington

Feng Shui in Burlington is the newest location for this local chain that now has six locations in NE. I used to go to their Chelmsford location a lot but gave up on them. Read about my last visit here.

Yes, we got snow overnight. A lot of snow. They are located in The District in Burlington with ample parking.

A very nice and bright dining room with quality furniture. Sushi bar to the left.

I took a high top in the bar. Since the buffet is in the back everyone had to walk down here to get to it. It really amuses me to see how people load up their plates. Folks, you don't need to pile on the food, it's not going anywhere.

They have a big sushi selection with plenty of Nigiri for me.

Much to my surprise they even had some Crudo! Not sure what the next dish was, but it had torched fish wrapped around something crunchy.

The buffet had a good selection of different food, and the food was replenished frequently.

I decided to try their H&S soup, and it was enjoyable with some barely heated up sliced mushrooms and other good stuff. The chili oil had to be requested. It was excellent.

Get a place of Sushi. Put it aside until the wasabi has dissolved into the soy sauce. Eat the soup dumplings and the shrimp dumpling. Back to the Sushi plate. The Crudo was delicious. The rice in the nigiri was seasoned but a little too cold. The rice to fish ratio was good. The two Maki pieces were fine.

How often do you see Mala Fish Fillets on a buffet? First time for me.

Time for the buffet. The chicken wing was moist. The green beans are excellent. The coconut shrimp are on the sweet side but is crunchy with seriously big shrimps. The spicy chicken was tender. The mala fish was excellent, slightly crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. The service was pleasant. It was a bit expensive at $14.50, but the quality was really high. If you see it as an AYCE Sushi place, it's actually cheap.

Address: 2200 District Ave, Burlington, MA 01803 Phone: (781) 365-0918

Dharani Woburn

My first visit to Dharani in Woburn wasn't exactly a success. Armed with a Groupon+ for 50% off I decided to give them a second try. I really like the Groupon+ deals. No coupons, just a cash back as soon as your card is run.

They took over the space where Tanner Tavern had resided. On street parking only but there is now a communal lot across the street.

Sorry for the picture quality, my camera phone decided to switch over to jpeg without telling me. The inside is nice, but it was freezing cold today at lunch.

They now have a lunch menu that isn't available on their website. What is available is a dirty tablecloth and a stained menu. You have a choice of veg or non-veg appetizer. The same goes for the curries. Choice of either Naan, Rice or yogurt rice. Prices are $10.95-$12.95 depending on your choice of protein. The full menu is not available at lunchtime.

It must have been windy yesterday. You also get leftover papad.

The waitress kept on asking if I wanted veg or non-veg appetizer without telling me what they were. Turns out, it was either a cauliflower dish or Chicken Chili. This is what arrived, and it could have been the main dish, it was soo big. Turns out it was delicious! The dark meat chicken was tender, and the chili sauce was pleasant. Not overly hot but very tasty.

I went with the Lamb Curry South Indian Style (I have no clue what this means) with rice. The lamb was mostly tender, and that was a good thing since you don't get a knife unless you ask for it. Mild, medium or hot? Hot, of course, and it was a little bit spicy. It was very tasty but a bit on the sweet side. The rice was fragrant and fluffy. You get a minuscule napkin.

Then a dish of Biryani arrives as a surprise. There is a big chunk of dark chicken hiding at one o'clock. This was excellent, well seasoned and it packed a bit of heat as well. What a nice surprise this was. Despite a few drawbacks, this was an excellent and tasty lunch. I can't get over the appetizer that was the size of an entree.

Address: 474 Main St, Woburn, MA 01801 Phone: (781) 277-6707

The Smoke Shop Somerville

The Smoke Shop in Assembly Row in Somerville is the third location and was opened recently. The man behind the restaurants is Andy Husband, a well-known Boston Restaurateur. Formerly, he worked with Chris Schlesinger at the legendary East Coast Grill. But even more significantly, he is one of the founding members of IQUE, the first New England team to ever win the Jack Daniel's World Championship BBQ Invitational in 2009.

There is free on street parking but not in abundance. I forgot to check if there are any parking garages nearby.

The inside is very nice with a big bar up front and a large dining room in the back. Yes, it smells of BBQ.

I went with the Pit Boss ($26) "Choice of Three Meats & Three Sides". I went with the Ribs, Brisket and Pork Belly Burnt Ends. The pork belly doesn't show up on the online menu. My sides are Pimento Mac & Cheese, Bacon Collards and Pit Beans. There was also pickled jalapenos and pickles in the middle. The mac & cheese was very tasty but wasn't creamy at all. The collard greens were also tasty but lacked vinegar. The pit beans were excellent and not as sweet as on my previous visit. They also had a hint of heat. The ribs were outstandingly good and NOT fall off the bone. They still had a good tug left. The PB burnt ends were very tasty. The brisket was very soft with a very nice and tasty bark. Brisket is the hardest thing to get right when you do BBQ, and this was very good. It was also a very ample serving.

Three sauces are on the table. The hot was hot, and so was the gold. Both were very tasty. The service was very friendly, and my leftover was expertly packed. No, I didn't do it ;-).

Address: 325 Assembly Row, Somerville, MA 02145 Phone: (617) 623-7427