Thursday, November 26, 2020

Boston Burger Company Somerville

Boston Burger Company in Davis Square is open for dine-in again. They are also in on the Seated app deal with 50% in rewards Mon-Wed. No table reservations, but you get a walk-in time when you can earn your rewards. 

Their newest location is in Salem, MA.


My free parking spot is now occupied by a pop-up place, so I had to pay for parking today. I forgot to include the outside seating in the picture.


The inside has a nice view of Davis Square and is also properly set up for dining in.


I went a bit overboard today and ordered THE BIG PAPI BURGER ($17.5). "Smoked bacon, griddled hot dog, fried egg*, guacamole, pickled red onions, lettuce, tomato, Papi sauce". I also ordered the Chili Cheese Fries ($10). "Homemade chili & melted cheddar jack cheese". The fries alone was probably enough for two lunches! The fries were more like steak fries, but they were cooked properly, crispy, and soft on the inside. The chili on top was really tasty. 
The burger was excellent and had a properly runny egg on top. It was also cooked exactly as ordered, and the beef was a very nice grind and it was tasty. The bacon was tasty and also cooked properly. The service was very pleasant.

Contact me for a Seated link that will give you an extra $15 in rewards.

Address: 37 Davis Square, Somerville, MA 02144 Phone: (617) 440-7361

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

The Smoke Shop Somerville

The Smoke Shop in Assembly Row in Somerville is the third location and was recently joined by a fourth in Harvard Square. They are also in on the Seated app deal with 50% in rewards Mon-Wed.


There is free parking in the parking garages, but the metered spaces are still in effect. Plenty of outside seating both in front and in the back.


The inside is the same, apart from table spacing and added shields.


I went with the Pit Boss ($27) "Choice of Three Meats & Three Sides". I was surprised that the price was only $1 more since my last visit two years ago. Turns out that the amount of protein has decreased significantly. I picked the Ribs, Brisket and The Smoke Shop BBQ's Famous HOT Wings. "fermented habanero, brown butter". The wings were HOT but very tasty. Unfortunately, they were seriously overcooked and bone dry. My sides were Pimento Mac & Cheese, Pit Beans and Crinkle Cut Fries. The mac & cheese was excellent, creamy with a little bit of heat. This is the first time, in any location, that I have gotten creamy M&C. The beans were also way better than the last time, well seasoned, and really tasty. Luckily, they are not the icky sweet Boston baked beans. The previously frozen fries were excellent, crispy, and with a nice seasoning. The ribs were good, as was the brisket and I asked for the brisket from the fatty end, it tends to be juicier that way. The service was OK.

I didn't realize that there was a voluntary 3% kitchen fee added on. I didn't bother to dispute it, but I really dislike this practice. Why should I help the owner pay the staff? If the restaurant does 1M in sales (they do way more), it would put 33K more in the owner's pocket.

Contact me for a Seated link that will give you an extra $15 in rewards.

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

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Minuteman Diner Bedford

Minuteman Diner in Bedford opened not that long ago, and I did run across a Groupon for them. Reviews looked good, so the deal was a go.


They are located just outside Bedford with plenty of parking. They also have a very nice outdoor seating area. Not useful today since it was a bit more than brisk outside.


The inside was nice and spacious with proper distancing and shields in place. It was also impeccably clean. They even have a liquor license. In a diner!


I went with my standby for a first diner visit. Corned Beef Hash & Eggs (12). "Served with two eggs, homefries and toast". All prices are +1. They had Scali bread, and that makes me happy. It was toasted and properly buttered, not just a smear in the middle. The home fries were seasoned and cooked really well. Despite having the skin on, they were fine since they were crispy and didn't have slimy skins. The hero was the house-made corned beef hash. Really tasty with a good texture. Prices might be a tad high for a diner, but the quality of the food makes it worth it. The service was friendly. Check their website for opening hours since they may change during these uncertain times.

Address: 363 Great Rd, Bedford, MA 01730 Phone: (781) 538-5728

Monday, November 16, 2020

Fiorella's Concord

Fiorella's in Concord are in on the Seated app deal with 50% in rewards Mon-Wed.


