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まい泉

Holy crap. The experience at Maisen, a tonkatsu restaurant (the one located in Omotesando), was heavenly. I was so hungry to begin with, but the entire meal was delicious.

First came very sweet daikon oroshi - had it with their soy sauce.
Then came our order of 紅豚ヒレかつ膳. Had it with their kurobuta sauce, which, I think, has daikon oroshi in it.
Sooo tender and crispy outside. Perfect.
I also got an order of their sandwiches. Another delicious thing..........
I think it was my first time tasting it while the katsu in the sandwich was warm.
We also got a sandwich to go, but the ones ordered at the restaurant is a bigger portion than the one that are already in the obento boxes to-go. Interesting.

Had a great experience =)

Finale Desserterie & Bakery

As summer school winds down, I visited FInale Desserterie and Bakery at Harvard Square. Since it was Wednesday, the tables were filled, and the waiters were not that busy either, nor did they keep themselves busy.

Anyway, ordered the following:
Baked Shrimp: (description) Succulent shrimp marinated with oregano and parsley, finished witha light mango puree, served upon a bed of shaved zucchini with lemon juice, olive oil, and ricotta salata.

Honestly speaking, the portion was very small. The zucchini is really shaved, and there were 7 pieces of shrimp. Very small, but the taste was very good. Not sure if I tasted the ricotta salata or the mango puree, but the way they baked the shrimp was just perfect.

I'm a loser and did not order a dessert at Finale. However, I did have a birthday party just last week. We had a 10 inch Blueberry Cheesecake (description: creamy cheesecake marbled with blueberry puree with a graham cracker crust). It was a very heavy and sweet cheesecake. I think I prefer their chocolate-flavored cakes/desserts or their creme brulee, which is absolutely amazing.

Katz

Amazing.

Corned beef on Rye.
Pa on Rye.
Tongue and P mix on Rye.
French fries were okay - tasted just oil.

Otto

July 23, 2010

Cheese (baffallo, sheep, and something) with honey truffle, apricot chili, and
Prociutto
pizza: bongole, fennel, romana
pasta: sweet sausage, bottom one on the menu

Milk Bar

July 23, 2010

NYC - Momofuku, Milk
Midtown 15W 56 st.

Interesting store. We tried the salty caramel pistachio soft serve, and tasted each one of the ingredients very boldly. Very salty that a try of it was good enough. Also sampled the cereal milk soft serve, which tasted like soggy cereal in milk. Personally, I'm not a big fan of soggy cereal, so no comment there.

Had their mini cakes. We ordred their two chocolate ones, but ended up with a chocolate one and a birthday cake. It was very rich chocolate.
Had Coffee milk and tasted its bold flavors.
Also tried their mix chocolate cookie that had potato chips inside. It tasted like normal choc chip cookie, though.

Shake Shack

July 23, 2010

2nd time going there, but this time, I went to the one in Upper West side, close to the Museum of Natural History. Better "store" looking like store compared to the one at Madison, because this one actually had a sit down place indoors.

Although there was a huge line when we got there, the line progressed smoothly, and we got to order in about 5-10 minutes.

I had tried their famous 'Shroom Burger last time, so I tried their normal hamburger with tomato, lettuce, and of course, ketchup and mustard. The beef was juicy, and the bun was surprisingly good, too. The size is not the most generous one, but it was a delicious lunch.

My boyfriend tried the Shack Stack that comes with the 'shroom burger with a cheeseburger, but he ordered it as a burger. He commented that he couldn't really taste the shroom part because the cheese overtook the taste of the shroom, but the burger was good.

We also kind of wanted onion rings, which is not on their menu. Wish they had them.

I heard people saying that the smoothie was small, and I'm assuming that's relative to the price. I wonder if their shake is good.

Gourmet Dumpling House

Sesame Chicken
very heavy sauce, and the sauce itself, I don't think, is sesame flavored, but the light bbq-like sweet sauce is covered lightly with white sesame.

Special Mustard Greens with edamame and fresh bean curd
I didn't get to try it, so I don't know how it was like, but it looked good. Good home-style chinese dish?

Sauteed Chinese Watercress with garlic (special house sauce)
I LOOOVE 空心菜！The garlic was amazing.

Bok Choy with garlic.
This may have been my favorite! baby bok choy... so delish.

Pan Fried Little Soup Dumplings
It's best when it's hot. otherwise, the skin hardens.

