367959 Mon Feb 05 15:37:54 -0800 2007 126 12 Boston Area 0 2262589 Just had a lot of recent conversations that really boil my blood re: how conservative we are, how we're so backwater we think Oishii's great sushi or Regina's great pizza or whatever. "Compared to NY" or "compared to SF" blah blah. I'm not saying it's not true; to a great extent it is (putting aside the fact that, as many like MC Slim have pointed out, the comparison is somewhat skewed by our smaller size). BUT. I'd like to think we've got something to offer that other cities simply don't. Am I wrong? If you moved somewhere else tomorrow, what dishes/places/chefs/experiences do you think you would suddenly start waxing poetic/bragging about to your new friends? Sigh. Just depressed hence curious. Mon Feb 05 15:37:54 -0800 2007 11106 tatamagouche 1 2262665 Durgin Park? Mon Feb 05 15:57:10 -0800 2007 2262589 13003 whs 1 2262717 I'd rave about Hell Night at ECG for sure. Mon Feb 05 16:11:04 -0800 2007 2262589 12450 Sgt Snackers 2 2274341 I'd second that! Thu Feb 08 17:51:58 -0800 2007 2262717 64708 alsaman 1 2262723 Portuguese food is a rarity in many, many places. Let's be thankful we have it here! Mon Feb 05 16:13:04 -0800 2007 2262589 12677 phoebek 1 2262780 as someone who has on the occasion indulged in some "boston-bashing" of my own (my point of comparison being chicago), i agree that the portugese seems to be a boston strength. i need to try more of those places in cambridge... also--though apparently many on the board disagree--i think boston is very strong for bakeries, in terms of breads, quick breads/cookies, and pastries. hi-rise, clear flour, iggy's, petsi's pies--any of these would be an instant destination in chicago (perhaps not in NYC which seems to be saturated with them.) on the other hand, some things that i think boston doesn't fare so well at--coffee, pizza, taquerias--don't seem to require the presence of major #'s of expense-account types like you'd see in nyc or sf or wherever, so i don't know why they aren't generally better. Mon Feb 05 16:27:37 -0800 2007 2262589 22634 autopi 1 2262784 I'm with you tatamagouche. I love our city, including lots of the places I frequent. Are they as good as places in other cities, maybe not. But I made a choice to live here and this city is a small one so we're not going to have the variety that NY does. I've had many a mediocre meal here, but that goes for my many visits to NY as well. I will always crave the Greek salad from Jaffa, the crispy tuna springrolls from Pho (which I am way overdue for), the wonton noodle soup from Hong Kong Eatery, the oysters and lobster roll at B&G, pizza at Paddock, eggplant parm at Vinny's and the steak tartare at Butcher Shop. Are there better variations in other cities, perhaps. But I live here and I love the options I have. Mon Feb 05 16:28:46 -0800 2007 2262589 12702 lissy 2 2265484 where is this Pho? now i have crispy tuna spring rolls dancing around my mind--- Tue Feb 06 12:19:42 -0800 2007 2262784 56490 foxy fairy 3 2265506 Pho Republique on Washington in the South End. I usually stick with the apps (the spare ribs are pretty good too) and the fun cocktails. Tue Feb 06 12:24:54 -0800 2007 2265484 12702 lissy 2 3358414 i am soooo in love with the steak tartare at butcher shop. Sat Feb 02 09:15:21 -0800 2008 2262784 127438 kweesee 1 2262785 Not one of those other cities can pull off a proper Mooninite panic. And the ice cream is better here, too. Mon Feb 05 16:28:47 -0800 2007 2262589 51989 bartleby 2 2262833 i agree about the boston ice cream scene. i left boston to move to the SF bay area 5 years ago and while SF does have its mitchell's, boston, cambridge, and environs have a number of small-shop ice-cream places to brag about, each with their own style. don't know if they're all still there, but i loved toscanini's, christina's, rancatore's, jp licks, plus all those dairy farms places on country roads just outside the city. the rest of the country has haagen daaz, baskin-robbins, and now cold-stone creamery, all of which charge a lot more than the boston icecream shops do (in my memory). and boston is the one city i know where the ice cream is good enough that people are willing to line up year round for it, even when it's 20 degrees out. Mon Feb 05 16:38:47 -0800 2007 2262785 47762 lilitake 3 2280559 Been to Vermont or to Cincinnati? I'm not bashing Boston at all, and I've had some very good gelato in the North End, but I am saying that to claim Boston ice cream is somehow superior to anything available elsewhere is a fantasy. Sat Feb 10 19:38:39 -0800 2007 2262833 12205 sophie fox 4 2280603 I don't think anyone is trying to make the claim that Boston ice cream is better than everything out there, but just stating that the ice cream here can be outstanding. I have an inordinate fondness for Out of a Flower ice cream from Texas as well as Annabelles in from Portsmouth NH, but that doesn't mean I will give up Toscannini's or Christina's. Sat Feb 10 20:03:28 -0800 2007 2280559 10076 limster 5 2281685 I don't limit the possibility that there are some excellent ice creams being produced elsewhere because, obviously, there are. But I would also submit that nowhere else, in The States, will you find both the breadth and depth of quality that is being produced in Boston, specifically, and New England in general. It's not coincidental that we also eat more of it, per capita, than anywhere else as well. Now where's my Chunky Monkey...... Sun Feb 11 10:09:49 -0800 2007 2280603 45436 Harp00n 6 2281734 Add to that the seasonal homemade dairy bars like Erickson's and you have rounded out your options pretty well. Sun Feb 11 10:26:29 -0800 2007 2281685 50082 TonyO 6 2292051 I don't really think that you can count the rest of New England as part of Boston, lol. Wed Feb 14 09:49:13 -0800 2007 2281685 12205 sophie fox 7 2292246 It's all mine, sophie, it's all mine! :-) Wed Feb 14 10:37:10 -0800 2007 2292051 45436 Harp00n 4 2281858 ouch... i was actually not referring to gelato places in the north end (haven't been to any) but rather the small scale ice cream makers around town that each produce a unique product, and serve them in parlors with lots of local character. Sun Feb 11 11:05:34 -0800 2007 2280559 47762 lilitake 4 3361920 Yes, I've been to Cincinnati. They have Graeter's, which makes excellently wonderful ice cream, but that's it for that particular dessert out there last I knew. The Boston area has Toscanini's, Herrell's, and Emack & Bolio's, plus places in the suburbs like Ron's and Richardson's, which make ice cream every bit as good as Graeter's. Some would include Christina's and J.P. Lick's in that list. I'd say it's no contest in terms of depth and variety of options pro Boston vs. Cincy. Sun Feb 03 15:54:02 -0800 2008 2280559 76251 bachslunch 1 2262794 Portuguese food is a great answer. I'd also mention Formaggio Kitchen, Tamarind Bay, Toscanini's, the North End pasticcerias, and Helmand. I think Oishii and Regina are great too, btw. Also, I haven't had better coffee than that at Simon's. Mon Feb 05 16:31:15 -0800 2007 2262589 17267 fenian 2 2263054 i discovered simon's thanks to the board--they do a very nice cup indeed. even if they did grind the espresso beans i purchased too coarsely. but i still love intelligentsia coffee--you can get it at diesel, but the people who do it best are the intelligentsia folks themselves in chicago. black cat, i think it was, has an intense chocolatey flavor with hints of blueberry and is, i guess i would say, heavier than the george howell house blend they use at simon's. Mon Feb 05 17:43:47 -0800 2007 2262794 22634 autopi 3 2263109 i've had intelligentsia coffee in chicago (don't know what blends). it's very good and, for whatever reason, much better than the intelligentsia coffee at diesel. i think simon's coffees and espressos tend to be on the lighter and fruity side, as opposed to intelligentsia's which are darker. Mon Feb 05 18:00:32 -0800 2007 2263054 17267 fenian 4 2264324 Haven't had Intelligentsia in Chicago, but I think Diesel consistently makes good espresso and espresso drinks. Simon's has been less consistent for me. The best place to try George Howell's Terroir coffees is at their open houses. A few months ago they roasted their first single origin