A Week of my Lunches Part Deux

Or Restaurants that I really like and go back to part Deux.

Mondays are for Indian food, and since Masala in Tele Square in Somerville had announced on social media that their buffet ($12.95) was back, it was time for a visit. I even paid for parking today. I haven't seen a buffet since the pandemic started. Indian dishes and momo's on the left, Nepali dishes, condiments, and fruit on the right. Highlights are Momo's, Shrimp curry with BIG shrimps, Chicken Malai Kabab that was super tasty and could be cut with a fork, Dal Makhani that was thick and creamy. Oh, and they have an avocado salad that consists of fresh avocados with a few bits of cucumber thrown in. How often do you see an AYCE avocado? All the Nepali dishes are worth trying. The food here is always well seasoned, nothing especially spicy, just really delicious dishes.

I had other plans for Tuesday, but then the Serenitee Group loaded $10 on my card, so I decided to hit up Maggie's Farm instead. Bacon-Wrapped Maggie’s Meatloaf ($20). "Broccoli, bacon-cheddar mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy". I tried to get the excellent spinach instead of broccoli but ended up with both and no mashed! This was quickly remedied, and I got to enjoy my mashed. The spinach had enough garlic to keep the vampires in Danvers. The humungous meatloaf was excellent and moist. The mashed were again dry and a bit stodgy but with plenty of bacon and cheese. It was nice to again see people seated at the bar. The service is always excellent here.

On this Wednesday, I headed out to Mandarin in Reading. They fell off my radar when buffets were not allowed anymore, so I have never ordered from the menu here. They have a reasonably priced lunch menu (7 days/week). I have had their General Gau's Chicken ($11.50) as takeout for lunch and decided to try it as dine-in. Look at the amount of chicken! And not a trace of broccoli could be found. I learned that if you do takeout, you get a spring roll. If you dine in, you have a choice of soups. The H&S soup was pink and had whole mushrooms in it. It was hot (spicy) but lacked a depth of flavor. So, in short, boring. Next time I'll try to get a spring roll instead of the soup. This is just about the only American Chinese dish that I like if it's done right. It seldom is. The dark meat chicken was cooked perfectly and had just a very thin batter. This is the best rendition of this dish that I have found. A good amount of sauce that was a bit sweet with just a hint of heat. Some chili oil on the side took care of that, and I didn't even get charged for the chili oil as I was when I did takeout. I saw a lunch order with the pork fried rice, and it looked to be the dark over soy sauced terrible version.

Apart from the rice, nothing traces back to China. Spring roll? Invented in NY City. Fortune cookie? San Francisco. The General Gau's (Tso's) chicken? Nope. There is no recorded connection to Tso Tsung-t'ang, nor is the dish known in Hunan, Tso's home province. However, American Chinese cuisine is recognized as a cuisine on its own.

Thursday took me to Brothers Deli in Wakefield. Cafeteria-style dining, and that works for me. They only do breakfast and lunch. Parking in the back. All Brothers are now independently owned.

Thursday's Special is Roasted Pork ($15.95?) with two sides. It used to be a big chop and a chunk of loin, but today I got two tender chops that were, as you can see, falling off the bone. Double order of roasted potatoes that showed no evidence of having seen an oven. The potatoes were also lacking lemon. However, they were perfectly cooked, so I'm happy. Nothing better than roughly mashing the potatoes in with the gravy. Extra gravy naturally, and then more gravy to go with the leftovers. The staff here is exceedingly friendly.

Friday. I have been to Pita Thyme in NA once when they only did takeout and was very impressed by the food. Now it was time for dining in. They are still serving in takeout containers. It kind of makes sense, seeing how much takeout it was today. I meant to order the BEEF SHAWARMA PLATE but ended up with the STEAK KEBAB PLATE ($13.99). "Marinated steak, skewered, charbroiled and served with 3 sides". The Hummus was incredibly smooth, and the Baba Ghanouj was also excellent. I love their spicy potatoes, but I'm partial to potatoes. The beef was really savory with a nice char. It was topped with tahini and garlic aioli. Served with a thin fresh half white pita. The food is really excellent and enjoyable. The inside is nice and bright, and I enjoyed my window seat. There is a gym next door. I'll say no more.

So shoot me, but I like Cracker Barrel and go to their Tewksbury location occasionally. It was even better during the pandemic since with social seating distancing, the sound level was reasonable. They have a Saturday special that is really misnamed and got me a free meal when I complained!

Country Fried Pork Chops ($10.99) is the Saturday Special. "Starting at 11 AM, enjoy two crispy hand-breaded fried pork chops smothered in roasted pan gravy plus choice of two Country Sides". The pork chops were crispy, but they weren't really pork chops, just pork loin. The loin chops had been tenderized until almost mushy. They weren't really smothered either despite being ordered with extra gravy. My waitress quickly brought out more sauce. My sides of Steak Fries and Hashbrown Casserole were both delicious. Service is always pleasant here, but having to go to the register to pay is a pain in the butt. I'm now spaying at the table, using their app, except today it didn't work. One thing I can't figure out is how do they know that I already paid?

Sunday was Viet-Thai Restaurant in Lowell. I only went here for their excellent buffet and never ordered from the menu. Appetizer 6 Fried Wings ($9.50). You don't get six wings, but you get six pieces of wings. The online menu prices are NOT up to date, and it also doesn't work at the moment. The wings are super crunchy. Not just crispy but extremely crusty. They were cooked well and were still juicy. I think this is the best wings around. The leftover wings heat up perfectly in an air-fryer, so get the larger order!

This is the #80, Thai Fried Rice with Duck ($11.50). This was a well-executed dish with a reasonable amount of sliced tender duck breast. Not as generous as on my visit in July last year. Even the carrots were cooked nicely. It could have used some salt and white pepper. There was a container of chili oil on the table, so I drizzled a little over the rice. Be aware, the chili oil is very fiery. It was a generous portion and really enjoyable. There is a surcharge when paying with a CC, and that's illegal in Mass when a restaurant does it. However, there is a loophole where it's legal for the CC service to charge a fee.

It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive.

-- Maya Angelou