Scraps Methuen

Scraps in Methuen is really well hidden behind a Shell station. I must admit that the name doesn't inspire trust in their food. They currently have a Groupon+ available.

Found them! There is some parking around.

There is seating inside, open kitchen in the back.

They pride themselves on their 10 oz burger. The meat is fresh and ground in-house daily. I went with the BBQ Jade Burger ($11). "Cheddar, Bacon, Onion Strings, Mayo and BBQ sauce". It comes with hand cut fries. The owner was working both the counter and the grill, and I ordered the burger med rare, on the rare side. Naturally, it comes out medium well to well done. It was still seasoned and tasty and somewhat juicy. The mayo was just some dots on the bun. The onion strings were nice. The very thin slices of bacon were crispy. The fries were excellent and a really big serving. The fries were also salted when they left the fryolator, so the salt was sticking to the fries. If you take pride in your burgers, but can't cook them to order, maybe you should do something else?

Address: 689 Prospect St, Methuen, MA 01844
Phone: (978) 208-8034

Tres Petite Crêperie Lexington

I saw a Groupon+ for Très Petite Crêperie in Lexington and decided to give them another chance, especially since they are under new ownership. I had a less than stellar experience on my last, and only, visit. No website but Grubhub seems to have an up to date menu. They have a website on the printed menu, but there is nothing there.

The address is on Mass Ave, but they are actually on a side street behind Bejing Chinese Dining. There is also free parking nearby if you know where to look. On the other hand, the metered parking is only a quarter/hour.

The menu is a LOT smaller, otherwise nothing has changed. There is limited seating. They now feature omelets and tacos.

I did have to try a crepe and picked the Jambon Crepe ($10.00). "Ham, Swiss, Dijon mustard, bechamel sauce and white cream sauce". Not sure what the difference between a bechamel and a cream sauce is? The crepe was very tasty and surprisingly filling. You also get a nicely dressed small salad and a cornichon. I can't remember when I last saw an actual cornichon.

I also ordered the Poutine ($7). "Cheese Curds & Beef Gravy". Hurray, gone is the tater tots, replaced by very nice French Fries that wasn't previously frozen, and they were salted after taken out of the fryolator. The gravy was a bit sparse, but the nice lady behind the counter topped it off, and also gave me a small cup of extra gravy. Fries were really good, the cheese was melted and the gravy was tasty. Overall this was a great improvement.

Google knows that Très and Tres are the same, Blogger doesn't.

Address: 1707 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420

Phone: (781) 538-5538

Howling Wolf Taqueria Express North Andover

The original Howling Wolf Taqueria in Salem has a solid reputation for what goes as Mexican food in NE. They recently opened Howling Wolf Taqueria Express in North Andover, and I have been eager to try them. Since it's Taco Tuesday today, it was a good day for a visit. No Taco Tuesday specials.

They are in a strip mall on the outskirt of town and are really easy to get to. Parking is not an issue.

Open kitchen and a good amount of seating. There is also counter seating in front of the windows.

I took a seat at the bar since that seemed to be the most comfortable seating.

It's Taco Tuesday, so tacos it was. From the left, we have Grilled Shrimp Taco ($3.95 Three for $10.95). "Grilled shrimp on corn tortillas with cucumber, avocado slices, and mango chile puree". I got one gigantic slice of avocado, perfectly cooked shrimp that completely lacked grill marks. Next is the Fish Taco ($3.95). "Grilled fish on corn tortillas with cabbage, tomato, and chipotle-cilantro white sauce". It was a big piece of fish that was cooked perfectly but also lacked grill marks. Lastly is the Fried Avocado Taco ($3.75). "Fried avocado on flour tortillas with black beans, tomatoes, cabbage, & jalapeno ranch". This was the only one on a flour tortilla. All the tacos were very good and really well seasoned and tasty. I really liked the Fried Avocado Taco, it was super tasty, but I think it's overpriced compared to the other two.

I also ordered the Rice and Beans ($2). Both were OK, the beans were a bit on the stodgy side for me. Maybe a Burrito Bowl with Chile Verde on my next visit.

Address: 550 Turnpike St. North Andover, MA 01845
Phone: 978-208-1701

On my way home, I stopped at Walmart in Tewksbury to pick up some Bell Evans readymade mashed potatoes that are almost as good as homemade. Considering that there is no prep, no cooking and no cleanup, they are as good as my homemade.

La Perle Everett

Taking advantage of the light traffic, I headed out to Charlestown for some bacon. Unfortunately, they were closed for Memorial Day Weekend, so I headed to the nearby La Perle in Everett for some Caribean food.

There is only on-street parking, the owner (Laureen?) said that the 15 minutes limit could be ignored. Since it was Sunday, I took one of the Residents Only spaces.

It was nice and bright inside. It was also empty because everyone was at church. Laureen said that the rush started at 2. Did I mention that everyone was really friendly?

