Super 88 food court (Allston) picks

[joestrummer]

Any picks on certain dishes at certain places. I went to one of the Korean places recently but it wasn't great.
Any of those stalls do kalbi ribs or chicken katsu well?
I've heard Pho Viet was good but I usually get by Viet food nearby in Dot.
Worth the trip?
Thanks.

[shih]

Where is Dot, exactly?

[galleygirl]

Dorchester.

[BostonZest]

Has there ever been a Chowhound meet-up at the Super 88 food court?It would seem that this might be one of the easiest and tastiest locations for a big one.

[mr mangia]

It would be easy & everyone could get their faves without causing a hassle. When I go there I often get a kimchee pancake, dim sum, & chow foon from 3 different places anyway.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

No splitting the check, either! I'd be all for a Super 88 ChowDown.

[Prav]

Wonderful idea - count me in!

[mr mangia]

how do these things get organized ? i have never been to one and a newbie to chowhound in general ?

[The Chowhound Team]

Please see our guidelines, here, about organizing Chowdowns:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/36760...

Among other things, we ask that all organization, other than the announcement, be kept off the boards, so that the discussion here can be focussed on local chow, and not planning details.

Thank you!

[pamalamb]

I'd be all for that. I haven't tried many things there, but I'd love the chance to split a bunch of stuff with people who know what they're talking about :)

[mr mangia]

Pan fried Yellow Noodle at Kantin are righteous too. Only the outsides are super crispy and the middle are soft with lots of taste.

[kweesee]

i love the indian place, they have great nan.
the korean one on the other side is overpriced not that great korean food.

[nleow]

Pho Viet's Pho is really good. I haven't really had Pho that much in Boston - was recommended Pho Lemongrass at Coolidge corner, but I don't think it is that great compared to Pho Viet.

[cookingirl187]

You can't beat the $3 sandwich at the Vietnamese place! It's made on crusty French bread with cilantro and all sorts of other goodies. Plus if you eat it all, you can always get another for $3!

[galleygirl]

Didn't read the OP throroughly enough. For good Korean, and great bibimbap, go to the Misono across from Kantin, at the back of the court.

[joestrummer]

I went to the Korean place at the front. OK, but definitely trying Misono next time.
Man, that food court is tough. You think you know what you want but there are so many options too choose from.
Have to go there with a few people and have a little int'l smorgasbord

[Allstonian]

The two Korean places are confusing, because they're both called Misono, and one is good and one is meh. I haven't patronized either in a long while, but I've noticed galleygirl praising one of them several times (and I could never remember which one.) Will have to remember that the one in the original space across from Kantin is the good one and try again.

We went to Ken's Ramen last night for the first time in ages - last time we tried we were thwarted by an unexpected vacation closing - and it was as great as ever. I tried the salt broth this time, and really liked it,. especially the slices of crisp-fried garlic in the broth.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Also, our friends were astonished by the pork dumplings; the ramen is so good that I tend to forget how terribly good these are as well, but they're just amazingly light and tender and flavorful.

I do wish they weren't always out of the seasoned boiled egg when I try to order it special for my ramen, though.

[poho]

Can you get non-pork-containing ramen bowls at Ken's?
I couldn't quite tell from a quick glance at the menu.

Also I love the okdol bibimbap at the Korean place across from the Chinese place.
Thanks!

[Zatan]

I have to second the vote on Ken's ramen -- the best bowl of that type of noodle soup you'll find in Boston I think. If you haven't done so, sit at the bar and watch Ken assemble the soup; he is meticulous about the preparation, and the results show it, from the tastiness of the broths to the perfection of the roast pork and boiled eggs. I skip the gyoza and opt for a larger bowl of soup!

I had the banh mi at Pho Viet last weekend and I think it was probably the best I've had in a while. The roll was perfect, light and crusty, and the rest of the ingredients very tasty. The pho they were serving up looked and smelled fantastic, it's next on my list.

[MC Slim JB]

Pho Viet's banh mi are my favorite in the city.

[joestrummer]

Thanks MC. I've read that before from either you or another Hound.
Your magic is very strong so I'll have to resist all urges to stop in Dot.

Tough for me to choose Viet there with so many untried options but in the case of banh mi's familiarity has never bred contempt.

[shih]

I'm headed to Pho Viet for their banh mi for the first time. I know they have a few options. Do you have a favorite?

