Dining Out Boston

Last night I left work flustered, uncertain as to where to seek the perfect fish sandwich, and still craving seafood. A hearty take-out portion of Chef Chow's Ginger and Scallion Shrimp ($10.95) did the trick.

Unlike other Chinese restaurants of lesser quality, Chef Chow's actually includes the a dish's supplementary ingredients, instead of merely providing a whiff or smidgen of the purported garlic or pepper. Note in the above photo the generous serving of emerald-green scallions, tender heads of broccoli, and thin slivers of ginger root intermixed with the shrimp.

I also appreciate the fact that when Chef Chow's says "lightly battered", they mean it. A thin sheaf of coarse, savory bread coating nicely complemented the plump prawns and didn't overpower the plump, fleshy meat.

Chef Chow's offers brown rice (small; $1.20) and I probabably should have dropped the extra quarters instead of insisting on cooking that crusty, overcooked stuff sitting adjacent to the broccoli. Let that be a lesson to us all that rice cookers are not fool-proof.

Red-haired, sprite-like food writer seeks large fried fish sandwich for dinner but wants a cut above McDonald's Filet o' Fish.

Can you help me?

After weeks of grumbling about rain I've moved on to cursing the heat. Last night, however, I could hardly complain as it was one of those perfect breezy Boston evenings that vanquish all memories of soggy clothes and frozen toes.

My friend Mikey, visiting from Connecticut, suggested that we eat outdoors. To provide ourselves with the broadest selection of outside dining without having trudge all over and back again, we headed to Newbury Street. Also, we wanted to pretend we were celebrities. On a warm Wednesday night it was crowded, but not overwhelmingly so, and I only almost stumbled over three obscenely small dogs instead of the the usual nine or ten. Mikey and I put our name down at Stephanie's, which listed a 30min. wait, and then continued strolling until we hit Ciao Bella. The sweet hostess quickly cleared off a sidewalk table and voila, we were dining under the stars in a prime people-watching location.

Our friendly and just a bit shy waitress gave us ample attention, quickly presenting soft sesame seed-crusted bread and (gulp) individually wrapped butters. (Even the Olive Garden proffers cheap olive oil.) Aside from the subpar choice of spread, the food was rich and delicious. With our bottle of chianti ($34) Mikey and I both started with a Caesar Salad. A deep bowl of fluffy romaine lettuce amply doused in peppery Caesar dressing and sprinkled with shaved parmesan was crisp and refreshing. I appreciated that the waitress gave Mikey the option of holding the anchovies, though I happy to see five salty stripped fish adorn my salad.

Then, a small snafu. When we were about three-quarters finished with the salads the food runner appeared with the entrees and stood there awkwardly while the waitress rushed over to make room at our table. Clearly, Ciao Bella has not yet perfected its timing or does not realize that stacking dishes of food in front of patrons makes the meal into a race.

My Carbonara pasta ($16) with spinach fettuccine and peas was nice variation on the standard version. The egg and cream had separated a bit but was still delicious and the thick chunks of pancetta gave flavor to the soft, bitter peas. Mikey pronounced his Risotto & Scallops ($10) to be "excellent", and I wish I had snuck a taste of the plump, lightly seared scallops nestled amongst the sticky grains of arborio.

I'd return to Ciao Bella even if it is slightly over-priced and a bit sloppy with its service. The menu selection is banal but primi and secondi are prepared well and occasionally given inventive tweaks. It's a fine alternative to the North End if you've tired yourself out from window-shopping on Newbury Street.

The Info
Ciao Bella
240 Newbury St., Boston
www.ciaobella.com

A few years ago I spent the summer in India and since then I've occasionally had unbelievable craving for Indian dishes I've yet to encounter in the U.S. Today, for whatever reason, I could think of only what my friend Betsy respectfully referred to as "floating balls in syrup", that is to say Indian desserts.

