Daniella's Cafe Danvers

I have been to Daniella's Cafe and Market in Danvers a few times and really liked the food and the service, so it was time to do a long post about them. They now serve lunch 7 days a week.

They are in a small plaza that people park in when heading to McKinnon's across the street.

You promptly get fresh crusty bread and seasoned dipping oil. It looks really charming inside, and they have fresh flowers on the table.

Lunch ORECCHIETTE (19). "sausage, broccoli rabe, white bean". I figured that I leave the bolognese for another visit. The food was piping hot with plenty of lovely and well-seasoned sauce. I quickly mixed the toasted breadcrumbs with the sauce, thickening it up slightly. The Italian sausage was really well seasoned, and the pasta was cooked correctly. This was a delightful lunch with enough leftovers for dinner. 01/22/22

RIGATONI BOLOGNESE (20). "a true classic made with beef and pork". They have created an excellent rendition of this classic dish. The sauce was thick, meaty, and not overly sweet, and the pasta was cooked al dente. The rigatoni was perfect for this dish. This is such a friendly establishment. 02/12/22

SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS (17). "Nonna's meatballs, marinara". Three huge meatballs were hiding in there. They were light and tasty. They didn't hold back on the shaved parmesan either. The spaghetti was, as usual, cooked al dente perfectly. The tomato sauce was excellent, bright, and tasty. 03/19/22

I was going to have the Shrimp Scampi, but when I arrived for lunch on a Sunday, they had Sunday Sauce (28) on the menu. "sausage, meatballs & pork tips simmered all day". Not sure how the simmered all day works out when you go for lunch? This was loaded with meats, and the sauce was fantastic. Bright and seasoned really well. The meatballs were, as usual, super light and tasty. The sausage was good. The pork was falling apart tender. Of course the pasta was cooked perfectly. The bread and the dipping oil are both superb. I probably get two more meals out of this. I enjoyed my lunch out on their covered patio, the perfect day for it. 07/10/22

The service here is always impeccable and friendly. This is such a pleasant little restaurant/cafe with absolutely impeccable food.

Address: 78 Holten St, Danvers, MA 01923 Phone: (978) 774-0012

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.

-- Rainer Maria Rilke

Peppercorn House Woburn

A friend recommended a dish at Peppercorn House in Woburn, and I realized that I hadn't been back since '18. I was pleased with the food then, so it was time to return. 

The excellent lunch Bento boxes are no more. They do serve lunch 7 days a week. You get paper napkins at lunch, but they are of excellent quality.

I like these guys, unlike the "other" new Chinese restaurant. Peppercorn House has interesting dishes and not just your generic American Chinese dishes. You also get soup with your lunches.

There is on-street parking but not much of it, and it's a busy area. However, regardless of the day, I have always found parking nearby.

The inside is nice and bright. The sushi counter and bar can be seen in the back.

The recommended dish was the Sichuan Spicy Beef Udon Noodle Soup ($12.95). Asking for it extra spicy gave me what I would call spicy. The broth was excellent, and it was mala. The beef was of good quality, not beef with icky bits that you get in Taiwanese places. The green stuff was cooked but still had texture. I'm a big fan of Udon noodles and really enjoyed these. It was a bit of a fight to eat them since they were really long. 03/27/22

Lunch Malaysian Shrimp with Green Beans (9.95). "Sauteed shrimp and green beans with a spicy Malaysian shrimp paste". For my app, I picked Wing (2), which is for once correctly described. "Wings" are not correct for this. The wing was perfectly cooked, juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. A good amount of good-sized shrimp. Unfortunately, there were dry and had the tails left on. Is this finger food? Don't think so. Ask them to not cook the shrimp well done. The beans were excellent, nicely charred, and still crunchy. A tasty lunch! Forgot to take a picture of the H&S soup. It was decent sized and hot (hot) and hot (spicy). However, it completely lacked the sour part, even if it was tasty. I'll ask for some black vinegar the next time. 04/16/22

Lunch General Gau's Chicken (9.95). Wing again, and this time with brown rice (no upcharge). I saw this option on my last visit and still ordered white rice. Go figure! The wing pieces were extra crispy today. The brown rice is delicious. There was a good amount of chicken in a very sticky sauce. Extra spicy didn't work. Some pieces were chicken with a nice thin batter, and some were mostly batter with a hint of chicken. However, all of them were crispy to a fault and were even hard to cut with a knife. For this dish, I'll stick with Mandarin in Reading. 05/22/22

Seafood Udon Noodle Soup (13.95). "Japanese style or Tom Yum spicy". Tom Yum Spicy, of course. It had some heat but wasn't really spicy. It was, however, super tasty. Three perfectly cooked shrimp, plenty of scallops and squid. Unfortunately, all the squid was severely overcooked. I love udon noodles, and they were cooked perfectly. Despite the overcooked squid, I really enjoyed this. Using the default utensils, I cut the noodles into bite-size pieces, which made eating them so much easier. 06/23/22

