Have car will travel/Will be staying in Bedford where do I go to eat

[coachrbc]

My wife and will be visiting Boston in June i am interested in both moderate priced good bargains and fine dining we are interested in in the following kind of Cuisines:

American/Eclectic
Bar food/Pub
Italian
Seafood/fish
Greek
Mexican
Indian
Irish
Mediterranean
Breakfast places

[coachrbc]

Just returned from my Boston trip My feed back on your recommendations follows
Cafe Luigi was incredible for the prices ate there twice had the ltalian combination and Frutti de mare Fri Diablo. Their red sauce was a little on the sweet side but tasted like it was from the San Marco tomatoes and no additives.I think your area is up there with NY and NJ for Italian food. New York's Little italy has not kept it's flavor the way the North End has. you need to go to Arthur Avenue/Bronx and Bensonhurst in Brooklyn to get the flavor.
Naked Fish I had the trout my wive had the stew . The fried oysters were good but not enough variety of fish to suit me Legal Seafood was better
Bedford Farms ice cream hit the spot
The Pongal buffet was excellent
Met friends at Not Average Joe's in Arlington I was not impressed. The food was pedestrian to say the least.
Had Tapas at Conga in Cambridge good drinks as well
At Salem stopped at Witches Brew for a decent hamburger and my wife and Ithought the Hummus was excellent. Tried woodman's for clams . i'm not sure if I like flo's in Newport better but it's real close
Sichiun gourmet was excellent o spicy for my wife
Mike's pastry was as good as Venierro's in New york but they didn't have a Zuppa Inglese which is my favorite
My only complaint about the trip was i like to eat late being anew yorker and everything seemed to close their kitchen by 9:30 or ten and you felt rushed. i guess i have to remember that most of America eats early except in NY, NOLA,SF , and LA. Once again thanks for the suggestions they made my trip extremely enjoyable

-----
Cafe Luigi
152 Great Rd Ste 2, Bedford, MA 01730

Naked Fish Restaurants
455 Totten Pond Rd Bldg 1, Waltham, MA 02451

Bedford Farms
18 North Rd Ste 1, Bedford, MA 01730

Witches Brew Cafe
156 Derby St, Salem, MA 01970

[greygarious]

This hound, for one, appreciates your taking the time to report back - all too often, visitors who post looking for recommendations never bother with feedback. Glad you enjoyed some of our local favorites!

[scratchie]

Thanks for the reviews, and as an Arlingtonian, let me offer my sincerest apologies that your friends chose Joe's.

[rlh]

So sad about Joe's - with Thai Moon, Punjab, and Tango just a stone's throw away and Toraya or Blue Ribbon BBQ just a 10-minute walk or 2-minute drive. Unlike 10 years ago, there IS a range of good to excellent food options in Arlington - just not where you went (if you didn't love the food, don't EVER order a cocktail there - stick to simple beer or wine if you must be there) - come back and try again soon!

-----
Toraya Restaurant
890 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476

Blue Ribbon BBQ
910 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476

Thai Moon
663 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476

[scratchie]

I would rather have a Friendly's back in Arlington than NYAJ's. Not the old Hepatitis-y Friendly's, but a different Friendly's.

[Eatin in Woostah]

Ah yes, the mythical Friendly's from our childhood with actual service and lacking Hepatits. I wouldn't mind one of those coming back. Sad the OP went to NYAJ's, and frankly, Naked Fish. But there are bound to be a few of those thrown in. Glad they made it to Pongal and Sichuan Gourmet. Good stuff!

-----
Sichuan Gourmet
502 Boston Rd, Billerica, MA 01821

Naked Fish Restaurants
455 Totten Pond Rd Bldg 1, Waltham, MA 02451

[peregrine]

There's excellent ice cream right in Bedford - at Bedford Farms, next to Dalya's and the motel at the fork of 62 (west) and 4/225 (east and north)! No need to go running around for that fix!

There are plenty of other places, of course, if you are already in other locations. Boston is a big ice cream area!

-----
Dalya's Restaurant
20 North Rd Ste 1, Bedford, MA 01730

Bedford Farms
18 North Rd Ste 1, Bedford, MA 01730

[momoftwo]

A couple more tips: Bedford farms has a store in Concord Center also. Another idea in Concord Center is La Provence, its a french style bistro/market with good sandwiches, salads and quiche, there are tables inside and out they also serve wine. Very casual. If you want to spend a day or afternoon in Concord, even though panned here...the Colonial Inn is a good way to while away the time. They have a lovely outdoor patio, you can people watch. Their food and drink have improved recently (imo). They have a sunday brunch as well (go to clippermagazine.com, in the search feature, punch in restaurant and a local zip code and there is a two for one coupon on brunch) Another way to enjoy the Inn is a night out, not sure of your age range but they have a mature crowd and the live music is jazzy or folky or both depending upon the act. Avoid Main street cafe imo, high prices, small portions and not very good.

