I’m normally not a fan of Restaurant Week since most restaurants have such a limited menu, and the few options that they do have just don’t hit me as a good deal. Sibling Rivalry seems to be an exception to this. They pretty much have their entire menu available. This was my first time eating there so I don’t know if the portion sizes are different than a regular day, but that didn’t matter since I was stuffed when I left.
For appetizers, we had Moroccan Style Lamb (Brik Cumin, Soft Poached Egg, Curried Lamb Jus and Cool Cucumber Salad) and Hand Made Pappardelle – Ragout of Rabbit (Chanterelles, Green Olives, Oven Dried Cherry Tomatoes and Thyme). Main Course consisted of Baked Salmon in Crisp Pastry (Wild Mushroom Duxelle, Spinach, Lemon Thyme Sauce and Tomato Fondue) and Crispy Pressed Duck (Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped and Stuffed Dried Apricots, Port Sauce and Watercress Salad). For dessert, we had Caramel Chocolate Mousse Cake and Bread Pudding.
Everything was great! The appetizers were the highlights. PK’s salmon was really tasty. My duck was cooked perfectly and the crispy skin was so good.
I believe that they are continuing the Restaurant Week menu through March (and maybe into April).
Verdict: A great Restaurant Week deal!
South End, backbay
Boston, Restaurant Week
Before heading to the Belgian Beer Fest several weeks back, PK and I were planning to have one last meal at King Fung Garden’s Chinatown location. (I’m still sad about the fact they are now under new ownership.) Unfortunately, we did not get motivated early enough so we decided to get a quick lunch somewhere a bit closer. We decided to keep it cheap so we went to Francesca’s Espresso Bar.
Since we were planning on getting a few waffles during the fest, we split the Tuscan Chicken Sandwich (chicken, prosciutto, pesto, provolone, and spinach; $7.50) and a Raspberry Lime Rickey ($2.50). For $7.50, we got a good deal. The quality of the ingredients were great, and after eating my half, I was close to full. So, if you are not too hungry, half a sandwich and a dessert should be enough food. Oh, the Raspberry Lime Rickey was delicious! Almost as good as the old Spar’s rickeys.
Verdict: A very good sandwich and a great (but pricey) Rasberry Lime Rickey.
P.S. I received a few emails asking when I’m going to be done writing about this sandwich kick…I promise that I’ll be done soon.
Cheap, South End, sandwich
Boston, food, sandwich, South End
While I have a habit of avoiding South End restaurants, some friends wanted to check out Orinoco. I was hesitant, but after checking out their menu, I was looking forward to the meal. However, I still had to get over my grudge since I am used to the cheap and delicious Latin food found all over JP.
We started off with two Arepas. The Reina Pepiada (shredded chicken with avocado; $5.95) was pretty good. The filling reminded me of a glorified chicken salad. I liked the Pernil (pork leg; $5.95) much more.
For the main course, I had the Polvorosa de Pollo (chicken in a flaky dough that was shaped much like a small muffin; $13.00). This was very good. It had a nice sweet flavor. I just wish that there was some hot sauce on the table since it would have gone perfectly with this dish. PK ordered the Adobo Chicken ($13.95). It was great, and her plate was overflowing food. This was in contrast to the Pabellón Criollo (shredded beef, rice, black beans and plantains; $12.95). While it was tasty, the amount of beef was a bit skimpy. There were two other people eating with us. I don’t recall what D ordered, but I do remember that M enjoyed her Mahi Mahi.
Verdict: The food was great, as was the atmosphere. I’ll be back with a group, but PK and I prefer to get our Latin food fix in JP . (Unfortunately, to my knowledge, there is not a Venezuelan restaurant in JP, but Viva Mi Arepa is not far away in West Roxbury.)
Checkout Hidden Boston’s 2006 review of Orinoco.
Latin, South End, Venezuelan
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