espresso (a Yirgacheffe) and Peter Lynagh pulled amazing espresso shots. Tue Feb 06 07:57:26 -0800 2007 2263109 22191 penny 5 2264360 Penny--could you give more info about these "open houses"--do they have a storefront somewhere? Thanks! Tue Feb 06 08:08:09 -0800 2007 2264324 22634 autopi 6 2264507 Terroir is located on School Street in Acton and they hold the (bimonthly?) open houses there. You get to see the facility (the roaster, the new packaging techniques for green beans, etc). George gives a lecture on coffee, recent travels, etc. You get to cup different coffees, to see the differences by altitude, how jute bags make coffee taste like swill, etc. And Peter pulls espresso shots. The news section on the web site (http://www.terroircoffee.com/news/) is their monthly newsletter (you can also get it and other news via email) and will give details about that month's open house. I've been to two and really enjoyed it (I moved to Cambridge the same year George opened the first Coffee Connection and was really unhappy when Starbucks "assimilated" CC). Tue Feb 06 08:46:10 -0800 2007 2264360 22191 penny 5 2264594 You can get Terroir Coffee at the Harvard Ave Cafe in Allston. Tue Feb 06 09:08:39 -0800 2007 2264324 10076 limster 5 2271368 Next time, tell the barista at Simon's what you think and they'll try to fix it or work with you. Unfortunately, their best bar guy, Jamie, left a couple months ago. He was the one doing most of the work tweaking the machinery to extract the best from the Terroir northern and the Ecco Daterra reserve they use. Jaime was keen on lighter espressos that extracted six to eight degrees cooler than a Black Cat or Hairbender. He worked hand in hand with Peter Lynagh on developing the profiles for Simon's. The idea was not to have his espresso taste like everyone else's - it's to temp surf to find the true expression of the bean - very third wave. Wed Feb 07 22:39:00 -0800 2007 2264324 24421 Panini Guy 1 2262837 I am originally from NJ, very close to Manhattan, and while i would definitely agree that there is NOTHING like NY, Boston isn't all that bad. I mean, yes its true the bagels in boston are terrible, and no one knows what a taylor ham egg and cheese sandwich is, but i could think of worse places food wise that you could be. The North End is WAY better than little italy in NY. everything in NY is SO commerical! Mistral is probably one of the best restaurants that i've ever eaten at, and i've eaten at some of NY's finest. You have to have an open mind! Oh, and as a portuguese american, I will say that Boston DEFINITELY has great portuguese food! Thats something thats a rarity in manhattan! Mon Feb 05 16:39:56 -0800 2007 2262589 50537 NiKoLe1625 1 2263237 I moved to New Mexico from Boston. What I wouldn't give to devour a plate of raw clams at the Union Oyster House! Mon Feb 05 18:39:32 -0800 2007 2262589 42601 chilehound 1 2263268 The entire North End! Viva Italia! Mon Feb 05 18:49:34 -0800 2007 2262589 62310 AtetotheBar 1 2263287 Fried clams (most anywhere on the North Shore) and ice cream. Mon Feb 05 18:54:35 -0800 2007 2262589 11079 chuck s 1 2263305 And just outside of Boston, there's Lavazza coffee at the rest stops! Who else can boast THAT? Mon Feb 05 19:04:23 -0800 2007 2262589 62310 AtetotheBar 1 2263329 This one that is so readily apparent to me but may not even occur to the Boston Hounds;. Kelly's Roast Beef. The horde known as the Cousins O'Brien first order of business, when invading from NYC, is to hit Kelly's on The Beach. They observe the usual familial rituals of sitting & visiting only after mainlining that initial fix. After catching-up we, eventually over the next few day, end up at the Clam Box and the other usual summer haunts. As the Old Man was so fond of saying; "Both fish & company start to smell after three days". So, in due course, they decide to leave but not before one final engorgement at Kelly's along with coolers to take a few sangs along for the ride. I kid you not. My long overdue point is this; I'd feel the same way if I was a Boston ex-pat and couldn't feed my own Kelly's jones. Mon Feb 05 19:13:19 -0800 2007 2262589 45436 Harp00n 1 2263351 I've recently moved to Boston from a true Chow-desert (think of nowhere to go, they're all going out of business), which I will not reveal here - I was miserable. I can't say how great it is to be in Boston, Chow-wise, there are more restaurants than I could hope to go to in just a few years, the markets are great, and the Chowhound-Boston team is a fabulous resource for learning about everything that is available. I find nothing to complain about regarding Chow in Boston (I actually am not so happy with the fish market scene, but it is still way better than vacuous alternatives I have known). I've said positive things about NYC, it's like praising Picasso - it's great but I'm still very happy here. Mon Feb 05 19:21:41 -0800 2007 2262589 18264 steinpilz 1 2263392 excellent Vietnamese food for cheap. just about any hole in the wall in Chinatown has a much better pho than every one but a few in New York (and those only in Elmhurst, Queens, where no one ever goes). Mon Feb 05 19:36:29 -0800 2007 2262589 72047 zvuv 1 2263642 Boston and its surronding 'burbs have a much better, if not the only non-Cantonese/Hong Kong Chinese culinary scene that I am aware of on the east coast. Please do correct me if I am wrong. Of course, there a few things omitted from that like pulled noodles which NYC Chinatown has in spades, but you just can't find northern style dimsum in NYC. We also need to improve in the Korean department - the BCDs in Queens server 24 hour soon tofu chigae at $8/bowl including the cold appetizers and they give you special crusty rice service to finish off your meal. Here, it's $12/bowl for a bad selection of cold appetizers. Mon Feb 05 21:25:01 -0800 2007 2262589 41832 avial 2 2264016 Boston has a long and storied history of being a very bad eating city, but it's been getting better for years. I agree with Avial that In terms of ultra-casual Asian from new immigrants (i.e., not cookie-cutter Chinese take-out which is on par, poor), I think Boston and the surroundings is fantastic for the everyday corner Thai, Vietnamese and Cambodian (and to a lesser extent, Korean). The fact that there are half a dozen places for cheap bowls of pho is amazing and I would guess very difficult to find in nearly every other city in the country. The other sign of Boston shucking its culinary backwater bonds is the continued maturity of outstanding casual, mid-to-(low) high range restaurants, although these tend to be in the neighboring communities of Boston, i.e., Cambridge, Somerville, etc. We still have a way to go, but places like Blue Room, West Side Lounge, B-Side, Forrest Cafe, ECG, Gargoyles, etc. distinguish the area. It will be a sign of maturity of the area when old, bad places/chains and overly-hyped high end places give way to more accessible moderately-priced excellent food for the people. Tue Feb 06 06:12:18 -0800 2007 2263642 11172 Bob Dobalina 2 2264368 i'm a big fan of northern style dimsum, but have only had it in washington dc. what are your favorite places for it in boston? Tue Feb 06 08:09:46 -0800 2007 2263642 22634 autopi 3 2294340 Years ago, a classmate, who came from Hong Kong, took me to Peking Garden in Lexington (yes, Lexington) for northern-style dim sum. For a while, we used to go every weekend (sometimes both Saturday and Sunday - it was addictive!) and there was a huge wait. Since then, it's been up and down in terms of quality but I just went there a few weeks ago and it was on a definite upswing. Favorites are Yangchow steamed dumplings (the kind with a burst of liquid inside), sweet rose filling pie, bean curd soup (not soy milk) with dried shrimp and preserved salty vegetable garnish, steamed chicken bun as well as roast pork bun, Peking sauce noodles and spring rolls, which can be great if done well, but sometimes are way too greasy. The original owner, who has since passed away, also started another restaurant in Bedford, MA, The Great Wall, which also has dim sum on Sat and Sun. They have a lot of the same things as Peking Garden, such as Yangchow steamed dumplings and Peking meat sauce noodles. They have some different things like