-----
Colonial Inn
48 Monument Sq # 2, Concord, MA

La Provence
105 Thoreau St, Concord, MA 01742

[catsmeow]

The Cheese Shop in Concord center has a nice assortment of cheeses and good bread. They also have a nice take out section where you could get a few prepared items and picnic at Walden Pond.

[coachrbc]

Thank you so much for all these wonderful suggestions. wife wants to do the Freedoom trail Any recommendations to eat along the way (lexington., concord salem, cambridge

[greygarious]

You've already gotten a number of Lexington recs and there's a current thread on the Sweet Thyme Bakery in Lex. Concord doesn't have much to offer, foodwise, though Verrill Farm, on the outskirts, has nice baked goods and prepared foods in the farm store.

Salem is far from the Freedom Trail but you'll find plenty of recs if you search these towns on this board. The Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem is the oldest in America and has a good mix of historical, craft, and fine art exhibits, with a particularly good Asian collection because of Salem's maritime history. If you are in Salem you are not far from the prime clam shack area in Ipswich/Essex. There are differing opinions on the best one, but they are all good. Woodman's is the original one, if that makes a diff to you, They are all on Route 133 and if you stay on it, you'll come to Benson's, which makes ice cream from fresh local fruit in season, Later in June that will be strawberry and raspberry.

-----
Verrill Farm
11 Wheeler Rd, Concord, MA, MA 01742

[MeffaBabe]

Luigi's in Bedford is awesome... their Frutti de Mare is outstanding. I usually have them do it in a Fra Diablo sauce...

[momoftwo]

Couple corrections to some of the recent posts: KIMBALL not Kendall farms in carlisle and Fire box BBQ is in Bedford, right on 4 and 225 heading west from Lexington. Another thing you might want to try: In Carlisle center is Fern's country store, they make mighty tasty sandwiches, have a couple homeade soups, usually a chili and packaged salads as well as a nice pastry selection in the morning. What we like to do is grab a sandwich and a cold drink, eat it on the outdoor patio, then walk from there to Kimball's for an ice cream, its a decent 1/2 mile walk so you can feel better about the supersized kiddie cone! (don;t even think about a sundae) then walk back. When you get back, Fern's also has a nice beer and wine section so you can grab something for later

[greygarious]

I'll second Cafe Luigi in Bedford, in the Whole Foods strip mall. Caveat: tile floors make it noisy, so you have to talk loudly. It can get very busy so you are better off arriving early or late. I like the Frutti de Mare with a combination of red and alfredo sauce, which they will do upon request. The red sauce is on the sweet side and tastes like slow-simmered homemade. They have large loaves of crusty scali bread and good butter.

There's a Japanese place called Ginger, right on same side of The Great Road, in the center. Bruegger's Bagels is a chain but if a bagel and coffee is your idea of breakfast, you'll be happy with their offerings. They have various flavored cream cheese and do lunch sandwiches and soups. Next to Dalya's (which I also second) is Bedford Farms ice cream. Not as much of a zoo as Kimball's but with almost as many choices, athough, I think, slightly less grotesque portion sizes.

The Pongal, close by in adjacent Billerica, has what many people think is the best Indian lunch buffet (7 days a week) in the Boston area. No buffet at Khushboo in Lexington center, but unparalleled naans and excellent typical northern Indian dishes. Across the street from them, the Great Harvest Bread Company franchise has sandwiches on their good homemade breads, and if they still make the cinnamon swirl bread, it's a 9" cinnamon roll that is out of this world when still warm, with crunchy sugar topping, but gets soggy fast.

-----
Cafe Luigi
152 Great Rd Ste 2, Bedford, MA 01730

Bedford Farms
18 North Rd Ste 1, Bedford, MA 01730

Dalya's Restaurant
20 North Road, Bedford, MA 01730

[rlh]

The Pongal - that's the Indian place I was trying to think of if you don't want to drive to Punjab in Arlington Center (which has no lunch buffet as far as I know, either)

[rlh]

Definitely get to Kendall Farms ice cream stand in Carlisle (sp?) on Rt 225 - very, very near Bedford - ask for the kiddie size and brace yourself or gorge yourself on a small. No good casual meal options nearby, however.

(Burlington) Fish House has good basic seafood.