They have a small bar area were the people waiting for their takeout was hanging out.

I have heard good things about their Goat Sauce ($12 small). It comes with plantains, rice and pikliz. You also have a choice of tossed salad or macaroni salad (+1 was charged +50¢) and various version of rice. Today they had black rice (djondjon +1). I'm not sure if I would call that a macaroni salad since it was only dressed macaroni. The rice was tasty and a big serving. I'm not really a fan of plantains since they are a bit dry and starchy. I did eat one but piled on some of the pikliz. The pikliz was good and not deadly spicy. The Goat Sauce was excellent, and now I know why the review I read said: "with extra sauce". After eating about half, the sauce was gone, so I also asked for extra sauce. Not sure what the meat was, could have been anything. It wasn't very goaty but was very tender. There was also some nicely cooked potatoes in the sauce. This was good enough that I might be back for their Griot (Fried Pork). I have had Griot at other Caribean restaurants, and it has always been very dry.

Not being in Everett very often, it took me a while to figure out that what I saw out of the window was the new casino being built. There is also a gigantic wind turbine next to the truck. Going back, I was surprised at how close they were to Assembly Square.

Address: 41 Bow St, Everett, MA 02149
Phone: (617) 294-2390

Toraya Arlington

It's Sushi Friday! Maybe not, but I headed out to Toraya in Arlington anyway. Their website has gone missing.

They have parking behind the restaurant, and that's good because available street parking is sparse.

This small restaurant could have been located anywhere in Japan.

It's hard to see, but the chef is doing multiple Chirashi's at once.

There is Miso soup involved that's not bad at all. My Chirashi ($12.95) took a little while to arrive, but this is not fast food. The fish is always super fresh and the rice is properly seasoned. This is still a very good deal.

I thought the fish was cut smaller than what I remember and this is how it looked in '13. I rather see the price go up.

Brothers Kouzina Peabody

My waitress on a previous visit to Brothers Kouzina in Peabody mentioned that their hash was really good, so I decided to check it out today. All the various Brothers in NE are now independently owned.

Coming from Rte 128 north it's really easy to get to, and also to get back on Rte 128 south. There is parking, but not in abundance.

This is a big place with the open kitchen to my left and the bar straight on. It's nice and bright inside, and also spotless.

I didn't see the hash as an option in the eggs section of the menu, but my waitress said that it wasn't a problem. Two eggs over easy with Homemade Corned Beef Hash and homefries (7.75). Look at that toast! Perfectly evenly toasted, and it was buttered all the way to the edges. The eggs were the normal steamed variety, but they were cooked as ordered. Why do I have to go to a BBQ place to get a perfect fried egg? The homefries could have been a lot crispier. The hash was really excellent, and there was a ton of it. The hash was slightly crispy and really well seasoned. The service was service with a smile.

Address: 25 Newbury St, Peabody, MA 01960
Phone: (978) 535-9297

Khao Hom Billerica

I haven't been back to Khao Hom Thai & Pho in Billerica for a while but had a hankering for something spicy today.

I had the Khao Soi ($12.95) on my first visit in January. "Egg noodles in a curry sauce with pickle green mustard, red onion, cilantro on topped of crispy egg noodle". This time I had the dinner version with duck since the menu indicates that the duck version is only available in dinner size. The online ordering indicates otherwise. Now they know me, so I when I order it spicy, it's spicy. When this arrived I asked: No fresh chilis? She said that in this dish we only use dry chilis that have been quickly toasted. I tasted it, and it was HOT! When I started to poke around, there were sliced fresh chilis all over the place. "The chef must have to know that it was you!" You mix everything together, there goes the crispy noodles, and get a bowl of goodness. The crispy noodles are mostly for decoration anyway. Despite being seriously spicy, it was still very flavorful, with all the required Thai flavor components present. It also had a very nice texture due to the crispy noodles, red onions and the green mustard. The duck, and it was plenty of it, was cooked to perfection. There is a very good chef hiding in this kitchen.

Address 258 Salem Rd, Billerica, MA 01821
Phone 978-362-8269

Adelita Concord

For my Taco Tuesday, I headed out to the recently opened Adelita in West Concord. They took over the space previously occupied by Vincenzo's Ristorante. Adelita is a sister restaurant to Woods Hill Table that resides just up the street.

I really dislike Rte 2 despite commuting to Maynard for a number of years. They have plenty of parking in this plaza. There is still outdoor seating on the patio.

The inside looked pretty much the same, except for the divider that they removed to make space for the high tops.

