Viet-Thai Lowell

I used to go to Viet-Thai Restaurant in Lowell for their excellent lunch buffet and never looked at the menu. I got reminded about the place a couple days ago and remembered the excellent wings.

On-street metered parking, except on Sundays and free after six.

The front room.

I took a table in the back room. Properly distanced tables. Lunch buffet can be seen packed up in the back. When will we see a buffet again? I suspect it will be a long long time.

Appetizer Fried Wings (8 pieces $9.50). The online menu prices are NOT up to date. The wings were super crispy. Not just crispy but extremely crispy. They were cooked well and were still juicy. Crispy wings heat up nicely in an air-fryer.

This is the #80 Thai Fried Rice with Duck ($10.50). This was a well executed dish with a surprisingly amount of sliced tender duck breast. Even the carrots were cooked nicely. It could have done with some salt and white pepper. After adding salt it was much better. There was a container of chili oil on the table, so I drizzled it over the rice. Be aware, the chili oil is really hot. It was a big portion and really enjoyable.

Scan the QR code for their online menu. They also have a QR code for their Banh Mi menu. Unfortunately, it was not translated, but the prices looked good. The pickled jalapenos were very tasty. I don't think this setup follows Mass COVID guidelines. If you Google this place, one photo is clearly from some other restaurant.

Address: 368 Merrimack St, Lowell, MA 01852 Phone: (978) 446-0977

Jocelyn's Salem, NH

Jocelyn's Restaurant & Martini Lounge in Salem, NH have only got positive reviews, so when I was in the area today, I stopped by for another lunch. They only serve lunch Fri-Sun, and they have a lunch menu.

They have a very nice outside setup with a gigantic tent.

I decided on a high top in the bar area. You get pita bread (cold) and butter (cold).

All lunches are $13. "All lunches served with pita bread, vegetables & choice of rice pilaf, baked potato, garlic mashed potato, or hand cut french fries". I have only had raw Kibbee that I really liked so I decided to try the Baked Kibbee. "Lean meat with crushed wheat filled with ground beef & onions". The kibbee was crispy on top and soft inside. It was well seasoned and really tasty. I'll have this again in a heartbeat. I'm so happy when I try something new, and it turns out to be very good. If it doesn't turn out good, I'm still happy that I tried it. The service was pleasant.

Address: 355 S Broadway, Salem, NH 03079 Phone: (603) 870-0045

Town Tavern Arlington

Town Tavern in Arlington was quick to switch to take-out only and then added outside seating. Now they are serving inside as well. I have really missed eating in.

The outside patio. The dreaded parking meters haven't made it here.

Window table with a view. One person at a four-top? Not a problem.

I went with the Lunch Paneed Chicken (12) because the menu said that it was made with chicken thigh. "Boneless, pounded and lightly breaded Chicken Thigh in a Lemon Pan Gravy over Spaetzle tossed with grilled Kale and Smokey Bacon Bits". I actually had to look up panéed, and it just means coated in breadcrumbs and then fried in hot oil. This was the best-cooked chicken I have had in a long time. Tender and juicy with a nice coating. The Spaetzle had been slightly browned, and the whole dish was just awesome. I even liked the kale. The healthy kale was offset by the bacon bits. Service is always pleasant here. The Monthly Tavern Treat will restart in August. Keep an eye on their FB page.

Address: 201 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02474 Phone: (781) 859-5413

Sakura Winchester

I haven't been back to Sakura in Winchester for a long time, so I was delighted to find out that they are now open for dine-in. The AYCE is still $14.95.

The ramp and fence have been painted.

I wasn't sure how the dine-in would work since it's such a small place. The middle table is gone, so the spacing works fine.

From the kitchen items, I ordered 1/2 Tempura shrimp. The tempura shrimp was terrible for a while but is now back to a light crispy batter. The 1/2 Tempura scallops turned out to be a full order. It was real scallops.

I got so excited when my Nigiri arrived that I completely forgot to take a picture, but this is what I got, except no fake crab nigiri. The nigiri now has a better ratio of fish to rice. For a while, it was a lot of rice. The fish was fresh, and I just wish I could eat more. The service was pleasant, but I still miss Jay. They have been very busy doing takeout, and it was flying out the doors at lunchtime.

Address: 910 Main St, Winchester, MA 01890 Phone: (781) 721-4608

The Spot Winchester

TWK in Winchester morphed into The Spot a little while ago. There are now two restaurants named the Spot in the Serenitee group. Of the unkempt looking manager there was no trace, he has been replaced with a very pleasant hostess. The website said the place had been renovated, but it looked the same. Different artwork on the walls.

The entrance is now after the very pleasant patio. Way too hot today for sitting outside.

I started with the DUCK FAT TATER TOTS (10). "bone marrow aioli". I do believe tater tots are copyrighted. The tots were crispy and salted on the outside, but the inside was just mush and lacked texture. I got more aioli to go with my leftovers.

This was followed by FRIED CHICKEN (15) sandwich served with hand-cut fries. "chicken thighs, apple and cabbage slaw, jalapeno honey". It was, of course, only a single thigh despite the description. The outside was dry but the inside was fine. I did expect a crispy chicken since it was a fried chicken sandwich. It was way more honey than jalapeno, so it was really sweet. If there was any apple in the slaw it eluded me. The fries were way overcooked and dry. The service was a bit slow, even if they had very few customers at lunch today.

14 Thompson Street, Winchester, MA 01890 Phone number (781) 729-0204

Acitrón Arlington

The delightful Acitrón Cocina Mexicana in Arlington is currently serving lunch on Thurs-Sunday starting at noon. I believe they still do brunch/lunch on the weekend. Takeout and dining in. They have a delightful patio on the side, that I never knew about.