Flatbread Pizza is really, really good with a nice beer/wine selection, and the wait is not usually as long as they say in my experience.

H Mart Food Court in Burlington is a fun, tasty, casual option - I like the bakery and the Korean stall at the end best.

Border Cafe Burlington is solid Tex-Mex / marginal cajun food and serviceable margaritas.

Is Casale in Belmont is not a lengthy drive and has amazing Northern Italian with solid cocktail options - you need a reservation here and it's a bit pricey but worth every penny.

Blue Ribbon BBQ Arlington is awesome, cheap, and casual

Punjab is great Indian, but there may be better and closer in Billerica (not sure of name)

-----
Punjab
473 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02474

Blue Ribbon BBQ
910 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476

Fish House & Grille
184 Cambridge St # 184, Burlington, MA

Border Cafe
128 Middlesex Tpke, Burlington, MA 01803

il Casale
50 Leonard Street, Belmont, MA 02478

Flatbread Co
213 Burlington Rd Ste 113, Bedford, MA 01730

[Tir_na_nOg]

Live in Waltham, work in Lexington (right on the Bedford line) for the past 6 years, so I've pretty much been everywhere in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, Bedford et al. isn't exactly the culinary capital of the Boston area, but it has improved over the past few years. And there are a few places that stick out in my mind as as unique and worth going well out of your way for:

Sichuan Gourmet --very spicy, very authentic, a bit of a hole-in-the wall about 15 min drive away in Billercia, but one of the best, if not the best, Chinese restaurant in the Boston area.

L'Andana--Tuscan grill, with great wood-grilled steaks, excellent pasta, a good wine list and a nice fine dining experience (disagree with previous poster, this is definitely fine dining to me, although suburban attire can be a bit casual), again about a 15 min drive away in Burlington.

Il Capriccio--generally good, often excellent Italian, and one of the finest wine lists in Boston area, definitely fine dining, about 15-20 min drive away in Waltham, also a great place to just sit in the small dark bar and share an antipasto plate and some wines by the glass.

Speaking of which, while you are here, check out the website for Godon's Liquors in Waltham and see if they have a class in their culinary center that interests you. Some of the best ones are the wine movies (like "Sideways" or "Mondovino") where you watch the movie while drinking wines from the movie, often with food catered by Il Capriccio next door! A fun way to spend an evening.

Boston isn't known for it's good breakfast places, but you can try Josephs Two in Waltham for a quirky and filling diner experience.

La Campania (Italian), Tempo (New American), Solea (tapas) in Waltham are also pretty good. Taqueria Mexico is a good dive too. Bedford is a bar wasteland, Lexington not much better, but try The Mad Raven in Waltham for an good burger and Guinness. [As you may be figuring out, Waltham is definitely the food capital west of Boston, so you might as well get out of Billerica and pay it a visit or two--just a quick 10 mile drive down 128.]

A few decent BBQ joints, notably Blue Ribbon in Arlington, Lester's in Burlington, and Firebox in Billerica (in that order, although Firebox has music some nights, which is fun).

Nothing wrong with a big steak and a nice cab at Capital Grille in Burlington.

Personally, Legal Sea Food's clam chowder is still the best chowder in the world (although not much else there, except the raw oysters and maybe the lobster roll, are worth a visit to Burlington Mall).

-----
Sichuan Gourmet
502 Boston Rd, Billerica, MA 01821

Taqueria Mexico
24 Charles St, Waltham, MA 02453

Il Capriccio
888 Main St., Waltham, MA 02453

La Campania
504 Main St, Waltham, MA 02452

Mad Raven
841 Main St, Waltham, MA 02451

[Tir_na_nOg]

I guess I went beyond my original intention to just mention my personal "3 worth driving out of your way for" restaurants in the general area, so here they are: Sichuan Gourmet, L'Andana, Il Capriccio. One inexpensive, two fine dining.

-----
Sichuan Gourmet
502 Boston Rd, Billerica, MA 01821

Il Capriccio
888 Main St., Waltham, MA 02453

L'Andana
86 Cambridge Street, Burlington, MA 01803

[frond]

Asiana Bistro
200 Great Rd, Bedford

has good Cantonese food. It is a fusion restaurant but other than the Thai red curry, which was good, I have had mostly the Cantonese dishes.

Sparta Restaurant
321 Great Rd, Bedford

does a good fried haddock.

Greek Corner in Cambridge, mentioned above ,has great fried calamari and roast lamb.

-----
Greek Corner Restaurant
2366 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

Asiana Bistro
200 Great Rd, Bedford, MA 01730

[RoyRon]

For a fine dining experience not too far from Bedford try Parson's Table on Church St. in Winchester center. Excellent food, great service in a very nice atmosphere.