[autopi]

BBQ pork!!!!

[joestrummer]

Thanks for all the rec's. Had the beef chow fun at Kantin today and it was great.

Misono is next on the list, I think.
How's the chicken vindaloo at JMP?

[Joanie]

Were there any good vegetables in the chow fun? I'm thinking of stopping over there tonite and want a dish that has both meat and "real" veggies (not just green peppers and bamboo shoots). I love Korean food but they don't seem so big on vegetables. Does the roast meat place mentioned above have good veggies in the dishes? I haven't been eating enough healthy food lately.

[bakerboyz]

Their beef chow fun is pretty standard: onions, scallions and bean sprouts but they may have a vegetarian version or perhaps you could ask them to add veggies you like.

[joestrummer]

Yeah, low veggie count on the chow fun I had. The pics at the Misono stall showed some meals with nice salads with them, looked very appetizing.

[Aromatherapy]

But Korean places usually have lots of vegetables in the side dishes. Does Misono serve them?

[galleygirl]

They used to serve panchan, but i haven't gotten them the last few times I've been. I always get the bibimbap, however, and that has lots of marinated veggies in it. The perfect meal.

[joestrummer]

Sorry J, I'm not the person to ask. I started the thread b/c I'm not familiar with the food court. I can't see how you couldn't get a really veggie heavy meal in there though- so many options.

[Joanie]

I ended up with a slice at T Anthony's which I hadn't been to in probably about 7 years. I wasn't into it, too much tomato sauce altho the flavor was decent. Not big enough but a slice and a can of soda was $2.85, so that's not bad. And I did end up full. Maybe a whole pie would have been better.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Although this is totally why we love our Joanie -- "I haven't been eating healthy enough lately...I know, I'll have a slice of pizza!" -- in the future, I would recommend PhoViet for more veggie-heavy options. The banh mi that's so beloved by MC Slim JB and myself has a ton of veggies on it, and they do vegetarian options as well. Good fresh rolls, too.

[joestrummer]

That's my idea of health food as well, just hold the pepperoni.
When I was a kid I tried convincing my parents an Italian sub was healthy if you got everything on it. Tough sell.

The rec's for T. Anthony's always surprise me. I've found it OK but never great.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

The subs are pretty good at T. Anthony, but I hate their pizza: they put fresh raw veggies on it, which means they release water when they hit the oven, which means the pizza is sopping wet when it comes out. Bleah.

[tamerlanenj]

Just don't get vegetables on your pizza! blech

[Joanie]

Ha ha, doesn't make any sense I know. I've had the bahn mi and it's great, but I was thinking of some cooked dish w/ lots of veggies. Nothing was jumping out at me and I thought I' d just go simple and super cheap with the pizza that everyone raves about. Except you, me and Joe Strummer. But a small slice of cheese can't be *that* unhealthy, right?

[StriperGuy]

Too much to even name:

Roast meats at the place in the back on the right. If you go whole hog ;-) and get 3 meats with rice and veg it's enough for two. They also do nice singapore noodles. Heck most of their stuff is good.

Dim sum place is good.

Indonesian place used to be good, haven't been lately.

Ken's again, ken's not in the food court, but on the other side.

Excellent pork buns and sticky rice in lotus leaf at the little counter INSIDE the Super88 (not in the food court). Among my favorite of both.

Wisteria House is great. Haven't tried this incarnation, but heck the old one was great.

[galangatron]

pho viet - banh mi, duck leg soup
kantin - salt and pepper pork chop, roasted meat on rice
dim sum chef - chicken feet in black bean sauce
wisteria house - pork chop on rice, pork belly on rice, ravioli with pork and chives

get to wisteria house early. they run out of things often

[hhfang]

They do tend to 'run out often,' but that gives me a sort of peace of mind because in the tiny space they have they much pack it full of food and it they keep selling out it must mean everythings fresh. Although when they sell out of something I like i'm sort of pushed to try something new which is always fun, like their shuichen baos, I tried that the other day and it was amazing pork and scallion bun. =]

[lergnom]

I haven't eaten at Wisteria yet, but I assume the food is like their old place. The Indian place, JMP, is one of my favorites. It's all family and the food tastes homey. The Vietnamese place is very good. I think their pho is better than Pho Pasteur's. Kantin, as noted, above is very good and very popular. I don't eat at Dim Sum Chef and haven't tried this incarnation of the Indonesian place but Misono (Korean) is very good.

