A few weeks ago, Tim was visiting from Chicago. On his last night, he wanted to eat in JP. PK and I were planning to take him to WonderSpice (I was craving the Crispy Ginger Fish), but he wanted Indian so we went to Bukhara. I’m normally hesitant to go here since I find their food so inconsistent, but since I haven’t been to Bukhara in over a year, it was worth trying again.
We ordered the Gosht Biryani ($13.95) that was just mediocre. (It made me wish that we drove to Kabab & Tandoor in Waltham for their delicious biryani.) We also ordered a Beef or Lamb Vindaloo (can’t remember which one we got; $12.50 or $13.50). While this had a lot of spice (which we asked for) and the meat was nice and tender, the flavor was pretty bland. Our final dish was Saag Paneer ($11.95) which won the award for one of the worst versions of this dish that I have ever had. Our Chat Papri never showed up (and we were not charged for it).
Besides having a below average meal, it was annoying to sit at the table and, within a span of just a few minutes, have about three or four different waiters come to our table to take our order.
Over the years, I have had a few good meals here, but the majority have been disappointing.
Verdict: Too expensive to take a gamble on the quality of the meal. 
Allston, Indian, Jamaica Plain
Indian, Jamaica Plain
I’ve been reading the hype about Gitlo’s for months, but I didn’t believe that it would be that good. Now, I’m kicking myself for not going sooner because it really was a great meal!
Here’s what we ordered:
Scallop Shiu Mai w/ Scallops ($3.75)
Stuffed Long Hot Pepper w/ Shrimp Paste ($4.25)
XO Sauce Daikon Cake ($3.65)
Curry Spare Ribs w/ Potato ($4.35)
Cantonese Dumplings ($3.75)
Taro Spring Rolls ($3.55)
Char Siu So (BBQ Pork in Puff Pastry; $3.75)
(sorry, no picture)
Everything we ordered was delicious enough to order again. However, the highlights were the Char Siu So (the sauce in these were fantastic), the Curry Spare Ribs (the curry was delicious), the Cantonese Dumplings, and the XO Sauce Daikon Cake.
Verdict: One of my new favorite places!
Allston, Cheap, Chinese, Dim Sum
Allston, Boston, Cheap, Chinese, DimSum, Gitlo's
PK and I were in Allston so I knew that we would be eating at one of the two places that I really wanted to try– Gitlos or Yoma. We decided on Yoma. The place was a little too silent for me. There was music, but it must have been on the lowest setting since a whisper would drown it out. This made it so that I could hear every crunch and slurp at the table on the other side of the restaurant.
We started with a JetThonJaw (fried shredded shallots; $5.75). It was good. For our main course we split a ShwePaYonTheeHin (shrimp and sweet pumpkin in a tomato based sauce; $9.25) and a MonHinGar (catfish chowder; $6.75). The ShwePaYonTheeHin was delicious, but it was a shame that for $9.25 we only got four shrimp and six pieces of pumpkin. (I didn’t expect or want a large portion, but this seemed to be just a little too small for the price.) The soup had a nice flavor, but I would not order it again.
While I really liked the shrimp, I was not really impressed with this meal. Next time, I am going to do a bit of research on what I should order.
Verdict: I’m holding off on my next visit to decide my verdict.
Allston, Burmese
One of the toughest things about eating for cheap in Allston is that there are way too many good choices. On Saturday, PK and I decided to try Sumi.
We ordered the Grilled Baby Octopus ($2.65):
Grilled Squid (forgot the price, but it was under $3):
Grilled Lamb ($3.95):
Rice Ball Glazed with Egg Sauce ($2.35):
Grilled Sweet Onions ($1.95):
Everything was delicious and perfectly grilled. The seafood skewers were all just slightly charred on the edges to give a little crunch. The best dish was the Baby Octopus. The Rice Balls reminded me my favorite part of an Ok Dol Bibimap (the crunchy rice stuck to the side of the stone pot).
Verdict: For under $15, this was an amazing meal. I am looking forward to going back in the very near future and trying their grilled scallops and shrimps.
Allston, Cheap, Japanese
If you have been reading eatanddestroy for a while, you know that I rarely eat at a place that I do not like. I think that I have only posted one negative review in the past 9 or 10 months. Unfortunately, over the weekend, I had a crappy meal. And, I blame the Boston Phoenix since they had a positive write-up of Soulfire’s Fried Macaroni & Cheese Balls.
