Since spring went on spring break and will be back on Wednesday, a nice pho was in order. Pho Dalat in Chelmsford is the third member, and newest, of this very local chain. Pho Dalat now has three locations within a 10-mile radius.
This was the day we were having today. They are easy to get to from Rte 3. Getting back onto Rte 3 southbound is a bit of a nightmare since nobody seems to respect the marked lanes.
I remember the bar from when this was Garlic Bistro. There are some high-tops next to the aquariums.
The inside was very pleasant and nicely decorated. The tables were a bit small. There are booths to my right. They have Chinese lunch specials, I think they were $7.95. I must admit that I didn't pay them much attention.
When trying a new Vietnamese restaurant, trying the Dặc Biệt is really a must. This is the medium ($8.95). "Our most popular beef noodle soup combining sliced rare eyeround, well done flank, brisket, beef flank, tendon and tripe". "Soups are served with a plate of bean sprouts, fresh basil, sliced lime and small green chile pepper on the side". This is a cut and paste from their online menu. For once I got the green chili pepper on the side. The broth was OK but needed some Siracha to come alive. The noodles were good, and not overcooked. I have read complaints that they were stingy with the proteins, but I can not agree with that. I got plenty of meat that was tender and tasty. I even got a good amount of tripe that had a little bit of crunch left. The tendon was also cooked well and had a nice texture.
The condiment tray was a bit of a letdown, no chili oil and if you ask for chili oil, they charge you another dollar. The service was very pleasant, water got refilled and the waitress stopped by to check that everything was OK.
There are three large aquariums between the bar and the dining room, and they were immaculate.
I'm confused about the name. The sign and the menu say Dalat, the website says Da Lat everywhere. I have asked them about this. They never got back to me, so I'm going with the logical choice.
Address: 131 Drumhill Road Chelmsford MA 01824
Phone: 978-710-7636
Time to head back to Acitrón Cocina Mexicana in Arlington. I have been here a number of times and been very happy with their food. I rarely go to Arlington Center during the week after they installed the on-street parking meters.
The interior is very pleasant, and it filled up after about 12:30.
The warm and thin chips arrive with the salsa nestled in the basket, and it's left there. The chunky salsa is excellent, really well seasoned and really tasty. It was soo good, I finished the whole thing.
They have a brunch menu but are also serving from the lunch menu. I picked the CHILE VERDE A LA BAABS (12.95). "Chunks of Tender pork loin slow cooked in a green chile sauce made of fresh tomatillo, jalapeño and garlic". The pork was tender and tasty, the rice was also very good. The beans were really good after adding a bit of salt. The chile verde itself was a delight, really well seasoned with a pleasant tartness from the tomatillos. The accompanying tortillas were warm and fresh. This was another delightful lunch in this little pleasant restaurant.
When I heard that Bronwyn in Union Square had Sweinhaxe on the menu, they promptly got added to my to go list. I haven't had a Sweinhaxe since I was in Munich in the '80s.
I must admit that getting to Union Square is a pain in the butt. There is still free parking in Union Square if you know where to look. Bronwyn is normally only open for dinner, but they serve lunch on Saturdays and brunch on Sundays.
Big bar with communal seating to my left.
There is also outdoor seating, and this is where I ended up. 70+ today.
And here is the star of the lunch. Haxe ($$). "2 lb. bone-in, beer braised pork shank, bratkartoffeln, sauerkraut, haus mustard". I had hoped for crispy skin, but since this was braised, and not roasted, that didn't happen. Beware, there is fat involved, but there is also pounds of porky goodness. The pork was meltingly tender and very tasty. The bones just slid out. The potatoes were cooked perfectly. The sauerkraut was hiding underneath the pork. It's not made in-house since you need a fermenters license to do that. However, it's braised with good stuff in-house, and it was excellent and worth coming back for. The mustard was really good and helped to cut down the richness of the pork. I probably get two more meals out of the leftovers that were nicely packed by my excellent waitress, and she included the mustard. So many times I have come home with the condiments missing.
I didn't see the very nice dining room until was on my way out. If I had I would probably have taken a table here. I'll be back for the Wurst Teller. I had to walk across the square and get a 1/4 dark with rice from Machu Chicken for dinner. Best roasted chicken ever!
Address: 255 Washington St, Somerville, MA 02143
Phone: (617) 776-9900
Besito in Burlington has a number of things against them, they are a chain restaurant, and they are located in a mall. On the plus side, plenty of parking, gorgeous interior, paper-covered linen tablecloths and linen napkins, good cutlery and (usually) excellent service. The lunch menu is not too extensive but very reasonably priced.
