June 15, 2017 Porto
Porto is a new Mediterranean restaurant that serves a modern take on seafood. The team behind this new hot spot are Jody Adams, Eric Papachristos and Sean Griffing (they are also the team behind Trade).
I love everything about this place from the moment I walk in, from the artwork on the walls to the summer beach cottage feel, right down to the blue tiles in the entryway.
Leah and I are doing some research for our Toasts and Bowls posts that went up earlier this week. We are lucky enough to run into Jody, who is just popping by, and we chat with her a bit before our meal comes.
The lunch menu is filled with delicious sounding plates: lobster roll, a fried oyster roll, grilled arctic char salad or a roasted half chicken to name a few. We went with the grilled avocado toast, topped with ricotta, red pepper and these addictive honey pistachios. This is a really nice twist on avocado toast, the grilled avocado makes this dish special. Very light and clean, filling – but in a good way.
Next up, we tried the Anson Mills faro verde grain bowl served with eggplant, broccoli, pomegranate and a perfectly cooked soft egg. The eggplant was delicious and while this bowl on paper sounds too healthy for my liking, it was quite tasty.
Service was excellent. They have a great bar – perfect for a glass of wine at the end of the day and some people watching. They also recently opened their patio, so make sure to stop by and check that out when the weather is finally warm for more than 20 minutes! Aren’t you ready for the rain and cold to go away? Is it summer yet?!?
Porto
Ring Road, Boston, MA
Tags: celebrity chef, dinner, lunch, mediterranean, outdoor seating, private dining, seafood
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June 14, 2017 Poke City
Leah and I met up with fellow food blogger Fiona, from Gourmet Pigs, for lunch at Poke City. Poke is blowing up on the restaurant scene and I couldn’t wait to check it out. Leah had been before and Fiona had been to a different Poke restaurant – I just wanted to see what those sushi burritos were all about.
So you know the drill with these fast casual concept restaurants:
- pick your base rice bowl with brown or white rice), zucchini noodles, salad bowl or a burrito
- pick your protein snow crab, salmon, tuna, shrimp, chicken or tofu
- pick your mix ins cucumber, shiitake mushroom, edamame, crab guacamole, avocado, jalapeño, kana salad, seaweed salad, bean sprouts, pinapple salsa, mango or spinach
- pick your sauce poke city sauce, sesame shoyu, wasabi shoyu, sriracha aioli, chili lime, savory teriyaki, yuzu ponzu, or sweet chili
- pick your toppings roasted seaweed, cilantro, scallions, sesame seeds, tobiko, furikak, onion crisps, picked ginger, bonito flakes
You can choose to make your own bowl or pick one of their signature bowls. Make sure to get a poke stamp card and start earning your way to a free poke bowl.
So let’s talk sushi burrito. Well, mine wasn’t exactly sushi, because I did mine with chicken and shrimp. Not bad I must say. Didn’t feel as heavy as let’s say an Anna’s burrito, but pretty decent. I’d certainly go back for one, although I do love the bowls. They are always willing to let you try the sauces before you choose one and you can make your bowls half and half, ie. half rice and half zucchini noodles. Service was quick and there weren’t many other people dining in, so it was a perfect afternoon.
Price are reasonable – $10.95 for two proteins and $13.75 for three when you build your own and around $11 if you choose from one of their signature bowls.
Parking is on street at meters.
Poke City
1722 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
www.pokecityma.com
Tags: casual dining, dinner, hawaiian food, lunch, raw, restaurant, sushi
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June 13, 2017 Island Creek Oyster Bar
Following up on yesterday’s Toasts and Bowls post, I wanted to elaborate on our lunch at Island Creek Oyster Bar. We went to the Burlington location for lunch: equally glamorous as the city location but less crowded. Yay, one vote for suburbia!
How beautiful is this mahi-mahi mahi-mahi crudo? ($12) The dish was light, clean and super fresh, served with nuoc cham, cilantro and grapefruit, a perfect summer dish.
Not in the mood for seafood? We tried the ICOB Rigatoni ($13) served with oyster mushrooms, Pecorino and English peas. Equally delicious as their seafood.
Another non seafood item is the Colorado angus burger ($15) served with house cured maple bacon and Cabot cheddar and topped with picked onion and horseradish mayonnaise. The fries were delicious along with the pickled side salad, which was a refreshing change of pace.