PK and I like fried and we also like Mac & Cheese, so we were both looking forward to checking out Soulfire. We planned on only getting the one appetizer; however, due to the smell of the BBQ sauces, I also wanted to try their ribs. We ordered the Southern Fried Mac & Cheese Balls ($5) and the Rib Sampler ($7).
We already knew that the rib sampler was going to be a rip-off since $7 is a lot for two baby back ribs and two spareribs; however, it was a worse deal than we thought since most of the ribs had very little meat on them. Also, the ribs were very dry and had almost no flavor. I know nothing about cooking ribs, but I do wonder when the ribs were originally cooked since the lack of taste made me think that they have been sitting around for a while and were recently reheated. I do want to point out that they had a variety of BBQ sauces that were actually pretty good, even though I am not a fan of the fact that they keep the BBQ sauces warm since I like BBQ sauce at room temperature.
On to the Mac & Cheese Balls… They had a good fry, but that is the only compliment that I can give them. They were just fried balls stuffed with bland pasta shells. Neither PK nor I could taste any cheese. We were both disappointed since we were hoping that these would taste something like we imagined a mac & cheese mozzarella stick would taste like. At the very least, they could have drizzled some cheese over them.
Verdict: A waste of $12.
Allston
Over the weekend, PK and I took advantage of the hot weather by spending time in our backyard, breaking up the asphalt that the previous owners put down for some ridiculous reason. (Hopefully, by the end of the summer, we will have a garden and a patio.)
On our way back from Home Depot in Watertown (the only Home Depot in the area that rents tools) on Sunday, we stopped by Reef Cafe. We ordered a Spinach Pie ($1.50) which was bland and boring. PK ordered a Soujouk ($4.75) which was delicious, and I order a Lamb Kabob ($5.25) which was almost as tasty as the soujouk.
Verdict: I wish that Reef Cafe was closer to our house. Their food is always delicious (besides the Spinach Pie). The owner and his mom (the chef) are always very friendly. My only regret about this trip to Reef Cafe is that we did not order some of their amazingly strong coffee and their baklava, which, in my opinion, is the 2nd best that I have had in the Boston area.
Allston, Lebanese
The other day, while PK and I were picking up some groceries at Super 88, we decided to have a quick meal at Kantin. We ordered a small Peking Ravioli ($2.95) that was just above average, a Roast Duck with Rice plate ($5.75) that was good, but not as good as the Hong Kong Eatery, and a Chinese Broccoli with Garlic Sauce ($7.95) that was, again, just above average.
Verdict: There was nothing thrilling about our meal at Katin, but for the price, it was good (even though the broccoli seemed sort of pricey).
Allston, Chinese
On Friday before heading out to see Darkbuster play at O’Briens, PK and I decided to go for a quick/cheap dinner at Pho Pasteur. We started off with an order of Goi Cuon Dau Hu (Vegetarian Fresh Rolls). I had a small Dac Biet pho ($4.75; beef noodle soup with rare steak, well done brisket, beef flank, tendon, and tripe) which, as always, was great. I am not a fan of tripe so this was the only part of my meal that was left in the bowl. PK had a Bun Tom Thit ($5.75; vermicelli with grilled shrimp and pork) which was also delicious.
Verdict: Pho Pasteur is my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the area. For some reason, I like their locations in Allston and Chinatown better than their other restaurants. Also, their Nuoc Cham sauce is the best in the area. Too many places make it too sweet for my liking. However, many people tell me that I need to try Pho 2000 in Dorchester, which I will do soon…
Allston, Vietnamese
For the past few weeks, I have been craving an empanada from Café Belô. So, on Sunday, while PK and I were in Allston, we decided to stop by the restaurant. We were not very hungry so we only ordered a cheese empanada ($1.00). It consisted of lightly fried dough with a thin layer of melted cheese inside. It was good, but nothing out of the ordinary. I strongly recommend their different types of chicken and beef filled empanadas and pastries since they have a lot more flavor.
Verdict: We really need to eat a full meal at Café Belô one day soon; however, until then, I will continue to stop in for a few empanadas and pastries.
Allston, Brazilian