With my parents in town for a few days this past week I went on the High Holly Fat Kid Experience. Most of my eating and perspectives on food have much, if not everything, to do with the 'rents. They have long exposed me to an inherent concept of tasting, discerning, discriminating. And while my mom and I have near opposite levels of hunger - her typical day in Boston was Pete's coffee, splitting a pastry with my dad; a late lunch of tea and probably nothing else; and a conclusion of an actual dinner - they are great to be along for the ride with.
The opening salvo upon arrival was
I always recommend the mac 'n' cheese; thought technically they sever it up with Orecchiette pasta- or little ears. Make sure to add in the truffled cream for pure decadence. The scooped shape of the pasta holds the sauce much better, and the plate is served artery clogging high. Also worth a taste was the meat loaf, but avoid the sausages: they were dry and bland. Publik House scores high for its massive
beer selection with some 30 plus drafts on rotation. The general theme of the place is of a Belgian slant, so many of the taps are either of that style or origin. Go early, its a crowd favorite, and the place gets way more busy than they can handle.
We followed this up with lunch the next day at
It is pretty hard to satiate a Mexican craving in Boston. The major chains just don't cut the salsa (haha, I'm sorry). But Ana's is actually a very good place. I would love to see them warm the tortillas on the grill for a slightly crunchy texture like they do on the West Coast, but that's really the only draw back. I tend to go for the super burrito with carnitas and plenty of salsa verde (though I have to admit in my old age, I can't handle the heat of their verde as much as I could in my youth). The simplicity of the menu highlights the focused and developed nature of the food itself: just a few items in a few combination, but all of them are well executed and delicious.
Our single brunch forey was to
In part to mom's general lack of interest in early eating, we only had one real breakfast dinning, but Bon Savor is high on my list of local brunch spots. Its very small, so seating can sometimes require a wait, but compared to either of the overly-popular and not-very-impressive Center Street Cafe or Sorrellas, I would actually recommend Bon Savor, and am personally willing to wait to be seated. The food is either French-American or Latin-American, but thus far I have never strayed from French Benedict (eggs Benedict on crepes), the croquet madam (a ham and cheese sandwich under poached eggs and hollandaise sauce), or the Combo which comes with eggs Benedict, a glass of wine or champaign, a French-press of coffee and a croissant. The portions are decidedly UnAmerican (read: small) which is why I can sometimes get away with all the food of the Combo, but really shouldn't. Someday I need to get around to trying their dinner menu, but for now its just a breakfast joint.
After trotting around M.I.T. campus we had a short stopover at
There are popular places and there are places that are victims of their own success. Diesel Cafe is a lovely place with funky, urban decorations. But the level of action here is out of control. We made the egregious mistake of trying to sit three people in the late afternoon. At that point we had to all but fight for seating. Initially settling for a table for two and having me stand, I managed to swoop in on booth that was clearing. While I waiting for my drink at the counter, my parents were left defending the other half of the booth from people sharking for space. This is clearly an early morning local, or else relegated to to-go orders the rest of the day. Dad and I split a tuna salad sandwich, which was really good. Well seasoned and on lovely fresh bread, it was the perfect snack for the middle of the day.
Our next dinner stop was a new place for me
- Lineage on Harvard Street in Brookline
Waaaay too much was eaten that night. We started out with an amazing Vermont Cheddar fondue along with a beat salad with crème fraiche. It was surprising to see some of the beats which weren't the traditional dark red and mushy, but rather the color and texture of tomatoes. I stuffed my self silly with an amazing burger with blue cheese and caramelized onions and delicious French fries. Elegant despite its regular simplicity, every detail from the bun to the meat was top notch. Dad had a fabulous dish of gnocchi with a simple sauce and greens. But they were some of the best that I've tasted in years. The wine list did leave a little to be desired due to the price level of most bottles. There were few available for less $40, and the first bottle ordered was sold out. Our second choice was superb, and well enjoyed.
