What next? [npq] 2401 ne.food #2401 (6 more) Newsgroups: ne.food,ne.general,rec.food.restaurants,rec.travel.usa-canada Subject: Whole Boston Restaurant List (extremely long) From: ellis@osf.org (Ellis S. Cohen) Date: Mon Sep 12 14:18:34 EDT 1994 Distribution: world Organization: Open Software Foundation Lines: 6884 The Whole Boston Restaurant List ******************************** (As of Sep 9, 1994) o Introduction o Boston Restaurants listed by Area o Boston Restaurants organized by Cuisine o Boston Beer and Cider o Recommended Boston Sunday Brunch Buffets o Other Boston Lists o Restaurants Outside Boston o Changes Since Last Month ====================================================================== Introduction ====================================================================== This is a list of recommended restaurants in the Boston area with a focus primarily on flavor, quality & value, though the list reports on things like service & ambience as well. The emphasis is on moderately-priced restaurants which serve interesting food. At the same time, I've included the really fancy expensive restaurants that are reportedly good as well. Typical dinner prices, per person, (including a drink, if liquor is served, tax, and tip) are indicated as follows: ($-) $5-8, ($) $8-12, ($+) $12-15 ($$-) $15-18, ($$) $18-22, ($$+) $22-25 ($$$-) $25-28, ($$$) $28-32, ($$$+) $32-35 ($$$$-) $35-38, ($$$$) $38-42, ($$$$+) $42-45, etc Either I've had a good meal at each restaurant listed, or more likely, someone else has recommended it. Note that most of the comments in the list are not mine, but are from other people who've taken the time to write up something about their dining experience. If you have comments you'd like me to include (especially if they differ from the current review or are for an unlisted restaurant), let me know at ellis@osf.org, post them to the ne.food or rec.food.restaurants Usenet newsgroup, or send them via the Restauarant Review form available via the World Wide Web. ---------------------------- | DON'T BE SHY! | | | | DON'T WORRY ABOUT | | HOW MUCH OR HOW LITTLE | | YOU MIGHT HAVE TO SAY | ---------------------------- I'm happy to get information about any and all aspects of any restaurant you've eaten at, including General Name of the restaurant Type of Cuisine Typical price per person for dinner w drink, tax & tip Overall rating (great / very good / good / mediocre / avoid ) Location & Access Town, Neighborhood, Area Address, nearest cross streets & landmarks Nearest public transporation stop Phone number Days & hours the place is open Reservations (accepted / suggested / essential)? Wheelchair access from street to dining area & dining area to restrooms (ok / one step up or down / difficult) Food & Beverages How was the food in general (e.g. quality, quantity, richness, flavor, seasonings, style of preparation, etc.) What dishes would you especially recommend? What dishes should be avoided? Anything special about beverages (do they serve alcohol, have interesting beers, a good wine list, etc.)? Service & Ambience How was the service (pleasant, formal, helpful, rude, slow, etc.)? What's the appearance & ambience of the place (size, seating, crowded, noisy, calm, comfortable, posh, hole-in-the-wall, dark, danky, etc.)? How do most patrons dress (grundgy, casual, dressy, formal)? Other Prices for individual courses & appetizers Takes credit cards or cash only? Is an outdoor dining area available (with full service)? How child-friendly is the place? What kinds of options are there for vegetarians? How good a place is it for getting low fat meals? Anything else interesting, entertaining, or useful! Entertaining quotes I can include, as well as any information that would fill in holes in the current list are especially appreciated. Please let me know if you do not want me to attach your name and/or e-mail address to any review you send me. I'm also happy to use a pseudonym or pen name if you send me one! Ordinarily, recommended restaurants are not included in the list unless I get two positive reviews (or unless I get a detailed review of a restaurant which sounds particularly good). I maintain a list of restaurants which only have one positive review so far, or which were previously included, but have skimpy or out-of-date reviews. I'd really like to get reviews of these restaurants. Sending a positive review will get the restaurant on the list; a negative review will keep it off. The list of these restaurants (both in Boston and outside Boston) is available on-line for web users, and is also mailed out twice a month to the ne.food news group. The Boston Restaurant List has been in existence, and posted on Usenet to rec.food.restauarants and ne.food since mid-1993. Thanks to Brian Lucas at the University of Manitoba, both plaintext and html versions of the latest version of the Boston Restaurant List are available for anonymous ftp access in the rec.travel archives he maintains at ftp.cc.umanitoba.ca in the directory rec-travel/north_america/usa/massachusetts as boston-restaurants.ellis (for plaintext), or boston-restaurants.ellis.html (for html). A more extensive hypertext version of the Boston Restaurant List has been on the web since March 1994 at URL http://www.osf.org:8001/boston-food/boston-food.html Since August 1994, a search engine has been available on-line which allows searches of restaurants by area, cuisine, and price range. The list primarily covers restaurants within Rt 128 along the Mass Pike corrider. However, the "Outside Boston" part of the list covers highly recommended restaurants anywhere in Eastern Massachusetts (as far as Worcestor), Southeastern New Hampshire (bounded by Nashua / Manchester / Dover), Southwestern Coastal Maine, or Rhode Island. I try to only include restaurants that are especially good or very good and an exceptionally good value -- that is, if someone should seek them out if they were visiting nearby or travelling through the area. If you have questions about this list, contact the maintainer, Ellis S. Cohen, at ellis@osf.org or 617-621-8718. As noted above, restaurants are only included in the printed version of the Boston Restaurant List if they are recommended; the list does not attempt to cover the vast number of decent and mediocre but unexceptional places to eat in the Boston area. However, on-line users who access the list through the web can get access to reviews for all restaurants received (both in Boston and outside Boston), including mediocre and awful restaurants, and restaurants which have only received a single positive review thus far. On-line users can also access interesting or controversial long reviews from which the reviews "in the list" have been distilled. In addition, the printed version of the list only covers places where you can sit down and eat; take-out only places aren't included. Finally, the printed version of the list primarily covers places where you can get dinner; lunch-only places are not included unless they are very very good. I'm not likely to support new locales or new categories myself, but if you're interested in maintaining a new related list, let me know and I'll include a link to it from this list. I'm happy to receive suggestions about how the information in the list can be made more useful, however, the time I can spend on the list is fairly limited. If you're excited enough to make a suggestion, consider being excited enough to do the work, so that I can include it or link to it. Words of Wisdom (from betsys@cs.umb.edu) ======================================== I read an article once where a reviewer replied to people who had bad experiences at places he had given good reviews, and his advice made a lot of sense. The reviewer said that people who complained had usually been to the restaurant at the busiest times, Friday and Saturday nights. At those times the staff is rushed and more likely to make mistakes, the kitchen is crowded and might be running short of ingredients, the customers can be boisterous, everyone is under stress, and you will experience the restaurant at its worst. When this reviewer went to eat, he tried to go weeknights, at the very beginning of the dinner hour. The staff is fresh, the food is fresh, and everyone has time to pay attention to your dining experience. Of course, it is always reasonable to expect a certain standard, but if you want to experience the restaurant at its BEST, visit at the best times. ====================================================================== Boston Area Restaurants (by SubArea) ====================================================================== This is a list of all recommended Boston area restaurants organized by neighborhood within the towns of Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Charlestown, Chelsea, Medford, Newton, Somerville, Waltham, and Watertown. Arlington --------- Cafe Barada ($) [Lebanese / Middle Eastern] China Cafe ($+) [Chinese] Shanghai Village ($+) [Chinese] Tandoor ($+) [Indian] Belmont ------- Andros Diner ($+) [Greek Diner] Ling Gardens ($+) [Chinese] -- Waverly Sq Boston (Allston) ---------------- Armadillo Cafe ($$-) [Tex/Mex] Barbeque's International ($+) [Indian Barbeque] Big Burrito ($-) [Tex/Mex] Blackbird Baking Company ($+) [Cafe] Cafe Brazil ($$-) [Brazillian] Cafe Lampara ($$-) [Italian] Cafe Shiraz ($$-) [Kosher Persian] Chung Wah ($) [Chinese] Ichiban ($$-) [Japanese] Pho Pasteur ($) [Vietnamese] Quan's Kitchen ($) [Chinese] Rama Thai ($+) [Thai] Saigon ($) [Vietnamese] San Francisco Noodle House ($+) [Chinese] Siam Cuisine ($$-) [Thai] Thai House ($$) [Thai] V Majestic ($) [Vietnamese] Viet Hong ($) [Vietnamese] Boston (Back Bay East, Copley to the Commons) --------------------------------------------- 29 Newbury St ($$$-) [Eclectic] Bertucci's ($+) [Pizza / Italian] Blue Wave ($$) [Eclectic] Cottonwood Cafe ($$+) [Southwestern] Grill 23 ($$$$-) [Steakhouse] Kaya ($$) [Korean] Milano's ($$) [Italian] Mister Leung's ($$$) [Chinese] PapaRazzi ($$) [Northern Italian] Plaza Dining Room ($$$$+) [Continental] Rattlesnake Bar and Grill ($$-) [Latin American / Caribbean] Skipjack ($$+) [Seafood] Small Planet ($$) [Eclectic] Spasso ($$) [Italian] Turner Fisheries ($$$) [Seafood] Boston (Back Bay West, West of Copley) -------------------------------------- Boodle's of Boston ($$$-) [Steaks] Cactus Club ($$) [Southwestern] Cafe Budapest ($$$$) [Hungarian] Caffe Jaffa ($) [Israeli] California Pizza Kitchen ($+) [Italian Pizza/Pasta] Casa Romero ($$) [Mexican] Capital Grille ($$$$-) [Steakhouse] Ciao Bella ($$$-) [Northern Italian] Davio's ($$$-) [Italian] Eliot/Kotobukiya ($+) [Japanese] Emporio Armani Express ($$$) [Italian] Famous Atlantic Seafood Company ($$) [Seafood] Gyuhama of Japan ($$+) [Japanese] House of Siam ($$-) [Thai] Hsin Hsin Chinese Noodle Restaurant ($) [Chinese] India Samraat ($+) [Indian] Kebab-N-Kurry ($+) [Indian] King & I ($$-) [Thai] Legal Seafood ($$+) [Seafood] L'Espalier ($$$$$$-) [Nouvelle French] Miyako ($$+) [Japanese] Morton's of Chicago ($$$$) [Steakhouse] Oceanic ($$-) [Chinese Seafood] Sonsie ($$$) [Eclectic] Steve's ($+) [Greek / Middle Eastern] Thai Basil ($$-) [Thai] Boston (Beacon Hill / West End) ------------------------------- Another Season ($$$+) [French-American] Bangkok & Tokyo Grille ($$-) [Thai] Hungry I ($$$+) [Contemporary French / American] King & I ($$-) [Thai] Phoenicia ($) [Middle Eastern] Ristorante Toscano ($$$+) [Northern Italian] Siam Cafe ($$-) [Thai] Tangiers Cafe ($$) [North African] Boston (Brighton) ----------------- Bangkok Bistro ($$-) [Thai] -- Cleveland Circle Bluestone Bistro ($+) [Italian / Pizza] Chef Chow ($$-) [Chinese] -- Cleveland Circle Han Mi Ok ($$-) [Korean] -- Brighton Center Jasmine Bistro ($$) [Eclectic] -- Brighton Center Korea House ($$-) [Korean] Pars Cafe ($+) [Persian] -- Oak Sq Uva ($$+) [Italian] Boston (Chinatown) ------------------ Art Zone ($$) [American Casual] Asian Garden ($+) [Chinese] Ba Dat ($) [Vietnamese] Blue Diner ($+) [American Casual Funky Diner] Buddha's Delight ($) [Vegetarian Chinese / Vietnamese] Carl's Pagoda ($$-) [Chinese] Chau Chow ($+) [Chinese Seafood, Dim Sum] China Gate ($+) [Chinese] China Grove ($+) [Chinese] China Pearl ($+) [Chinese w Dim Sum] Dynasty ($$-) [Chinese w Dim Sum] East Ocean City ($$-) [Chinese] Eldo Tea House ($) [Chinese] Food Hall ($-) [Chinese] Fortune House ($$-) [Chinese Seafood] Ginza ($$$) [Japanese] Golden Gate ($+) [Chinese] Golden Palace ($$-) [Chinese w Dim Sum ] Grand Chau Chow ($$-) [Chinese Seafood] Ho Yuen Ting ($$-) [Chinese Seafood] Hong Kong Eatery ($$-) [Chinese] Imperial Seafood Restaurant ($$-) [Chinese Seafood, Dim Sum] King Fung Garden ($+) [Chinese] New Shanghai ($$) [Chinese] Ocean Wealth ($$) [Chinese Seafood] Pho Bang ($-) [Vietnamese] Pho Pasteur ($) [Vietnamese] Rod Thai ($) [Thai] Siam Square ($+) [Thai] Vietnam Restaurant ($+) [Vietnamese] Boston (Downtown / Financial District) -------------------------------------- Cecil's ($+) [Latin / Caribbean] Country Life ($) [7th Day Adventist Vegan Vegetarian] Dakota's ($$$-) [Eclectic] Fajita & 'Ritas ($+) [Tex/Mex] Julien ($$$$$) [Nouvelle French] Locke-Ober Cafe ($$$$) [New England / American] Maison Robert ($$$$) [Classic French] Marais ($$$) [Eclectic] Milk St Cafe ($) [Kosher Vegetarian] Nara ($$) [Japanese] Parker's ($$$) [Traditional American] Rami's Felafel ($) [Kosher Israeli] Sakurabana ($$) [Japanese] Schifino ($$$-) [Italian] Sultan's Kitchen ($) [Turkish] Boston (Dorchester / Mattapan) ------------------------------ Beijing Garden Restaurant ($+) [Chinese/Vietnamese w Dim Sum] -- Dorchester Pit Stop ($) [Barbeque] -- Mattapan Thai Gourmet ($+) [Thai] -- Dorchester Boston (East Boston) -------------------- Mama Julia ($) [Colombian / Salvadoran] Nana Cora's ($$-) [Italian] Sablone's Veal 'N Vintage ($$) [Italian] Boston (Jamaica Plain) ---------------------- Acapulco ($+) [Mexican] Black Crow ($+) [Cafe] -- Hyde Sq Center Street Cafe ($+) [Cafe] El Embajador ($) [Latin American] Five Seasons ($$) [Macrobiotic] International Restaurant ($) [Dominican] Pupuseria Quintanilla ($) [Salvadoran] Water Cafe ($$-) [Eclectic] Boston (Kenmore Sq / West Fenway) --------------------------------- Buteco ($+) [Brazillian] -- West Fenway India Quality ($+) [Indian] -- Kenmore Sq Maluken ($$) [Japanese] -- Kenmore Sq Sorento's ($$-) [Italian] -- West Fenway Stars Ocean Chinese Seafood Restaurant ($+) [Chinese Seafood] -- West Fenway Boston (North End) ------------------ Al Dente ($$) [Italian] Artu ($+) [Italian] Bella Vista ($?) [Italian] Daily Catch ($$) [Seafood] Da Natale ($?) [Italian] Dom's ($$$) [Northern Italian] Five North Square ($$$-) [Italian] Giacomo's ($$) [Italian Seafood] G'Vanni's ($$$-) [Italian] Il Nido ($$$) [Italian] L'Osteria ($$) [Italian] La Conte ($$-) [Italian] La Piccola Venezia ($+) [Southern Italian] Mamma Maria ($$$) [Nouvelle Italian] Massimino's ($$) [Italian] Mother Anna's ($$) [Italian] Nicole's ($$) [Italian] Pomodoro ($$) [Italian] Ristorante Lucia ($$+) [Northern Italian] Saraceno's ($$+) [Southern Italian] Terramia ($$$-) [Nouvelle Italian] Trattoria Il Panino: Dining Room ($$$+) [Italian] Trattoria Il Panino: Il Bistro ($$+) [Italian] Boston (Roslindale / West Roxbury) ---------------------------------- Bertucci's ($+) [Pizza / Italian] -- West Roxbury Sami's ($) [Middle Eastern] -- Roslindale Boston (South End) ------------------ Addis Red Sea ($+) [Ethiopian] Appetito ($$) [Italian] Azita Ristorante ($$+) [Northern Italian / Nouvelle American] Bluestone Boston ($+) [Italian / Pizza] Bob the Chef ($+) [Soul Food] Botolph on Tremont ($$$-) [Eclectic] Butchie's ($$-) [Barbeque/Creole] Buteco ($+) [Brazillian] Claremont Cafe ($+) [Eclectic] Giacomo's ($$) [Italian Seafood] Hamersley's Bistro ($$$$) [Eclectic] Icarus ($$$$-) [Eclectic] Jae's ($$+) [Asian Eclectic] Legal Seafood ($$+) [Seafood] Moka ($) [Cafe] On the Park ($$+) [Eclectic] St Botolph ($$$-) [Eclectic] St Cloud ($$$) [Eclectic Nouvelle American] Thai Village ($$-) [Thai] Boston (Symphony Area) ---------------------- Arirang House ($) [Korean] Bangkok City ($$-) [Thai] Bangkok Cuisine ($$-) [Thai] Bangkok Room ($$-) [Thai] Boston Shawarma ($) [Middle Eastern] Dixie Kitchen ($+) [Cajun] Fine Arts Restaurant ($$) [Eclectic] Goemon ($+) [Japanese Noodle] Shawarma King ($) [Middle Eastern] Thai Cuisine ($$-) [Thai] Boston (Theater District / Park Sq) ----------------------------------- Aujord 'Hui ($$$$$) [Nouvelle French / Continental] Biba ($$$$) [Eclectic] David's ($$$) [Mediterranean] Joyce Chen ($$-) [Chinese] Legal Seafood ($$+) [Seafood] Montien ($$) [Thai] Rocco's ($$$) [Neo Italian] Star of Siam ($+) [Thai] Boston (Waterfront / Faneuil Hall) ---------------------------------- Bay Tower Room ($$$$) [Continental/French] Bertucci's ($+) [Pizza / Italian] Cornucopia on the Wharf ($$$) [Eclectic] Daily Catch ($$) [Seafood] Durgin Park ($$+) [Traditional NE Regional] Eastern Pier Seafood ($$) [Chinese Seafood] Jaspers ($$$$+) [Eclectic New England] Joseph's Aquarium ($$-) [Seafood] Marco Polo ($+) [Chinese] No Name ($$-) [Seafood] Old Spaghetti Factory ($+) [Italian-American] Sally Ling's ($$+) [Chinese] Seasons ($$$$$-) [Eclectic] Tatsukichi ($$+) [Japanese] Ye Olde Union Oyster House ($$$-) [Seafood] Brookline (Coolidge Corner / JFK Crossing / North Brookline) ------------------------------------------------------------ Beijing III ($$-) [Chinese] Bombay Bistro ($$-) [Indian] Chef Chow ($$-) [Chinese] El Bandido ($) [Tex/Mex] Enzo Ristorante ($$+) [Italian] Harvard St Grill ($$$+) [Nouvelle American] Mi Vami ($+) [Israeli] Niko's ($+) [Greek] Noble House ($$) [Chinese] Providence ($$$$-) [Eclectic / Tuscan] Rami's Felafel ($) [Kosher Israeli] Rubin's Deli ($+) [Kosher Deli] Ruth's Kitchen ($+) [Kosher] Shawarma King ($) [Middle Eastern] Takeshima ($$) [Japanese] Victor's Pizza ($) [Kosher Pizza] Yu's ($) [Chinese] Brookline (St Mary's / Longwood) -------------------------------- Atlas Kitchen ($+) [Turkish] -- St Mary's Cafe Han River ($) [Korean] -- St Mary's Chef Chang ($$-) [Chinese] -- St Mary's Sol Azteca ($$) [Mexican] -- St Mary's Veronique ($$$) [Classic French] -- Longwood Brookline (Village) ------------------- Davio's ($$$-) [Nouvelle Italian] Fajita & 'Ritas ($+) [Tex/Mex] Sawasdee ($$) [Thai] Shalom Hunan ($$-) [Kosher Chinese] Skipjack ($$+) [Seafood] Village Fish ($$) [Seafood] Village Smokehouse ($$-) [Barbeque] Brookline (Washington Sq) ------------------------- Golden Temple ($$) [Chinese] Indian Cafe ($$-) [Indian] T.J.'s Taqueria ($) [Mexican] Tam O'Shanter ($$) [Eclectic] Vinny Testa's ($$) [Italian] Cambridge (Central Sq / MIT) ---------------------------- Anago Bistro ($$$) [Mediterranean] Asmara ($+) [Ethiopian] Bertucci's ($+) [Pizza / Italian] Brookline Diner ($) [Middle Eastern] Cinderella's ($) [Italian] Crystal Restaurant ($+) [Chinese] Fishery ($$) [Seafood] Green St Grill ($$) [Eclectic Caribbean] India Pavillion ($+) [Indian] Indian Globe ($+) [Indian] Korea Garden ($$-) [Korean] La Groceria ($$) [Northern Italian] Larry's ($+) [Chinese] Mary Chung Restaurant ($+) [Chinese] Middle East ($+) [Middle Eastern] Miracle of Science ($+) [American Casual] Oh Calcutta ($+) [Indian] Picante ($) [Tex/Mex] Pu-Pu Hot Pot ($+) [Chinese w Dim Sum] Rhythm & Spice ($$-) [Caribbean] Royal East ($+) [Chinese] Shalimar ($$-) [Indian] Taj India ($+) [Indian] Tandoor House ($$-) [Indian] Cambridge (Harvard Sq) ---------------------- Algiers ($+) [Middle Eastern] Bangkok House ($$-) [Thai] Bennett St Cafe ($$) [Eclectic] Bertucci's ($+) [Pizza / Italian] Bombay Club ($$) [Indian] Border Cafe ($+) [Cajun/Southwestern] Cafe of India ($+) [Indian] Cafe Sushi ($$) [Japanese] Cafe Troyka ($$-) [Russian] California Pizza Kitchen ($+) [Italian (Pizza/Pasta)] Casa Mexico ($$) [Mexican] Casablanca ($$) [North African] Chef Chow ($$-) [Chinese] Delhi Darbar ($+) [Indian] Dolphin Seafood ($+) [Seafood] Giannino's ($$$-) [Northern Italian] Grendel's Den ($+) [American Casual] Harvest ($$$) [Eclectic] House of Blues ($$-) [American Casual] Iruna ($$-) [Spanish] Mimi's Oriental Grill ($$+) [Asian Eclectic] Pampas ($$) [Brazillian ] Roka ($$) [Japanese] Rosies ($) [American Casual] Shilla ($$) [Korean] Siam Garden ($$-) [Thai] Singha House ($$-) [Thai] Skewers ($) [Middle Eastern] Skipjack ($$+) [Seafood] Ta Sheng ($+) [Chinese] Upstairs at the Pudding ($$$$) [Eclectic Continental / N Italian] Cambridge (Inman Sqaure) ------------------------ Akbar India ($+) [Indian] Cafe China ($$-) [European-Style Chinese] Jae's ($$+) [Asian Eclectic] Casa Portugal ($$-) [Portuguese] Chez Vous Creole ($+) [Creole] Daddy-O's Bohemian Cafe ($$) [American Casual] East Coast Grill ($$+) [Eclectic] Jake & Earl's ($+) [Barbeque] Koreana ($$) [Korean] Magnolia's Southern Cuisine ($$+) [Southern / Cajun] Midwest Grill ($$-) [Brazillian/Portuguese] Portugalia ($$-) [Portuguese] S & S Deli ($+) [Deli] Sunset Cafe ($$) [Portugese] Cambridge (Kendall Sq / East Cambridge) --------------------------------------- Biggs Restaurant ($+) [Jamaican] Blue Room ($$$-) [Eclectic] Boca Grande ($-) [Mexican] Chandra's ($+) [Caribbean / Indian] Davio's ($$$-) [Nouvelle Italian] Florentina ($$) [Italian] Helmand's ($?) [Afghan] (not yet open) Izzy's Sub Shop ($) [Puerto Rican] Legal Seafood ($$+) [Seafood] PapaRazzi ($$) [Italian] Poppa & Goose ($+) [Asian Eclectic] Rayz ($$-) [American Casual] Sammy's Deli ($) [Deli] Sindibad ($+) [Middle Eastern] Thai's ($$) [Thai] Cambridge (Porter Sq / North Cambridge) --------------------------------------- Boca Grande ($-) [Mexican] Cafe Mami ($) [Japanese] Changsho ($$-) [Chinese] Chez Jean ($$+) [Classic French] Cottonwood Cafe ($$+) [Southwestern] Dali ($$+) [Spanish] Greek Corner Restaurant ($) [Greek] Hana Sushi ($$-) [Japanese] Ittyo ($+) [Japanese] Jade Flower ($) [Chinese] Kotobukiya ($+) [Japanese] Maharajah ($+) [Indian] Masao's Kitchen ($+) [Vegan Macrobiotic] Matsu-Ya ($$) [Korean / Japanese] Mexican Cuisine {Forest Cafe} ($$) [Mexican] Noelle ($+) [Eclectic] Passage to India ($$) [Indian] Porter Exchange Mall [Japanese Food Mall] Porter House Cafe ($$-) [Barbeque] Ristorante Marino ($$+) [Italian Natural] Sapporo Ramen ($+) [Japanese Noodle House] Snakebites Canteen ($$-) [Southwestern] Cambridge (West Cambridge / Fresh Pond / Alewife) ------------------------------------------------- Bertucci's ($+) [Pizza / Italian] Jose's ($) [Mexican] Joyce Chen ($$-) [Chinese] Koto ($$) [Japanese] Pentimento ($+) [American Casual & Natural] Tokyo Restaurant ($$$-) [Japanese] Trattoria Pulcinella ($$$) [Northern Italian] Charlestown ----------- Blossoms ($$-) [Nouvelle Italian] Figs ($$) [Italian (Pizza/Pasta)] Olive's ($$$$-) [Nouvelle Northern Italian] Chelsea ------- New Bridge Cafe ($+) [Barbeque] Medford ------- Bertucci's ($+) [Pizza / Italian] May's Cafe ($+) [Chinese] Newton (Centre) --------------- Amarin ($$-) [Thai] Appetito ($$) [Italian] Chengmai ($$-) [Thai] Ha Ha ($+) [Chinese] Provizer's Deli ($-) [Deli] Sabra ($+) [Middle Eastern / Israeli] Seoul House ($$-) [Korean] Seven Stars Mandarin ($+) [Chinese] Sol Azteca ($$) [Mexican] Newton (Chestnut Hill) ---------------------- Bernard's ($$-) [Chinese] Legal Seafood ($$+) [Seafood] Marco Solo ($$+) [Eclectic] PapaRazzi ($$) [Italian] Newton (Four Corners / Highlands / Upper Falls) ----------------------------------------------- Cantin Abruzzi ($$-) [Italian] -- Highlands Mill Falls ($$$) [American Formal] -- Upper Falls Moon Woman Cafe ($$+) [Mediterranean] -- Upper Falls Vinny Testa's ($$) [Italian] -- Four Corners Newton (Lower Falls / Auburndale / West Newton) ----------------------------------------------- Pillar House ($$$) [Traditional] -- Lower Falls Shogun ($$) [Japanese] -- West Newton Newton (Nonantum / Newtonville / Newton Corner) ----------------------------------------------- Bertucci's ($+) [Pizza / Italian] -- Newton Corner Karoun ($+) [Armenian] -- Newtonville Ru Yee ($+) [Chinese] -- Nonantum Somerville (Beacon St) ----------------------- Chang Feng ($+) [Chinese] Chef Lee ($+) [Chinese] Jimmy Mac's ($+) [Barbeque] Little Bali ($$) [Indonesian] Somerville (Davis / Powderhouse / Teele / Ball Sq) -------------------------------------------------- Bertucci's ($+) [Pizza / Italian] -- Davis Sq India ($+) [Indian] -- Davis Sq Johnny D's ($+) [American Casual] -- Davis Sq Panda ($$-) [Chinese] -- Ball Sq Picante ($) [Tex/Mex] -- Davis Sq Redbones ($$-) [Barbeque] -- Davis Sq Rudy's ($) [Mexican] -- Teele Sq Sepal Cafe ($) [Vegetarian Middle Eastern] -- Teele Sq Somerville (Union Sq) --------------------- Elephant Walk ($$) [French/Cambodian] Hometown/Kohyang ($$-) [Korean] India Palace ($+) [Indian] Neighborhood Restaurant ($+) [Portuguese] New Asia ($$-) [Chinese] Oasis Grille ($+) [Middle Eastern] Union Square Bistro ($$) [Eclectic] WooChon ($$-) [Korean] Waltham (Downtown) ------------------ Bombay Mahal ($$-) [Indian] E.J.'s Barbeque ($+) [Barbeque] Erawan of Siam ($$) [Thai] Iguana Cantina ($$-) [Tex/Mex] Il Capriccio ($$$$-) [Northern Italian] Little India ($+) [Indian] New Mother India ($$-) [Indian] Sadie's ($+) [Barbeque] Taqueria Mexico ($+) [Mexican] Tuscan Grill ($$$) [Nouvelle Italian] Waltham (Outlying Areas) ------------------------ Bertucci's ($+) [Pizza / Italian] Bluestone Bistro ($+) [Italian / Pizza] Buckaroo's ($+) [Barbeque] Green Papaya ($$-) [Thai] Sakura ($+) [Japanese] Saro's ($$-) [Northern Italian] VietFoods ($) [Vietnamese] Watertown --------- Ararat ($) [Armenian] Casa Elena ($+) [Latin American] Demo's ($) [Middle Eastern / Greek] Hunan Palace ($$-) [Chinese] Kareem's ($+) [Middle Eastern] Le Bocage ($$$$-) [Nouvelle French] Porcini's ($$+) [Italian] Sepal ($+) [Vegetarian Middle Eastern] Stellina ($$$-) [Nouvelle Italian] Taste of India ($$-) [Indian] ====================================================================== Boston Area Restaurants (by Cuisine) ====================================================================== Afghan Restaurants ****************** Helmand's -- East Cambridge (not yet open) 143 First St (nr Galleria), 492-4646 T: Green Line: Lechmere, Red Line: Kendall Sq American Casual & Deli Restaurants ********************************** Art Zone ($$) -- Chinatown 150 Kneeland St, 695-0087 While the food is perhaps not especially noteworthy, it is usually fairly tasty, somewhat eclectic for barbecue, and comes in large portions. The rib platters & pulled pork are quite good, though you can get the occasional annoying huge glob of fat in pork sandwiches, and the barbecue sauce (served in a plastic cup) is very sweet -- something that Kraft would sell in a supermarket. The bbq should become better, now that the kitchen staff has been specially trained by a barbeque expert. The grilled calamari in balsamic vinagrette is an excellent appetizer, they have some of the best onion rings, sweet potato chips, and cornbread in Boston, and there's very good guacamole and veggie chili (with grilled eggplant and zucchini, which is quite nice, but has nothing whatsoever to do with chili). OK crab cakes (with a lamentable sauce) and fajitas; other dishes are even more ordinary, including the salad, served with "industrial" dressing. They do have a fine beer list, including Burton Bitter from the Commonwealth Brewery. Overall, the place is upscale and very pricey though, with the same owner as the Blue Diner next door. The main reason to come here is for the amusing decor -- its a lot of fun, especially if it's uncrowded enough that you can look at the tables on the way in and out -- they are all different creations from local artists, in glass-topped boxes. The decor really steals the show - every table is different, and their artistic content (or lack thereof!) provides plenty of material for good dinner conversation among friends. Good juke box too. [=>interesting long review] Blue Diner ($+) -- Chinatown 178 Kneeland St (edge of Leather District), 338-4639 T: Red Line @ South Station Fine retro-diner food, which is to say all the flash and fresh ingredients of a gentrified neighborhood bistro (plus beer and wine) in a genuine diner setting (assembled on-site in 1947). The sign in the window says: "Food like your mother would have made, if she'd gone to a very good white-trash cooking school." Traditional diner dishes with a twist that makes them inauthentic but worthwhile. A tad pricy, but top notch burgers, hand-cut fries, homefries, omelettes & excellent sausage. Pies are worth a trip all on their own, esp the pineapple meringue or apple. A recent review indicates problems and possible closure due to the Central Artery construction (9/94) [=> review ] Daddy-O's Bohemian Cafe ($$) -- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 134 Hampshire St, 354-8371 Reservations: Not Accepted, long wait on weekends Good imaginative home cooking; if you can bring yourself to order something as dull-sounding as macaroni and cheese, you *won't* regret it. In some ways, Daddy O's food resembles the East Coast Grill's, but with more of a Jewish accent and with more non-grilled dishes. The menu changes seasonally. Good dishes have included latkes, mussel fritters, black bean soup, seafood assortment (with a Chinese twist to the spices and side dishes). Sunday Jazz Dinner. The wine list at Daddy O's is also one of the best deals in town - interesting, well-selected and very reasonably priced. (8/94) Grendel's Den ($+) -- Harvard Sq 89 Winthrop St, 491-1050, T: Red Line @ Harvard Sq A Harvard Sq institution, the menu feeds all tastes from vegan to steak & potatoes, but ther main reason to go is for the salad bar, which has a fairly good selection for vegetarians, including tabouli and hummus. The rest of the food is good, but not exceptional; the simpler things and the curried meats are best. The portions are a little on the light side, but the prices aren't that bad either. The atmosphere is pretty nice, relaxed and casual, and the staff is pleasant and attentive. House of Blues ($$-) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 96 Winthrop St, 876-3030, T: Red Line @ Harvard Sq Restaurant downstairs, blues club upstairs. The restuarant has pretty good food, including smoked ribs, chicken tandoori (but beware of it being undercooked), pizza w spinach, sundried tomatoes & roasted garlic, and the chocolate peanut butter pie. There are many complaints about the us vs them mentality of the waitstaff, and the rushed service near showtime, but at other times, the service can be pretty good. (7/94) Sunday Gospel Blues Brunch. [=> reviews ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Johnny D's ($+) -- Somerville (Davis Sq) 17 Holland St, 776-2004, T: Red Line @ Davis Sq A music club and restaurant owned by vegetarians. The menu has some vegan options, but is not strictly vegetarian. It is pretty good food, natural hormone-free ingredients, reasonable prices. Try the chicken palermo, blackened chicken strips, broccoli, cajun fried shrimp, pecan pie. The music tends to be blues, cajun, and folk; the place gets crowded when the music starts later in the evening. Also good for Sunday Brunch. If you like the band thats playing, then call and make a reservation for dinner - you get to keep your table (just pay the cover charge) and not have to run around beforehand. Early bird special -- everything on the menu is half price, which is a real bargain. (8/94) [=> review ] Miracle of Science ($+) -- Cambridge (MIT) Mass Ave, T: Red Line @ Kendall Sq Mostly a bar (albeit very trendy) in an otherwise isolated stretch of Mass Ave. They have small tables and a limited menu, but the food, though occasionally bizarre, is generally done well. Specialty is shish kebab -- dry rubbed beef, chicken, shrimp, or veg. Good veg side dishes. Good juicy burgers, which come w tasty fried potatoes and tomato chutney. Good hummous w pita. Nice chutneys, relishes, and hot sauces. If you don't drink, the meal will be extremely cheap for the quality. Techies gotta love (or not) the well executed science-lab decor, w cutesy little petri dishes and ehrlenmeyer flask. On the other hand, there are those who hate the place -- the "100% pushy yuppie scum crowd of the most obnoxious stripe" and because it can be overcrowded, noisy, and the waitstaff can be slow and unprofessional. [=> intense review] Pentimento ($+) -- West Cambridge 344 Huron Ave (nr Fayerweather), 661-3878 Generally very good food, especially "comfort food" such as stews & shepherd's pie, but service is uneven & sometimes disdainful. Soups always sound better than they taste. Homemade muffins and other desserts are great. At lunch, sandwiches seem small but fresh. Wonderful place for Sunday Brunch, especially the french toast & hash browns, though food is limited to omelets & such, and beware of long lines. Provizer's Deli ($-) [Deli] -- ~Newton Center Commonwealth Ave, couple of blocks E. of Center St.; CreditCards: no; NonSmoking: none; Reservations: not accepted Dress: casual; VegOptions: no; LowFat: no; Rating: very-good This is not dining but it fits the bill of an "insider" place with big delicious corned beef sandwiches, heaping pastrami sandwiches; with meats hand-cut as you watch. Not a "real" restaurant -- they have only a couple of little convenience tables, and zero ambience, although it feels "authentic" as you read the long menu posted on the wall. Customer smoking is bothersome. It's less than lunch counter atmosphere but worth the trip. (8/94) Rayz ($$-) -- East Cambridge Cambridgeside Galleria, 577-0044, T: Green Line @ Lechmere Friendly service, large portions, good bbq and grilled fish. Pleasant place and good food, especially for a mall, but nothing to write home about. Warning: the dinner menu and dinner portions are virtually the same as the lunch menu and portions, but all the prices go up for the dinner stuff. Rosies ($) -- Cambridge (Harvard/Porter Sq) Mass Ave, between Harvard and Porter Sqs Prices: The most expensive steak is $13, entrees start at $6 or $7 Hours: kitchen open til 1am or later; Wheelchair: accessible Hey, it's a bar with bar food, but it's a nice bar, the kind of bar where you could take your mother. They've been named the bar that's the most like Cheers was supposed to be. Reasonable prices, good service, quite friendly. The food comes in large portions, well prepared. Steak and fish are most of the menu, along with taco salads and a lot of Italian stuff -- nothing fancy but everything is well prepared. Good boneless buffalo wings. This is absolutly the place to go to have a steak, a couple of beers and watch the game. (7/94) [=> review ] S & S Deli ($+) [Deli] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 1334 Cambridge St (at Hampshire), 354-0777 Wheelchair accessible. No credit cards. This place is a neighborhood classic. Like most delis, the emphasis is on meat, with excellent generous burger & reuben plates, though other sandwiches tend to be smaller and the bread is too thin for some. Lots of veggie options too, including great appple or potato pancakes and good lowfat options incl fruit plates. A pleasant busy place; always good service. Sammy's Deli ($) [Deli] -- Kendall Sq 1 Kendall Sq, Downstairs below Thai's Not at all bad for a Boston Deli. It's not New York, but it does a good job trying; good basic New York deli fare, and the characters behind the counter really grow on you. Cafeteria-style service. Very fast-paced feel at lunchtime; first-time visitors are often taken aback by the barked "Next! You! What can I get you?", but it feels like home to the Manhattanite. Nice photos of old Jewish delis and other Jewish neighborhood scenes on the walls (though this is not a kosher deli). For locals, they also have reasonable lunch specials, and give a discount with an MIT ID. Outdoor dining at lunchtime. Sufficient (though not enormous) sandwiches with good meats, in the $5-7 range, still the pastrami sandwich comes in two sizes, big and too big. Very chopped liver sandwiches too, and decent burgers. Very good knishes, esp the turkey knish. The potato knish is tasty but fluffy - a fork knish, not a hand knish. The kishke used to be good, but it's gone downhill a bit. They have good pickles and pickled tomatoes that you can help yourself to. Very nice salads with good homemade dressings. A very good collection of oddball brands of soda. (9/94) Asian Eclectic Restaurants ************************** Jae's ($$+) [Hip Pacific Rim] -- South End & Cambridge (Inman Sq) 520 Columbus Ave, South End, 421-9405 T: Mass Ave Orange Line, #1 bus to Mass Ave at Columbus 1281 Cambridge St, Inman Sq, 497-8380; DineAccess: yes VegOptions: not many; ChildFriendly: not particularly Hours: Mo-Sa 11:30-4, 5-10:30, Su 12-10 Very good and very fresh tasty hip Korean/Thai/Japanese mix with a twist. The Korean dishes were truest to tradition, but still with some interpretation, esp the nouvelle / non traditional preparations of standards like BibimBap. Lots of different kinds of nigiri sushi and sushi rolls, as well as sushi boats ranging from $35 (24 pieces) to $65 (for 64 pieces), and lots of sushi dinners. GoodDishes: Very good large pieces of sushi. Excellent tuna nigiri, tuna tartare, eel maki, salmon/avocado roll, East Coast grill maki, soft shell crab maki, shredded squid maki, squid/cucumber maki. Excellent Pad Thai, and the Crispy Pad Thai is even better. Good tempura shrimp. Excellent grilled squid appetizer, good cold sesame appetizer. Bento box combos for lunch are a very good deal, esp the Jae's combo, which includes sashimi and lots of other goodies. BadDishes: Weird soups, esp. the hot&sour. Uni. Service: Service seems to vary widely. It is usually good and a bit eclectic too, though sometimes a bit detached, esp since the wait staff tends to be young and lacking in experience, but they are nonetheless ususally helpful and pleasant. However, service can be awful as well -- some wait staff have "an attitude", and you can be ignored for long periods of time, esp if they're busy. And they seem to be completely incompetent at dealing with large groups of people. Ambience: Doesn't look like an Oriental/Japanese restaurant at all; If you are looking for a traditional, serene, sushi bar, Jae's will not be for you, though when not crowded, the decor is calm and restful in a non-subdued, hip kind of way, which matches the crowd. The South End location has reasonable lighting; The Inman Sq restaurant is quite dark. During dinner, it can be quite crowded; there is rock music playing at a fair volume -- the acoustics are a bit on the lively side, so the restaurant tends to be very noisy and frenetic; like eating in a stadium during a yuppie rock concert, so it will be difficult to converse with people who are not seated directly next to you or across from you. If you are in a sort of rock-n-roll sushi, "let's party" kind of mood, it may be just the ticket. The bar area is cut off from the main dining area by a long fish tank which makes a wall about 5 feet high and 20 feet long. The tank is well maintained with many beautiful salt-water fish (*NOT* on the menu. :) There is seating for maybe sixty people. [=> interesting reviews] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Mimi's Oriental Grill ($$+) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 950 Mass Ave, betw Central Sq & Harvard Sq, 354-1665 Mixed reviews, a tad pricey -- some find it completely unimpressive, others think its creative and great. Nice atmosphere, though. Try the Korean beef dish, Formosa squid, tangerine scallops, the grilled vegetable platter and the scallion pancakes. Poppa & Goose ($+) -- East Cambridge 69 First St (nr Galleria/Lechmere), 497-6772 Excellent creative tasty inexpensive Asian, mostly Vietnamese, food by the same people whose truck serves wonderful cheap lunches on Main St at Tech Square in Cambridge. It's best to go for their lunch buffet, incl a terrific thai roll, meat kabob, brown rice w veggies, and various combos w chicken, meat, or tofu. Salad fixing and soup too (though the hot & sour soup is really awful), all for $7. If you order off the menu, there are great dishes available, incl crabmeat & white asparagus soup, mi lanh, and seegoo chicken, but the service is horrendously slow -- it's hard to get in and out in an hour for lunch, and it's best to go early if you go for dinner. Apparently the place isn't run to make oodles of money -- they just want to break even mostly and be able to serve neat foods that people otherwise wouldn't get a chance to savor. P.S. great Vietnamese iced coffee too. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Barbeque Restaurants ******************** Barbeque's International ($+) -- Allston 129 Brighton Ave (nr Harvard St), 782-6669 Barbeques from around the world, wildly mixed reviews. In general, stick to the Indian food, especially the Bengal Shrimp, the Chicken & Lamb Tikka and the Tandoori Lamb, although a recent review indicates that the Chicken Tikka was bland -- it came with onions and had a lot of paprika (which didn't really make up for the lack of spice) on a bed of rice. Some like the pulled pork and beef kabob as well. If you like their food, then with the recently done interior, it's not a bad place to go for a nice informal dinner at reasonable prices. Buckaroo's ($+) -- Waltham This places has has a VERY Western atmosphere, from the upholstery on the booths to the murals on the wall, to the Navajo type rugs on the back of the barstools, to the branding irons on the walls. Amazingly enough, it's tastefully done. The menu has ribs (pork only), BBQ sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, chargrilled lamb and beef tips, enchiladas, and some miscellaneous other items. The lamb tips over rice were tasty, served with lots of grilled vegetables, for $8 or so. The ribs, a light portion for lunch, were of the dry variety -- but meaty and good. No sauce was served on the side; it was a decent sauce but not memorable. Probably not unusual enough for rib enthusiasts but a fine item on the menu. Butchie's ($$-) [Bbq/Creole] -- South End Washington St nr Mass Ave The menu mostly emphasizes bbq, which is pretty good, but the Creole dishes on the menu are quite good as well, esp the hush puppies & Jampbalaya, which may be the best in Boston, as well as an excellent Gumbo, with lots of crab, shrimp, and fish. [=> Boston Globe Review when it was in Cambridge ] E.J.'s Barbeque ($+) -- Waltham 275 Moody St, 891-7427 Mixed reviews -- the bbq ranges from ok to excellent, with large portions and low prices. Good Memphis dry rub ribs, texarkana ribs, babybacks, chicken, mashed potatos. Beef brisket & pulled pork are not as good. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Jake & Earl's ($+) -- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 1273 Cambridge St, 491-RIBS Excellent southern bbq, same kitchen as East Coast Grill. Excellent dry rub pork chops. Try the pulled pork & the Memphis dry-rub rib plate. Mostly take-out plus a small counter, though the food is also featured next door at the East Coast Grill.) Jimmy Mac's ($+) -- Somerville 300 Beacon St, 547-1700 Southern-style food place. Food has declined somewhat; the pulled pork sandwich is now chopped pork and the sauce is not as good. The new owner actually speaks, so that part has improved. The hand-made sign on the door says something like "We are now friendly", but evidently also now mediocre as well. Now sharing space with Little Bali, an Indonesian restaurant. New Bridge Cafe ($+) -- Chelsea 650 Washington Ave (at Woodlawn), 884-0134 Best steak tips and pork tips & ribs (red/chinese style) on the North Shore; their dishes are accompanied by huge steak fries that are awesome and a house salad with an vinegar-pepper dressing. Be prepared to wait, esp on Fri & Sat nights, because the place is always packed. Pit Stop ($) -- Mattapan 888a Morton St, 436-0485 Great bbq, better for take-out. Only open Th, Fr & Sa. Park in the fenced yard. Porter House Cafe ($$-) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) 2046 Mass Ave, 354-9793 Good barbecue, in a different style than Redbones, more (occasionally experimental) variety of sauces on the ribs, and a different assortment of dishes (for fried okra, go to Redbones; for hoppin' john, go to Porter House). Very good Texas bbq, superb pulled chicken & beef ribs, great hot sauce, interesting food in enormous portions, often good draft beer. The spicy fries & sides of beans and rice are average. The "hashes" (sautes of whatever - such as chicken, shrimp, and Texas sausage+veggies) are very good, as is the Texas brisket and chicken-fried steak. It looks like a dive from the outside, but they have separated the tables from the bar, so the eating situation is reasonable. The servers are congenial and helpful, and don't rush you. Redbones ($$-) -- Somerville (Davis Sq) 55 Chester St (off Elm), 628-2200 Hours: Closed between lunch & dinner Great atmosphere, all kinds of bbq -- Memphis, Arkansas [bbq pork chops/great ribs], Texas, Georgia. They are the quality leader in Texas bbq, including the brisket & beef ribs; elsewhere, almost as good as Jake & Earl's, though not everyone likes their baby-back ribs & brisket sandwiches. Also good sausage, catfish, corn pudding, greens, fried okra, pecan pie, ice tea (year-round!), and an improving selection of draft beer. They have a $6 all-you-can-eat BBQ lunch special on weekdays (with a 1 drink [$2 each] minumum required as well). (8/94) Sadie's ($+) -- Waltham (Moody St) just off Moody, across from Iguana Cantina Good inexpensive ribs and steak tips, w a decent spicy sauce for the ribs. Service is friendly and efficient. The drawback is the bar which is noisy and smoky, and the incredibly loud jukebox. Village Smokehouse ($$-) -- Brookline Village 1 Harvard St, 566-3782; CreditCards: No, cash only A bar/restaurant, with a brightly lit homey dining-room decor that is full of Texas influences, including neon signs, checked tablecloths, and country music. The atmosphere and presentation aren't as trendy or authentic as Redbone's, but for some, that's a plus. Mixed reviews on the food, though it seems to keep getting better -- good meat, esp. the delectable brisket, the ribs (the pork ribs are almost always tender, and the beef ribs are huge), and chicken. No choice of bbq sauces; the sauce is ok though, very tasty, but not too hot/spicy. Good pecan pie too. Some people love this place, but the general consensus is that Redbones is still somewhat better. Brazillian Restaurants ********************** Buteco ($+) -- West Fenway, South End 130 Jersey St (nr Park Drive & Boylston), West Fenway, 247-9508 57 West Dedham St (betw Tremont & Dartmouth), 247-9249 Good solid Brazillian fare; the one in the South End is better. For appetziers, try the frango a passarinho and the little chicken/meat/cheese turnovers. Good black beans & rice, fried breaded thin steak (w fried onions & limes), rolled steak w ham and cheese, and chicken dishes. The feijoada is a bit dry. Decent but not great desserts & coffee. Limited wine selection, but a good hearty house wine. Cafe Brazil ($$-) -- Allston 421 Cambridge St (nr Harvest Food Coop), 789-5980 Good flavorful food in a cozy atmosphere, sometime w a quiet guitarist playing. Meat & poultry dishes are authentically prepared and won't disappoint those w heartier appetites. The tastiest food can be high in fat, e.g. fried manioc & chicken livers. Nice variety of Brazilian appetizers and side dishes. Feijoada Completa, served on Saturdays, is superb. Not very child friendly, though. Midwest Grill ($$-) -- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 1124 Cambridge St, 354-7536 Excellent Brazillian & Portuguese food & service, family run w friendly waitstaff. Generous meat and vegetables, but salad bar, ambience & service are better at Pampas. No liquor license. Pampas ($$) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 928 Mass Ave, between Central Sq & Harvard Sq, 661-6613 Great churrasqueria -- 15 kinds of skewered meat [not strongly seasoned], including beef, pork, sausage, chicken, turkey, lamb, goat, and even chicken hearts, all you can eat for $15. Price includes an awesome salad bar (which can be ordered separately, for the herbivorously inclined), containing lots of palm hearts. A great place to go with friends or out-of-town guests. Clean, comfortable, and apt to be filled with boisterous Brazilians, who pack many of the tables until they're kicked out. The service may be leisurely at times, but that's perfectly authentic, too. Feijoada on Sundays. Caribbean / Cajun / Creole / Soul / Southern Restaurants ******************************************************** Biggs Restaurant ($+) [Jamaican] -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq) 111 Harvard St (at Portland, betw Main & Broadway), 492-5154 A pleasant place serving very good and plentiful Jamaican food. Cash only. The beef patties and the ackee & salted fish are especially good. Also try the curried chicken (usually excellent, though on one visit, it was very bony), curried goat, jerk chicken, & Jamaican fish. Jamaican soft drinks & superb home made concoctions including ginger beer, sorrel, and irish moss drinks. They also have serve beer, including Red Stripe. Bob the Chef ($+) [Soul] -- South End 604 Columbus Ave (nr Mass Ave), 536-6204 Quite good traditional soul food, as well as BBQ ribs to die for. Especially good fried chicken, sweet potatoes, cornbread and collard greens. Also good desserts, esp sweet potato pie. Butchie's ($$-) [Bbq/Creole] -- South End [see under Barbeque] Chandra's ($+) [Indo-Caribbean] -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq) 266 Broadway (a few blocks west of Kendall Sq), 497-6955 Indian & Caribbean food, Trinidad style. A nicely done interior, with decent food. Often plagued by long waits, caused by making everything [except the microwaved frozen appetizers] from scratch. Best to go when they have a lunch buffet, with jerk chicken, rice, aloe chole, a steamed vegetable dish (esp good when its calaloo, akin to creamed spinach), and chicken roti, all of which can be quite good. Avoid the mushy veggy mixture over rice. No liquor license but good soursop punch & ginger beer. Chez Vous Creole ($+) [Creole] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 1263 Cambridge St, 868-3161 Not much atmospehere -- a little on the shabby side w tacky posters & a few tables, but large portions of tasty interesting inexpensive food, especially the flavorful conch stew and goat. The menu is interesting, but often only a few items are available. Pleasant and very low-key, though service can be lackadaisacal. Dixie Kitchen ($+) [Cajun] -- Symphony Area 182 Mass Ave (betw Boylston & Huntington), 536-3068 Pretty good, not as upscale as Magnolia's, and on some nights, the balance of seasonings can be off, resulting in bland unsoulful food. But, on other nights they're great, and they mean well, have dishes that can't be had elsewhere in Boston, and the food always is inexpensive and comes in large portions. Definitely try the Gumbo Ya-Ya, Etoufee, Jambalaya, and the Jalapeno Cornbread. They even have fried alligator tail. Also, good bread pudding, as well as other huge decadent desserts incl key lime pie and banana custard. No liquor, and you can't BYOB. The background music is great though! Green St Grill ($$) [Caribbean] -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 280 Green St (betw Magazine & Pearl), 876-1655 DineAccess: 3 steps up; ChildFriendly: very Caribbean influence, very good spicy seafood and ribs. A funky place with unusual combinations of ingredients that usually works. It is in the back of a downscale bar with atmosphere to match, but don't let that stop you; the food is great. Often music late. Some of their food (e.g. seafood stew, gazpacho) can be extremely fiery. Try the conch fritters, and the Caesar salad (one of the best in town). (7/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] International Restaurant ($) [Dominican] -- Jamaica Plain 3160 Washington St, 522-7410 Great inexpensive food. Funky neighborhood. Try fish escoveitch, carne cerdo con berenguena, mondongo. Izzy's Sub Shop ($) [Puerto Rican] -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq) 169 Harvard St (at Windsor), 661-3910; Accessible: No Not a sub shop; the owner (Izzy) is Puerto Rican and most of the food is also Puerto Rican. The owner is quite a character and calls frequent visitors "primo(a)" for cousin. A hole-in-the-wall that's not in the nicest of neighborhoods. It is nicer than La Espanola, though, and the service is good, friendly, and quick. The food has a comfort food quality (if you are Cuban or Puerto Rican) although it is not quite as good as La Espanola in quality. The black beans are canned and the steaks a little bland. Then again, Puerto Ricans don't really eat black beans, preferring red kidney beans or "gandules" (pigeon peas?), of which they have plenty at Izzy's. Besides these, they also serve some great snacks: filled (with meat) potatoes, alcapurrias, bacalaitos, limbos (these seem to be Jamaican in origin), etc. These are deep fried and fatty but delicious! They also serve a wide variety of beverages popular with Latin Americans, such as malta (non-alcoholic sweet malt drink) and Goya fruit juices. Magnolia's Southern Cuisine ($$+) [Southern] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 1193 Cambridge St (nr Prospect), 576-1971 The old Cajun Yankee has gone Southern, the food is still good, though the decor is worse, it's more crowded, and consequently seems really overpriced, especially for dishes like the grilled chicken & fish. Some old favorites are gone, but they still serve jambalaya, blacked redfish, cajun popcorn, awesome banana muffins & Blackened Voodoo beer. Other good dishes include the vinegary fried green tomatoes, home smoked salmon with olive oil biscuits, and grilled pork tenderloin with mango chutney. The desserts can be unpalatably sweet. Reasonable wine list. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Rhythm & Spice ($$-) [Caribbean] -- Cambridge (MIT) 315 Mass Ave (across from Larry's Chinese), 497-0977 Accessible: One step at the entrance The best atmosphere and service of the Caribbean restuarants; it is also the most expensive. The chef and much of the staff from the Seagrape Tree restaurant in Arlington have moved here. The atmosphere, formerly pastel and serene, is now colorful, and the size has gone from small to large. Not as cozy as Arlington was, but still a very helpful and pleasant staff w very good service. The food here is the same style and quality as the Seagrape Tree, with a few changes, generally for the better. The rice and beans has cut back a bit on the coconut milk, to good effect, and the vegetable side dish remains superb, especially the cabbage & sauteed greens. The Jamaican pattie appetizer is excellent -- 3 small stuffed turnovers with a light flaky crust and a well- seasoned ground meat filling. The smoked herring salad appetizer, a dish of shredded smoked fish tossed with vinegar and spices, served with plantain chips for dipping is very good, though some think the plantain chips here, in general, are over crispy. The conch fritters are good, but are somewhat bland without the tasty dipping sauce. The escoviched fish is excellent, as is the curried goat -- very lean tender goat, in a brown gravy w potatoes and carrots; the curried chicken is ok, but can be too salty for some. The jerk chicken entree, roasted over an open fire, is juicy and outstanding, as is the grilled grouper w jerk seasoning. The ribs were done with a tasty jerk seasoning but can be dry. The consensus is that the jerk seasoning is too mild. There are also various stews; Matouk or Pukka hot sauce can be added if you like them spicier. The space is larger than the Seagrape Tree and quite reminiscent of some city restaurants in the Caribbean. They also have a full liquor license, with a good selection of Caribbean beers, including Banks, which is hoppy yet light and fresh. Good homemade sorrel drinks too. The restaurant seats about 60 and the bar can hold maybe 10 or so more. Reservations seem like a good idea on weekend evenings. Great reggae background music, though it can be distractingly loud, and they have live music late in the evening on weekends, with a complimentary buffet from 10:30 pm - 11:30 pm, and a $5 after 11 pm. They also have a limited lunch menu, with jerk pork, a jerk chicken cutlet sandwich, a jerk hamburger, and one or two other things, served with plantain chips which appear to be out of a bag. The quality of lunch varies tremendously; it is certainly worse than dinner, and definitely overpriced. [=> review] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Chinese ******* Asian Garden ($+) -- Chinatown 46 Beach St, in the basement, 695-1646 Good fresh food, esp great steamed fish (taken from the tanks by the door, Hong-Kong style seafood, and excellent hotpots. Try the eel, whole roe scallops, lobster, crab, chinese broccoli in oyster sauce. Reasonable prices. If you're Chinese or know enough to ask, you get an interesting dessert -- taro root and tapioca in coconut milk -- instead of the ubiquitous fortune cookie. Beijing Garden Restaurant ($+) [Chinese/Vietnamese Dim Sum] -- Dorchester 1111 Dorchester Ave, Savin Hill (nr U Mass), 288-5345 T : Red Line @ Savin Hill Dim Sum from 9am to 10 or 11pm. The dim sum are light, not greasy, very fresh, w no MSG. Other items on the menu are of the same quality. Tell them you heard about them via netnews. Beijing III ($$-) -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) 1366 Beacon St, 2 blocks west of Coolidge Corner, 277-1011 Mixed reviews, a bit pricey -- some questions about whether food is handled/prepared safely. Try Dragon & Phoenix. Bernard's ($$-) -- Newton (Chestnut Hill Mall) 199 Boylston, 969-3388, 10 min walk from Chestnut Hill T Station Excellent food, a bit pricey. Coldish ambience. Try the Hunan Lamb or Sesame Chicken. Buddha's Delight ($) [Vegetarian Chinese] -- Chinatown 5 Beach St (across from Naked I strip club), 451-2395 T: Orange Line @ Chinatown, Red Line @ Downtown Crossing Temple cuisine -- very good vegan variants of Chinese & Vietnamese dishes, well presented. Try the spring rolls, summer rolls, noodle soup, hot & sour soup, moo shi, Lake Tung-Ting "shrimp", tofu and vegetables, anything spicy or w lemongrass. Excellent bbq gluten! Service can be slow when crowded. Cafe China ($$-) -- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 1245 Cambridge St, 868-4300 Pretty food, reportedly bland, though. Good wine list and Swiss desserts. Carl's Pagoda ($$-) -- Chinatown 23 Tyler St, 357-9837; CreditCards: No, cash only; Accessible: No T: Red Line @ South Station, Orange Line @ Chinatown A hole-in-the-wall that's been around for 25 years, with Carl sitting in the back. Good food, with lots of things on the menu worth trying that are unique or at least done differently than elsewhere. Try the tomato soup, Carl's Special Steak, and the better-than-average lo mein, with pan fried noodles added to the dish. OK service, seats about 30. Chang Feng ($+) -- Somerville 289 Beacon St (across from Chef Lee's), 864-6265 Some unusual dishes on menu. Try the bean curd homemade style & strange flavor chicken. Excellent appetizers, fried & steamed dumplings & noodles, esp garlic noodles. Occasionally an off night, but definitely the place to go in the area for cheap and delicious food. Changsho ($$-) -- Cambridge (betw Harvard/Porter Sq) 1712 Mass Ave (nr Linnean), 547-6565, Accessible Mixed reports, lots of meat, somewhat elegant but unimpressive; reports that it has gone downhill since under new management, though still reasonable. They're now a step above your typical neighborhood Chinese, but not worth going out of your way for. Used to have wonderful dumplings, and a very good roast duck. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Chau Chow ($+) [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown 52 Beach St, 426-6266 Good cheap Chinese, sometimes long lines. Try pea greens, chicken w black bean sauce, peking ravioli, hot & sour soup. Excellent seafood, incl steamed fish w ginger sauce, salted jumbo shrimp, and fried squid. Avoid the beef dishes; thet're often mediocre & the moo shi beef, while tasty, was way too oily. Try the fatty but tasty fried pig intestine [seriously!] and fried tofu w seafood. The seafood is so good here, that some people think of this place, rather than a standard seafood place, when they want good fresh seafood! (8/94) Chef Chang ($$-) -- Brookline (St Mary's) 1006 Beacon St, 277-4226 Average food -- lots of excellent dishes, especially the seasonal specialities, as well as some real disappointments. Overall, moderate prices & a pleasant place to eat. Try the potstickers, the crispy beef, and the hot & spicy green beans. Chef Chow ($$-) -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner), Brighton (Cleveland Circle), Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 54 Chestnut Hill Ave, Cleveland Circle, 566-2275 230 Harvard St, 1 blk s. of Beacon at Coolidge Corner, 739-2469 50 Church St, Cambridge, 492-2469 Many people find the food consistently good; others are unimpressed; good lunches, though, and try the Szechuan Spicy Fish. Chef Lee ($+) -- Somerville 296 Beacon St (across from Chang Feng), 876-7666 Pretty good, especially considering the neighborhood. Specials tend to be very flavorful and occasionally interesting. The potstickers are seasoned very differently from most other places in the area, which makes them worthwhile just for the variety. Style is basic neighborhood Chinese, w good Szechuan food, esp the Yu Hsiang dishes, Kangsho shrimp, Ta Chien chicken, and shrimp-stuffed eggplant. BYOB. [=> Boston Globe Review ] China Cafe ($+) -- Arlington Center 882A Mass Ave (betw High School and Stop & Shop), 646-6621 "Interesting" flavor variants of hot & sour soup and peking ravioli [they like to add extra sugar to soups and sauces]. Try the schezuan wontons, scallion pie, spicy aromatic & dry-cooked garlic shrimp, yu hsian fish, peking noodles, and beef chow foon. China Gate ($+) -- Chinatown 21-23 Edinboro St Ok for conch in black bean sauce, seafood in ginger & scallions, chow foon. China Grove ($+) -- Chinatown 10 Tyler St, 542-5857 Good food, good prices, possibly slow service. Try the grilled eel and the scallop or shredded eel w yellow leeks. China Pearl ($+) [Chinese Dim Sum] -- Chinatown 9 Tyler St, 426-4338 Very good dim sum, almost or as good as Golden Palace & less chaotic. Good soups & Cantonese & Hong Kong style seafood. Also excellent dinners, with good flavors and good variety, at very affordable prices. Crowded and friendly on weekends, more comfortable during the week. Chung Wah ($) -- Allston Harvard St Cheap & funky, good food, try the Broccoli in Garlic Sauce. Crystal Restaurant ($+) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 460 Mass Ave, 576-1550 Good, but not outstanding -- good Dun Dun noodles. Stick with the specialities, like red sauce eggplant, and their variant of Suan La Chow soup that's different from other Suan La Chows at area restaurants...searingly spicy soup with bean sprouts and meaty dumplings (as opposed to little dumplings, not-so-meaty with peanut sauce and cabbage). He is planning to transfer his licese to Mary Chung! One hopes they tent the place before they go. The Crystal is one of those rare restaurants whose kitchen is soooo bad that they've actually been closed down (at least once) for health code violations. Roaches have been seen crawling up the walls at the place, and found dead roaches on the bill-plate (next to the fortune cookies). Dynasty ($$-) [Chinese Dim Sum] -- Chinatown 33 Edinboro St (nr Beach), 350-7777 Very good dim sum, though I've had money stolen by a waiter, and there are rumors that the wait staff is badly treated by the management. East Ocean City ($$-) -- Chinatown 25 Beach St, 542-2504 Good place, good service, nice atmosphere, a lot of unusual dishes which are really excellent. Try house-special soup, clams in black bean sauce, and chow foon. While they have good familiar stuff like sesame beef, this is the place to get adventurous, especially w the seafood dishes, one of the best in Chinatown. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Eastern Pier Seafood ($$) [Chinese Seafood] -- Waterfront 237 Northern Ave, Fish Pier, 423-7756 Excellent Chinese seafood, moderately priced, w one of the best hot & sour soups in Boston. Try sauteed pea-pod stems as a light first course. Good entrees include ginger crab, salt & pepper squid, and squid w ginger & scallions. The sole dishes, such as sizzling grey sole in black-bean sauce, are superb, but not cheap. If you're adventurous, try the goose intestines with yellow chives. Don't be afraid to ask for house recommendations which might not appear on the menu. Eldo Tea House ($) -- Chinatown 57 Beach St, 338-2128 Cheap, good, generous portions. Seafood is good. Try the Singapore dishes, esp laksha noodle soup. Food Hall ($-) -- Chinatown Northeast corner of Beach & Harrison, 2nd floor The atmosphere is unique, the opposite of elegant, with rows of tables crowded with every sort of person at lunch time. If you're looking for good, cheap Chinese or Thai food in Chinatown, this is it. Wua Pei has some excellent dishes - sesame [chicken/tofu/beef], garlic [chicken|pork|beef|shrimp|...], vegetable curry with or without meat. The hot & sour soup, however, offered free if you eat there, is best declined. The rice plates are the best deal and the owners are generally very accomodating to special requests. The stall next to Wua Pei isn't as good but does have one dish - satay chicken on pan-fried noodles which is great. Rod Thai, a Thai stall is very good. The other vendors tend to draw a more exclusively Chinese clientelle and offer more unusual dishes like duck feet with tripe in black bean sauce. Fortune House ($$-) [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown 3 Beach St, 2nd floor, 482-9800 Good Hong Kong style seafood; try stone oysters w garlic, ginger & scallions. Golden Gate ($+) -- Chinatown 66 Beach St (between Hudson & Tyler), 426-5022 All the ambience of an aging truck stop, but consistently high quality. Try the Butterfly Shrimp w mixed Veggies & the Golden Gate Chow Mein. Golden Palace ($$-) [Chinese Dim Sum] -- Chinatown 14 Tyler St, 423-4565 Wonderful variety of tasty Dim Sum, probably best Dim Sum around. Get there no later than 1 pm for hot food and the best variety. Golden Temple ($$) -- Brookline (Washington Sq) 1651 Beacon St, 277-9722 Good suburban Chinese food in a dramatic Chinese-modern setting (without a hint of red!). Many good dishes, including the crispy orange beef, and excellent lamb, though they can overdo the MSG. Fast seating, even on a busy Saturday night. Usually good wait staff, but if there are problems, the owner can be unpleasant if you're not a regular. Great place for large unusual drinks. Grand Chau Chow ($$-) [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown 41-45 Beach St, 292-5166 Same menu as Chau Chow, across the street, but is a tad more expensive and is fancier & cleaner. Very elegant food, and extremely flavorful and fresh fish (they bring the still-living fish to your table for inspection before steaming it). Very friendly and efficient service. Superb seafood includes steamed fish, clams in black bean sauce, and lobster and crab with ginger and scallions, Also try the stir-fried pea pods, squab, fried pig intestine, and fried tofu with shrimp; these are only on the Chinese menu, which you can actually ask the waiters to decode. (8/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Ha Ha ($+) -- Newton Centre Langley Rd (at Centre), 332-3600 A new restaurant located in the same space that Sally Ling's used to be. They still have the "core" of Sally Ling's menu, but the focus is on "healthy" Chinese food, will a willingness to accomodate diet restrictions. They have a whole slew of new, healthy, dishes. More vegetable and noodle dishes. Less fried food. Lots of dishes sans meat. Beware -- though there is less salt than usual, it is still too much for those on salt-restricted diets. The style of food seems to be more northern Chinese than southern... not so hot and pepper-spicy. The food seems to be quite good (spiced well, not over or undercooked, garnished nicely, etc.), but the portions are small, and somewhat overpriced, though the prices are low as well, with the new dishes in the range of $4.50 to $7.00 or so. Service can be quite problematic. [=> review ] Ho Yuen Ting ($$-) [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown 13 1/2 Hudson St, 426-2316 [original, and still the best] 58 Beach St, 426-2341 Very good food; specializes in seafood, but does a good job w everything. Try hot & sour soup, peking ravioli, hunan chicken, beef ginger scallion hot pot, hon sue sea bass, steamed & stir fried flounder, lobster w black bean sauce, salted spicy shrimp, beef satay, sizzling hot pots, Westlake beef soup, house special eggplant. Hong Kong Eatery ($$-) -- Chinatown 79 Harrison Ave, 423-0838 Just like being back in Hong Kong! Try the special for two, including a special soup made from tiny, black-skinned chickens and enough medicinal ingredients to cure anything that might ail you, stir-fried conch with chives, lamb and dried beancurd hotpot, and rice -- plentiful, cheap, and very tasty. Hsin Hsin Chinese Noodle Restaurant ($) -- Back Bay 25 Mass Ave, 536-9852 Mixed reviews. Many think this is a wonderful soup and noodle restaurant w excellent scallion pancake and house-special pan fried noodles. Other reviews decry the mega-oily Chow Foon and the odd tasting soups. [=> menu ] Hunan Palace ($$-) -- Watertown Galen St, just across the river from Watertown Square One of the best of the suburban Chinese restaurants, with good food and a good menu. Decor is minimal, but prices are low enough so that you don't need to complain. Szechuan style food is the specialty, particularly the two lamb dishes and a wonderful ginger-coriander-fish soup that will feed four. They also do a very nice job on Crispy Fish Filet. Imperial Seafood Restaurant ($$-) [Chinese Seafood, Dim Sum] -- Chinatown 70 Beach St, 426-8439 The place has been done over since they were Imperial Teahouse -- not only decor but, it seems, the kitchen as well -- and the food is fresher and the menu's a lot more interesting. The kind of place where you go with a group of people and you have a hard time narrowing your choices down to a dozen different dishes, and then everything's really good. The dim sum is also pretty good, and the wait is shorter than at China Pearl or Golden Palace, with a good chance of getting your own table. Smoke isn't as bad here as at some dim sum spots because the ventilation is decent, there's space between the tables, and there are more (nonsmoking) gringoes here than elsewhere. The new owner is frequently on the floor, chatting with clients and making sure that all is well. Jade Flower ($) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) 1908 Mass Ave, 497-8638 T: Red Line @ Porter Sq (just across the street) Not a fancy place; just a long broad hall with tables on either side. The food gets mixed reviews, but is reasonably priced -- $10 gets you enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch. Good bets are Scallion Pancakes, Peking Ravioli, Eggplant in Garlic Sauce, Rice Sticks Singapore Style or just about any noodle dish, Chicken in Black Bean Suace, Cold Sesame Noodles, and Orange Chicken. The Suan La Sho Chow actually is hot & sour soup w wontons. There are reports that the food is gluey & that many dishes taste tomato-ey, based on a sweet version of yu-shiang sauce. Fast, friendly service; quick delivery. [=> Boston Globe Review ] King Fung Garden ($+) -- Chinatown 74 Kneeland St (across from the Mass Pike approach), 357-5262 Hours: Closed Mo; Accessible: No; CreditCards: None, cash only A hole-in-the-wall dive converted from a gas station w terrific food w lots of oil. Not a place to go to if you're looking for refined atmosphere, healthy food, or fancy cooking. You will find great Hunan style food, including a GREAT scallion pie, good dumplings, noodles, and shrimp/tofu w vegetables. Service is good and dishes arrive promptly if the restaurant is not packed. A very casual atmosphere; a place you can stay and talk for hours. Joyce Chen ($$-) -- Cambridge (Alewife) & Theatre District 115 Stuart St, Theater District, 720-1331 390 Rindge Ave, Alewife, 492-7373 A comfortable place, very good food, w a high standard of preparation, but a bit over-priced. Previously the food has sometimes been overly greasy or salty, though they really excelled at sauces. Recently, the quality has improved and the menu has undergone some changes w a focus on low-fat low-sodium foods, and interesting non-traditional dishes using local ingredients. Some say the downtown restaurant is better, w excellent peking ravioli & lemon chicken, and great service, even when crowded before the theater. At Alewife, the food can be blander (though the soups are excellent and the Ma Pa Tofu & General Gau's Chicken are very good), the service is worse, & parking can sometimes be a problem. If you like Joyce Chen's (and many think it is a major disappointment) go soon, before they are closed down for nonpaymenet of rent -- at least downtown. Larry's ($+) -- Cambridge (MIT) 302 Mass Ave, 492-3170 Good place for cheap neighborhood urban Chinese fare, nice owners, no MSG, recently redone decor -- a good place to hang out, but can sometimes get annoying from the loud jukebar at the bar next door. Extremely delicious Suan La Sho Chow and very good Dun Dun Noodles. Also try the General Gau Chicken. They now have a new menu w new items including several Chow Foon dishes, but no longer deliver. [=> menu ] Ling Gardens ($+) -- Belmont (Waverly Sq) A great find in a dismal part of Belmont. Fresh ingredients, quickly prepared, tasty, large portions, with lots of good fresh veggies, and msg-free. Imaginative approaches too, such as the Szechuan Ruby Shrimp made w tangerines. Also, excellent dumplings. Service is quick, friendly, and eager to please. Prices are avg for Chinese food: $6-10 for most dishes, w free delivery within 2 miles for orders over $20. Not a life-transforming experience, but very pleasant. Separate non-smoking area. Marco Polo ($+) -- Boston (Faneuil Hall) 19-21 Union St (next to Union Oyster House), 720-7811 T: Green/Orange Line @ Haymarket, Blue Line @ Govt Center Hours: 11:3o-2am daily; Accessible: Yes Excellent food. The pan fried Peking Ravioli that was not oily; the meat inside is better quality than most in Boston. The Paradise Chicken has perfectly cooked vegetables, and a good novel flavoring. The Szechuan shrimp has a nice slightly sweet, yet tangy and spicy sauce. The Orange Beef is pretty much like the standard Chinatown dish, but made with higher quality beef. The steak teriyaki strips are hot, juicy, and thick, and the Pork Fried Rice is chock full of non-rice goodies. One of the best General Gau's Chicken around, and even the hot mustard has a nicer flavor than many. Also a large wine & beer list, reasonably priced. 2 Meals + Appetizer, about $22.00. Pleasant, genuinely warm, friendly staff, quick service. ~25 tables. Upscale compared to Chinatown, but not lavish; suitable for an evening out; light bright enough to read by comfortably but subdued enough to be intimate. Delivery downtown, good luncheon buffet as well. Mary Chung Restaurant ($+) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 460 Mass Ave Closed, but poised to reopen at the above address as soon as the license is transferred from the Crystal Restaurant. [=> latest news! ] May's Cafe ($+) -- Medford Well done Szechuan and Mandarin dishes; the Yu Hsiang dishes are particularly good. Efficient service, very fresh ingredients. Mister Leung's ($$$) -- Back Bay 545 Boylston St (betw Clarendon & Dartmouth), 236-4040 Some say best Chinese in town, but quite pricey. New Asia ($$-) -- Somerville (Union Sq) 326 Somerville Ave, 628-7710 Pretty good; consistent and reasonably priced; very quick-cooked Szechuan-style food. Try the Yu Hsiang [savory green beans]. Also in Lexington. (8/94) New Shanghai ($$) -- Chinatown 21 Hudson St (nr Kneeland), 338-6688 Prices: ~$10/person, VegOptions: lots Shanghai/Szechuan food; not the usual Chinatown menu but very good food, and pleasant decor, service, and prices. Especially good for Westerners who are timid about Chinatown, this place has carpet, (Western) classical music, a decipherable menu, a huge aquarium full of tropical fish (as opposed to critters that may end up in your rice bowl or on your dinner plate), and a mostly-Caucasian clientele. Fairly elegant ambience, so a good place for a moderately fancy Chinatown meal. Mixed reviews on the food -- mostly very good reports, though some find the menu and the food aren't particualrly exciting, with too mmuch cornstarch. The double-cooked pork is unusual and excellent, flavored with star anise. Also one of the best Peking ducks around -- ask the waiter to have soup made from the bones -- it's wonderful. Great eggplant with hot garlic sauce, good scallion pancake appetizer and broad beans (actually fava beans). [=> Boston Globe Review ] Noble House ($$) -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) 1306 Beacon St, 232-9580 Well prepared Szechuan & Cantonese food in a pleasant atmosphere. Reviews are mixed. Some find it uninteresting and overpriced; others consider the food very good and reasonably priced. The chef certainly knows how to cook shrimp better than most other Chinese and non-Chinese cooks. Also try the Singapore Rice Stick. Ocean Wealth ($$) [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown 8 Tyler St, 423-1338 Very nice, dressier than the average Chinatown place. Emphasis is on fresh and exotic seafood which is very good (often taken from the tanks you see as you enter), with some dishes you don't find elsewhere, but can get quite expensive. In their tanks they keep live lobsters (including very large ones), scallops, abalone, giant clams (geoducks), rockfish, etc. The steamed fresh rockfish with ginger and scallion is very good, as is the soft tofu with shrimp (very good). Non-seafood dishes, like the baby bok choy with garlic and the Chef's special duck can also be quite good, but things like sesame beef are just ok. More upscale than many Chinatown eateries, it even has carpet on the floor, and the second floor is particularly clean and well-ventilated. Ask for help from the manager to deal w the chinese-language menu. [=> review ] Oceanic ($$-) [Chinese Seafood] -- Back Bay 91 Mass Ave, 353-0791 Good seafood dishes, a little expensive. While still seafood- oriented, the menu is now more slanted to the usual meats & vegetables. Food is tasty and varied, and they're not really bound by the "neighborhood Chinese" formula. Good squid dishes. Panda ($$-) -- Somerville (Ball Sq) 719 Broadway, 625-9441 Very decent neighborhood Chinese food. Good spicy wonton appetizer -- variation of Suan La Sho Chow. Also a good spicy pork dish w basil. Pu-Pu Hot Pot ($+) [Chinese Dim Sum] -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 907 Main St (nr Mass Ave), 491-6616, T: Red Line @ Central Sq A nice friendly place, one of the best in the area -- very popular and busy at lunchtime. They do a nice job w duck in general & especially w the Pressed Duck Appetizer. The Kung Pao Shrimp, General Gau's Chicken (flavorful, w interesting spices & slightly hot) & Szechuan Braised Beef (quite hot) are good too. Pu Pu Scallion Donuts are interesting. Great vegetarian dishes. Note that by default, the steamed rice has veggie pieces mixed in. Tasty dim sum on the weekends. [=> menu ] Quan's Kitchen ($) -- Allston 1026 Commonwealth Ave (betw Brighton Ave & Babcock), 232-7617 T: B Green Line @ Babcock St, #57 bus. Mo-Sa 11am-2am, Sun 1pm-11pm Not for that fancy sit-down dinner with a hot date, the prices and decor say "cheap eats" -- this place is just a handful of plastic tables in a fluorescent-lit room; most people get take out. The menu has over 180 items on it, incl Hong Kong style soups, Congee dishes, and Chinese Bbq. Very satisfying & good food for the price, though highly variable. No MSG & 100% veg oil, but many of the dishes are overly oily, esp vegetable dishes like watercress; go with dishes where this doesn't matter, esp good are the rice dishes w duck, smoked chicken & bbq pork (better than Chinatown), salt & pepper shrimp, most noodle dishes, esp seafood fried noodle & soup noodles w beef brisket. Also avoid the hot & sour soup, stir-fried noodles, and Ma Po Tofu. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Royal East ($+) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 782 Main St, 661-1660 Still erratic, but some say this is one of the best in the area. Good quality Chinatown-style food -- chow fun, rice sticks, fantastic tangerine beef, good Suan La Sho Chow. Very nice hot & sour soup with good dose of Szechuan peppercorns. [=> menu ] Ru Yee ($+) -- Newton (Nonantum) Adams & Rt 16 (Watertown St) Not fancy, but the food is great and the lunch specials are an excellent value. Also good Lemon Chicken and Hot & Sour Soup. Sally Ling's ($$+) -- Waterfront 256 Commercial St (next to Long Wharf Marriot), 227-4545 Mixed reviews -- some say bland food, overpriced, small portions; others say expensive but good. Their lamb with scallions is remarkable. Do not fall for desserts though. San Francisco Noodle House ($+) -- Allston 1029 Commonwealth Ave, 783-5111 Pretty good place, spacious, extremely clean. Service is very polite, but can be haphazard, since it just recently opened. Nice potstickers and scallion pizza; excellent cheap large portions of chow foon noodles. Also good tangerine chicken w tangerine rind actually ground into the sauce. Lots of unusual seafood entrees on the menu, but many were not actually available, and you should avoid the sea conch w vegetables unless you like an overly strong smell of conch. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Seven Star Mandarin House ($+) -- Newton Center 22 Union St, 527-3841 Probably the best Chinese food in the area. Fast service & cheap. Decor leaves something to be desired, but it is comfortable & child-friendly. Good ravioli, great five-flavor chicken, and "ants climbing the tree"; maybe the best scallion pancakes around. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Shalom Hunan ($$-) [Kosher Chinese] -- Brookline Village 92 Harvard St (at School) Tasty well prepared food, generous portions, a tad pricy [though possibly due to the extra cost of kashrut]. A diverse menu including veal, beef, chicken, duck, and whole fish dishes, as well as moo shu, not to mention chicken soup w matzoh balls. Polite attentive wait staff, pleasant comfortable dining room, wine/beer available. Quite good for Chinese food; Excellent for Kosher Chinese. Try the hot & sour soup, veal in garlic sauce, triple crown, orange-flavored chicken. May have to wait -- it's very popular. Shanghai Village ($+) -- Arlington Center 434 Mass Ave on left just before center of town, 646-6897 Prices: $8-10/person; VeggieOptions: lots Mixed reviews, though most find the food consistently good & reasonably priced. Szechuan-style entrees are quite fiery. They are very accomodating to vegetarians and serve especially good vegetarian dishes -- lots of food, well seasoned, and even the "vegetarian's delight" is good, as is the sizzling rice soup with vegetables, and vegetarian crispy fried lo mein. A calm, comfortable, well-maintained, clean place. The service is is almost always fantastic, though it can be horrible on off nights. (7/94) Stars Ocean Chinese Seafood Restaurant ($+) [Chinese Seafood] -- W. Fenway 70-72 Kilmarnock St, 236-0384 Cheap & good, w no atmosphere to speak of, but very very nice people. One of the best hot & sour soups around, and their wonton soup is also an order of magnitude better than what you get in most places -- the wontons actually taste like, well, wontons, and not like boiled lumps of dough wrapped around last week's mystery meat, but avoid the house special soup, which is flavorful but uses canned mushrooms & isn't very special. Try the crispy crispy scallion pancake, the Shanghai duck, lemongrass shrimp, and the green beans. Ta Sheng ($+) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) Elliot St, 2nd floor, across from the Charles Hotel Mixed reviews. Those who like it say that it is reliably good to excellent, and reasonably priced, with a fantastic whole crispy fish, and a very good Crispy Orange Chicken. Tasty, specially-priced lunch menu, too. Those who don't like it say that it's bland -- even the spicy dishes aren't, that the hot & sour soup is neither, and that the beef dishes are greasy. Go figure. (7/94) Yu's ($) -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) 1374 Beacon St, 734-2929 Takeout, with sitdown area, now serving noodle dishes. Not fancy, but good food at reasonable prices. Good hot & sour soup, Peking noodles, Beef Chow Foon. Continental / Traditional / French Restaurants ********************************************** Another Season ($$$+) [French-American] -- Beacon Hill 97 Mt Vernon St (nr Charles), 367-0880 Odette Berry's imaginative French-American restaurant. Food at lunchtime is only average. Aujord 'Hui ($$$$$) [Nouvelle French] -- Park Sq Area Four Seasons Hotel, 200 Boylston St, 338-4400 Mixed Reviews: Some say maybe the best restaurant in Boston; others say there are much better places in this price range. Reasonably interesting food, superb presentation, excellent service. The dining room is extremely spacious, and has a very nice view.) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Bay Tower Room ($$$$) [Continental/French] -- Faneuil Hall Area 60 State Street, next to Faneuil Hall, 33rd floor, 723-1666 Terrific food, wine list, live jazz on Fri and Sat, smashing view of Boston, contingent on good visibility. It falls in the romantic, posh, elegant, and pricey categories, but the food, ambiance, and view of the city and harbor is well worth every cent. Good dishes are escargot, lobster bisque, swordfish with lobster-chive vinaigrette and roasted tomato couscous. Cafe Budapest ($$$$) [Hungarian] -- Back Bay Copley Hotel, 90 Exeter St (at Huntington), 266-1979 Expensive classic Hungarian food, good food, fancy classy romantic ambience, but some say the prices are a bit high for the quality, that there are too few authentic Hungarian dishes, and that it has perhaps gone a bit downhill lately. The mixed grill for two and the tir tarator is wonderful,the Gulyas soup has a nice kick to it, and the goulash is decent. The desserts, of course, are to die for. Chez Jean ($$+) [French] -- Cambridge (Harvard/Porter Sq) 1 Shephard St (at Mass Ave), 354-8980 Reasonably priced traditional French food; needs redecoration. Great Steak Au Poivre. Durgin Park ($$+) [Traditional NE Regional] -- Faneuil Hall Faneuil Hall Market, 227-2038 Food is basic American seafood and steak. So traditional that they regularly have mashed turnips on the menu, and their beef stew also has lots of turnips in it. The beef is always in large amounts. delicious prime rib, well-flavored and tender. Try their baked beans, which are excellent. Fish chowder is good, but do not depend on their fresh fish. There is a "Bale of Hay" (vegetarian platter) for those who discover they came to the wrong restaurant. Interesting atmosphere -- you can watch the cooks preparing since the kitchen is open to customer view & waitresses always seem to be hustling around. Their waitstaff is renowned for an "attitude" -- sharp tongue, but the service is basically good, and the waitresses are not as rude as they were years ago. They mostly don't yell at you any more, or refuse to get you desert if you didn't eat your vegetables. Tablecloths are still red checker. That will never change. Excellent place for very fast lunch. Singles sit at a common table. Have lunch with a busy Beacon Hill legislator. [=>interesting long review] Hungry I ($$$+) [Contemporary French / American] -- Beacon Hill 71 1/2 Charles St, 227-3524 Wonderful food in a very romantic elegant atmosphere, esp downstairs, which has a warmer ambience than the upstairs room, which can stark & uncomfortable when empty. Food as expected for the price, excellent service. Try the game dishes. Julien ($$$$$) [Nouvelle French] -- Downtown Hotel Meridian, 250 Franklin St, 451-1900 An impressive French Nouvelle place w a beautiful dining room that really must be seen. An enjoyable place but too expensive & too stuffy [real French accents w real French snobbery]. The food was very good but w very small portions for the entrees although the excellent desserts were large & spectacularly presented. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Le Bocage ($$$$-) [Nouvelle French] -- Watertown 72 Bigelow Ave (nr Mt Auburn), 923-1210 Nouvelle French food. They often host full course meals w various vineyards & running wine commentaries. Portions are on the light and rich end of the scale, though there's also regular dishes like poached salmon. [=> Boston Globe Review ] L'Espalier ($$$$$$-) [Nouvelle French] -- Back Bay 30 Gloucester St (nr Commonwealth Ave), 262-3023 Very expensive Nouvelle French. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Locke-Ober Cafe ($$$$) [Traditional New England] -- Downtown 3 Winter Place (betw Winter & Washington), 542-1340 American / New England Cuisine in a wonderful (some say stuffy) old-Boston atmosphere. At one time it was one of the better restaurants in town, and still remains reliable with a meat-heavy menu, dark, rich decor, good wine list, minimal experimentation. The kind of place where firms take lawyers when they pass the bar or join the firm, or where you might go for a very private dinner. Excellent appetizers & steaks. Reservations a must. Service is good and food, using those famous "best of ingredients", is often excellent [their calves liver is superb] and you can have a good meal for a reasonable price. Their baked alaska is monumental in size, of reasonable quality and served flaming [if you don't want the alcohol, tell your server]. Their indian pudding is also an excellent desert choice. (8/94) Maison Robert ($$$$) [Classic French] -- Downtown 45 School St (betw Tremont & Washington), 227-3370 Classic French w some Nouvelle touches, cooked to perfection. Not very experimental or inspiring, and somewhat meat-heavy, but very consistent and very very good. Upstairs is a formal, though pleasantly open, dining room; Ben's Cafe downstairs has a more modern ambience, with a $22 prix fixe menu available. A rather formal dining experience with knowleadgable, impeccable, though slightly haughty service. One of the best wine lists in Boston esp. for clarets (and also unusual Alsatian wines). Limited list of traditional appetizers, w some pastas and soups changing daily. Very good sauce reductions on the main entrees, and very good desserts, especially the apple tart & souffles) [see long review] Mill Falls ($$$) [Contemporary American] -- Newton Upper Falls 383 Eliot St (at Chestnut), 244-3080; Accessible: Yes Hours: Closed Su, Lunch Mo-Fr only; Prices: Most Dinner Entrees $12-18 Basic & contemporary American food w a lovely view of the falls and a romantic atmosphere. The food can be very good, though often bland, and the prices are really for the view. Dress code; a nice place to take the relatives. Service is pretty good, but can vary. Very good filet mignon; good, and somewhat inexpensive pasta dishes. Lunch is a better deal, especially on a hot day when you can sit on the terrace next to the roaring waterfall. Parker's ($$$) [Traditional American] -- Downtown Omni Parker House, 60 School St (at Tremont), 227-8600, ext 1600 Ritzy atmosphere, with beautifully prepared classic traditional food. Great dessert tray. Pillar House ($$$) [Traditional] -- Newton Lower Falls 26 Quinobequin Rd (Rts 16 & 128), 969-6500 Dress: dressy; Reservations: suggested; NonSmoking: completely While the clientele is often "older", the food is universally excellent. They also offer a single table actually in the kitchen so you can watch dinner being prepared! There is only one "chef's table" and it only seats four, but it is a very different experience! [=> Middlesex News Review ] Plaza Dining Room ($$$$+) [Continental] -- Back Bay Copley Plaza Hotel, Copley Sq, 267-5300 Expensive Continental food. Sunday Brunch available. Veronique ($$$) [French] -- Brookline (Longwood) Longwood Apts, 20 Chapel St, 731-4800 Hours: Closed Mo, Open Su til 9pm; Prices: Most Dinner Entrees $14-20 Classic French cuisine. Eclectic / Nouvelle American / Californian / Cafes ************************************************** 29 Newbury St ($$$-) -- Back Bay 29 Newbury St (nr Berkeley), 536-0290 Nouvelle at quite reasonable prices. Gracious, attentive, pleasant service in comfortable surroundings despite its chic reputation. Excellent flavors, wonderful presentations, and enormous portions, all at very reasonable prices (e.g. $15 for an excellent veal risotto, and $6-7 for an excellent large fried calamari appetizer). Tasty duck soup too. A decent wine list as well. [=> review ] Bennett St Cafe ($$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St, 661-5005 Pleasant environment w decent food. They now have a dessert buffet, Fr&Sa 9pm-midnite, $7/person Biba ($$$$) -- Park Square 272 Boylston St, 426-7878 Trendy and stylish but informal, strange and unusual food combinations, food that can be showy but inedible; people's reactions vary widely from "it's amazing" to "how awful". Richly flavored food, but not heavy, w relatively generous portions. The wide ranging menu has some great individual dishes, but you won't necessarily get a great meal overall. High energy room intriguingly designed, somewhat lacking in comfort, tables spaced closely. Good service. Excellent but expensive wine list. First course $8-$16, entrees $15-25. Good bets are the lobster and the spit-roasted quail. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Black Crow Caffe ($+) [Cafe] -- Jamaica Plain (Hyde Sq) 403 Centre St (at Perkins), 983-9231 T: the #39 bus stop at Perkins and S. Huntington; Small, excellent full-service California-style casual cafe, w an emphasis on fresh fish and expertly cooked seasonal vegetables, and light flavorful dishes that may use regional or ethnic flavorings as inspiration, w attention paid to presentation. Pizzas, extravagant desserts, Beer & wine also too. Friendly service. Prices are not cheap for a cafe, but not out of line for the quality. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Blackbird Baking Company ($+) [Cafe] -- Allston 1032 Commonwealth Ave (nr Brighton Ave), 739-9755 Hours: Dinner Wed-Sat w live music, Sun Jazz Brunch 9:30-2:30 Blackbird Baking Company is possibly the best of the new cafes that are burgeoning around town. The owners and wait staff are friendly and relaxed, and the cafe is as well. So while the food is excellent, the cafe doesn't exude the hip pretentiousness that its Back Bay and South End cousins do. Not to say the place isn't interesting. In fact, when you walk in, your eye is immediately drawn to the colorful mural behind the serving area, which is a collage of Miro takeoffs, painted by one the owners. The love of things Spanish extends beyond Miro -- they serve a really nice selection of tapas (along w a variety of sherrys). The restaurant is partly a front for an excellent bakery, now supplying baked goods to a variety of other restaurants as well. But this place is more than just a fine place to have a capuccino and baked goods. The food here is creative and tasty as well, and changes seasonally. For lunch and late evening, there is eclectic snack food, including tapas, a very good baked brie, unusual veggie combo sandwiches, and dips such as a mashed fava beans and eggplant dip, which is nice and light; it's slight lack of flavor is made up by the terrific toasted bread served with it. At dinner, there are a variety of entrees (many on the light side) as well, artfully presented. Soups tend to be very good, including a subtle but flavorful squash soup, and a wonderful rich garlic soup. Salads are very nice, with very flavorful and well balanced salad dressings. The warm noisettes of lamb salad w chevre and pinenuts is excellent. Leave room for dessert, including one of the best blueberry cheesecakes in town (9/94) [=> review ] Blue Room ($$$-) -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq) 1 Kendall Sq (On Hampshire St), 494-9034, T: Red Line @ Kendall Sq Very good unusual combinations of multi-ethnic grilled foods; always an innovative menu and very pleasant ambience. I love it, because of the flavorful, exciting, well-prepared dishes, and the majority of the are very positive, but others have been disappointed. It is possible here to go for entrees, or just stick to the appetizers; a group can graze nicely on appetizers for less money. They have a fairly well-stocked bar with some unusual entries, like their own list of flavored grappas, as well as special beers from the Cambridge Brewery next door. They also offer free parking for a nearby garage. On weekends they have live performers, and they periodically host reservation-only shindigs with all-you-can-eat-and-drink buffets. Excellent Sunday brunch & evening buffet. [=> reviews ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Blue Wave ($$) -- Back Bay 142 Berkeley St (betw Stanhope & Columbus), 424-6711 Hip, interesting menu, a good value, can be noisy. A bright open atmosphere; one of the most Californian restaurants in town. Food is ample, tasty & reliable. The salads, pizzas & roast poultry are all first rate, with most entrees in the $9-13 range. Well chosen wine list w nice selection of wines by the glass. The atmosphere is fun, but noisy. (7/94) Botolph's on Tremont ($$$-) -- South End 569 Tremont St (betw Dartmouth & Clarendon), 424-8597 A cafe menu w wonderful appetizers and entrees served all day; the food is very flavorful, though some dishes are overly rich. Good calamari in a nice light batter & great sweet potato fries w w maple sour cream. Great foccacio, wacky gourmet pizzas -- the bbq pork & onions is esp good. Excellent skewered veggies w rice noodles & pnut sauce; superb penne w tomoatos, gorgonzoal & wild mushrooms. The risooto is very tasty but way too oily, and the duck ravioli is very falvorful but the buerre blanc sauce is way too rich. Center Street Cafe ($+) [Cafe] -- Jamaica Plain 597 Center St, 524-9217 T: Orange Line / Arborway Bus (E Green Line extension) @ Green St Cozy cafe w great food and vegetarian options. Also an excellent Sunday Brunch served from 9am - 3pm Claremont Cafe ($+) -- South End 535 Columbus Ave, 247-9001 [=> Boston Globe Review ] Cornucopia on the Wharf ($$$) -- Waterfront 100 Atlantic Avenue, 367-0300 The consensus is that you will find delicious, creative food in a comfortable atmosphere, w great views and ambience, and an emphasis on fruits & vegetables, but not vegetarian. It's not cheap, but food and service is good and location is especially nice in the summer. An opposing review suggests that the food is good but not great, and that there is better dining elsewhere. Recommended dishes include the lamb on a pizza style circle of polenta, grilled portobello mushroom carpacio, duck w figs, seafood specials, oven-roasted lobster w veg enchilada, white chocolate bread pudding. Good wine list. Eat downstairs, where the kitchen is, so you won't have over-tired waiters. (7/94) [=> negative review ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Dakota's ($$$-) -- Downtown 34 Summer St/101 Arch St, 737-1777 Food is good, fresh and creative, the service is quick, but the room can be too noisy to hear across a large table. For lunch, its probably the perfect place for salesmen to bring their slightly-hip but ultimately-not-too-hip prospects. Try the lobster dishes -- especially the mesquite grilled lobster, the lobster tempura, and Dakota's lobster. East Coast Grill ($$+) -- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 1271 Cambridge St (nr Prospect), 491-6568 Very very good. No reservations. Excellent bbq and jerk dishes, made next door at Jake & Earl's, as well as superb grilled fish (esp tuna), veggies, and fruits. Terrific veggie platter (w or w/o dairy), great salads, and terrific desserts. Very nice collection of bottled microbrewery beers that go well w the food. However, recent reviews have been mixed, naysayers found the food undercooked and uninteresting. [=> reviews ] (8/94) Fine Arts Restaurant ($$) -- Symphony Area in the Museum of Fine Arts , 465 Huntington Ave, 266-3663 Considering that it's a museum restaurant, this place is amazing. The ambiance is quite nice, and the food is actually rather good. The menu is all over the place, nouvelle, regional, whatever. Often, dishes are intended to match up with featured exhibits at the museum. Good starters of two smoked salmons and ceviche; very good lemon roast chicken (and enough for a picnic the next day!). The venison chilli in corn bread is a bit monotonous, but OK in smaller quantities. Quite good wine list, some wines as low as $17, reasonable prices for what you get. Very pleasant setting, especially if you can get a table near the window. It's the obvious place to go if you're going to a concert or movie at the museum, not a bad choice if you're headed to the theater district. NB: if you tell the people at the entrance to the museum that you're going to the restaurant, they normally won't make you pay the museum entrance fee. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Hamersley's Bistro ($$$$) -- South End 553 Tremont (at Clarendon in Boston Center for the Arts), 423-2700 The new location in the Cyclorama bldg is more elegant than than the old, and the clientele seems richer and better-dressed. Service is generally impeccable, but since they cater to a well- dressed middle-aged crowd, service can potentially be a problem if you're out of place. Food continues to be very good -- delightful, interesting, meticulously prepared. Try the veal chop, or the roast chicken w garlic, lemon & parsley. Interesting wine list also. The environment is pleasant though it can be overly noisy at times. Caveat: you'll need reservations, and you'll need to reconfirm them the day you plan to dine. About $55/person w first course, main course, dessert, & 1/2 bottle of their cheapest wine ($20/bottle) per person. [=> dissenting review] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Harvard St Grill ($$$+) [Nouvelle American] -- North Brookline 398 Harvard St, betw Beacon & Comm Ave, 734-9834 Expensive but wonderfully prepared food; reasonable portions, though big eaters will leave hungry; great wine list; very warm & friendly owners. Try the rack of lamb with hoisin sauce, and the chocolate ganache flan. The place is small and reservations are always needed. [=> review ] Harvest ($$$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 44 Brattle St, 492-1115 Well prepared interesting food, a bit pricy [some say overpriced], in a very Cambridgy [some say stuffy] atmosphere crowded w upscale academic types, and decent service. Sometimes quite creative, but not always successfully. Very good wine list, and a wonderful place for a business lunch. A bit expensive for Sunday brunch ($10-15), but go early for great Eggs Benedict. The attached cafe is good for smaller and simpler meals. Icarus ($$$$-) -- South End 3 Appleton St (betw Arlington & Berkeley), 426-1790 Creative food which keeps getting better, nice atmosphere. Try the polenta w mushrooms, thai squid, grilled tuna w cumin & coriander, scallops w black ink ravioli stuffed w white beans, grilled salmon w lemon sauce. Mixed reviews on the hazelnut sweetbreads. Avoid curried pork tenderloin & grilled chicken. Wonderful desserts, eclectic wine list. Romantic setting. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Jasmine Bistro ($$) -- Brighton Center 412 Market St, 789-4676 A small storefront, made elegant, serving Hungarian Goulashes, nouvelle pasta, curries, kabobs, and more, presided over by the ex-chef of the Cafe Budapest and his family. All the food is excellent, with high quality ingredients, subtly spiced, and yet the prices are very reasonable. Exceptional choices include the tuna cake appetizer, veal gulyas, lamb curry, and the chocolate mousse. They also do a take-out business. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Jaspers ($$$$+) [NE Regional] -- Waterfront 240 Commercial St (at Atlantic Ave), 523-1126 Fresh native New England ingredients sensually prepared. Definitely worth going to every couple of years. Prepares some of the best seafood in town. Marco Solo ($$+) -- Newton (Chestnut Hill) [The Atrium] Recently opened by the ex-manager and son of the owner of Legal Seafood, and already quite popular. The olive sampler is an unassuming little bowl of perhaps half a dozen different varieties of olives and an exquisite olive pate. The chicken sate was done to perfection & the grilled chicken was tender, moist, but minimally spiced if at all, accompanied by a sauce that was tastier than it was hot. The create-your-own salads are huge -- basic Caeser/Garden/Spinach salad to which the customer can add such things as calimari, grilled mushrooms, roasted peppers, etc. Desserts, including the flourless passover cake & the white chocolate cheesecake are terribly rich and terribly good, and can be got with a very good cappucino. Lunch for 2, about $35. Marais ($$$) -- Downtown 116 Boylston (betw Charles & Tremont), 482-7799 Pricy. Other reviews have recommended the chicken bstilla, goat cheese terrine, lamb w polenta, chocolate pava & clafouti. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Moka ($) [Cafe] -- South End next to Back Bay Station Moka explicitly calls itself a California cafe -- we're talking about a very self-consciously casual interior setting, with both table service on the upper level (including a livingroom sofa) and take-out counter service on the lower level. Al fresco dining, too, when weather permits. The menu is soups-sandwiches-burritos-pizzas, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and artful combinations. All in all, a great place to hang out. Cheap for dinner (under $10 a meal), average for lunch, as far as prices. Just slightly higher price, but much much better value than, say, Au Bon Pain. GoodDishes: The burritos are big and tasty, and one of the best value on the menu. The baked brie is delicious, as well as the mushroom/leek duxelle sandwich. Soups of the day, such as the carrot w cilantro, are superb. Interesting polenta dishes too, such as the red pepper polenta w wonderfully rich pestos of basil, and of spinach & dried tomato on the side. Also, delicious desserts, incl a sweet potato pie with whipped cream that's very rich, but not too sweet, and a nice white chocolate covered mousse. Good coffee too, and wonderful almond-flavored milk. BadDishes: The pizzas are individually sized, meaning small, and somewhat disappointing: e.g. a chicken-pesto topping rested in the center of a too-tough square crust like an oversized hors-d'oeuvre. No sauce held the ensemble together; a couple of bites and the whole thing crumbled into fragments, spilling the topping off. Ambience/Service: Nice atmosphere, eclectic clientele, beer and wine license, and friendly service, although the tables inside tend to get slighted when the tables outside get busy. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Noelle ($+) -- Cambridge (Porter Square) 1755 Mass Ave (nr Linnean, betw Harvard & Porter Sq), 491-7750 T: Red Line @ Porter Sq, #77 Bus Mixed reviews. While some have found the food to be good and well-prepared, others thought the food uninspiring and mediocre. However, the prices are low ($7-12), although the main courses might be a little bit small if you're very hungry. Lunches are also a good deal, and the homemade soups are very good, esp the clam chowder. Try the spicy "Chicken Noelle", the steak tips, fra diavolo, and the excellent pork chop special. The specials seem to be higher-priced than the menu items. Some interesting beers on tap, incl Sam Adams, Bass & Tucher. [=> review ] The "posh" Cambridge facade belies a very friendly restaurant. Service is VERY friendly and VERY professional/formal at the same time; pretty much they start out on the formal side until they decide they can relax a little. There are two floors; the downstairs room feels a bit too much like a basement painted white; the bright, airy, skylit upstairs area includes a bar area, and seats around 20, but a dark ceiling makes the lighting somewhat difficult. No smoking, Wheelchair accessible. On the Park ($$+) -- South End 1 Union Park (on Shawmut Ave), 426-0862 An absolutely delightful hole-in-the-wall with friendly informal service, and uniformly delicious food. The daily specials are reliably good, as are the standbys - garlic chicken is a perennial favorite. The wine selection is thoughtful and changes month to month. Reminiscent of Hamersley's Bistro, but a little less formal, a little more friendly and crowded, and less expensive. Providence ($$$$-) -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) 1223 Beacon (at St Paul), 232-0300 A mix of Tuscany & nouvelle New England food in a room transformed from its former stuffiness to funky w columns, fireplace, blue cobalt ceilings, black marble pillars, gargoyles everywhere, and interesting lighting. The menu is set up like Biba's but is more interesting. Mixed reviews, though most are very positive, citing subtly presented, excellently prepared great food; the negative reviews argue that the food is complicated, but not complex. The pastrami-style veal, which usually gets rave reviews, also can be mealy and fatty. One person loved the thick braised pork chop over white beans and cabbage; another thought that it was ok, but not as good as Porterhouse Cafe's. Go figure. Great vegetable side dishes too w lots of flavor, unlike insipid renditions elsewhere. You will either love or hate some of the more unusual appetizers like the fruity(!) squash polenta w grilled squid. Desserts still need improvement, though the chocolate fondant cake is excellent. Service also seems to be extremely variable. Entrees from $7-20, appetizers and desserts from $5-$9. Good wine list in the >$15 range. Reservations needed, though even with them there can still be long waits. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Seasons ($$$$$-) -- Fanueil Hall Bostonian Hotel, 9 Blackstone St (nr North St), 523-3600 Excellent food, with different fixed prices depending on the # of courses, and a beautiful overall presentation of dishes. An excellent ham appetizer, and the fried sweetbread appetizer is exactly the right crispiness; "Brings to mind my grandmother's best turkey stuffing, only much better". Excellent soups include the Nantucket & Sweet Corn Chowder, and the lobster chowder; the carmeized onion soup has a good flavor, but the texture is off. Excellent wine list as well, though not very many wines are available by the glass. Small Planet ($$) -- Back Bay 565 Boylston nr Dartmouth, 536-8993/4477 Groovey vibes, nice service, reasonable prices, casual, gets louder later. A colorful place serving multicultural food which is quite good, but lacks the extra something that would make the food exceptional -- on the other hand, the food seems lower in fat that similar food elsewhere. Try the jerk chicken salad, gourmet pizza, ratatouille, quesadilla, fried conch, veggie risotto. The kitchen can be slow at lunchtime. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Sonsie ($$$) -- Back Bay 327 Newbury St, 351-2500 Well, the food is supposed to be quite good, especially entrees like the Filet of Sole in Chervil Sauce & the Roast Lamb Stew. But beware the ambience -- the crowd is young and affluent and mostly foreign... which is to say, you'd better be hip, urban, and xenophilic or you may feel a little out of place. It's an absolute poser's paradise, only slightly less pretentious than the Emporio Armani Express. The wait staff is, naturally, also hip and snooty, and if you're not a Newbury St regular, the service may be lacking unless you order an expensive meal. [=> review ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] St Botolph ($$$-) -- South End 99 St Botolph (at W. Newton), 266-3030 A pleasant open sunny casual techno-brick environment, w slightly formal but very pleasant service. The same cafe menu as Botolph on Tremont is served at lunch; separate dinner menu. St Cloud ($$$) -- South End 557 Tremont St (at Clarendon), 353-0202 Interesting Nouvelle American cuisine serving some of the best food in town, visually appealing, though not always exceptional. For example, the veal, though high quality, can be bland and boring, making the appetizers and potatoes au gratin the highlights of a dinner. Small menu, but each offering is equally appealing. The portions are not huge; rather, they are perfectly sized so you can eat an appetizer or salad, an entree, a dessert (which can be quite large though), and a cappucino and not feel bloated when you leave. The atmosphere is typical snobby, arty South End, but don't let that deter you. Now serving a dessert buffet 11pm-1am on weekends. Tam O'Shanter ($$) -- Brookline (Washington Sq) 1648 Beacon St, 277-0982 Good food, good value, live music later in the evening. Often food combines unusual ingredients that work perfectly [but not always]. Good inexpensive food on the menu too; try the meat loaf. Perfect for lunch & Sunday Brunch as well. Union Square Bistro ($$) -- Somerville (Union Sq) 16 Bow St, 628-3344 Good food, romantic atmosphere, reasonable prices, very friendly service, easy to park. There's a bar/lounge on the first floor, almost always empty and you can get any of the food downstairs as well as up. Upstairs is a light and airy dining room, with windows along one side that open up onto a roof deck used for outdoor dining. The food ($7-$12 for entrees) is all superb, esp the very onionny french onion soup, baked lamb, an incredibly tender osso bucco w garlicky potato cakes ($11), and a huge wonderful paella ($13). Good bread too. You can order from a separate "Nutritionally Correct" menu, then blow it all on one of their really decadent desserts, such as the chocolate mousse cake with fresh raspberry sauce, or some of the best the home-made expresso ice cream in the city. (8/94) [=> review ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Upstairs at the Pudding ($$$$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 10 Holyoke St (off Mass Ave), 864-1933 Expensive, but romantic & sublime -- very good imaginative cooking, though the result can be extraordinarily variable. Game meats are a specialty. Reasonably priced lunches. For dinner, the best bet (though expensive) is the complete dinner. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Water Cafe ($$-) -- Jamaica Plain 701 Centre, 522-6458 Pleasant place to eat. Try the barbecued duck & white bean empanada, and the cajun seafood gumbo. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Ethiopian Restaurants ********************* Addis Red Sea ($+) -- South End 544 Tremont St (betw Dartmouth & Clarendon), 426-8727 Good well-spiced Harrar food, more than adequate portions. For folks who don't know much about Ethiopian food, the numerous combination plates provide excellent samplers. Intimate seating; authentic woven tables, close together. Fancier, larger menu & higher prices than Asmara. Heating problems on cold days. Down one flight; not wheelchair accessible. Asmara ($+) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 739 Mass Ave, 497-9635/864-7447. T: Red Line @ Central Sq Quite good Eritrean food, especially for the price, and good service too. Small and family run, this place has a limited menu and a very relaxed atmosphere, with an incredibly warm & hospitable owner. The food is inexpensive and pretty good, though a lot of the dishes do seem very similar to each other, both in description and taste. It's a great place to go with a group to talk, since the style of eating puts you around a central platter and really forces you to interact. Intriguing homemade honey wine also. Good vegetarian options. Indian Restaurants ****************** Akbar India ($+) -- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 1250 Cambridge St, 497-6548 Very good buffet, unusual South Indian items like black doughnut, sambar, masala dosai. Try the samosas, allo bada, dahi vada, garlic naan, tandoori fish, chicken, and shrimp masala special. [=> menu ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Barbeque's International ($+) -- Allston [Look under Bbq Listings] Bombay Bistro ($$-) -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) 1353 Beacon St, west of Harvard, 734-2879 Excellent Indian food w a very pleasant slightly upscale ambience. focus is not on hot and spicy food, but on food which is very flavorful, fresh and well-prepared. This is possibly the least oily Indian food I've ever had. Good sheesh kabobs & tandoor. Also try the makhabar curry, chicken tikka, chicken or seafood xacuti, and sour chicken soup. Also excellent vegetarian dishes, including a very flavorful aloo chole, as well as an excellent eggplant in tamarind sauce. Excellent breads including terrific papadum topped w onions and cilantro, kulcha, and peshwari nann. A good beer selection, but also check out the yogurt drinks, esp. the one with saffron. Service isn't super speedy, but acceptable. Not very wheelchair-accessible or particularly child-friendly though. Quite popular; even a line on weekday nights. Bombay Club ($$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 57 JFK at Winthrop, 661-8100 Better than average, and perhaps the best in Boston for taste, atmosphere, and lower-than-usual oiliness, with an adventurous menu to boot. The kadai (similar to a wok) dishes are particularly good and relatively low-fat. Also try achar gosht [for spice freaks], chicken methi, lamb shorba, veggie curries, reshmi kebab, kachumber salad, the kadai dishes, the nan, prawn saag & (for dessert) badami kheer. South Indian brunch on weekends w idlis, sambar. North Indian buffet weekdays for $6 incl tandoori chicken, which is good, and a number of other excellent dishes, incl basmati rice, lentil soup, minced beef and peas, a veggie zucchini dish, and excellent rice pudding for dessert. Also yogurt, and superb mint, onion and sweet chutneys. (8/94) Bombay Mahal ($$-) -- Waltham Moody St Mixed reviews. Some folks really like this place, especially the very tasty bhaigan bharta. A great, though slightly pricey, South Indian brunch on Sundays from 12-3 w good dosai and Dahai Burra. Some questions about sanitation, though recent reviews have not seen any evidence of uncleanliness. If they're playing insipid rock music, ask them to play Indian music instead. (8/94) Cafe of India ($+) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 52a Brattle, 661-0683 One of the best in the square, reasonable prices too. Try bhindi masala kadahi, aloo chole, baingan bharta Delhi Darbar ($+) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 14 Holyoke St, 492-8993 Pretty good overall, w excellent weekend brunch -- some say even better than Bombay Club's -- though they overuse their tomatoey sauces. Special menu of South Indian vegetarian dishes served Sunday afternoons. Very extensive menu, and they will adjust the spices on any dish as you wish. Try the chicken w spinach, tandoori mixed grill, chick pea dish, mango lassi India ($+) -- Somerville (Davis Sq) 256 Elm St, 354-0949, T: Red Line @ Davis Sq Prices: Entrees $8-10; Veggie Options: lots Mixed reviews, food said to range from excellent to uninspired -- nothing particularly original, but there are generally no unpleasant surprises, the food is nicely spiced, and the prices are reasonable, for adequate, though not generous portions. Not very busy often (even on Sat nights), so the place is kind of dark & quiet (unless they happen to be cranking the tinny-sounding Indian music) and service is usually fast and attentive, but can be careless. Good bhajia, breads, chicken tandoori, curries & mango lassi, but the vindaloo is too mild and the nan can be stale. Make sure they give you the chutney assortment (it's free for the asking); the red onion stuff is particularly good. This place lends itself to the "everybody picks a dish and samples a little of each" school of ordering, so bring friends. (8/94) India Palace ($+) -- Somerville (Union Sq) 23 Union Sq, 666-9770 Prices, serving size, service, and food quality are all excellent. Particularly good dishes include the garlic naan (w lots of garlic), the subtly flavored chana masala, the chicken saag, and a saag aloo that is very hot but still retains the separate flavors of the spinach and the spices. They also have a pretty good lunch buffet on Fridays and Saturdays. Romantic Indian music videos for ambience. (8/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] India Pavillion ($+) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 17 Western Ave (at Mass Ave), 547-7463, T: Red Line @ Central Sq Quality of food can vary, but often excellent, and cheap. The Pullao dishes are tasty but somewhat greasy. Superb carrot (gazer) halwa! Not a particularly insprired or exciting menu, but decent cheap standard Central Square Indian fare. Always full and can be quite cramped, a wait on weekends. They'll vary the spicyness on request. Lots of veggie options. India Quality ($+) -- Kenmore Sq 536 Commonwealth Ave, 267-4499 Funky place, but one of the best Indian restaurants with Punjab (North Indian) cuisine, and very reasonably priced. Try the Chicken Dahiwala, Beef Shajahanai, Beef Kabab Masala & Chicken Tikka. Also excellent breads, esp the chapati, garlic naan & spinach poori. Food tends toward the hot side. [=> Boston Globe Review ] India Samraat ($+) -- Back Bay 51a Mass Ave, 247-0718 Mixed reviews. Some say forgettable yucky food; others like the lamb jalfrozie & chicken tikka masala Indian Cafe ($$-) -- Brookline (Washington Sq) 1665 Beacon St (at Winthrop), 277-1752 Green Line: C train, Tappan St stop (at Star Market) Standard Indian fare, very high quality, better in some ways than the more popular Bombay Bistro in Coolidge Corner, esp since the wait staff here is very pleasant and congenial. Above average tandoori dishes and shrimp samosas. One note: if you like your food spicy-hot, make sure you ask for 'hot'. Nice decor, spacious room. Very open feeling with large windows looking out onto Washington St, but avoid sitting by the window; it feels kind of like you're in a fish bowl. The overall ambience is very pleasant though. Open till ~10:30pm. Wheelchair accesible. Lots of veggie dishes. Very child-friendly. Indian Globe ($+) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 474 Mass Ave, 868-1866 Reasonable prices. Good for take out. Try the Malia Kofta Kebab-N-Kurry ($+) -- Back Bay 30 Mass Ave (betw Beacon & Marlboro), 536-9835 A good value for pretty good, and often excellent food, though some dishes are only so-so. Really good chicken kachumbar salad, chicken jal frezi and do piaza. The vegetable kofti curry is flavorful and piquant, and the marinated lamb uses good quality meat and actually tastes like lamb, but the mint chapathi is just mediocre. It's a very small place, and there can be a long wait on weekend nights. Little India ($+) -- Waltham Moody St Reasonably priced, good veggie fare, tandoori chicken, and various biryanis Maharajah ($+) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) 2088 Mass Ave (at Walden), 492-9538, T: Red Line @ Porter Sq Mixed reviews. A small place which doesn't look like much on the outside, but some think it's superb, esp for vegetarians, w great service; others think the food is awful or at least boring. Very good light dal, alu gobi, chicken tikka masala, good tandoori & curries, but avoid the baingan bartha. Selection at different levels of spicyness, though specializes in especially spicy food. One reviewer though the place was awful w chicken curry that looked like dogfoof on minute rice, w awful service too. Cheap, but some concerns w sanitation -- one reviewer saw a rat sliding out the door. (7/94) New Mother India ($$-) -- Waltham 336 Moody St, 893-3311 Kind of pricey, since they got a modern, swanky mauve storefront, but very good food, though now somewhat less spicy. Lots of bottled beers. Service recently reported to be problematic. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Oh Calcutta ($+) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 468 Mass Ave, 576-2111 Favorite of many Indian connoisseurs, especially for lunch. Good for dinner too; try golden biryani Passage to India ($$) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) 1900 Mass Ave, 497-6113 The food gets mixed reviews. Good bets are the special dal nan, and the vegetarian stuffed pepper, a roasted yellow pepper with a chili-flavored sauce. Service is friendly, place is comfortable and warm. Shalimar ($$-) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 546 Mass Ave, 547-9280 Great place for dinner, w a few things that don't show up at other places, like the Shrimp Do Piazza [which is entirely different from the Lamb Do Piazza]. Realiably high quality, w extra points for freshness & adjustability of spice level. Taj India ($+) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 781 Main St (nr Mass Ave), 354-4984 Decent inexpensive lunch buffet which is an excellent deal. Good service. They now have a liquor license. Tandoor ($+) -- Arlington Mixed reviews, with the worst saying that Tandoor serves small portions of cheap Indian fast food and doesn't pretend to rise above medicrity or be anything more. Tandoor House ($$-) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 567 Mass Ave, 661-9001 Reasonable prices, excellent tasty Mogul style food, friendly service, though it can be noisy when crowded. Good & cheap for lunch. But the food can be greasy, and the chicken pullao can include bits of gristle and cartilage; might be best to go vegetarian here. Taste of India ($$-) -- Watertown 91 Bigelow Ave (nr Mt Auburn), 926-1606 Indian food on a par with the best in Cambridge, but without the traffic. Try the paneer dish from the small section of specialties on the menu. Indonesian Restaurants ********************** Little Bali ($$) -- Somerville 300 Beacon St, 547-1700, joint w Jimmy Mac's Mixed reviews on the food, which is a combination of Javanese/Sumatra/ Balinese. They have gado-gado, chicken and pork satays, bami kecap (pork), opor ayam (chicken), but no nasi goreng. They have a vegetarian dinner as well. Some say the food is good, others say its way too greasy. Service was fair; they seemed to not have enough kitchen staff to really keep up with a Saturday night crowd. The place has very interesting bbq decor with some Indonesian bits thrown in, and as Jimmy Mac's, they still offer a bbq menu as well. Seating for about 20. They have what they call a rijstaffel but it's more just a dinner at $35 for 2 persons. You can also get other dinners (about $14) and order a la carte as well. Italian Restaurants ******************* Al Dente ($$) -- North End 109 Salem St, 523-0990 Comfortable, though crowded, place, serving ample quantities of well-flavored good quality food. Moderate prices; pleasant helpful service. Delicious appetizers; succulent clean mussels & a light flavorful rotini of eggplant. Wonderful specialities, particularly a melange of chicken, seafood, artichokes,... w the ubiquitous side of pasta. Go for the specials of the day. Gets busy early in warm weather; always is packed late. Appetito ($$) -- Newton Center, South End 761 Beacon St, Newton Center, 244-9881 1 Appleton St, South End, 338-6777 Prices: Most entrees $10-17 Good food, accent on Italian cuisine, moderate prices; long lines sometimes. Excellent linguine with shrimp, scallops, garlic, tomatoes, basil and scallions and "arrosto di pollo". [=> Boston Globe Review ] Artu ($+) -- North End 6 Prince St (nr Hanover), 742-4336 Pleasant informal place with good Italian bistro food, more eclectic & less expensive than usual for the North End. Good lamb & pork loin. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Azita Ristorante ($$+) -- South End 560 Tremont St (at Clarendon), 338-8070 Combination of Northern Italian & Nouvelle American, stylish & romantic. Very very good, thoroughly modern Italian, moderately pricey. Service is pleasantly informal but attentive. There's a candle-lit annex which looks major-league romantic. Bella Vista -- North End 288 Hanover St, 367-4999 A very attractive place, with a more open feeling than many other North End restaurants. Though there are rarely lines there, this is a wonderful place to go for pasta. The penne pasta with spicy tomato sauce or the ziti al'arrabiata are favorite of vegetarians. The grilled lamb and sausage dish is very good too, well prepared, though it may be slightly tough. Service can be a bit slow. Entrees around $7-10. Amex only. Bertucci's ($+) Faneuil Hall, 227-7889 43 Stanhope, Boston (Back Bay), 247-6161 683 VFW Pkwy, Boston (West Roxbury), 327-0898 4 Brookline Place, Brookline (Village), 731-2300 1 Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge (Alewife), 876-2200 21 Brattle, Cambridge (Harvard Sq), 864-4748 799 Main St, Cambridge (Central Sq), 661-8356 Medford, 396-9933 275 Center St, Newton (Corner), 244-4900 197 Elm St, Somerville (Davis Sq), 776-9241 475 Winter St, Waltham, 684-0650 The most ubiquitous of the wood-fired-brick-oven pizza joints. High quality (if sometimes a bit sparse) toppings. Recommended: Melanzana (eggplant), Nolio (carmelized onion), Fra Diavolo, pesto/proschiutto/artichokes/tomato slices. Excellent rolls, usually served hot. Other Italian entrees and appetizers worth trying: bruschetta, tomato-mozzerella salad, gnocchi. Cioppino portion tasty, but on the small side. Went non-smoking in July. Noisy. Blossoms ($$-) -- Charlestown One First Ave (Rear), Bldg #34, Navy Yard, 242-1911 Bluestone Bistro ($+) [Italian Pizza] -- Brighton, Waltham 1799 Commonwealth Ave (at Chiswick), 254-8309, T: Green Line, C train, Chiswick St stop DineAccess: ok; ToiletAccess: difficult (downstairs) 663 Main St, Waltham, across from town green, 891-3339 Dress: casual; VegOptions: some; ChildFriendly: yes w high chairs Excellent pizzas, pasta, calzones & appetizers at very reasonable prices in a pleasant bistro atmosphere. The food is well-flavored but more importantly, everything here tastes very fresh, including an outstanding tangy tomato sauce w basil, very good on pasta and ravioli. Good appetizers include the smokin' shrimp, and the maple glazed scallops in bacon. Well-balanced salad dressings go on large inexpensive salads; both the house and the Mediterranean salad are good. The vegetarian lasagna, made with mascarpone cheese, is usually superb, as is the wild mushroom (mainly potrabella) dish served over linguine, but the asparagus w crabmeat calzone is disappointing. Small, but very nice wine selection (nice merlot) and hard cider available too. Service is friendly, but can be a bit scattered or inexperienced at times, and waits for food can be stretched by the large take-out business. Busy, so come early or expect to wait. No liquor license yet in the Waltham location. (7/94) Bluestone Boston ($+) [Italian Pizza] -- South End 480 Columbus Ave Used to be a branch of Bluestone Bistro with the same menu, but has since reportedly split off; current status unknown. Caffe Lampara ($$-) -- Allston 916 Commonwealth Ave (nr St Paul's), 566-0300 Good atmosphere, dependable food, great bread. Authentic pizza. Reasonably priced, pretty good wine list. Good fried polenta, lentil soup, salads, antipasto & pastas. California Pizza Kitchen ($+) -- Back Bay & Harvard Sq Eliot St nr JFK, Harvard Sq, T: Red Line, Harvard Sq DineAccess: yes Prudential Mall, Back Bay DineAccess: yes Quite good! Delicious soups and salads, tasty sauces for pasta. The Field Green salad was great, the small was enough for two, with a dozen difficult-to-identify greens in it, and the greek salad is very good as well. Not an Italian style "crust/tomato- sauce/cheese" pizza-place, instead, lots of funky Calif-style pizzas, many with chicken, or more unusual ingredients, such as the very good peking duck pizza. Their Moo Shi Calzone is really weird, but tasty. More unusual and exotic than Bertucci's, but reviews are mixed as to which is better. Also, pizzas come in individual sizes only. Avoid the Black Bean Shrimp and Pasta and beware of flat soda. Good lemonade though. Overall very good service, bright atmosphere, casual but neat. Not too crowded (yet). Beer & Wine. (7/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Cantin Abruzzi ($$-) -- Newton Highlands 51-53 Lincoln St, 964-7260 Family friendly, reasonably priced, pleasant atmosphere, friendly staff. The food is good, though not particularly adventurous, and not as good as it was when it opened in the mid 80's. Often a long wait for tables from Thursday to Sunday. Ciao Bella ($$$-) -- Back Bay 240A Newbury St at Fairfield, 536-2626 Upscale, excellent pasta, but last time I was there, admittedly late at night, the Carpaccio was dry and tasteless. Cinderella's ($) [Italian] -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 901 Main Street, nr Mass Ave, 576-0280; T: Red Line @ Central Sq Hours: Su-We 11am-1am, Th-Sa 11am-2am Food: Very good food, not too spicy; if you like garlic, you will like this place. GoodDishes: Their pasta dishes have all been very good. The sandwiches are also very good. Try the garlic bread at your own risk (risk of garlic-OD, that is). Service: *very* casual, not so fast, but pleasant Ambience: small, half a dozen tables not usually too crowded. Well kept, but not fancy Other: Free, prompt, friendly delivery (8/94) [=> Menu ] Da Natale -- North End 448 Hanover St (nr Commercial), 720-4480 Davio's ($$$-) -- Back Bay 269 Newbury St, 262-4810 Very good tiramisu. Davio's ($$$-) -- East Cambridge Royal Sonesta, 5 Cambridge Pkwy, 661-4810 Very good Nouvelle Italian food in a dressy atmosphere. Try the grilled squid & chick pea crespelle, pizzas, corn chowder, rabbit ravioli, chicken w pappardelle, salmon, skirt steak. In general, the meat & fish dishes are great but perhaps too rich. For dessert, try the white chocolate torte & mango sorbet. Good wine list. Inconsistent service. Also very nice lunches. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Davio's ($$$-) -- Brookline Village 204 Washington St, Brookline Village, 738-4810 Hours: Early Bird Special Mo-Th 5-6:30, Fr-Su 5-6 Prices: Most entrees $12-20 Good Nouvelle Italian food in a dressy atmosphere. Try the salt cod lobster cakes, pasta, duck, lamb & salmon, braised lamb shanks, and rib steaks. Dom's ($$$) -- North End 100 Bartlett Place, off Salem St, 367-8979 DineAccess: difficult; ToiletAccess: difficult CreditCards: yes; OutdoorDine: no Reservations: essential; ChildFriendly: no; Dress: dressy VegOptions: some; LowFat: no; Rating: good to very-good A somewhat eccentric restaurant w mixed reviews. The menu is ummm.. interestingly organized, but Dom or his son will sit down with you to have a detailed serious discussion about your order, and if you express indecision about dishes, on occasion he will offer a small portion of the cheaper one for free or a reduced price. They offer a discount (5%) for cash payments. Food: In general, generous portions of high-quality, Northern Italian cooking, that is sometimes great, and sometimes misses the mark. The use of quality ingredients adds multidimensional layers of flavor to every dish. Outstanding veal dishes, and very fine pasta dishes. Generally good seafood dishes. Risotto and osso bucco are good, but can be overcooked. Some dishes, especially the more expensive ones (including the osso bucco), are simply too rich, without the subtlety or variety of flavoring that redeem them from simply being artery cloggers. Desserts are quite good, especially the chocolate cheesecake, but are overpriced and marred by perhaps the worst espresso in the North End. Beverages: The wine selection is rather expensive. Service: The service can be problematic when they are busy. Even w reservations, you may wait a while to be seated. One can have trouble getting bread and water served, and requests may either be forgotten or fulfilled very slowly. Ambience: You will find the tiny faux brick dining room in the basement to be somewhere between lovely and tacky, and it can be noisy, though the brick walls control the noise levels somewhat. Nevertheless, if you enjoy the food, you will find this a lovely romantic experience. (8/94) Emporio Armani Express ($$$) -- Back Bay 214 Newbury St, 437-0909 Marvelous food, exquisite pastries, very good service. More a scene than anything else, though the food is rather good with superb pizza & risotto. A place for the glitterati. [=> reviews ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Enzo Ristorante ($$+) -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) 329 Harvard St, 277-1288 One of my favorites; very nice ossu buco w risotto, excellent wait staff, moderately priced lunches, nice wines & romantic ambience. Also try antipasto, carpacio, saltimbocca, pappardelle alla bolognese, or anything grilled. Figs ($$) -- Charlestown 67 Main St, 242-2229 Memorable pasta & the best pizza in town; try the calamari pizza or the fig w prosciutto. Wonderful bread too, perhaps even better than the pizza. And try any dessert. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Five North Square ($$$-) -- North End 5 North Sq, 720-1050 Enjoyable food & intimate atmosphere. Great Caeser Salad for 2. Florentina ($$) -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq) 143 Main St, 577-8300 A great place for a cheap, interesting, authentically Italian lunch in a pleasant atmosphere. Much pricier but fairly good food for dinner w great service. Excellent, though somewhat overpriced appetizers, including the antipasto & portabella mushrooms. Excellent pepper pasta w grilled chicken, well made & perfectly spiced, and a very big portion. Excellent tiramisu & cinnamon ice cream. [=> lunch menu ] Giacomo's ($$) -- North End, South End 355 Hanover St (betw Little Prince & Fleet), North End, 523-9026 431 Columbus Ave, South End, 266-1122, 536-5723 A tiny, get-em-in-and-out place, with prompt, but not overly rushed service. Go early or expect a long wait. Not a place for an intimate, lingering evening, but a fun, light, busy atmosphere. The food is better than what might be expected -- excellent Italian-style seafood, though the prices seem a bit high. Giannino's ($$$-) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) in the Charles Hotel courtyard, 20 University Rd, 661-0733 Attractive, quiet place, with wonderful northern Italian food and very pleaant service. Nice ambience incl nice view of the hotel courtyard. It's been suggested, with justification, that the power lunch crowd goes to Rarities, while people who don't need to impress anyone go to Giannino. This is a place where anything you order will be excellent. The wild mushroom w garlic cream sauce is especially good. Also try the eggplant appetizer & the risotto. The desserts are very good also. Many entrees can be ordered in half portions. Excellent wine list with many wines not widely known. G'Vanni's ($$$-) -- North End 2 Prince St (nr Hanover), 523-0107 Consistently excellent food, emphasis on quality meat & seafood, prompt & professional service. Good cream of mushroom soup, excellent seafood pescatore (huge portion!), and superb raspberry cannoli. Good, but not exceptional house wines. Il Capriccio ($$$$-) -- Waltham 53 Prospect St, 894-2234 Excellent Northern Italian food, a great wine list, a tad snooty. Try the lemon mousse nut dessert. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Il Nido ($$$) -- North End 257 North St, 742-4272 L'Osteria ($$) -- North End 109 Salem St (at Parmenter), 723-7847 Nice enough place, not a terribly inspired menu, quiet, not fancy. Dinner for two was under $30, with a couple glasses of wine. La Conte ($$-) -- North End Salem St Small restaurant with excellent food, very generous servings, good, inobtrusive, fast service, and reasonable prices. Excellent spaghetti carbonara and chicken marsala. Ok wine list. La Groceria ($$) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 853 Main St, 497-4214 Mixed reviews. Some say it's still good food, others say it's overrated and overpriced, and eats like "Cambridge WASPS do Italian". Good Penne Amalfi. Beware of coming for the early dinner special, but being seated late. And beware of an older woman who is an especially rude waittress. (8/94) [=>reviews] La Piccola Venezia ($+) -- North End 63 Salem St (betw Cross & Parmenter), 523-9802 Very straightforward, cheap Italian-American food. A fun place w a family feel. The place is small, the tables are VERY close, the waitresses call you dear and put their hand on your shoulder when you order, and the owner's relatives serenade you on accordian. This is an order a pitcher of the house red wine kind of place. The traditional dishes (gnocchi, calamari) are best. Always a wait. Mamma Maria ($$$) -- North End 3 North Sq at Prince St, 523-0077 Pricey, but wonderful food and an interesting menu. Fawning service. Good wine list. A romantic evening in a charming building. Massimino's ($$) -- North End 207 Endicott St, 523-5959 3 min walk from North Station or Haymarket T stations One of the better of the inexpensive North End Italian restaurants. Casual; fast service; off the beaten North End track, which probably helps. Small, unpretentuous, excellent food, especially vegetable dishes. Try the gnocchi Massimino's, potato gnocchi of just the right density, with a robust sauce of olive oil, carmelized onions and black pepper, or the pork chops w potatoes & vinegared peppers. Milano's ($$) -- Back Bay 47 Newbury St, 267-6150 OutdoorDine: yes On Newbury St, but actually has very good food, good prices and good service without the pretense. There is usually a long wait during the weekends and no waiting area. Food: Interesting dishes, incl brick-over pizza, and great pasta. Excellent food, but portions are on the small side; a salad is a must if you are hungry. Tasty desserts, and a nice wine list, Prices: Entree and salad: $10 - $14 per person (8/94) Mother Anna's ($$) -- North End 211 Hanover St (at Cross St), 523-8496 Great food, good portions, reasonably priced. Try the Chicken Creation [kind of Chicken Eggplant Parmesan] & Shrimp Exquisito. Nana Cora's ($$-) -- East Boston 295 Bennington, 569-1551 Small family-owned restaurant w very good moderately priced food, including some excellent made-to-order dishes. Nicole ($$) -- North End 54 Salem St (betw Cross & Parmenter), 742-6999 A wonderful place. Cozy atmosphere, wonderful food, an admirable wine list. It's not cheap, but it's not excessively expensive either. Old Spaghetti Factory ($+) -- Waterfront 44 Pittsburgh St (nr Northern Ave), 737-8757 Inexpensive family restaurant w funky entertaining furnishings. Mostly standard fare except for the excellent spaghetti in browned butter and mizithra cheese. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Olive's ($$$) [Nouvelle Northern Italian] -- Charlestown 10 City Sq, 242-1999, 5 min walk from North Staton T Reservations: no, often long waits Great, though rich and heavy food. Semi-Italian creative, menu changes seasonally. Expensive, but ample portions. The consensus is that the food is rarely disappointing, though some would argue that though there are very original culinary ideas here, execution falls just short of the mark. GoodDishes: Excellent creative seafood dishes, such as whole sauteed red snapper with garlic mashed potates & olive / eggplant chutney, good lamb & duck, excellent desserts. Beverages: The wine list had good selection, and fairly reasonable prices. Bad Dishes: Avoid the (cold) creamed spinach w mushrooms Ambience: A very popular hangout for the well-heeled yuppie and beautiful people set, or for those who totally trust the Zagat guides. The brick-oven, hustle-bustle, very noisy atmosphere can either be very annoying or cozy and romantic, depending on what like. Service: Service is attentive, efficient, and polite, and is better than might be expected given the hustle-bustle. However, service can be extremely slow when they are busy, especially in the bar. [=> review ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] PapaRazzi ($$) -- Newton (Chestnut Hill), East Cambridge, Back Bay Chestnut Hill Mall, Newton, 527-6660 Cambridgeside Galleria, Cambridge, 577-0009 271 Dartmouth St nr Boylston, Back Bay, 536-9200 Lots of people like this place, though I found the pasta entries disappointing, although the Bolognese is quite good, albeit too small a portion. At some Papparazzi locations one can order "grande" portions of pasta, which are intended to feed 3-4 people, for about double the price of a "medio" (regular) portion. Unusual appetizers w very good carpaccio. Mixed reviews on pizza, good salads, good for lunch. Try the antipasto plate, insalata toscana, grilled eggplant & mozzarella sandwich, chicken sandwich & pesto pizza. Good veal dishes, roasted chicken, lobster ravioli, Tuscan sausage. Very reasonably priced wine list. Chestnut Hill is the best location. Also in Burlington and Wellesley. Pomodoro ($$) -- North End 319 Hanover St, 367-4348 A small place w a small menu and an exposed kitchen that can serve some wonderful imaginative dishes, including a nice collection of soups, stews and specials, at reasonable prices. Try the suckling pig. Cash only. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Porcini's ($$+) -- Watertown 68 School St, 924-2221 Most people think the place is great -- imaginative flavorful preparations using quality ingredients (though one dissenting review found the food overseasoned), good portions, moderate prices, pleasant professional waitstaff; overall a very enjoyable place to eat. Excellent Cacciucco (flavorful Italian fish stew); maple-roasted pork rib chop; wood-grilled shrimp w tomatoes, fennel & oyster mushrooms; beef tenderloin tart w risotto & porcini sauce, tuna steak w pimentoes, roasted garlic & tomatoes; pan fried ravioli w butternut squash & prosciutto; exquisite veal; very good Spaghetti Bolognese; and irresistible desserts. The actual entrees available will probably be different when you go though; the menu changes seasonally. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Ristorante Lucia ($$+) -- North End 415 Hanover St, 367-2353 Crowded & pricey, but quite good. Also in Winchester. Ristorante Marino ($$+) [Italian Natural] -- North Cambridge 2465 Mass Ave (nr Washburn), 868-5454 Prices: Entrees $13-18, apps $3-7 All pesticide-free, anitibiotic-free, hormore-free ingredients, though some say this also means that it is flavor-free and overpriced, while others say that the food is excellent. Good pasta but even better roast and grilled meats. Organic vegetables are the highlight, also steroid-free free-range meats. Good sourdough rolls, served w herbed olive oil. Try the porchetta & pasta, butternut squash ravioli, and the roast pork. Better than average wine list. Full bar. Espresso and cappucino available, including decaf. The servers are knowledgable and professional, never rude but not especially friendly. The maiun room has high ceilings with a trellis covered with plants; light, spacious and airy. Well-lit, not smoky. Tables a little too close together. Very busy and popular and weekend evenings - get reservations. Ristorante Toscano ($$$+) -- Beacon Hill 41 Charles St (nr Mt Vernon), 723-4090 Mixed reviews. Some say elegant food, w nice ambience; others say hugely over-rated w boring food & small selection. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Rocco's ($$$) -- Theater District Transportation Building, 5 Charles St South, 723-6800 Pricey, but very good. Similar to Michela's. Wild theatrical decor. Great pasta. Very creamy sauce w the Spaghetti Carbonara. Bread served w olive oil & roast garlic. Interesting wine list. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Sablone's Veal 'N Vintage ($$) -- East Boston 107A Porter St (nr Logan local traffic exit), 567-8140 Excellent veal. Mostly patronized by locals, next to impossible to get in on weekends. Saraceno's ($$+) -- North End 286 Hanover St (betw Cross & Richmond), 227-5353 Great Italian food -- perhaps the best traditional Italian in the North End. Unfortunately not cheap. Get the vegetable side dishes, because someone in the kitchen really knows how to saute. Very good service, lovely presentation of the food. Reservations needed for dinner. A wonderful place to take out of town guests. Saro's ($$-) -- Waltham Main St (Rt 117 nr 128), 899-SARO Not fine dining, but a hole in the wall. Mixed reviews -- from unusual and great dishes, w nice ambience and great jazz on the stereo" to "awful ambience, bored and ignorant waitstaff, no better than what you can make at home". Lots of food though. Schifino ($$$-) -- Downtown 21 Broad St (betw State & Milk), 523-0590 Wonderful restaurant w good friendly service. Superb calamari salad and main courses. Sorento's ($$-) -- West Fenway 86 Peterborough St (betw Kilmarnock & Jersey), 424-7070 Wonderful small casual place; you can taste the garlic when you nter! Service is sometimes flaky, but the food's always very ood here. They know how to cook pasta al dente. Try the Rigatoni ilano, and the reliably good scampi. Good pizzas & calzones too. Spasso ($$) -- Back Bay 160 Commonwealth (at Dartmouth), 536-8656 Yes its a hotspot and a meat market, but the creative Northern Italian food is quite good, and at off hours, it can be a nice quiet little place -- the nice, quiet below-street-level patio seating area that makes it seem you are someplace calmer than the Back Bay. Good service. Prices are moderate, but some claim that the food is overpriced and rumored to be going downhill, and the wine list still leaves something to be desired. Stellina ($$$-) -- Watertown Sq 47 Main St, 924-9475 Bistro ambience, combination of Italian & Nouvelle. Well prepared and flavorful foods. Lots of imaginative dishes at moderate prices. Friendly place. Excellent warm tomato salad, good spicy black bean soup, outstanding bread. Minority opinion is that meat entrees & desserts can be disappointing. (7/94) Terramia ($$$-) -- North End 98 Salem St, 523-3112 Very good Nouvelle Italian food. Entusiastic wait staff. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Trattoria Il Panino: Dining Room ($$$+) -- North End Parmenter St, 2nd floor, 338-1000 Excellent vegetable antipasto, wild mushroom risotto, fresh ravioli stuffed w lobster & mushrooms, veal sauteed in wine & pine nuts. Avoid the chicken w prosciutto in cream sauce. Very good tiramisu, but still lacking good liquor and expresso flavors. If you want water, you must buy it. Popular, make reservations or arrive very early. