Boo

Oh crap. I was hoping to reserve for my birthday dinner in October, but from the above posts it doesn't look good. I haven't been in the past year, and while my last meal there was less spectacular than before, it was still pretty good. Has there hopefully been an upturn in food quality since June? If not, can anyone suggest somewhere else, good French, with a similarly boisterous atmosphere? Thank you.

Ann, I've never tried Lotus Blossum. I've just always assumed it's typical suburban Chinese restaurant blah. But I'm going to try it now, sounds interesting. Thanks for the tip!

I would go early, 5 or 5:30. I would also tell the staff when you make the reservation that there will be two small children, just to be sure they know. We have a two year old and after one unhappy experience where we were turned away, despite our reservation, from a (not so high end) restaurant in Portland, ME with a "no children" policy, I ALWAYS make sure to mention it in advance.

My favorite in Sudbury is Oishii II, for very, very good sushi. I think there have been some prior postings here about it. Marlboro has Coral Seafood for somewhat upscale (for the 'burbs) fish and Mi Ranchito for no frills, mom 'n pop Mexican (homemade guac is excellent). On Route 9 west in Framingham is the best and most authentic Chinese food in this area, Szechuan Gourmet (is that the correct name, I'm having a brain lapse), the double cooked bacon and bamboo in wonder sauce are my favorites. Maynard is full of small restaurants, I think the Sit n Bull is fun for a night out with good BBQ, beer and live music (jazz, blues often). Malcolm's Steakhouse in Maynard touts itself as "Boston in the suburbs", but I've been twice and was not impressed either time. Gibbett Hill is the place mentioned in Groton, I've not been yet but I have heard all good reports. In Ayer are two Korean restaurants, IMHO Wu Jon (Chon?), is the better one, no liquor license but inexpensive and tasty. In Northboro is Giuseppe's for decent Italian, but it has a lovely outdoor patio in the back overlooking Solomon Pond. With all my respect to your friend, I find Sky to be just average. If really upscale dining in a "see and be seen" atmosphere is what you intend, then head to Boston.

Last summer we brought our then one and a half year old with us to Brunoise for an early (5pm) dinner and although they asked us what he might like to eat, he ended up sleeping in his stroller throughout the whole meal. One of the owners, I think his name was Zack, has young children of his own and was very nice to offer us a table with room out of the way to place the stroller, and brought out a booster seat if we needed it.

Well, here is our trip report on our two days in Iceland. I must say that it was a wonderfully gorgeous two days of weather (last Friday and Saturday, and rained as we were leaving on Sunday). We started with dinner outside at Apotek, two tasty thin crust pizzas and a salad. One pizza was very good with prosciutto and arugula, and the other was simply tomato and cheese. We milked our time at the table, ordering several beers in order to enjoy the lingering warm sunlight and watching people. The next evening we had dinner at an outside table at Solon, which was not my first choice, but was entirely satisfactory. I had a moist and perfectly cooked salmon with rice, which was fine but not memorable. Staff there were very accomodating to our two year old, offering to make him a special meal not on the regular menu and providing crayons and coloring book. Lunch was a picnic with sandwiches from the supermarket, butter (I could eat Icelandic butter straight from the package!) and skyr with berries (mmm). I wish we had more time and maybe had arranged for a babysitter so we could do more adventurous dining, but there is always next time. Thank you to everyone for your suggestions!

Is this the same Oishii with other locations in Chestnut Hill and Sudbury, Massachusetts? One of my favorites.

If finding a memorable dining experience is your goal, then you need good food to accomplish that. So, I would skip Durgin Park. I do think that only tourists to Quincy Market go there, and the food does not need to be good because they have no repeat customers. If being served by a surly wait person is what you're looking for, you can surely find that elsewhere around town at a much cheaper price!!!

Thank you, it sounds exactly like a place we would look for. My spouse speaks fluent Finnish (Finnish parents) and we go there to see his family, not really as tourists, so we like out of the way places to eat. I think we will make an exception and go to Zetor, however, as our little boy will love the tractors! Thank you for your help, I'm going to print out your post and take it with us.

Culinista, thank you for your very helpful post. Where is Sea Horse? Sounds like place my spouse would like.

I have to agree that the food, while acceptable, was not really stellar at Kappeli (which is why I recommended it for drinks). Can you give some more info on Russo? We'll be in Vantaa for a night, most likely, so I'm really interested to know more. Thank you!

We will have to try this place, particularly as my 2 1/2 year old's name is Ari. He will find it endlessly funny. And I'm a sucker for a good cup of hot chocolate. Thanks for the tip! Chris

So glad that you posted, I was about to post my own query on Helsinki, since we'll be there in July as well. I haven't been to Helsinki in 5 years, so I'm interested to see if there is anything new. One of my favorites is Kappeli, an upscale cafe in a lovely Art Nouveau building on Esplanadi. It has an outdoor terrace which is so enjoyable on a summer evening for a drink and people watching.

Well, another snow storm has just started this afternoon. Heavy snow and winds tonite; the forecast is for another 5 - 8 inches north and west of Boston, a bit less in Boston iteself. Bring boots.

