Re: [CH] Boston
The Old Bear (oldbear@arctos.com)
Mon, 11 May 1998 08:58:06 -0400
In Chile-Heads Digest, v.4 #416, Dave Hendricks wrote:
>Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 06:52:59 +0000
>From: "Dave Hendricks" <bvdrangs@enter.net>
>Subject: [CH] Boston
>
>I am going to be working in the Boston Area (Lexington) on a
>temporary assignment (2-3 months) and wondered if there were any good
>places to to try out hot/spicy/mexican foods. I'm not sure how much
>free time I'll have as I will be flying in om Monday mornings and
>returning Friday afternoons but I will have to eat in the evenings. I
>might even get lucky and the wife will fly in for 1-2 weekends so we
>can really do the town. Anyone have any suggestions on where to eat?
>
>Dave Hendricks
>bvdrangs@enter.net
>Boomerangs, Beer, Bar-B-Que, Any Questions?
Dave:
Here is a list I compiled last November for another ChileHead from
the U.K. who asked the same question concerning an impending visit
to the Boston area:
---------- begin included text ----------
To: chile-heads@globalgarden.com (Chile-Heads Digest)
From: The Old Bear <oldbear@arctos.com>
Subject: re: [CH] UK Guy Visiting Boston... Where do I go?
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 1997 13:49:10 -0500
In Chile-Heads Digest, V.4 #187, Neil Reynolds wrote:
>Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 11:14:30 -0000
>From: "Neil Reynolds" <nr@coltvr.com>
>Subject: [CH] UK Guy Visiting Boston... Where do I go?
>
>Hi there, I'm a UK chilehead who is in the Boston area for a week
>or so, and I was wondering if anyone can recommend places to eat
>that serve the good stuff. Also, are there any good chile/hot
>sauce supplies shops in the area? - I'll be able to travel a bit
>if necessary.
Here are some places we enjoy. I am looking forward to seeing
what other suggestions Boston-area Chile Heads make.
Mexican
-------
Iguana Cantina
313 Moody Street
Waltham
781 891-3039
Very informal mexican cantina, closest thing I've
found to the California neighborhood hang-out with
wall murals, a well-stocked bar, and creative daily
specials. Located in a row of shops on the old main
street of Waltham, a city known for its watch and
clock manufacturing in the early part of this century.
La Paloma
195 Newport Avenue
Quincy
617 773-0512
Not too far south of Boston and accessible via the MBTA
Red Line subway, La Paloma is a very popular Mexican
restaurant located in a small suburban shopping center.
The food is well prepared and presented. (There is a
second location in nearby Weymouth.)
Sierras
470 North Road (Route 117)
Sudbury
978 443-0820
A wonderful surprise in the outer suburbs on a
rural highway, Sierras has a popular bar and a
creative menu. Much of the clientel work at the
nearby corporate headquarters of Digital Equipment
Corporation. The menu is both Mexican and American
Southwest, the latter being quite unusual in this
part of the country.
Zuni Cafe
Mashpee Commons
Mashpee (Cape Cod)
508 539-2354
Located in the Mashpee Commons shopping village (an
award-winning development which follows the neo-traditional
form of a small town center with streets of shops), the
Zuni Cafe is a spicy surprise on Cape Cod. They make an
exciting version of nachos with a habanero sauce which
should be registered as a nuclear weapon. Also, a very
nice chili verde.
Barbecue
--------
Redbones
55 Chester Street
Somerville
617 628-2200
Probably the best known 'ribs joint' in the Boston
area, Redbones in the urban neighborhood of Davis
Square which has become a nexus for small businesses
serving the student and young urban market. Great
barbecue and a bar with more varieties of beer than
you can count. (If you can't decide which kind you
want, you can spin a wheel and let the fates decide.)
Blue Ribbon Barbecue
1375 Washington Street
Newton
617 332-2583
Small place in an unlikely location in West Newton,
this is one of best barbecue places in the area. Lots of
choices available for take-out or to eat at the dozen or
so seats within this little storefront operation. Choices
of sauces range from hot to very hot -- and habanero mustard.
Parking is available in a municipal lot directly across
the street.
Pit Stop
888 Morton Street
Mattapan
617 436-0485
Authentic barbecue prepared in a converted gas station
building in a ragged neighborhood in the Mattapan
section of Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. Parking
in surrounded by chain link fence, so there is no
reason not to pull into the Pit Stop even if you're
unsure of the area. This place is only open on Thursday,
Friday and Saturday and does a good local business. This
is real, slow-cooked barbecue served up with lots of
rich red barbecue sauce.
Indian
------
Indian Globe
474 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge
617 868-1866
Shalimar of India
546 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge
617 547-9280
These are just two of several small places at Central Square
in Cambridge, located mid-way between Harvard and M.I.T.
You might want to walk along Massachusetts Avene and read the
various menus posted in the windows.
