Need help with all things foodie in Milton area

[ManuelF]

Hello Boston Chowhounders,
A Montrealer needs your help.
My very good (foodie) friend is moving to Milton from Montreal at the end of summer. Even though I'm sad to see him move, I want to make sure he settles in nicely with his family (4 kids).

I'm looking for names and addresses of "foodie" places in and around Milton:
- restaurants
- fruits & vegtables markets
- butchers
- fish markets
- specialty stores
- bakeries

Anything that comes to mind that will help me set up a nice list of places to send off my dear friend is welcomed.
thx

[Guinness02122]

Vietnamese spots in Dorchester - Pho2000, Anh Hong, Pho Boston 1, Pho Hua, Sunrise, and others near Fields Corner. Many Bahn Mi locations. Shanti for Indian/Pakistani food.

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Anh Hong
291 Adams St, Dorchester, MA 02122

[C. Hamster]

And there's a gazillion asian restaurants of every stripe in Quincy

[Guinness02122]

True, but none are very good though. Hong Kong Eatery might be the best there, but that's not saying much.

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Hong Kong Eatery
79 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02111

[C. Hamster]

QD isn't horrible and there is one chinese place that I can't remember the name of thats better good.

Pho Hoa isn't bad and Little Duck is pretty darn good, IMO.

Im not a big fan of HKE but I attribute that to ordering wrong.

IMO better than Mr. Chans or whatever that is actually in Milton.

[Guinness02122]

I used to think Little Duck WAS great, but no longer. I now like Taste of Thailand better than Little Duck..

[C. Hamster]

Actually, I think Little Duck has gotten much better as of late. Gramma isn't there much anymore ... maybe that has something to do with it...

Taste of Thailand used to be our go-to, as it's a lot closer but I don't like their use of Stop and Shop frozen veggies and we just think Duck's flavors are better and more complex. And hotter.

The lady who runs Taste (her name is Thai or Ty!! go figure) is super sweet, though. I'll have to go back and give her some business just because of that.

[Guinness02122]

I'm judging the Pad Kra Pow at both places. I think the value is better at ToT now, and the last few times I had it at Little Duck, it seemed like they added a thick brown gravy to it which had no spice. The woman at ToT adds extra heat, which I like. Both have gone up and down over the years in my opinion.

[C. Hamster]

I think the curries are much better at LD, but maybe it's a matter of what we are ordering.

Plus, LD has malachy's right next door :-)

But I will get ovet to ToT soon to compare.

[mwk]

I'd have to disagree with that assessment. I think Hong Kong Eatery is mostly very good, although it probably depends on what you order there.

Other good choices, Quincy Dynasty, Grand Chinatown and East Chinatown, China Pearl for Dim Sum (just there on Sunday and it was very good), Ming's seafood restaurant on Newport Ave., which has a very authentic and unusual menu, and Mandarin King in Quincy Point, which is very good if you want more spicy fare.

The Great Chow on Beale St., Five Spices Bistro in Quincy Center, and all of the take out window places (Peking Kitchen, China Chopsticks, Quincy Jade) are at best run of the mill, and not worth bothering with.

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East Chinatown Restaurant
415 Hancock St, Quincy, MA 02171

China Pearl
237 Quincy Ave, Quincy, MA

Quincy Dynasty
49 Billings Rd, Quincy, MA 02171

Hong Kong Eatery
1510 Hancock St, Quincy, MA 02169

Quincy Jade Restaurant
22 Cottage Ave, Quincy, MA 02169

Great Chow
17 Beale Street, Quincy, MA 02170

Five Spices Restaurant
1250 Hancock St Ste 126S, Quincy, MA 02169

Grand Chinatown
21 Billings Rd, Quincy, MA 02171

[C. Hamster]

Fruit Center is great. Great produce in particular,.
Irish Butcher in Adams Village
Burkes for fish
Kam Man for asian
Super Stop and Shop in N. Quincy for regular stuff
The new liquor store on Morrissey Blvd. in Dot has a good wine selection

Restaurants ...

Abby Park, Milton, upscale casual
Stellas, Milton, diner breakfast and lunch
Wheelhouse, quincy, "real" diner breakfast and lunch
Mrs. Jones, Lower mills, terrific souther take-out joint
The ledge, Lower Mills, acceptable if inconsistant and overpriced American cuisine
Fat Cat, Quincy, fun, fun fun and great cocktails
Alba, Quincy, upscale casual
That place in the marina in Milton right across from the chocolate factory -- I've only had drinks there, so can't comment on food, but it's nice, esp.. in summer
Little Duck, Quincy, good take-out Thai
The Clambox and the other place on Wollaston Beach in the summer

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Fat Cat
24 Chestnut St, Quincy, MA 02169

Abby Park
550 Adams Street, Milton, MA 02186

[Guinness02122]

Townsend's in Hyde Park might be better than all the other's mentioned.

[catsmeow]

I really enjoy Townsend's too. It doesn't get mentioned often enough.

[Guinness02122]

Right. I love the frites when they're available. No being an Italian food fan, I tried the bolognese and loved it. The beer selection is great also.

[Pegmeister]

Hey, you forgot your favorite -- Tavolo!

[C. Hamster]

HAHHA ... Brain Fart!

Yes, Tavalo for sure. At Ashmont station.

[trufflehound]

Montreal and the Boston areas are very different in terms of geography, neighborhoods and shoping habits. It may take some getting used to but we have a lot to offer here.I'll include to the aforementioned areas, nearby Roslindale for Greek and Middle Eastern markets.

[Guinness02122]

The Butcher Shop on Adams Street, Dorchester has good, run-of-the-mill meats. I doubt they'd have things like ostrich or armadillo, but the place is pretty solid.

[Pegmeister]

The Butcher Shop also has great sausages. My favorite being the curry version.

[C. Hamster]

The Irish Butcher is a terrific place. Much better than Kinneally's in the Fruit Center.

And they DO carry ostrich, by the way. Frozen, though. They carry a lot of unusual products.

My favorite sausage is the hot jalapeno -- its craveworthy.

[Guinness02122]

Oh. Last time I went I didn't notice anything unusual, but I was on a mission. I got their steak tips in mid-January and they were great.

[PinchOfSalt]

Quincy, which is near by, has a very vibrant Asian community. Your friend might enjoy the very large Chinese supermarket there, Kam Man. Among other things, it has a nice seafood department. There are also some wicked good (to use a New England-ism) dim sum choices in Quincy.

[Pegmeister]

The posters here have pretty much covered what's available in Milton. I agree the Fruit Center Marketplace is a good stop. I love that I can get black truffle butter there. The produce is of good quality, they have a nice deli and Kinnealys meats. I have used the seafood counter which is run separately from the center, but much prefer Burkes in North Quincy, which is only 5 minutes away.

[nickls]

Milton doesn't have much, although it has gotten slightly better than when I lived there. It's biggest strength is that it is so close to Boston. Quincy and Dorchester are right next door, which have some strong neighborhood restaurants.

For restaurants actually in Milton, there is Abby Park.
Nearest worthwhile fish market is probably Burke's in Quincy.
For wine, cheese, and some bakery items there is the little Esprit du Vin shop in Milton, the owners were always very friendly.

The Fruit Center was the best bet for groceries and has a butcher (fish market wasn't that great when I was there).

For more nearby restaurant ideas look up Dorchester and Quincy.

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Esprit du Vin
25 Central Avenue, Milton, MA 02186

Abby Park
550 Adams Street, Milton, MA 02186

[cherrytomato]

The Fruit Center Market place has everything you are talking about. One stop shopping.