FOOD!

[philip nod]

nice, hope to have him make me one. oldest friend in existence known him since i was five

[Chinorlz]

I had an amazing lentil and tasso ham soup last night at Icarus in Boston. Awesome!
It was spicey, hardy and elegant at the same time.

nice! Never had their food... just drank (excessively) there back in the day hahaha

[Real Real]

i have to make it out to new york...

re: momofuku bakery/milk bar, nice find ^. kimchi foccacia, miso cornbread? sounds intriguing.

anyways, how about LA - favorite sushi? i haven't been to Urasawa; while i'd love to, i'm not at the point where i can justify spending that much on one meal yet. i think Sushi Zo is very, very good, and Sushi Sushi is very traditional and very good as well. i'm looking for something not as expensive as Urasawa, but am hoping i can add some others to the list besides Zo and Sushi Sushi. when i go to Sushi Sushi, i wear Volga Volga, but that's besides the matter. any rec's for sushi in LA?

Sushi Nozawa, out in Studio City, might be your best bet for- in an innocuous strip mall, but the food is good.

Anyone have any Boston recommendations - not for sushi, just for food in general? Just moved here a couple of weeks ago.

[reborn]

Sushi Nozawa, out in Studio City, might be your best bet for- in an innocuous strip mall, but the food is good.

Anyone have any Boston recommendations - not for sushi, just for food in general? Just moved here a couple of weeks ago.

Brasserie Jo
Legal Seafood (it's a chain, but its consistently good)
B.Good (the burgers are great)

Which hood are you in?

[Real Real]

The eastern part of Somerville, actually. Legal Seafood is pretty good, I agree. Walked by Brasserie Jo over the weekend.

I've been to Eastern Standard a couple of times already, and it seems like a good standby. Went to Grill 23 for a steak. Had drinks at a place called "Drink', which, despite the stupid name, is a great cocktail bar.

[reborn]

The eastern part of Somerville, actually. Legal Seafood is pretty good, I agree. Walked by Brasserie Jo over the weekend.

I've been to Eastern Standard a couple of times already, and it seems like a good standby. Went to Grill 23 for a steak. Had drinks at a place called "Drink', which, despite the stupid name, is a great cocktail bar.

Chez Henri near Harvard/Porter Square edge is an awesome Cuban/French brasserie. Diva in Davis has great Indian food. Anna's Taqueria is always standby...there's also a BBQ place in Davis Square...

Not as familiar with Somerville as with BackBay (my former hood).

[Real Real]

Chez Henri near Harvard/Porter Square edge is an awesome Cuban/French brasserie. Diva in Davis has great Indian food. Anna's Taqueria is always standby...there's also a BBQ place in Davis Square...

Not as familiar with Somerville as with BackBay (my former hood).

Yeah, I've been to a few places in Somerville, I think I have a good idea of what's available in Cambridge/Somerville. That BBQ place is Redbones...I don't think the food's very good, but the beer selection is solid (Boston has nothing on Philly when it comes to beer).

[ddohnggo]

chez henri is good.

punjabi dhaba in inman sq. has the best valued indian food.

rf o'sullivan's by porter exchange has the best burgers

agreed, anna's is very reliable.

fugakyu in coolidge corner is good for sushi. oishii is supposed to be better, but i never went.

zaftigs in coolidge and sound bites in somerville (by tufts, my old joint) are great for brunch.

if you don't mind spending more money, l'espelier was the best dinner i had in boston.

[reborn]

chez henri is good.

punjabi dhaba in inman sq. has the best valued indian food.

rf o'sullivan's by porter exchange has the best burgers

agreed, anna's is very reliable.

fugakyu in coolidge corner is good for sushi. oishii is supposed to be better, but i never went.

zaftigs in coolidge and sound bites in somerville (by tufts, my old joint) are great for brunch.

if you don't mind spending more money, l'espelier was the best dinner i had in boston.

...Clio is better.

Casa Romero (in Back Bay) for great sitdown upscale mexican.
There are tons of ethnic eateries in Central Square...Also tons of great bistros in the South End (...just had that great lentil and tasso ham soup at Icarus)

Boston House of Pizza (on Huntington has great cheap pizza)
Via Via on Stuart Street in Back Bay also for pizza

[ddohnggo]

i always liked pinnochio's and armandos (both in cambridge) for pizza.