The warm chips and salsa are very good. The salsa was a bit watery compared to previous visits. The rice and beans "for the table" are excellent. They do change their street taco offerings, and I picked the Pork Costilla Taco ($13.95). "Slow cooked pulled baby back ribs, agave chipotle & lime glazed, spicy slaw". The tacos were excellent, really tasty, but the tortillas were old and stale. The buttery rice and the beans are both really tasty. I finished all the beans. When you leave, you get a couple of warm churros in a bag. I have found that if I get a male waiter here, service is usually a bit spotty. Never got my water refilled. The food runner should take food delivery 101 again. You don't just plunk the food down at the other end of the table.
I had an excellent lunch at Bacci's of Stoneham a little while back, so I was eager to try some more dishes. The prices have gone up a little bit, my previous lunch was $9, now it's $12. Still a great deal.
There is plenty of parking on the side streets around the restaurant as well.
They don't hold back on the garlic or butter on the bread. In fact, there was a garlicky puddle in the bottom of the basket. Not sure why they put the napkin and utensils on the wrong side?
Today I went with the Mussels & Calamari (Fra Diavolo, Marinara, or Scampi), was 10, now 12. I picked Linguini and Scampi. Look at the amount of food! The calamari was perfectly cooked, as was the mussels. The mussels also had been correctly cleaned. As opposed to the bread, this could have done with some more garlic. The pasta needed salt, but that was easily corrected. This was a steal at 10, and is still a very good value at 12.
This is a summary of my last visits to Khao Hom in Billerica.
03/14/18. Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodle) ($7.95) with chicken. It had plenty of heat and plenty of chicken. This was a really good rendering of a classic dish.
04/18/18. Under Stir Fried I picked Garlic with Fish ($8.95). "Fried fresh garlic with brown sauce". I have had the fish before, and then it was overcooked, so I asked for it not to be overcooked, so what do I get? Overcooked fish again. She tried to tell me that for the fish to be crispy, it has to be fried that long. Not true. Apart from that, it was a delicious dish with the garlic fried just right, and the sauce was super tasty. There was lettuce hiding behind the fish. The broccoli was really crunchy.
04/25/18. Time to try an appetizer and here is the Chicken Star ($6.95). "Popcorn chicken w/ spicy sauce". It wasn't really popcorn chicken, but chicken that was really crispy and cooked well. The spicy sauce was more of the sweet chili sauce variety. It was really tasty.
This is the Red Curry with Talay ($8.95). The mixed seafood was shrimp, scallops and squid. I asked for it extra spicy and it was. It pays off to be a regular. The curry was really tasty, and the vegetables were cooked nicely. I wish restaurants removed the tail on the shrimp, so I don't have to pick it up with my hands to eat it. This is really a gem of a place.
I was hoping that China Blossom in North Andover would be part of the Blossom group, but they are not.
This is a big building with plenty of parking.
The dining room was bright and clean. The chairs have plastic covering on them.
There is a big bar opposite the buffet.
The buffet had all the standard American/Chinese dishes. There was also scop your own ice cream and some cakes available for dessert.
The sushi was all maki and mostly vegetarian or fake crab.
The staff made sure things were kept warm and the food was replenished quickly. There was also cold mussels and shrimp off to the right.
The first trip to the lunch buffet ($10.95) yielded some Maki and Spicy Edamame. The edamame was not spicy, and the nice looking maki with avocado on top had sweet potatoes inside. Who does that!
The spicy chicken wing was swimming in chili oil and crushed chili flakes and it was spicy. The winglet was good, but the drum was dry. The sweet and sour pork was seriously dry and only sweet. The H&S soup was a bit spicy but bland otherwise.
The green bean was excellent, well seasoned and not overcooked. The scallion and onion pork was really good and tasty. Sichuan chicken was all white meat and chili flakes and had nothing to do with Sichuan, but it was OK. The general gau's chicken was also really good, dark meat with a light coating of batter. The beef and pepper on top were still pink inside. Rainbow shrimp had nice cooked vegetables, and the shrimp were tender, but the dish was on the bland side.
I really like that they give you a wetnap and chocolate and orange fortune cookies. The service was fine, my water glass was kept full and the empty plates were quickly removed.
Address: 946 Osgood St, North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: 978-682-2242
Pho Minh Ky in Lynn has no website, but the word on the street is that their Pho is solid. On this 60℉ Sunday, I headed to Lynn. Yes, 60℉ is a big deal.
Parking is iffy, but I found on-street parking on the next side street, and it was only a few feet away.
It a bit utilitarian with a tiled floor.
A good collection of condiments, including the spoons and chopsticks. The chopsticks were the good plastic ones.