Singapore Curry Rice Noodle (12.95). "Thin rice noodle stir fried with egg, vegetables, chicken, baby shrimp and roasted pork". This is one of my all-time favorite dishes, and I don't order it enough. It's always good but not really exciting, so I was happy to be able to include it here. Did it live up to my expectations? It sure did! Loaded with perfectly cooked shrimp and tender chicken. I like all the veggies that were included. Nothing was overcooked, and it was a very generous portion. 06/28/22

Sashimi Lunch (14.95). (9pcs) 3pcs tuna, 3pcs sake, 1pc yellowtail, 2pcs saba. That's all the menu said, so I was going to order a  small bowl of sushi rice on the side. It turns out that's included already. The rice was at the right temperature, and it was properly seasoned. The fish was super fresh, and the pickled ginger was tasty. I swapped the miso soup for the H&S soup, and this time I remembered to ask for black vinegar, which really improved the soup. This was a very nice light lunch. 07/05/22

Lunch Black Pepper Chicken/Beef (9.95). "Chicken or beef with onion, bell pepper, mushroom and asparagus in black pepper sauce". Black vinegar again transformed the H&S soup into a proper H&S soup. The chicken wing is always perfectly cooked. This was an excellent dish with plenty of tender chicken, and ordering it extra spicy worked. Importantly, there was plenty of sauce. Everything was fine, apart from a couple of woody asparagus pieces. The portion was soo big that I had trouble finishing it. I'm a big fan of brown rice. 

Another delightful lunch with impeccable service. 07/16/22

Address: 318 Main St, Woburn, MA 01801 Phone: (781) 933-6699

Champions keep playing until they get it right.

-- Billie Jean King

Gene's Woburn

I thought it would be fitting to start this write-up of Gene's Chinese Flatbread Cafe in Woburn by again having the first dish I ever tried when he was located in the middle of nowhere in Chelmsford. He now takes Credit Cards. There is free on-street parking and also a lot opposite.

Gene relocated to Woburn since the old location was being torn down to make way for affordable housing. After that, he added the Boston and Westford locations.

#4 Hand-Pulled Noodles 油泼扯面[ ($6.87 $7.56 $8.50). "Freshly hand-pulled noodles, seasoned with minced garlic, crushed cayenne peppers, chopped scallion, and cilantro." I ordered it extra spicy. The extra spicy actually worked. I wonder what happened to the big blob of garlic that used to be on top? You now have the option to order this with meat. I had to ask what the protein was. I picked pork (+2.50). I didn't expect to get this large amount of meat that was really delicious. It wasn't until I ordered this online that I was made aware of this option.

Ordering online incurs a surcharge, so it's better to call them directly. It's also better to pick up your food yourself, if possible. The delivery service takes a significant cut from the restaurants. You didn't think they survived on tips alone, did you? Yes, I wrote this a while ago, but it's still true.

Here is the #10 HOT SOUR DUMPLING SOUP 酸汤水饺 ($10.35). "House made pork dumplings (12-13 dumplings) in spicy, sour soup with bean sprouts, onions, carrots, cilantro, and black sea weeds". This is absolutely delicious and has plenty of tasty dumplings. I always forget to count them, but there must be at least a dozen of the tasty morsels in there. They have now added veggies to the soup, adding a nice texture. The soup itself is excellent.

#2 LAMB HAND-PULLED NOODLE SOUP 羊肉烩面 ($12.95). "Freshly hand-pulled noodles in lamb broth with slow cooked lamb, dried lily flowers, and wood ear mushroom, add with chilly oil and cilantro." There were mushrooms in the soup; the only one I recognized was the Wood Ear Mushroom, but they were all tasty. The lamb actually tasted of lamb. The hand-pulled noodles are Escherish since they have no beginning or end. They are fascinating and toothsome with a delightful texture. The noodles were extra good today since they were thinner than usual. The broth looked really weak but wasn't. Full of flavor and spicy since I ordered it extra spicy. I managed to eat about half and will have the rest for dinner.

#16 HOT SOUR HAND-PULLED NOODLE SOUP 酸汤扯面 ($9.97). "Freshly hand-pulled noodles in spicy sour soup with pork and bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro". Extra spicy, and that actually works here. Tons of tasty pork and lots of noodles. Well, there is only one. The broth is really excellent and both hot and sour. You can now get a knife and fork for utensils, so now you can cut the noodle into manageable pieces. Finally, I can use the spoon for broth and noodles. It's self-service, but the staff behind the counter is always pleasant.