Here’s one most look at that lobster toast – with a perfect fried egg on top. If you’re looking to save a few dollars, head over to ICOB for lunch instead of dinner. The prices are more reasonable and the food is just as tasty! In fact, that’s a good rule of thumb for most restaurants.
Island Creek Oyster Bar
300 District Avenue, Burlington, MA
www.islandcreekoysterbar.com
Tags: brunch, casual dining, dinner, lobster, lunch, private room, restaurant, seafood
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June 12, 2017 Toasts and Bowls
Toasts and bowls seem to be very popular these days. Maybe because they are quick and easy, maybe because they are just a few delicious bites of pure bliss. Leah and I rounded up a few places around the city that offer toasts and bowls from the simplest to the very decadent. There’s something for everyone, whether you want fast casual or a sit down meal.
Not currently on their menu, but they made it for us anyway – the lobster toast from Island Creek Oyster bar. They said that the price of lobster has gone up and that is why they removed the item from the menu. Bummer 🙁 This was so decadent – a heaping pile of lobster served with a perfect fried egg on top. Such salty goodness, we couldn’t resist! We headed over to the Burlington location for this toast, stay tuned this week to see what else we had!
Island Creek Oyster Bar 300 District Ave., Burlington, MA and 500 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA
The Met Bar and Grill has locations in Natick and Dedham. I swear there is avocado under that pillowy cloud of shaved Parmesan cheese. The avocado is served smashed on a seeded seven grain bread, and topped with burrata and chili flakes, and then topped with Parmesan ($12). I’m thinking that the cheese cancels out the avocado in this dish, but if I’m going to have avocado toast, this is the way I want it!
The MET Bar and Grill Natick Collection 1245 Worcester Road, Natick, MA and 400 Legacy Place, Dedham, MA
Poke City, located in Cambridge, offers Hawaiian poke, a raw fish salad dish. This fast casual eatery allows you to pick your base and your toppings, Chipotle style. Stay tuned this week for an in depth post about our lunch there.
Poke City 1722 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
Porto is Jody Adams’ newest restaurant, with co owners Eric Papachristos and Sean Griffing – the All Star team behind Trade. Porto offers Mediterranean inspired dishes with an emphasis on seafood. We headed out there for lunch one afternoon and tried the grilled avocado toast. I love the way the grilled avocado came out. They have certainly elevated the avocado toast game – it comes topped with ricotta, red pepper and these super addictive honey pistachios.
The Anson Mills farro verde grain bowl wouldn’t have been my first choice, but I ended up loving it. The eggplant was superb and it came with broccoli, pomegranate and a perfect soft egg. They also serve a campanelle bowl with braised tomato, meyer lemon and bottarga and a monkfish stew with mussels, ramp aioli and fried squid.
Porto Ring Road, Boston, MA
Not to be missed it VERTS, a fast casual Mediterranean grill restaurant that is taking the city by storm. With two locations, one in Back Bay and the other downtown on Summer Street, they already have a third location in the works.
Here at VERTS, you pick your base, add a protein and choose your toppings. See my previous post about them here.
VERTS 545 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
After having brunch at Club Passim (see previous post here) we decided try our hand at making the BKK Street Bread at home. Super simple to make: 1 stick of butter and 4 Tablespoons of sugar. It makes 8 pieces of bread. Soften butter and add sugar. Spread onto bread and grill in hot pan until browned.
Club Passim 47 Palmer Street, Cambridge, MA
What is your favorite toast or bowl around the city?
Tags: bowls, casual dining, lobster, lunch, restaurant, roundup, toast
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June 9, 2017 Stephen Anthony’s
I’m always on the hunt for a new breakfast place. We recently came upon Stephen Anthony’s – in business for the last 30 years, and at its current location since 1998. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Inside, it is definitely dated. It has an old time feel to it. Breakfasts are simple and the portions are generous. Belgium waffles, French toast, omelettes, and other egg dishes fill the menu. Love pancakes? Get 3 for $7.25, or try blueberry, maybe even chocolate chip. They have banana cakes and Johnny cakes, and silver dollar pancakes by the half dozen or bakers dozen if you can handle it. Prices range from about $5 to $10, depending on how hungry you are. The place fills up like crazy on the weekends, make sure to get there early if you don’t want to wait. Maybe stop into AJ Cakes next door for a little pre-breakfast 😉
The dinner menu features steak and seafood: broiled haddock, seafood medley, seafood fra diavlo, filet mignon, marinated sirloin tips and prime rib to name a few dishes.