Although most American Indian restaurants offer sweets like kulfi (pistachio ice cream) or kheer (rice pudding flavored with rose water), it's more difficult to find the ball-shaped Indian dainties known as rashobora, rara laddoo or mysore pak. Indian grocers usually stock them and by my own good fortune I happen to live close to two of them.

I'd walked past Madras Masala nearly every day on my way home from work and never bothered to visit, probably for fear of being stared down and/or giggled at in Hindi. I adore most things Indian, most especially, unsurprisingly, the food, but I abhor the "trendy" Indian practices like bindis and henna that have been reappropriated by American pop culture. Consequently, I shudder at being perceived as some Gen X twit who thnks India is all yoga and chicken tikka masala.

This evening, however, I was too crazed for ghee, sugar, and coconut to care. I swung open the door to Madras Masala and was hit promptly with the odors cardamon, tumeric, and incense. The narrow store aisles were jammed with with bags of rice, lentils, and hundreds of spices and a refridgerator filled with plastic cartons of sweets, nan, paratha, and other prepared foods rested in the corner. For $5 I bought a sampler variety of some of my favorite sweets plus a few others that were unrecognizable to me (help, help, Indian readers!).

After several nibbles of each I satisfied my craving in that I sufficiently reminded myself how cloying sweet Indian desserts are, especially those floating balls in syrup. The saccharine quality mixed with the gritty texture was a far cry from the creamy, moist sweets I remembered. Nostalgia mixed with blurry recollection must have convinced me that I once loved these treats; that, or Madras Masala needs to check some expiration dates. I'll reserve rating on the shop as a whole lest my foreign tongue be just an unworthy judge.

The Info
Madras Masala
191 Harvard St., Brookline
617-566-9943

After 20-plus hours of graduation events at Northwestern University, I am grateful to be back in Beantown and ready for some outdoor dining, maybe at Stephanie's, Taberna de Haro, or Emack & Bolio's.

For now, amuse yourself with this rad contest courtesy of bostonisfunny.com.

It's funny how after seven years of eating out in Boston, I still am often completely stumped as to where to have dinner. My general distaste of chain restaurants readily eliminates places like Rock Bottom, Chili's, and Applebees even when I really am just in the mood for straight-up generic American cuisine.

Last night I had planned to meet up with Dusty, David, and Bunches after work to see Building 13 at the Loews Boston Common and found little sense in going home in between to make myself pasta and sauce. Bunches agreed that a burger pre-movie would hit the spot. And, of course, since I'm the "foodie" in the relationship, I was in charge of picking the restaurant. "You know tons of good places," Bunches encouraged. Well, kind of.

I gambled and chose The Intermission Tavern for its proximity to the theater, inexpensive menu, and cute brick facade. As we stepped into the narrow dark green dining room I felt as if I had wandered into one of the better touristy restaurants surrounding the broadway theaters in Times Square. Framed posters of musicals and plays as well as some 1920s risque sketches lined the walls and a long bar stretched from the restaurant's entrance to the kitchen. The crowd, however, wasn't exactly the touristy or theater-going type; on our right sat two construction workers with thick Australian accents and on the left were natives discussing a previous weekend's club adventure.

A burger was what I wanted, and a burger was what I had. The Intermission Tavern allows your to make your own, so I chose a 10 oz. patty cooked medium rare with American cheese and carmelized onions ($8.50). The choice of sides included fries, onion rings, or home-made potato chips. Bunches opted for one the signature burgers, The Red, White, and Blue ($8.95), with roasted red peppers and crumbled bleu cheese. We ordered a Caesar Salad ($7) to split on the side, the scattered (but very apologetic) waitress forgot to bring it.

