Friday, September 25, 2020

Iron Town Diner Saugus

I have been to Iron Town Diner in Saugus a couple of times and have been very pleased with the food and service. They have daily specials that are posted on their FB page.


There is parking in the busy plaza. They have a few tables outside, and I managed to snag one. Small bees were buzzing around, so it will be inside the next time. It was a super nice day today to sit outside.


The inside is very nice, with everything properly spaced and the bar has plexiglass dividers.


The special today that attracted me was the Roast Leg of Lamb (16). "Slow roasted leg of lamb topped with a vegetable lamb gravy served with mashed potatoes and choice of vegetables". The vegetables weren't very exciting, so I asked for extra mash instead. I also got extra gravy. The vegetable lamb gravy sounded strange, but it turned out to be very tasty. Big chunks of carrots and celery, so I got vegetables after all. The lamb was excellent, tender and juicy. Almost all taste has been breed out of the American lamb in the quest for lean meat. The mashed potatoes were the real thing but could have done with more butter and cream. I asked for extra butter and got the whipped white version, that doesn't even taste of butter. Overall I was very please with both my lunch and the service. I have had their excellent Reuben and the very good Hash and Eggs.

Address: 325 Main St, Saugus, MA 01906 Phone: (781) 558-2070


Saturday, September 19, 2020

Taipei Tokyo Arlington

Taipei Tokyo in Arlington opened a while ago in the space formerly occupied by Shanghai Village. The menu is a carbon copy of the menu at Taipei Gourmet in Lexington, but it's missing all the Taiwanese dishes. They are open all day for takeout or curbside pickup. Their online ordering is now much better. Before you could not place an order prior to 11:30.


There is only metered parking but who cares when you are doing curbside pickup. They do have parking behind the building if needed. They will probably do takeout only for while since the inside isn't really appropriate for social distancing. 


No lunch specials, but they have combo platters during lunch. "Combination Platter #18 (8.50) Curry Chicken" ordered extra spicy and extra sauce. Extra spicy actually works here. You can pick from five appetizers. I selected "Chicken Wings". Of course I didn't get wings, but the standard 2/3 of a wing. The wing was crispy and juicy and very tasty. In fact, both were excellent. The curry was sharp and the chicken was tender. This is a proper version with only peppers and onions. No carrots were harmed in the making of this dish. They also have excellent takeout containers that close really tight, so the extra sauce stays inside. I wonder how much bigger the standard serving is for 11.95? I ordered for pickup at 12:00 and it was ready at 12:02, so the food isn't sitting around waiting for pickup. 

Address: 434 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02474 Phone: (781) 646-6897

Friday, September 11, 2020

Krispy Krunchy Chicken Wilmington

Krispy Krunchy Chicken is the biggest fast-food chain that you have never heard of. They have more locations than Chick-fil-A (2,200 versus 2,100). They serve spicy Louisiana style fried chicken but don't have as many outlets as that other chain (2700).



This is the Wilmington location that is close to the plaza where Target resides. They are slightly cheaper than the location in Woburn. The Stoneham location isn't currently serving KKC.


There is no more inside seating, but that wasn't really a surprise. They were in such a hurry to get the food out, I couldn't finish my order before he started packaging it.


2 Piece all dark (5.29) with a side of Mashed and Gravy (2.50). They will try to charge you 2.99 for a small side, even if the menu states 2.50. Panchos Cantina next door graciously let me use their outside seating. The chicken was excellent, even if it was only sort of crunchy. Probably had sat out a tad too long, but it's very tasty. The mashed were out of a box and I didn't like the gravy either. The waffle fries are probably a better choice. No napkins were included.

Address: 206 Ballardvale St #6, Wilmington, MA 01887 Phone: (978) 267-4155

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Tequila's Wakefield

Taco Tuesday doesn't start until 4:00 PM at Tequila's Mexican Cantina in Wakefield, so it's no good for my lunch.


Outdoor dining both on the patio and in the shade on the sidewalk. Don't park in the plaza unless you have business here. They are vicious in enforcing the parking.