There is no complimentary chips and salsa! What Mexican restaurant doesn't give you chips and salsa? You get a bottle of warm water on the table. The obligatory skulls are present, as is the rolled up silverware. This gives you a miniature napkin that you have to straighten out. Not only is this irritating, it also makes the restaurant look cheap. From the small lunch menu, I picked the Tacos Carnitas ($13). "|gluten free, lactose-free | served on three corn tortillas, pulled organic and pasture raised pork, serrano, radish". You also get some lime slices and a very nice tomatillo salsa. What you don't get are rice and beans, and it wasn't even an option to order them as a side. What you do get is three really tasty tacos, with plenty of pulled pork. The chipotle based salsa in the little bottle was delicious and packed a bit of a punch. The corn tortillas were also very good. I'm not a big eater, but this wasn't enough for lunch, especially considering the price. The service wasn't too upbeat either. Not sure if it was due to where I was sitting, but it was cold inside.

Address: 1200 Main St, Concord, MA 01742
Phone: (978) 254-0710

Krispy Krunchy Chicken Stoneham

Krispy Krunchy Chicken is the biggest fast-food chain that you have never heard off. They have more locations than Chick-fil-A (2,200 versus 2,100). They serve spicy Louisiana style fried chicken but doesn't have as many outlets as that other chain (2700). One reason you haven't heard about them is that their business model is to locate the outlets in convenience stores and gas stations. There is one in Wilmington that doesn't show up on their locator map, and one in Stoneham that does show up. The map also shows one in Burlington, but their address is in Batavia, NY. The only reason I found out about them was a sign in a small storefront in North Woburn saying "Opening Soon".

They are located in a Circle K convenience store/gas station. This is the sign you should be looking for. They have no seating inside, the Wilmington location has indoor seating.

Pricelist? We don't need no stinking pricelist. The Wilmington location has an online price list. They had Cajun Bites when I checked them out, but not today.

2 Piece Combo all dark ($3.89). Mashed Potatoes with Gravy ($1.99) 8oz. The biscuit was all soggy on the bottom, but the top was good. It was a BIG serving of real mashed potatoes with the gravy on the side. I really like that the gravy was separate. Both the gravy and the mash was fine, but they needed seasoning. The fried chicken was excellent, crunchy and juicy and cooked really well. The combo comes with a drumstick and a thigh. The thigh was big and it was the whitest dark meat I have ever seen. It wasn't really spicy but had a nice hint of heat.

Since they had no seating, I continued on to the Stoneham Common, where there is plenty of seating.

Address: 250 Main St Stoneham MA 02180
Phone: (781) 279-0977

Fat Biscuit Lynnfield

Fat Biscuit Southern Table & Taps in Lynnfield are located in the Market Street complex. I have been here before and had a very pleasant breakfast.

They weren't very busy at lunch today. I wonder why they have the menus on the wall?

This time I went for the CHICKEN FRIED STEAK (11). "Battered & fried flat iron steak, crispy onions, and white pepper gravy served on a fresh baked biscuit". Shouldn't that be "freshly baked"? Anyway, it wasn't either. The biscuit was rock hard on the outside, and this is a place that takes pride in their biscuits? The crispy onions were delicious. The steak was seriously tenderized and had a nice crispy outside, and it was good sized. The gravy was excellent. The Breakfast Potatoes was cooked with crispy onions and rosemary, unfortunately, most of them were dry and seemed reheated. Maybe there is a reason that they weren't that busy? The Yardhouse next door was hopping.

This is picture #10000 since I bought my refurbished Canon S110 in Jan of '15. #5000 happened on Sept 6 '16. The menu had stains on it, somebody doesn't seem to care here.

Address: 335 Market St, Lynnfield, MA 01940
Phone: (781) 342-5283

Marco's Peabody

Marco's Restaurant in Peabody opened not that long ago, and I have already heard good things about their food. They are open for lunch on Sundays but only serve from the dinner menu. I don't have a problem with that.

They are located in a small strip mall on the north side of Rte 1. The entrance is before the strip mall so it can be tricky to get here. If you miss the entrance, hang a right into Sonic, and you can make your way here. Guess how I know that?

The inside is modern and very pleasant. It was actually brighter than what the picture shows. Behind the wine bottles in the back is a real Italian pizza oven.

Fresh bread arrives with some condiments. To the left is some chili oil that was really spicy, next was a very pleasant bean spread, followed by some olive oil with a very good quality balsamic.

Two minutes after I got the bread, my LINGUINE ALLE VONGOLE ($15.95) arrived. "Baby clams, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes and olive oil". They need to work on their timing a bit. The clams were cooked well and the sauce was very tasty. The pasta could have been a bit more al dente, but it wasn't overcooked. The pepper flakes was a bit sparse, but a drizzle of the excellent chili oil took care of that. I chatted with a couple as they were leaving, and they strongly recommended the eggplant parm and the chicken parm. This was a very pleasant lunch, and I'll be back.

The exciting view of Rte 1! It's very easy to get here from Rte 128 if you are coming from the south and also easy to get back on it.

