New Jang Su Burlington

I went to New Jang Su in Burlington a couple of times, and it was before I even started the blog, so 10+ years ago. I never went back, and I have no remembrance as to why. Maybe no lunch menu? I just realized they are still in business, so they must do something right. Of course the big attraction is Korean BBQ. Not a fan of cooking my own food when dining out. The prices on the website are way out of date.

Plenty of parking in the big plaza.

I don't even remember what the inside looked like back then, but now it's bright, clean, and pleasant.

From the lunch menu, I picked the Kimchi Jige (11.99). "Kimchi & sliced pork stew with rice, hot & spicy". Of course you get banchan. They were all pleasant. The rice comes in a metal container, so it stays hot. I thought the piping hot stew was excellent, well seasoned, and really pleasant. There was pork in there, but not in abundance. It was enough since the veggies, and the broth was soo good. 07/22/22

Bul Go Ki (13.99). "Sliced tender prime beef marinated with special sauce". Same banchan as the last visit, but a slightly more generous serving. I had had this dish before and wasn't impressed; it was the same here. The beef is tender, but the dish is bland. 07/28/22

Chap Chae (11.99). "Thin noodles, shredded pork & vegetables sauteed in special seasoned sauce". No change in the banchan. This was a nice dish but not very exciting. It was just a minuscule amount of pork. 08/10/22

Yook Ge Jang (11.99). "Hot & spicy stew with shredded beef and vegetables". This looks way spicier than it was. There were also glass noodles involved. It was HOT but only pleasantly spicy. Lots of veggies, but only traces of the beef. It was, however, delicious and I really liked it. 08/25/22

Charm Pong (13.99). "Shrimp, Squid, fish cakes, vegetables in a hot & spicy broth over thick noodles". The fish cakes had been replaced by a couple of mussels. This looks really spicy, but it wasn't. The tiny shrimp was OK; the rest was soo overcooked it wasn't edible. When I mentioned it, she said it all cooked together. How come the shrimp was fine then? The noodles were good. 08/31/22

The reason I never went back might be that they bring out the dirty dishes cart, and it's not pleasant when they are throwing dirty dishes in it next to where you are eating. The dishes should be brought to the cart, not the cart to the dishes.

Address: 260 Cambridge St, Burlington, MA 01803 Phone: (781) 272-3787

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- Sally Ride

Floramo's (Dockside) Wakefield

I went (once) to Dockside in Wakefield. The kitchen has now been taken over by Floramo's, whose Chelsea location is being demolished. They will also open a location in Malden. There is no more nonsense like "Fall of the bones BBQ ribs" on their website. Fall off the bones ribs is what you get when you boil, or steam, the ribs. Pouring BBQ sauce on them doesn't make them BBQ ribs.

Big parking lot and also street parking.

A very unforgettable salad is included. My servers always look so surprised when I ask for Caesar dressing. Delivering the dressing on top of the salad isn't good. God knows where that container has been sitting. The bread was very good, and the butter wasn't frozen solid. Rolled silverware with a crinkly minuscule napkin. The silverware was the cheapest possible.

Lunch 1/2 RACK RIBS (MARINATED) ($14.25). "served with side & salad". Among other things, they had roasted potatoes as a side, but unfortunately, they still had the skins on. French Fries it was. I like the size, but they were greasy. Maybe the fryolator wasn't heated up enough at lunchtime. It was a seriously generous portion of ribs, but they were stone cold. The top part was so dry that I had to peel it off. When I mentioned this to the waitress, her response was: Sorry to hear that. The meat underneath was OK. If this had been marinated, it didn't work.

I did contact them via their website about the issues but never heard anything back.

Lunch 1/2 FLORAMOS VEAL CUTLET ($13.50). "served with peppers, onions, mushrooms in a white wine sauce over pasta". The pasta was cooked almost al dente. The onions and peppers still had a nice crunch. The mushrooms were fresh and not cooked to death. The sauce didn't lack butter and was tasty. The veal was crispy, even after having sauce poured over it. However, the amount of veal was so minuscule that it didn't add anything to the dish except crunch.

Lunch STEAK TIPS (MARINATED) ($15.25). "served with side & salad". I did ask if the mash was real and was assured it was. I forgot to ask if the skins were left in the mash. So the mash was loaded with slimy skins. I got some butter to mix in, but it had a problem melting since the mash was just lukewarm. The steak tips were marinated (tenderized) so much that there was almost no texture left. I also encountered a fair amount of sinew that even the steak knife couldn't cut. I don't think they read my feedback since the dressing container is still being delivered on top of the salad.

Address: 1099 Main St, Wakefield, MA 01880 Phone: (781) 245-0200

Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.

- Lucille Ball

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Burlington

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ in Burlington opened recently. When I saw the AYCE menu for $31 if you are a senior, this needed to be checked out. I stopped by to ask some questions, and the front desk was very helpful. When I mentioned that I'm a fairly small eater and maybe the AYCE wasn't for me, they hauled out a lunch menu that is not mentioned on the website at all. 3 types of meat, soup, salad and rice for $17.95 sounded like a good deal to me. All meat servings are 3.5oz.

They are located in what used to be Sears automobile. Parking spaces are tight; I parked in the empty lot across the street. One drawback is that they open at noon.

There is plenty of seating inside. There is another section to my right. The staff is excellent and very friendly.

Hanger steak, pork belly, and ribeye are ready to go on the grill. There is a thing on the table with suggested cook times. Ignore that! The slices are very thin, and everything cooks in seconds. The hanger steak and pork belly were my favorites. This was plenty of food, and I was pleased with my meal, especially for the price.

