'Zilla Eats

Quincy has some Taiwanese flavor now. This little food court stand in the heart of Quincy Center pretty much holds up the otherwise empty food court. There's a Japanese fast food joint and a Thai place to be opened soon, accompanied by the Little Q hot pot restaurant next door (more on that later).

I actually met someone who is friends with the owner of Taste of Taiwan, which just shows you how small this little town is. But on to the food. I think I've probably tried 7 dishes in one sitting (I was THAT excited). I would say that the best thing they have there is the Dan Bing - a thinly veiled egg covered scallion pancake which I have only had the pleasure of tasting when I was actually in Taiwan. Hard to find, that dish. Paired with their yummy cold soy milk, it's a fitting breakfast.

Second best would be the Beef Bao Bing, which is a Chinese roast beef wrapped in pancake with hoisin sauce. Not as good as others I've had, but not bad either. What was most disappointing was the Stewed Mince Meat rice bowl. That side dish, when made well is delectably fattening and satiating. This was a very poor imitation. I was reminded of minced spam. On the other hand, I've yet to try their Peking Noodles or Beef Noodle Soups which will be big indicators for me. But I can't imagine it's comparable to King Five Noodles. I'll keep an open mind as they work out the kinks. They did give me a free herbal tea on the house when I was eyeing it...so at least it's run by a nice family. I do hope this little place succeeds though. Honestly, I don't think non-Taiwanese patrons would really know the difference.

Oh my! I can't wait to try Sarita's mac & cheese (12th btwn 1st & 2nd) otherwise known as S'mac!

S'MAC was created by the same owners of Peanut Butter Co. in Greenwich Village, Sarita & Caesar Ekya. I half expected them to be roly-poly types but apparently, they don't dine in their own establishments frequently enough.

Check out this awesome menu!!!!

ALL-AMERICAN
Just the way you remember it as a kid! Nostalgia at its finest - a tasty blend of American & Cheddar cheeses.

4 CHEESE
Our four cheese delight! Muenster and American with a touch of Gorgonzola, topped off with sharp Cheddar.

CHEESEBURGER
For the Hearty Meat Eater! Ground Beef done to perfection with onions, garlic and a hint of ketchup and mustard. Don't forget the best part - a combination of American and Cheddar cheeses.

MOZZARELLA
Like Neapolitan Pizza? Then you'll love this! Fresh Mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, and fresh basil. Yum!

GOAT CHEESE
Be swept away to the Mediterranean Sea - Goat cheese, sauteed spinach, kalamata olives, and roasted garlic. You can almost feel the breeze from the water...

GRUYERE
A Swiss Mac that keeps you coming back for more. Gruyere coupled with its partner in crime, slab bacon. Hard to resist!

MANCHEGO
A taste of Spain right at your fingertips! Flavorful Manchego cheese accented by fresh fennel and shallots. Delicious!

BRIE
Mac-n-Cheese for the "upper crust". Creamy Brie, roasted figs, roasted shiitake mushrooms & fresh rosemary. It's addictive!

GARDEN
Don't let the "Lite" fool you - this baby is as satisfying as any of the other MACs! Lite Cheddar, Parmesan, roasted cauliflower and portobello mushrooms, roasted garlic, broccoli and scallions.

CAJUN
If you are looking for some kick, here it is. Cheddar & Pepper Jack cheeses, andouille sausage, green pepper, onions, celery, garlic and, of course, some genuine Cajun seasoning.

Moqueca in Inman. We've been wanting to try this place for a while...it's Brazilian but not the meat-oriented cuisine most associate with Brazilian restaurants. It was a tiny hole-in-the-wall and a total mom and pop establishment. Known for their fish and seafood stews, everything that came out of the kitchen made my mouth water. To start, we got fried yucca with yogurt herb sauce. Then I ordered a seafood stew rice that was divine! It had squid, mussels, shrimp over a saffron rice garnished with tons of yummy cilantro. Ok, it was essentially seafood paella, Brazilian style. Z got a salted cod stew with coconut milk, it was very interesting. But for once, I wasn't stealing off someone else's plate because I liked my own dish better. Anyways, it's quite a little jewel. Our goal now is to try a new place every week.