They are also open for indoor dining with properly spaced tables. The inside is very nice.


Fresh chips and salsas arrive promptly. You get three salsas, and my favorites are the tomatillo one that is nice and tart. Secondly is the tomato-based salsa. The pink one is nice and spicy, but I'm not so keen on that one.


My lunch today was the Huevos con Chorizo (8.5). "Ground Mexican pork sausage mixed with eggs and potatoes, served with rice, beans and tortillas". This was an excellent and very tasty dish. Beans were seasoned nicely and have a nice texture. The rice is light and fluffy. The potatoes didn't make it, but this is a very tasty dish. The tortillas were warm and fresh. The service here is always friendly.

Address: 979 Main St, Wakefield, MA 01880 Phone: (978) 710-5512

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Asados Dona Flor Lowell

Somebody posted about Asados Dona Flor in Lowell with a picture of their Porkchop plate that I can't find again. This Colombian restaurant has no website.


There is free on-street parking and they also have a small lot.


The inside was nice and bright. There is more seating to my right.


Chuletas Asadas de Cerdo (Grilled Pork Chops) ($13.95). "Served with rice, salad, plantains and french fries". I asked the poster if the pork chops were dry and he said they were fine. It was two big chops on the bone, but they were so dry that I left most of them. The previously frozen fries were cooked well, crispy and soft inside. The rice was fine as was the salad that lacked dressing.


When I complained that the chops weren't edible, they promptly offered to make me another dish. It ended up being Pollo a la Plancha (Grilled Chicken) to go. The orange chicken was orange all the way through, so it must have been marinated in something. It was tasty, but guess what? It was dry, but it had sat in the tray for 20min+. It was certainly better than the pork chops. I wish they used thighs instead of breasts. It doesn't dry out so easily. The Ají Picante that was served on the side was really tasty. A salad dressing was included in the takeout.

Address: 197 High St, Lowell, MA 01852 Phone: (978) 452-0175

Saturday, September 5, 2020

Eliu's Hole in the Wall Lowell

I just recently was made aware of Eliu's Hole in the Wall in Lowell and was going there to try the Crazy Fries (papas locas), but realized it would be too much since I already have leftovers for tonight. Be aware that the traffic pattern has changed coming into Lowell from the connector.


There is free on-street parking. 15 min parking spot just outside the door. They have a couple of tables outside.


It's a hole in the wall, so what did you expect? The empanadas are made fresh, and even more important, cooked to order. The owner was behind the register and one of the few that asked why I took pictures. I'm surprised that not more people do this.


One Pork Empanada ($3) and one Beef Empanada ($3). I haven't had much luck with empanadas, mostly dry with very little filling. Now I get it! Crispy light and flaky thin crust with a good amount of tasty filling. The shredded pork was moist and tasty. The beef was the winner, tasty and juicy. If you have had empanadas and they were just meh, try them here.


This is the filling in the beef empanada.


The owner brought out an order of the (Original) Pork Tostones ($7.95). "Tostones topped with pork and Eliu's Sauce". This is what put them on the map he said. Crispy and light tostones, tasty pork, and an interesting sauce. Interesting in a good way.

Address: 398 Fletcher St, Lowell, MA 01854 Phone: (978) 455-3897

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Lendy's Deli Saugus

I have been to Lendy's Deli in Saugus once before for their excellent Reuben. I saw something interesting on the menu but never got around to try it. They are now open for indoor seating.


They are located in a very busy shopping plaza just off Rte 1.


Corned Beef and Scrambled Eggs (10.45 on the paper menu, 9.95 on the check). "Served with homefries, bagel & cream cheese". I picked the onion bagel. I wasn't too impressed when I first tried a bagel, but after having eaten this one, I found that I quite enjoyed it. The corned beef was excellent, tasty and tender. The eggs were scrambled loosely. The homefries were just very lightly fried and had the skins left on. After peeling the potatoes, I really enjoyed my lunch. The service was very friendly. On Thursdays, they have a Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner for 11.95 with soup or salad. I might be back to try it since the corned beef was excellent.

Address 653 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906 Phone number (781) 231-3180