After walking down from the free parking at the rotary, I noticed that all the meters said Free Parking.


Everything is spaced properly, and the bar has dividers.


You get the pizza sticks with their excellent marinara sauce.


I started with their CALAMARI FRITTI ($10). "Tender calamari & cherry peppers flash-fried to perfection served with Fiorella’s signature marinara sauce". These are worth the trip alone. Perfectly fried and really tender. Of course you get both tentacles and rings. This and the pizza sticks would have made a nice lunch for me.


Here is the FUSILLI BOLOGNESE ($16). "Our delicious bolognese made om braised ground beef, veal & pork simmered with diced onions, carrots, celery & crushed tomatoes in a red wine tomato sauce, tossed with fresh fusilli pasta". The pasta was fresh, and the bolognese is excellent, really tasty and rich. The leftovers are good for two more meals.


I have almost forgotten about their Christmas envelopes. No peeking and they can be redeemed starting January 1st.

Contact me for a Seated link that will give you an extra $15 in rewards.

Address 24 Walden Street Concord, MA 01742 Phone 978.341.9999

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Tu y Yo Somerville

I visited Tu y Yo in Somerville a long time ago and haven't been back since. They are offering a great deal available on the Seated app and are open for indoor dining.


There is free on-street parking. Not sure what happened but all the nice signs outside are gone. The owner said new signs will arrive next week.


The inside was nice and bright but very different from my last visit. The same taco's that is available on the lunch menu is also available as a Taco Tuesday special at dinner time.


I picked Carnitas, Carne Asada, Cochinita and Fried Avocado. Each was $2.50. The tortillas were very fresh and all the filling was really tasty and it was plenty of it. I really liked the fried avocado that was crunchy with a perfectly ripe avocado. I'll be back for this again. The left sauce was spicy (it was!) and the right one was mild but tasty. The owner was very friendly and gave me a jar of their salsa, which was really tasty with a hint of heat.

Contact me for a Seated link that will give you an extra $15 in rewards.

Address: 858 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144 Phone: (617) 623-5411

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

The Millers Tavern Methuen

The Millers Tavern in Methuen had a great deal available on the Seated app. I downloaded the app before Covid and it promptly became useless, but are now active again and have quite a few locations outside Boston. On my last visit here I had a very good Reuben that was made with brisket. Well, it was really a Rachel since they use slaw instead of sauerkraut.


It's a big place with a heated porch on the right.


When I got here at noon, the place was empty. A few customers trickled in during my lunch. It makes me nervous about the restaurant seeing a big place like this empty.


I started with the French Onion Soup au Gratin (6.95). "Topped with seasoned croutons and melted cheese". There was nothing french about the soup. The cheese wasn't gruyere and the onions were just pale bits floating around that had not been properly caramelized. As a result, the soup lacked a depth of flavor and was quite bland. The croutons were tasty.


This was followed by The Millers Irish Nachos (Family Size $14.95). "A skillet of sidewinder fried potatoes topped with shredded corn beef, melted cheddar, Dublin sauce, sour cream and scallions". Hold the sour cream and the scallions didn't make it. The Dubliner sauce didn't make it either. Didn't notice until I saw this dish again on a later visit. Looking at this gigantic skillet, I should have stuck with the smaller potion. I had to google "sidewinder potatoes" and it obviously refers to the shape, but they were new to me. The potatoes were excellent, browned on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The cheese and the sauce were tasty as was the brisket, even if it was a bit sparse. This is a potato lover's dream and I was very happy, even if I now have potatoes for days. The service was pleasant. 

I'll update the post if and when I know if the Seated app worked. I contacted Seated and they made another reservation and the receipt scanned fine. 5 minutes later 50% of my bill showed up as rewards. Lesson learned, make sure the reservation shows up in the app. First time user... Contact me for a link that will give you an extra $15 in rewards.

Address: 105 Pleasant Valley St, Methuen, MA 01844 Phone: 978-208-8521