salty soy milk with cruller and spicy wontons. Wed Feb 14 20:43:29 -0800 2007 2264368 74584 brintope 1 2264385 There are times when I hate Boston, (like today, it's bloody freezing), but I think we do pretty well food-wise. I think our highlights have been mentioned many times above, but to expound on one near and dear to my heart: Cheese. In addition to Formaggio, which is the gold standard, we have a lot of variety both in supermarkets in the city and in the burbs, and gourmet shops. You can get a decent comte or blue at Shaws. I think we go beyond punching above our weight in this cateogory. Plus, aren't we New Englanders better looking and healthier than the rest of the country, despite our superb ice cream, turkey dinners and cheese? Tue Feb 06 08:14:52 -0800 2007 2262589 20717 sailormouth 1 2264601 If I moved away from the Boston area, I'd probably miss Santarpio's and the entire North End the most. I'd also miss many of the restaurants in Providence (unless that's where I moved to!) including Apsara and Ristorante Romanza. Tue Feb 06 09:09:52 -0800 2007 2262589 14771 hiddenboston 1 2265394 It may take leaving Boston for a while to truly appreciate it. I've traveled all around the world for work & play and have been amazed that more people aren't crazy for Boston, particularly when it comes to our dining options. We really do have everything we could want and then some available to us.....the grass isn't alway greener just because it's a bigger space! Tue Feb 06 12:00:24 -0800 2007 2262589 25089 kparke30 1 2265527 I've lived in Los Angeles, Honolulu, Atlanta, New York (twice), Providence, and Tampa. But I'll always come back to Boston, and it'll always be my home, dining-wise or otherwise. And that's not just some lifelong Mass yahoo spouting off. Despite my moniker, I wasn't born in Boston. But I was born to live here. Tue Feb 06 12:30:36 -0800 2007 2262589 16490 Bostonbob3 1 2265588 I am a transplant married to a New Englander and on days such as today (hell, this whole week), I would move to warmer climes in a nano-second. But having traveled many places and having been born in another, I would miss the availability of fresh seafood/fish. I know you can get fresh seafood in other locations such as SF or Seattle, but I truly enjoy buying my fish from a local source. Also, I love the North End and what it offers. And of course, where else would one get a Frappe? Tue Feb 06 12:44:00 -0800 2007 2262589 16991 kate used to be 50 1 2266097 Basically, Bostonians like to be able to bad-mouth our city better than NYers (who, btw, love to trash NY amongst themselves, to be sure). And I say that as someone raised by New England parents on Long Island who has lived here almost 25 years. One odd thing I notice about supermarkets here versus elsewhere in the US: the choice of flavored seltzers is almost unique for breadth and depth. I go to NY, Chicago, DC, AZ, CA, and the choices are far more limited. This is something I would have expected NY to be the champ of. Go figure. Which reminds me: Polar beverages. From Worcester. Tue Feb 06 14:45:41 -0800 2007 2262589 13819 Karl S 2 2267795 Funny you mention that, Karl. I have noticed that as well. I was in Nashville and went to a Kroeger's to get some seltzer for our hotel room. They only had raspberry, and I had to ask a clerk to find that. Around here, there's entire sections of the soda aisle devoted to it. I never realized it was a New England thing. Wed Feb 07 07:30:45 -0800 2007 2266097 11243 mwk 3 2267880 Yes, it does appear to be a growing regionalism that so many folks around here drink seltzer like Southerners drink iced tea (and, one thing I am glad has changed is that one can now more reliably get iced tea here year-round -- it was almost unheard of 20 years ago outside of summer -- and it's (mostly) unsweeetened so we can sweeten to our own taste). Wed Feb 07 07:50:31 -0800 2007 2267795 13819 Karl S 1 2267858 one thing i like best is the ability to wander. boston being as compact as it is, you don't need to drive from place to place. it allows for a lot of impulse: "ooh, let's go in there!" that i don't think happens so much when in a car. it also makes for really nice progressive meals with a stroll between courses. ok, not when it's 10 degrees, like today, but still! Wed Feb 07 07:46:14 -0800 2007 2262589 30273 hotoynoodle 2 2268793 I agree, in nice weather I love long walks around Boston, Cambridge, Somerville Brookline, Alston, punctuated by stops for chow and beer. Wed Feb 07 10:53:03 -0800 2007 2267858 18264 steinpilz 3 2269383 Very true. Boston, like several east coast cities (especially NYC and Washington) are made for walking, with plenty of stops along the way for food and drink. And I also agree that you'd have to be nuts to do it tonight (which is why we're going bowling!). Wed Feb 07 12:50:35 -0800 2007 2268793 14771 hiddenboston 2 2274437 I agree about the walking, but even if you're driving, one thing I loved when I lived in Somerville (5 yrs) was that I could get to so many of my favorite places and satisfy a multitude of cravings in around 20 min. I live in New York now, which is home, and there's tons of great/bad food here, but I feel like my preferences tend to be more neighborhood-based here; a standard example that I've also seen on the boards is I never go out of my way for Indian or even Thai in Manhattan. Also, higher up in this thread, someone mentioned the hi-rise, which I love, esp. the way your clothes smell like butter when you leave. Even though there are lots of great bakeries in New York, the hi-rise is my first stop when I come to visit ;) Thu Feb 08 18:24:53 -0800 2007 2267858 64585 tomato 1 2267917 having moved here from SF (albeit temporarily) ive been a major boston-basher, but one thing no ones mentioned here is the Indian food. in waltham and cambridge ive found several south-indian places that have far beaten my expectations. of course there have been a few bad apples but all in all i think its a very decent scene to say the least Wed Feb 07 07:59:10 -0800 2007 2262589 28027 Ambrose328 2 2268302 Have you tried Royal India and Bengal Cafe (Bengali and Bangladeshi) in Cambridge? Wed Feb 07 09:17:32 -0800 2007 2267917 10400 Aromatherapy 3 2271147 havent tried royal india, tried Bengal Cafe for lunch buffet and was a bit disspointed... there were a fair amount of dishes and a couple were good (tasty tilapia curry), but nothing stood out... the vegetables were seemingly of the frozen variety, reheated and overly salted Wed Feb 07 20:45:23 -0800 2007 2268302 28027 Ambrose328 4 2271644 Yes, their weekday lunch buffet these days (when they even have it) is not a strong point. Don't think it drew enough business. Check out the regular menu. Also check out the weekEND lunch buffet at Royal India. Thu Feb 08 05:35:16 -0800 2007 2271147 10400 Aromatherapy 2 2274421 no doubt, Indian is a Boston strength. Thu Feb 08 18:19:54 -0800 2007 2267917 17267 fenian 1 2268424 This is a thought-provoking thread. Here's my take: For every poster who bemoans not getting a good bagel or slice or deli or (fill in the blank) like in New York, there are an handful of hounds who are out there trying to find the best closest approximation. It's those posters I really enjoy hearing from and why I hang out here. Wed Feb 07 09:44:34 -0800 2007 2262589 10232 yumyum 2 2271558 well said Thu Feb 08 04:13:46 -0800 2007 2268424 20359 ypeopleeat 1 2269440 NJ/DC/Chi/CT background here. I have had some wonderful meals in Boston and some absolute dogs (some at the same resto). People equate cities and food with familiarity. Boston does NOT have great hot dogs, pizza, steak, bagels. It has great Italian, Nouvelle, sushi, fish. Others fall in between. Great meals I have eaten in Boston - Clio, Oishi (the sushi place on Washington), a couple of unnamed places in the north end that i just stumbled into because my nose told me to go there), Capital grille, a great bolognese pasta across from the hotel with the hertz counter, the resto at the high end hotel in Cambridge where Henrietta's Table is, Petit robert Lousy - everyother steak (capital grille once as well), legal, most other hotel dining rooms OK meals - Brasserie Jo, Summer Shack, Henrietta's table, davios, mistral. So there are great restos and lousy resto, but