[Chinorlz]

I was always an Upper Crust pizza fan :)

I'll contribute soon to the Boston list

I lived 1 block up the street from Eastern Standard... loved that place. They took risks with the menu in terms of what they'll serve (offal for example) and I loved it. Fresh oysters as well and a good staff.

[reborn]

I was always an Upper Crust pizza fan :)

I'll contribute soon to the Boston list

I lived 1 block up the street from Eastern Standard... loved that place. They took risks with the menu in terms of what they'll serve (offal for example) and I loved it. Fresh oysters as well and a good staff.

Upper Crust

[Chinorlz]

Upper Crust

Hell yeah! Prices are a bit high when you start adding your own toppings but my god... totally worth it!

Here's my list of the places I frequented. Some are more local, others are well known:

Tapas:
Taberna De Haro- Just a short walk from Kenmore Sq, or you can hop on the green line to get to it. Fuck ALL the other tapas places this one beats all of them. Husband and wife run, one or both is always there. Professional, attentive, dishes are actually made to order in small batches. Great unlisted specials (including baby eels sometimes) and very reasonable prices. Two favorites there are the artichoke hearts with garlic and the garlic chicken.

Chinese Food:
In chinatown, dim sum at China Pearl, good authentic cheap Taiwanese eats at Taiwan Cafe. The latter is cash only but EVERYTHING is delicious. I ate there at least once a week.

Not too expensive Continental/American:
Eastern Standard is a solid one.

The Butcher Shop in the South End is an awesome date spot and just all around cool place. The owner also has a chef/serious cooker oriented grocery store Plum Produce which is nearby. Microgreen and truffles and everything in between.

Over closer to you in Harvard Square I like Z-Square, and OM is a fun place for drinks. If you've just dumped all your funds on your HG, then go to Grendel's Den across from Om and eat a dirt ass cheap dinner with beer.

For seafood, I always went to The Daily Catch. Not the other branches, but only the small one on Hanover St. in the North End. Cash only as well and you probably have to eat early unless you want to stand in a line. Ultrafresh calamari, seafood in general. A serious favorite.

Pricey but good:
Oishii in the South End. My most decadent meal to date. You can eat for cheap or expensive. Very well made dishes and ultrafresh sushi from all parts of the world.

Like Joey said, L'Espalier (I heard they moved or are going to move from their current location).

Aujourd'hui at the 4 seasons is a city staple, so is The Federalist...
Clio is solid from what I've been told (again... lived 1 block away and always just watched the cooks work in the kitchen... and the anti-foie gras protestors outside hahaha) and Uni is supposed to be solid as well.

Drinking:
For serious beer consumption, Anam Cara is THE place. Sunset Grill in Allston also has a massive amount, but Anam Cara is a serious beer drinker's mecca.

My favorite place to go out to both for a good time and for good drinks is Middlesex Lounge by MIT... also The Last Drop right before the Mass Ave bridge on the Boston side is a lovely dive bar. My buddies now also go to The Lower Depths ($1 fenway dogs at the bar) by my old apt now too.

If you're going for a trashy hilarious night, scorpion bowls at The Hong Kong either in Harvard Sq or (*shudder*) Quincy Market is drunk fun.


On fridays and weekends, there's a good sized farmers market at Haymarket. Super cheap produce and abusive sellers... gotta love it!

On the cheap:
Anna's Taqueria. Nuff said.

[Chinorlz]

oh yeah and for clothing shopping... it's all pretty much worthless except:

Alan Bilzerian
The Closet (consignment... some gems to be had including Carpe every so often)
Barneys
Stel's (if you like those brands)

At least those were the places that I ended up going to almost exclusively after a while.... Stel's also has free copies of Vice and a superfriendly bulldog so that's cool with me too :)

[Real Real]

Great list, Chinorlz, thank you. I'm surprised that there's a place here that has baby eels (real $80 a serving angulas?), but, that sounds great.

Haven't gone to Stel's or the Closet. Riccardis is 95% bad (a lot of D&G and Dsquared), but they had a pretty nice selection of Margiela, Junya, and CdG...well organized and helpful people, also.