mimblewim

I just had brunch with my family at Lineage in Brookline last weekend, and while the service was a bit slow, the food is great - seasonal, classic brunch stuff with a bit of a twist. I had the cod hash, which had lardons and a poached egg on top. In my opinion, it has a more interesting brunch menu than the majority of the South End brunch places, which we used to frequent when my sister lived in the South End. I will say, however, that you can't beat the sticky toffee pudding at Caffe Umbra. If you want something that's a little more neighborhood-y, check out either Baraka Cafe (Tunisian) on Pearl Street in Central Square, or Central Kitchen. If Baraka is busy, it helps to speak either Arabic or French. My all-time favorite restaurant in Boston and Cambridge is Craigie Street Bistrot. My second-favorite restaurant is Pigalle, which is fantastic every time. Both would be great for a romantic dinner... I liked No. 9 Park, but it certainly wasn't out-of-this-world, and they certainly did treat me and my friends like the college students that we were. For mid-priced-but-excellent-sushi, try Bluefin in Porter Square, in the Porter Exchange building. For Chinese, my parents are steadfast fans of Peach Farm in Chinatown. And as always, if it's ice cream you're wanting, you can't beat Toscanini's in Central Square.

i've been there a few times, as have some of my friends. i originally went there with a large group - and i wouldn't do that often. at first they were reluctant to seat us, but upon one of our friends asking if the chef speaks arabic, in arabic, suddenly we were golden and we were seated right away. (the place is tiny - that's why large groups are a problem.) the people there are great - friendly - and the restaurant itself is cozy and comfortable. the food is great, too - i have no idea as to the authenticity, but i don't think it's that far from authentic. it's very much a neighborhood-y type place. i would say more about the food, but honestly i haven't been for a while and all i can remember is that it was great.

Since MIT doesn't really have dining halls, a lot of people frequent the food trucks, of which the most popular is Goosebeary's (Chinese) over behind the bio building, despite the fact that it closes for food poisoning about once a year. People generally pick food trucks based on location (proximity) rather than the food.

My favorite bakery in Chinatown is Hing Shing Bakery near the Chinatown gate. I'm not sure if it's open on Sundays (I think it is...) but a couple doors down there's the most fabulous peking duck/other roasted animals place - it's basically takeout, where they chop the stuff up for you and pack it in styrofoam for you. In terms of dim sum, China Pearl is where my family usually goes. I also like the South End. Aquitaine has a great brunch, as does Union Bar and Grill. I think they're both open on Sundays. If you were here on Saturday, I would recommend Baraka Cafe at 80 1/2 Pearl Street in Central Square - it's this tiny French Tunisian place. Brownie points if you speak French or Arabic (and you will get seated faster, probably).

How much did you tip? If 15% or more - you're fine. Robyn ← 20%. I just thought it deserved more.

I just went to Alinea on Saturday with my sister, who flew in from Boston for the weekend. She acquiesced to my determination to do the Tour... Two days removed from what was an amazing, fun experience, I am relieved and somewhat surprised that I can still eat “normal”/”regular” food. My favorite courses (desserts later) were: the frozen sour cream with the microplaned salmon, the striped bass, the eggplant semifreddo with soy froth and octopus, the squab, and the oyster cream. I really loved the striped bass, which, in addition to having the world’s best water chestnuts in it, was surrounded by this wonderful floral aroma from the hot water poured over rose petals. I’m a little chagrined that I’m Chinese(-American) and I’ve never had water chestnuts this good. The thing that made the squab so good was the grated licorice over it – in general I don’t like licorice, but at that point I was convinced that in any given course I would like things I don’t usually like. Even if something wasn’t my cup of tea just because of my food tastes, it was still wonderful and fun to eat. The only thing I really didn’t like very much was the amuse bouche – I thought the mango overpowered everything else. Desserts: I loved every single dessert with all of my heart. I have quite the sweet tooth, so that’s usually how it goes, but even so I don’t really have any words to describe how much I liked the desserts at Alinea. Some of the things I especially liked were the cornbread crumbs in the corn custard, the (fried?) red bell pepper seeds in the raspberry/red bell pepper dessert, and the dandelion root and tarragon in the chocolate dessert. My general impression of the food is that it reminds me of the way I like my architecture. The technique is flawless, there’s a reverence for craftsmanship, but ultimately it’s trying to do something bigger than all of that. It was a lot of fun for the adventurous, not in the sense that you could be eating really weird things, but in the sense that you will be experiencing all kinds of different ways to eat food. That the food pays attention to its environment and surroundings to the extent that it does, is great, and rare. I also really liked that Alinea isn't different for the sake of being different - everything was deliberate and had specific intentions. The vast majority of the courses at Alinea hit the mark, with the exception of a few. For example, there was that course with the zucchini cake speared on a wire (I forget what it was called), which you’re supposed to lean forward and eat. The idea was cool, but I wasn’t sure that the zucchini cake needed to be eaten in that way. My own personal quandary was that I was unsure whether or not I tipped enough. I would have liked to have tipped more than I did, as my sister and I had such a wonderful time, but after all is said and done, I'm still a college student. If you are reading this and work at the restaurant, my tip belies the fact that I'm a student, rather than how much fun I had!