I went to 3 restaurant week meals (Week of August 27)! Count em'! Anyways, there's the lowdown:

1. Pigalle: (A-) Very nice ambiance, absolutely love the decor (mod blue and brown combo) and the service was excellent. What was impressive was the extensive selections they had for a restaurant week menu when all the other joints in town were only offering up one or two meager choices. For appetizer, I had pan-seared duck liver on risotto...yum. Although I've had much better mouth-watering foie-gras, it was not bad. My entree was a nice mushroom risotto with all sorts of mushrooms -- chanterelle, oyster, cremini, portobello, shitake (if it's a shroom, it was in my dish). My only complaint is that the risotto was a bit stiff and hard. Maybe I'm just not a fan of risotto. Dessert was an ice cream sundae which they innovated on by crumbling bits of sugar cone all over it instead of using nuts. It took a while to figure out what the heck it was but pretty ingenious if you ask me! Overall, this is definitely a place I'd return to! Plus I had requested a booth and they gave it to us, even though we only had two people! It was a luxurious and rewarding meal after a hard day's work of shopping!
2. Avila: (A-) This is the new modern Mediterreanean restaurant in that building across from Finale's, a former parking lot that they've since built into luxury condos. I worked across the street from this construction site for 5 years and it took that long to finish it. Well, this restaurant was an exact carbon copy of Davio's - since it's owned by the same people. However, the light wood paneling and multi-colored pattern on the chairs just really did not appeal to me. I felt like I was in some hotel restaurant where they serve breakfast buffets instead of sitting in a fine dining establishment. BUT, the waiters were ultra-attentive and the food was delicious. Chef's compliments included 2 bowls of gazpacho - I think they thought we hadn't gotten it and gave us eah another bowl. Appetizer was a divine octopus dish made with hot peppers, olives, and chili oil in a red sauce that you just want to keep sopping up with bread. The entree was either a lamb souvlaki or a scallop and crab paella. The lamb was seared just right although I like mine more on the rare side. The paella was way too stiff and undercooked and frankly, a bit tasteless. Dessert was a smash though, it was a trio of flan, chocolate torte, and raspberry cream puff. Yum! All in all, probably the best restaurant week meal we had.
3. Excelsior: (B+) This is one of those chic hangouts where pretty people like to be seen. However, since it was restaurant week, there were lots of young people and college types. We didn't like the service as much here, or the ambiance, which was just kinda loud and crowded. The appetizer made up for everything though! It was a seared duck cobb salad. Generous slices of duck breast on top of greens with gorgonzola, avocados, and carmelized onions. The entrees they had included a veal schnitzel or a scallop and crabmeat pasta carbonara. The pasta was good except mine was a bit too creamy. The schnitzel was way oily and quite a disappointment. Dessert was this blueberry shortcake that was not as tastey as advertised. The bread basket and the duck salad I think, made up for all.

Till next year!

I went to En Japanese Brasserie, a very hip West Village Japanese tapas place right around the corner from our Morton St. office. I passed by in the morning and then looked it up on Zagats. It seemed pretty interesting, not your typical Japanese sushi place. Indeed, it was because I finally finally found this dish I've been searching far and wide for. It was an entree called Clay Pot Salmon and Salmon Roe Over Rice. I remember an episode of Iron Chef years back when I saw Morimoto mixing up this homey concoction. It looked so simple, yet so divine! My mouth was watering as I searched the Internet for a similar recipe. All of them seemed pretty complicated and none was exactly what I was looking for. Then lo and behold, I happen upon this gem of a restaurant. They actually took 40 minutes to prepare it. It's a similar concept to those clay pot rice bowls they serve in some Chinese places. But this was so fragrant and light and the salmon roe added just the right touch of sweet saltiness to the light salmon rice.