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

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

-- Mahatma Gandhi

Cap't Loui Stoneham

I have been going to Cap't Loui in Stoneham for their lunch offerings since they were Loui Loui, and I have been delighted with the food. I must admit that I still don't really get the Cap't.

Plenty of parking in the Redstone Plaza. The only thing that I don't like is that they don't open until noon. I want my lunch at noon and not at 12:30.

The interior was changed when they went to table service. Gone is the raised section in the middle/back. A bar is now where the cashier used to be.

The lunch menu is the same with higher prices. I really didn't mind when it was self-service, and I could tip myself 20%. By default, you now get ketchup, slaw, tartar sauce, and remoulade sauce. The slaw improved immensely when I added a spoon of remoulade sauce. Never got slaw again. The Jambalaya was delicious, with lots of good stuff in it. It was also almost spicy. Soda is included, but I stick with water.

Lunch Shrimp Basket ($12.95) with Cajun Fries and Jambalaya. The good-sized shrimps were perfectly fried, but the light and the crunchy batter were unseasoned. This is two shrimps less than what I got at the famous Dube's in Salem, and they were about twice the price, fries not included. The Cajun fries were cooked really well and had a hint of heat. They did need salt. Both the remoulade and the tartar sauce were tasty, but I preferred the remoulade. The tartar sauce was mostly mayo. 04/14/22

Lunch Calamari Basket ($12.95) with Cajun Fries. For my soup, I picked the Chowder, which is excellent and almost a meal in itself. I have stayed away from the calamari since it's only rings and no legs. Only rings usually mean it's previously frozen, but since the fresh shrimp was so expertly cooked, I decided to try them. They were excellent, super fresh, and with a very crispy batter. Of course they were cooked perfectly. Today they didn't hold back on the fries or the seasoning. 05/19/22

Lunch Fish basket ($12.95). With Cajun Fries. Again, not overly spicy but nicely cooked. For my soup, I picked the Jambalaya, which is excellent and almost a meal in itself. The fish was cooked really well and was moist inside and crispy on the outside. I must admit that I prefer the remoulade sauce over the tartar. Serving fish this way is really stupid. As soon as you cut into the fish, pieces of fish start to fall into the fries. And how do you salt the fries? Asked for another basket for the fish. After I finished the fish, I let my Belgian out and finished the fries with the remoulade sauce. Tartar sauce is suitable for this as well, delicious! Check your receipts; mine had a tip added today. 05/31/22

Lastly was the Lunch Seafood Boiler Special ($12.95). Shrimp (head-on) and clams. Sauce Capt Loui. I picked spicy for the sauce, and it was pleasantly spicy. Garlic noodles for my side. As you can see, they didn't hold back on the parmesan. The noodles were cooked well. The trick here is to pour the chili oil over the noodles. They then go from good to excellent. The head-on shrimp was good-sized and cooked nicely. Same for the smallish clams. I was considering crawfish instead of the clams, but they are so finicky to eat that I passed. I'll have this again. Service is good when you get there, but it takes forever to get the bill. 06/07/22

Address: 101 Main St, Stoneham, MA 02180 Phone: (781) 435-2145

Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

-- Albert Einstein

The Treasury Burlington

The Treasury - Indian and Greek Kitchen in Burlington is visited over the July 4th weekend by Famous Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi. "Special and Royal Dishes from Our new Khyberpass Menu". They will only serve from the special menu over the weekend.

Read more about the chef on his Wiki page. He became known for the phrase "Namak Shamak".

Fresh flowers and condiments were already out. This wasn't your usual chutneys, and both were very good. You should take the spices in the second container, sprinkle them on the onions, and then eat them with the kebabs. Of course the onions had been properly washed.

This is the chef's special tasting menu. The top left is non-vegetarian apps and the top three on the second menu are the non-vegetarian mains. There was also an A la Carte menu. And a beer flights menu, drink specials menu.

Below the cherry tomato is the mutton burger. To the right is the chicken kabob with an excellent truffle sauce. Next was an excellent cooked salmon with a great seasoning. A very well-cooked shrimp was next, followed by chicken on the bone. I'm not a fan of chicken, but this was awesome. I sprinkled some of the aforementioned spices on the salad. I would be done for the day if I had finished all of this.

Sides for the entrée. Mushroom rice that was, as usual, perfectly cooked. I like potatoes, and they were delicious. (I have to stop myself from using excellent everywhere). The Dal Treasury, which I haven't tasted before, was a delightful encounter. I got enough bread to last me for a week.

For my main, I picked the Lamb Shank because you can never go wrong with that choice. It was falling off the bone tender, and the pepper cream sauce was excellent, delightful, and it was enough sauce. I really dislike it when you don't get enough sauce. Tiramisu for dessert. This was probably the tastiest meal I have had in a long time. Service is always professional and pleasant here.

I was invited as a media guest, but all opinions are my own.