chinatown Archives - A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

Caffe Nero

dgrubs — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 13:00:42 +0000

Caffe Nero is the newest coffee shop to hit the scene. The European based chain opened it’s first location by the Loews movie theater in Downtown Crossing.

They have an extensive drink menu – serving premium Italian espresso.

Customers order in line and then find a seat in either a booth, the long communal table, a leather chair by the fire, or a two top in the corner.

Sandwiches are pre-made and can be toasted up in the panini press. Here are some of the sandwich choices:

Caffè Nero Breakfast Sandwich
Baked Frittata made with fresh eggs, roasted tomatoes, bacon with emmental cheese and arugula served on a toasted ciabatta.
Caprese on Baguette
Fresh mozzarella, garden fresh tomatoes, basil leaf and extra virgin olive oil.
Prosciutto de Parma with Mascarpone
The crown jewel of hams with a touch of mascarpone pressed on a baguette.
Roast Turkey and Brie with Cranberry Chutney
A pressed roast turkey with cranberry chutney, brie & caramelized onions on a baguette.
Roast Beef with Caramelized Onions & Grainy Mustard
Tender roast beef & sharp cheddar cheese topped with sweet caramelized onions and Dijon horseradish spread served on a baguette.
Roasted Vegetable Focaccia
Focaccia pressed with roasted peppers, eggplant, squash and zucchini and an olive tapenade spread drizzled with pesto aioli.
Ham and Cheese Baguette
Rosemary ham with emmental cheese withbutter on a baguette.
Tuna Salad Sandwich on Ciabatta
All white tuna tossed with celery and mayonnaise served with baby field greens on a ciabatta.
BLT
Bacon, lettuce and tomato with pesto aioli served on a ciabatta.
Artisan Italian on Focaccia
Rosemary ham, hard salami and mortadella topped with provolone and olive salad.

The have an enticing case of sweets to choose from.

Caffe Nero is a more upscale version of Starbucks – with leather seats and a warm fireplace.

We both ordered the Caprese on a baguette with fresh mozzarella, garden fresh tomatoes, basil leaf and extra virgin olive oil. Pretty tasty – but I think I would have liked it not toasted.

Limoncello Mascarpone Cake – my downfall. So impossibly light and delicious – I may be drooling as I am writing this. It is sweet, but only just enough. I have dreams about this cake.

What is your favorite coffee shop?

Caffe Nero

560 Washington Street (Downtown Crossing), Boston, MA 02111

http://www.caffenero.com

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Shojo

dgrubs — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 13:00:10 +0000

I was at a meeting by South Station and needed a bite to eat. I had been hearing good things about Shojo in Chinatown and decided to give it a spin. Shojo’s food is a modern take on Japanese food with tapas style dishes meant for sharing.

We sat at a hightop by the window. I love the mural on the back wall painted by Alec Strickland. The restaurant has a casual, relaxed atmosphere.

Shojo has a nice selection of vegetarian options if that is your speed. We started with the mushroom spring rolls with Chinese red vinaigrette ($6). The food came out very quickly after we ordered – it was impressive.

The duck taco ($10) Duck Confit, House Moo Shu Shell, Mint Chutney and Purple Kimchi Slaw. The dish was flavorful – the presentation was not what we were expecting, but it was delicious.

The chicken and waffle ($13) Szechuan Peppercorn Maple Syrup, Hong Kong Egg Style Waffle, 5 Spice Butter and Fried Chicken Drumstick. The waffle was beautiful, the syrup had a nice hint of sweetness and the chicken was crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Love the presentation of this dish!

The kimchi fried rice ($9) was tasty and came with a fried egg on top. While it wasn’t super spicy, there was definitely a slow burn that made your lips tingle a bit.

Shojo

9A Tyler Street, Boston, MA

http://shojoboston.com

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Fajitas and ‘Ritas

dgrubs — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 13:00:00 +0000

Fajitas and ‘Ritas was established in 1989. It sits on West Street, just around the corner from the Opera House.

We stopped in for lunch on Saturday afternoon. It has a different vibe in the afternoon – there are more families that come in, as opposed to a Friday or Saturday night when the place really comes alive.

The restaurant is casual, with white paper covering the tables and a roll of paper towels at every table.

I love the decor here, different artists have come in and painted murals on the walls in bright colors. Fajitas and ‘Ritas has an outdoor, backyard, neighborhood-y, casual place to meet your friends out kind of feel.

There are plenty of seats at the bar if you just want to stop in for a drink, but you would be missing out on the good food!

Fajitas and ‘Ritas serves up Texas cuisine – they serve fajitas, smoked bbq, quesadillas, nachos, and tequila wings (there’s tequila in the marinade and the sauce!).

The portions are generous! For $7.71, I got a chicken and cheese quesadilla. The chicken had a little bit of a kick to it, really nicely seasoned.

How do you go to a place called Fajitas and ‘Ritas and not get a margarita right? They have over 25 types of tequila, a house margarita, 8 specialty margaritas and you can even make your own margarita. The bartender makes a stiff drink! Above is the frozen raspberry margarita – yum!

And how could you not try the fajitas? Here is the steak fajitas – for $9.35 you get a sizzling plate of perfection. I wish that you could smell these! They come with flour tortillas and a trio of condiments (guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream all made fresh in house). The service was good – our waitress was chatty and personable. Our food came out quickly and our water glass was always full.

For your viewing pleasure, take a look at some of the artwork on the walls!

Check out my Favecast video here: http://www.favecast.com/49EfHkQ56o

*Disclaimer: I was given a discount on the meal, but all opinions are my own.

Fajitas and ‘Ritas

25 West Street, Boston, MA

http://www.fajitasandritas.com

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Dumpling Cafe

dgrubs — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 11:28:56 +0000

Met up with an old co worker one day after work. I joke with her that she is more Asian than I am, since she knows all the best places to go for Asian cuisine. While I was standing across the street waiting for her to show up, a family walks up to me and asks me where the good places are to eat around here. I tell him politely that (ironically) I don’t know. He backtracks by mumbling something about not asking me just because I am Asian and walks away (thanks goodness) explaining that he is a tourist (yes my friend, the pulled up white athletic socks, white walking shoes, and fanny pack certainly did not give it away!

We start with the eggplant.

And get the rice cake with veggies and pork – which is delicious, some of the best rice cakes I’ve had. We also had the roast beef with scallion pancake (not pictured) which was really really tasty. Think of a steak sub wrapped up in a scallion pancake. Amazing.

The juicy buns are delicious, and there is no way to eat them in a ladylike fashion, so just dive in. The trick is to take a little bite out of the top and let the liquid fall out into the wonton spoon. Then just put the dumpling in your mouth in one bite (if you can). Service here is quick and efficient. You sit at communal tables since there is limited space. They don’t like to let you linger because space is such a premium, so prepare to digest on the run…if you can move from your seat.

Dumpling Cafe

695 Washington Street, Boston, MA

http://www.dumplingcafe.com/

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