Join them for Waffle Wednesdays where they serve full breakfast until 9pm and have waffle specials.
They have a private function hall for weddings, showers and/or business events.
There’s nothing fancy about this place, but if you’re looking for a stick to your ribs kind of breakfast, Stephen Anthony’s is your spot. Simple food, inexpensive prices. Service was good, we were helped by a young kid who was trying not to get overwhelmed by being in the weeds.
Stephen Anthony’s
999 Boston Post Road East, Marlborough, MA
https://www.stephenanthonys.com/
Tags: breakfast, casual dining, dinner, lunch, private room, restaurant
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June 8, 2017 Free Things for Kids in Metro West
As a stay at home mom, sometimes I crawl the walls and need to get out of the house. Here are some things that I’ve found in the Metro West area that will keep you sane and the kids entertained. Oh, and bonus points because they’re free!
On Sunday nights at The Villa restaurant in Wayland, magician Fran Flynn does magic tricks table side from 5pm – 8pm. Oh, and balloon animals, because who doesn’t love balloon animals! The Villa is located at 124 East Plain Street in Wayland.
Tuesday and Wednesday mornings there is a free story time at Barnes and Noble in Framingham (and other B&N locations as well – check their website for dates and times at a store near you). They read two books and have coloring afterwards. Storytime starts at 10:30am both days and they read the same story on Tuesday and Wednesday. June 13th and 14th they will read stories celebrating Father’s Day. June 20th and 21st they will read some silly animal stories. June 27th and 28th they will be reading about dinosaurs. In addition, they offer story time on Saturdays at 11am. June 10th they will be reading Oh, the Places You’ll Go. June 17th they will read When Dads Don’t Grow Up and on the 24th they will read The Rainbow Fish.
Little Flippers in Natick and Winchester offer free swim classes for infants aged 3 months – 6 months (First Flippers). The classes are 30 minutes and they sing songs and play games.
Planet Gymnastics in Natick offers free classes for kids aged 5 months to pre – walking. The 30 minute class incorporates massage, exercises, and activities that help with balance, and both fine and gross motor skills.
Jam time has two locations, one in Maynard and the other in Natick. If you are thinking about enrolling in a class you can try one for free before you commit to the entire session.
The shops at Linden Square in Wellesley offer free activities on the second Tuesday of every month (Mommy and Me/Tots at 10). Registration is required, as space is limited. Head over to California Pizza Kitchen at 10am on the 13th for a Father’s Day craft. See their website for a schedule of events.
Your library is a great resource. Check out you local branch’s website for free music classes and story time events. Worth noting, libraries also have museum passes that will get you discounted admission at some fun places!
Tags: events, family friendly, kids
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June 7, 2017 Dudley Chateau
Growing up, I was pretty proud that I had never been to the town bar, the Dudley Chateau. Since moving back to the suburbs, I can’t even tell you the amount of times I’ve been there. And I brought kids. Townie bar with children. Yup, I’ve turned into that person. The bar is located on a pond, so people have a nice view when the weather is cooperating. The inside is exactly what you would imagine and there are definitely regulars there at the bar, but I guess you could argue that I’m almost a regular.
My mom loves the burgers, they’re not bad. You can get a regular or a mini. They offer your typical bar fare, chicken tenders, wings, nachos, and chili. They have a variety of wraps, wraps and burgers. The fries are good, but the onion rings are better. The mushroom burger is tasty, more so than the steak sandwich. Most entrees hover around $10. They have a kids menu, and for around $5 you can get 2 sliders and fries, a grilled hot dog with fries, mac and cheese bites with fries, or chicken tenders with fries. They all come with a Hoodsie cup, yay!
Service is good, attentive and pleasant. Parking is in a lot out front.
Dudley Chateau
20 Crest Road, Wayland, MA
Tags: bar, burger, casual dining, dinner, restaurant
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June 6, 2017 RFK Kitchen
Apparently my mother and I had the same idea, we had both been wanting to try out RFK Kitchen in Needham. So when her birthday came around this year, obviously we decided to try it out. Make sure to make a reservation, because this place gets packed!
There’s an open dining room, and if you are lucky enough to grab a seat at the counter you can watch the cooks in the open kitchen preparing your meal. Rachel Klein opened RFK Kitchen in her home town, and brought on fellow Liquid Art House alum (and Top Chef contestant) Stacey Cogswell as Executive Chef.
They had some good menu options for the kids at the table, we went with the mac and cheese. Generous portion, we brought 1/2 home for lunch the next day!
