As a naitve Lowellian I've always known that the city has one of the largest populations of southeast asians and is spotted thorughout with restaurants offering authentic cusine from this cultually rich and exotic area of the world. However, It wasn't until recently that i came to the realization that i have yet to really try any of it (save for one time about nine years ago when i went to Vietnamese buffet, tried some hot sauce, and burned my taste buds into blackened specks barely able to feel the gallons off water that washed over them for the subsequesnt three hours). : )
In an effort to rectify this agregious oversight i decided on Pho Da Lat (1575 Middlesex Street). The ambiance is absolutely Vietnam in its feel. Quaint, friendly and more laid back than any chinese restaurant i've tried to date. We were greeted immediately by waters with lemon slices. I don't know exaclty why, but there is just something about that extra flare that provides a sense of genuine hospitality to me. It just says "welome". The menu offers a wide variety of dishes, that include vegetarian, beef, chicken, pork and, of course, seafood of all types (lobster anyone?). They have a few "bizarre food" offerings such as stripped duck feet and jellyfish soup. Our tastes being more Bourdain than Zimmerman, my companion and i decided to stick with the more conventional options. They offer Vietnamese and Chinese cusine but the Chinese aspects have a very Vietnamese twist. For example, the wonton soup contains more scallions than any won ton i've had, onions are added which, along with the thinly sliced chicken seems to make it a more hybrid Pho dish than strictly won ton. The spring rolls are not the deepfried grease sticks we're accustomed to but vermicelli and vegetables rolled in a thin rice wrap, served with a sweet, delicous peanut sauce that has to be tasted to be believed. The entrées are served in moderate portions but priced accordingly. I noticed a lot of onions in these various selections. Me like. You gotta appreciate the French influence on Vietnamese food (after all there would be no Pho without it). The lemon-grass beef was served with a good portion of peppers, onions and an every-so-slightly spicy sauce with an understated sweetness that compliments each other like yin and yang on the saturated pallett. My companion had the chicken and Chinese brocolli with a rather bland sauce in my view, but she liked it. The chinese broccolli looks like spinach on a stem but tastes more like celery in its after taste and is just as crisp. Both dishes were served with a nice ball of rice that can be broken up easily and eaten with chopsticks. Oh yeah, i can rock those! Though i did not partake this time out they serve alcohol and have a nice wine selection.
I would definitely recommend this place for first timers to the world of authentic souteast asian food. A nice place to start transiton from typically american chinese food to more genuine asian cusine. I liked it...da lat!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Grendel's Den Restaurant & Bar
Being a commuter from outside Boston i find it very hard to be able to enjoy Harvard Square. When i drive through i feel like i'm in China or Vietnam....with ivy. Pedestrians and bicyles rule the road and anyone in a car is merely in the way. The trek through this flood of people to Grendel's Den on this thursday night made me feel like Beowolf...only i wanted to tear my own arm off and swat people out of the way with it.
Nevertheless, Grendel's (89 Winthrop Street) is a cozy, laid back place with a pseudo bohemian vibe. An okay place for small gatherings or flying solo and running in to an eclectic variety of people. However we were a part of a group of 25 and those among us who were forced to stand due to lack of seating were made to feel like they were in the way. We kept getting told to clear a path near the doorway. Understandable but its the only place they COULD stand. The waitress was freindly, patient and professional. She accomodated our group of 25 well. I dont think any of us waited longer than 3 minutes for a drink.
This was also my first uni-sex bathroom experience. I am a little perplexed as to the protocol of such an arrangment. The doors are marked "either" and "or". When i entered one and saw a girl coming out of a stall i wondered if "either" i should stay "or" go. If its not locked is it ok to stay and..er...go, or walk back out? Not sure. This was later made somewhat less vague when two girls entered as a dried my hands and proceeded immeditaly to their respective stalls without dely. Certainly a thought provoking arrangment that breaks down traditonal boundries between the sexes.
The biggest problem i have with Grendel's is that they promote Paulaner's Oktoberfest quite prominately on their website. That that tall frothy-topped glass of golden brew displayed so enticingly on thier site was the only beverage that i looked forward to experiencing that night. When i asked the waitress for one she looked at me as though she had no idea what i was talking about. She directed me to a beverage menu with no Paulaner Oktoberfest even displayed on it! I asked if they even serve it and just got a sort of shrug.
I have since learned that the Paulener Oktoberfest is no longer displayed on the website and there is a fine Franziskaner now being served. Our waitress was hired before the switch from the Paulaner to Franziskaner. I should also mention the other fine selections such as Dead Man Rogue and a rare personal favorite, Honey Brown at a very reasonable $3 a bottle.
The owner, Kari, was kind enough to provide some feedback on my concerns. She seems to care very much about the reputation of her business and the experience of her customers which has had a positive impact on me. I'm sure my next visit will be even better when all the Harvard freshmen parents have split!