To my knowledge, no one does chicken katsu.

More importantly, Ken's Ramen House is also at Super 88. It's the best.

[bakerboyz]

Don't know anything about Ken's Ramen House, what's good?

[Allstonian]

Um, the ramen. Seriously, other than side orders of either gyoza or a small bowl of beef (curry?) on rice, about 8 different versions of ramen is all they have.

[bakerboyz]

I must profess ignorance here because I only have eaten the freeze-dried ramen you can buy at the local supermarkets in the soup aisle.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Think noodles, meat and greens in a big ol' bowl of a delightful broth. I especially like the miso broth, personally.

[lergnom]

These are a whole 'nother league of goodness. I prefer the salt, which isn't very salty.

[StriperGuy]

The discussion of what ramen actually amounts to in Japan, Japanese culture, the Japanese psyche could fill volumes. Comfort food, street food, bachelor food.

Ken's is far and away the best Ramen place in Boston.

There was a good article in the 9/29 Wall Street Journal discussing an American who was trying to break into the Ramen Shop business in Japan.. The notable quote: "

"There are an estimated 80,000 ramen restaurants across the country. Ramen is a national obsession in Japan -- akin to burgers or barbecue in the U.S. Almost all Japanese have strong feelings about every detail, like whether the broth should be made of bonito, sardine or pork bones, and how many slices of pork should be in the soup. Television quiz shows dare self-professed experts to "name that ramen" just by looking at a fraction of a picture of a bowl of noodles. There are guidebooks focused entirely on the best ramen restaurants and bloggers who hunt down and critique new ramen joints the minute they open."

[bear]

Love the masala dosa at the Indian place.

[phipsi102]

Second Misono Grill- I am partial to their Kim Chi Ji-Gae and Beef Jap-Chae- both consistently excellent.

[hhfang]

Wisteria at 88 is awesome, I love that the breakfest is all day long plus their beef noodle soup is just plain good. It's fresh, fast and cheap, it's only 9 bucks for a whole big steaming bowl of vegetables, beef broth, beef steaks and rice noodles. It's a personal favorite. Plus I love their soy bean milk, once you drink it you'll wonder how you ever drank soy milk from a factory. The soy milk hot is a real plus on these winter days too! I also like that they opened a place in Cambridge, it's roomy with a bigger menu.

Pho Viets is supposed to be awesome too, although the only thing I had there was their viet sub (which I admit I have been an ardent customer of Chinatown for many many years and kind of prefer it there), i did enjoy their fried spring rolls which came with a lot of fresh sides, it did have a little too much salt/msg in it though. Their pork chop rice was good, a big portion for cheap.

I've been meaning to try the Indian place but I'm not sure because it doesn't look all that 'clean,' but i guess cause it's literally a small family buisness. The more good news I hear the more I'll give it a chance.

The food court is great though. TONS of options!

[lergnom]

JMP (Indian) is excellent. Possibly my favorite Indian food in the area. Not greasy and a good balancing of homey with solid technique. They sometimes give you too much food, as in a huge helping of saag. I think they make the best biryani in town.

[sana]

i'd have to second lergnom on the best chicken biryani in town bit. nobody else in boston makes biryani anywhere close to this - perfect blend of spices, always fresh unlike the dry fare you'd find at the regular indian place.

[tamerlanenj]

sigh...I miss Wisteria House! <sniff>

[autopi]

um....aren't they still there?

[tamerlanenj]

Well, it used to be around the corner in the Back Bay. That's what I men. Don't get out to Cambridge or Super 88 very often. Great takeout for Wisteria used to be a semi weekly feast for me.

[bakerboyz]

I really enjoy the Beef Chow Fun at Kantin (the Chinese stall); the beef meatballs and har gau at the Dim Sum Chef are pretty good.

[Allstonian]

I'll second the beef chow fun at Kantin, especially the dry-fried version.

[secretlyironic]

I had the crispy pork belly at Kantin and it was awesome: like a pork version of peking duck, only without a pancake. The "appetizer" size is just under eight bucks and includes more than an entree amount of pork served over bok choy.

[hhfang]

Dim sum at any time of the day, I love the concept plus their dishes are good and still served at the same price and some even cheaper than ctown.

[mr mangia]

i love that dim sum place. the stuffed bean curd skins with vermicelli are way good.