Essential Boston Food for a 2-Day Scouting Trip

[Citizen Taco]

Hello Boston!

I'm coming up from Austin for a food scouting trip this week and want to know all the best places to eat. But I only have 2 days! So no messing around with mediocre just-opened hotspots. I want the best of the best, from Vietnamese holes-in-the-wall to the finest farm-to-tables.

Here's the map: http://citizentaco.com/2010/04/11/apr...

What am I missing?

[Citizen Taco]

Hi all - thanks for the wonderful recommendations for my stay in Boston. Here is the final map that resulted from my adventures. More suggestions are always welcome.

Thanks!

http://citizentaco.com/guide/boston/

[Alcachofa]

I don't understand the map. Where did you end up and how did you like it?

[Citizen Taco]

Purple pinpoints are the places I went and liked.
Blue pinpoints are places I still want to try.

Favorite places I ate all week:

S&I Thai (green papaya salad was super spicy and really amazing)
Hungry Mother (their cornbread with sorghum butter is gluten-free and OUTSTANDING)
O Ya (duh, it's probably the best restaurant north of New York City)
Aroa Chocolate (the gluten-free/vegan brownies are possibly the best brownies of any kind I've ever had. truly amazing)

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O Ya
9 East Street, Boston, MA 02111

Hungry Mother
233 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02141

S&I To Go
168A Brighton Ave, Allston, MA 02134

[ecwashere7]

Farm to Table Fine Dining: Craigie on Main

Incredible Spanish and an awesome burger (lunch only):Toro

High End Italian: Via Matta (erbaluce would be close second) - North End has a fun atmosphere but doesn't really deliver on high end Italian (more red sauce). Neptune Oyster (not Italian), though, is certainly one not to miss in the NE.

Sushi: Oishii for more traditional, O Ya for mind-blowing, break the bank sushi that is certainly non-traditional

I'd skip all pizza in Boston. There is so much to offer in Boston, and the pizza is not anywhere close to hitting the mark. (disclaimer: I am a former New Yorker)

Best BBQ near Boston is actually in Manchester, NH (not very close) at KC's Rib Shack. Much better than Blue Ribbon.

Rod Dee and Brown Sugar are my two favorite Thai places in Boston.

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O Ya
9 East Street, Boston, MA 02111

Neptune Oyster
63 Salem St Ste 1, Boston, MA 02113

Brown Sugar Cafe
1033 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215

Via Matta
79 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116

Craigie on Main
853 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

[justbeingpolite]

Not getting a Speed's dog?

[Citizen Taco]

Haven't heard much in the way of Vietnamese or Korean.

Are there any good Pho places in town?

Also good shops for dark chocolate?

And good beer bars?

[hckybg]

Well, Pho 2000, which is on your list, is excellent. Many also like the nearby Pho So 1, which I haven't yet tried, and Anh Hong is just up the street and also very good. Try their bun.

Taza Chocolate is a local favorite--sold in almost any interesting grocery store and many other places (such as Sherman Market in Union Square, Darwin's on either side of Harvard Square, Savenor's) and many also like Chocolee in the South End, which just reopened.

The beer bars question is often debated here. Personally I like the Druid in Inman, which has a nice, well-selected beer list. Bukowski and Lord Hobo, also near Inman, both have long lists and some neat stuff. I tend to be Cambridge/Somerville-centric for bars, but there are many other favorites around that you will find with some searches on these boards.

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Pho 2000 Restaurant
198 Adams St, Dorchester, MA 02122

Bukowski's
1281 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Taza Chocolate
561 Windsor St, Somerville, MA

Anh Hong
291 Adams St, Dorchester, MA 02122

Lord Hobo
92 Hampshire St, Cambridge, MA 02141

[Joanie]

You could go to both Chocolee and Aroa in the south end (about 6 blocks apart) to try some good dark chocolates of interesting flavors. I think you had Orinoco on your list so you could get the real food there.

Publick House and American Craft in Brookline are known for beers as is Deep Ellum in Allston. And Allston offers all sorts of Korean places plus S&I Thai which was mentioned, so you could combine those.

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Publick House
1648 Beacon St, Brookline, MA

Deep Ellum Bar
477 Cambridge St, Allston, MA 02134

S&I To Go
168A Brighton Ave, Allston, MA 02134

American Craft
1700 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02445

[barleywino]

since you ask about dark chocolate and beer bars, if' you happen to be driving to/from Boston through CT, stop in NOrwalk CT at Chocopologie and Ginger Man (both within a block of each other, coincidentally)

[Kinopio]

Beer Bars:

Cambridge: Lord Hobo, Bukowskis, Cambridge Brewing Company (all within walking distance of each other)
Downtown/Backbay: Jacob Wirths, Stoddards, Bukowskis, Kinsale, Otherside
Allston/Brookline: Publick House, American Craft, Deep Ellum

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Cambridge Brewing Company
1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA 02139

Publick House
1648 Beacon St, Brookline, MA

Bukowski's
1281 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Deep Ellum Bar
477 Cambridge St, Allston, MA 02134

Jacob Wirth
31 Stuart St, Boston, MA 02116

Lord Hobo
92 Hampshire St, Cambridge, MA 02141

American Craft
1700 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02445

[kobuta]

For good Vietnamese, head to Xinh Xinh in Chinatown. Excellent Vietnamese.