no different fromany other town. go to the places that are good and avoid the lousy ones. Wed Feb 07 12:58:44 -0800 2007 2262589 11290 jfood 2 2269696 Can you give us some additional info to identify the place that's "across from the hotel with the hertz counter"? Thanks. Wed Feb 07 13:44:16 -0800 2007 2269440 11052 BBHound 3 2269791 I love a challenge. checked my notes and the resto was Via Matta. Sat outside and enjoyed a beautiful Boston evening (obviously not this week) and a great meal. Wed Feb 07 14:03:01 -0800 2007 2269696 11290 jfood 4 2299775 Via Matta is fabulous! Fri Feb 16 11:36:08 -0800 2007 2269791 62994 sashimi73 1 2270022 Having just moved to Chicago after 9 years in Boston, I'm daily developing a list of food/restaurants that I miss and haven't found an equivalent for: - Portuguese from Atasca/O Cantinho in Cambridge - Ethiopian from Addis Red Sea in the South End - Bagel with cream cheese, tomato and fresh ground pepper from Rustica near Porter Sq. - Homemade ice cream on nearly every corner (especially Christina's) - The daily specials at Centre St. Cafe in JP But I've got to say that Chicago has Boston beat for taquerias and Korean food. Wed Feb 07 14:57:57 -0800 2007 2262589 69352 bethann 1 2270531 For what it's worth, you have the best mission-style burritos on the east coast (Anna's and Boca Grande). Boston also does ice cream better than any city I've ever lived in. Wed Feb 07 17:12:13 -0800 2007 2262589 18466 a_and_w 1 2271355 Here's a different way of thinking about it. Chowhounding does not come with limits -- we don't stop chowhounding when we reach state lines or country borders. Geographical description of a chowhound (e.g. a Timbuktu Chowhound) is an oxymoron; there are just chowhounds, period. Chowhounds willingly travel as far as their resources allow, just to score more delicious food. Implying that city X is better than city Y creates artificial limits, as if one could only eat delicious food from either X or Y. We don't have to limit our chowhounding to any particularly city, we just need to optimize our itinerary. No place on the planet is perfect chow-wise, but there's usually something good or great around the corner if one looks hard enough. For example, I totally dig the horchata at Taqueria Mexico (both branches), it's some of the best I've had. I remember New Taste of Asia dishing up some of the best home-style Sichuan food I've had anywhere. There's the chicken parm sub at Mangia Mangia, cookies from Lakota, the sweet rice dumpling in rice wine at New Shanghai (was a special), mysore chilli chicken at Tamarind Bay, some of the very delicious homey Lebanese food at Reef Cafe, the chicken satay at Aneka Rasa (which compares very well with the versions from back home), the pao de queso at Magic Oven etc... At the same time, it's important to keep one's perspective about what's good for the area and what's the best of it's class, anywhere. Local pride may be good for certain things, but it should not cloud a hound's objectivity and quest for more deliciousness. Wed Feb 07 22:29:26 -0800 2007 2262589 10076 limster 1 2271379 Lived in Quincy for a couple of years. Living in Pittsburgh now and would happily eat RM pizza, a bowl of Emack & Bolio's or some dim sum from anyplace in Boston compared to here. Had some very good meals at Mesa, Forest Cafe, XO, Was disappointed in only trips to Clio and Olives (not bad, but neither WOWed for the price). However, there is only one Boston meal that I think about often: the sirloin tips sandwich from The Fours. God I loved that sandwich. Chased down with a Harpoon IPA of course. Or two. Wed Feb 07 22:45:13 -0800 2007 2262589 24421 Panini Guy 1 2271702 I don't know...maybe it's just me but I think "Chinese" food is second to none here. I've travelled quite a bit and that's been my experience. Go figure... Thu Feb 08 06:11:58 -0800 2007 2262589 16196 AnneM 2 2273088 Wow...I found the Chinese in Boston to be average at best. Thu Feb 08 12:10:48 -0800 2007 2271702 18466 a_and_w 3 2273940 i agree. i'm from NJ and i cant seem to find GOOD chinese food here in boston. I love just like plain steamed tofu, vegetables, and chicken and its hard to find places that make food like that. everything is covered in sauce! Thu Feb 08 15:29:19 -0800 2007 2273088 50537 NiKoLe1625 4 2273984 Have you tried Taiwan Cafe, Mulan or Shangri-La? Thu Feb 08 15:46:36 -0800 2007 2273940 10283 Dax 4 2274457 you can get steamed food like that on the health menus of lots of places (e.g., pu pu hot pot), but i'm surprised you find it good. if you want to try a chinese restaurant that uses sauces more sparingly, try shanghai gate. Thu Feb 08 18:34:45 -0800 2007 2273940 17267 fenian 1 2274433 No one can TOUCH our "Lobsta and Chowda" ;) Take THAT NYC!!!! Thu Feb 08 18:24:28 -0800 2007 2262589 54116 gryphonskeeper 1 2275115 I moved from Boston to NYC over 3 years ago and still miss it. I lived there for 6 yrs (Allston, Dorchester and Brookline) and loved it. There really is a lot of good eats in Boston if you know where to look. Of course, its all subjective, so my cravings may not be for everyone. One thing to note though is that no one area has all the food one is looking for. The great food in Boston is spread throughout the city and the suburbs. Here are some of the things that I miss: 1. The carnitas super burrito at Anna's Taqueria (you had me at "hello", Anna) 2. pressed sandwiches at Audubon Circle 3. burgers at Sunset Grill 4. Any lunch item at the A Street Deli 5. chicken sandwiches from Chacarero 6. fries w/homemade ketchup at Matt Murphy's 7. the chowder at Legal Seafoods 8. Carlo's Cucina for italian food 9. the spicy pterodactyl wings at Wing It! 10. anything from Bottega Fiorentina 11. oatmeal cookie dough ice cream from J.P. Licks 12. grapenut ice cream from Toscanini's (ohhhhhh, the best!!!!) 13. malted vanilla ice cream from Herrell's 14. a messy roast beef sandwich from Kelly's 15.slices from the Upper Crust 16. whole pies from Pizzeria Regina 17. the corned beef hash from B&D Deli (crusty on the outside, creamy on the inside) 18. the 18-wheeler breakfast from Johnny's Luncheonette (my favorite) 19. the good pub grub in Allston/Brighton 20. Living in Brookline. That part of town really had some charm to it for me. It didn't feel like I lived in a city, but I could get to the parts that did very quickly. I was steps from Stop-N-Shop, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Shaws, and Natural Frontier. Tons of culinary diversity: pub grub, Indian, Sushi, Mexican, Thai, bakeries, Jewish Delis, Italian, Barbecue, ice cream, bagels, etc...The list goes on. Everyone likes what "their" town does better, its just natural. A lot of food memories also have to do with who they ate with, what was going on in their lives when they ate that food. If you get a chance and Harborlights (or whatever corporate name they've slapped on it this week) is still open, go to the food tents during a concert and get the fries with parmesan and raw garlic. Not the best fries in the world, but crazy good! My buddy and I used to go on a Indain buffet bender about every two weeks, always on Saturdays. There were a lot of good places that had $9.95 all you can eat deals. There was Kashmir on Newbury, a place in Harvard Square next to L.A. Burdicks, and a really good place on Mass Ave near Newbury that had amazing butter chicken and a carrot dish that haunts my dreams. Who's got two thumbs and loves Boston chow? THIS GUY!! (Ok, yeah its a visual joke, but you get the point). Fri Feb 09 03:31:21 -0800 2007 2262589 14117 billyboy 2 2275696 Very cool post. Thank you. Fri Feb 09 08:33:59 -0800 2007 2275115 10232 yumyum 2 2276835 "A lot of food memories also have to do with who they ate with, what was going on in their lives when they ate that food."