Blogs : Boston Digest
Boston Digest Weekly highlights from the most interesting Chowhound posts on the Boston board, including restaurant and bar reviews, best-of lists, and hidden local spots for eating and drinking.
They're Buns, Not Dumplings
Denian’s is a new Chinese bun and bubble tea shop that has popped up at the intersection of Waltham Street and Marrett Road in Lexington. These are not dumplings: Chinese buns (bao zi) are breadier, have a thicker skin, and are steamed rather than baked or fried. Word on the street is that most everything is good—not “destination restaurant” good but “if you’re in the neighborhood” good. It’s a casual place with just a couple of tables and what lipoff describes as an “elegant, clean interior.”
The buns are homemade and fresh; the carrot, red bean, and taro paste buns are all great, particularly the taro paste, which lipoff calls “exceptionally good.” lipoff also loves the chicken bun: “The chicken was almost ground, with a great texture and a bit of ‘kick’ to it.” The scallion pancake is “thin, crisp and very good,” says lipoff. And, if you have a craving for dumplings instead of buns, Denian’s does offer pot stickers.
The bubble tea is described by several hounds as quite nice, with good texture but just-OK flavors (which are made from powdered mixes, not fresh fruit).
Denian’s [Lexington]
315 Marrett Road, Lexington
781-861-1168
Board Link: Denian’s -- Chinese Bao.zi and Bubble Tea Shop in Lexington
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Tagged with: boston, restaurants and bars, buns, bubble tea, boba, denian's, chinese
Terrific Taiwanese Tofu
Zatan has a yen for the tofu with preserved egg at Taiwan Cafe, particularly the dish’s tofu, which is “firm and dry and very fresh and cakey.” Zatan says it’s “really something special” and wants to know where she can buy some retail.
Some hounds suggest that it might be made by Chang Sing Tofu, which is based in Cambridge and delivers to Asian markets in the area. But Zatan has bought the local stuff and says Taiwan Cafe’s tofu is different.
qianning suggests making the dish at home instead. The secret is using silken tofu in the preparation, along with bonito flakes, soy paste, and preserved egg. It’s a typical Taiwanese combination that reflects the Japanese influence on Taiwanese cuisine, says qianning.
For those who don’t want to make their own, look for pi dan do fu or thousand-year egg with tofu under the appetizers section of the Taiwan Cafe menu.
Taiwan Cafe [Chinatown]
34 Oxford Street, Boston
617-426-8181
Board Link: What kind of tofu is that?
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Tagged with: boston, restaurants and bars, chang sing tofu, tofu, pi dan do fu, thousand year egg with tofu, taiwan cafe
Chinatown's Best Restaurant?
Peach Farm is getting a lot of board love of late. It’s “just so consistent, which can be hard to find in Chinatown,” says tysonmcneely.
Wonderful things to eat there:
• Salt-fried live shrimp, which have “perfect crunch and great flavor,” says 9lives.
• Peking duck, which is “ridiculously fantastic,” says Guilty Glutton. Plus, you don’t have to pre-order it, as you do at other Chinese joints.
• Surf clam with vermicelli and garlic, which could be on the menu at Clio for three times the price, says 9lives. No one’s quite sure what the exact name is on the menu, so “it helps when you’re ordering to gesture with your hands how big the shell is,” says barleywino. The giant clam’s about the size of a grapefruit, but it’s oval; you’ll be seeing that shell on your plate, with the meat chopped and mixed up with vermicelli and served inside.
• Peapod stems with garlic.
• Softshell crab.
• Steamed scallops Chinese style with garlic noodles.
• Live Alaskan king crab three ways: the legs split and baked with garlic; the body stir-fried with ginger and scallions; and then a head custard with eggs and pork. It “could be the best seafood dish this hound has ever had,” says roejimmy.
Peach Farm also validates parking at nearby 40 Beach Street.
Peach Farm [Chinatown]
4 Tyler Street, Boston
617-482-1116
Board Links: Peach Farm Hits Another HR
Great Night at Peach Farm
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Tagged with: boston, restaurants and bars, peach farm, chinatown, chinese
Millet Beignets and Peanutty Stew
Lots of reports are in about Teranga, a newish Senegalese joint. A hound favorite is the mafe, a lamb stew with starchy vegetables in peanut sauce. Aromatherapy says it’s “all about the sauce,” which has some smokiness and isn’t overwhelmingly peanutty. galangatron says it’s creamy and “wonderful over jasmine rice.”
Also of note are the interesting desserts. There are millet beignets with crème anglaise and a citrus sauce, which Aromatherapy says are expertly fried and not too sweet. BarmyFotheringayPhipps says the couscous pudding with tropical fruits is “probably my favorite dessert I have ever had at a restaurant in Boston.” There’s also an elusive sorrel crème brûlée that seems to sell out fast.
Teranga [South End]
1746 Washington Street, Boston
617-266-0003
Board Links: Teranga report
Teranga….has anyone been yet?
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Tagged with: boston, restaurants and bars, teranga, biegnet, senegal, senegalese
Boston's Best Pork Dishes
Hounds have been chatting about the best pork preparations in Boston. Some of their suggestions include:
• The roast pork sandwich at J Pace & Son, made with “beautifully moist roast pork piled on that awesome Pace Italian roll,” and great with pickles and peppers, says Carty. “Be warned: there has got to be a pound of pork in this behemoth.”
• Spicy steamed pork ribs with rice flour at Chung Shin Yuan (weekend lunch only).
• Anything with pork in it at FuLoon, like the “dong po pork belly dish … melt-in-your-mouth sinful & scrumptious!” says Taralli.
• The baby pig special, Fridays only, at Scampo.
• The pork chop with vinegar peppers at Vinny’s At Night in Somerville.
• And the pad ga pow moo krob (crispy fried pork belly in chili sauce) at S&I Thai in Allston.
J Pace & Son [Various Locations]
325 Main Street, Saugus
781-231-9599
Chung Shin Yuan [Newton]
183 California Street, Newton
617-964-0111
FuLoon [Malden]
375 Main Street, Malden
781-388-3338
Scampo [West End]
215 Charles Street, Boston
617-536-2100
Vinny’s At Night [Somerville]
76 Broadway, Somerville
617-628-1921
S&I Thai [Allston]
168-A Brighton Avenue, Allston
617-254-8488
Board Link: Pork and Pork
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Tagged with: boston, restaurants and bars, pork, pig, oink, j pace and son, chung xin yuan, fuloon, scampo, vinny's at night, s&i; thai, chung shin yuan
Skate Wing with Elastic Noodles
Korean Garden is doing the best version of hoe naengmyeon (marinated skate wing with elastic noodles) in the Boston area, says another_adam. To make the dish well, another_adam says the noodles have to be cooked and chilled quickly or they get mushy and stick together. “The dish relies on a balance of textures and flavors (spicy chewy cartilage of the skate, sweet pear, crunchy radish and cucumbers, elastic noodles, side accompaniment of refreshing icy beef broth), and I’ve found some places in Boston omit one component or other, esp. the pear.”
Overall, Korean Garden got all the toppings in and the combination right, though the noodles were a bit overdone and stuck together. “The portion was also extremely generous!”
Korean Garden [Allston]
122 Harvard Avenue, Allston
617-562-8288
Board Link: Traditional Korean Food
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Tagged with: boston, restaurants and bars, korean garden, allston, skate wing, elastic noodles, hoe naengmyeon, sweet pear, radish, cucumber, beef broth