Boston doesn't have the strongest Korean options either. I think Chung Ki Wa in Medford is one of the better places. If you don't have a local place with Korean fried chicken, stop by Privus for their addicting bonchon chicken (ignore the clubby atmosphere).

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Xinh Xinh
7 Beach St, Boston, MA 02111

Chung Ki Wa
27 Riverside Ave, Medford, MA 02155

[Alcachofa]

ecwash, that's all well and good that you have that opinion regarding the pizza here, but I think for someone coming from Texas, the original Regina is a top-notch recommendation.

Vietnamese: if you don't want to go all the way to Dorchester (and if you're only here for two days, that is a heck of a detour), go to Xinh Xinh, right in Chinatown.

Thai: Montien is also very convenient, right on the cusp of Chinatown in the Theater District. Be sure to ask for the Thai menu, or else you'll get the regular stuff you can get anywhere. There are a couple other excellent Thai places in Brookline, but again, since you're here for such a short amount of time, stay as close in as possible. Never been to S&I Thai, tho. Brown Sugar is not that great at all--very ordinary.

Cambodian: I thought Floating Rock was open through the end of April? But again, really out of the way for someone only here two days.

Cuban: agree with Joanie. Just get the Cuban sandwich at Chez Henri. If you specifically were longing for Cuban food, then sure El Oriental de Cuba would help you out, but given your wide-spread interest, probably not worth it this trip.

Chocolate: Beacon Hill Chocolates.

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Floating Rock
485 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Xinh Xinh
7 Beach St, Boston, MA 02111

El Oriental De Cuba
416 Centre St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Chez Henri
1 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

Pizzeria Regina
11 1/2 1/2 Thacher St, Boston, MA 02113

[ecwashere7]

I do agree that Regina is probably the best option for pizza in Boston (or Gran Gusto in Cambridge), but I would not say its worth someone's time when he or she only has two days. There are way too many better options for food in Boston than pizza. Pizza should not be considered a signature food of Boston.

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Gran Gusto
90 Sherman St, Cambridge, MA 02140

[Alcachofa]

Whether or not any pizza place is worth the time during a short visit is really up to the individual. The OP is all over the map and so obviously won't hit everything. He may decide he just doesn't want pizza, generally.

But the fact is, his time would be better spent at Regina than at Brown Sugar--it's absolutely "essential Boston". I like Via Matta, but by extension you're basically saying an upscale Italian restaurant is "a signature food of Boston"? Regina is way more a signature food of Boston than that. It is important to emphasize that this refers to the original Pizzeria Regina, because of the character of the joint.

[ecwashere7]

Bugaboo Creek has a lot of character, too.

[Joanie]

Man, no wonder why I was just talking with someone last nite about why he doesn't read this board anymore.

[Joanie]

I hope you've got a pal to split food with or you won't make a dent in that. Everyone's right about the tacos and bbq. Neptune and Regina are good suggestions if you haven't been before and convenient to each other (in fact, you didn't have anything in the north end). I'd keep Toro on the list and work another south end place in. Personally I'd pay the extra $8 and get the Chez Henri cubano but there's other stuff you could get at El Oriental (and grab a coffee from Velouria a few doors down) and could combine with the JP Ten Tables. Good luck with that crazy itinerary.

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Toro
1704 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

Chez Henri
1 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

Ten Tables
5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge, MA 02138

[Citizen Taco]

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions! As far as BBQ & Mexican, obviously I'm spoiled living here in Austin. But I'm always excited to try to find the best of both whenever I travel, and every once in a while you'll find a few gems. Last week I was in Nashville and never thought I would find any good Mexican, and yet there were dozens of taco trucks that locals didn't seem to know about but were fantastic and as good as anything in Texas. Hopefully I'll uncover something comparable in Boston.

Also I'm a huge fan of Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Ethiopian, Korean and Latin American cuisines, so if you have any further recommendations on those, especially for little hole in the wall places, let me know!

[junior coyote]

For Ethiopian, I would recommend Habesha in Malden, just north of Boston (easy drive, or on the subway.)

In East Boston, there is a Peruvian place called Rincon Limeno.