[hargau]

Bedford House of Beef for Roast beef, fried seafood, chicken kabob salads/sandwhiches

[sliver]

Have breakfast at the Classic Cafe in Arlington. It's a small family run spot in the heights on Mass Ave. The waffles with fruit are amazing and we've never had an omlet we didn't love.

[peregrine]

In Bedford itself, Dalya's always has something interesting for lunch and dinner - continental and North African. Very pleasant, relaxed atmosphere.

-----
Dalya's Restaurant
20 North Rd Ste 1, Bedford, MA 01730

[brandywiner]

Agree with Dalya's, also Flatbread.

Naked Fish in Waltham was mentioned above. Their other remaining location is on Middlesex Turnpike in Billerica (much closer -- in fact, it's directly across the street from the hotel I frequent in Bedford).

Emerald Rose on 3A in Billerica isn't exactly authentic, but as faux-Irish places go, it's comfortable, and has better than average pub food.

The Three Sisters diners (mentioned above) aren't exactly close to Bedford, but they have wonderful breakfasts. My go-to is the Dream Diner, on 3A in Tyngsboro, right off US 3.

Oh, and avoid Bickford's. Its glory days are wayyyy behind it. And it wan't very good even then.

-----
Dream Diner
384 Middlesex Rd, Tyngsboro, MA 01879

Dalya's Restaurant
20 North Rd Ste 1, Bedford, MA 01730

Naked Fish Restaurant
15 Middlesex Tpke, Billerica, MA 01821

Emerald Rose
785 Boston Rd, Billerica, MA 01821

[brandywiner]

Oh, and another thumbs-up for Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica!! You'll find many enthusiastic recs on these boards; it's top-shelf Chinese, and not "pretty good for the 'burbs".

-----
Sichuan Gourmet
502 Boston Rd, Billerica, MA 01821

[robertlf]

Flatbread is really good.

http://www.flatbreadcompany.com/2007B...

[Eatin in Woostah]

Agree - and probably close by. I didn't list it because the OP didn't mention pizza, but it is a nice casual spot. Love the organic beer list.

[teezeetoo]

reasonably convenient, assuming you don't want to drive into the city (boston/cambridge)
Capitol Grille - Burlington
L'Andana - Burlington
Il Capriccio - waltham
Naked Fish, waltham
Taqueria Mexico - waltham
Tempo - waltham
Demos - waltham

-----
Il Capriccio
888 Main St., Waltham, MA 02453

L'Andana
86 Cambridge Street, Burlington, MA 01803

Naked Fish Restaurants
455 Totten Pond Rd Bldg 1, Waltham, MA 02451

[three of us]

Some nice recs but I have to disagree vehemently with Demos in Waltham. I took my 9 year old son there for dinner and it was flat-out disgusting. I wouldn't let him even eat the lamb as it smelled and tasted way off. Fries were frozen in the middle. The place was empty which should have tipped us off. I took the plates back to the counter and told the guys I wanted a refund. Hmmm, all of a sudden they couldn't understand English.
The worst. There are too many other options to chance this place.

Suggestion: Halibut Point State Park is an old quarry on the Gloucester/Rockport line that can be a nice, moderate hike. As you leave the parking lot (making a left) and come to the "main" road, take a right turn. The Lobster Pool will soon come up on your right. If you stick with the seafood, you'll enjoy a good meal eaten outside at picnic tables and have a terrific view. Go at sunset if you can. From Bedford, it would be betwee a 60 to 90 minute drive. Not far away are the clam shacks in Essex. Search the board for comments on favorites.

-----
Lobster Pool
329 Granite St, Rockport, MA 01966

Halibut Point
289 Main St, Gloucester, MA 01930

[three of us]

FYI: The board put up the red-balooned Halibut Point restaurant, which has nothing to do with the Halibut Point StatePark mentioned in the post.

-----
Halibut Point
289 Main St, Gloucester, MA 01930

[teezeetoo]

thanks for the feedback on demos. i put it in because it was the only "greek" i know near by and I shouldn't have, because i've never eaten in it. I appreciate the insight. I love the lobster pool (one of the few places we go with our dog!).

[scratchie]

I have to disagree with Demos just because the food is bland and uninteresting. I've never had an experience like you describe, but after trying the place two or three times, it wasn't good enough to lure me back. (And based on my earlier recommendations, you can tell that I'm only one step above eating right out of the garbage!)

[lipoff]

I'm sorry, but I just can't agree with any of the previous posters suggestions.

