Eat and Destroy

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

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 thought that I posted about Guru ages ago, but after looking through my archive, I see that I didn’t.  So, this post is based on a meal that I had many months ago.

Guru is a catering business that opens their doors to the public for a few hours everyday. They also offer a lunch delivery service (see their website for more information).

Their menu is pretty small since it consists of a few daily selections along with a handful of specials.  We decided to split a Lamb Biryani ($9) which was delicious.  It is the second best biryani that I have ever had (the best is at Kabab & Tandoor in Waltham).  Guru’s raita (yogurt sauce) really enhances the taste of their biryani so you might want to ask for a little extra.

Verdict: Quite tasty! I need to try their other dishes.

Cheap, Indian, Somerville Cheap, Indian, Somerville

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