Nevertheless, Grendel's (89 Winthrop Street) is a cozy, laid back place with a pseudo bohemian vibe. An okay place for small gatherings or flying solo and running in to an eclectic variety of people. However we were a part of a group of 25 and those among us who were forced to stand due to lack of seating were made to feel like they were in the way. We kept getting told to clear a path near the doorway. Understandable but its the only place they COULD stand. The waitress was freindly, patient and professional. She accomodated our group of 25 well. I dont think any of us waited longer than 3 minutes for a drink.
This was also my first uni-sex bathroom experience. I am a little perplexed as to the protocol of such an arrangment. The doors are marked "either" and "or". When i entered one and saw a girl coming out of a stall i wondered if "either" i should stay "or" go. If its not locked is it ok to stay and..er...go, or walk back out? Not sure. This was later made somewhat less vague when two girls entered as a dried my hands and proceeded immeditaly to their respective stalls without dely. Certainly a thought provoking arrangment that breaks down traditonal boundries between the sexes.
The biggest problem i have with Grendel's is that they promote Paulaner's Oktoberfest quite prominately on their website. That that tall frothy-topped glass of golden brew displayed so enticingly on thier site was the only beverage that i looked forward to experiencing that night. When i asked the waitress for one she looked at me as though she had no idea what i was talking about. She directed me to a beverage menu with no Paulaner Oktoberfest even displayed on it! I asked if they even serve it and just got a sort of shrug.
I have since learned that the Paulener Oktoberfest is no longer displayed on the website and there is a fine Franziskaner now being served. Our waitress was hired before the switch from the Paulaner to Franziskaner. I should also mention the other fine selections such as Dead Man Rogue and a rare personal favorite, Honey Brown at a very reasonable $3 a bottle.
The owner, Kari, was kind enough to provide some feedback on my concerns. She seems to care very much about the reputation of her business and the experience of her customers which has had a positive impact on me. I'm sure my next visit will be even better when all the Harvard freshmen parents have split!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
My digital foray
I am a Gen-Xer. I grew up in a time when personal computers were a new rarity and fascinating novelty. The closest I ever came was the Vic-20, now on display at the Smithsonian next to mimiograph. All my social networking took place at the local roller-skating rink. The world wide web was a twinkle in Al Gore's eye. In high school the mobile device of choise was the pager (available in every color of the rainbow!). I still don't fully understand why a fourteen to seventreen year old felt like they needed a pager like they were a doctor on call....Anyway, the whole point is that having grown up on the cusp of the digital age, in an era where these things seemed more a novelty as opposed to neccesity (and to be quite honest nerdy), a feel as i am being dragged to a party i was indifferent to attending in the first place. Given all that, during my short time in the electronic/digital/soical networking i have found these mediums to have an inherent value my indifference kept me form preceiving. I even saw blogging as a sort of self-agrandizing narcissistic exercise. This blog is about my experience, my trepidation and my love/hate relationship with all of this. I am coming along however. You can let go of me now.
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The place was hard to find for a first timer. Its in the Copley Plaza Mall but not listed anywhere on the mall directory (however my date, a regular Boston sherpa, guided the way).
The service was practically non-existent save for the attentive busboy who constantly filled our water glasses. Once our food was put in front of us our waitress "s'Kieru'd." Even when we were clearly done and ready for our check she was no where to be seen. I actually had to ask the busboy if he could get the check.
The music they played was confusingly eclectic. At first it was some great 70's classic rock that had me bobbing my head, but as the night progressed they did a 180 to some light classical stuff. That left me.... scratching my head.
All that aside we came here for good sushi and got great sushi.
We started with the edamame...salted soybeans...m'eh. They were somewhat appetizing however. When it comes to sushi (and food in general really) i prefer a combination of textures. For that reason their spicy tuna is tops. Prepared with cucumber, spicy aioli, a sweet potato crisp, and cho-jung sauce it was symphony of texture and flavor for my pallett. Secondly, we had the very good and very well presented spicy scallop dish with scallions. The long stems shooting out the top, while also eye-appealing, provided plenty of veggie crunch to off-set the soft mollusk. We also had the oyster dish, which was rather squishy and textually not my thing, but hey, they're oysters...so they tasted great. Finally we ordered something called Mysai on Fire (not sure if i'm spelling it right). This is served with almond slices, adding just the right amount of crispiness that i thought balanced the dish very well in flavor as well as texture. The spicy sauce for this dish is served over the sushi as opposed to underneath and more generous in its amount. Each spicy sauce had its own unique flavor as well. From the cinnamony tuna dish to the the more tangy Mysai dish each came at the pallett in its delectable own way. Truth be told, with all the spicy-ness, it was a puzzle figuring out which dish was what at first and i think my date and i still disagree (i'm right).
So if you're willing to get lost, be ignored, and get seasick from the various musical tide-changes to enjoy some great sushi...this is the place for you.