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Trattoria Il Panino: Il Bistro ($$+) -- North End Parmenter St, 1st floor, 338-1001 [=> Boston Globe Review ] Trattoria Pulcinella ($$$) [Northern Italian] -- West Cambridge 147 Huron Ave (nr Concord Ave), 491-6336; T: #72, 74, 78 bus @ Concord Ave; DineAccess: ok Credit Cards: NO!, checks ok; Hours: Dinner only, Closed Mo An informal cafe serving terrific Northern Italian food, much more relaxed than previous restaurants in this space, but still not cheap. They've made the decor a lot less formal, and it's somewhat noisier than it used to be but still not overly loud. A fair amount of grilled meat and fish and a lot of extra virgin olive oil. The food quality varies from fairly good to superb, with the waiters' suggestions being reliable. Good range of Italian reds wines, adequate whites. (7/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Tuscan Grill ($$$) -- Waltham 361 Moody St (betw Spruce & Walnut), 891-5486 Hours: Dinner Tu-Th til 9:30, Fr-Sa til 10 Reservations: essential; NonSmoking: completely; Dress: casual Very good nouvelle cuisine. Pricey, need reservations, worth it. You can sit at the food bar in the back and watch them cook. The softshell crab is exceptional. Also try the gnocchi, cacciucco, grilled squid, shrimp, steak & duckling. (8/94) [=> Middlesex News Review ] Uva ($$+) -- Brighton 1418 Commonwealth Ave, 566-5670 Nice neighborhood bistro, large portions, good antipasto & pizza, wonderful entrees. Choose your own ingredients for pasta. GoodDishes: Eggplant salad (on the antipasto), crostini w an olive spread. The grilled lamb served tender and perfectly medium rare, over foccaicia, w roasted new potatoes and arugala, chicken saltimbocca (chicken breast served with mozzerella, spinach, prosciutto, and a sage butter sauce that was just wonderful). For dessert, the macademia nut ice cream with a dark chocolate terrine, and raspberry sauce over. Beverages: Extensive & reasonably priced wine list. Service: good Ambience: relatively casual. Prices: It's pricey, but not outrageous. Entrees were $13-20 or so (7/94) [=> mixed reviews ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Vinny Testa's ($$) -- Brookline (Washington Sq), Newton (Four Corners) 1700 Beacon St, Washington Sq, 277-3400 1114 Beacon St (west of Walnut), Newton Four Corners, 332-6767 Outdoor Dining Available in Washington Sq; Accessible: Yes Hours: Open late (11pm or so) weekends Good food with overly enormous portions. Large pleasant room w an informal, comfortable & tasteful atmosphere. You'll be happiest if you stick to simple foods. Good pasta, eggplant, chicken & veal parmigiana, shrimp scampi, and very good salads, though the Caeser salad gets mixed reviews. The bread served with roasted whole garlic in olive oil is great. Meals come in either solo or large size. Solo meals run from about $9-16 & includes a large dish of pasta. The large meals cannot be finished by anyone. For $3.50, you can get a side salad that is served family style and is easily enough for three. Japanese Restaurants ******************** Cafe Mami ($) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) [see Porter Exchange Mall], 547-9130 Very authentic food, but service can be very slow Eliot/Kotobukiya ($+) -- Back Bay Mass Ave, betw Newbury & Commonwealth Ave. There's definitely a niche for a casual, quick, inexpensive sushi bar, the place where you'd go if you just wanted a tekka maki or two and weren't expecting a really stellar experience. Mixed reviews on whether or not the Eliot fills that niche, primarily because the service varies from reasonable to abysmal/nonexistent when crowded. However, the sushi is good (not terrific, but good), and if the wait for sushi is bad, you can always have noodles! (8/94) Cafe Sushi ($$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 1105 Mass Ave (betw Harvard & Central Sq), 492-0434 Just reopening, previously known for good quality food. It's mostly sushi with a few salads and appetizers and one or two other dishes, including hot pots, which are unexceptional. The quality is good. Quality comparable to Roka, with a wider variety of ingredients but fewer interesting combos on the menu. On the other hand, the guys at Cafe Sushi will make you whatever you want if you ask them nicely. For beer, stick to the Kirin. Service can be glacial if you don't sit at the sushi bar, which can be good or bad depending on what you have in mind. Beware of the 15% service charge they add for takeout! Ginza ($$$) -- Chinatown 16 Hudson St (nr Beach), 338-2261 CreditCards: yes; OutdoorDine: no; Reservations: accepted Dress: casual Prices: depending on how much you eat, can run anywhere from $10-20 to $40-50 per person. $4 - $9 for sushi a al carte Food: Majority opinion is that this is one of the best Japanese restaurants around, w a huge selection of excellent sashimi (esp the melt-in-your-mouth salmon) and sushi, including very tasty maki in interesting designs, such as caterpillar, spider, and scorpion, though a minority think that fresher & better quality sushi can be had elsewhere for less. GoodDishes: Perfectly fried tempura. The Ginza boat ($72 for 2 people), a beautiful display of food, comes with sashimi, shumai, tempura, raw beef, baked lobster, plus soup and salad. Service: Generally very courteous and quick. The waitresses are polite and nice. There can be serious screw-ups in service though. Ambience: From the outside, the place looks small but once you go inside, you realize it is really big. There are two huge rooms, the main one has the sushi bar. The place is nicely laid out and well-lit, but the air-conditioner can sometimes be revved up way too high (8/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Goemon ($+) -- Symphony Area 267 Huntington Ave (nr Gainsborough), Boston, 859-8669 Japanese Noodle house with good Soba, Udon, and Ramen with Hot or Cold Broth and a wide choice of toppings, generously provided. There are complaints that at Symphony the soup is served luke-warm w mushy overcooked noodles. Gyuhama of Japan ($$+) -- Back Bay 827 Boylston St (betw Gloucester & Fairfield), 437-0188 T: Green Line @ Hynes Convention Center Good, generally fresh sushi; opinion varies as to whether it is great or not. The "Treasure Boat" is nice looking and has a good assortment, but is overpriced. Avoid anything in the annoying "ice-cream cone" roll...they are too small and hard to eat. Its a small place w a nice setting and the service is generally polite and courteous, though the head hostess can be quite volatile w loud parties, and a recent review warns of extremely inappropriate behavior on the part of the management. Becomes "Rock & Roll Sushi" from 11pm to 2am, which can be fun if you can tolerate or emulate the upscale snobbish clientele. (8/94) [=> reviews ] Hana Sushi ($$-) -- North Cambridge Reliable excellent sushi. The presentation isn't as fancy as some places, but the quality is high. The eel is particularly fine, as is the ohitashi. It is a small, clean place with good service and moderate prices. They deliver, also. (7/94) Ichiban ($$-) -- Allston 166 Harvard Ave (betw Coomonwealth & Brighton Ave), 787-5656 A small storefront, a tad crowded, lower than average prices. A good place to sit at the sushi bar. Good sushi, noodle dishes, esp seafood yaki udon & chachamen noodles & dumplings. Also try the pressed sushi, cucumber roll, spicy tuna, salmon salad, soft-shell crab maki (pretty good, but not quite great), chicken & beef teriyaki. The songpan is ok, but not great, and the miso soup was flavorless. On a Sunday night a few weeks after the place opened, the service was truly awful. Ittyo ($+) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) [see Porter Exchange Mall], 354-5944 Excellent noodle dishes and donburi, especially the eel. Very good Shrimp & Veggie Tempura w Udon. Koto ($$+) -- Cambridge (Fresh Pond) 465 Concord Ave, 491-6600 Small mom & pop sort of place seats 34 people with 6 more at the sushi bar. It may not be the very best Japanese food around, but *great* value -- very good fresh, high quality fish, thickly sliced; the $13.50 chirashi sushi is so jam-packed it's tough to finish; likewise the noodle dishes are usually more than one person can eat. The sushi chef makes some truly novel combination maki! There's an "Early Bird Special" which is a dinner box for $9.50. There is a choice of 5 different boxes, sushi, tempura, chicken teryaki, chicken katsu, and yakitori/yakisoba. The Early Bird Special is offered Tuesday through Thursday 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM. GoodDishes: Octopus, unagi, salmon, uni, plum maki (strong), miso soup, tempura. BadDishes: Rice! Ambience: Pleasant, simple, moderately informal decor; Needs better air-conditioning on hot days. Prices: Appetizer prices ranged from $4 to $8. (8/94) [=> Boston Sushi Society Review ] Kotobukiya ($+) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) [see Porter Exchange Mall], 354-6914 Perhaps the cheapest good sushi in town; the quality is ok, but the ambience and presentation are not fancy, and the pieces are small. (8/94) Maluken ($$) -- Kenmore Sq 645 Beacon St on west corner of Kenmore Sq, 859-3149 Huge menu with lots of variety, especially lots of appetizers. Excellent but expensive fresh thickly cut sushi, good soups & ohitashi. The tempura is somewhat disappointing; the batter is a tad too thick, and too little variety in the vegetables. Miyako ($$+) -- Back Bay 279A Newbury St (at Gloucester), 236-0222 Wonderful sushi and other dishes, with a stylish twist. try the eel and the mackarel oshi sushi, the smoked salmon sushi & the basil & plum paste maki. Nara ($$) -- Downtown 85 Wendell St (at Broad), 338-5935 Very fresh and tasty food. Good selection of sushi and also other dishes for non-sushi eaters. Most of the sushi pieces (except futomaki) are bite sized. Very friendly owner and waitstaff. Frequented by Japanese business folk - always a good sign. Try futomaki (large maki roll), chicken katsu (fried chicken bits w/ veggies), version of California roll using eel rather than crab. Prices are moderate (more than Porter Square, less than Roka). Very busy at lunch, but more relaxed at dinner time. (8/94) Porter Exchange Mall -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) 1815 Mass Ave, T: Red Line @ Porter Sq The place to go for an authentic Japanese eating experience, with a number of little stalls such as you might find at a Tokyo train station -- modest and fresh food, well prepared. Includes Kotobukiya, Ittyo, Cafe Mami, and Sapporo Ramen. There's also Seki Tei, a sit down Japanese restaurant, a Japanese grocery, Shiatsu massage, and Masao's Kitchen -- a macrobiotic restaurant. Roka ($$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 1001 Mass Ave (betw Harvard & Central Sq), 661-0344 Reliably good, fresh sushi, somewhat expensive; also lots of interesting maki rolls. Perhaps not the best in the area, but a good alternative. Not much of a sushi bar; it's more of a sit-down place w good service. Great eel! Watch out for extra charges for extra ginger, wasabi & inside-out California roll. Sakura ($+) -- Waltham on a little street off Rt 117, a block or so from Rt 20, 891-0720 A very nice homey traditional Japanese place in a non-descript clapboard house, reminiscent of a somewhat rundown Tokyo restaurant. Small, maybe 8 tables, service sometimes suffers. Karaoke music. Average but not excellent food. BYOB. Possibly closed Sunday; limited hours in general. Sakurabana ($$) -- Downtown 57 Broad St (nr Milk & State Sts), 542-4311 Excellent sushi, a tad pricey, but a welcome break if you happen to be at Quincy Market and don't relish a dinner of greasy things. Recently redecorated, so its nice inside though rather small. The sushi is still better than many places, and there is disagreement about whether it has gone downhill some. Good Sushi heaven & Boston Maki. Don't forget to look at the specials board near the cash register, because there's always something fun to try. Small parking lot next door, but you need to pay. Sapporo Ramen ($+) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) [see Porter Exchange Mall], 876-4805 Japanese noodle house, very good, just like Japan. One reviewer recently complained about the taste of cinnamon in their ramen. Shogun ($$) -- West Newton 1385 Washington St (nr Elm), 965-6699 Small homey pleasant place, a couple of blocks from the W Newton Cinema. Consistently good food, reasonably priced for Japanese food. Non-smoking. Very low staff turnover. Can fill up as the evening progresses. Good Chicken Katsu. Takeshima ($$) -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) 308 Harvard St (nr Babcock), 566-0200 Pleasant place, reasonable prices, very good food & service. a perfect neighborhood Japanese restaurant. Good sushi and popular enough to be crowded on weekday nights. Tatsukichi ($$+) -- Faneuil Hall 189 State St (nr Atlantic Ave), 720-2468 Very fresh, reliably excellent sushi. Also good cooked appetizers, especially their specialty, kashiage -- little tidbits deep fried and served on sticks. Huge portions of shabu-shabu. Karaoke bar upstairs w stiff cover that caters to Japanese. Tokyo Restaurant ($$$-) -- Cambridge (Fresh Pond) 307 Fresh Pond Parkway, 876-6600 Authentic Japanese food, frequented by visited Japanese business people. Excellent fresh, well prepared sushi in many varieties, and a good yakitori bar also. Don't miss the Dobinmushi (soup). The sushi lunch platters are really nice, but a bit expensive ($12 to $15); the general consensus is that the place is overpriced. Service is on the slow side - not a place to go for a quick meal. Tatami rooms can be reserved for $20 extra, a really nice touch for a quiet, private dinner. Korean Restaurants ****************** Arirang House ($) -- Symphony 162 Mass Ave, 536-1277 The reviews on the food overall seem to vary (other Korean restarants seem to be better), but the reason to come here is the all-you-can-eat buffet for $7.50 (at dinner; for lunch it is $5.50), featuring a great variety of Korean food cooked to all levels of spiciness -- nothing spectular, but still, generally quite good. The meats are a tad fatty, and the jigaes a bit salty, but the pan-chan were good. There are over 20 items at the buffet (almost all Korean) including several types of kim-chi. There's also california roll, but it is mediocre. About the only drawback is that the buffet dishes aren't labeled, so you should ask for help if you're wary of very spicy foods. (9/94) Cafe Han River ($) [Korean] -- Brookline (St Mary's) 1009A Beacon St, 739-6221; T: Green Line C @ St Mary's Hours: 'til 10:30; OutdoorDine: no; NonSmoking: completely; DineAccess: ok; Dress: casual; VegOptions: some; LowFat: pretty good Rating: very-good; Beverages: No alcohol A Korean cafe that looks more like an industrial modern sandwich place -- very clean, brightly lit, a counter down one wall and a few tables. Very pleasant and surprisingly good. Order from the limited menu at the counter for both eat-in or take-out. Very good bibim-bop ($6.25) and bulgolgi on brown rice. Kimchee could be a tad spicier. (8/94) Han Mi Ok ($$-) -- Brighton Center 351 Washington St (nr Market), 783-2090, T: #57 & #86 bus Very good Korean food in a slightly funky but pleasant cozy atmosphere. The food is not as highly spiced as some other places, the portions are larger, and prices are moderate. Very fresh sushi, wonderful noodle soup dishes, especially the seafood ones. Lots of beef dishes, lots of seafood specials on the blackboard, not much for vegetarians. Try the squid dish or the beef bulgogi for a safe intro to the cuisine. The bibimbap is good, too. Sometimes the service can be slow when crowded (mostly w Asians at the sushi bar). Thai & Chinese food too, and the spicy fried squid, under the Chinese menu, is outstanding. No sushi on Wednesdays. Hometown/Kohyang ($$-) -- Somerville (Union Sq) 9A Union Sq, 623-7220 The food quality seems to vary enormously, ranging from delicious to horrible, and on the sushi from below average to fresh & well prepared. Friendly service, reasonable prices, mostly Korean clientele (including some w diplomatic license plates). Try squid Korean style. Kaya ($$) -- Back Bay 521 Boylston St, 236-5858, T: Green Line @ Copley Hours: Open till 11pm daily. Well prepared flavorful dishes, in generous portions, and served at just the right temperature. Good choices are dumpling soup, skewered chicken, yaki gyoza, steak tartare, red snapper shioyaki, galbi, spicy stir-fried squid, bi bim bap, chapchae, tempura udon, green tea & red bean ice cream. Also very good reasonably priced sushi, though the size of slices varies tremendously from visit to visit. Avoid the spicy pork dish, and note that the rice can be gummy. Food can take a while to come, and once it does, you may need to work to get your wait person's attention. Nice place w a lot of greenery, quiet even when crowded w upscale Asian clientele. (8/94) [=> review ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Korea Garden ($$-) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 20 Pearl St, 492-9643 This is a very good, small, family-run restaurant. A nice traditional place w nothing too inventive and a fairly limited menu, but what the place serves is prepared well and consistently. And with lots of garlic! Their Ok dol bi bim bap is excellent, and stone-pot dishes are good also. Lots of Koreans eat here, giving confidence that the food is fairly authentically Korean. Service is friendly and low-key; the atmosphere is casual and relaxed. Reasonable prices. Korea House ($$-) -- Brighton 111 Chiswick St (off Comm. Ave, betw Wash. & Market), 783-7030 One of the better Korean restaurant in Boston, great soup dishes, though some are extremely fiery. Clientele is almost exclusively Korean, therefore there is no such thing as a non-smoking section. Service can be slow since it's a family run place. The restaurant does traditional dishes traditional style (as opposed to Jae's or Han Mi Ok, which adds more vegetables than usual). Best Bul Go Gi and Kim Chee stew around here. Stir-Fried Squid and Bi Bim Bap are also good. Avoid the sushi. Koreana ($$) -- Cambridge (~Inman Sq) 154 Prospect (at Broadway), 576-8661 An ambitious variety of Korean food in a pleasant atmosphere with comfy booths and somewhat variable service. Very fresh sushi; especially the hamachi. The Korean food is really very fiery, though they will make it milder on request (but it will still be quite hot). Some dishes are exceptional (such as the stir fried squid and baby octupus); others are still fairly good, but not as good as elsewhere. Good standard condiments. Open til 1 am some nights. Parking can be a problem. Prices somewhat high. Matsu-Ya ($$) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) 1790 Mass Ave (nr Arlington), 491-5091 Food generally well done, not very spicy though, with good noodle dishes. Reasonable prices. Small place, relatively quiet, though it can get crowded on weekends. A number of complaints, though, about abysmal service. See review.) Seoul House ($$-) -- Newton Center 57 Union St (across from T stop), 244-6438 Small family run place w good, reliable, but slightly suburbanized food. Portions just a tad small; prices just a tad high. The best stuff here is the Galbi and Bulgogi. (9/94) Shilla ($$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 95 Winthrop St (off JFK), 547-7971; Prices: $10-15/person Very good Korean food -- a fun place w a wondeful menu and lots of interesting things to try. They give you the typical korean entries when you order like kimchee and sprouts but they give you a couple more like cucumber and a little seafood type dish, so that is a nice bonus. The food is always well prepared and in generous portions so go with a large appetite! Excellent Bibim Bap, esp. the version in the stone pot, very good cold noodles, and they serve a wondeful huge bowl of soup which includes meat dumplings, rice sticks, noodles, cilantro, and other goodies. The sushi is ok, and reasonably priced, but not always the freshest. Service/Ambience: The service is friendly and courteous. Also very relaxed, so you may need to flag down the waiter/waitress in order to get the eheck, more water, or anything else. Unlike other Korean/Japanese places, Shilla is very wide open and uncramped. The tables are huge and are not in close proximity to other tables, so you don't have to worry about squeezing into a table and practically becoming close friends with the table next to you. They have two stories, but mostly use the first floor. (7/94) WooChon ($$-) -- Somerville (Union Sq) 290 Somerville Ave, 623-3313 Excellent high quality Korean food in a pleasant contemporary setting, often crowded, though still not overly noisy. Woo Chon just came under new ownership (8/94), and the food quality seems to have slightly declined. Could improve again with time, though. Nice group of side dishes come incl with your meal, which they will keep refilling, including spinach, seaweed, kimchee, & marinated tofu. The food tends toward the fiery side. Good sushi, cut in large pieces (even too large for some), and they provide a good amount for the price. GoodDishes: Dumplings, mung bean pancake, bulgoki, bibim pap and chap chae, and the many eel and fish items on the menu provided a pleasant surprise. Great duk man du guk too! Good, piping hot barley tea as well. Beverages: No liquor license, but BYO from across the street. Service: Somewhat variable, but generally quite pleasant. Prices: Reasonable prices, though a tad higher than some competitors. (8/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Kosher Restaurants ****************** Cafe Shiraz ($$-) [Persian] -- Allston [see under Persian] Milk St Cafe ($) [Vegetarian] -- Brookline (Longwood), Downtown 0 Post Office Sq (Franklin & Congress St), 350-7275 50 Milk St (at Devonshire), 542-3663 Rami's Felafel ($) [Israeli] -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner), Downtown [see under Israeli] Rubin's Deli ($+) -- North Brookline 500 Harvard St (nr Commonwealth), 731-8787 Ruth's Kitchen ($+) -- North Brookline 401 Harvard St, 734-9810 Run by an Asian woman who converted to Judaism. Latke's and Szechuan beef right next to each other! Not really a restaurant as much as a prepared foods counter with seating. The food is quite good & reasonably priced. Shalom Hunan ($$-) [Chinese] -- Brookline Village [see under Chinese] Victor's Pizza ($) -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) 1364 Beacon St (actually behind the parking lot), 730-9903 Prices: About $10/large pizza; Hours: Open til 8pm daily, except closes before sunset Fr, Open Sa in winter only after sunset Primarily a take-out place. If you're in Brookline, keep kosher, and want pizza, this is really your only option, aside from making it yourself -- and while the price seems a little high, they are pretty good, albeit somewhat greasy and bland. The pizzas are generally made fresh, but it takes about 10 minutes. [=> review ] Latin American Restaurants ************************** Casa Elena ($+) [Peruvian / Spanish / Mexican] -- Watertown 45 Lexington St (at Main, nr Waltham line), 926-3222 Small, casual, family-run restaurant -- Peruvian owner. Good, well-prepared, interesting dishes, good-sized portions. Service ok, but it can take awhile to get the food. Good fried yucca w carrot sauce, paella. Moderate prices, dinner only. Cecil's ($+) [Latin / Caribbean] -- Downtown 129 South St, 542-5108 Variety of Latin & Caribbean food. Good black bean soup & Jamaican Jerk Pork. El Embajador ($) [Latin American] -- Jamaica Plain 3371 Washington St, 524-6812 Mama Julia ($) [Colombian / Salvadoran] -- East Boston 54 Bennington St, 568-9020 Good Colombian & Salvadoran food, but make sure you speak some Spanish, since the staff doesn't. Cheap delicious soups, and good fish in "homemade" sauce. The main dish comes with a huge plate of rice, beans, banana and a generic salad. The food is very home style and way filling. Pupuseria Quintanilla ($) [Salvadoran] -- Jamaica Plain Washington St, 522-9680 Try Salvadoran pupusas, tamales, arroz negro, shrimp soup. Rattlesnake Bar and Grill ($$-) -- Back Bay 384 Boylston (betw Arlington & Berkeley), 859-8555 Good reasonably priced food, fairly authentic. Urban Canyon Patio in back is nice in the summer. Mediterranean Restaurants ************************* Anago Bistro ($$$) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 798 Main St, 876-8444 Small intimate place serving well prepared Mediterranean- influenced food, pricey, but with a wonderful, very inventive menu and knowledgeable, enthusiastic waitpeople. Often simple food, elegantly presented. Try the pan roasted baby manila clams w rabe, duck croquettes, grilled mushrooms, chocolate rum bread pudding. Reservations needed. [=> Boston Globe Review ] David's ($$$) -- Theater District 123 Stuart St (Transportation Bldg), 367-8405 Gutsy, full-flavored food, creative and well-prepared, in a relaxed atmosphere, with a fun ambience, and with prices relatively low for this kind of place. An excellent place to go when you want to dress up a little and have a nice dinner. Try the spanakopita, shish kebab, grilled squid, and the outstanding desserts. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Moon Woman Cafe ($$+) -- Newton Upper Falls 108 Oak St (betw Highland Ave & Chestnut St), 630-9569 Hours: Tu-Fr 11:30-2:30, 5:30-9:30, Sa-Su 5:30-9:30 DineAccess: ok Creative American/Italian, including pasta dishes and a full gamut of seafood, meat, poultry. Creative breads with a red pepper spread are set out on the tables to whet one's appetite and the wine list is also quite good. The menu is surprisingly large, and there are also daily specials. Friendly and knowledgable. Under Stellina's management w desserts brought in from there (excellent chocolate cake w raspberry sauce). Tables are closely spaced, so it can get noisy. Nice ambience w a bar area & a number of small connected rooms. Large parking lot. Main dishes in the teens to low twenties. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Mexican, Tex/Mex, Southwestern Restaurants ****************************************** Acapulco ($+) -- Jamaica Plain, Back Bay 464 Centre St, 524-4328 Good food, very inexpensive, good service. Try the Camarones Veracruzanos, which is broiled shrimp in wine and garlic with mexican rice and beans @ 7.95. No margaritas, just wine & beer. Armadillo Cafe ($$-) -- Allston 1314 Commonwealth Ave, 2 blocks west of Harvard Ave, 232-4242 Small range of generally reliable, somewhat eclectic Mexican food (though not very hot or spicy) and chicken and ribs as well, all very good. Great smoked chicken quesadillas. Good chips & salsa. Good size portion, reasonable prices -- dinner for 2 w drinks is about $25. Nice decor, service can be slow on off nites. Live Mexican music on week-nights, old rock&roll on weekends. A recent review suggests that the food and service may be going downhill, and live music is just on Wednesday's. [=> review ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Big Burrito ($-) [Tex/Mex] -- Allston Brighton Ave just W of Harvard Transport: 57 Bus, Harvard T Stop (B Line) Fresh, massive quantity for a great price. Most Bs are at $3.95 - $4.95. Basically the idea is a burrito wrapped around rice, lettuce, and fresh cooked meat, made to order. Even cheaper than Boca Grande or Picante, superdelicious, and you won't leave hungry. Excellent beef burrito and cilantro salad. Very friendly pleasant counter service, food came up pretty quick. Not really crowded, but has the atmopshere of a Taco Deli. Designed for a quick bite, not a quiet dining experience. Cash only. Wheelchair accessible. Boca Grande ($-) -- Cambridge (Harvard/Porter Sq & E. Cambridge) 1728 Mass Ave (betw Porter & Harvard Sq), 354-7400 149 First St (nr Galleria), 354-5550 Not ambience or decor, but nice burritos, and cheap. The burritos are all good, including the chicekn, beef, carnitas, and grilled veggie ones; all but the veggie are worth spedning 50 cents on for guacamole. Sometimes more interesting stuff, including tamales and elote. The 1/2 grilled chicken w hot sauce is definitely a steal for $4 or so. Great lemonade. [=> review ] Border Cafe ($+) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 32 Church St, 864-6100 Fun, cheap, quite good cajun/southwestern food. A noisy studenty Harvard Square-y kind of place with a party-like atmosphere, though still very child-friendly. Great margaritas, fajitas (chicken & beef) & popcorn shrimp, good jambalaya, but think of it as a sort of Bennigan's with a quasi tex-mex/cajun slant. There have been reports of rodents & roaches, though they were absent on a recent summer visit Also in Saugus (8/94) Cactus Club ($$) -- Back Bay 939 Boylston St, 236-0200 Good lunches, abundant food, reasonable prices; great Venison stew, and the Mountain Oysters are worth a try. Good people watching; good place to unwind after work. Dinner said to be less exciting, though they now have a new dinner menu, including a very good, tho nonstandard Caesar salad. Casa Mexico ($$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 75 Winthrop St (at JFK), 491-4552 Mixed reviews -- it used to be better 20 years ago, but on a good night, some entrees may still be quite good. Try the Chicken Mole, Enchilada Mole, and the Camarones al Cilantro. Also excellent Mexican coffee. Casa Romero ($$) -- Back Bay 30 Gloucester St (betw. Comm Ave & Newbury St), 536-4341 T: ICA/Hynes Green Line stop, also the #1, #55, & inbound #39 buses Prices may be on the high side, but for an excellent sampling of Mexican haute cuisine, this is *the* place to go in Boston. From the handpainted tile decor to the desserts, this place could have been lifted right out of Mexico city. Try the chile relleno, the mole poblano, the avocado soup, and the flan with Cognac and pleasantly dispel the notion that Mexican food means nothing but nachos and burritos. Also good margaritas. [=> review & info ] Cottonwood Cafe ($$+) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) & Back Bay 222 Berkeley St (at St James), Downtown, 247-2225 Porter Exchange Bldg, 1815 Mass Ave, 661-7440 The most upscale and eclectic of the Southwestern places, with creative tasty food. Good salads, pot stickers, puebla duckling, zuni roll, desserts, esp. pecan pie. Expensive appetizers. [=> Boston Globe Review ] El Bandido ($) -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) 1412 Beacon St (at Summit), 730-5663 Pleasantly decorated storefront, serving excellent homemade Tex/Mex food. No lard! Superb Carnitas Burritos, and they have Chicken Mole too. No liquor license. Fajita & 'Ritas ($+) -- Brookline Village, Downtown 48 Boylston (Rt 9), Brookline, 566-1222 A charming kindergarten atmosphere, with the crayon on the walls and the butcher paper tablecloths. The service is friendly and fast, w very good fajitas (esp chicken), pretty good assorted munchies, and good margaritas and beer. Lunch is better than dinner, as the portions are similar and it's a bit cheaper. A very boisterous & noisy place, but it's lots of fun. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Iguana Cantina ($+) -- Waltham 313 Moody St (betw Crescent & Spruce), 891-3039 NonSmoking: completely; Dress: casual; LowFat: pretty good Food: The food is fresh, flavorful, and almost as eclectic as the atmosphere. Trendy, good meat dishes. GoodDishes: The West Indian grilled chicken with fried bananas and cucumber salad is fantastic. Try the chicken Veracruz & the catfish. BadDishes: If you have an apetite for "snake bites", you're better off at Cottonwood's. Beverages: They have Boston Ale on tap. Service: The ambiance is *very* informal, and a bit peculiar. This isn't a place to bring the folks. Given that, the waitstaff is surprisingly cordial and helpful. Ambience: The restaurant is small and easy to miss. It the outward appearance of a bar, but is well-lit and comfortable inside. The mix of wall murals and southwestern decor with strategic paint splatters and concrete floors make it a nice diversion from the norm. (7/94) Jose's ($) -- Cambridge (Alewife) Sherman St between Harvard & Alewife Freshly made chips, OK food, nice people -- perhaps the best cheap Mexican place. Good salsa w lots of cilantro. Good fajitas & burritos. Avoid the frozen drinks. [=> menu ] Mexican Cuisine / Forest Cafe ($$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 1682 Mass Ave (betw Harvard & Porter Sq), 661-1634 Looks like a dive, but don't be put off -- excellent authentic Mexican food very reasonably priced. Yucatan Peninsula style w an emphasis on seafood; try the Tuna with Mole Verde or the Salsa Mocajete con Pescado. Also excellent chicken-coriander soup. They temper their use of spices for the delicate New England palate, but they'll put some kick into your food if you ask. Be prepared to spend $40+ for the two of you. Entrees are in the $10 to $20 range, with most between $13 and $15. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Picante ($) -- Somerville (Davis Sq) & Cambridge (Central Sq) 217 Elm St, Davis Sq, 628-6394 735 Mass Ave, Central Sq, 576-6394 Good burrito place with big wonderful burritos, and a changing 6 hoice help-yourself salsa bar (w wild varying reviews; some think the salsa bar is the only good thing at Picantes, others think the salsas are not spicy enough, or all too smoky). The chicken flautas are sorta dry but the enchiladas are great. Also flan to die for. It's nothing fancy, but it's good food. (7/94) Rudy's ($) -- Sommerville (Teele Sq) 248 Holland St (off Broadway), 623-9201 Good cheap basic Mexican, and they have Pacifico and Catamount beer! Not as cheap as Jose's, but more options, w quality a bit below Armadillo or the Border Cafe. A dissenting review calls it a a cross between Taco Bell and the Sizzler w endless psuedo-Mexican variations on ground beef and diced tomatoes. Snakebites Canteen ($$-) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) Porter Exchange Bldg, 1815 Mass Ave, 661-7440 A more casual, less expensive sidekick to the Cottonwood Cafe, with light southwestern meals, sandwiches and snacks. Try the unusual roasted vegetable nachos or the baked Sonoran Chimichanga) Sol Azteca ($$) -- Brookline (St Mary's) & Newton Center 914A Beacon St, St Mary's, 262-0909 75 Union St (betw Beacon & Langley), Newton Center, 964-0920 Good haute-Mexican food, reasonably priced, though the quality can be somewhat variable. Try the Pork in Orange Chipotle sauce or Adobo, the Shrimp in Cilantro sauce, and the Fish in spicy Tomato sauce. Service can be lackadaisacal as well. T.J.'s Taqueria ($) -- Brookline (Washington Sq) 690 Washington St (nr Beacon), 734-8226 Mostly takeout w small eat in area. Excellent burritos & other authentic Mexican food, which keeps getting better. Try the chicken & carnitas fillings as well as the soups. No liquor license, but lots of tasty homemade Mexican candies & sweets. Taqueria Mexico ($+) -- Waltham 139 Prospect St, off of Modoy The place is kind of a dive, but they serve large huge tasty burritos w lots of onions at prices which are probably cheaper than Taco Bell. The corn tortillas tend to be gritty & fall apart easily, but you can ask for a flour tortilla instead. Try their plain nachos-chips, cheese, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, onion and jalapenos -- all for $2. Entrees run from 3.95 to about 8.95. The large Mexican clientele is a good indicator. No liquor license, but you can BYOB, or get the great "liquados" (banana, made fresh is especially good). The service, however, is pretty lackadasical -- in other words, you could be in for a long wait to get your sodas! Middle Eastern Restaurants ************************** Greek / Turkish / Israeli / Persian / Armenian ********************************************** Algiers ($+) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 40 Brattle St Although not entirely Middle Eastern (is grilled steak a Middle Eastern dish??), the Algiers in Harvard Square has the usual assortment of hummus, falafel, tabouli, etc and is cheap. Plus the tiny tables jammed together, various odd people with 15 books in front of them, and the regular erratic service. What more could you want? Andros Diner ($+) [Greek Diner] -- Belmont Trapelo Rd Hours: Close 8pm weeknights, Open Sundays only til 1:30 pm Good, high-quality food, generous portions, friendly surroundings, casual, and inexpensive! The accent is on diner-like Greek food, w excellent lighty-spiced gyros w a perfect yogurt cucumber sauce, monstrous souvlaki, and very good spinach pie, loukiniko, shish kebab, lamb stew, greek salad dressings. They also have an extensive menu of breakfast and excessively generous sandwich items as well (very good grilled chicken sandwich w good fries). No liquor. Usually a line for tables. [=> review ] Ararat ($) [Armenian] -- Watertown 71 Arlington St, betw Mt Auburn & Arsenal Mall, 924-4100/7011 Hours: Mo-Sa 11-9; DineAccess:ok; ToiletAccess: ok Dress: Casual; ChildFriendly: yes; Rating: very-good A wonderful small Armenian restaurant with all the usual Middle Eastern favorites (including a superb smoky Baba Ghanoush), as well as Armenian specialities such as Sujuk (Armenian sausages), Pilaki (white bean salad) and Lahmejune (Armeniuan Pizza). They specialize in barbeque, especially a barbequed chicken served with a garlic sauce that (to garlic lovers) is a good reason to go there on its own. The Chicken Taratour sandwich, made w a thick tahini sauce, and pickled vegetable is amazingly good. Beer & Wine available as well, The place is casual -- a kind of Armenian version of Mom's diner. There is table seating for about 25, but there's no table service -- you order and pick up your food at the counter, and get to watch the TV which is on all the time. But who cares about ambience; this is a great place to come for excellent inexpensive Middle Eastern food. Atlas Kitchen ($+) [Turkish] -- Brookline (St Mary's) 1002 Beacon St, 566-6605, (fax) 566-7750; Prices: $10-15/person ($8-16 for entrees, $3-6 for appetizers) Hours: Open Su-Th till midnite, Fr-Sa til 2am; Accessible: Yes Quite good authentic Turkish cuisine in a pleasant well-lit spacious room, reasonably priced, though a bit higher than most Middle Eastern places. Excellent appetizers include the stuffed eggplant ($4.25), red lentil soup (well, not everyone agrees), cigar pies ($4.50) -- a heavenly mixture of feta cheese, parsley & light spices rolled in flaky dough; and fried eggplant ($3.95) served w/a delicious yogurt sauce, though the grape leaves were bland, and the eggplant spread was definitely overpriced. For entrees, try the manti ($10), which is something like Turkish tortellini served w/delectable garlic-yogurt sauce ($9.95). Tasty lamb w okra, though short on the lamb. Delicious Turkish-style shish-kebabs; also the doner-kebab (Turkish-style shwarma, $9) is good and comes in generous portions, and the mixed grill plate ($16) is recommended as well. Service is quite pleasant, though it can be slow at times. Excellent desserts, esp the milk "cake". Beer available. (7/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Boston Shawarma ($) -- Symphony Area Huntington St If you're in a hurry and don't mind being dressed better than the restaurant, Boston Schwarma on Huntington Ave. serves up some very tasty schwarma and other Middle Eastern sandwiches. Like Schwarma King on the same block, but Boston Schwarma has tables whereas Schwarma King just has a counter. Brookline Diner ($) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 9 Brookline St, 354-9473 Small place w stylish food. Good cashew chicken salad for lunch Cafe Barada ($) [Lebanese] -- Arlington Mass Ave nr Capitol Theater Lebanese, uniformly good & cheap; excellent grape leaves Caffe Jaffa ($) [Israeli] -- Back Bay 48 Gloucestor (between Newbury & Boylston) Good inexpensive Israeli/Middle Eastern food. Interesting falafel & very good steak tips, shashlik, hummus, and eggplant dishes. Avoid dessert. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Cafe Shiraz ($$-) [Kosher Persian] -- Allston 1030 Commonwealth Ave (nr Brighton Ave), 566-8888 Fairly tasty Persian food (as well as a diverse selection of other stuff), but nothing spectacular if you don't keep kosher, and a bit pricey for what you get. A spacious place that doesn't get too busy, nice owners, unremarkable service. The Persian Wedding Soup is different and worth trying, excellent skewers, and there's a vegetarian platter very heavy on the garlic. Demo's ($) [Greek] -- Watertown Sq 64 Mt Aurburn St (Rt 16), 924-9660 Decent cheap food, very good shish kebab -- in fact, get the Demos special sandwich -- a lamb shishkabob with pita and a greek salad -- enough very good food to fill you, for the extraordinary price of $3.75. Seating for 100, split between smoking and non. Tables for 2, 4, 6, with a good chance you'll share with people you don't know. Stand in a line (sometimes long, but it moves along) to order. Generally full but not crowded, noisy, child- friendly, wheelchair accessible. Great for take-out, too. Greek Corner Restaurant ($) [Greek] -- North Cambridge Dudley St & Mass Ave T: Red Line @ Davis Sq Hours: Open late. closed Sundays. This is a little hole-in-the-wall family-run place, with low prices and a friendly extremely casual atmosphere. The menu is pretty much basic Greek, but all very competent, if not particularly memorable. The food is simple, tasty & fresh, w good mousaka, and Greek standbies such as taramousalata, a fish egg paste appetizer which is actually very good, and not found at many other places. Service friendly and considerate; can be a little distracted, particularly when local guys come by to flirt with the waitress. Wine & Greek beers. Very child-friendly. (9/94) Kareem's ($+) -- Watertown 600 Mt Auburn St, 926-1867, Hours: Odd/short hours, closed by 8pm Veggie Options: lots The food is superb, the ambiance a somewhat nice version of storefront, and the prices are very reasonable. The menu is small but augmented by a continually changing set of specials, and tends more to kibbeh than falafel (which are both excellent). Also try the fine hummus, kebabs, and sauteed chicken. Lots of vegetarian entrees too, including excellent veggie versions of baked kibbeh and stuffed grape leaves. Karoun ($+) [Armenian] -- Newtonville 261 Walnut St (at Washington), 964-3400 A family run Armenian restaurant, with a friendly atmosphere and excellent food. Most of the wait staff are family members of the owner, and regular patrons are greeted like old friends. The best dishes include the Dolma (a combination of stuffed grape leaves, stuffed zucchini, and stuffed cabbage), Patlijan (a layered meat and eggplant dish) and the various kabobs (lamb, swordfish, and shrimp are excellent). Excellent shwarma as well. They have a whole range of tasty Armenian appetizers and delicious baklava for dessert, along w excellent coffee brewed in Ibriks. Very good wine list as well. Entertainment on weekends after about 8:30 PM, including middle eastern music and belly dancing. Inexpensive. Middle East ($+) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 472 Mass Ave, 354-8238, T: Red Line @ Central Sq A pleasant casual restaurant w pretty good food; also live music in the back room. Great pumpkin kibby, tasty lentil stew, but mediocre falafel. Fairly inexpensive. A really nice staff, and an interesting clientele. Mi Vami ($+) [Israeli] -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) 14A Pleasant St (at Beacon), 277-0272 Inexpensive, no ambience, but very good shish kebab [which can be chewy on occasion], grilled chicken, greek salad, felafel & hummus, and a wonderful smoky baba ganoush that's one of the best I've ever had. Niko's ($+) [Greek] -- Brookline (Coolidge Corner) 187a Harvard St, 277-2999 Small family-run Greek place with decent moderately priced food. Pretty good avgolemono. Try the skordalia & taramosalata, spinach pies, gyros, meatballs, grape leaves & roast lamb. Avoid the combo platter; go for the daily special instead Oasis Grille ($+) [Lebanese/Armenian] -- Somerville (Union Sq) 255 Washington St, 666-5122; DineAccess: quarter step at entrance Hours: Mo-Fr 8:30am-9pm, Sa 9am-10pm; Cash Only [=> Boston Globe Review ] Rami's Felafel ($) [Kosher Israeli] -- Brookline (Coolidge C.), Downtown 324 Harvard St (Coolidge Corner), 738-3577 48 Winter St (Downtown), 426-9770 Mostly a takeout place. Some think it is excellent, esp the felafel/hummus plate, but I find the food too greasy Pars Cafe ($+) [Persian] -- Brighton (Oak Sq) 559 Washington St, 783-4900 Perhaps the best Persian food in Boston. While other Persian restaurants have come and gone, Pars Cafe has consistently provided authentic, rich-tasting, and mouth-watering Persian dishes for several years, and at reasonable prices. Try the beef & chicken kabobs and the traditional stew dishes, all served over rice. No alcoholic beverages, but they have yogurt drinks & persian tea as well as ice cream and other deserts. Nice and cozy place, with traditional Persian arts and crafts decorating the dining area along w lots of plants. Service is always cordial and quick. About $15 for dinner; lunch specials about half that. Open daily from 11 am - 10 pm. Phoenicia ($) [Middle Eastern] -- Beacon Hill 240 Cambridge St, 523-4606 Accessible: half-step to entrance Good solid middle-eastern food. The name was changed from Ann's recently when it was expanded and spruced up. The food is the same; good cheap great stuff. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Sabra ($+) [Israeli] -- Newton Center 45 Union St, 527-5641 Quite good Israeli food; good lunch buffet. Try the dardara, moussaka, pilaf, tabouli, hummus, shwarma & shish kebab Sami's ($) -- Roslindale 4197 Washington St, Roslindale Sq, 323-2799 Sepal ($) -- Watertown, Somerville (Teele Sq) 555 Mt Auburn St, Watertown (mostly takeout, 3 sm tables), 924-5753 235 Holland St, Teele Sq, 776-7771 Reservations: not accepted; ChildFriendly: ok; Dress: casual VegOptions: lots; LowFat: no (but felafel can be baked!) Rating: very-good Food: A good cut better than your average Felafel place. Also, a more interesting selection of dishes. Everything is meatless. GoodDishes: Combination plate (felafel, baba ghanoush, grape leaves, tabouli, hummus), Mujadharra (rice, lentils, onions), both soups (squash and red lentil). Possibly the best felafel in Boston, sold by the piece, and much healthier than normal: it's made with 8 vegetables, which makes it green inside. It's not oily at all -- but if you really don't want oil, you can even get it baked instead of fried, and available with a very tasty hot sauce. Excellent hummos, and the baba ganouge is unusually good, smokier than most, with some pieces of unmashed eggplant left in it. The kibby sounds good as well -- a shell of cracked wheat and butternut squash; a filling of chick peas, onions, pomegranate(!), and more squash. Beverages: No alcohol. Service: Seems to be a "family run" sort of place. They seem eager to please. I asked if there was iced coffee which was not on the menu and they were willing to make it for me. The owner is a really nice guy, too. Ambience: Fairly small. Not elegant, but not unpleasant. They have newspapers to read if you're alone or want to ignore your dining companion. (7/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Shawarma King ($) -- Symphony Area & Brookline (Coolidge Corner) Beacon St, 2 blocks west of Harvard, Coolidge Corner Huntington St, Symphony Area Very good shawarma & grape leaves -- mediocre baba & hummus. The downtown one is takeout + counter; the Brookline one is a tad less funky with a few tables Sindibad ($+) -- East Cambridge 145 First St (across from the Galeria), 492-2421 I think the food is terrific, although other reviews are mixed. The food is much more interestingly favored than similar places in the city; the kibbee and grape leaves are particularly tasty. The baba ghanoush has a very good eggplant flavour, those not as smoky as I would have liked. Good sized portions, very reasonable prices (mostly about $3-5 per item), and the folks who run it are very nice -- they were happy to add more bulghur to my taboule. The place is huge, so you order at the counter and they bring the food to you. Lots of vegetarian items as well as halal meat dishes. At dinner time, they are not very busy, so beware of food that has been sitting there since lunch (e.g. dried out shwarma & shish-kebab, soggy salad). (7/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Skewers ($) [Middle Eastern] -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 92 Mt Auburn St (nr JFK), 491-3079 While the reviews are mixed, many think this crowded basement dive as reliably good and sometimes great food for great prices, with specially noteworthy shwarma and hummos. Service is always prompt if not elegant. Steve's ($+) [Greek] -- Back Bay 62 Hereford / 316 Newbury, 267-1817 Excellent hummus, interesting chips, very good gyros. Rude waitresses Sultan's Kitchen ($) [Turkish] -- Downtown Broad St; Hours: lunch only Seating is non-luxury (:-) to say the least, but the food is cheap and very good. Ozcan is a lemon juice and garlic wizard. North African Restaurants ************************* Casablanca ($$) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 40 Brattle St, 876-0999 Moroccan & other foods, very interesting, and pretty good, especially for brunch or lunch. If you like spices, this is the place to try. Their food generally is a bit hot. The appetizers should not be missed, and are reasonably priced. The grilled eggplant, crab cakes, and Middle Eastern platter are particularly good. Good wine selection. Very good desserts. Nice interior, w a warm and comfortable atmosphere. The service is a bit slow. Weekends are very crowded. Tangiers Cafe ($$) [North African] -- Beacon Hill 37 Bowdoin St, 367-0273 A small informal place with reasonable prices, but the food gets Mixed reviews. Good middle east appetizers, plus Moroccan entrees. Try the harina, mujadara, mashwi chicken & sokatha tea. But the lamb dishes can vary from overly oily to watery. [=> review ] Russian Restaurants ******************* Cafe Troyka ($$-) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 1154 Mass Ave (at Arrow St), 864-7476 A charming Russian cafe with a nice atmosphere serving good, though simple food at very reasonable prices. Good lentil soup & pelmeni. Several vegetarian selections. Service can be slow. Seafood Restaurants ******************* [In addition to the places below, there are a number of Chinese and Italian restaurants that specialize in seafood.] Daily Catch ($$) -- North End, Waterfront 323 Hanover St, North End, 523-8567 261 Northern Ave, Waterfront, 338-3093 Good Sicilian seafood dishes, great place for calamari (esp the fried stuffed calamari & calamari scampi), lobster fra diavolo, black pasta aglio et olio (w calamari). You may have to wait if not there early. Best calamari is in North End. [=>review] Dolphin Seafood ($+) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 1105 Mass Ave (betw Harvard Sq & Central Sq), 354-9332 Good simple fresh seafood at good prices in a neighborhood atmosphere. Many say the food is excellent -- as good as No-Name used to be, though some say its not that good lately and too crowded and unrelaxed. All agree the lunch special is a good deal. Try the fish chowder & broiled fish. Also good farm-raised catfish, esp the Cajun-style. Often a twin lobster special for around $12 (though they can sometimes be overcooked). 100% No Smoking. A child-friendly place. Also a fancier branch in Natick. Famous Atlantic Seafood Company ($$) -- Back Bay 777 Boylston St (betw Fairfield & Gloucester), 267-4000 T: Green Line, Auditorium stop The best food here is plain fish: broiled, grilled, fried or baked. It's fresh and carefully prepared in the best yankee no- frills style. Their bowl of clam chowder served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread is an outstanding antidote to winter. Full licence. Fair beer list, short wine list. Service is sometimes hurried but usually competent. Saloon ambiance, oak & brass decor. High ceilings help keep the noise level tolerable. Most entrees $10-15. Fishery ($$) -- Cambridge (Central Sq) 718 Mass Ave, 868-8800 Very good seafood. Other reviews recommend the crabcakes, calamari w roasted garlic, briney oysters, mussels w lemongrass, smoked alligator sausage, & hazelnut cappucino torte. Joseph's Aquarium ($$-) -- Waterfront 101 Atlantic Ave, 523-4000 Good seafood -- the specialty is cheap twin lobsters. Legal Sea Foods ($$+) -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq), Newton (Chestnut Hill), Back Bay, Park Sq, South End Park Plaza Hotel, 35 Columbus Ave, Park Sq, 426-4444 Statler Office Bldg, 27 Columbus Ave, 426-5566 5 Cambridge Center (Main St & Ames), Kendall Sq, 864-3400 43 Boylston St, Chestnut Hill Mall, 277-7300 Copley Place, 100 Huntington Ave (bet Dartmouth & Exeter), 266-7775 Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St, 266-6800 Very nice fresh fish, but a long wait & somewhat overpriced. Avoid anything fancy. e.g. cioppino. Excellent chowder, clam chili, haibut, lobster casserole, and bananas foster. On good days, the fried clam roll is wonderful, w tender, sweet, big-bellied clams. Maryland Crab Cakes are very good -- big, moist, and a bit spicy. Cost for two for dinner, excluding booze, should be between $40 and $50. Lobster is very overpriced. Kendall Sq is the best location; Chestnut Hill is the worst, especially when it is busy -- beware of over-righteous management and small fish portions. Natick is a good location as well. Also in Burlington and Peabody. [=> menu ] [=> interesting long review ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] No Name ($$-) -- Waterfront 15 1/2 Fish Pier off Northern Ave, 423-2705 Mixed reviews. Many think it has gone down the tubes -- no longer has great food, except perhaps for the seafood chowder, usually fast but obnoxious service, reasonable prices. Skipjack ($$+) -- Brookline Village, Cambridge (Harvard Sq), Back Bay 2 Brookline Place on Boylston St, Brookline Village, 232-8887 199 Clarendon St, Back Bay, 536-3500 5 Bennett St in Charles Sq, Cambridge, 876-9900 Consistently good, w several "lite" entrees. Service efficient and light-hearted, pleasant atmosphere. Mostly standard fare, except for their wonderful but spicy blackened tuna sashimi. Good broiled bass, fried seafood platter, crab cakes, pan-fried scallops & shark, and grilled catfish prepared "skipjacks style". In season, twin lobster dinner on Sundays for $12.95. Clam chowder reported to have an odd flavor. Excellent chocolate bread pudding. The Brookline Village location offers free validated parking in the garage. [=> review ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] Turner Fisheries ($$$) -- Back Bay Westin Hotel, 10 Huntington Ave (in Copley Place), 424-7425 Upscale ambience and prices, but pleasant waitstaff and good service. Best elaborate seafood dishes you could find in Boston. Expensive, so no need to go there if all you need is just broiled salmon or somesuch. Awesome clam chowder & bouillabaise. Also try the poached fish w tapenade, the salmon fennel soup, and the crab cakes. They also have an outstanding steamed dish, prepared in a bamboo steamer, with several types of vegetables and seafood, and 3 dipping sauces. Reservations helpful. Sunday Brunch too. Village Fish ($$) -- Brookline Village, Jamaica Plain 22 Harvard St, Brookline Village, 566-3474 707 Centre St, Jamaica Plain (opening July '94) Casual atmosphere, comfortable open brick-modern, red & white checkered tablecloth kind-of-place. The kitchen is in the open, so you can watch your food being prepared. The waitstaff is always very busy but always in good spirits. There's a raw bar for "snacking" while you wait for your table, and a nice selection of wines by the glass. The menu is written on a big chalkboard high up on one of the brick walls. The food is quite good, and there's lots of it. Try the excellent fresh fish, or the shrimp or scallop marsala, which arrive in front of you in the frying pan they were cooked in, and the lobster fra diavlo, or fried calamri. Entrees come with pasta, with a choice of red (marinara) or white (clam) sauce (which is excellent) and salad. No reservations, so be prepared to wait more than an hour on weekends, and cash only. Beer and wine license. Used to be called the Village Catch; it's rumored the Daily Catch complained. Ye Olde Union Oyster House ($$$-) -- Faneuil Hall 41 Union St, 227-2750 Wildly mixed reviews. At worst, this is an over-rated, over- priced tourist trap serving overcooked bland food. Prices are definitely steep, but still the place may be worth a shot, since the crab cakes and the seafood pasta are said to be good, and I've had excellent poached salmon there. Spanish & Portuguese Restaurants ******************************** Casa Portugal ($$-) [Portuguese] --- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 1200 Cambridge St (at Prospect), 491-8880 Mixed reviews. The seafood stews and salt cod dishes are good, and the sausage & fig appetizer is delicious, as are the Vitella Grilhada (grilled veal) [ask for extra garlic] & Porco Escallopes [in a spicy sour onion sauce]. The House Special Shrimp is good too. Ask for your potatoes extra-well done (less oily that way), and hope that the soup of the day is kale soup. I may have been there on an off night, but I thought the food was unimpressive (starting with the bread), as have some other respondents, though you do get lots of it. Friendly service, low prices, and a nice selection of inexpensive Portuguese wines. Dali ($$+) [Spanish] -- Cambridge (~Porter Sq) 415 Washington St (at Kirkland/Beacon), 661-3254 Reservations: Not Accepted, long wait on weekends Very good tapas, and wonderful Catalan Spanish food in reasonable sized portions. Very good spanish wine selection and excellent Sangria. A great unique fun place to go with friends or out of town guests, though it can be noisy when it gets crowded. Can be a long wait at peak periods, but you can get tapas at the bar. Warm, homey, romantic, funky Dali-esque decor. Talk about romantic---well this is the place. It's dark, and loaded with dark hardwood, candles on the table, etc. If you go with just a date, the owner comes over to you and welcomes you to the resteraunt and seats you and tells you how beautiful your date is. Service is quick & not overly formal service, but can be occasionally fussy. Can be pricey if you go overboard; it can be better to get a variety of tapas and fewer main courses. Most of the tapas are very good; try the baked goat cheese, mussels, marinated mushrooms, chorizo & tripe w chickpeas. Good oxtail soup. Most main courses are wonderful; the rabbit is especially good. There are lots of dishes here you'll get nowhere else in the Boston area, like the baby eels sauteed in garlic oil. Some of the desserts are good as well, esp the dessert crepe w chocolate sauce. (7/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Iruna ($$-) [Spanish] -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 56 JFK (nr Mt Auburn), 868-5633 (not wheelchair accessible) Mixed, but mostly positive, reviews for a restaurant that's been around a long time. Many people love the place, others find the food bland. The food is not as complex as Dali's, but Iruna serves the sort of food that people in Spain might actually eat at home on a regular basis. Crowded, relatively plain atmosphere; service good, friendly, fairly efficient except when the kitchen bogs down. Somewhat short menu. Wonderful garlic soup, good squid in ink sauce, authentic Cuban Black Bean Soup, delicious steak w herbed butter, very good paella. Good lunch deals, about $5-$6 for soup, salad, and a potato omlette. Outdoor seating during the summer. They now take credit cards. Neighborhood Restaurant ($+) [Portuguese] -- Somerville (Union Sq) 25 Bow St, 623-9710; Hours: Open early for breakfast Huge cheap portions of Portuguese food, very tasty, but not necc. high quality. Try the roasted chicken, baked cod, grilled pork casserole w clams. Large aluminum washtubs filled w arroz con pollo. Fried Sardines in tomato sauce is a strongly flavored treat. Very tight seating indoors, w no decor, but they open a very pleasant wheelchair accessible terrace in summer. Also good cheap, very large, somewhat unpredictable, breakfast specials -- pancakes with fruit, lobster omlettes, homemade bread w amazing homemade jam, excellent scrambled eggs, homefries with lots of onions and garlic. Unusual oatmeal on the weekends. Interesting waiters too, esp. if you're into the 70's. (7/94) Portugalia ($$-) [Portuguese] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 723 Cambridge St (at Tremont), 354-9340 A nice clean little upgraded neighborhood restaurant, and an excellent value. Smallish place, w nice ambiance, not overbearing at all, soft Portuguese or Spanish music in the background. Polite but inconsistent service, faster on weeknights, which are not very busy. For lunch, the mussels steamed in beer is an unbelievable value. For dinner, the piece de resistence is the mussels in wine broth appetizer - ask for additional bread (it's good & toasted hot) to sop up the broth. The veal entree is tender and tasty, and the accompanying veggies are ok. The shrimp entrees are also good, perhaps the shrimp could be a little softer but they're decent size. The prices are moderate, and well worth the food. Sunset Cafe ($$) [Portuguese] -- Cambridge (Inman Sq) 857 Cambridge St, 547-2938 Large amounts of food, good & flavorful, though sometimes heavy on the salt, good service, reasonably priced. Specialities include garlic soup, roast goat, octopus stew, pork & littleneck clams, seafood casseroles, as well as a killer paella chock full of clams, mussels, lobsters, etc. Fun to go on Fri or Sat evening for the fados (Portuguese torch songs) w acoustic guitar accompaniment. Steak Restaurants ***************** Boodle's of Boston ($$$-) -- Back Bay Back Bay Hilton, 40 Dalton St (btw Boylston & Huntington), 266-3537 Service & food went downhill for a while, but they're better again, and moreover, they serve about 90 different beers from micro-breweries. Both their regular and their brewers dinners are fine, and prices are reasonable. They have bi-weekly beer dinners and monthly brewer's dinners that feature different beers matched with each course, typically from one brewery which then does a presentation. When Brooklyn Beer Company was there with their Brooklyn Lager and Brown Ale, the main course was duck, buffalo and pheasant that had been marinated in a sauce with the beer before roasting and was very good. Capital Grille ($$$$-) -- Back Bay 359 Newbury St, 262-8900 Upscale steakhouse, aged steaks almost as good as Morton's, but this place has the more elegant atmosphere. Stick to meat, seafood & salads. Grill 23 ($$$$-) -- Back Bay 161 Berkeley St (at Stuart), 542-2255 Price: Appetizers: $5-9, Entrees: ~$20-25, Deserts: ~$7 Steaks and other traditional food in an elegant atmosphere, elegantly prepared; a nice place to show off or celebrate. The food has mixed reviews -- some say food is good; others say terrible. Don't skip the appetizers, but skip the plain cuts of meat section and order the house specialties. Service is exceptional and the waiters are very knowlegable. In general, this is a very memorable place for dinner; however, the price is a bit forbidding, and the place is very noisy. The dining area is one large room connected to an open kitchen; you can see your meal being prepared. (9/94) Morton's of Chicago ($$$$) -- Back Bay One Exeter Plaza on Boylston St, 266-5858 Superb prime rib, amazing porterhouse steak, wonderful shrimp appetizer, seafood dishes & desserts; good souffles too. Best steak & potatoes in Boston in a high-class, steakhouse atmosphere w prices to match. Avoid the coffee, though. Thai Restaurants **************** Amarin ($$-) -- Newton Center 287 Centre St, Newton Center, 527-5255 Very pretty restaurant, and excellent food, almost as good as Erawan. Great Pad Thai & Tom Kar Gai; the noodles and beef at lunch are good and not served elsewhere. Service is generally good, but there can be exceptions. They have a pretty good tolerance for noisy kids. Bangkok & Tokyo Grille ($$-) -- Beacon Hill 26 Charles St, 723-5939 Good soups, satay, green curries. Bangkok Bistro ($$-) -- Brighton (Cleveland Circle) 1952 Beacon St, 739-7270 Good and consistent, especially good chili fish, shrimp, sate, pad thai, and stir fries. Large portions, moderately priced. It is a small seating area, but the service is great. Lunch $5-8. (8/94) Bangkok City ($$-) -- Symphony Area 167 Mass Ave, 266-8884 Biggest & nicest & best of the thai restaurants nearby, & easiest to get seated before a concert. Tell them your time constraints and they will meet them. Very good food and surprisingly inexpensive. Try the shrimp mermaid, garlic fish, beef jungle, mee grob noodles. Good soups too. Bangkok Cuisine ($$-) -- Symphony Area 177A Mass Ave (nr Berklee), 262-5377 Some say this place is better for soups than for main dishes. But said to have great Chicken Cashew Nut, Pad Thai & Tom Mar Gai. The service can be rude though, and the mostly student clientele makes for a noisy place. Recent report that it has perhaps "lost its edge"; it is still good, but not as good as it once was -- the duck choo-chee, in particular. Bangkok House ($$-) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 50 JFK, 547-6666 Very good food, but cramped accomodations, small portions for the money. Fast lunch specials Mon-Sat. Bangkok Room ($$-) -- Symphony Area 329 Huntington Ave, 859-2969 Good hot & sour shrimp soup, satay & golden bags. Chengmai ($$-) -- Newton Center Picadilly Square Ok food & decor; service not so good. Erawan of Siam ($$) -- Waltham 469 Moody St, 899-3399 Excellent food -- as good as Amarin. Beautiful, stylized Thai temple setting. Attentive, pleasant, friendly service. A large place, so never a wait for a table. Green Papaya ($$-) -- Waltham 475 Winter St (at Winter St exit off Rt 128), 487-9988; Reservations: accepted; Hours: L Mo-Sa, D 5-9:30 daily DineAccess: ok; ToiletAccess: ok; Dress: casual; VegOptions: some A pleasant surprise. Don't be put off by the name and the chubby cartoon-character pictures of happy little Thai people on the menu; this turns out to be a serious place, owned by the same people as the Lemon Grass in Lexington, serving food with excellent flavor and appearance, and with some unusual dishes not seen on other menus. They can be quite inconsistent with the use of hot peppers. While the Wild Board Basil & Hot and crazy Noodles are hot, many other dishes (even 3 pepper ones) can be very mild. Good Dishes: Spicy Basil Chicken, Wild Boar Basil, Huglay chicken, Larb Kai, and Hot & Crazy Noodles, a sweet/spicy dish using wide udon-type noodles. The Oriental Salmon manages to be quite spicy without killing the delicate taste of the salmon, Beverages: They now serve alcohol as well as some Thai beers such as Singha. Service: Amazingly fast on crowded weekend night; at lunch, they kinda throw the food on the table. Ambience: comfortable and pleasant, plenty of room, lots of plants Prices: Luncheon $5.50-7.75 is about the standard (9/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] [=> Middlesex News review ] House of Siam ($$-) -- Back Bay 21 Huntington Ave (nr Exeter), 267-1755 King & I ($$-) -- Beacon Hill & Back Bay 145 Charles St, Beacon Hill, 227-3320 259 Newbury St (at Fairfield), Back Bay, 437-9611 Good sized servings of good Thai food, though some say it's not quite as good as it used to be. One of the best Pad Thai's around. Try the Chicken w basil, mint & chili peppers, and the beef tar-tar (oddly named, since it is cooked). The Back Bay location has better atmosphere, but the food in Beacon Hill is better. Montien ($$) -- Theater District 63 Stuart St (betw Tremont & Washington), 338-5600 Very good under-patronized (and under-publicized) Thai food -- it's hard to go wrong no matter what you order. They put a lot of emphasis on food presentation as well as taste. Service is also good, and they can speed things up if you are rushing to the theatre. Hot and Sour soup is very good, as are the curries, the seafood specialties, and the Pad Thai. Prices are moderate, but higher than other Thai restaurants in the area, but the food and atmosphere are better. Rama Thai ($+) -- Allston 181 Brighton Ave (Osco Plaza), 783-2434 Cheap, large portions, well flavored, good Tom Yung Goong soup, Pad Thai, Fish Choo Chee, Spicy & Sour salads. Food somewhat better and less expensive ($3.50 - $5 for lunch) than Bangkok Bistro, though ambience a tad more downscale. (8/94) Rod Thai ($) -- Chinatown In the Food Hall, NE corner of Beach & Harrison, 2nd floor One of the best Thai places around. They have very good food and don't hold back on the spices (not meaning that the food is necessarily spicy hot either). The usual curries (more than you can eat for $4), ram long and pad thai are very popular. Sub-zero atmosphere, but who cares? Sawasdee ($$) -- Brookline Village 320 Washington St, 566-0720 Pleasant decor; Usually very good food, elegantly presented, as good or better than most Thai food in the area. Very good golden bags, stuffed wings, pad thai, and veggie curry. The food can be variable though; on a recent visit, the mussel appetizer which is usually good was gritty and used cheap mussels; the whole tamarind fish, usually excellent, was too vinegary, and the wait staff didn't handle my complaints very well. Siam Cafe ($$-) -- Beacon Hill 197 Cambridge St (Charles River Plaza), 277-1431 Good satay & spicy seafood dishes. Siam Cuisine ($$-) -- Allston 961 Commonwealth Ave (couple blocks from BU Bridge), 254-4335 ChildFriendly: yes; Accessible: steps to both entrance & restrooms One of my favorite Thai restaurants. The food doesn't dazzle, but is reliably and uniformly good. Very nice Chicken Coconut Soup and excellent Beef Macadamia, Siam Fish, and a wonderfully crunchy Siam Duck. Very pleasant ambience, including a special seating area at the center of the room, worth asking for, especially if you have infants or toddlers, and a pleasant, soliticious wait staff. (7/94) Siam Garden ($$-) [Thai] -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 45 1/2 Mt Auburn St, 354-1718 Popular, but wildly mixed reviews. Some think this is the best of the Thai places in the square (though there are better places elsewhere in Boston), with the balance of spices much less heavy-handed than the other two. Others think it is awful or at least hit & miss, and they don't offer to replace bad dishes, either. The moderate view is that they have a rather standard Thai menu, Pad Thai, Chicken Himmaparn, etc, prepared well, but uncreatively. GoodDishes: The Stuffy Shrimp are an excellent appetizer (if you eat shrimp and meat), and the Golden Jumbo Shrimp dish is highly recommended, with an exquisite explosion of flavor from the herbs and spices. BadDishes: the rubbery fried fish. Prices: Entrees are $10-$13. (7/94) Siam Square ($+) -- Chinatown 86 Harrison Ave, 338-7704 Try tod mun, chicken coconut soup, squid pik pow, vanilla tea. Also good chow foon & steamed ginger fish. Cheap, but small portions. Singha House ($$-) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 1105 Mass Ave (betw Harvard Sq & Central Sq), 864-5154 A very good value in Thai food for lunch; more expensive for dinner. Duck dishes are very good, esp Chili Duck. Soups are tasty and loaded with stuff (try the chicken coconut soup). Curries are good w just the right amount of fire. Excellent vegetarian curry and Chicken in the Garden (especially good peanut sauce in the latter). A dissenting review notes several interesting choices on the menu, but nothing very unusual or well executed. Wheel chair accessible. Service is cordial and prompt. They usually get a rush at lunch which they handle very well. Star of Siam ($+) -- Theater District 93 Church St (at Stuart), 451-5236 The food here seems to be different from that of other local Thai restaurants, more homey/rustic, but fairly good and copious. The menu is orthogonal, you can get any main ingredient prepared in any way (Pork Massaman or Duck Pad Thai, for instance). They validate parking in the garage on the same block. Good service, even when crowded before the symphony. Thai's ($$) -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq) 1 Kendall Sq, 577-8668 Nicely prepared and flavored Thai food, though the portions are on the small side, and the food is mild, so you may need to ask it to be made hotter. Good beef spring roll & shrimp asparagus roll, grilled meats w lemongrass, shrimp chee, red curries & pad thai. Thai Basil ($$-) [Thai] -- Back Bay 132 Newbury Street, Australian Clothing Store, 424-8424 T: Green Line at Copley DineAccess: difficult; ToiletAccess: difficult NonSmoking: completely; Reservations: accepted Dress: casual; VegOptions: lots Food: Quite good, with excellent quality and flavor, though perhaps somewhat overpriced (not uncommon for Newbury St). They can customize dishes to your taste. GoodDishes: Chicken Basil and Chicken Ginger Beverages: Beers available include Singha Service: Excellent: courteous and available Ambience: Small but very comfortable and lovely modern decor. Special Thai tables are available as well. Prices: Entrees $6.75-$13.00 approximately (7/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Thai Cuisine ($$-) -- Symphony Has good food and is very close to the symphony, but it's small & hard to get into unless you arrive quite early before a show. Thai Gourmet ($+) -- Dorchester 1155 Dorchester Ave, Savin Hill, 436-0444 Thai House ($$) -- Allston 1033 Commonwealth Ave (few blocks from BU Bridge), 787-4242 Many think this is one of the better Thai restaurant around; I thought their soups were only so-so; one duck dish was good though the sauce was just a tad off. A very good peanut sauce (try the Rama-a-bathing, which puts it on top of steamed vegetables). Thai Village ($$-) -- South End 592 Tremont St, 536-6538 Small place, very good food. Try fried sweet potato sticks, mussel pancake, seafood salad. Good soups. Vegetarian / Vegan / Macrobiotic Restaurants ******************************************** Buddha's Delight ($) [Vegetarian Chinese/Vietnamese] -- Chinatown [See under Chinese] Country Life ($) [7th Day Adventist Vegan] -- Downtown High St nr Intl Place, nr expressway, 350-8625 T: Red Line @ South Station, Orange Line @ Washington / State, Blue Line @ Aquarium Pretty good all-you-can-eat lunch and sunday brunch buffets based on low-fat dairy-free vegetarian food, very innovative, w lots of well-prepared food for the price. Everyday they have different soups and entree, and you can always get an advanced copy of the menu for the entire month. Quiet atmosphere. Sunday Brunch too.) Five Seasons ($$) [Macriobotic] -- Jamaica Plain 669A Centre St, 524-9016 T: Arborway Bus (E Green Line extension) / Orange Line @ Green St Tasty, fresh, well prepared fish & veggie dishes. They also serve poultry, but the focus is on vegan & macrobiotic fare. The desserts are really good, enough to recommend the place by itself, especially considering how low in fat and sugar they are. Go for the mocha-hazelnut tort, it was fantastic. Large portions, too. Pleasant service, but the place can be quite crowded. No smoking, wheelchair accessible, very child-friendly. About $15/dinner. Masao's Kitchen ($+) [Vegan Macrobiotic] -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) [see Porter Exchange Mall], 497-7348, T: Red Line @ Porter Sq Very good vegan macrobiotic restaurant with well-prepared food; good adzuki bean soup, macro platters & vegan blueberry "cheese" cake. Milk St Cafe ($) [Kosher] -- Brookline (Longwood), Downtown [See under Kosher] Vietnamese & Cambodian Restaurants ********************************** Ba Dat ($) -- Chinatown 28 Harrison Ave, 426-8838 Very good large bowls of pho. Good noodle & rice dishes too, esp the bbq chicken w/lemongrass & shrimp w/sugarcane. A cafe like atmosphere, and a nice place to share a long table w a bunch of people when you're eating alone. Elephant Walk ($$) [French Cambodian] -- Somerville (Union Sq) 70 Union Sq, 623-9939 Dress: casual; Rating: great Reservations: needed, but not always accepted Very good Cambodian and decent French food. Not inexpensive, but plenty of food for the price. GoodDishes: Try the soups, Cambodian salads, spring rolls, shrimp toast, noodle appetizer, amok, poulet phochani, poulet dhomrei, and the mie siem. On the French side, the Coquilles St Jacques is spicy, subtle, and artfully presented. BadDishes: The vegetarian noodle dish is rather plain. In general, stick to the Cambodian side of the menu; french dishes like the Mussels au gratin are ok, but unimpressive, though. Other: Do try to go early or be prepared for a wait. It's worth it, though. (8/94) [=> review ] Pho Bang ($-) -- Chinatown 7 Beach St, 422-0501 Very good food, not a very large menu -- it's mostly pho, noodle dishes, a few rice dishes, and the usual selection of creative beverages. Their pho is not quite as good as Pasteur's or Ba Dat's, but the difference is slight and all three are excellent. They also seem to use a slightly skinnier noodle. Pho with a drink and a tip was $6.50. Pho Pasteur ($) -- Allston, Chinatown 137 Brighton Ave (just east of Harvard St), Allston, 783-2340/2060 8 Kneeland St, Chinatown, 451-0247 682 Washington St, Chinatown, 482-7467 Great salads, beef (pho) and seafood soups, very good quail appetizer, banh xeo, Lemongrass Chicken and Shrimp in Special Sauce; other entrees not as good. Very inexpensive, nice ambience. Lots of unusual non-alcoholic drinks. The Allston location is better. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Saigon ($) -- Allston 431 Cambridge St, 254-3373 Small low budget restaurant, good & inexpensive -- the husband minds the tables; the wife cooks. A storefront, but the atmosphere is quiet and relaxing. Lots of vegetarian food; the veggie rolls are especially good. Try the lemongrass squid and the banh xeo. Good spring rolls and tofu dishes. Oversized soup bowls are filled with rich fragrant broths, vegetables, chicken and seafood, and rice noodles (not to mention lemongrass) but avoid the seafood soup. Very good Fisherman's soup, though the portion is small. All the dishes are made on the spot and the freshness of the ingredients is exhilarating. Their tea contains some Jasmine and is heart-warming. Closed Sundays. V Majestic ($) -- Allston 164 Brighton Ave, 782-6088 T: B Green Line @ Harvard Ave, also on the #66 & #57 bus lines The decor might be Food-Import-Company-Calendar Modern, some entrees might be forgettable, but within certain categories this place consistently shines for many people, while others (myself included) find the food to be somewhat greasy & mediocre. Stick to anything w Special Noodle or Caramel Sauce. The Rolling Beef & Sea of Vietnam are very good here, too, and the Yellow Crispy Noodle dishes and the Shrimp with Vermicelli compares favorably w more expensive Chinatown versions. Soups are good, too, esp the Crab Meat soup & the hot & sour soup, though better Pho can be had elsewhere. I'd avoid the fried greasy spring rolls (though some people think they're great) but try the excellent Vietnamese rolls -- a little spicy, not fried, with a wonderful dipping sauce. Also very good lemon-grass chicken and pan fried fish. A funky place w friendly service, which is often prompt, but can get slower when it gets crowded. This place cultivates regulars. Amazingly cheap. Viet Hong ($) -- Allston 182 Brighton Ave, 254-3600 T: Green B Line, Harvard Ave, also on the #66 & #57 bus lines Superb food, inexpensive, with very large portions -- I think this is the best Vietnamese food in the city. The specialty seafood soups, such as sea moss soup and fisherman's soup are superb. There are lots of Pho variations as well, which are quite good, though for Pho and for Vietnamese salad, Pho Pasteur, down the block, is still better. If you like Crab Rangoon, their's is excellent, and their Vietnamese rolls (both fried and unfried) are good too. Most of the entrees are very good here, including the various tofu and vegetable dishes, caramel shrimp, ginger fish. Their beef w lemon grass, seafood spaghetti, and salt & pepper fried squid are especially good. They sometimes do tend to undercook chicken; if you order chicken dishes (which are good), ask them to make sure the main ingredient is very well cooked. The owners, who generally wait on the tables, are very friendly, and will make you feel welcome and taken care of. Open till 11pm most nights. No liquor license, but you can BYOB as long as you hide it in a bag under the table. Viet Foods ($) -- Waltham Willow St, nr River St Out of the way, hole in the wall place with excellent food. No decor to speak of, and service is slow because only 2 people work there and only one seems to know English. But they are very nice, and remember you after only a couple of times. Everything there is good -- very light and not greasy. Favorites include the Fresh Spring Rolls, Fried Wonton, Pho, Cha Chien (Vietnamese meat patties over vermicelli) and Vietnamese iced coffee. Prices are very cheap. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Vietnam Restaurant ($+) -- Chinatown 38 Boylston St, 423-1665 Oldest Vietnamese restaurant in Boston. Great canh chua, goi cuon, bun, cari. ====================================================================== Where to Drink Beer & Cider Around Boston ====================================================================== Brew Pubs ========= Boston Beer Works ($+) -- West Fenway (near Fenway Park) 61 Brookline Ave (at Lansdowne St), 536-2337 T Green Line: Kenmore Square Excellent micro-brewed beer. Wide selection: well-hopped lagers, amber ales, porters, stouts, barley wines, Weissbier, and seasonal brews like pumpkin ale and spiced winter ale. The lighter beers are particularly nice. The food here is not incredibly extraordinary, but it's well-prepared standard pub food, from light fare in small portions to huge starch-laden dishes, reasonably priced for the location. Good sweet potato fries, mako shark with raspberry marinade, and very good burgers. Avoid the filling but bland and overcooked pasta dishes. Not exactly a charming place. Rather big, clean, and slightly industrial. But interesting architecturally, and not as much high school cafeteria feel as Cambridge Brewery. Service seems to vary -- it can be awful, but it generally is very good for a place that gets very crowded. Expect big crowds and long waits during concert events and club nights on Lansdowne St. Extra points to their servers -- they're friendly folks and don't seem to get frazzled by the zooey atmosphere. Not recommended, EVER, for an intimate occasion... very, very highly recommended if you want a slightly noisy time with a lot of friends. Least stuffy brewpub in Boston. Snacks: $5-10; meal w a beer: $10-20. Wheelchair accessible. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Cambridge Brewing Company ($+) -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq) 1 Kendall Sq, 494-1994 Excellent beer, and they serve it in pitchers! The standard beers are excellent, especially the pale ale. Special beers vary all over the place, though they're rarely less than good, which makes them worthwhile just for the adventure, and there have been truly excellent brews, incl the raspberry stout. The worst thing that can be said about the specials is that they're variable, with flavors changing noticably from batch to batch, so if you want consistency, go for the standards. The food is occasionally interesting, but usually indifferently prepared; it's been better at points in the past -- at present it's best to avoid anything even remotely fancy. The atmosphere is lots of red brick and a jukebox that's usually one notch too loud -- there's not much atmosphere to speak of. Service is extremely variable, though never positively rude. Commonwealth Brewery ($+) -- West End (near Boston Garden) 138 Portland St, 523-8383 The food and the beer are somewhat similar to that of the Cambridge Brewing Company, with some disagreement about which has the better brews. At Commonwealth, the dark brews are particularly recommended, especially the porter and bitter. Go for the beer, and avoid any truly fancy food. They also have hard cider. John Harvard's Brew House ($+) -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 33 Dunster St, 868-3585 Mixed reviews on the beer; some think its great, others find it disappointing, though recently musch improved. The ales are light-bodied, and at worst weak & bland, although the flavors that make it through are worthwhile. The food also gets mixed reviews; some find it imaginative and tasty, w excellent home made sausages and great lunch specials, while others think its a ripoff, with the presentation frequently winning out over edibility; they're obviously trying hard to provide interesting (if often heavy) dishes, but they might have done better working on the basics. The steak & garlic mashed potatoes are good. Enormous desserts heavy on the maple sugar (although the strawberry shortcake is good), and poor coffee. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Other Great Beer Places ======================= Boodle's of Boston ($$$-) [Steaks] -- Back Bay [see listing under Steaks] Cornwall's ($$-) -- Kenmore Sq The best British-style pub in the area, and it is very good indeed. They have Woodpecker and Welsh Ale on tap, scores of other beers, nd the couple who owns it is on-site, managing really well, an lso doing a first-rate job of cooking good fish & chips, and lots ore. It draws a crowd of regulars, including lots of BU faculty at lunchtime. Doyle's ($) -- Jamaica Plain Washington St (at Williams) T: Orange Line; Hours: 7 days; CreditCards: no; OutdoorDine: no NonSmoking: ok; Reservations: not accepted; ChildFriendly: ok Dress: casual; VegOptions: some; LowFat: no Doyle's is an old Boston establishment, around since 1882. A very community/family type place; relaxed and easy -- the kind of place your softball team would go after a game in the summer. Typical bar atmosphere, so it can get crowded and noisy. Good hearty fare - nothing spectacular, but good food at cheap prices -- very good pizza, good burgers (esp the Braddock burger), steak, American-type food, chowder, soup, salad, fish n' chips. Primarily a great place for beer, with 20+ beers on tap! Not as great a selection as the Sunset but much better prices - near the Boston Beer Company and thus gets new Sam Adams products first. (9/94) Sunset Grille and Tap ($+) -- Allston 130 Brighton Ave nr Harvard St, 254-1331 T: B Green Line at Harvard & Comm Ave, also #66 & 57 buses Best known for its unparalled selection of beers on tap (74, and not one of them Budweiser or any of that mass-produced crap) and in bottles -- a total of 150 beers and 5 or 6 ciders. They also serve enormous portions of butter-heavy food that gets mixed reviews. Very good nachos. 3 rooms, one busy and open, one quieter, one for smokers. Mostly a 20-something crowd with a lot of BU students. The waitstaff is young and friendly. The wait can be tough at peak weekend times but otherwise it's pretty easy to get a seat. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Places that serve Hard Cider ============================ Bill's Bar Cider Jack on tap about one day in six... Boston Beer Works Woodpecker (and others?) in bottles Commonwealth Brewery Cornwalls Woodpecker on tap Crossroads Woodpecker on tap Plough & Stars Cider Jack on tap! Sunset Grill & Tap Woodchuck & Woodpecker on tap; also Merrydown, Strongbow, Cider Jack, Purpom ====================================================================== Recommended Boston Sunday Brunch Buffets ====================================================================== [Note: this list is really incomplete. New entries very welcome!] Blue Room [Eclectic] -- Cambridge (Kendall Sq) Sunday brunch is recommended highly -- for $15 adults, $8 kids under 12, patrons are treated to a good combination of your standard buffet-style brunch as well as hip out-of-the-ordinary dishes with many unexpected items; its a cold and hot buffet of delights that fit the Blue Room's standard philosophy of ethnic blendo nouvelle cuisine, but without any portion control. This means you might find apple-pineapple-guava crumble next to old- fashioned chocolate brownies (but updated with that hint of bitter chocolate instead of gooey sweetness) and traditional scones (equally modern with their lacing of apricots), or pasta salad next to maki rolls, buttermilk pancakes next to collard greens and fried bananas, sausage and bacon next to eggs scrambled with asparagus tips and sundried tomato. Everything works well together, and not a thing cannot stand proudly on its own -- a remarkable feat, I think, for a buffet. Portions of the hot food are prepared continually in small amounts so that nothing sits long enough to cool. A full menu of cocktails for the person who has to wake up with a screwdriver is available, at additional cost. To add to the whole effect, a pianist belts out a few sets of foot-stomping ragtime New Orleans jazz from an upright they wheel in to near the bar; if conversation is critical, don't sit too close. Goes from 11am - 3pm, with a similar dinner buffet that starts at 4pm. Country Life [7th Day Adventist Vegan] -- Downtown All you can eat; serve and bus tables yourself. Very impressive lowfat selection (I asked specifically about fat content). Included 2 soups, small salad bar, hot entree, rice, vegetable, french toast & waffles, fresh fruit, frozen fruit drink, a fruit tart (all this was non or low fat), "scrambled" tofu, other baked goods & desserts. Herbal teas and juice included, other (soft) drinks were extra. $7.95/adults, $4.50/children. Dick's Last Resort -- Back Bay Sunday Gospel Brunch. Every Sunday, 10a-3p I believe. The entertainment is a rock/jazz gospel group. Food was good, omlette bar, waffle bar, lots of fresh fruits, breakfast and lunch foods. Deep southern backwoods feel to the place. A great new experience. It was about $15pp. Parking validated for the Pru Mall Garage. House of Blues -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) 3 hr Gospel brunch Sundays, 1/2 for eating, 1/2 for music -- you can get reservations a week in advance, but they're often not necessary. The food is ok, though they don't always refill the better stuff, and the gospel is good, but they rush you in and out -- it's more like a "ride" than a brunch.) [=> reviews ] Marriot Copley Place -- Back Bay Great food, about $20/head, excellent shrimp. Meridian Hotel -- Downtown The Meridien hotel in Boston runs an excellent Sunday brunch, possibly w a special "kids table". Neat way to introduce someone to sushi (one table) too because they use only smoked salmon and other commonly-eaten products to produce their maki rolls. Shrimp & mussel table, crepe table, usual egg & etc. table, usual cheese & breads table, usual salads table, a pseudo-natural breakfast foods table, and on the hot food side, they always have salmon en croute of some sort, as well as the usual beef, vegetable, and potato entrees. Desserts are worth eating, too; real stuff, not the usual over-sugared generic goop. Milk St Cafe ($) [Kosher Vegetarian] -- Downtown 0 Post Office Square T: Red/Orange Line-Downtown Crossing Hours: Sunday Brunch 10AM-2PM, July-August (Weather permitting) OutdoorDine: only; VegOptions: lots; Rating: very-good GoodDishes: Eggplant parmesan is particularly good Service: Cafeteria style service Ambience: Seating is outside in the park, surrounded by the downtown skyline Prices: Individual items: $2.95-$4.95, All you can eat: $14.95/Children $8.95 (8/94) Park Plaza -- Park Square Park Plaza Hotel, 35 Columbus Ave, Park Sq, 426-4444 Really good hotel brunch -- excellent even if seated just before closing time. Excellent omelettes, roast beef, plus some slightly more unusual stuff like tuna steaks in orange sauce and capellini with sun-dried tomatoes. Good selection of dessert stuff too -- cakes, some nice fruit tarts, etc. Good quality. All of it was fresh, well-prepared, made with the right ingredients. Service was excellent, plates were removed and silverware was replaced promptly but without rushing us. Basically, we never had to wait for anything. Servers were all very pleasant, too. $18/head. Parker's [Traditional American] ($$$$) -- Downtown Rowes Wharf Restaurant -- Waterfront Boston Harbor Hotel, Atlantic Ave, 439-3995 One of the most lavish brunches around if price is no object. Sheraton Commander -- Cambridge (Harvard Sq) $21 for very good buffet. Spinnaker -- Cambridge (Cambridgeport) Top of the Cambridge Hyatt Regency Hotel 575 Memorial Drive (nr BU Bridge), 492-1234 $25/person, large variety, complimentary champagne, the whole restaurant revolves. Top of the Hub -- Back Bay 2nd floor of the Prudential Center (Boylston/Huntington), 536-1775 Good classical Sunday brunch. Interesting cheeses, and quite a reasonable wine list (w Frascatti a good value). A good value overall (about $18.00) and terrific views of Boston. Turner Fisheries (Seafood) -- Back Bay Extensive excellent seafood-focused brunch. Not cheap at $22/ head, but simply wonderful. They had just about anything you could want in a brunch, lots of it, and the quality was excellent -- bacon, sausage, waffles, omelettes, blackened monkfish, sole, smoked seafood platter, clam chowder, etc. Help make the Sunday Brunch Buffet list more complete and keep it up-to-date by sending in your own reviews of new restaurants, or updating reviews of restaurants already in the list! ====================================================================== Other Boston Lists ====================================================================== Where to have English Tea around Boston ======================================= Ace of Cups Tea Room -- Brookline Village 220 Washington St, 232-1114 High Teas available 3-5 Th-Sa w 24 hrs notice. $12 for scones, clotted cream, cakes, finger sandwiches. Otherwise they are a normal tea place with lots of good teas and baked goods. Colonial Inn -- Concord Center Four Seasons Hotel -- Boston 200 Boylston St, 338-4400 Montage -- Chelmsford Ritz Tea Room -- Boston (Back Bay) Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Arlington & Newbury, 536-5700 [=> negative review ] SpecialTeas -- Grafton Dessert & Chocolate Buffets in Boston ===================================== Cafe Fleuri [Chocolate Buffet] -- Downtown Hotel Meridian, 250 Franklin St, 451-1900 The Cafe Fleuri's chocolate buffet at the Hotel Meridien on Saturdays from 1-4pm from Sept. thru May is highly recommended. Basically, it is chocolate ecstacy for $13.50 pp. Cakes, cookies, puddings... Crepes prepared for you by a chef who can drizzle chocolate sauce or scoop ice cream on it for you. Reservation required. (8/94) ====================================================================== Outside of Boston ====================================================================== o Cape Cod & the Islands o North Shore (east of US 1) o North of Boston (east of Rt 3, west of US 1) o West of Boston (as far as Worcestor) o South of Boston (east of US 1) o Southeastern New Hampshire (bounded by Nashua, Manchester, Dover) o Southwestern Coastal Maine o Rhode Island ====================================================================== Cape Cod & the Islands Restaurants ********************************** Barnstable ---------- Matakeese Wharf ($$) (Barnstable Harbor MA) -- Seafood 271 Mill Way (off 6A), (508) 362-4511 A very enjoyable place for dinner, with the quality of the seafood the star attraction. Good cioppino. Pleasant, attentive service. A wonderful place to sit on the deck facing Barnstable harbor and watch the boats. [=> review ] Brewster -------- Chillingsworth ($$$$$-) (Brewster MA) -- Nouvelle French / Continental 2449 Main St (on Rt 6A), (508) 896-3640 Very expensive, but worth it for a special occasion. Generally considered to be the best restuarant on the cape. The food is thoroughly excellent; never a bad meal. An excellent bet is the prix fixe 5 or 7 course meal. The fruit souffle for dessert is particularly recommended but needs to be ordered at the beginning of the meal. Formal yet friendly service; graceful, efficient, and tactful. Get reservations well in advance. They also have a cafe, which is less espensive.) [=> review ] [=> Boston Globe Review ] High Brewster ($$$$) (Brewster MA) -- Eclectic New England 924 Satucket Rd (betw Airline & Stonybrook), (508) 896-3636 Bourne ------ Chart Room ($+) (Cataumet, Bourne MA) -- Traditional On the harbor at Kingman Marina, (508) 563-5350 Food is traditional American family-style - broiled swordfish w/anchovy butter, baked stuffed lobster, steaks, lamb chops, etc. but it's very good and is very inexpensive for the location. Typical entree is ~$10, including salad, veggies, potato. Limited inexpensive wine list and full bar. Indoor & porch dining w beautiful sunset views of harbor, Bassett's Island, out to Buzzard's Bay. As you might expect, the place is PACKED in the summer time, esp. on weekends, and can be very noisy. Entertainment on some nights (usually piano player w/bass - show tunes, traditional jazz, etc.). Hard to get reservations, and they're definitely advised. Open Thurs-Sat May, all days June - Sept, Thurs-Sat October. Chatham ------- Vining's Bistro (Chatham MA) -- Southwestern Grill 595 Main St, Upstairs at the Gallery at Chatham, (508) 945-5033 Fresh ingredients, interesting menus, friendly service, and a nice atmosphere; not inexpensive but delicious and interestingly different dishes. (7/94) Cotuit ------ Regatta of Cotuit ($$$$-) (Cotuit MA) -- Eclectic 4631 Falmouth Rd (Rt 28, nr Rt 130), (508) 428-5715 Very elegant, somewhat traditional food. Very fresh, wonderfully prepared seafood. Dennis ------ Swan River Restaurant and Fish Market (Dennisport MA) -- Seafood 5 Lower County Road, (508) 394-4466 Very fresh and well-prepared seafood, terrific chowder, with plenty of non-fried items on the menu. Friendly service, and even a view if you get the right table. Portions not the largest (not really small, just not huge), but quality high. Never a bad meal, and often really good ones. Informal atmosphere. Eastham ------- Lobster Pool (Eastham MA) -- Seafood Rt 6 A good place for simple seafood. Lots of options -- they will prepare whatever fish they've got fresh as either poached, broiled, baked, or fried. They do a splendid job w poached fish, especially swordfish, and and they also do a great job on lobsters, which come in several sizes. Clambakes too. Atmosphere is very casual and informal. You won't get anything fancy here but it'll be very good. Better than the Lobster Hutt. (7/94) Falmouth -------- Regatta of Falmouth ($$$$-) (Falmouth MA) -- Eclectic 217 Clinton Ave (nr Scranton), (508) 548-5400 Very good food -- you can't order a bad meal; everything is exquisite. Especially good mushroom strudel appetizer and chocolate decadence dessert. Reservations recommended. Off-season, the service can be slow. Mashpee ------- Cefalo's ($+) (Mashpee MA) -- American Casual Mashpee Commons (Rts 151 & 28), 477-8100 Prices: Most entrees $8-14, include vegs+salad ChildFriendly: yes, incl crayons; Accessible: yes A low-key unpretentious restaurant with a relatively small menu of standard entrees, all prepared reasonably well. Unexpectedly good clam chowder, shrimp scampi, and scrod. (6/94) Flume ($$) (Mashpee MA) -- Seafood / Portuguese Lake Avenue (off Rt 130, nr turnoff to Mashpee Rotary), (508) 477-1456 A popular place with good seafood, though a bit overpriced. Go for the Portuguese items on the menu, which are both cheaper and more interesting. Open year round, need reservations weekends in summer. Gone Tomatoes (Mashpee MA) -- Northern Italian Mashpee Commons (Rts 151 & 28), (508) 477-8100 Hours: Su-Th 11:45-10, Fr-Sa 11:45-10:30 OutdoorDine; yes, but from a restricted menu Food: Very good food; much improved in the past few years. Pizzas are excellent, though marred by the difficulty of getting the toppings one wants; the menu describes a number of predesigned pizza combos, and the manager's intercession may be needed to get variations. Reasonable wiine selection. Good Dishes: Pizza, Cozze alla Salsiccia (mussels and sausages over linguini), Veal Piccatta. Ambience: The restaurant is very pleasant, dark wood and glass, one step up from Bennigan's-style decor, without being overly formal. Very busy during the summer, with long waits on weekends; probably the best restaurant in its class in the area. (9/94) [=> review ] Nantucket --------- Cap'n Tobey's Chowder House (Nantucket MA) -- Seafood Straight Wharf, (508) 228-0836 Perhaps the best clam chowder in New England. Provincetown ------------ Ciro & Sal's (Provincetown MA) -- Northern Italian 4 Kiley Ct (behind 430 Commercial St), (508) 487-0049 Very good Italian, many dishes with fresh seafood in them. It's crowded, it's noisy, and it's always good. Note this is not Sal's place, which is good, but this is better. Lobster Pot (Provincetown MA) -- Seafood 321 Commercial St, (508) 487-0842 P-town restaurants come and go, but the Lobster Pot is always there and always good. Still casual, and a bit busy and hectic, but somewhat fancier than other places. Basic fresh seafood in rather plain surroundings, with some particularly good dishes. The Portuguese kale soup is a must as is the wonderful clam chowder. Other good bets are soft-shell crabs, seafood skewers, and the cold smoked appetizer plate. They also usually have a pretty impressive dessert menu. Napi's (Provincetown MA) -- Eclectic 7 Freeman St, (508) 487-1145 Interesting and innovative cuisine -- a wide variety of fresh seafoods and some Portuguese specialties. They have such a large menu that pretty much everyone can find something that they'll like.... there's even a page of vegetarian things. Wellfleet --------- Aesop's Tables ($$$) (Wellfleet Center MA) -- Traditional Main St (next to Town Hall), (508) 349-6450 Hours: May to October For a fancy dinner, there is Aesop's Tables in Wellfleet Center. It's food is excellent, but very pricey. Good appetizers include Logan's Littlenecks (w black beans and sausage) and monet's salad (incl edible flowers). Mixed reviews on the entrees, which seem to vary from excellent to uninspiring. (7/94) [=> review ] Lobster Hutt (Wellfleet Center MA) -- Seafood 91 Commercial St Good fresh fish, lobsters in various sizes (1 1/8, 1 1/4, 1 1/2), clam bakes (lobsters, clams [1 1/8 lb each, and excellent] and very fresh corn), various fried and grilled fish. They have soda, but if you want any alcoholic beverage, you had to BYO. Order your food outside then go inside and ask to be seated. They look for enough empty spots at either the loooong picnic table running down the center or the perpendicular tables along the sides; you may end up sitting between strangers and it can be pretty noisy. There may be more comfortable places to get good fresh seafood (notably the Eastham Lobster Pool), but this place is still quite good. (8/94) Serena's ($$-) (S Wellfleet MA) -- Italian / Seafood Rt 6, (508) 349-9370 Italian family-style dining, emphasis on seafood. Good basic stuff -- their menu has changed little over the years. Excellent scampi, seafood/lobster fra diavolo, great garlic bread. Preparations are not fancy but the food quality is superb. They're used to kids, too. Very friendly folks. Casual. Entrees $10-$12. Yarmouth -------- Abbicci ($$$) (Yarmouthport MA) -- Italian 43 Main St (on Rt 6A), (508) 362-3501 [=> Boston Globe Review ] North Shore Restaurants *********************** (east of US 1) ************** Beverly ------- Union Grill ($$) (Beverly MA) -- Nouvelle American Grill 208 Rantoul St, (508) 927-2028 Fresh food, of very high quality, and very imaginatively prepared. The decor is lovely, the service is excellent, and the wine list good. Danvers ------- Ponte Vecchio ($$$) (Danvers MA) -- Northern Italian 435 Newbury St (nr Topsfield Fairgrounds), (508) 777-9188 Essex ----- Tom Shea's ($$$) (Essex MA) -- Seafood Good food, mostly seafood, w/some meat entrees. Food done a la Legal Seafood (traditional (i.e., baked stuffed) cajun, broiled, fried) and there's several pasta dishes. Setting is nice - right on Essex marshes so you can watch boats coming in from Ipswich bay. Fairly extensive wine list, good desserts. Woodman's ($+) (Essex MA) -- Seafood (Clam Shack) Rt 133, a bit east of Rt 22 Wildly mixed reviews. A place for fried seafood, boiled lobster, french fries & onion rings, cole slaw, beer and wine, too. Indoor & outdoor dining on picnic tables w/paper plates, with a nice view of the surrounding marshes. Long lines on beach days, but they move quickly. The clams (as well as everything else) are fried (proudly) in lard. While some say the clams are perfect, others claim the breading on the clams is tasteless and thick, and that the clams are rubbery, and not always fresh. As for other food, some say its great, w excellent fried sole, reasonably priced, very good onion rings, and very good scallops and shrimp. The shrimp in particular are fried in the tastier Southern way using a salty corn flour batter. The lobster and the fritter-style crab cakes gets wildly mixed reviews. Others claim all the food is bland, greasy and overpriced (not substantially cheaper than fried food at Legal). Avoid the corn on the cob. (9/94) [=> reviews ] Gloucester ---------- Bistro ($$$) (Gloucester MA) -- Eclectic Very good, with lots of Mediterranean food, including fine seafood and grilled foods of all sorts. Ipswich ------- Clam Box (Ipswich MA) -- Seafood Rt 133 / 1A north of the Ipswich town center Highly recommended for their fried clams and fried fish, though some think the place is over-rated. It get's a low decor rating on the interior but then the building's exterior is shaped like a clam box to make up for that. (8/94) Newburyport ----------- Ciro's (Newburyport MA) -- Italian Near the waterfront. Lots of good Italian food. It tends to be very busy. Servings are fairly large, lots of interesting pizza e.g. gorgonzola and walnut on a white pizza; some think it's not quite as good as Bertucci's nor does it have as expansive a menu. Fair sized portions. Moderately priced. (7/94) David's ($$$+) (Newburyport MA) -- American/Continental 11 Brown Sq, in the Garrison Inn, (508) 462-8077 CreditCards: yes; OutdoorDine: no; Dress: casual Dress: Casual; Rating: very-good Food: The food is exceptional, w fresh ingredients and amazing sauces. Food is prepared perfectly, w shrimp served as tender and succulent as salmon. The presentations are inventive and attractive. The portions are just right, served on large white plates, with fresh herb garnishes. GoodDishes: the appetizer of Ipswich goat cheese with sun-dried tomatoes, in a nest of crispy leeks is both attractive and delicious. Excellent grilled salmon, and also excellent grilled shrimp in a sauce of artichokes, basil, and lemon over linguini. For dessert, try the white chocolate mousse (presented as a Napoleon) with a raspberry sauce; one of the best desserts anywhere. Beverages: They have a full liquor license. A fairly short wine list that is medium priced (most bottles are in $20 range). Service: The service is pleasant and helpful. Ambience: Elegant and relaxed at the same time in a quant colonial atmosphere. White tablecloths and attractive place settings. Prices: approx. $4 - $6 for appetizers, $16 - $20 for entrees Other: A pleasant way to end a day of bird watching at Plum Island. More enjoyable than Joseph's Winter Street Cafe or Scandia. There is also a less formal cafe downstairs which serves full portions and half-portions. We didn't try it, but it might be a good way to sample this wonderful food for less money. (9/94) Glenn's Galley ($$$) (Newburyport MA) -- Nouvelle American Grill Eclectic 44 Merrimac St, (508) 465-3811 Artfully prepared, tastefully presented food, servings tend to be small (one reviewer felt that they paid a lot of money for 4 beautifully presented pieces of asparagus with some fish on top. :-) Menu varies weekly - some standards, with lots of potential for hot (spicy) foods, and lots of specials. Great seafood. Occasional oddities such as wild boar, antelope, venison, etc. Get reservations on weekends. [=> Legal Sea Foods ($$+) (Peabody MA) -- Seafood Northshore Shopping Center, (508) 532-4500 O'Fado ($$-) (Peabody MA) -- Portuguese 52 Walnut St (nr Central), (508) 531-7369 Mixed reviews. Huge portions, but overall disappointing. Revere ------ Mirage ($$) (Revere MA) -- Russian 220 Lynnway, 286-3310/3359 This is the place to come for a unique Russian dining experience. The decor and location would make it a good candidate for something more like a VFW post; the food is, well, very meat-and- potatoes, but apparently genuine enough. The reason to go, though, is to experience the Russian rock'n'roll band that provides the live entertainment, as well as the groups of Russians and Armenians getting as smashed as they can; if you're lucky, the place will erupt into table dancing and raucous sing-alongs; toast everyone's health, the health of their spouses and children, and you'll get along just fine. Needless to say, it's the sort of place you would best go to in the company of at least six others, so you can raise your own hullaballoo if no else does. It's only open on the weekends, and reservations are advised, mostly because they do a lot of Russian parties, weddings, receptions, etc. Oh, the Mirage also has a dress code (jackets, ties preferred, absolutely no jeans or sneakers) and runs $20/person easy, more depending on your alcohol consumption. Rowley ------ Agawam Diner (Rowley MA) -- Diner Food from your childhood, or from your parents childhood. Salisbury steaks, turkey with gravy.... Good quality food, good desserts (excellent pie), inexpensive. Seafood Village ($) (Rowley MA) -- Seafood Rt 1, about a mile N of rt 133 Great fried seafood; one of the best on the North Shore. Nothing fancy. Not a place for someone who is watching their fat intake. Salem ----- Asahi ($$) (Salem MA) -- Japanese 21 Congress St, (508) 744-5376 Very nice Japanese food, lovely service, pleasant decor. Good sushi, also specializing in simmered dishes. Nice bento box selections. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Grapevine ($$+) (Salem MA) -- Nouvelle Italian 26 Congress St, (508) 745-9335 Very nice -- pizzas, pasta, duck dishes. One of the better restaurants in the area. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Red Raven ($$-) (Salem MA) -- Eclectic 75 Congress St, (508) 745-8558 Very striking decor. Food represents various international spicy cuisines. Moderately priced. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Salisbury --------- Chin Chin (Salisbury MA) -- Mongolian Bbq / Chinese 237 Elm St (Rt 110, I95/495), (508) 463-4332 Good food. The mongolian barbeque/buffet Fri and Sat nights is worth a visit. The Bbq is quite good, you can observe them cooking your food. They typically have around 8 vegetable and 6 meat selections for the bbq. The traditional food is Mandarin and Szechuan. Typical price for good chinese food. (7/94) [=> Boston Globe Review ] Saugus ------ Border Cafe ($+) (Saugus MA) -- Tex/Mex Rt 1, betw Friendly's & Hilltop; Accessible: yes; ChildFriendly: very Prices: Entrees from $5 (tacos, beans, & rice) to $15; full meal < $20 Rating: great Like the one in Harvard Sq, but with fewer vermin and better ambience. Excellent quality, flavor, variety; esp good fajitas. Tex/Mex beers only. Good margaritas. Variable service, but usually helpful. Lots of tables (50?) but always a wait; noisy; OK lighting; always kids present -- there's a kid's menu. Hilltop Steak House ($$-) (Saugus MA) -- Steakhouse Rt 1 [look for the cow!], 233-7700 A family place w long lines and good reasonably priced steak, though some say that the quality has gone a bit downhill over the years. Swampscott ---------- Bertucci's ($+) (Swampscott MA) -- Pizza / Italian 581-6588 Palmer's ($$$-) (Swampscott MA) -- Italian 408 Humphrey St (at Greenwood), 596-1820 Restaurants North of Boston *************************** (east of Rt3, west of US 1) *************************** Andover ------- Bertucci's ($+) (N Andover MA) -- Pizza / Italian (508) 685-4498 Burlington ---------- Cafe Escadrille ($$+) (Burlington MA) -- Italian/American 26 Cambridge St (Rt 3A & 128), 273-1916 Most upscale decor and highest prices of nearby Italian restaurants -- a big place with above average quality and prices; not overly expensive, but not cheap. Not gourmet fare, but solid, though the frog legs are delicious. Dissenters say that dinners are dull with indifferent preparation (esp fish). But it's a place with a great Sunday brunch. Jimmy's on the Mall ($+) (Burlington MA) -- American Casual In the Burlington Mall Standard American fare -- meat-chicken-seafood -- with good sized portions of above average food at average prices; never a bad meal, and hard to beat for the price. A large restauarnt with plenty of seating and speedy service. Excellent Salmon w Dill sauce & Baked Stuffed Shrimp and great desserts too, including Mud Pie & Strawberry Shortcake. Entrees, which include potato or rice (a nice pilaf w spinach), are generally $8-$11. Salads ~$1.45 extra. [=> review ] Legal Seafood ($$+) (Burlington MA) -- Seafood In the Burlington Mall, 270-9700 Good food, pricey, always crowed, forget it for 6-8 people unless you arrive after 9:00 PM or want to wait an hour. Excellent baked stuffed lobster and the salmon is also good. PapaRazzi ($$) (Burlington MA) -- Italian Wall St. in Burlington off Rt. 3 just S of Rt. 128 T: 350 bus from Alewife; Outdoor Dining: available Thai Tai (Burlington MA) -- Thai Middlesex Turnpike, across 128 from the Mall ChildFriendly: very Food: Good food; well presented dishes. Some dishes are Chinese. Good but not spectacular lunch buffet. GoodDishes: Great appetizers, excellent Thai PuPu. The chicken coconut soup is the best anywhere. Very good Pad Thai. Best Chicken Satay anywhere -- meat is real juicy. BadDishes: Avoid the Salmon dish. Beverages: Anchor Steam on tap! Service: Good service; very helpful waiter, remembers you. Ambience: Nice relief carving on river delta market that I find fascinating. Beautiful plain woodwork inside. Pleasant and not overpowering. Not noisy in the evening. (8/94) Dracut ------ Lin Garden ($+) (Dracut MA) -- Chinese 511 Merrimack Ave. (Rte 110), 508-458-8113 Good Chinese food, including a variety of authentic Chinese dishes (plus others available by special order), which attracts a large Chinese clientele. Good all-you-can-eat buffet and Sunday Dim Sum buffet. Too much MSG, but if you can get over that, the food will satisfy, and the price is right. From the menu, the curry chicken was quite tasty. Nice view of the Merrimack river. Haverhill --------- Hong Kong Kitchen ($$-) (Haverhill MA) -- Chinese Rt. 125, Bradford (Haverhill), 508 521-3399 This is owned by the same people as Royal East in Cambridge, and has the same menu; it is certainly the best Chinese outside in the area. Best dishes: any of the daily specials (including whole fish), Cantonese fried chicken, veal ribs, rock crab, pork and pickle soup, pork with pickles, the chow foons, swan la chow show, chow meins (believe it or not), the list goes on ... You can never get a bad dish there. Prices are moderate (about $50-60 after tip for a family of three, but that includes leftovers to take home with you). The ambience is typical for a small suburban Chinese place, but here you go for the food. Lawrence -------- Bishop's ($$) (Lawrence MA) -- Lebanese / American 99 Hampshire St (at Lowell), (508) 683-7143 Bishop's has two types of food: American steaks, chops, and seafood, and Middle Eastern (Lebonese) specialties. Both are very good to excellent. The American food comes in huge portions -- lobsters start at perhaps 3 pounds, for example. Prices are expensive, but you really do get your money's worth. The french fries (served family style) are not to be missed, as well as the Syrian dressing on the salad. Even though the prices are on the high side and the atmosphere and service are very nice, dress is informal. Lowell ------ Khemara (Lowell MA) -- Cambodian It's nothing fancy, but it's run by a very pleasant Cambodian family, and they serve wonderful House Special Sizzling Rice Soup and Cambodian-style fried fish, for those who like spicy dishes, at very low prices. The smoke can get bad here at times. La Boniche (Lowell MA) -- French 110 Gorham St Intimate atmosphere, the courses are perfectly cooked & seasoned, and the desserts are to die for. Southeastern Asian Restaraunt (Lowell MA) -- Asian Eclectic Possibly the best food of it's type in the Boston area - really! They have Laotian, Viet, Thai, Cambodian and Burmese food - and are *NOT* afraid of the heat! Try the Nom Prik Ong or Pad Prik Bai Grapow. Both are hot and good. Sticky rice is excellent (when they remember to wash it well enough so it doesn't have a film of gooey starch) -- one order is plenty for two people. Gyoza is ok, but ask them to try not to make it soggy. They now have buffets at lunch and dinner, incl. weekends, where you can eat quite reasonably. The worst part of the Southeast Asian is it's downtown location. Don't forget to lock your car and arm the laser turrets :-) The owners are an Italian Database Consultant named Joe and his Thai wife. If the food isn't up to snuff, let Joe know. He's techmar!joe@wang.com Stoneham -------- Three Amigos Taco Shop ($) (Stoneham MA) -- Mexican Pretty good. Very small, *great* chili verde, a bit of bite for a change! Other food's just ok, but they deliver and are cheap and give large portions. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Wakefield --------- Ristorante Molise ($$$-) (Wakefield MA) -- Contemporary Italian Main St (just S of town center), 245-9169; Hours: Daily til 9 or 10 Prices: Meal $25-$30 (app, entree, drink, dessert, coffee) NonSmoking: inadequate; Accessible: yes; ChildFriendly: no This is a pleasant, low-key restaurant with very good food, almost as good as the best Italian restaurants in Boston. The food is very well prepared, though could sometimes use more seasoning. Very good Seafood Puttanesca Fettuccine Gustose (prosciutto and peas in a creamy pesto sauce), and chicken & pasta dishes. OK wine list, not fancy. Service is pleasant, low-key, as is the ambiance. As one would expect for a suburban restaurant, most patrons are middle aged: couples and families. There is adequate spacing between tables, and a pleasant din of conversation -- just enough to produce a feeling of warm conviviality. Overall not quite as good as Caffe Amore; recently prices have increased while portions have decreased. [=> review ] Szechuan Restaurant ($+) (Wakefield Center MA) -- Chinese across from the police station on Centre St Very good food, reasonable prices. The shrimp & veggie dish is fine, and a dish called Patriarch Chicken (small sauteed pieces of chicken over broccoli, sweetish, spicy sauce) is really good! Hot & Sour, wonton soups are very good. Friendly, pleasant staff. The seafood is pretty much limited to shrimp. Winchester ---------- Ristorante Lucia ($$+) (Winchester MA) -- Italian 553 Mt Vernon St (betw Main & Washington), 729-4585 Downstairs you can get good pizza (and many, many toppings) for reasonable prices in a non-pizza-parlor atmosphere. Woburn ------ Bertucci's ($+) (Woburn MA) -- Pizza / Italian 933-1440 Restaurants West of Boston ************************** (as far as Worcester) ********************* Acton ----- David's Bistro ($$$) (Acton MA) -- Eclectic Rt 2A, (508) 263-6161 A relatively new, and wonderful restaurant, serving very well prepared and delicious food, and the portions are large, which is unusual for this type of restaurant. Many of the dishes are complex and somewhat spicy; if you want fairly simple food, this place may not be for you. Entries worth trying include Roasted Lamb Loin and Grilled Venison Sausage with a barley and wild rice timbale with natural drippings ($16), Roasted Rainbow Trout stuffed with smoked shrimp and scallops with a brown butter, caper sauce and lemon couscous ($15), & Grilled Semi-Boneless Duckling, soy-marinated, with lo mein noodles, and spicy peanut sauce ($14). The menu includes vegetarian dishes as well. For the price, quality, and portion size, this restaurant is a very good deal. [=> cautionary review ] Golden Bull ($$-) (Acton MA) -- Chinese 36 Great Road (Rt 2A/119), (508) 371-2828 short distance west of Concord Rotary Hours: Sun-Thurs: 11:30am-10pm, Fri-Sat:11:30am-11pm Reservations: accepted; Dress: casual DineAccess: ok; ToiletAccess: ok VegOptions: some; LowFat: pretty good Rating: great Food: A definite cut above the other Chinese restaurants in the area. Well prepared, good-sized portions, tasty. Well-rounded, extensive menu. Some steamed and soup-noodle dishes availabe for low-fat GoodDishes: Hot & Sour soup is exemplary: good flavor, rich with solid ingredients Chicken with Chinese Eggplant Shrimp with Garlic Sauce but all dishese we've tried are good Service: Service has always been fine. We are regulars at lunch. Ambience: Pleasant, not tacky, subdued. Decor is left over from an Italian restaurant in the same location. (7/94) Le Lyonnaise ($$$+) (Acton MA) -- French 416 Great Road (Rt 2A & 27), (508) 263-9068 A very pleasant restaurant in a converted house w an intimate atmosphere, and delicious excellent food. Wonderful duck w plum sauce and Coq au Vin. Complete Table d'Hote dinners available. Bedford ------- Cafe Luigi ($$-) (Bedford MA) -- Italian on 4/225 in front of Marshall's in the Purity shopping ctr Very good, though not very adventurous, Italian food, fairly cheap. The Northern Italian dishes are best. Try the Chicken Tornelli, or the nice selection of black pasta dishes. Great Wall ($$-) (Bedford MA) -- Chinese 309B Great Road, 275-7007 in shopping center on west side of 4/225 before Bedford Ctr Not stupendous, but extremely good standard suburban Chinese food, probably the best in the area. Serves good Suan La Sho Chow. Good veggie dishes, as well as a very good buffet. Chelmsford ---------- Panda Wok ($$-) (Chelmsford MA) -- Chinese 313 Littleton Road (Rte 110, across from ex-drive-in), (508) 250-1888, wheelchair accessible, lots of veggie options. Entrees $6-15. One of the best Chinese restaurants in the area w excellent food, esp the sauces. All the dishes are superb, even things like chicken fingers. Nuts are still crisp for those dishes that include them; the vegetables appear to be fresh and of good quality; the meat dishes are cooked yet tender. Highly recommended dishes include Schezuan chicken and the prawn dishes, Peking ravioli (don't miss the ginger sauce), Amazing chicken, Kung-Pao Three Delights, and the various seasonal specialties. The decor is modern, well lut, with lots of natural wood. Seats 60-80 people in boothes that are close but do not lose their privacy. The restaurant is rarely full, being situated somewhat out of the way. There is a bar with a big screen T.V. off of the lobby, far enough away from the eating area so as not to be noisy or smoky for diners. While service is good, there is something lacking in the atmosphere -- it seems to lack that comfortable feel that makes a restaurant totally great. Szechuan Chef ($$-) (N Chelmsford MA) -- Chinese 6 Vinal Square on Rt 3A, (508) 251-9888 take exit 33 from the south, exit 34 from the north Good Chinese restaurants in the area are in very short supply, and this is the best. Good lunch buffet with about 6 items, including peking ravioli. Tai Shiang Garden ($+) (Chelmsford Center MA) -- Taiwan Chinese 7 Summer Street, Market Place, (508) 256-8584 One of the the most "authentic" (no compromise for Western taste) Chinese restaurants around. The food is very good and pretty inexpensive as well. Check out all the noodle dishes especially the rice vermicelli and the spicy beef noodle soup. Their special fried rice is also very authentic. On their menu, the last page is their Taiwanese dishes. This is the stuff that they excel in. The daily specials are not bad, but not as good as their authentic menu items. It is a typical small strip-mall type place so has very little atmosphere. Not something you go for a romantic dinner, but if you want good Taiwanese food, this is the place to go. Concord ------- Aigo Bistro ($$$) (Concord MA) -- Mediterranean 84 Thoreau St, Concord, 371-1333 Try the brandade, the seafood entrees, any North African food, and the honey-lavender-thyme flan. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Chang An ($$) (Concord MA) -- Chinese at the Concord Train Station on Sudbury Rd, across from Stop & Shop Very good restaurant aiming for high quality ingredients and excellent preparation, but with overly bland seasonings, even when asking for spicy food. Very tender, perfectly cooked poultry, and perfectly cooked, juicy tender duckling. Nice decor, but prices are on the high side, $4 to $6 for appetizers, and $10 to $15 for entrees. Framingham ---------- Bertucci's ($+) (Framingham MA) -- Pizza / Italian 150 Worcester Rd, 879-9161 Oh! Calcutta ($+) (Framingham MA) -- Indian 16 Irving St (Rt 126) at Grove St (Rt 135), (508) 875-6212 Excellent Indian restaurant -- better than most in Cambridge or Boston. Especially good Channa Baji -- chick peas steamed with tomatoes, ginger, garlic, onions & spices. For lunch at $3.95 it is a very good deal. And don't forget the onion relish. Shogun 9 (Framingham MA) -- Japanese Shogun 9 is consistently good; surprisingly good considering they're not in the city. The sushi bar has mostly standard fare (i.e. tuna, salmon, mackerel, octopus, squid, also geoduck and clam, but rarely uni) and is always fresh. Their cooked food is also excellent. (9/94) Thai Orchid ($+) (Framingham MA) -- Thai Rt 9 Good food, freshly prepared w fresh ingredients. Basil Beef a good choice for those who prefer western tastes; Masuman Curry is a good choice for those who like the unusual. The "Golden Bags" appetizers are wonderful, and the grilled seafood skewers with a sweet and sour sauce are also good. This is a really nice Thai restaurant. The atmosphere is among the most pleasant seen locally, with a central seating area under a wooden platform; in this area you sit on the floor. Around that area are standard tables and booths. Prompt pleasant service. $10-15/person. Seats about 60. Mixed drinks available. Wheelchair accessible. Smoke can be a problem. Uncle Cheung's (Framingham MA) -- Chinese on Rt 9 A great place, with some of the best Chinese food outside of Chinatown, very reasonably priced and quite tasty. Try the Crispy Whole Fish, and the Crispy Shrimp. The chicken fingers and sweet&sour chicken are very good as well. Typical service and atmosphere. One report of possible food poisoning though. (9/94) Yen's Wok ($+) (Framingham MA) -- Chinese Rt 9, western edge of Framingham Great lunch and dinner buffet Sunday through Thursday. Very good Chinese food, worth a drive. Excellent fried squid -- really tasty and not spicy-hot (7/94) Holliston --------- Bertucci's ($+) (Holliston MA) -- Pizza / Italian (508) 429-4571 Lexington --------- Cafe Bellecour ($$$-) (Lexington Center MA) -- Mediterranean 10 Muzzey St, 861-9400 Good but not knock-your-socks off food. Rumor is that this is soon to become another outpost of Roka. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Hartwell House ($$+) (Lexington MA) -- American Traditional Hartwell Ave (first left with a light N or 128 on 4/225) Excellent food, nice atmosphere, but pricy. Good steaks, burgers, and simple seafood dishes. Good early bird special before 6:30, w prime rib on Friday's. Lemon Grass ($$-) (Lexington Center MA) -- Thai On the main drag of town, east of Waltham St. DineAccess: ok Wildly mixed reviews, varying from great to good to awful. Highly regarded dishes include the Cocnut Chicken soup (w a bit of lime in it), the Siam rools, and the wild-boar basil (just a little spicy). OK Pad Thai. I had a horrible dinner -- they used too much fish sauce in everything! (8/94) New Asia ($$-) (Lexington MA) -- Chinese 211 Mass Ave, 863-5533 Pretty good; very quick-cooked Szechuan-style food, try the Yu Hsiang [savory green beans]. Also in Somerville.) Peking Garden ($$-) (Lexington Center MA) -- Chinese Dim Sum 27 Waltham St, 862-1051 Well established, excellent, very good Hot & Sour soup, Dim Sum on the weekends; try the Chicken with Pine Nuts. Sweet Peppers ($$) (Lexington Center MA) -- Italian 20 Waltham St, 862-1880 Good portions of reasonably good somewhat nouvelle Italian food; very good pizza. Crowded, but accepts reservations. Reasonably priced. Yangtse River ($$-) (Lexington MA) -- Chinese 21 Depot Square, 861-6030 Peking Garden's longtime competitors, very, very good, though not quite great -- try Hacked Chicken, Yangtse River Beef, Ma La Shrimp, Twice Cooked Pork. Littleton --------- Yangtse River ($$) (Littleton MA) -- Chinese 584 King Street, (508) 486-0500 DineAccess: ok; ToiletAccess: ok; ChildFriendly: ok; Hours: Daily til 9:30 Reservations: not accepted; Dress: casual; VegOptions: some Wildly mixed reviews -- from excellent to very disappointing. A nice comfortable place w very good service -- pleasant and quick. Those who like it think it is the only good Chinese place in the immediate vicinity, and that the food is well prepared and plentiful, with delectable flavors. Recommended dishes include the KungPao shrimp, chicken, or beef, the Spicy jumbo shrimp w/tomato & onion, the crispy beef dish, the veggie lo mein, and the Crab Rangoon. Those who don't, find it very dissapointing, w lousy food & service, much inferior to the Lexington branch. (7/94) Marlborough ----------- Bertucci's ($+) (Marlborough MA) -- Pizza / Italian (508) 460-0911 Tom's Seabreeze ($+) (Marlborough MA) -- Seafood on Rt 20 Not a fancy place, but the fried clams and scallops are impeccably fresh, the breading light and not greasy. You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you. Highly recommended! Maynard ------- Grappa ($$-) (Maynard MA) -- Italian on Rt 62 An unassuming place that serves unique inspired Italian dishes at moderate prices -- a very enjoyable place to eat. Try Eggplant Napolean, Spit-roasted chicken, and Veal scallopine in vanilla infused lobster sauce. Reservations recommended, especially on weekends. Little Pusan ($+) (Maynard MA) -- Korean 83 Main St, (508) 897-5107 Closed Sundays. Restrooms not wheelchair-accessible. Small family place -- she's Korean and cooks, he's American and serves. Food is quite good (a lot of it is spicy), with 4 or 5 different marinated vegatables served with every meal. Portions are fairly generous too, especially for excellent appetizers such as the the Korean-style futomaki, the Kimchee pancake, and the noodle appetizer. Entrees are very good as well, esp a steamed layered big bowl of meat and vegetables that seemed to be a specialty, as well as the spicy stir fry of squid or pork. No liquor license but you can bring your own. Only seats 25, so you might want to avoid on weekends (they really can't handle a crowd); weekdays usually uncrowded. When not crowded, the owner is very good w special requests also. Very reasonable prices for the amount of food -- $30 feeds 2 adults and 1 child very well. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Quarterdeck ($$-) (Maynard MA) -- Seafood 177 Main St (Rt 62), (508) 897-9165; Hours Mo-Th til 9, Fr-Sa til 10 Resevations: large parties only; NonSmoking: completely Excellent, and known for its very fresh seafood, reasonably priced (and also sold in the adjacent retail shop). A variety of types of fish are available, though preparation are not particularly interesting -- just mostly basic broiled. Small & casual. Reservations recommended, especially on weekends. (7/94) [=> Middlesex News Review ] Thai Chili ($$-) (Maynard MA) -- Thai Really good food, and best Thai in the area. The spicy dishes are authentic -- really spicy and flavorful. Chicken w Basil is particularly good. (7/94) Natick ------ Chef Chen ($+) (Natick MA) -- Chinese 61 Worcester Road (Route 9 westbound, next to Boston Chicken) (508) 650-1533 The location (recently moved here from Framingham) and lack of waiting lines could lead you to believe this is the typical mediocre suburban Chinese restaurant, but you'd be wrong. This is a nice place, especially if you like to eat off linen at paper prices. The owner and staff are genuinely friendly and make eating there a pleasure. Weekdays they have an excellent special for two of appetizer plate, choice of soup and two dishes for $17! Very good beef and scallop dish, lo mein is a little pasty. The spicy dish vary enormously from day to day in spiciness -- sometimes very mild, sometimes fiery -- so be specific about how spicy you want it. Overall good food, good service, kid-friendly. (8/94) Dolphin Seafood Too ($+) (Natick Centre MA) -- Seafood on South St, opposite the train station Hours: Closed Sunday Fancier version of the Cambridge restaurant. More spacious, full bar, fish market, similar low prices. Great food, atmosphere and service. The swordfish special dinner for $10.75, is very reasonable and tasty. Excellent seafood pasta w 8 large shrimp & linguine in a garlicky sauce. Unusual rasberry low cal salad dressing -- a big change from the usual gummy diet dressings you usually see. The children's menu offers "fish sticks" which are actually haddock pieces. Also on the children's menu are shrimp, and other choices all for $3.95. The atmosphere is very pleasant and perfect for a business lunch. The only problem is that they do not take reservations and the waiting area is quite small. There can be a long (~1 hour) wait on weekend nights. Only for seafood-lovers -- only one non-seafood dish on the menu. Legal Seafoods ($$+) (Natick MA) -- Seafood Rt 9 eastbound, (508) 820-1115; Hours: Mo-Th til 10, Fr-Sun til 10:30 Excellent fish chowder. Overpriced fish and lobster. Long waits on weekend nights. [=> Middlesex News Review ] Sherborn -------- Sherborn Inn ($$$) (Sherborn MA) -- Traditional 33 Main St (Rt 27 nr Rt 16), (508) 655-9521 Hours: Lunch Tu-Su, Dinner til 9:30 daily (Mo-Tu tavern only) Reservations: accepted Very upscale, elegant, pricey. Superb menu and wine list. Many dishes are quite good, including the veal chops, crab cakes & shepherd's pie, but others fall short of the mark, incl the salad w roasted mushrooms, and the cheese tortolini with grilled chicken and pesto. Service is spectacular, though for the price, more attention should be given to the details of presentation. Also does a good job with small group functions. [=> Middlesex News Review ] Southborough ------------ Ipanema ($$-) (Southborough MA) -- Brazillian 106 Southville Rd (At Rt 85 S of Rt 9), (508) 460-6144 Very authentic Brazilian food, casual atmosphere. Reasonably priced, enormous portions. Offers all you can eat marinated/ grilled meats, served right off the skewers by the chef who wanders through the dining area. Servers are helpful with suggestions if you are unfamiliar with the food - will also tell you if they think you have ordered too much !! Offers live Brazilian music and dancing on weekend. Definitely worth the trip. Sudbury ------- Lotus Blossom ($$-) (Sudbury MA) -- Chinese Rt 20 Run by the same people that run the Lotus Flower in Framingham, but the interior and atmosphere are much nicer -- very tasteful (un-chinese-restaurant-like) decor. The food is both prepared and presented well, with some of the best Chinese food outside of Chinatown. Good mu-shi, vegetarian dumplings, with some steamed entrees and brown rice available for healthier choices. Good shang-hai panfried noodles and their peking duck is ok too (but not served with pancakes unless you ask for them). Sometimes they have unusual specials like chicken w/champagne sauce, which are good. Prices are moderate to a bit high, but worth it. They also do impressive special banquets w VERY good food and service. Always jam packed on Saturday nights - wall to wall people waiting to be seated. Sierras ($+) (Sudbury MA) -- Southwestern 470 North Road (Rt. 117), (508) 443-0820 nr Maynard line, E of 27, W of 126, westbound side A suburban variant of the Border Cafe for the 20's-30's crowd, with wildly mixed reviews. Those who like it say the food is good, comes in large portions and is reasonably priced. Recommendations include posole, the "heavenly" black bean, chili fettucine, shrimp diablo, and chicken nachos, as well as any specials made with chipotles. Those who don't like find the service can be pushy, the beans weird, and the mole poblano abominably bad.) [=> reviews] Wayside Inn ($$+) (Sudbury MA) -- American Classic Wayside Inn Rd, (508) 443-1776 A restaurant/attraction that is worth seeking out. The food is solid if not spectacular. It is basic "American" food that must be intended to represent what might have been available in a wayside restaurant: roasts, chicken pot pie, homemade pies. The atmosphere and surroundings contribute to the experience at least as much as the food does. Good cornbread. Festive at Christmas. Excellent service, the price is reasonable for what you get, and it is just a wonderful dining experience. You don't have to travel to Vermont or New Hampshire to get that "Country Inn" style of food - you just come here. (7/94) Wellesley --------- Amarin II ($$) (Wellesley MA) -- Thai 27 Grove St (at Spring St), Wellesley, 239-1350 Very pretty restaurant, and excellent food, almost as good as Erawan. Great Pad Thai & Tom Kar Gai; the noodles and beef at lunch are good and not served elsewhere. Service is generally good, but there can be exceptions. They have a pretty good tolerance for noisy kids. Bertucci's ($+) (Wellesley MA) -- Pizza / Italian 380 Washington St, 239-0990 Captain Marden's Takeaway ($) (Wellesley MA) -- Seafood Linden St Good seafood, cheap prices. Avoid the broiled food; get the fried stuff. Get the seafood rather than the clam chowder. PapaRazzi ($$) (Wellesley MA) -- Italian 14 Washington St, 235-4747 Westborough ----------- Willy's ($+) (Westborough MA) -- Mexican Rt 9, next to Sams Discount Club, (508) 366-1881 Hours: Daily till 10pm; ChildFriendly: very If you like cajun and mexican food, this is the place. Not fancy, but a very good and diverse menu. Heaps of food (in fact, an appetizer can serve as a meal), so bring an appetite. Good dishes include Tequila shrimp, Fajitas, Giant Burrito, and Chicken dishes. However, The ribs are kinda greasy and the coconut beer shrimp have a lot of batter on them. Margheritas are the specialty...and each one seems to have its own personality... Service/Ambience: Service is fast, food is served pipin hot, and with a smile. Very casual, laid back ambience. Interesting Texas decor, rustic. Weston ------ Cafe 456 ($$)(Weston MA) -- Eclectic 456 Boston Post Rd (Rt 20), 891-9161 By day, it is a sub shop / pizza joint featuring very good sandwiches (good roast beef w boursin cheese, and chicken salad w fresh tarragon & grapes). In the evenings (they used to do this every night, but they scaled back recently to just Friday and Saturday nights), they transform into a gourmet restaurant w excellent food creatively prepared from fresh ingredients and elegantly presented. The place has a certain charm to it with the combination of fine food in a (very) casual setting (you won't likely ever see any two pieces of silverware at a table that match). The place is decorated with artwork which changes every few weeks. Very good beef tenderloin and chicken risotto, wonderful hearty lentil/tomato soup; desserts were fantastic. A very pleasent dining experience. Not a cheap one, mind you, but satisfying. Worcester --------- Chopsticks ($+) (Worcester MA) -- Chinese On the west side Known for its excellent lunch buffet -- $5.99, all you can eat, until 3 pm. Chopsticks has better decor than Ping's (by the same owner) and a more varied menu including hot pot dishes and chow foon. (7/94) Peking Wok ($+) (Worcester MA) -- Chinese Grove (Rt 122A) and West Boylston Streets (across from Perce's) The food is good, the atmosphere is pleasant, and the service is excellent, with a very pleasant waitstaff. Really cool dinnerware too, and neat wall hangings in the smoking section. Their buffet is good, too; it even has more than one vegetarian dish, although it is a little more expensive than most. They also have a cool non-alchoholic drink called Strawberry Pops. (7/94) Thai Orchid ($$-) (Worcester MA) -- Thai Moderate prices, pretty good lunch & dinner buffets, though better choices off the regular menu. The sesame beef appetizer w coriander and fried crispy is really excellent. Service is good, as long as you don't go on a night with a popular Centrum event. Restaurants South of Boston *************************** (east of US 1) ************** Abington -------- Vin & Eddie's ($$$) (Abington MA) -- Northern Italian 1400 Bedford St (Rt 18 betw Rts 58 & 139), 871-1469 [=> Boston Globe Review ] Braintree --------- Bertucci's ($+) (Braintree MA) -- Pizza / Italian 412 Franklin, 849-3066 El Serape (Braintree MA) -- Mexican 5 Commercial St, Weymouth Landing, 843-8005 Brockton -------- Bertucci's ($+) (Brockton MA) -- Pizza / Italian (508) 584-3080 Dartmouth --------- La Rivage ($$$) (Dartmouth MA) -- Classic French 7 Water St, (508) 999-4505 Hingham ------- Bertucci's ($+) (Hingham MA) -- Pizza / Italian 90 Derby, 740-4405 Navona ($$$) (Hingham MA) -- Italian-French-American 415 Whiting St (nr Rt 3), 337-0757 Hull ---- Saporito ($$$) (Hull MA) -- Northern Nouvelle Country Italian 11 Rockland Circle (nr Nantucket Ave), 925-3023 Inventive delicious food in a homey trattoria atmosphere. Terrific food; everything is superb. Well worth the drive. Mansfield --------- LaDonna (Mansfield MA) -- Italian on Copeland Drive (left at 1st traffic light going west on 106 from 140...no more than a mile from 95) A fairly nice, pricey Italian place in a restaurant-sparse area of Mass, owned by the same people as Carla's in Norwood. (8/94) Norwood ------- Bertucci's ($+) (Norwood MA) -- Pizza / Italian 1405 Providence Highway, 762-4155 Quincy ------ La Paloma ($$-) (Wollaston, Quincy MA) -- Tex/Mex 195 Newport Street, 773-0512, T: Red Line @ Wollaston (4 blocks) DineAccess: ok Very good Tex/Mex food. The fajitas are particularly good -- veggies fresh, salsa good and spicy. Also try the chili, shedded beef burritos, sopa seca, carne asada, and Mexican paella. Complementary homemade nachos with excellent salsa. Competent and friendly service, comfortable booths, informal but pleasant decor, pleasant bar to wait in if you have to (esp oin weekends). Sometimes live music on weekends. Plenty of parking. Good value for money. $4 for a margarita. (7/94) Randolph -------- Caffe Bella ($$$-) (Randolph MA) -- Northern Italian 19 Warren St (Rt 139 E), 961-7729 [=> Boston Globe Review ] Stoughton --------- Iguana Cantina ($$-) (Stoughton MA) -- Tex/Mex Washington St Taunton ------- Bertucci's ($+) (Taunton MA) -- Pizza / Italian (508) 880-0222 Weymouth -------- La Paloma ($$-) (S Weymouth MA) -- Tex/Mex 1037 Main St (Rt 18) Southeastern New Hampshire Restaurants ************************************** (bounded by Nashua, Manchester, Dover) ************************************** Statewide --------- Foodies Restaurant (NH Chain) -- Italian Casual Bedford, Hampton, Nashua, Portsmouth NH, 9 others outside the area Danial Webster Highway (near Shaws Grocery Store), Nashua DineAccess: ok; ChildFriendly: very; NonSmoking: Completely VegOptions: lots; LowFatOptions: pretty good; Eclectic pizzas, very good pasta choices, good large salads. Wide variety of creative pizza combinations. Particularly veg-friendly: the Mediterranean (feta cheese, broccoli, tomatoes, garlic), spinach, and eggplant combos are good choices; carnivores should try the sizzler (hot sausage and jalapenos), chicken fajita, or reuben (corned beef, sauerkraut, mustard, pickle). Heart-healthy choices highlighted on menu. Choice of about 6 crusts, from an excellent traditional thin to sourdough, to a chewy whole wheat. During lunch they have an all you can eat menu of their various pizza slices, which is a good value, but the pizza sometimes suffers from holding. Also, a very good beer selection. Comparable to Bertucci, but a bit kinder on ther wallet. Service & Ambience: Recently converted to table service at dinner. Ample seating; not crowded; clean enviroment. Newer locations (all of these) are bright and cheery; original Hillsborough location a bit funkier. (7/94) Newicks ($) (NH Chain) -- Seafood Delicious seafood. Gigantic nightly specials. Giant fried seafood platters, and the broiled stuff's ok too. They all have *slightly* different names, but all the names contain "Newick's." Ambience? Open, casual, friendly -- like a big, indoor picnic. Cheap. Good. Fun. Avoid the fast food versions in malls though! Shorty's Mexican Roadhouse ($+) (NH Chain) -- Tex/Mex Much better than passable, even to those who have sampled what California and Texas have to offer. Good mexican food with a good atmosphere and good beer selection. Hampton ------- Los Burros (North Hampton Beach NH) -- Mexican Excellent food, with all items home-made. Excellent guacamole dip (large portion, fresh taste, lots of cilantro), fajitas burrito (both chicken and beef are very good), and rice (interesting flavor, cooked with chicken broth? and herbs?). The homemade salsa is also consistently fresh. Also very good chili (red or green) and enchiladas, and there are also specials sometimes like tamales and stuffed jalapenos). Other info about the new location: Still minimal seating (3 or 4 small tables and a couple of picnic tables), but the restaurant is about 100 yards from the beach. No liquor/beer sales. Credit cards OK. (8/94) Nashua ------ Bertucci's ($+) (Nashua NH) -- Pizza / Italian (603) 595-7244 Cafe Mardi Gras (Nashua NH) -- Cajun/Creole Nice cafe style restaurant w inexpensive tasty food, though small portions (at least for lunch). Lots of alligator on the menu. Chili's ($+) (Nashua NH) -- Southwestern DW Highway, across from Pheasant Lane Mall Noisy, friendly, busy place w southwestern decor, and well- prepared southwestern style food. Good chicken fajitas. The best appetizer is the awesome blossom (fried onion with horseradish sauce) although the quesadillas are good also. They also have good salads and burgers. Sam Adams and lots of soft drinks available w free refills. Short wait, very good service. Most things on the menu are between $6-10. Very child-friendly; the waiting area has children's books! Coyote Cafe ($$$-) (Nashua NH) -- Southwestern Main St, (603) 883-1610 Recently opened, so the waitstaff is still undertrained, but the food is excellent. A bit less creative than Cottonwood Cafe, but still very tasty and a better value. GoodDishes: To start, try the Hopi Pan Bread appetizer, the rattlesnake bites (deep fried mozzarella stuff jalopenios) and their award winning 5 chile chili (beat out Shorty's and Hacienda's among others - no beans, shredded beef and pork served with tortilla chips). Then try the Grilled Scallops (with pumpkinseed pesto), the Seafood Diablo, the Smokehouse Saute (smoked chicken w/ linguini) or the fajitas (though served w too few tortillas; hint: when asking for more tortillas you only get charged for 3 or more). For dessert, try the almond flan. Drinks: Coyote makes their margaritas with Tequilla, Lime Juice, and Triple Sec. NO MIX, a real Margarita!! The make them right and they taste great. Decent beer selection on tap (Anchor Steam, Sam Adams, etc..) as well as in bottles, though Mexican beers are lacking. Service: The Coyote opened early this year and still has new waitstaff. The server Dave has worked there since the opening and he is the only original server/bartender still there; he has been known to send back a drink or dish if the presentation is not what he expects for his customers. The rest of the staff is friendly and courteous but presentations may vary from one server to the next. Atmosphere: Relaxed - not noisy but not dead either. Small bar with no TV. Usually Jazz or Mexican music. They will be expanding soon for a larger dining area. Occasionally live local jazz/blues band in the evening, sometimes w a a free buffet to accompany the music, though then there will be a line at the door to get in. Price: Average Lunch with appetizers and Drinks will be around $22 pp. Dinner around $26. Entres around $8-13 (8/94) Giant of Siam ($$-) (Nashua NH) -- Thai One of the best around... great food, good service, classy presentation/surroundings, reasonable prices. Still others think it has gone downhill since it first opened. Indian Village ($+) (Nashua NH) -- Indian 295 Daniel Webster Hwy, (603) 891-1140; Hours: Closed Sun Still the best Indian food in the area, and an excellent lunch buffet, authentically prepared and spiced. Lunch ~$6; 100% Non-smoking. Osaka Tea Garden ($$-) (Nashua NH) -- Japanese Very good sushi along with other Japanese food. Ya Mamma's ($$-) (Nashua NH) -- Northern Italian Canal St Very good to excellent Northern Italian food; especially good seafood, and the fra diavolo, sun-dried tomato butter, and pesto sauces. A bit on the expensive side; entrees are $12-15. Ugly neighborhood. Portsmouth ---------- Blue Strawbery ($$$$-) (Portsmouth NH) -- Nouvelle American 39 Ceres St (off Bow St), (603) 431-6420 Wonderful prix fixe dinners using unusual combinations of ingredients. Strawberry Court: Restaurant Francais ($$$) (Portsmouth NH) -- French 20 Atkinson St (betw State & Court), (603) 431-7722 Salem ----- Bertucci's ($+) (Salem NH) -- Pizza / Italian (603) 890-3434 Metastasis (Salem NH) -- Eclectic (603) 890-3362. Take I-93 to NH Exit 2. Head east. It's on the right side of the road about 1/4 mile after you cross Rt. 28. Cuisine is an unsual combination of Portuguese, Italian, French, Californian. Double Diamond & Sam Adams on tap. A wonderful place & well worth a trip. If you're thinking of a Friday or Saturday night, better call for reservations. Southwestern Coastal Maine Restaurants ************************************** Cape Neddick ------------ Cape Neddick Inn ($$$) (Cape Neddick ME) -- Nouvelle American At Rts 1 & 1A, (207) 363-2899 Freeport -------- Maine Dining Room ($$$+) (Freeport ME) -- Nouvelle American Harasackett Inn, 162 Main St, (207) 865-9377/1085 Excellent lunch & Sunday brunch buffets. It is American/Continental food, with very good deserts. The Sunday brunch was $15 for adults $9 for kids over 8. The right number of dishes. Not so many that you stuff yourself trying everything, but a lot of variations. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Ogunquit -------- Arrows ($$$$) (Ogunquit ME) -- Nouvelle American Berwick St, (207) 361-1100 ChildFriendly: no Probably the top restaurant in the area. It is extremely expensive, even desserts are $8 or so, and the portions aren't very large. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Portland -------- Alberta's Cafe ($$+) (Portland ME) -- Eclectic 21 Pleasant St (betw Danforth & Foke), (207) 774-0016 Newicks ($) (Portland ME) -- Seafood (see NH Chain writeup) Rhode Island Restaurants ************************ Newport ------- Le Petit Auberge ($$$$) (Newport RI) -- Country French 19 Charles St (betw Washington Sq & Marlboro), (401) 849-6669 Newport Grill ($$$) (Newport RI) -- Italian 1 Broadway (Washington Sq), (401) 847-8353 Puerini's (Newport RI) -- Italian 24 Memorial St, (401) 847-5506 Reservations: not accepted A little Italian restaurant on Memorial Blvd around the corner from the Tennis Hall of Fame. They are famous for their fresh pasta. White Horse Tavern ($$$$-) (Newport RI) -- Eclectic New England Marlborough & Farewell Sts, (401) 849-3600 Beautifully maintained/restored Colonial setting, friendly but very professional service, excellent food, good (and not overly price-inflated) wine list. Providence ---------- (also see Brown University Graduate Student Handbook Reviews) Adesso ($$$-) (Providence RI) -- Nouvelle Italian 161 Cushing St (betw Thayer & Hope), 521-0770 Excellent restaurant, slightly expensive w nouvelle Italian food as well as as well as very good grilled meats. Pasta dishes are best, many cooked w alcohol (vodka, cognac, wine, etc). Always a variety of specials usually including one pasta w seafood. Spicing leans towards the savory (rosemary, tarragon); sauces to complement not overwhelm. Good salads & appetizers reflect the nouvelle style of the cuisine such as warm duck and radicchio. Breads are also very good, not fancy, but with real taste. Largish portions, so share appetizers. Good but overpriced wine selection. Professional service, very competent, moderately friendly, helpful without being intrusive. About 20 tables and it tends to be noisy. Open kitchen facing into the dining area with a clay oven for breads and pizza. The place itself is interesting. It looks to be the last holdout in a failed shopping mall behind Thayer Street w solarium type windows looking onto the alley/ parking lot. If there are a number of people waiting they will serve drinks. (6/94) Al Forno ($$$+) (Providence RI) -- Nouvelle Italian 577 S Main St (behind Corliss Landing), (401) 273-9760 Reservations: no Creative Italian Like Olive's in Boston (Charlestown), but better & more refined. Lots of grilled items, excellent pizzas, a fine apple tart, nice wine list, fairly expensive. Large portions. Attention to small details. Eat slowly to savor the taste. Some might find the atmosphere stuffy or the waits too long (occasionally 2 hrs, though rarely); if so, try Lucky's, a more casual room in the bldg w the same kitchen [272-7980]. Bertucci's ($+) (E Providence RI) -- Pizza / Italian (401) 431-1470 Blue Point Restaurant & Oyster Bar ($$$) (Providence RI) -- Seafood 99 N Main St (at Elizabeth), (401) 272-6145 Cozy well-worn blue-blood room. Fantastic, and always interestingly prepared seafood. Wine Spectator award-winning wine list. This serious fish restaurant is not for the baked-stuffed- haddock crowd. There's a focus on regional fishes such as trout, shad, pollock, flounder, salmon and of course, shellfish. Try the shad with roe, spiced in earthly realism. The menu changes weekly with daily specials and some house standards - such as oysters/ mussels which are recommended. Casual, but not inexpensive. [=> Boston Globe Review ] Hemmenway's ($$+) (Providence RI) -- Seafood 1 Old Stone Sq, (401) 351-8570 Excellent food, including superb lobster casserole, seafood chowder and bluefish pate. Every fish is fresh and deliciously prepared. If you like curry, you'll love their house dressing. They fly in a variety of oysters for oysters on the half shell and you can order your favorites if available or a sampler of 6 or so types. (8/94) La Fogata ($$-) (Providence RI) -- Mexican East Avenue, about 3 miles from Brown University Has the best Mexican food in RI (perhaps the best anywhere). The chef spent much time in Mexico, and the food reflects that. The chef was also on the new cable tv food channel demonstrating her dish "Camarones rellenos" (wood grilled shrimp dipped in chipotle sauce stuffed with goat cheese and baked in verde sauce.) You'll find tacos and burritos here, but there is much more interesting fare that you won't find at the "chain" Mexican restaurants. Everything is wood grilled, most entrees come with wood-grilled vegetables. Try the chile rellenos con pollo (fresh roasted poblano pepper stuffed with chicken that's been grilled with chipotle orange sauce, then topped with chile con queso and baked) and beef fajitas that are *hot*. Prices are reasonable: $7.95 to $13.95 for an entree. It's not high on atmosphere (very casual), but the food is excellent. No liquor license, but you can bring your own and they'll supply glasses and corkscrew, opener, etc. They don't take credit cards, but will take a personal check if you're relatively local (and maybe if you're not, check first). Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. (Great salsa, too!). It's worth the trip. L'Epicurea ($$$) (Providence RI) -- Italian Federal Hill (the Atwells Ave. area) The menu is limited to only about 20 things, but the food is very good and the atmosphere and presentation are also done very nicely. The restaurant is sparkling new; they've renovated their older, much smaller restaurant. Excellent Lobster Ravioli, Pecorino Seafood (penne pasta w shrimp & scallops), and focaccia. The portions are about average in size and the price is a little up there for a-la-carte meals but the food is outstanding. New Rivers ($$$-) (Providence RI) -- Eclectic 7 Steeple St (extension of Angell St by the river), (401) 751-0350 Another winner in the interesting, novel dishes category. Fresh ingredients, interesting herbs. Nice atmosphere, small, reasonable prices. Pot Au Feu ($$$) (Providence RI) -- French 44 Custom House St (at Weybosset), (401) 273-8953 Great French food with great atmosphere. Lots of rave reviews; never had a bad dish. Amazing creme brulee. They have an upstairs which is expensive and posh (jackets required), but downstairs is casual, with both inexpensive soups/salads/quiches, etc. and more expensive entrees ($15-20). (8/94) Siam Square ($+) (Providence RI) -- Thai Thayer St, Just uphill from the Avon Cinema About $10/person, maybe $12 with a drink. No non-smoking area. Very good food; vegetables crispy, fish fresh and light, food very well spiced and flavored. When they say hot, they mean it. Three pepper dishes are not for the faint of heart. Good dishes include the Tom Yum soup, Two-lovers (beef, pork and vegetables), Ginger fish with crispy noodles, Bangkok Chicken, and Pad Thai. A casual collegiate ambience, w 10-15 closely set tables. Not a hole-in-the-wall, but even w Thai decorations on the wall, not fancy either. Informal but pleasant service. Toscano's ($$$) (Providence RI) -- Italian 265 Atwells Ave (DePasquale Plaza), (401) 274--8820 Warwick ------- Bertucci's ($+) (Warwick RI) -- Pizza / Italian (401) 732-4343 ====================================================================== Changes Since Last Month ====================================================================== August 1994: Boston Area ======================== New Entries ----------- Cafe Fleuri [Chocolate Buffet] -- Downtown Cafe Han River ($) [Korean] -- Brookline (St Mary's) Cinderella's ($) [Italian] -- Cambridge (Central Sq) Doyle's ($) [Bar] -- Jamaica Plain Eliot/Kotobukiya ($+) [Japanese] -- Back Bay Milk St Cafe ($) [Kosher Vegetarian] -- Downtown [BRUNCH] Provizer's Deli ($-) [Deli] -- ~Newton Center Sammy's Deli ($) [Deli] -- Kendall Sq Snakebites Canteen [Southwestern] ($$-) -- Cambridge (Porter Sq) Updated Reviews --------------- Ararat ($) [Armenian] -- Watertown Arirang House ($) [Korean] -- Symphony Bangkok Bistro ($$-) [Thai] -- Cleveland Circle Bennett St Cafe ($$) [Eclectic] -- Harvard Sq Blackbird Baking Company ($+) [Cafe] -- Allston Blue Diner ($+) [American Casual Funky Diner] -- Chinatown Bombay Club ($$) [Indian] -- Harvard Sq Bombay Mahal ($$-) [Indian] -- Waltham Border Cafe ($+) [Cajun/Southwestern] -- Harvard Sq Country Life ($) [7th Day Adventist Vegan Vegetarian] -- Financial District Dolphin Seafood ($+) [Seafood] -- Harvard Sq Dom's ($$$) [Northern Italian] -- North End East Coast Grill ($$+) [Eclectic] -- Inman Sq Elephant Walk ($$) [French/Cambodian] -- Union Sq Ginza ($$$) [Japanese] -- Chinatown Grand Chau Chow ($$-) [Chinese Seafood] -- Chinatown Greek Corner Restaurant ($) [Greek] -- North Cambridge Green Papaya ($$-) [Thai] -- Waltham Grill 23 ($$$$-) [Steakhouse] -- Back Bay Hometown/Kohyang ($$-) [Korean] -- Union Sq India ($+) [Indian] -- Davis Sq India Palace ($+) [Indian] -- Union Sq Jae's ($$) [Asian Eclectic] Johnny D's ($+) [American Casual] -- Davis Sq Kaya ($$) [Korean] -- Back Bay Legal Seafood ($$+) [Seafood] Locke-Ober Cafe ($$$$) [New England / American] -- Downtown Mary Chung Restaurant ($+) [Chinese] -- Central Sq Milano's ($$) [Italian] -- Back Bay Moka ($) [Cafe] -- South End Nara ($$) [Japanese] -- Downtown New Asia ($$-) [Chinese] -- Union Sq Olive's ($$$$-) [Nouvelle Northern Italian] -- Charlestown Rama Thai ($+) [Thai] -- Allston Redbones ($$-) [Barbeque] -- Davis Sq Seoul House ($$-) [Korean] -- Newton Centre Tandoor House ($$-) [Indian] -- Central Sq [MOVED!] Viet Hong ($) [Vietnamese] -- Allston WooChon ($$-) [Korean] -- Union Sq Removed Entries --------------- Black Goose ($$) [Nouvelle Italian] -- Beacon Hill [Bad review; moved to the non-recommended list] Daily Catch ($$) -- Davis Sq [Big orange signs in the windows proclaim that it has been seized by the state for non-payment of taxes] Genghis Khan ($$-) [Chinese / Mongolian] -- Newtonville [To be replaced by "Huckleberries, an American Bistro"] Newbury's Steak House ($$) [Steak] -- Back Bay [Closed due to fire, to be replaced by a Pasta restaurant owned by the couple who operate Jillian's Billiards] Peacock ($$$-) [Country French] [Closed as of Aug 28; The restaurant will be closed for a few weeks and will reopen (perhaps with a new name) under the mgt of chef Patrick Noe and his wife Janet O'Donoghue; rumor has it that it will be French/Mediterranean] Ritz Dining Room ($$$$$) [Traditional] -- Back Bay [Bad reviews; moved to the non-recommended list] Rosalita's Texas Backyard Bbq ($$-) [Barbeque] -- Harvard Sq [Bad reviews; moved to the non-recommended list] Shang Chai ($+) [Kosher Vegetarian Chinese] [Lost kosher status and closed; new restaurant to open there] Viceroy ($$) [Indian] -- Central Sq [Tandoor House has moved here] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- August 1994: Outside Boston Area ================================ New Entries ----------- Chef Chen ($+) (Natick MA) -- Chinese Clam Box (Ipswich MA) -- Seafood David's ($$$+) (Newburyport MA) -- American/Continental Gone Tomatoes (Mashpee MA) -- Northern Italian Hemmenway's ($$+) (Providence RI) -- Seafood LaDonna (Mansfield MA) -- Italian Lobster Hutt (Wellfleet Center MA) -- Seafood Los Burros (North Hampton Beach NH) -- Mexican Matakeese Wharf ($$) (Barnstable Harbor MA) -- Seafood Shogun 9 (Framingham MA) -- Japanese Thai Tai (Burlington MA) -- Thai Uncle Cheung's (Framingham MA) -- Chinese Woodman's ($+) (Essex MA) -- Seafood (Clam Shack) Updated Reviews --------------- Coyote Cafe ($$$-) (Nashua NH) -- Southwestern Little Pusan ($+) (Maynard MA) -- Korean Pot Au Feu ($$$) (Providence RI) -- French Removed Entries --------------- Flash In The Pan (Danvers MA) -- Contemporary American [Closed; the diner itself is being moved to England] End of article 2401 (of 2402) -- what next? [npq]