The other night, PK and I met up with some friends at Rocca. It’s not my type of restaurant, but I promised PK that I would not be a jerk and hate the place based on its decor.
I liked the cocktails since they were not horribly overpriced and had a fair amount of booze. I had a White and Stormy and The Devil’s Garden, which actually had a nice jalapeño kick.
Since we were low on cash, we decided to split the Potato Gnocchi ($13), assuming that the amount of food would be comparable to an appetizer portion for each of us. We were way off. The amount of food was tiny. Someone who ordered the dish just for herself polished off the plate in a matter of minutes and was complaining that she was still hungry. The gnocchi had that freshly made pasta taste, but that is the only compliment that I am going to give it. The meat sauce was pretty flavorless, and the dish was cold (a far cry from luke warm)! We knew that if we sent it back, it wouldn’t really improve the meal, so we didn’t bother.
I didn’t try any of the other dishes at the table, so I cannot comment on the other meals. This write-up is solely based on the gnocchi and the cocktails.
Verdict: Above average cocktails, crappy Gnocchi!
P.S. Once again, I apologize for the horrible photo. I need to stop taking photos with my phone and start carrying my camera around.
Boston, Italian, South End
I know that my photos have been crappier than usual, and that I have been posting less frequently than I used to. But, eatanddestroy is still alive, and today’s posting is going to feature some of the lowest quality images that I have posted to date. I wasn’t going to use them, but I figured that after a comment and several emails about how bad the dumpling photo is in my last post that I have no choice but to use some pictures that are just about as bad (or maybe even worse).
Anyway, on to my quick post about L’espalier…
Last year for our birthdays, a bunch of friends gave us a very generous gift certificate for L’espalier. So, for our birthdays this year (they are just days apart), we decided to put the gift to good use.
We started with the foie gras and the seared tuna.
Main course was the beef tenderloin and the rack of lamb.
For desert, we had the banana soufflé and the chocolate cake. Everything on our plates was fantastic. The only thing that was below average was the potatoes that came with the sirloin. The rack of lamb was the best dish of the night.
Verdict:
Delicious? Yes!
Expensive? Hell Yes!
Atmosphere: An experience: If you plan on checking this place out, go soon before they move to a hotel.
Worth the price? Not in my opinion unless you have loads of cash.
Boston, backbay
Before going to see the Bouncing Souls and Lifetime play on Thursday, PK and I met up with Tio in Chinatown. I was craving the roasted pork at the Hong Kong Eatery, but when we walked by Xinh Xinh, I remembered reading something good about their soup on chowhound.com.
Unfortunately, it was way too hot outside for pho, so we tried some other items on their menu. We started with Chim Cut Roti (roasted quail; $8.95), which was quite good–mainly due to the tasty marinade. For our main course, PK went with her favorite Vietnamese dish– Bun Thit Nuong (grilled pork with vermicelli; $5.95). This was very good! She had tons of food in her bowl, and the pork was deliciously grilled & marinated (even though a few pieces were a little too charred). I ordered the Ca Kho to (catfish hot pot; $9 or $10). This was also very good.
Verdict: Not the best Vietnamese food in Boston, but it is still very good. 
Boston, Chinatown, Vietnamese
As we walked in, we heard the dance music, and both of us were ready to walk out since a crappy Eurotrash Sushi atmosphere is not our thing.
We decided to stay, and were seated at the sushi bar. We ordered Spicy Scallop Chips ($9.75), Red Spider Roll ($16.20), Spicy Tuna Roll ($6.95), and Yellowtail Belly Sashimi ($10). While the presentation was very nice, most of the dishes were just average. This place is certainly no Oishii (even though their prices are about the same). The best dishes were the Spicy Scallop Chips and the Yellowtail Belly Sashimi, but, again, they did not even compare to Oishii in Chestnut Hill.
And, to bring this meal from mediocre to crappy, when we were almost done eating, one of the sushi chefs accidentally knocked one of the sushi mats off the bar. It fell and knocked a full beer on PK and all over what remained of our food. The guy who knocked it over was very apologetic. We cleaned up the mess with the help of our neighbors’ napkins. Our waitress saw us soaking up the mess and was immediately very apologetic, and she got the manager. The manager seemed not to be concerned and offered us another plate of what was in front of us. Since we were full, we declined. He then saw the issue done and was about to walk away so I stopped him and requested another glass of beer since PK’s beer was all over her clothes and our food. Our waitress brought her another bottle and, again was apologetic. While I think our waitress was fantastic, the manager’s reaction was terrible, and was less than what I would expect from a hole in the wall, not an overpriced Sushi place.
Verdict: Very disappointing!
Boston, Japanese, Uncategorized
Even after the horrible service we experienced at the Squealing Pig during our walk home, PK and I still wanted to try their Mar’s Bar Toastie. So after work last week, we gave them another shot. This time, they did not lie to us and we got the toastie. It was good, but not great. We both wanted more of the candy flavor to come through. The bananas and waffles ended up over powering the dish.
This time the service was not bad, but it was far from good. I don’t know what it is about this place, but the service is always below average (and I am not asking for much).