Marooned from my usual restaurant-mates, I am beginning a brief adventure in dining out by myself. I admit I'm a little apprehensive - what am I going to do, stare at the other people in the restaurant? - but I thought it would be fun. Is it bad etiquette to read a newspaper? Should I just sit and enjoy the food? Will the maitre d' shunt me off into a corner of the restaurant just because I'm by myself? I was just wondering if anybody out there likes to dine out on their own.

Kimball's! I love Kimball's! If you're adventurous you'll trek out to the outpost of the Westford Kimball's in my hometown, Carlisle. Less stuff for the kids to play on, but lots of room. Watch out for the mosquitoes, though. (Kimball's in Carlisle is on Bedford Road; Carlisle is about 45 minutes from Boston.)

The problem with all of these correct pronounciations is that you can only use them around people who know what you're talking about anyway! Whenever I pronounce something correctly in French to my friends who don't know French (ie, "au gratin") they can't understand me and I have to repeat myself with the Americanization.

My absolute favorite restaurant of all time is Craigie Street Bistrot, which is tucked into a little residential neighborhood in Harvard Square. You won't regret going there: www.craigiestreetbistrot.com. I tend to spend maybe $40-60 there when I go. Also in Harvard Square is Upstairs on the Square (google the name and it should pop up), which has fantastic decor and the best butterscotch pudding I've ever had in my life. I also like Central Kitchen in Central Square, which will run you maybe $30? It's quite good, the restaurant's interior is a surprise after the slightly dingy outside, and the last time I was there I had an unbelievably good blueberry-white chocolate bread pudding. Another gem in Central Square is Baraka Cafe (http://restaurants.boston.com/restaurants-view-baraka_cafe.htm), which is French-Tunisian. If you speak French or Arabic, you will get seated more quickly. The most expensive food I have ever had in Boston was Aujourd'hui, but it was also extremely good. I would go there more often if I could afford it. They have excellent desserts and impeccable service. Plus, there's a pretty view of the park from the windows. It's upscale French without the pretention of the waitstaff at L'Espalier. Another great place to go around that area is No 9 Park, which is less expensive but equally as good. In fact, it might have been better. The table I had was probably not the best in the house (I guess it was obvious that we were grad students) but I actually enjoyed the glimpses of the kitchen that I got. For the South End - my favorite restaurant there is Aquitaine, which is French. Picco, which is in the new apartment complex next to the arts center (East Berkeley and Tremont Street?) has great pizza and a fantastic, huge meatball sandwich. We've never made it to dessert there, but ask for the dessert pizza, which isn't on the menu. I also really like Addis Red Sea for Ethiopian food (http://www.addisredsea.com/). On the edge of the financial district is Pigalle (http://www.pigalle.com), which I went to during Restaurant Week. Despite the fact that I looked like a college student, and so did my two friends, they treated us really well and the food was great. In terms of French restaurants, my favorite three are Craigie Street Bistrot, then Pigalle, then Aujourd'hui. For Chinese food, go to Peach Farm for dim sum. My favorite bakery - which my family used to go to every weekend when I was a kid - is Hing Shing Bakery, near the Chinatown Gate. Down a couple doors from Hing Shing is a place to buy peking duck, squid, pork, etc - and it's the best in the city. If you want to partake (it's a takeout type of operation), get there early on Saturday morning. For just dessert, skip Finale, which is really only good for cocktails, and go to Burdick's in Harvard Square (on Brattle Street, I think, near the intersection at Church Street - just google "LA Burdick"). Their chocolates, and hot chocolate, are wonderful. For Thai food - this is a bit of a hike - check out Bamboo in...Brighton, I think? Here's a link with info: http://restaurants.boston.com/restaurants-view-bamboo4.htm. This is the best Thai food I've had in Boston, though I hear that Sweet Chili in Inman Square (http://www.sweetchili.com/) and Brown Sugar Cafe on Commonwealth Ave (near the Shaw's Supermarket in Allston, on the Green Line) are also really good. And finally, you cannot go to Boston without having ice cream. I am currently in Chicago and I miss Tosci's (Toscanini's), which is on Main Street on the edge of Central Square (at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Main Street). My other choice for ice cream would be Christina's in Inman Square (1255 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA), which, if you're into cooking, has a great spice store next door (which, alas, is only open during the day).