We also had this homemade yufu-tofu that only comes out in timed increments (noted on the menu) so that if you arrive at the right moment, you can order yourself a freshly made bowl of tofu drifting in soy milk that you then pour a special soy sauce over. I was afraid it would be just like the tofu pudding you get at dim sum or on the corner of Grand St. in Chinatown for 2 bucks. But it was a different experience that I appreciated. We also had braised pork belly with garlic rice and beef tataki (I love raw beef). For dessert, we had a sweet potato sundae. It was interesting -- sweet potato with a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with black sesame seeds and chocolate syrup. Actually the black sesame seeds made the whole thing come together, surprisingly so. Anyhoo, after that I was stuffed but now I'm ever more determined to find a good recipe for this salmon rice dish. Or perhaps it's easier to just go back to the restaurant?? My cooking aspirations seem to only remain that -- aspirations. =)

"You are to food what Godzilla is to Tokyo."
- J.K.

My "best of" places to dine list for NYC and Boston
(includes both hole-in-the-walls, chains, and everything in between):

Chinese

• Joe's Ginger (NY)
• Peking Duck House (NY)
• King 5 Noodles (Flushing & Elmhurst)
• Chau Zhau Bowl (Flushing)
• YangTze River (Flushing)
• Taiwan Cafe (Boston)

Japanese

• Yamas (NY)
• Fugakyu (Boston)
• En Japanese Brasserie (NY)

French

• Le Singe Vert (NY)
• I'm sure Per Se rocks but I haven't been...
• Le Petit Robert (Boston)

Korean

• Cho Dang Gol (NY)
• Natural Tofu (NY)

Indian

• Classic India (Quincy)

Cuban

• Havana Central (NY)

French-Moroccan

• L'Orange Bleu (NY)

Pizza

• Armando's Pizza (Brooklyn)

Italian

• Giacomo's (Boston)
• Rabia's (Boston)
• Maggiano's

Thai

• Dok Bua (Boston)

Vietnamese

• Pho Bang (Elmhurst)

American

• Stephanie's on Newbury (Boston)
• Joe's (Boston)

Mexican

• Anna's Taqueria [cheap burritos] (Boston)
• Still on the hunt for one in NY
• Mama Ninfa's (Houston, TX) -- I HAD to name it...it's THE BEST

Cajun

• Pappadeaux's (Houston, TX) -- Again, I HAD to name it!

Hawaiian

• Roy's

Tapas

• Dali's (Cambridge, MA)

Brazilian

• Moqueca (Somerville, MA)
  

TBD:

1. Greek
2. Spanish
3. Seafood
4. Brunch
5. Dessert
6. Burgers

The Virtues of Chocolate

Chocoholics rejoice!

Did you know that chocolate can help you feel better? First, chocolate contains a natural chemical (anandamide) that stimulates the same area in the brain that marijuana does. But alas, you still need to gobble up 25 lbs of chocolate to get a buzz.

Second, chocolate helps your brain made opioids, opium-like chemicals that dull pain and produce a slightly euphoric feeling.

Third, chocolate also contains a chemical related to amphetamines (phenylethylamine) that has been called "the love drug." It lowers blood pressure, speeds up your pulse, and makes blood-sugar levels rise. Caffeine in chocolate also increases alterness.

What does all of this mean? Well, duh, that chocolate is my preferred drug of choice.


PS - It's best consumed as:

- Berthillon Bittersweet Dark Chocolate Gelato -- hands down, the most decadent, mind-numbing chocolate experience you will ever hope to have in this lifetime (definitely qualifies as the dessert for my last meal before execution)

- Godiva Dark Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream or Sorbet -- slightly more accessible than having to travel to the Champs-Elysee for Berthillon

- La Maison du Chocolat Dark Chocolate Coffret -- those Parisians definitely know how to do chocolate

- Stephanie's On Newbury Warm Chocolate Cake -- the dense cake-like texture is much preferred over the typical molten center of other like-minded chocolate confections