Eat and Destroy

After visiting PK’s family in NH for the holidays, I wanted to check out some thrift stores (hoping to add more crap to my collections of way too many things). When we were at one thrift, we realized we needed some food (and drinks). We saw the sign for Shio, and decided to give it a shot. Being an urban food snob, my expectations were low.

I was wrong…

We  ordered 2 Mai Tais, chirashi, and one of their fancy rolls. The Mai Tais was pretty good. They weren’t close to as good as the old Spring Blossom quality, but they were pretty much on par with  Green Tea (which is well above average for Boston restaurants).

The sashimi was really fresh and delicious. The cuts were a good size and the price was right. (I think the chirashi was $12 during lunch and it came with 12 pieces.)

So, if you are anywhere near Portsmouth, and are craving sushi, you should definitely check it out.

Japanese, NH, NewHampshire, Sushi Japanese, New Hampshire, NH, Sushi

The other night after going to Winter Brew at Urbano’s new space in JP, PK and I were craving some sushi, but we didn’t want to spend much.

We headed to Sushi Express. The plan was to get sashimi, but for some reason we abandoned that plan when we got there and went for sushi and a couple of their fancy rolls. While many complain that their sushi isn’t great, I feel that you get what you pay for, and when you don’t want to spend much, Sushi Express hits the spot. While their fancy rolls are okay if that’s your thing, I recommend sticking with the sashimi and sushi.

Brookline, Cheap, Sushi Brookline, Cheap, Sushi

Had a good brunch yesterday at East Coast Grill. Highlight was the Banana Rellena.

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Fasika

I know that it’s been a long time since I’ve posted. Damn laziness…

Anyway, today’s post is about Fasika. I really like this place, but most comments that I read on chowhound give it not so good marks. I don’t get it… And, I find that many like Addis Red Sea for Ethiopian food. I find Addis Red Sea to be pretty bland  (and quite a bit more expensive) when compared to Fasika.

Anyway, 3 of us went with a restaurant.com coupon. We ate a lot, drank a bit, left a very good tip, and spent about $16 each.

Our favorite dishes were the Ayeb Be-Gomen (homemade cottage cheese w/ collared greens, herbs, & spices), Kitfo (raw minced beef in spices), Ye-Beg Alicha (cubed lamb in a turmeric sauce), & Doro Wot (chicken in a berbere sauce). All the vegetable dishes were enjoyable, but, on that day, the lamb and chicken really stood out.

Somerville, ethiopian\

From my posts, it should be obvious that I’m spending too much time in Waltham since I started working here a few years ago.  Besides the many amazing places to eat, the Waltham area is one of the best spots for grocery shopping.

Living in JP, I’ve spent way too much cash on crap produce at Harvest, and I’ve also spent too much on great quality produce at Roche Bros.  Now that I’m in Waltham, almost all my produce comes from Russo’s right on the Watertown border.  My weekly fruit & vegetable bill has gone down from about $30/week to less than $20/week since I started shopping there.  Not only is it cheaper, but the quality and variety that I bring home is fantastic.  While Russo’s does carry more than produce, that is pretty much all I buy from them (with the exception of cheese and occasionally some ravioli supplied by Dave’s Fresh Pasta).

The Indian Grocery Stores on Moody Street are my constant suppliers of yogurt, spices, chutneys, paneer, frozen naan, and a few fruits and vegetables.  I usually end up at Patel Bros, New Apna Bazaar, and/or Waltham India Grocery. All have some items that are cheaper than Russo’s such as oranges, avocados, mangos, limes, lemons, onions, & mint (Patel Bros. is usually the cheaper of the three).  If you check out New Apna Bazaar, make sure to explore their refrigerators since they have many delicious prepared foods. My favorite is the flat chicken . Unfortunately, they recently raised the price on this (and the kabobs) so they aren’t such a bargain anymore. I also like the spice of their Chicken 65, but it is a bit too oily. I have yet to try their Dokla (which they only carry on Saturdays).

Also, in the basement of Waltham India Grocery, there is a great butcher.  The prices are pretty good, the quality is excellent, and he’ll cut what ever part you want exactly how you want it.  I usually go there for lamb legs (with bone) and organic whole chickens.

Right across the street from the Indian stores is La Chapincita Market. Here, I usually just get a few bottled sodas and  hot sauces. (See earlier post about the tortas that they sell on Saturdays.)