Verdict: I have no plans to go back unless a friend is buying me drinks.
Boston, Dessert, Longwood
I have been extremely lazy about posting over the last few weeks, and, unfortunately, this post is sort of a lame one, but if you work in the Longwood Medical Area, you might appreciate this tip.
One thing that I hate about working in this area is that there really are no lunch options that are healthy (that cuts out Penguins and Flames) and tasty unless I want to go to go to the salad bar at Children’s Hospital’s Cafeteria or Stop and Shop (both are actually quite good). I refuse to go to Au Bon Pain or Boloco and pay too much for a sub par sandwich, and that is why I am glad that I discovered the $3.65 vegetable wrap at Mass Art’s cafeteria.
For the price, it is great. I always get it on a wheat wrap with hummus, hot pepper sauce, swiss cheese, and all the vegetables they have available. The wrap also comes with a small bag of chips and pickles (gross).
Verdict: It might not be the tastiest, but it is good, cheap, and healthy.
Boston, Longwood, Uncategorized, cafeteria
The other week, PK and I were running some errands in Downtown Crossing and decided to head to Peach Farm for lunch. We wanted to keep our meal under $25, since, between us, that was all the money we had. As we entered the restaurant, we made sure to grab the yellow colored menu that lists many dishes that are not on the regular menu given to English speakers. We split the Spicy Salted Shrimp with their heads ($11.95) and, even though we both wanted the Soft Shell Crabs (which we had on our last visit), we had to keep within our budget so we ordered the Sizzling Eight Delights which consisted of scallops, shrimp, squid, fish cake, chicken, pork, bean curd, and mushrooms ($8.95).
As always, everything was fantastic and very fresh. We were both shocked at the amount of food that we got with the Sizzling Eight Delights, but we were disappointed that it only included one scallop.
Verdict: If you want delicious seafood, Peach Farm is at the top of my list. There are just too many seafood dishes that I want to try on their menu. I already know what I am going to order the next time we go (the scallops served on the halfshell and the ginger and scallion crab).
Boston, Chinatown, Chinese
(The photo was taken with my crappy phone so sorry about the quality. I also took the picture after I ate some of the dish.)
I normally bring my lunch to work, but the other day I left it in the fridge. I didn’t have enough time to walk to El Pelon (which I was craving) so I decided to go to the Chinese Food Truck. I have only been there a handful of times, and I have always ordered the Peking Ravioli (I prefer to call them Potstickers) over white rice ($3.00). However, several people in front of me ordered the Yushang Eggplant and Pork ($4.50). So, I decided to do the same. I made a mistake. The dish was rather soupy and bland. I won’t say the dish was horrible since it was edible and worth the $4.50. (I wish that I ordered the Potstickers).
Verdict: I cannot figure out why there is always a huge line for the Chinese Food Truck when there are a handful of better eating options within a few block radius.
Boston, Chinese, Longwood
A few people from work decided to make the walk across the park to bring back some food from El Pelón for the rest of us. I usually get the Caramelos Tacos ($5.75) or the Pescado Tacos ($5.75), but, this time, I decided to try something different (based on the recommendation of a co-worker) and ordered the Carne Asada Torta ($4.85) and Rajas Tamal ($2.25). The Torta was a really big sandwich filled with marinated steak and topped with many things, including a tasty spicy mayo (I am normally a mayo hater) and guacamole. While I like the Pescado and Caramelos Taco more, I will order the torta when I am hungrier than usual since you get a lot more food for the money. I did not care much for the Tamal since it was too much tamal with too little filling, making it too dry and bland for my liking. I didn’t order any chips since I assumed that someone else in the office would, but, unfortunately, no one did, which was disappointing since El Pelón makes some of the best tortilla chips that I have had since moving to Boston (although I don’t care much for their salsa; therefore, I recommend ordering a side of guacamole when ordering chips).
Verdict: El Pelon has yet to disappoint me. Often I feel that it is overlooked by many Boston residents who flock to other burrito places. While I do like El Pelón’s burritos, I find that their specialty tacos are what makes them stand out from the competition.
Boston, Mexican
Since I have eaten Penguin’s Pizza several times over the past few months, either with PK or during a work meeting, I decided that this post would cover more than my last visit.
I have tried almost every pizza on their menu over the past year or two with the exception of the the Salmon and the Caribbean Jerk Shrimp, and, in my opinion, Penguins makes the best gourmet pizza in Boston. Even though I feel like the quality has gone down hill since they first opened (along with their inconsistent service), they are still better than their competition. The Honolulu and the Duck Confit used to be my favorites, but lately, I find them both to be quite bland. Now, my favorites are the Seasonal and the Blanco (I ask them to add potato to this).
Verdict: I wish the quality was the same as when they first opened, but no one has yet to make a better gourmet pizza in the area. Furthermore, it is still my favorite place to get a beer and food in Brigham Circle. When you go, be sure to use some of the oils since a little bit of the hot oil adds a lot to the pizza. Also, if you order a slice, it is a quarter of a pizza which is a pretty good deal for $3.00.
Boston, Pizza