Cajun / Eclectic
----------------
Green Street Grill
280 Green Street
Cambridge
617 876-1655
Although it doesn't look like much from the outside, the
Green Street Grill produces some of the most exciting hot
cajun grilled food in the area -- all the more remarkable
because of its postage-stamp sized kitchen. You enter
through a great little neighborhood bar and go up two or
three steps to the dining room. There is entertainment on
the weekends.
Caribbean
---------
Rhythm 'n' Spice
315 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge
617 497-0977
Located between M.I.T. and Central Square, this is one
of the few Caribbean restaurants in the Boston area.
The menu includes many items with scotch bonnets and
Jamaican jerk spices. Bright, open and fun environment.
Thai
----
Singha House
1105 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge
617 864-5154
Located in a modern mid-rise building a few blocks
toward MIT from Harvard Square, this restaurant is down
a few stairs from the sidewalk level in a row of shops.
Typical Thai cuisine, well prepared. My favorite dish
consistes of New England mussels, steamed with Thai
spices and served in the pot in which they were steamed
-- a good dish to share as a appetizer.
Szechuan
--------
Noble House
1306 Beacon Street
Brookline
617 232-9580
Somewhat yuppy, California style Chinese Szechuan
restaurant located near Coolidge Corner in Brookline.
Noble House brought this style of cuisine to the
Boston area which had been dominated by Cantonese
restaurants for generations. A varied menu of dishes,
always well prepared and presented.
Southwestern
------------
Kokopelli Chili Company
1680 Beacon Street
Brookline
617 277-2880
Brand new, this place opened about six weeks ago and we
have not yet had the chance to try it. Looks interesting.
Located in the Washington Square area of Brookline.
As for hot sauce shops, there is a retail shop devoted to hot sauces
on the north side of the food concourse Quincy Market building
at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace downtown. You may also want to
check out:
Chile Head
68 Clarendon Avenue
Somerville
617 776-7270
Madras Marsala
191 Harvard Street
Brookline
617 556-1122
There is a big, brand-new supermarket which recently opened in
Jamaica Plain, near the Jackson Square stop on the MBTA orange
line subway:
Stop & Shop
301 Center Street
Jamaica Plain
617 522-4300
Stop & Shop is a subsidiary of the Dutch food giant, Royal Ahold,
and operates over 100 supermarkets in New England. This particular
location is a new venture of locating a store in an inner-city
neighborhood and was developed in conjuction with the Boston
Redevelopment Authority. The area around this store has a large
Caribbean and Hispanic population, and hence the store maintains an
unusually good selection of fresh chiles in its produce department.
There is also an aisle of Hispanic foods and an ailse of Mexican foods
with many, many hot sauces and spicy ingredients at very reasonable
family (vs. tourist) prices.
Also worthy of mention are:
Bread and Circus
115 Prospest Street
Cambridge
617 492-0070
(other locations in Brighton, Newton and Wellesley)
Havest Co-operative Supermarket
581 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge
617 661-1580
While not exactly a place to go to fill your suitcase, an excellent
source of Mexican specialties is a restaurant distributor located
just off of the Montvale Avenue exit on Interstate Highway 93 a few
minutes northwest of Boston:
Casa Redondo
74 Maple Street
Stoneham
781 279-4020
Casa Redondo is located in an old industrial building and sells to
many local restaurants. They stock spices and seasonings, fresh
chile peppers, mole (roja and verde), chorizo sausage, hot sauces
(Melinas's, El Yucateco, Inner Beauty and others), Mexican chocolate,
masa harina, quesco fresco, chipotles in adobo sauce, and flour
tortillas in various sizes and varieties -- beautiful dark red
tomato, green spinach, white, and a pinkish chile version. These
tortillas are superb for really impressive dishes. Please note that
Casa Redono opens very early in the morning and closes mid-afternoon,
so it's best to call first and make sure they're around.
This should be enough to keep you busy for a few weeks during the
week you are here.
OK, fellow Boston ChileHeads: what else can we add to this list?
Cheers,
The Old Bear
------------
To: chile-heads@globalgarden.com (Chile-Heads Digest)
From: The Old Bear <oldbear@arctos.com>
Subject: re: [CH] UK Guy Visiting Boston... Where do I go?
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 11:33:27 -0500
At 05:00 AM 11/12/97, Eric A. Sohn <esohn@mindspring.com> wrote:
>East Coast Grill in Inman Square used to serve an incendiary
>appetizer called Pasta from Hell, made with Inner Beauty.
>Elephant Walk in Somerville is not fire-breathing, but how
>often do you find a Cambodian restaurant?
Eric:
Your comments join those of my immediate family.
MsBear pointed out that I had omitted the East Coast Grill from
my list. This was an egregious oversight. It is definitely one
of the best restaurants in the area.