Pork and Leeks dumpling of pan fried ravioli.
very good pan fried!

Cape Cod

Helmand Restaurant

in Cambridge.

Afghan Cuisine.
Bread with three different sauces.
Mantwo

Vegetarian Special
A platter of baked pumpkin, pan-fried eggplant, sauteed spinach and okra sauteed in fresh tomatoes, served with pallow.

Blue Ginger

5/16/2010

Dinner with my friend and her parents.
Ming Tsai's restaurant at Wellesley.
It was a good occasion to meet my friend's parents and to celebrate the end of the school year!

Appetizers:
Crispy Fried Calamari with Thai Dipping Sauce - couldn't tell the "Thai"ness of it; I felt like there was a strong lime/lemon flavor to it.

Foie Gras-Shiitake Shumai in Sauternes-Shallot Broth -- The foie gras was so rich, and the shiitake taste was not emphasized. The shumai was really rich! the sauternes-shallot broth was brown and sweet.

Sesame Caesar Salad with Chinese Cruller Croutons

Entrees:
Sake-Miso Marinated Alaskan Butterfish (wasabi oil, soy-lime syrup and vegetarian soba noodle sushi) -- the butterfish was DELICIOUS! It tasted similar to "gindara," which is another fatty white fish. The wasabi oil was more like a sauce on the side with a powerful wasabi taste. Soy-lime syrup went well with the fish and the soba noodle sushi, too.

Blue Ginger Seafood "Bouillabaisse" with Saffron-Edamame Risotto (Roasted Lobster Nage and Poblano-Vinegar Syrup) -- My friend and her mom were enjoying this very much. There were mussels, scallops, and clams? and the risotto was also not too mushy and good.

Thai Red Curry Maitake-Vegetable Ragout and Sticky Rice Edamame Packet (Crispy Panko Crusted Tofu with Thai Basil Pesto)

Dessert:
Sesame Macadamia Caramel Nut Tart (Cardamom Ice Cream (which I got it changed to from toasted coconut ice cream), Housemade Hot Fudge and Gosling's Rum Caramel Bananas) -- the bread-like tart part was not its best part, but the fudge was very good.

Spring Sorbet (Apple Shiso, Peanut Butter, and Caramel Sorbet) -- the apple and shiso went well together and it was assari. The peanut butter was very rich, and the caramel tasted like toasted caramel or something..! I can't believe that it was a sorbet!

Oga's in Natick

For 1st year annniversary with my boyfriend.
-soft shell crab
-sushi and sashimi for two
-eel

Toraya

Pappa Razzi

On Dartmouth Street, right near Copley station.

Went there with a group of people on a Saturday night. Too bad that I wasn't hungry that much... I choose to eat caprese from the salad section. It had sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. The basil had full aroma. The balsamic vinaigrette was okay. I added olive oil and salt to the dish. The bread that came was focacchia -- it wasn't the best. But the breadstick was great!

If I were hungry, I probably would have gotten the Saturday special, osso bucco. Slowly-braised veal shank simmered in a pinot noir demi-glace and served with parmigiano risotto. Sounds AMAZING.

Moqueca

In Inman Square. It's location had changed, but it wasn't too far away from its original store. The first time I went was for my half anniversary with my boyfriend.

Mango Nana - Mango, Pineapple, Banana & Orange Juice
Fried Yucca With a delicious, secret sauce created by our chef
Coconut Shrimp
Fish Moqueca
Cod Capixaba - Salted cod with hard boiled eggs, plantain & coconut milk.
Feijoada Completa - Brazilian national dish. Black beans stew with fresh & dried meat, pork, sausage & bacon. Served with collard greens, fried plantain, farofa & orange.

Their rice is delicious. I absolutely love it.
I think that they put olive oil and salt when they make it (perhaps it includes garlic, too).
It reminds me of the time I took international cooking class in high school, and a Brazilian friend steamed rice using a pot, putting olive oil and salt in it. Simple and easy.

I searched up and Moqueca is a seafood stew (though vegetarian option was available) that has fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and additional ingredients. It's absolutely delicious.

Saw the same waiter again. He was friendlier last time.
Although we sat down around 115, the place started getting crowded around 2pm. The service was a bit slow today, but maybe that's because it's restaurant is now three times as big as the old one (I don't know when they moved, though).