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Rincon Limeno
409 Chelsea St, Boston, MA 02128

Habesha Restaurant
535 Main St, Malden, MA

[Aromatherapy]

To pile on: You should try Cambodian; the most accessible (geographically) is Floating Rock in Revere, on the BLue Line. I also highly recommend YoMa, a Burmese restaurant in Allston. 2nd Habesha, Rincon, and S&I. If you find yourself in East Cambridge, check out Azorean Portuguse at the Snack Bar (order the rabbit if they have it). Pretty much anywhere in the US has better Mexican than we do--shortage of Mexicans--but try the Salvadorean pupusas at, say, Buen Gusto in East Boston.

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Floating Rock
485 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Habesha Restaurant
535 Main St, Malden, MA

[StriperGuy]

Floating Rock I believe is closed until they open their Cambridge location. I would substitute Yoma Burmese in Allston, truly unique and amazing food.

I would also hit some of the Taiwanese which we excel at here in Boston: Shangrila or Formosa Taipei, or Mulan. Might also Hit Wang's in Somerville for dumplings, or Shanghai Gate, New Shanghai, or Fuloon for really excellent Shanghainese or Szechuen.

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Floating Rock
485 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

New Shanghai Restaurant
21 Hudson St, Boston, MA 02111

Shanghai Gate
204 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

Formosa Taipei
315 Marrett Rd, Lexington, MA 02421

[galangatron]

floating rock is open until the end of the month

[StriperGuy]

Might also add Rincon Limeno (Peruvian) to the mix, think someone mentioned it above:

http://www.rinconlimenorestaurant.com/site/index.php

And the link for Shangri La was wrong, here's the right one:

http://www.shangrilachinese.com/home....

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Believe me, we'd know if there were any good taco trucks in Boston. The problem is that there are basically NO taco trucks in Boston: city regulations severely restrict truck and cart dining. It's one of the city's main problems, along with the near-total lack of 24-hour diners.

[9lives]

Herrera's actually started with a small cart on Boston Common..back in the early 90's..similar to Chacarero. For me, it was love at first bite. They still have a few carts in downtown and a store on Temple St. I should retry them but my last experiences weren't all that good.

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Chacarero
101 Arch St, Boston, MA 02110

[cpingenot]

I'm from Houston, and Barmy is from El Paso way, and trust us, you don't want to spend your short time here eating Mexican food or BBQ. I'm not an expert in other latin cuisines, so I couldn't say whether the Salvadorean food is better here than there, but I'd stay with things you can't get there.

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El Paso
15 Norwood St, Everett, MA 02149

[Allstonian]

Actually, Barmy's mostly from Lubbock.

[StriperGuy]

Where's the rest of him from?

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Liverpool.

[StriperGuy]

There's a hug Lubbock/Liverpool crosspolination/cultural exchange thing.

[Allstonian]

Yep - it's like the old Cambridge/San Francisco wormhole.

[BobB]

I tumbled out of that one back in the '70s!

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

While Blue Ribbon is by some distance the best barbecue in the area, you more than likely have better within a 10-minute drive of your front door.

Same goes for Felipe's Taqueria: here it's one of the better options, but in Austin it would be, to paraphrase Calvin Trillin, almost as good as the place you go when you don't feel like going all the way out to the place you really like.

Brown Sugar has its partisans, but there are also those of us who think it's rather vile: if you have to pick a Thai restaurant in that neighborhood, stick with S&I Thai.

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Brown Sugar Cafe
1033 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215

S&I To Go
168A Brighton Ave, Allston, MA 02134

Felipe's Taqueria
83 Mount Auburn St, Cambridge, MA 02138

[9lives]

With only 2 days, I'd prbably skip Blue Ribbon. I love the place, but you have great Q at home. Uni has lost it's main sushi chef (opened his own place, AKA Bistro, in Lincoln.. so for high end creative Japanese, I'd go with Oya. I'd try to fit in a trip to Neptune Oyster for great seafood and Pizzeria Regina (original North End only) for what is arguably the best pizza in town. TWFood in Cambridge would fit in.

Looks like you've done your homework but you'll need a few more days to hit all the places..:)

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Neptune Oyster
63 Salem St Ste 1, Boston, MA 02113

[hckybg]

T.W. Food is a great suggestion--I would consider switching that out for Ten Tables. I went to both this weekend and while I really enjoyed the cooking at Ten Tables (except for the dessert we had--a sour cherry clafoutis) I thought the food at TW Food was even better, and the overall experience (including the space and the service) was superb.

If you are coming to Inman Square anyways, you should also go to Christina's Ice Cream. East by Northeast, also in Inman, is quite interesting and a new favorite. There are many fans on this board, including me.

Sounds like a fun trip! Hope you have already started saving up room.

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East by Northeast
1128 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

[newhound]

Skip Le's.