May 24, 2013 New Buff’s Pub
Buff’s pub is located in Newton, on a small strip of retail space near the onramp to the Mass Pike. We dropped by on a weekday for some owings. Make sure you stop at the ATM before you go, because they are cash only.
The place was pretty crowded when we got there, but we were able to grab a seat by the window. I opted for the chicken tender plate ($10.95). They were pretty tasty, although they were drenched in sauce. I can only imagine how messy my meal would have been had I ordered the wings.
We also had the chicken wings – looks pretty good right? They won Boston’s Best Wings in 2010 and the Improper Bostonian’s Boston’s Best Wings in 2009.
Buff’s is a casual place, and while it is a bar, there were plenty of people there with their families. This place gets packed on the weekend during game time – so plan accordingly. The service was good, they were on top of our order and around when we needed more napkins and more drinks. Where’s your favorite place for wings?
Buff’s Pub
317 Washington Street
Newton, MA 02458
(617) 332-9134
Tags: bar, cash only, newton, restaurant, wings
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May 20, 2013 Taberna de Haro
Some places I post right away, and for some reason, some just sit in my draft box for ages. To give you an idea of how long this has been sitting in my draft box, we went here PRE expansion. It only took me 10 years of living in Brookline to go here, why should the post be any different. That isn’t to say that my sluggish posting time on this has anything to do with the food or service, because it doesn’t. We actually had a very lovely meal here. I love walking by and seeing the tables outside on Beacon Street, it is always packed and there is usually a wait – sign of a good meal I suppose. Recently, well not so recently, they expanded into the space next door that was formerly Bretton Realty. Back to the meal. The space is warm and cozy inside, a real neighborhood spot. All different kinds of people were here, some on first dates and some groups of old friends chatting the night away over a bottle (or 3) of wine.
The atmosphere is dim, dare I say romantic? We start of with the garlic shrimp which I love ($14). After all, if both people eat garlic it cancels one another out, right? Really tasty – one of my go to tapas dishes.
Next, another go to classic – the tortilla espanola ($5), basically a potato cake – warm, delicious and it just melted in your mouth.
The chuleton ($26) is a River Rock Farm grass-fed rib-eye steak14 oz. The steak was excellent, but the real star of the show was my meal, the combination platter (see below).
The Combination plate is Marinated pork loin, fried eggs, and French fries ($16). I am pretty sure I am a sucker for most things with a fried egg on it, but these fries were amazing…the kind you think about for days. The pork was excellent, but the best part is when you break the yolk and you get the creamy salty goodness over the rest of your meal. Excellent dish.
For dessert we had the zurracaopte ($7), it was delicious, figs in a spiced red wine sauce…really tasty. Not one of my usual suspects for dessert, but glad we branched out and tried something new. We had a lovely waitress who knew a lot about the menu and gave excellent suggestions. When we were there, pre-renovation, it felt a bit small, but who knows at this point – it could be very spacious. So certainly worth another trip back for us, once the weather gets a little warmer I would love to go back and eat outside.
Taberna de Haro
999 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA
Closed on Sundays
Tags: brookline, outdoor seating, restaurant, tapas
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May 15, 2013 Bon Me
You can get a sandwich: Your choice of filling on a toasted baguette. Stuffed with pickled carrots & daikon, housemade pork pate, housemade spicy mayo, cucumbers, red onion & cilantro
A Rice Bowl: Brown rice or white rice and your choice of filling with seasonal greens, bean sprouts, shredded carrots & daikon, and cilantro.
A Noodle Bowl: Soba or rice noodles and your choice of filling with red onion, bean sprouts, seasonal greens, shredded carrot and cilantro. Topped with a dressing of your choice: spicy peanut, toasted sesame, vietnamese vinaigrette or miso lime.
Choose your filling and you’re ready to go. I order the Chinese BBQ Pork, made with their own blend of spices, in a rice bowl. The pork is a little salty but the sauce on top makes it a little sweet, nice combination. The carrots are what make the dish for me, the crunchy sweet tanginess is delicious. I can’t finish the whole thing for lunch, but those of you who have a big appetite, you can get extra meat for $2. For $6, this place is a steal, and they also take credit cards, which is a plus for me! Stop by to say hello and pick up a tasty Vietnamese snack. Support local food trucks!
Bon Me Food Truck
Check here for locations
Tags: asian, boston, food truck, pork
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May 10, 2013 MET Bar
MET Bar in the Natick Collection was fairly empty when we went one Sunday afternoon. The service leaves something to be desired…it feels like even the servers don’t want to be there. Here’s what we order:
The MET Bar and Grill
1245 Worcester St. Map
Natick, MA 01760
508.651.0003
Tags: brunch, french toast, natick collection, pancakes, restaurant
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May 7, 2013 5 Napkin Burger
One rainy night after work, a few co-workers and I went over to 5 Napkin Burger in the Prudential Mall. Just a fun night, joking and laughing, all while stuffing our faces with fatty deliciousness. The service, as I have found before, was just ok. The hostess’ can’t be bothered with you and the servers go MIA after they take your order. It wasn’t very crowded that night, and it was ok that our waitress wasn’t nearby since we were almost too busy chatting to notice. The onion rings are enormous, and come stacked up a mile high. They are crispy, coated with panko breadcrumbs, and come with blue cheese dressing & 5N sauce. ($6.75)
I had the 5Napkin burger 10 oz. fresh ground beef, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, rosemary aioli, soft white roll. 5N sauce is basically mayo and ketchup, and the amount they added to the burger was a bit overwhelming – next time I’ll be sure to order it on the side. The burger was tasty, and the bun managed to stay intact until almost the last bite. The burgers were ok, nothing really special or craveworthy, but god for a casual night out with friends.
5Napkin Burger
105 Huntington Ave Boston, MA 02199
617.375.2277
http://5napkinburger.com/back-bay-boston
Tags: back bay, burgers, onion rings, restaurant
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May 3, 2013 Green Mountain Chocolate Covered Potato Chips
One of my coworkers brought me in a box of these. I have to say that I don’t really crave potato chips, and usually when I have had chocolate covered ones, they are soggy. I was reluctant to try these, but man were they delicious. There is just something amazing about the sweet and salty combination in this snack.
The chips were still really crispy and crunch, and the chocolate was so smooth. They are so good that before you can blink, you’ve already eaten half the bag. Highly recommend trying these, they are seriously addictive.
Find them here:
http://shop.greenmountainchocolate.com/product.sc?productId=3
Tags: chocolate, green mountain, snacks
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April 30, 2013 Bon Chon – Harvard Square
After a lovely evening at Corbu Spa, we headed over to Bon Chon for dinner. Located on JFK street, Bon Chon is located below street level in the space that was formally being held for Bull.
Service was good, it was quick and friendly. We decided to try Motto, a beverage being advertised on our table. Motto is a sparkling match tea beverage – all the health benefits of green tea with the caffeine equivalent to 1/3 of a cup of coffee.
I have to admit that I thought that the drink was going to be a little sweet, but it wasn’t. Not bad overall.
We started with the mandoo, one of my favorites. They were excellent.
Our food came quickly, and our mouths were watering. Double fried Korean chicken, man the soy garlic flavor is so addictive. We ordered the drumstick and wing combo ($34.95). Each piece is crunchy and delicious, you just can’t get enough of this stuff! Every piece is hand brushed with sauce and seriously finger licking good! This location was much less crowded than the Allston location – where wait time can be over an hour on some nights.
Bon Chon
57 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA
617.868.0981
http://www.bonchon.com/?page_id=2556
Tags: harvard square, korean food, restaurant
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