On the other hand, I don't know very much about the best options very near to Bedford (other than H-Mart in Burlington and Sichuan Gourmet in Billerica). However, if you want to travel into the Cambridge/Boston area, here are some options for you:

American/Eclectic - (Not sure what you mean here . . . but here goes:) Ten Tables (Cambridge or Boston), Evoo (Cambridge), Erbaluce (Boston)
Bar food/Pub - Russell House Tavern (Cambridge)
Italian - Il Capriccio (Waltham) Carlo's (Allston), Sportello (Boston), Sage (Boston)
Seafood/fish - B&G Oysters (Boston), Out of the Blue (Somerville)
Greek - Greek Corner (Cambridge)
Mexican - Tu y Yo (Somerville or Needham), El Pelon (Brookline)
Indian - Tamarind Bay (Cambridge or Needham)
Irish - None worth mentioning . . . maye the Black Rose‎ (Boston) for atmosphere alone.
Mediterranean - Oleana (Cambridge), Sofra (Cambridge)
Breakfast places - Sound Bites (Somerville), Henrietta's Table (Cambridge)

There are a mix of price ranges in there. Hope this helps.

-----
Greek Corner Restaurant
2366 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

El Pelon
2197 Commonwealth Ave., Brighton, MA 02135

Sichuan Gourmet
502 Boston Rd, Billerica, MA 01821

Tamarind Bay
75 Winthrop St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Sound Bites
704 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144

Henrietta's Table
One Bennett St., Cambridge, MA 02138

Il Capriccio
888 Main St., Waltham, MA 02453

Out of the Blue Restaurant
215 Elm St, Somerville, MA 02144

Tu Y Yo Mexican Fonda
858 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144

Sofra
1 Belmont St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Oleana
134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, MA 02139

Sportello
348 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02110

Ten Tables
5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge, MA 02138

Black Rose
160 State St, Boston, MA 02109

Erbaluce
69 Church Street, Boston, MA 02116

H-Mart
3 Old Concord Rd, Burlington, MA 01803

Russell House Tavern
14 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

[Eatin in Woostah]

Agree with lipoff, though some are a bit of a hike unless you intend to drive into the city. Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline seem close to Bedford on a map, but if you try to drive there during the week it will take much longer than expected due to traffic. And I'm sorry scratchie, disagree with most of yours, except for Buono Vita and Tango.

For American/Eclectic a little closer to Bedford, try Blue Stove in the Nordstrom in Burlington Mall. It's a real gem, and a total surprise to find in a mall store.

Also in Burlington Mall, try the Indian stall at the food court. No joke - it's very good.

Another nice place to try in Burlington is L'Andana. It's Mediterranean - not exactly "fine dining" but a nice date night spot.

If you're up for a ride north on route 3, head to Lowell for breakfast. There are a bunch of very cool diners with excellent breakfasts. My favorite is the Three Sisters Owl Diner. Google a little - there are a few old diner cars still operating there.

-----
Owl Diner
244 Appleton St, Lowell, MA 01852

L'Andana
86 Cambridge Street, Burlington, MA 01803

Blue Stove
75 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, MA 01803

[lipoff]

Thanks for the Blue Stove recommendation. I had actually stumbled into it once and was surprised that it and its menu looked pretty good, but haven't had the chance to actually eat there.

-----
Blue Stove
75 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, MA 01803

[galangatron]

gourmet india in the food court at the burlington mall does have good indian food but it's best to go on the weekend for the specials

[scratchie]

Legal Seafoods at the Burlington Mall.
Border Cafe near the mall for good Tex-Mex (maybe not what you're looking for).
Melting Pot in Bedford if you're into that sort of thing.

It's a short jaunt down Lowell Street/Middlesex Turnpike to Arlington, where there are a lot of good restaurants. La Buono Vita for Italian. Punjab for Indian. Tango for Argentinian, which you didn't ask about, but which is superlative.

Bickford's in Burlington (on the Woburn line) on Rt. 3 (inside the Rt 95 loop) is a decent place for breakfast.

EDIT: Two more places that came to mind.

Capital Grille in Burlington for fine dining. I've never eaten there but it's a high-end steak place.

For more authentic Mexican, Zocalo in East Arlington. That's a bit far afield, but might be worth the trip if you're really craving it.

[MC Slim JB]

Too broad an inquiry to get useful responses. Do you want recs in Bedford or in Boston, and if the latter, where in Boston? What is your idea of moderate prices in those categories? Visitors sometimes find Bostonians' notion of "moderate" shocking.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

[MC Slim JB]

I added a bunch of nearby suggestions in this thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/712540?tag=boards;topic-712540

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/