--so true. A huge amount of my early "I hate Boston food I miss SF" was about missing SF. Surely that is true for lots of us SF exiles. It's so sad that someone above said that the best SF-style burritos on the East Coast are here, since these places are rip-offs of Gordo's in SF which is not a very good place to start with (proprietors of BG and Anna's are related to the Gordo's guy, Felipe's is chef from Anna's). But I've realized that the point isn't to order burritos--at least at Felipes, just remember that the people who work there are actually _Mexican_ instead of San Franciscans of Mexican descent, and then you realize that it's all about the tacos, and the burritos are what they make for the white folks. Maybe that goes to Limster's point--you can't be a San Franciscan chowhound when you're in Boston, you have to figure out what they make well and enjoy that. And maybe that means stop griping about what they don't do as well. The Portuguese food here is an entirely new thing for me--it's all about O Cantinho--and the Brazilian is also new for me. (There's some in SF but it's not such a big thing, or wasn't when I left anyway.) I think on average the Asian food is considerably better in SF, but there's some great stuff here. Just for charm alone the Super 88 food court would be a find in any city. Porter Square Japanese food court is good too. Taiwan Cafe has some good SF-worthy dishes. Some other stuff--using as my criteria places I might show to friends from SF... hot chocolate at Burdick's Cuban sandwiches (at Oriental de Cuba and Chez Henri both) lobster rolls--never had em before coming here also, lobster rolls. and in addition, by the way, lobster rolls. Toscanini's is strong--I do miss Mitchell's since I used to live around the corner from there, but it's a good substitute. I love Neighborhood Restaurant, for its vibe in the summer as much as for the food. Irish pubs like Plough & Stars or Squealing Pig--nice hanging-out places. There are some places that could fit in SF--Rendezvous, Central Kitchen, Ten Tables. No. 9 Park is pretty solid for any city. And to echo the above, Chacarero sandwiches won my heart the first day I arrived. When I was coming here for interviews, Chacarero was around the corner from my last interview of the day, and after having their sandwich, I wrote someone a long email about how maybe Boston might be OK. Fri Feb 09 12:48:04 -0800 2007 2275115 11966 aquariumtown 3 2276978 Another great post. Thanks for the perspective. Have you tried a lobster roll? ;-) Fri Feb 09 13:20:47 -0800 2007 2276835 10232 yumyum 3 2277258 "It's so sad that someone above said that the best SF-style burritos on the East Coast are here, since these places are rip-offs of Gordo's in SF which is not a very good place to start with (proprietors of BG and Anna's are related to the Gordo's guy, Felipe's is chef from Anna's)." Gordo's is a perfectly respectable taqueria -- not the best but by no means the worst. I find it even sadder that you seem to think burritos are for "white folks." Frankly, the east coast generally, and Boston specifically, could use more places that "rip off" places like Gordo's. Lord knows I've eaten enough awful burritos back east to know... Fri Feb 09 14:30:42 -0800 2007 2276835 18466 a_and_w 4 2287910 Sorry, the "white folks" reference was unnecessary--the point is that SF burritos are really an SF invention, by Chicanos and Mexican-Americans living in SF; people who come straight from Mexico to a place like Boston might be more likely to make good tacos and to understand what makes a taco good then if they are replicating a formula from San Francisco that is many steps removed from the Mission. (i.e., from the Mission to the Sunset for Gordo's, then from the Sunset to Brookline, and Brookline to Cambridge... lots of steps that don't have anything to do with why Mission burritos are great.) I guess the bigger point, relevant to this thread, is that I couldn't enjoy Boston taquerias like Felipes until I just stopped wanting to be back in San Francisco and started wondering what was good on its own merits. Turns out a corn tortilla with meat, onions and cilantro is really good, and has nothing to do with burritos. Nowhere in Boston is going to be the Mission District, and even the best Boston burrito is not going to be an SF burrito. Another Boston great thing: going apple-picking in the fall. The apples here when they are ready locally are fantastic, and made me like apples in a way I never did in California. And another: bluefish. Never had it before I came here. That's a great fish. To take the Boston influence on less local food, the portuguese-influenced sardines that Rendezvous was serving for a while were really great. A nice example of doing something cuisine-y with local chow, leading to what might be described as Chow Cuisine. Speaking of cuisine, Oleana, especially in the summer, isn't like anywhere else I've been. Tue Feb 13 08:08:16 -0800 2007 2277258 11966 aquariumtown 3 2280024 Bingo. What I was looking for. Sat Feb 10 15:36:37 -0800 2007 2276835 11106 tatamagouche 1 2279937 So. Having started this thread, I'm so delighted by the passionate response, and I've tried to hold back from responding, and I don't mean to throw a wrench into it. That said, I want to hone/clarify my original statement/query...I didn't mean to suggest I was interested in hierarchical good-better-bests; I'm really curious about the unique, the idiosyncratic, at least within national boundaries. On that score, I'm hearing local seafood/clam shacks, ice cream parlors, expat Portuguese--which for me raises as a corollary Cape Verdean; one of the New Yorkers who was originally boiling said blood admitted he didn't know of any CV restos in the city (undoubtedly there are some, but perhaps they get lost in the shuffle, whereas here they don't). But--other thoughts on this matter? If, for instance, you name burgers at place X or pancakes at place Y, then it's got to be something quintessentially Bostonian about the experience itself, rather than the fact that those burgers or pancakes just happen to be your favorites, you know? I suspect that's why, when it comes to specific answers above, Durgin Park strikes a chord with me, and ECG's Hell Night, and Matt Murphy's homemade ketchup, and so on, while places I personally happen to like very much, like Forest Cafe and Addis Red Sea, don't really fit the bill. Anyway, I'm not trying to redirect or narrow the thread, just trying to explain myself more clearly. Sat Feb 10 15:02:44 -0800 2007 2262589 11106 tatamagouche 2 2280585 There's nothing "quintessentially Boston" about seafood/clam shacks, or ice cream parlors, or lobster rolls, or Cuban sandwiches, or clam chowder (Legal Seafoods? thick, gloppy, floury chowder with the occasional clam? nope). The North End is unique, and sometimes very good, but also sometimes very mediocre and insanely overpriced. Baked beans, Durgin Park - yes, quintessentially Boston, and very pleasant. Chinatown? Wonderful. I've had some very good meals in Boston, often surprisngly good, but there's also a whole lot of hype, and a lot of very high-priced, overwrought food in fancy places. To claim, for instance, that Bartley's is a stunning, uniquely fabulous burger is just silly. I can name any ten places in rural Maine that are better and cheaper. Sat Feb 10 19:52:45 -0800 2007 2279937 12205 sophie fox 3 2280818 Ughh Bartley's burgers! Why anyone finds this to be a good burger is beyond me. Bartley's, Sullivans in Somerville & Uburger all are pretty abysmal when it comes to burgers. But Bostonian tastes are rather simple. If they pay lots of money it must be good seems to be the rule in Boston. Sat Feb 10 22:08:48 -0800 2007 2280585 52166 jjbourgeois 4 2281394 "If they pay lots of money it must be good seems to be the rule in Boston." I'm guessing you must be spending most of your time on Bizzaro Chowhound. Half the threads on this board are people talking about what they've found or are looking for that represent good value. "Where can I spend as much money as possible?" isn't a popular topic. I strongly believe that the opposite issue is a much bigger problem, not just in Boston but countrywide: that people are willing to settle for mediocre, unchallenging food as long as it's cheap and comes in huge portions. It might interest you to know that so-called fine dining, where average check size exceeds a whopping $30, accounts for less than 1% of restaurant industry traffic. By far the fastest-growing segment is casual dining, chains that cater to the huge-assed and undemanding, like The Cheesecake Factory. What I would welcome more than your analysis of what's wrong with the Boston dining scene is your insight into what you think is extraordinary