Since the metered parking is suspended, I can now have lunch in Arlington again.

The dining room is open with the proper distancing of the tables.

The delightful patio.

What used to be ho-hum chips and salsa have no turned in to excellent thin chips with a really well seasoned and tasty salsa. I kept on eating the chips and salsa. Of course you get linen napkins.

Today I picked the CHILE VERDE A LA BAABS (14.95) from the lunch menu. "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. It was also a generous serving. The accompanying tortillas were warm and fresh. This was another delightful lunch in this charming little restaurant. The service was also very pleasant. Did you know that Punjab started here?

Address 473 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02474 Phone number (781) 777-2839

Ixtapa Woburn

Ixtapa Mexican Grill & Cantina in Woburn is open for takeout, inside and outside dining. Their Taco Tuesday deal is available in dining area. For some reason, I thought it was only in the bar area.

The outside seating is really nice, and it's underneath the awning.

You get chips (stale) and a nice salsa. I really like that everyone gets their own salsa bowl.
I decided to go with a Lunch Combo Plate. Combo Laredo (Choose Two) ($8.75). "Enchilada, Chimichanga, Chile Relleno, Tostada, Burrito, Taco or Tamale". I went with the Chile Relleno and the Chimichanga with pork. This was a BIG plate. The rice was light and fluffy, and the refried beans were very good, but I'm a sucker for refried beans. The Chile Relleno was prepared correctly, lightly battered and then fried. It was filled with melted cheese. I very seldom get a spicy one, but you never know. What's more, I got a properly cleaned chili! No seeds, no stem left, this never happens. Be careful if you order at lunch, twice I have gotten a check with the dinner price. If you scan the QR code, it only shows you the dinner menu, you have to ask for the lunch menu.

Address: 349 Main St, Woburn, MA 01801 Phone: (781) 759-1250

Anchor Pub & Grille Beverly

Anchor Pub & Grille in Beverly is now open on the regular schedule and has both indoor and outdoor seating. The old dining room is closed, but there are dining tables in the lounge.

I must say that the setup is really nice and well done. Currently, there is a 10% markup on all items. Can't complain about this, food prices have gone up. 

The seafood casserole ($12.99) is a staple on the specials menu Thursdays and Fridays. Plenty of lobster, shrimp, haddock and scallops. Everything is cooked well. This is a really nice dish and it has been missed. For my two sides, I picked baked potato and garlic potatoes because I like potatoes. I'll have the baked potato with half the casserole for lunch and the garlic potatoes with the other half for dinner. Service is always pleasant here and the staff works as a team.

Address: 20 Cabot St, Beverly, MA 01915 Phone: (978) 921-0504

Neighborhood Kitchen Medford

Neighborhood Kitchen in Medford is located where an Egyptian restaurant, Baity, resided. I went once, got an upset stomach and that was it.

There is free on-street parking.

They are takeout only and will stay that way.

Ordering window with the staff behind Plexiglas.

I went with an NK Dinner Plate. "Each item is serviced with either Djon Djon or coconut rice, pikliz, and sweet plantains". My choice was the Creole Chicken ($10). Ordered it with Djon Djon rice and got the coconut rice instead. It was a ton of rice that was OK, could use some seasoning. The plantains were actually pleasant. The pikliz was very good and packed a bit of heat. The chicken was very tasty on the outside, but the inside was on the drier side. Creole chicken is supposed to be well seasoned (dried basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, and minced garlic, etc). This had none of that, and the very thin sauce was bland. Not sure why it took 10 minutes to assemble this. Not sure how much sauce I got to start with, but it leaked out into the paper bag and hence on my floor mat. Should have been packaged in a plastic bag.

Address: 84 Spring St, Medford, MA 02155 Phone: (781) 391-9000. The same number as the previous place, strange that.

KFC/Taco Bell Woburn

I really don't frequent fast-food restaurants but made an exception yesterday to try the $1 Nacho Crunch Double Stacked Taco. Of course my local Taco Bell didn't honor the promotion, so I had to pay $1.45 each. I liked the concept since you can now open the taco and add hot sauce without breaking the hard taco with the filling going everywhere. I used to get the $5 for 10 hard shell tacos a long time ago. Is it just me or are the tacos bigger now?

You get a free Crispy Colonel Sandwich ($4.99) available in Extra Crispy™, Honey BBQ, Buffalo or Nashville Hot after filling out the survey if you buy a soft drink ($2.45 ouch!). The bun was toasted, the chicken was crispy and not dry apart from the thin end. I ordered it Nashville Hot. Was it Nashville hot? Of course not. Was it Nashville medium? Nope. It had a trace of heat. Despite that, it was a pretty good sandwich, especially for the price. This was the first time in I don't know how many years I had a Pepsi. Tasty, but I will still stay away from soft drinks. Think about it, adding a drink to the sandwich increases the price by 50%.

Mount Vernon Somerville

Mount Vernon Restaurant & Pub in Somerville are now serving outside and inside in the bar. The twin lobster special is very popular even at lunchtime.

They have a big tent in the parking lot behind the restaurant. The other parking lot is still available. If you park in the street, pay the meter.

I went for the weekend special of Seafood Casserole (19.99) with potato and vegetable. Baked potato, and stuffing as my vegetable, the stuffing is really good here. Lobster, shrimp, haddock and scallops. The lobster was good, the shrimp was big as was the scallops. The haddock was flaky but the stuffing could have done with a touch less sherry. It was still really good.

The weekend specials are available Thursday-Sunday.

Address: 14 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02145 Phone: (617) 666-3830