And there was also small plates for my chili oil. I'm really happy when I get the small plate, it makes it so much easier.
# 30 Dac Biet ($8.95). "A combination with rare steak well done brisket, beef flank tendon and tripe". This is a cut and paste from their menu. The promised small green chile was absent. The broth was very good, rich and fragrant. For once I got a good amount of tripe that was nice and crunchy. I only got two small overcooked pieces of tendon and one slice of the brisket. 90% of the meat was beef flank, and it was chewy. None of the meats were seasoned. The noodles arrived as a pretty solid lump on the bottom that I had to break up. It was tasty, and I did eat the whole thing. They got really busy at lunch today.
I'm sure it's convenient for the staff to have the trolly to load the dirty dishes on, but good grief, what a racket it made.
Address: 238 Union St, Lynn, MA 01901
Phone: 781-477-0656
Shallots in Woburn opened in what used to be a very mediocre churrascaria, and that is to put it nicely. They advertise themselves as A Modern Asian Cuisine and that seems to translate to Thai and Sushi.
They have some reserved parking in the back, otherwise, it's on-street parking. The website doesn't mention lunch hours or that they have a lunch menu. It's also incomplete, and I could have sworn that I visited a different website this morning. The takeout menu does include lunch hours. They do serve lunch seven days a week. I also learned that Hoso Maki is maki with seaweed on the outside.
The interior was spotless and bright with good quality furniture. They also have a sushi chef on duty to my right. It looks much bigger and inviting now.
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I went with the lunch Crispy Duck Panang Curry (15) and marked as two pepper spicy. There isn't anything with three. "Boneless crispy duck in hot and spicy panang curry with mixed vegetables topped with basil". The mixed vegetables turned out to be 90% carrots, cut into various shapes. The vegetables were cooked really nicely and were still crisp. The basil was mostly absent. I must admit that I didn't expect the crispy duck to be duck coated with batter and then fried crispy. However, there was plenty of tender and well-seasoned duck. I asked for the curry to be extra hot and it comes out hot, but it's my first visit, so this was OK. The curry itself was very tasty, and I really liked it.
The dining area. I must admit that I was impressed how nice it is now. I had a nice talk with the nice manager about both the duck and the fact that the suggested tip is calculated after tax. I'll be back to this nice place that is within walking distance for me.
Address: 918 Main St, Woburn, MA 01801
Phone: 781-305-3201
Baity in Medford opened very recently and are located in what looked to be a residential neighborhood. They are, I believe, the first Egyptian restaurant in Boston. Disregard all the references to pizza on the website, that's part of the delivery service. The prices on the website are including the tax.
On street parking only, but it's free.
The menu on the blackboard was a bit hard to read for these old eyes. Everything is cooked to order so the food might take a while.
There is seating, but not a whole lot.
To get a chance to sample as much as possible, I ordered the Mix Grill Plate ($15.99). "Chicken kabob, lamb kabob & kofta kabob". "Served with side tabouli, hummus & choice of rice or fries". Both the tabouli and the hummus were excellent, wish there was more. Everything was seasoned really well and cooked perfectly. My last kofta had a number of gristly bits in it. The rice was very nice and had toasted vermicelli mixed it. Unfortunately, it was cold. You also get some tahini on the side for the kofta.
84 Spring St, Medford, MA 02155
Phone: (781) 391-9000
Angelo's Ristorante & Pizzeria in Stoneham is another place that I have driven by countless of times, but today it was time to check out their lunch offerings.
They have some off-street parking spaces. This was the kind of day we had today, and it also snowed heavily for a while this morning. The pizzeria and the restaurant are separate.
The smallish bar area quickly filled up.
The very nice dining room.
You get some warm breadsticks and butter. There was a salt shaker on the table, but no pepper.
I started with the Arancini (4 Piece) (8.00). "Rice balls Filled with Meat sauce, Mozzarella, Peas and Fried". This is from the online menu, the real menu said 3. The arancini were light with nicely cooked rice. The filling was good, the tomato sauce was a bit bland.
From the fairly extensive lunch menu, I picked the PORCHETTA VINEGAR PEPPERS & POTATOES (15.95). "Boneless Pork Roast, Rosemary, garlic, white wine, Homemade Vinegar Peppers, & potatoes Served with Broccoli Rabe". I just realized that the promised vinegar peppers were completely absent. This was a thick cut of pork roast that was nicely seasoned. The piece next to the spicy pepper was bone dry, but the rest was OK. The fingerling potatoes were cold. The broccoli rabe was very good and was sprinkled with hot pepper flakes. The service was friendly.
This is what I call an Espresso machine!
Address: 237 Main St, Stoneham, MA 02180
Phone: (781) 279-9035