and worth the money. I think that's what most posters and readers are here for. Sun Feb 11 08:31:09 -0800 2007 2280818 10143 MC Slim JB 4 2281470 I've actually rarely gone wrong in Boston at higher-priced places (e.g., Hamersley's, Rialto, Rendezvous, Oishii, Eastern Standard, No 9 Park, Casablanca). I've found it much easier to go wrong at this price range in other cities that are more atmosphere-conscious and food-indifferent (LA comes to mind). Sun Feb 11 08:56:35 -0800 2007 2280818 17267 fenian 4 2288289 When it comes to tastes (for food) I personally think simple is best, so if you meant that as some sort of negative, well, I don't know what to say...except that generalizing about the entire population of a metro-area (or of anywhere for that matter) can never lead to good things. As far as "if they pay lots of money it must be good" come on, that's ridiculous. Chowhound would not exist if all people wanted was a place to find the most expensive meals...for that you can just open a zagats guide. Tue Feb 13 09:47:34 -0800 2007 2280818 14710 heathermb 3 2280905 Ohhhhhkkkkkaaaaaayyyyy, but again, this is precisely what I WASN'T asking for. Just one thread in which all that's WRONG with the Boston scene--which we're all VERY well aware of (as plenty of other posts on the North End and all the rest will show you)--didn't come up. I know it's hard, but come on! Let me pose the challenge to you in particular, since you seem to be keenly observing what's quintessentially Boston vs. what's quintessentially New England (and I admit we Bostonians may forget 3 seasons out of 4 that our fair city is not the whole of the region). You've named a couple of things you think qualify; what else? Sat Feb 10 23:07:21 -0800 2007 2280585 11106 tatamagouche 2 2283027 Speaking of Matt Murphy's -- can I just put a word in for their bread pudding? I believe it is legendary. Sun Feb 11 18:50:47 -0800 2007 2279937 73741 guru 3 2283116 Sure but only if I can interject that no one has mentioned Matt Murphy's lamb shepherd's pie. It's only the best I've ever tasted here or in Ireland & Great Britain. Sun Feb 11 19:21:10 -0800 2007 2283027 45436 Harp00n 1 2281213 I spent three years living in and loving NYC for reasons you can all imagine but there were a few chow-related things I missed, that we just do better here as a matter of course: We really do have some excellent burritos here. Yes, Anna's, but don't forget Tacqueria la Mexicana in Union. And Boca. And Felipes. You cannot get these things in NYC (or couldn't when I was there). Beer (with quality food accompaniment). We have so many excellent beer bars, we are truly blessed. Publick House, Deep Ellum, Redbones, and Bukowski's are unbeatable, and there are literally 100s of others that would make NY's top 10 list. Seafood. I'm not talking about any one amazing place, I'm talking about the availability, just about anyplace, of a plate of perfectly fresh oysters and a slab of great fish. Sure, we quibble about whether this or that high-end seafood place is worth the cash, but our bar is pretty high, as we expect our fish to be fresh and perfect everywhere we go. Coffee. This one's a little different, since I think it all hangs on one man, but I have searched far and wide and have not found a better source for non-overroasted single origin coffee than Terroir. (George, please please please don't sell us out this time...) (I like Peet's a whole lot too, but that's a completely different drink.) Wine (and the whole bistro thing). Naturally, you can get the best of the best in NY, but it's far more accessible here to us plebes. Central Kitchen, Blue Room, RendezVous, Butcher Shop, Hammersley's... Yes, I've named some expensive places but trust me these are downright cheap compared to places with similar lists in that superior city to our south. All in all, it's taken some time but I'm very very pleased to be back in our fair city. We've much to be chow-proud of. Sun Feb 11 06:53:33 -0800 2007 2262589 19370 jajjguy 1 2281636 The biggest problem I have with restaurants in Boston is service. Very few places are willing to spend the money to hire professional waitstaff. Instead in Boston we get 21 year old pimply college kids. The high end restaurants in Boston do have exceptional service, but the midrange restaurants ($15-$25 entrees) the service for the most part is abysmal. The last thing I need is a teenager with a nose ring advising on what Merlot would go best with my duck. Sun Feb 11 09:51:54 -0800 2007 2262589 52166 jjbourgeois 2 2281771 Do you have some specific examples of mid-range places with amateurish service? That would be helpful. Sun Feb 11 10:36:17 -0800 2007 2281636 10143 MC Slim JB 3 2282777 Actually, some of my favorite places suffer from this. That's one reason I often prefer to eat at the bar. Sun Feb 11 17:15:23 -0800 2007 2281771 19370 jajjguy 4 2282966 That's quite perceptive jajjguy, and only partially because it conforms with my own observations :-) Sun Feb 11 18:28:16 -0800 2007 2282777 45436 Harp00n 4 2283020 So, what are your favorite places that have this crappy dining room service? Won't anyone name names here? Sun Feb 11 18:48:16 -0800 2007 2282777 10143 MC Slim JB 5 2283112 I am reluctant, simply because i think this is pervasive and not specific to any of my favorite places, which i'd rather not trash because i'd like to see them (continue to) do well. I will say that, among my current list of favorites, RendezVous and Blue Room have always had quite good service. Feel free to start a new thread if you'd lie to chase this further, I think we've sidetracked this one enough. Sun Feb 11 19:19:23 -0800 2007 2283020 19370 jajjguy 1 2281832 This is a great question-- I have to admit, I'm someone that gets a sinking feeling every time I think of the Boston food scene (and I don't think it's purely the size--high rents and many other things play a role too, but that's a topic for a different thread). So, I took this question to heart, and have been thinking long and hard about it. And here's what I've come up with: (as with some of the discussion above, they're not so Boston-specific but more generally eastern NE) - Grape nut pudding - Autocrat coffee syrup I have to admit, I don't actually have either of these all that often. (In fact, I suspect *nobody* has these things all that often, they seem to be on the endangered list!) I think they're both just nice childhood memories, and things that that I realized I felt some forgotten nostalgia for when I moved back to the area. Sun Feb 11 10:57:11 -0800 2007 2262589 49653 another_adam 2 2282033 Grape nut custard pudding is what I always ask for at grammy's and have finally learned how to make myself, but not as good as she does. I was happy to see a grape nut ice cream (at Toscannini's?) that helps. I never quite figured out what the coffee syrup was for and why we always had it in the fridge, but I have discovered the joys of claret sauce for my ice cream. I've really enjoyed reading this thread, but I fear I don't quite understand tatamagouche's question. I mean, there are some things here that we do very well, but that aren't necessarily unique. Would grape nut inspired desserts fit that bill? Sun Feb 11 12:21:35 -0800 2007 2281832 20717 sailormouth 3 2282144 I'm not entirely sure either, since really there's little that's absolutely *unique* to anywhere (unless we stick to the level of "dish X at place Y"-- but a lot of discussion here has been more general than that, like "boston does ice cream well") Since I have yet to find a dish in Boston that I thought could top what I'd had elsewhere, I found it most productive/least depressing to reflect on to the last part of the question: if you moved somewhere else, what might you miss or be nostalgic for, that you couldn't get without sending away for it or trying to recreate it yourself? (Except that I thought about it in reverse order: what was I pleased to be reacquainted with, upon coming back from many years in LA and the bay area). For me, this led to a small handful of things I realized I missed about the east: the two items mentioned, plus good freshly picked corn and fresh apple cider (but in my opinion eastern NE doesn't do those well, either, so they didn't make the cut) Sun Feb 11 13:03:51 -0800 2007 