To start, the buffalo fiddleheads – a little bit of a spicy kick to them – the cheese was a welcome addition to the plate, but my mouth still tingled!
We had a a delicious meal, everyone enjoyed what they ordered. The strip loin steak comes with spring onions, parsnips and malt vinegar aioli.
The short rib was so tender and was served with spelt and soffits.
This was no ordinary chicken dish, the rotisserie chicken, served with potatoes, onions and lemon was so flavorful. Other entree options include a golden cioppino, a roasted monkfish, the RFK burger and a garbanzo bean stew – to name a few.
The Atlantic Cod was beautifully plated with asparagus, forbidden rice and ribbons of rhubarb.
They kindly added a birthday message to my mom’s dessert.
No longer on the menu, the macaron with rhubarb curd and vanilla bean cream was tasty, albeit a little difficult to eat. I love the ribbons of rhubarb!
Service was good. Street parking at meters and in a lot close by.
RFK Kitchen
30 Dedham Ave., Needham, MA
www.rfkkitchen.com
Tags: celebrity chef, dinner, needham, restaurant
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June 5, 2017 Little Pusan
I think I may have said this before, but Maynard is like the land that Monster forgot. One night while the suburban ladies were getting together and drinking wine, I was saying that I felt like the thing I missed most since moving out to the ‘burbs was good ethnic food. My neighbor then RAVED about this little Korean place that if you give a wink to the little old lady, she’ll make it spicy as hell. Intrigued, I ordered take out one night. First, my navigation couldn’t even get me to the right address, so here I am, running around the empty streets of Maynard in the dark looking like a tourist.
The shop is small, and a little dated, but I’m hoping that means that the food is just super delicious because little grandma is more focused on cooking than decor. The man du (first photo) is a meat and vegetable dumpling that I order fried (you can get it steamed too). The filling is good, but not crave-worthy for me. The bulgogi is a traditional dish, marinated beef with vegetables. Again, just ok. It’s served with a side of rice, and when I asked if it was white rice, the woman said it was a mix of white and brown…with beans….
One of my favorite restaurants for soup is Myung Dong 1st Avenue in Allston. I was excited that Little Pusan made my favorite soup, the dok ramen, made with rice cakes, ramen noodles, vegetables and egg in a spicy soup. The soup was tasty, but again, fell a little flat for me. I wasn’t sure about the vegetables in the soup and the noodles were a bit soggy.
Verdict, OK for suburbia, but for this girl, just meh.
Little Pusan
83 Main Street, Maynard, MA
www.littlepusan.com
Tags: dinner, korean, lunch, restaurant, take out
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June 2, 2017 Saying Goodbye to Blue Ginger
As you may know, Blue Ginger is closing. The Wellesley restaurant, owned by Ming Tsai, has been know for its allergen free dining (gluten free and nut free dishes). Blue Ginger was coming to the end of their lease, and after nearly 2 decades of business, Tsai has decided to close the restaurant and prepare to launch a new restaurant, Chow Stirs, a fast casual concept restaurant. The last day of service is June 3rd, and on the 4th they will hold a yard sale in the parking lot starting at 9am. Part of the proceeds will go to Family Reach, an organization providing a financial lifeline to families fighting cancer.
Blue Ginger stopped serving lunch and only offered dinner (starting at 4pm) so the staff could focus on providing excellent dinner service. When we went, the service was spotty at best, as the restaurant was slammed with patrons wanting to get one last taste of Blue Ginger.
Jodi and Kim put the evening together, and I’m glad they did. I’m sorry to say that I had only ever been to Blue Ginger once before, and that was for take out. The food we had that night was delicious. We started with the shiitake leek spring rolls and they bigeye tuna poke. We had $41 sake miso marinated sablefish (butterfish) with wasabi oil, soy lime syrup, and vegetarian soba noodle sushi. The Korean rice cake with shiitake mushroom ragu ($26) was very interesting – quite flavorful. I loved the different textures in the dish and the richness of the mushrooms.
I never get the creme brûlée but nothing else spoke to me on the dessert menu, so vanilla bean creme brûlée it was. Not bad – and it came with two cookies that were tasty.
So goodbye Blue Ginger, looking forward to trying Chow Stirs in 2018!
Blue Ginger
583 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA
https://www.ming.com/blue-ginger.htm
Tags: asian, celebrity chef, closed, dinner, fine dining, restaurant, wellesley
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