I read your earlier post re: museums and unless you have children, I would skip the science museum and the aquarium. Instead, I would suggest the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (in a lovely old mansion) or the Museum of Fine Arts located nearby.

Nanna R, thank you for your reply re: the child friendly restaurant. I will now plan to bring a some warm clothes for each of us in case it is chilly!

Izla, good info in your post, thank you. Can you suggest any outdoor cafes (in summer, of course) which are good for early evening dinner (around 7 or 8pm), and which would be OK for child as well (by that I mean a casual place, hip and trendy is out unless we can find babysitter!). Maybe a step or so better than a pizza/burger place. Any help, thank you!

Thank you for the enjoyable review, ghostrider! We considered staying at the Eastland Park, but ended up elsewhere instead. Did you like it? Did you have a suite there as well? We always book suites because of the kitchen as well. Interested to hear your thoughts on the hotel for future visits.

Spouse is heading to Aix for a business trip next week and is looking for suggestions for casual dining, French or any other ethnic cuisines, where one could dine alone, and not too $$$. Staying close to the Cours Mirabeau. Thanks!

Ellie, those are exactly my thoughts. I never would attempt to bring a child to a blatantly upscale restaurant like the White Barn Inn, for example. I considered Uffa! a neighborhood bistro and never thought that there would be an issue with bringing a child. Good to know that 555 seats children, for future meals! Johnnyd - Coincidentally, I happen to be an attorney too! In MA. I have been wondering for a few days if there is some sort of discrimination issue as well. But, as I think about it, children are not a protected class, like the disabled or the elderly. I'd be interested in your wife's ideas on the subject. And, the host was young and seemed stressed out, although there were only a few tables filled at that time.

Yup. shrimp were on the small side. Good to know they are local! Ghostrider - Euuew re: the fly!

Here's my report on our weekend of non-stop eating: Major disappointment at Uffa! We arrived on time for our 7 pm reservations Friday night and were greeted by a clearly upset host who informed us that we would have to leave because one of our party was a child, and Uffa! does not serve children. Now, I have no problem with this policy, but I would have appreciated if this policy was publicly posted on their website, along with the menu, directions on where to park, etc. I never would have made a reservation if I had seen that. Apparantly, this is the policy under the new owner. Last time we were at Uffa! was a few years ago and it was a more casual place than it appears to be now. Anyway, what bothered me more was that the host just stood there, staring at us dumbly, and did not even offer other suggestions on where to go. Just told us we had to leave. (I am thinking of writing a letter to the owner). So, we walked back to the parking lot and the lot attendant pointed out that Local 188 was nearby, so off we went. I explained our situation to the owner, who greeted us, and he graciously offered us a table even without a reservation. We had a really enjoyable dinner. Garlic shrimp; a lovely, creamy potato leek soup; melt in your mouth beef tenderloin with blue oyster and chanterelles and potatoes au gratin; a Brazilian style mahi mahi with marinated cucumber salad and a very fresh salsa; vanilla cheesecake and flan. Also started the meal with a very acceptable little martini, and wine with dinner (don't remember which, I think one was a Mad Fish from Australia). I'd have to say the standouts were the soup and the tenderloin, but then chanterelles are one of my weak points. Loved the funky atmosphere and will definitely come back. (And there were other children there!) Brunch the next day at the Friendship Cafe. Big points for the homemade corned beef hash! Also really enjoyed the toast made with hearty, chewy bread. Long wait to be seated (I think it was one of the few breakfast places open on NY), but cozy and a good deal. Dinner Saturday at Thanh Thanh II. Standout was the caramelized salmon served in a pot, spicy and sweet at the same time, loved the sauce. Also enjoyed the pickled lemonade (sour and sweet) which I had never had before and the red bean shake with tapioca balls. Lunch on Sunday at Scales. Red wine marinated bluefish with pan seared cabbage was delicious. I normally dislike cabbage, but searing it brought out a sweetness that I really enjoyed. The oyster stew was reported to be very good, but I didn't taste it. Had a really good time walking around the Public Market and bought several diffferent types of smoked salmon and parmesan cheese. Was disappointed that we missed the sausage man, so we'll have to come back. All in all, a tasty and enjoyable weekend. Such a great little city, I can't wait to come back to try more restaurants.

Well, we're heading up tomorrow morning. Any last minute tips or advice on new places, or particularly good brunch spots, and is it worth going to the Public Market or not? Thanks to all!

We're looking for someplace comfortable, where we can wear dress down (nice jeans), enjoy good wine and comfort food. Somewhere with a bit of a boisterous atmosphere, not too snooty. We went to Uffa a couple years ago and really liked it, but thought of trying somewhere different. We like Indian, Thai, Korean, fusion, you name it, except no pasta or shellfish. I was thinking of Uffa for brunch, if not dinner. I'm going to check out the suggestions for Local 188 and Katahdin, but if there any others, please do tell!

My vote is for Mi Ranchito in downtown Marlboro. Good, fresh home cooking. Not a fancy place, no liquor license. The homemade guacamole is really good. Also, Taqueria Mexicana in Waltham. Same kind of place, but much busier. Both places are very inexpensive. TM has a liquor license and outdoor seating in summer.