2282033 49653 another_adam 3 2282328 Totally. I grew up in the Southwest, have also lived in Cali, Iowa, and Colorado, and had never heard of such a thing til I moved here. Now, I realize it's more generally a New England thing than a Boston-proper thing--but that's the kind of answer I was looking for. And yes, I realize the word "unique" poses a problem--but what we're dicussing here is along the very lines of what I was looking for. (Not, again, that I mean to narrow the thread...) Sun Feb 11 14:14:30 -0800 2007 2282033 11106 tatamagouche 4 2289880 Those Nantucket bay scallops are unique, I'd add Maine shrimp too but they are from Maine so some might quibble. I'd include steamer clams, fried clams, and lobster rolls, but I'm sure various other towns have claimed these too. I get the feeling that cod, scrod, and haddock are the classic Boston fish choices but I haven't personally gotten into the habit of cooking with them yet (only been back a year). My first experience with butter and sugar corn was in Deerfield several years ago, don't know if this is truely a local speciality. Cranberrys are definitely something local IMO. I bet there's some good local cheese too, can't think of what offhand. Legal fish chowder is great and I remember that Noname's also had a good chowder (this was years ago). There's also some great beer, like Sam Adams' choices. Tue Feb 13 15:32:42 -0800 2007 2282328 18264 steinpilz 5 2289944 Nice post steinpilz, no b&s corn isn't unique to N.E. but the glory of late, late Summer, Silver Queen, all most certainly is. It's a sweet corn for adult tastes with great corn flavor. It doesn't taste like it been dunked into the sugar bowl, like some of the super-sweet b&s corns do. My biggest frustration is rooting for Summer's end to indulge.. Tue Feb 13 15:52:34 -0800 2007 2289880 45436 Harp00n 6 2290070 I thought Silver Queen was pretty much common as a white sweet corn standard all over the northern states (it's actually not an heirloom variety, btw; though on the other hand there are many people who think that golden Bantam corn is very old and the norm for heirloom corn, whereas all-yellow sweet corn is pretty much a 20th century develpment, but I digress). Tue Feb 13 16:33:20 -0800 2007 2289944 13819 Karl S 7 2290907 Karl, you are correct that SQ isn't an heirloom variety. It's a 30yo hybrid (su) and although that doesn't sound very old, it is in today's world of corn.The onslaught of sugar-enhanced (se) and super-sweet (sh2) varities have made huge inroads into the overall production of SQ. In fact, most of the roadside stand corn that is marketed as SQ these days are actually varieties such as Silverado (su) or worse something like SS 7801 (sh2). My point, and I am coming to it, is this; Silver Queen is rapidly turning into a new category all together; a "hybrid heirloom". There are growers still committed to producing it against the tidal wave of dumbed-down, long lasting, overly/overtly-sweet corns. New England is one, but not the only bastion, keeping it in production. (End of bloviation) Tue Feb 13 21:37:09 -0800 2007 2290070 45436 Harp00n 3 3356873 Claret sauce and Ice cream! I haven't had that in years! My grandmother always had that in the fridge growing up. Hopefully I will be able to find some in NY. Coffee syrup is used as you would chocolate syrup to make coffee milk. Fri Feb 01 14:22:46 -0800 2008 2282033 77224 davisready 1 2282277 I’m not from Boston but I lived there a long time (and then moved on to Italy, Providence, Brooklyn). There are a lot of things that I miss about Boston now that I’m in Austin, Texas. Some are: 1) the quality of the fresh seafood. There was a great Portuguese seafood store near the courthouse in Cambridge. 2) the quality and availability of Italian cured meats, and the know-how about slicing and storing them properly 3) the quality and availability of numerous other imported products from Italy (like biscotti, canned tomatoes, etc.) 4) the pizza—which, no matter what you think about it, is on the whole far better than Austin’s pizza 5) the subs from some neighborhood delis and pizza places, like the steak and cheese at Pinocchio's in Harvard Square. By the way, I don't want to know if this place no longer exists. 5) the pastries—from the Italian pastries like cannoli to the croissants from that place on Newbury Street (there is no decent patisserie in Austin) 5) the French and Italian bread 6) No. 9 Park 7) South End bistros like Hammersley's and Tremont 647 8) the Blue Room 9) the ice cream and frappes 10) L.A. Burdick 11) clam chowder and lobster rolls 12) Formaggio I could go on. The Indian, Chinese, Italian, French, and “New American” restaurants in Boston are much better than the ones here (though, granted, Austin is generally bad in these areas). Overall, at the mid- to high-end of the price scale, Boston restaurants are more creative and generally better at execution and complex sauces than most places in Austin. At the low end of the price scale (like the $5 meal), there are more solid choices here, largely due to the local traditions of Tex-Mex and central-Texas-style barbecue. Anyway, I’ll be happily chowing my way through the list above when I visit in a few months. Sun Feb 11 13:54:50 -0800 2007 2262589 10608 MPH 2 2283744 Have no fear, Pinocchio's is still open (or was as of September 2006). I really liked a pizza place on Congress (in Austin) that I tried last November, but cannot recall the name. It was about 1/2 way between downtown and Ben White. They served beer too (bottles). Maybe 10 tables tops. Mon Feb 12 05:25:09 -0800 2007 2282277 10283 Dax 3 2284034 Dax, you moved, right? The fact that you still check in here itself suggests Boston has something compelling to offer...:) Mon Feb 12 07:42:37 -0800 2007 2283744 11106 tatamagouche 4 2289489 Yes, I did but Athens, GA has a very small population and dining scene. I miss Boston dining a lot so I still check the boston board a lot. Tue Feb 13 13:56:19 -0800 2007 2284034 10283 Dax 5 2289588 See, that's nice. Maybe not for you (sorry), but for us... Tue Feb 13 14:24:10 -0800 2007 2289489 11106 tatamagouche 5 2289841 I had a some great trout in Athens once, it's also a great university town but very different from a big city. Sorry that you miss Boston. Tue Feb 13 15:21:02 -0800 2007 2289489 18264 steinpilz 1 2286667 LIME RICKEY! my favorite summertime drink. Mon Feb 12 19:23:31 -0800 2007 2262589 66891 ylt 2 2286691 Make it a raspberry lime rickey and I'm so there! Mon Feb 12 19:29:22 -0800 2007 2286667 45436 Harp00n 3 2286737 One of my favorite drinks, too! Whenever I'm at a diner I always try to order one. Still looking for the "ultimate" raspberry lime rickey in the Boston area, though. Mon Feb 12 19:44:55 -0800 2007 2286691 14771 hiddenboston 4 3358378 This sounds like a promising thread. Please start one! Pleeeeeease? Sat Feb 02 08:54:39 -0800 2008 2286737 145206 SSqwerty 5 3360570 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/485652 Sun Feb 03 05:53:07 -0800 2008 3358378 12671 maillard 1 2291682 While the wife and I love to eat out all over boston from Ethiopian to Eastern Standard. What I would truly miss is being able to crawl into a nice warm irish pub on a freezing February evening, sit by a roaring fire, choose from a decent selection of beer and soul comforting irish and pub food, and talk with friends. Long live the James's Gate. Wed Feb 14 08:13:55 -0800 2007 2262589 74408 zenright 2 2291816 Well, Irish pubs certainly aren't unique to Boston--cause, you know, there's Ireland--but I agree w/ you that at their best, the Boston version of Irish pubs are a pretty special lot. Another good call. Wed Feb 14 08:51:28 -0800 2007 2291682 11106 tatamagouche 3 2292340 But most importantly, you can stumble from one to the other with a stop at someplace trendy, an Ethiopian place and a French place in the middle. Even in New York that would likely require a cab. Wed Feb 14 10:55:01 -0800 2007 2291816 20717 sailormouth 1 2292872 Ooh, I almost forgot, Boston does spinach and feta anything (pizza, omelettes, etc.) better than any other place I've lived. Wed Feb 14 12:44:28 -0800 2007 2262589 18466 a_and_w 1 2293523 Well, tatamagouche, all I can say is: Just tell me who's badmouthing Boston and I'll pop 'em one!!! I fell in love