Monday took us back to
It has been almost two years since I've been to this increasingly popular local. To give a perspective on how notorious it is: I went to an interview in
Marlborough, almost an hour away in the burbs, and when I mentioned to the receptionist that I live in JP, she asked about Ten Tables. Seriously, I used to work a couple of towns over in Northborough and that place has two gun shops that literally share a wall. How many guns shops can one tiny little hick town support? Where was I? Oh yeah, Ten Tables has a phenomenal reputation. But it is 100% well deserved. They got their name because they used to only have 10 tables for customers. When my parents were last in town, and when we last ate there, we managed to get two reservations in a week due to a massive snow storm sending the weather-phobic Bostonians into hiding. Now the have opened a second location, and as of last month, expanded the JP location slightly. The menu remains focused on local and seasonal fair, with a changing list of items based on availability. We started with the Greek Salad, which, admittedly is one of my favorite takes on salad in general. From the light dressing to the French Feta it was just amazing. Three of the four at the table had the house made Pappardelle pasta with lamb ragu, and we loved it. The wine list is a great compliment, a particular frustration of mine is how often restaurants focus on high cost - either through raising the price factor or just offering more expensive bottles - and don't have a decent starting range. But TT has included a nice range of modest bottles, including some from Portugal; which has the benefit of being a lesser know producer and thus more inexpensive, but often fantastic range of products. Dessert for me was a meyer lemon tart: a nice lightness to end things on, but absolutely lovely.
Earning a double entry is
- Finale "Deserteri" in Harvard Square
We went there first for a lunch snack. My parents split a salad and I tucked into an egg salad sandwich. Both were good, but not exceptional. We got a sample of a chocolate mousse on the side which was very nice, especially since I think it was of the sugar-fee variety. The concept of the place is comparable to San Diego's Extraordinary Desserts, but while ED is focused on cakes, Finale is more pastries. Lunch was OK, trying to be high quality but slightly expensive and not amazing.
We moved on to dinner at
A rather unique restaurant experience, the menu is a blend of French and Cambodian cuisine. There are essentially 4 categories: Traditional French, Traditional Cambodian, New French and New Cambodian. Where, clearly, some dishes are classics from their respective nations, and some are creations. We split an order of the Rouleaux, or spring rolls, which were very good and very different. I especially enjoyed my dish, Amok Royal, a medley of sea food in a sort of savory custard. I like the way the restaurant offers a selection of types of food, especially since I know people are not as thrilled at exploration.
Dessert returned us to
Now focusing on their forte, I was much more impressed with splitting the Magnanimous Melt. This was a chocolate cake with a hot, gooey center accompanied by gelato. They had chocolate, coffee and vanilla, but really, the dish would have been just fine with vanilla on its own. The centerpiece, the cake is chocolaty enough that more chocolate on the side just blurred flavors in to the background. Its a good place, and there are lots of fun things on the menu, including a chocolate fondue. But I have to admit I think I'm a bit more impressed over all with Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego. They just execute everything at a higher level.
Our final meal consisted of lunch at
I know that there is something of a mixed reputation for City Feed within the neighborhood - most of the employees are, or were, tragically hipsters who lacked a sertin element of customer service at times (like the guy who seems too shy to take your food orders) - but from the groceries to the sandwiches, I've always found the service to be decent or even good, and the food to be great. Its a very small place and the selections are again geared towards local producers and sustainable goods. I've never tried any of their prepared goods in the cases by the check out stand personally, but they are local companies and seem like they might be worth the risk eventually. I tend to go straight for the sandwiches and coffee drinks. These have always delivered very well for me. Mom went with the Fresh Mozzarella, Dad for a locally made pasty and I for the ham and cheese. Dad was underwhelmed, but Mom and I throughly enjoyed our selections.
I think now that they have gone home I'm going to have to start listening to Ryan and get running again. In any case, its back to salads and fruits until the guild wares off...