Address: 47 Newbury St, Peabody, MA 01960
Phone: (978) 854-6906

Snappy Pattys Medford

I haven't been back to Snappy Pattys in Medford since August of '15 due to Medford's infernal new parking meters. After my visit to Pikaichi earlier this week, I spotted some free parking spaces and went back today to check them out.

I did find free parking on Rte 60 if you are coming from the rotary. Guess who has expanded? They took over the space next door.

This is the new dining room. Delightful and bright. They are still working on outdoor seating, this has been going on this since early '15.

This is the other side of the partition.

This is the original space. As you can see, with the expansion, they now have a full liquor license.

The lunch menu is pretty much the same since my last visit. The online menu doesn't seem to have been updated, same prices as in '15 and the description is off as well. My "Crispy Fish Sandwich – Tartare Sauce, Lemon & Greens" was 9.5 now 13. I took the option of a tortilla instead of the bun and it worked out much better, not to mention that the tortilla was super fresh and tasty. The picture doesn't do this justice, there were four big pieces of fish hiding in there that was still somewhat crisp, despite being topped with lettuce and a runny tartar sauce. The fish was cooked well. There was a lot of diced red onions in there, but at least they had been washed to reduce the raw onion taste. Most of the fries were overcooked and dry. Good napkins and silverware. You get a bottle of lukewarm water on the table.

Address: 454 High St, Medford, MA 02155
Phone: (781) 219-4804

Firefly's BBQ Marlborough

I was invited to Firefly's BBQ in Marlborough to celebrate National BBQ Day. I have been here before, but that was mostly for their wings. I have heard really good things about their BBQ, so I was really excited about this.

They are located on a hill with a lovely view of Rte 20. Private parking lot.

Since it was National BBQ Day, they gave out free food to the areas First Responders. Two of their 12 S.W.A.T (Smokin' Wicked and Tasty) trucks were parked here handling the food. They can handle crowds of up to 10,000 guests.

This is the second year the lovely patio has been open. Two firepits and games.

Yes, there was swag involved.

The cornbread was HUGE but very light and not sickly sweet. It was served with a Sea Salt Honey Butter, and how can you go wrong with that?

We started with Fried Pickles with an excellent Remoulade. This was followed by Candy Lacquered Bacon with a perfect fried egg. This was very good. Why do I have to go to a BBQ place to get a properly fried egg?

Next was the Crazy Roo’s Wings "Chicken wings rubbed with a blend of spices, apple-smoked and fried to a golden brown, tossed in a sriracha, molasses and lime cilantro glaze". Perfectly cooked and the rub was very interesting but in a good way. The Burnt Ends are made from the point, and that's the fattiest part, so they were tender and juicy with just a minimal amount of sauce. This was some proper burnt ends.

We are not done yet. Next, the BBQ sauces arrived for the main event. Memphis: A sweet, tomato-based sauce with brown sugar, molasses and chocolate. Beelzebar: Our Memphis Sauce, kicked up with some good ol’ chipotle heat. Dixie Kiss: A sweet, tomato-molasses bastin’ sauce with a chili-red pepper “kiss.” North Carolina (Gluten Free): A vinegar and red pepper-based BBQ sauce with a zesty tang. Texas: A chipotle-tomato sauce with a hint of onion and sweet black tar molasses. They were all very different and I liked them all. I'm not really a fan of BBQ sauce on proper BBQ, apart from on Pulled Pork and the North Carolina went on that.

Look at this! Super tasty brisket, that had some fat left on (I always ask for brisket from the fatty end). Excellent texture and flavor. Brisket is the hardest meat to get right, and it was done right here. The ribs were tender and had just a swipe of the Texas Kiss BBS Sauce on them. This is another indication that the pitmaster knows what he's doing. The Southern Fried Chicken had an excellent crust that was well seasoned. It was served with a very tasty White Cream Gravy. The Pulled pork was moist and tender with crunchy bits and still had texture. What can we say about the Mac & Cheese? It was good.

For sides, we got a very nice Coleslaw, Cucumber Salad that was very refreshing and Sweet Potato Pecan Pudding. The Sweet Potato pudding had a crust that was outstandingly good. Not a fan of sweet potatoes but I ate all the crust.

We finished off with Chocolate Beignets with Chocolate, Salted Caramel and Strawberry Sauces. The beignet was light and fluffy, and the sauces were excellent. I couldn't decide if the chocolate or the salted caramel was the best. What an excellent meal this was, and they certainly lived up to their BBQ reputation.

This is the main bright and airy dining room.

Need some hot sauces?

They also have one hot sauce that is locked up with its own sprinkler head. You have to sign a waiver to try this.

There is only six Gold Crown III's left, the other side is now used for entertainment. Check out their website for the schedule for the live bands.

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

Address: 350 E Main St, Marlborough, MA 01752
Phone: (508) 357-8883