Dinner near Agganis Arena

[jrgkittredge]

I am going to see Cirque-de-Soleil next Saturday evening and would like to have dinner before the show. If possible, I'd like to be able to park once and walk to dinner and then the show at the arena.

Can you recommend some resonably priced options? I'm looking for a nice atomosphere (pleasant to sit an dine), with a good choice of food (seafood, italian (no pizza), american) that is moderately priced (entress in the high teens/low 20's).

Thanks,

[galleygirl]

Couldn't figure out how to add it to my post the first time...

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Carlo's Cucina Italiana
131 Brighton Ave, Boston, MA 02134

[galleygirl]

DUH! (slaps head....) Carlos Cucina! Almost next to JoJo Taipei; old-school, delicious Italian...Moderately priced....
http://www.carloscucinaitaliana.com/

[CookieLee]

I don't think the Super 88 Food Court is sketchy. And I'm an old lady. (Ok, I'm in my 50's). I've eaten at Saray, I thought it was lovely. Brown Sugar is v. good. Just tell them you want yr food "Thai style", and it's a lot less Americanized. I loooooove their kow soi. Agree about Sunset Cantina. Just before them, on the same side of Comm Ave, I see that Upper Crust (I'm not a fan) and Panera both opened. As I said, I'm old, and I have to say, I think St. Mary's is more than a 10 -15min walk. And Burton's Grill is on the other side of Landmark Ctr. , farther still. If you want to walk past the Super 88, you'll be in new restaurant heaven. There's Jo Jo Tapei, which has been receiving v. good reviews here. I enjoy Punjab Palace. Another Indian restaurant just opened, and there is Shabu Zen. These places are a 10-15min walk to me.

[galleygirl]

Oh yeah, JoJO Taipei hands down. Ypu could park midway between the two, and it'd be about a 5 minute walk in each direction....

[m1stert1m]

I guess those places are a little bit farther, I guess I'm just used to walking very fast to get around the BU campus. I'll have to try Jo Jo Taipei, haven't been there yet

[m1stert1m]

There really aren't any places around there since the whole Comm Ave stretch near there caters to BU students. Most places are bars, burger joints and pizza shops. I disagree with Mc Slim about Sunset Cantina. They have a huge menu and tons of drinks and I ate there all the time while I was at BU. Wayyyy ahead of the Ninety-Nine. And the super 88 food court is good sometimes but pretty sketchy. Brown Sugar is your best bet for sit down restaurants, but a short walk away in a new apartment building near Fenway is Burtons Grill. Probably the nicest place within that small radius.

[m1stert1m]

Also add in Audubon Circle, Beacon Street Tavern, and Elephant Walk (French/Polynesian) to the list. All on Beacon Street near St. Mary's St. 10-15 min walk

[DnJinCambridge]

Elephant Walk is French/Cambodian, not Polynesian.

[galleygirl]

Who cares? It's not exciting...

[BobB]

Agreed. And if you're willing to walk that far (as mentioned, about 15 minutes) you're far better off going to Taberna de Haro across the street. Some of the best and most authentic Spanish food - and not just tapas - in the Greater Boston area. They even have outdoor seating. However, they can be crowded so get there early to be sure to be done in time for your show.

[hotoynoodle]

i'm sure the folks who can tell the difference between cambodian and polynesian might feel differently.

[galleygirl]

Yes, shockingly, I _can_ tell the difference. However, IMHO, the quality and authenticity, or lack thereof, at Elephant Walk makes it a moot point. If one were looking for good Cambodian food, this would not be the place to go. I hope this clarifies my less than explicit statement.

[m1stert1m]

My mistake. You are right it is french/cambodian. Still delicious

[MC Slim JB]

Kind of a grim stretch. My favorites within a ten-minute walk, though not really hitting your requirements:

Brown Sugar. Respectable if somewhat Americanized Thai place. Can it have improved since they closed the Fenway original?

Saray. Modest Turkish restaurant with table service. I've heard it's struggling lately.

Super 88 Food Court: amazing array of Asian restaurants, including my favorite ramen joint (Ken's, actually just outside the food court), the best banh mi in town (Pho Viet), many others.

I'd advise against the nearby Sunset Cantina, a Ninety-Nine kind of bad casual dining chain, inferior to the already-not-great original Sunset Grill & Tap.

Would you be willing to jump on the B train for a few minutes? That would open up your options a lot.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[lergnom]

If all Thai food - but maybe a place - is Americanized, then Brown Sugar at least does it very well and it's possible to order more "authentic" food if you read through the menu and ask.

The question, however, looked for Italian, seafood or American. Other than the Sunset Cantina almost across the street, you'd have to go up Brighton Ave 1/3 mile or so to Carlo's Cucina for Italian. There are bunch of restaurants around the corner of Brighton and Harvard but they tend not to be nice sit down places.

[MC Slim JB]

Carlo's is more like 3/4 mi away. As I said, my recs don't really meet his requirements, but if the OP is willing to walk 15 minutes or more, or jump on the T, his options open up quite a bit.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[galleygirl]

So? Park halfway between the two, seven minutes walk each way....

[MC Slim JB]

I walk a few miles a day; no big thing to me. It's the OP's call, of course. I'm all for him walking that 1.4 miles if it means Carlo's instead of Sunset Cantina. He hasn't responded to my clarifying questions about how far he's willing to go.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[galleygirl]

I'd walk a mile for for linguini! ;)