with your City (I'm a Jersey gal) several years ago. There are plenty of good eats in NJ as well as nearby NYC (just a short ride), so I've had good food in both states. I've had wonderful food in Boston. Backwater? Conservative?? The people in Boston are the best and if I ever have to move...I already have my City picked out, along with tons of restaurants! Here's to your wonderful City!!! Wed Feb 14 15:15:37 -0800 2007 2262589 12929 shopgirl 1 3356894 you just got to know how dig out the nuggets among a lot of mediocre or sometimes out & out bad food but i somehow manage to tip the scales anyway ! there is more to boston cuisine then steak tips & scallop wrapped in bacon (which are both tasty anyway). Fri Feb 01 14:31:18 -0800 2008 2262589 158341 mr mangia 1 3358308 I am still revising my opinion of food in Boston. Until I started spending a good deal of time here on weekends and vacations, I was becoming convinced that the food was uniformly mediocre. I now realize that that isn't true at all BUT...I haven't seen any city or town that was more risky for touristy eaters who haven't done their homework before visiting. Sure, buyer beware, and all that. Sushi? I had the best $100 lunch of my life recently at Oishii in the South End. Utterly amazing. Oysters? LOTS of places with very fine oysters. I wish some of the shuckers at B&G were a bit more cheerful and sometimes more careful about shells!, but the oysters are great. Seafood? Swell, other than Legal. Italian? often great, sometimes very mediocre (avoid anyplace frequented by Rachel Ray) Chinese? loads of fun steak? pretty hit or miss - I've now had fine, average, and poor meals at ALL the steakhouses in Boston - this makes my head hurt Blue Ginger - superb, always fun, friendly, delicious Truly awful - Newbury St, period, all-inclusive (OK, you can get a good pot of tea at Tealuxe and Trident Books can be fun) "French bistros" - one of the worst and most overpriced meals I've had in recent memory was at Aquitaine in the South End. The night before, I had dinner at Hamersley's for the first time, and it was wonderful. Aquitaine was the polar opposite. Terrible, indifferent, arrogant "service" - snails that were dry, not the least bit garlicky, served with two croutons (hello???), and the "special" halibut with "foie gras sauce" and "black truffles" - I think it was about $45. Someone might have dragged a teaspoon-full of chopped chicken liver through the sauce - it tasted nothing like foie - and the "black truffles" were, in fact, chopped black olives. The contempt for the customer that the last showed was infuriating - it's not like truffles are an indistinct flavor. The wine list was overpriced and very mediocre. Please don't even get me started about Bouchee - but that's covered under the blanket hatred for Newbury St "food" On the other hand, there are places (sometimes reviled on this board) that I find consistently pleasurable, like Brasserie Jo - warm, friendly service, delicious bread and plenty of it, that lovely carrot salad, excellent escargots, fabulous and huge frisee au lardons, croque monsieur, lots of nice wines by the glass. What's the difference? It seems that some seem to think that it's less hip or something - this is a GOOD thing. My conclusion - Boston is a good chow-y town, with some truly wonderful food,but it's a little to easy to get food that's not as good as it should be. Sat Feb 02 08:23:20 -0800 2008 2262589 12205 sophie fox 2 3358441 I was wondering why no one had resuscitated any year-old threads in a while. This is a very interesting perspective; it's always useful to get such a detailed response from someone who hasn't lived here forever. I agree with a lot of this, but would like to point out that Newbury Street now has La Voile, which is probably the best restaurant to open there in quite some time. Southern French, quite authentic, worth checking out. Sat Feb 02 09:25:03 -0800 2008 3358308 10143 MC Slim JB 1 3358463 Just to pursue Jajjguy's point, there are whole food CULTURES here, a point of view informed by history and experience, that are totally lacking in other cities (though they have their points of view as well). If I had to move back to NYC tomorrow I would most certainly miss: --BOSTON'S SANDWICH CULTURE: It was one of the first things I noticed when I moved here. Bostonians aren't as demented about burgers as NYC; they love their sandwiches here in a unique and heartwarming way. Steak tips. Bulkie rolls (which exist nowhere else). Lobster rolls. Paninis and Wraps. Sure you can get a good burger here, but sandwiches are part and parcel of our local dining habits. --BOSTON'S BEER CULTURE: Amazing choices, here, both local and European, not so much in New York. The brewpub (and gastropub) are alive and thriving here as nowhere else. --OYSTER CULTURE: Everybody likes 'em, everybody eats 'em. Ask any young professional in Manhattan what their favorite oyster is and they won't be able to tell you--they're hiding the fact that they don't really like oysters. Here, the person sitting next to you in any good restaurant can give you shrewd advice about the differences between Pemiquid and Wellfleet and they'd be right. Just more evidence that folks who dine in Boston choose their food judiciously. They never haphazardly order "todays special" or leave their lunch choice to the waiter. ---BOSTON'S FOOD SHOPPING CULTURE: This would be what I miss most about Boston eats if I had to move away. Yes there's a Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in Manhattan but you'd have to take trains, buses and planes to get there. Surrounded as they are by brilliant restaurants all within walking distance, New Yorkers don't think enough of great food markets to devote very much real estate to them. I have THREE Whole Foods within striking distance of where I live, plus two Roche Brothers. I know ,I know about specialty markets like Dean and DeLuca in lower Manhattan, but even that pales in comparison to the new Roche in Wellesley. There are plenty of TJs here versus just one in New York City (I think) and the availability of fabulous ethnic shopping (I'm surrounded by Russian grocery stores here in Brookline and never saw any during my tenure in New York) makes this city all the sweeter for me. I could go on and on but won't. Boston's wine culture is deliberately designed to bring the hoi polloi like me into the world of good wines. The ethnic food culture here is not supposed to be an end of the month fallback when you can't afford anything better, but is a cherished feature of Boston all by itself. The Breakfast Culture here makes me smile --New York's the only place I've ever seen people cramming something into their mouths while they rush along the sidewalk to work. I've never seen that here --Bostonians love their diners and coffee shops too much. Would I change anything here? Sure. I wish there were a lunch culture in Boston --a demand outside of the financial district for modest white tablecloth restaurants where we could enjoy a decent plate of food and a glass of wine for a reasonable price instead of just pizzas, delis and (yes) sandwich shops. (The Laurel Grill on Berkley is close to what I'm talking about.) Sat Feb 02 09:33:44 -0800 2008 2262589 145206 SSqwerty 2 3360933 Great post although I must respectfully disagree with this statement: "Bostonians aren't as demented about burgers as NYC" We really are. Just go back and look through a few "best burger" threads. From very strongly held opinions on just what a burger should be (thin, thick, rare, medium, plain meat, enhanced with flavorings .... ), to hurling insults at folks who like them prepared a different way ("anyone who likes it <fill in the blank> is just plain CRAZY"), to challenging others to try YOUR favorite and so on and so on. We really take our burgers quite seriously. Sun Feb 03 09:18:26 -0800 2008 3358463 10232 yumyum 1 3359323 my ny friends really enjoy eating here when they visit: we take them to local reasonably priced small restaurants and they tell me quality such as La Morra's or Ten Tables would be twice the price in NY. Its a waste of time to compare: I live here, I eat here, I love visiting NY, and I'd rather live in Boston. Sat Feb 02 15:10:16 -0800 2008 2262589 14809 teezeetoo