The thick burgers and the generous serving of french fries were quite sufficient, so I hardly cared about the salad mishap. The fleshy, pink meat inside was nicely blanced with the well-cooked exterior and the sturdy bulky roll kept the juices and sloppy onions in check. Everyone and their dog has some opinion on what constitutes the perfect french fry. For me, it's pretty much Intermission's version, a thicky, potato stuffed fry, lightly salted and only slightly browned. The dusting of shaved parsley that coated the entire plate was an appreciated gesture that added color and cut nice against the saltiness of the meat and french fries.

In addition to serving great burgers, The Intermission Tavern also offers a reasonably priced selection of pub grub like calamari and potstickers as well as build-your-own deli sandwiches and entrees like pork tenderloin and mac 'n' cheese. By straddling the cinema and the theater district, it offers an incredibly convenient location for grabbing a pre- or post-show bite that won't cost more than your tickets.

The Info
Intermission Tavern
228 Tremont St., Boston
www.intermissiontavern.com

I reviewed Green Street a few years back before it changed management and subsequently morphed from "Green Street Grill" to its sleek current moniker. And although the menu and venue have not changed considerably, I'd have to say I liked the old Green Street Grill better for its laidback local patrons and friendly, attentive staff.

Green Street doesn't take reservations unless you're in a party of 6 or greater, an annoying practice that necessitated my early arrival at the restaurant. Fortunately, we were seated relatively quickly; unfortunately, it was exceedingly close to a large, obnoxious party of birthday revelers. At multiple points throughout the meal, I, the Quincy posse, and many other diners actually held our hands to our ears in an attempt to block out the sonic boom of their squeals. Before you peg me as a total Grinch, I will admit that restaurants may not have control over the behavior of their patrons; however, they can control where they sit them. In this case, I would have preferred it was not at the table at the very center of the restaurant.

Our pig-tailed waitress greeted us kindly, swiftly took our drink orders, then seemed to forget about us. Half an hour later she had not returned with our drinks nor had she taken our orders and although we had tried unsuccessfully to flag her down, it took literally grabbing the manager to order our food.

Green Street's menu is priced for a Cambridge crowd but does not offer a fitting selection. Most dishes, while well-prepared and delicious, come with a combination of a limited number of underachieving sides like rice, beans, and plantains. Furthermore, the dishes themselves are missing that je ne sais quoi that really sells them to the diner. My entree, Catch of the Day (mackerel; $21), was pleasant enough, but the chef relied too much on the fattiness of the fish to supply flavor and skimped a bit on the seasoning. In the end, the sweet and crispy fried plantains stole the show even if they were overpriced. It's very possible I ordered the wrong thing; I originally intended on braving the Coconut Goat Stew ($17) but chickened out after my friends related to me how wickedly spicy the dish actually was. Feng, however, also gave mediocre marks to her assorted barbeque plate, which, according to her, which was too much meat and too little anything else.

Dessert was fine, just fine, but all I could remember was the Grill's version of banana pudding, a thick, chunky concoction generously drizzled with caramel that appropriately soaked the moist bread. Green Street's take ($6) was a smaller, soggy square that almost floated in a dish of egg and cream sauce. The strawberry and rhubarb tart ($6) was far more palatable, sporting buttery crumble crust and a pretty little scoop of strawberry ice cream.

Green Street amazingly managed to become both trendy and boring with the change of ownership. I miss the old days of the affordable menu and less stylized American dinner options. I'd gladly give it another try, but someone else needs to pay.

The Info
Green Street
280 Green Street, Cambridge
www.thegreenstreetgrill.com

Despite being only a few blocks down from JP's premier breakfast spot, Centre Street Cafe, Sorella's still manages to command a good crowd on weekends. Their zany, exuberant breakfast dishes like pistachio, coconut pancakes ($6) and ever-evolving omelets are a nice change of pace from plain old scrambled eggs. For the purists, there are, of course, the standard egg, bacon, sausage, and waffle dishes, but this orthodox fare is at best average compared to that at many other restaurants.