Address: 85 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, MA 01803 Phone: (781) 365-1139

Olde Magoun's Saloon Somerville

Olde Magoun's Saloon is really in Magoun Square in Somerville. It's a fascinating corner of Somerville with lots of exciting eateries.

On-street parking is expensive, but there is free parking on Main before you get to the humongous intersection.

Magoun's Reuben (16). "House cured corned beef brisket, bacon infused thousand island dressing, Swiss cheese on grilled marble rye & choice of ale braised sauerkraut or homemade coleslaw". Sauerkraut of course; otherwise it's a Rachel. I picked the excellent onion rings that come with a horseradish dip for my side. Make sure to ask for the dip on a plate. The last time it arrived in a small container. Didn't work at all. The onion rings were excellent, really crunchy, but also very light. And they were salted! The Reuben has thickly sliced corned beef made of brisket, which was tender and delicious. There was also ample sauerkraut that was tasty and crisp. This was an excellent Reuben made the proper way. According to the server, everything is made in-house. The service was delightful. 03/30/22

Brunch CORNED BEEF HASH (14). "Fried Eggs, Rustic Style Corned Beef Hash, Country Toast". It was rustic, all right! Big chunks of their excellent house-made brisket corned beef. The crispy peppers surprised me a bit, but they added a nice texture. The eggs were cooked as ordered, but no browning was present. The potatoes still had the slimy skin on, and a few was so mushy they weren't edible. The bread was excellent. Overall, a delightful meal after the potatoes were peeled. 05/29/22

HAUS WURST PLATE (19). "Hofbrau Bier steamed Schaller and Weber Bratwurst & Knockwurst, sauerkraut & tart apple, warm German potato salad, mustard, currywurst". They insisted that it was called currywurst, but that is a type of sausage. Curry Gewurz is the correct name. Anyway, this wasn't on the menu when I got there today. It had been 86ed over the summer. In the end, the kitchen agreed to make it for me, and boy, was I lucky. This was absolutely delicious! The sauerkraut with apples was a delight, and so were the sausages. The warm potato salad was excellent and had plenty of onion and bacon. The potatoes had the skin left on, but I didn't really mind for once, since it was like the skin on new potatoes. The curry ketchup was also delicious. I once bought a bottle from Karl Kitchen, which was just meh. I was only charged $16 since it wasn't in the system anymore. Somebody got a big tip! 06/12/22

CAST IRON MAC-N-CHEESE (12). With the add-on buffalo chicken it's ($17). "Cooked to order and served in a cast iron skillet". This looks like a small serving, but it wasn't. The creamy pasta was cooked perfectly, and the tender buffalo chicken was crispy, even after being sauced. Another excellent dish. 06/19/22

Brunch BREAKFAST POUTINE (16). "Braised Short Rib, Rich Gravy, Scrambled Eggs, Cheese Curds, French Fries". If there were cheese curds, they had all melted down. The eggs were scrambled perfectly, and the fries were delicious. The short ribs were tender, and there was a good amount of it. I liked the pickled onions. The star of the dish was the gravy! Super rich and savory. 07/03/22

The service is always pleasant and friendly.

Address: 518 Medford St, Somerville, MA 02145 Phone: (617) 776-2600

We must turn to each other and not on each other.

-- Jesse Jackson

The Treasury Burlington Part Deux

After my writeup of The Treasury - Indian and Greek Kitchen in Burlington, I still had tons of money on my gift card, so the story continues here.

They do did have a changing list of exciting specials. They finally added the lunch menu to their website. The Greek section has its own website.

Gyro Plate ($15). "Lemon oregano grilled chicken or seasoned roasted lamb with house-made greek sauce, choice of warm pita bread or basmati rice, french fries, chef's salad." Lamb and Pita bread, as you can see. There is a big heap of sliced lamb beneath all the sauce. The lamb was tender and tasted of lamb, which is quite rare. The fries were outstanding, and the little salad was good. I'm soo happy with the food and service here. Unfortunately, there was no lunch menu available today. 11/16/21

The grapevine and the website now state that they have a lunch menu, so I returned with my gift card for another visit. Lunch Butter Chicken ($15) with basmati rice and Masala fries. I have never had fries with Indian food, but the fries are soo good that they were a real treat. Perfectly cooked rice. The butter chicken ordered medium was excellent, and it had an actual pat of butter on top. Creamy, well-seasoned gravy. This was a wonderful lunch, and they are returning to my lunch rotation again. This might seem a tad pricey for lunch, but it's a significant portion with plenty of chicken. Linen tablecloths, napkins, and fresh flowers aren't free. 05/15/22

They have an Egg Curry (15) on the lunch menu that wasn't available on my last visit. This might look like your generic curry, but it was excellent. How good was it? This is now my favorite curry, superseding the Vindaloo. The eggs were cooked extraordinarily well, with the yolk just setting. The curry itself was redolent with spices and thick and creamy. As usual, the rice was cooked perfectly. How do they do that? Masala Fries, because they are soo good. 06/13/22

Souvlaki lamb skewer (10) with Fries. This was a perfect size since I just wanted something smallish. The fries were excellent, crispy, and fluffy. The dipping sauce was also delicious. However, my request for rare lamb must have gone astray since the lamb was so overcooked that it wasn't really edible. 07/18/22

Lunch Chicken Kolhapuri (15). "shallow-fried chicken cooked with fiery red sauce made with a blend of 30+ ingredients". It was a fiery red sauce, alright. I think it was all dark meat, perfectly cooked. Now we have a competition here for the best lunch dish! I really enjoyed this, and of course, the Masala Fries was, as usual, outstandingly good. 07/25/22

Address: 4A Wayside Rd, Burlington, MA 01803 Phone: (781) 202-8000

The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been.

-- Madeleine L'Engle