I'm glad that their business is doing well. My boyfriend and I want to go back there again to eat Brazilian crab cake, and I really want to eat their flan, but I'm always full when I finish my meal here!

Radius

Last of Winter 2010 Boston Restaurant Week.

We had our reservation at 8:30 but arrived an hour early, but they let us sit at the bar and we had drinks and munchies (vegetable tempura, which was very good. Carrots, green string beans, zucchini (all delicious) with their original ponzu with yuzu sauce).

Excellent service, though the food was coming out really slowly. The waiters and the servers did a wonderful job keeping us company, though.

Dinner pricing is 33.10

First Course:

Cauliflower Soup
-crispy duck, brioche croutons and romanesco

I really enjoyed the soup. It was warm and the cauliflower taste was great. I don't remember much of the duck, though, but it was amazing.

Arugula and Kohlrabi Salad
-spiced cherries and roasted shallot-yuzu vinaigrette

Main Course (choice of one)

Slow Roasted Pork Loin
-molten polenta, wild mushrooms and star anise jus

Lightly Seared Salmon
-warm lentil salad, local braising greens and cumin vinaigrette

Really good salmon! The lentil was normal, but the braising greens was delicious. I probably enjoyed that green the most out of all the ingredients for this meal. Good outer layer of Salmon.

Crispy Tofu
-soba noodle and seaweed salad, pickled daikon, spicy pineapple
and shiso puree
My boyfriend and his friends had this. The soba noodle was green (I'm assuming seaweed was put into the buckwheat?). The daikon nor the spicy pineapple and shisho puree were not the emphasis of the meal, I thought.

Dessert (choice of one)

Butterscotch Panna Cotta
-strawberry mint compote

Really good. Definitely better than the carrot cake I had. It was really really good.. I didn't have the mint compote, but the panna cotta was real good.

Spiced Carrot Cake
-cream cheese frosting, mascarpone, spiced raisins
and pickled walnuts
I had this one, but it was okay. The spiced carrot puree? was sour and interesting... Mascarpone was the best part. The spiced raisins (regular raisin and golden raisin) and pickled walnuts were interesting, as well.

The menu had some additional parts to it, too. My boyfriend and his friends ordered dishes off the menu like tuna tar tar and sweetbread -- they seemed to have enjoyed it.

I'd say overall, it was a bit salty. but suited my taste.

Our waiter said that the menu changes every three months or so. The chef, Michael Schlow, is a really good friend of the Oishii chef, so he's got some Japanese influence.

I would give a high rating. Definitely worth the Restaurant Week price.

Mike's Pastry

Ricotta chocolate covered.

Just delicious. I love the ricotta cream. It's so good.. and chocolate blends together perfectly.

Giacomo's (again)

Antipasto: provolone cheese, sopressatta, bresola,roasted peppers,stuffed peppers and vinegar marinated vegetables
1/2 lobster, clam, mussel with linguine.

I had my boyfriend do all the work for getting the lobster meat off its shells.
YUMMM.

Arrow Street Creperie

It was delicious! Going for lunch on thursday wasn't too bad (in terms of line). We got to sit right away, too.

I got Californian, which usually has fresh avocado, mozzarella, basil walnut pesto, turkey, bacon, tomatoes, field greens and dijon balsamic sauce. Instead of the two meats, turkey and bacon, I got two fried eggs replaced instead. It was DELICOUS! I loved it. I love avocado, and I love eggs! I had really wanted to eat eggs, so maybe that is adding some points to the overall experience I had today. Good crepe!

Greek Yogurt

I'm into Greek yogurt right now.
Chobani got me in.
It's SO delicious!

Decided to try other brands, though, to be adventurous.
-Brown Cow Farm Greek Yogurt (Blueberries, Plain) Ok.
-Chobani (blueberries, peach, pomegranate, strawberries) Super good. the BEST.
-Fage Total 0% (Plain) Very good mixed with honey or jam, and/or cereal.
-Trader Joe's Greek Style Nonfat Yogurt (Blueberries, Pomegranate): it's SO creamy. But what does "Greek style" mean? Also, there's no real fruit inside.
-Trader Joe's Greek Style Yogurt (Honey) Really good, but it's not nonfat.
-Trader Joe's Organic Greek Style Nonfat Yogurt (Honey)
-Yoplait Greek yogurt (blueberries)

I'll keep on adding my variety onto the list as I expand my menu.