On this soggy morning I ordered Gingerbread Pancakes with Strawberries ($7) and a side of sausage ($2), while Bunches had the French Toast Special (2 eggs, home fries, sausage, french toast; $7). On past visits, the gingerbread pancakes have been soft and dense; unfortunately, today the cook was asleep at the grill and the pancakes arrived stiff and overcooked. The flavor redeemed the deficient texture, as each warm mouthful resounded with fresh ginger and cinnamon. The generous helping of fresh strawberry slices complemented the relative richness of the pancakes and the fruit's juice contributed some much needed moisture.

Bunches' French Toast was far superior. The light, flaky toast had absorbed just enough batter and each side had been lightly grilled such that the bread remained soft and supple instead of turning tough. I also appreciated the paucity of sprinkled sugar, which allowed the egg flavor to dominate.

Service at Sorella's is utilitarian and emotionally non-committal; our waitress never brought over the check, so I had to eventually mosey over to the counter to pay. There's a also certain amount of laziness with presentation, as suggested by the weak-bodied coffee and lukewarm tea water.

I welcome Sorella's inventive breakfast food and will surely return to indulge in one of their crazy omelets (particularly the one with garlic, basil, sprouts, sun-dried tomato, & harvarti), but they need to pay more attention to the little things if they want to hold their own against the Mike's and Centre Street Cafe.

The Info
Sorella's
388 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain
617-524-201

I had hemmed and hawed about trying Stephanie's On Newbury because I've heard and read such mixed reviews. Its concept (gourmet comfort food) always greatly appealed to me as I'm definitely the sort who prefers a meal that will stick to my bones. Particularly attractive to me were the Lobster Quesadilla and Macaroni and Cheese entrees.

My friend Deborah, in town last night on a last-minute business trip, blithely suggested Stephanie's when I suggested we meet up in town, so I decided to do some preliminary investigative tasting before committing to a full meal. While Deborah ordered dinner, I sampled the Cupcake Duo, two over-sized yellow and chocolate cupcakes, each respectively stuffed with chocolate ganache and vanilla cream, and sprinkled with white-dark chocolate shavings.

The golden cupcake was marvelous. The yellow cake was moist and dense and the accompanying chocolate ganache icing sweet but not overpowering. In stark contrast was its chocolate cupcake partner, whose dry cake and flavorless frosting made it resemble a Hostess treat on steroids.

After spying on Deborah's and our neighbors' dishes, there's little doubt that I will return to do a full review. I received an ample clue as to why Stephanie's, despite its seemingly delectable cuisine, receives harsh comments online and elsewhere. The waitstaff is huffy and disorganized. After we placed our orders for drinks, another (different) server took them, and finishing our dishes, the waitresses asked three times in the fifteen minutes thereafter if we'd like anything else (re: get out!). Perhaps Stephanie's has some bizarre policy whereby servers cannot collect tips if a table has not left by the their of their shift; there's little else that could justify such impatience.

The Info
Stephanie's On Newbury
190 Newbury St., Boston
www.stephaniesonnewbury.com

A long, long time ago, when I was just a bright-eyed, forgiving restaurant reviewer, I wrote an entry on Michael's Deli in Brookline. As I did not review the establishment's piece de resistance, I vowed to return and review again.

This past Saturday, roughly six months later, I visited Michael's Deli but to some confusion on the part of my fellow diner, the corned beef sandwich was not ordered. While I am no longer bright-eyed and forgiving, now it appears I am forgetful and confused.

Anyway, I'll visit for a third time, no great hardship, because the over-stuffed sandwiches are too good to try only once. Here are some pictures of the wonderful Thanksgiving Day sandwich ($7), complete with nearly a half pound of white turkey breast, a thick layer of stuffing, and a generous spread of cranberry sauce.

Less thrilling was the Chicken Salad sandwich ($6), which suffered from insufficient lubrication between salad and bread. The salad itself contained ample chunks of white chicken meat and crunchy celery mixed with enough mayonnaise to coat the ingredients but not enough to moisten the bread.