I also go to Dae Han Oriental Food when I don’t have the time to go to Super 88 for some basic staples such as yam noodles, soba sauce, sriracha, etc.  Sometimes, I also pick up some of their ready to cook bulgogi.

And, yes, even though I don’t want to admit it, I go to Costco for their frozen fish and occasionally for their meat. (Yeah, I know that fresh fish is so much better, but for the price, the salmon, talapia, shrimp, & scallops are great deals.)

Indian, groceries, waltham fruit, groceries, grocery, Indian, vegetables, waltham

Before meeting up with some friends to see Drag Me to Hell, PK and I decided to get some Vietnamese food at Xinh Xinh. The plan was that we were going to get a vermicelli and a seafood dish. However, when we walked in, PK couldn’t take her eye off the Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Crepe) that the person next to us was eating.

So, we decided to get the crepe. It is listed as an appetizer, but it is more than enough for a meal. It was good, and was packed full of bean sprouts with a bit of shrimp and chicken. We also got the Mucrang Muoi (Spicy Fried Calamari).

As usual, we had a great meal at Xinh Xinh.

Verdict: Delicious as always!

Cheap, Chinatown, Vietnamese Boston, Cheap, Chinatown, Vietnamese

After getting back from vacation, PK & I were craving some Indian food. Too tired from the traveling, we decided against driving to Punjabi Dhaba and ordering takeout instead. We gave Ghazal a shot. We ordered Dahi Chat Papdi, Lamb Vindaloo, & Shahi Paneer Korma.

About 15 minutes after we ordered, our food arrived! Everything was good and was quite spicy (as we requested).

Verdict: While Ghazal is not in my top choices for Indian food in town, I was pleased with the meal and will be ordering from them again…

Indian, Jamaica Plain Indian, Jamaica Plain

I’ve been hearing about Wang’s Fast Food for years. And, as a dumpling addict, I have no excuse for not going sooner (besides the fact that I rarely go to Somerville).  Since I couldn’t remember which type of dumpling were supposed to be the best, we got an order of the Shrimp & Pork ($5.50) and the Pork & Leek ($5.25). There are 12 dumplings  in an order so it is a pretty good deal.  However, the best deal is to get an order of 50 frozen dumplings ($11-$13) to cook at home.   (There are many ways to cook the dumplings. I usually boil them for about 5 minutes and than pan fry them until the bottoms are nice and a little bit brown.)

Verdict: Delicious dumplings!

Cheap, Chinese, Somerville Cheap, Chinese, dumplings, pot stickers, Somerville

On my way to work today, I stopped by the newly opened Tango Mango to get a burrito. I was planning on getting steak, but the promise of spicy pork led me astray.

I got a medium (there was no no small) Chile Verde (spicy pork) burrito with cheese, guacamole, & sour cream ($6.30).  Just watching how little pork went in to the tortilla made me cringe.

The pork wasn’t spicy (based on my standards), but it was quite tasty.  The rice was made with a bit too much water.

Verdict: All in all, it wasn’t a bad burrito, but I’d rather head the few blocks to Taqueria el Amigo or Taqueria Mexico. It was definitely overpriced for what I got.

P.S. I forgot that I’m pissed that they charged me for a large burrito ($7.30), and I didn’t realize it until hours later.

Cheap, Mexican, waltham burrito, waltham

Dominic’s has delicious sandwiches so when I saw that they had their own version of a Chicago Italian Beef ($8.50), I knew that I had to try it.  Based on the quality of their sandwiches, I was expecting it to be very good.  I was hoping that it would be authentic, but I knew that it wouldn’t be (the fact that they promote it is “Chicago Style” was a good hint).

Even though it can’t compare to Mr. Beef on Orleans (in Chicago), it was really good.  The beef was tasty and the juice had a great flavor due to the herbs and the garlic. When I ordered it, the sandwich maker just spooned  a little juice on it.  I asked her for more, but only got a tiny bit more, so I asked her to pour it over both sides of the bread.  As she was doing this, one of the guys in back told me that they could dunk the bread if I wanted. Normally, I would have taken him up on this, but since I was on my way to work and didn’t want the juice to end up all over my shirt, I didn’t.

Verdict: Another delicious sandwich from Dominic’s, but my quest for an authentic Chicago Italian Beef in Boston continues!

sandwich, waltham sandwich, waltham