The Cub pointed out that I also omitted Baja Betty's (at 3 Harvard
Square -- the one in Brookline Village, not the one in Cambridge)
and Anna's Taqueria (1412 Beacon Street in Brookline). These are
little neighborhood taquerias which do a good job of making tacos,
burritos, enchiladas, etc. for quick and inexpensive take-out.
Being a growing teenager, he knows both of these as places to
get that necessary extra meal between the end of the school day
and what his parents consider to be dinner time.
A small, local place in the Portuguese neighborhood of Cambridge
is Casa Portugal at 100 Cambridge Street. I have eaten there
on several occassions and they have some very lively Portuguese
home cooking, including stews and a number of fish dishes. The
bite of this cuisine comes more from black peppercorns than from
chile, but it is interesting nonetheless.
Also omitted from my list was a small neighborhood place called
Cafe Brazil at 421 Cambridge Street in Brighton (near Union Square.)
While I have not tried this place myself, it comes recommended by
several friends.
And I should have mentioned the aptly named "Mexican Cuisine"
located at 1682 Massachusetts Avenue (between Harvard and Porter
Squares) in Cambridge (tel. 617 661-1634). Please note that it has
changed its name to the "Forest Cafe" but it still gets excellent
reviews like this one available on the Web from the Boston Phoenix:
<http://www.bostonphoenix.com/alt1/archive/food/reviews/02-22-96/MEXICAN_CUI
SINE.html>. As mentioned in the review, one of the
signature dishes is the "pescado con mole verde," a grilled
mahi-mahi with a green sauce of tomatillos, poblano chiles, and
ground pumpkin seeds and peanuts. Unfortunately, this place also
has been on my list to try, but I have not gotten around to it.
Also worthy of mention is the Cottonwood Cafe, with two locations
at 1815 Massachusetts Avenue (Porter Square) in Cambridge and at
the New England Life Building at 222 Berkeley Street in the Back
Bay. This place is a little on the yuppy side, but does a nice
job with a typical big-city interpretaction of a southwestern-style
menu.
And in the Back Bay, across from the Prudential Center & Hynes
Auditorium is the Cactus Club at 939 Boylston Street. You will
find additional yuppies gathered under the buffalo in the bar
there. ;)
Finally, in addition to the Somerville location of The Elephant
Walk which you mentioned, The Elephant Walk has a second restaurant
at 900 Beacon Street in Brookline, at Audobon Circle, near the
St. Mary's Street T-stop (first stop out of the tunnel on the
Green Line "C" route, or a short walk from Kenmore Square.)
Cheers,
The Old Bear
------------
To: chile-heads@globalgarden.com (Chile-Heads Digest)
From: The Old Bear <oldbear@arctos.com>
Subject: re: [CH] UK Guy Visiting Boston... Where do I go?
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 23:02:07 -0500
Yesterday I wrote:
>And I should have mentioned the aptly named "Mexican Cuisine"
>located at 1682 Massachusetts Avenue (between Harvard and Porter
>Squares) in Cambridge (tel. 617 661-1634). Please note that it has
>changed its name to the "Forest Cafe" but it still gets excellent
>reviews like this one available on the Web from the Boston Phoenix:
><http://www.bostonphoenix.com/alt1/archive/food/reviews/02-22-96/MEXICAN_CU
ISINE.html>. As mentioned in the review, one of the
>signature dishes is the "pescado con mole verde," a grilled
>mahi-mahi with a green sauce of tomatillos, poblano chiles, and
>ground pumpkin seeds and peanuts. Unfortunately, this place also
>has been on my list to try, but I have not gotten around to it.
Well, I took MsBear to dinner there tonight and we both agreed
that this place has the absolute best Mexican cuisine we have found
here in the Boston area. Move this one to the top of the list.
It is a very small bar and restaurant, located in a storefront in
a row of neighborhood shops. The place is about 20 feet wide and
divided down the middle by a low partition with the bar on the right
and the restaurant seating on the left. Maybe a dozen booths and
a half dozen tables.
The menu is not fancy -- but very creative. This is robust, spicy,
home-style food in an unpretentious surrounding. I had an
enchilada with pieces of steak and chorizo in a red sauce inside a
flour tortilla, topped lightly with cheese and salsa verde so that
it appeared to be a light color dish until cut into. MsBear had
something called Tinga Poblano which consisted of chicken and
shredded chicken in a complex red sauce made with poblano.
I don't know how I put off trying this place for so long.
Cheers,
The Old Bear
------------
The above list should keep you busy. Let me know if there is any
way I can help make your visit more pleasant.
You also may have noticed that Firegirl (Mary Going) just posted to
the list that there is going to be a "Hot Luck" at the home of
Jim McGrath in Concord (which is next to Lexington) on Sunday
afternoon, May 31st.
Regards,
Will
The Old Bear