A Week of my Lunches

This could also be called "Restaurants that I really like and go back to".

Mondays are my Indian lunch day. Why? I honestly don't remember 😋. I have three Indian restaurants in my rotation, and today it was Rang Indian Bistro in Stoneham's turn.

I ordered the Lamb Shank ($15.99) from the specials menu. "Tender Lamb Shanks cooked in Kashmiri style sauce that is made with cloves, cinnamon, garlic and ginger cooked until meat falls of the bone". I have had my eyes on this for a long time, and now when I'm paying with a gift card, I thought a little lunch splurge was justified. Unlike Chinese restaurants, rice is included. The rice is really excellent, fragrant with every kernel separated. The lamb shank was very tender and succulent, but the sauce was the hero! Thick and rich and redolent with spices. What a treat this was!

Tuesdays are, of course, Mexican to take advantage of Taco Tuesdays. The only problem with that plan is that none of the Mexican restaurants that are in my lunch rotation offers any Taco Tuesday deals. Well, one does, but it only starts at 4PM, so it's not working for my lunches.

Casa Blanca in Wilmington opened a year ago, not the best of timing, but they stayed in business. They don't have a lunch menu but offer some nice Combo Plates that are reasonably priced. "Served with rice and beans. Choice of ground sirloin, barbacoa, shredded chicken, chorizo or pork chile verde". The Choose One option is now gone, and the cheapest option is Choose Two ($14). Update: If you are in the know, you can still order Choose One. "Enchilada, Tamale, Taco, Chile Relleno or Tostada". My favorite is the Chile Relleno because it's delicious and really good-sized, so I ordered two. You rarely get a spicy poblano, but I'm still hoping 😆. There is no choice of filling apart from the cheese, so I used to get a side of Chili Verde (+3). That option wasn't available today, maybe because my regular server wasn't working. The rice is light, fluffy and seasoned nicely. The refried beans are also tasty and have a hint of texture. No comments about the silly undressed little salad. The Chile Relleno is usually excellent, but today it was so overcooked that it had no texture left, and the cheese was about to split.

Wednesdays and Thursdays are open. I decided to revisit Nappi Restaurant in Medford on Wednesday this week. They are world-famous in Medford for being an old-school Italian eatery and having no set menu. They are also BYOB with no corking fee. Cash only.

However, at lunch, they do have a menu. The prices on the lunch menu are a bit out of date. Lunch Pork Cutlet Parmigiana w/ Pasta ($13.95). Chicken parm has no appeal to me at all. Usually, it's just white meat and a bland tomato sauce. However, a pork parm is right in my ballpark. The sauce on the pasta was excellent. The tomato sauce with the parm was completely missing today, but the pork was tender and juicy. Not sure if Chef Joe was in yet. The pasta was cooked al dente, so I have nothing to complain about. Not too busy at lunch today, so the noise wasn't bad at all.

On Thursday, I chose to pay a visit to my favorite Taiwanese restaurant, Taipei Gourmet in Lexington. A pleasant lunch menu and the rest of the menu is very affordable. Soups and dumplings are excellent. Always excellent cook on the fish dishes and they use flounder.

Da-Lu Mien ($9.54) is described as Noodles Soup with Seafood. The soup is thick and really palatable, and there was plenty of shrimp and pork on top of the noodles. The whole thing is delicious. There was plenty of thick noodles in the soup. The last time I ordered this, Ewa asked if I wanted it spicy, and I said yes. The dish went from a pleasant soup to an excellent soup with the change to spicy. If the food is listed as spicy, I usually ask for it to be made extra spicy. It never occurred to me to ask for a non-spicy dish to be prepared spicy.

Fridays are made for a splurge, so I headed to Anchor Pub & Grille in Beverly for one of the best lobster rolls in the area. I decided to pass on their premium Dry Martini that sets you back a whopping $6.50.

A permanent fixture on the specials menu is the Lobster Rolls ($22.95) with French Fries. I got hand-cut FF today! My waitress said that happens if they run out of their regular fries. I would pay extra for these. This is the traditional lobster roll with mayo (absent) and lettuce (minimal amount). The lobster meat is fresh, and there must have been close to a whole lobster in the roll. I do like mayo in my roll but survived without it. If you get FF, ask your waitress for a real salt shaker since the corona bottles often don't work.

What's better on a Saturday than some Greek fare? The chef/owner of John's Bar & Grill in Beverly is none other than the former chef of Brothers Kouzina in Peabody. All the old favorites are back on the menu.

Pork Souvlaki Plate ($13.99). "Served with a warm pita, greek salad, rice pilaf and tzatziki". I asked for roasted potatoes instead of the rice, and that was, of course, no problem. The slightly lemony roasted potatoes were excellent. The pita had been nicely toasted. The greek salad was huge and very fresh with a mild dressing and plenty of crumbled feta. I asked for the pork cooked pink, and it was. Didn't expect three skewers at lunch, so that was a delightful surprise. I don't really like yogurt, but the tzatziki was excellent and tasty. This is easily two meals for me.

On weekends heading to the NS can be difficult, so I headed up to Tasty Dumpling in Lowell on this gorgeous Sunday. They have a pleasant outdoor seating area. Parking is free on Sundays. If they are busy, there can be a wait for the dumplings since they are made to order.

Steamed Soup Dumplings ($11.99). They were good-sized and filled with a really delicious mix. Black vinegar and ginger on the side. There are two ways of eating these. 1. Plop the whole thing into your mouth, and get 3rd-degree burns. 2. Put the dumpling in the spoon and carefully bite off the top and add some of the vinegar. Then open one corner and slurp up the soup. Next, add some more ginger vinegar and enjoy the rest of the dumpling.

I have never had their Pot Stickers (8). Here are the Kimchi & Pork dumplings ($11.99). Not sure how they make the crispy pieces that are sticking out. The bottom was really crispy, but the skin was very light. The filling was pleasant but could have used some more kimchi. There was also a good amount of clear vermicelli used as a filler. I got some chili oil on the side, and it was SPICY but very delicious in small amounts. When I asked for a to-go container, I also asked for a small container for the leftover chili oil, but she gave me a prepackaged one. It was easier that way, she said. The staff here is super friendly, and nothing is ever a problem.

The willingness to show up changes us. It makes us a little braver each time.
-- Brené Brown