BostonFoodGuy

Yea yea, full of pols and Suffolk University kids – what’s a worse mix I know.  But to be honest you could do a lot worse for pub food and an authentic atmosphere.  Yes the bar and dining area have undergone a renovation (like a few years ago) and no it’s no longer the Golden Dome, but the updated menu is much better.  I have to admit, fantastic sliders and the beer prices are also very good.  So you’ll have to walk around some lobbyists and low level bureaucrats to grab a seat at the bar, but all in all it’s worth it for some quick pub food at very good prices.  Try the potato soup.

You’ll drive right  by this local favorite in Tewskbury if you weren’t looking for it.  This place is a classic case of don’t judge a book by its cover.  The item to get here are the soups – most made on the premises while other s – well they are still good even if they aren’t.  They have over 12 at any given time – and that’s what counts.  Even a steak bomb soup… yum.  Yea they offer sandwiches and salads and even some fried clams – but trust us – this dive is worth the drive if you in the mood for some fantastic soup.  It’s just plain good.  The Formica tables and odd benches don’t make for great atmosphere – but the soups speaks for itself.   Check it out.

Wow – that’s what I said when I stepped out of Mare.  Frank DePasquale knows what he’s doing.  If you are a seafood lover – there are only two places to go in the North End – Neptunes and Mare.  Mare certainly is more upscale – with lovely atmosphere.  I almost felt like I was underwater with the very tasteful decorations and lighting.  It’s amazing what good lighting does for the mood.  Anyway, the wine list is top notch as you would expect, and the food – just fantastic.

Apparently Mare was Boston’s first all natural organic restaurant – that’s cool I guess.  I mean, I only care if it tastes great and it does.  We started with the pan seared scallops – cooked perfectly with a nice subtle flavoring.  I took a chance on the fennel halibut – I love halibut but typically I’m not a big fennel fan, but this was divine.  Again it was very light – but filled with almost a rustic flavor – wonderful.

The service was also quite good – always ready to help which is what I like when I go to a nice restaurant.  Anyway as you can tell I am a huge fan of Mare – and I know it’ s not all the surprising as other critics have lavished it with praise since it opened in 2005, but trust me you won’t be disappointed.

The perfect pickle.  That’s how I would describe Grillo’s pickles which you can pick up at the crazy low price of 2 spears for $1.  Yea that’s right for one buck.  I’ve paid more for a pack of gum.

Anyway, the price doesn’t matter.  Eating a Grillo’s pickle is like having a taste of a fresh garden – it’s crisp – it’s light – it’s seasoned perfectly and most of all it’s refreshing.  I have had both the ‘hot’ pickle and the ‘regular’ – I am a huge fan of spicy foods and this hot pickle is just hot enough to get you thinking about it.  Great job.  But the highlight is the regular – with fresh herbs and a wonderful fresh taste – it’s like the standard that all other pickles shall be judged. All of this and the guy is selling them out of a cart no less… crazy.

So you out there – if you are by Park Street this summer – head over and splurge on a fantastic pickle.

Yes – this isn’t a restaurant review – instead its something that I’ve seen popping up at bars and restaurants lately and that I just had to write about – it’s Mayflower Pale Ale. Maybe I missed it all of these years, or maybe they are just doing a better job getting it out at places – but to be honest I didn’t know about this great local beer until a few months ago. I’ve had it now on draft and in bottles – and let me tell you – if you are a fan of a good full flavored ale – the Mayflower Pale Ale is a fantastic choice. It complements two things very well, one a big plate of fish and chips (because of its nice full and rich flavor) and two – grilling. Well I know any beer helps with the grill – but it’s a nice aromatic and yet smooth beer that can cut through the smoke and BBQ mishaps that happen. So if you see it out at a bar – give Mayflower Pale Ale a try – you won’t be disappointed – plus you’ll be helping a local company out as well – and that’s good.

We had high hopes for this place, given that it’s supposedly the “hot spot” in Hingham. The place was packed and even though we had a reservation we had to wait a good 30 minutes to sit. The wine was good, the food was good, but the service was not at all what I would have expected (especially for the prices). Really, the only thing this place has going for it is the atmosphere. The food was okay, but there are plenty of other places in Hingham and elsewhere where you can get better food, much better service, and better value. All in all, nothing to write home about.

Living on the North Shore, my boyfriend and I try out different restaurants as often as we can. Frankly, local restaurants present a challenge in several departments; consistency, creativity, quality and just plain lack of interest.  We have been to Three Cod several times, and aside from a great chowder (if you like it made with cream) , the rest of the menu is uninspiring.  It offers up the typical bar/casual dining fare, trying to distinguish the dishes with local, cutesy names.  We keep going back hoping it will improve since it has a fairly decent bar atmosphere.  We never eat in the dining area though the menu is the same.  That seems to attract a more “mature” clientele.  Still, the food is fairly mediocre.  The batter on the fried food is bland and on each occasion the food was not crispy.  On almost all visits the food was just warmish which only emphasized the so-so-ness of it all.  It’s a shame, since with a little more effort it could be so much better.  You just get the sense they’re in a rut and stopped caring that much.  Of course the drinks are big and strong which you would expect with the owners being ex-Maddies bartenders.  Service is friendly enough, but again, sort of a “whatever” approach. C’mon people! You could and should be a great neighborhood place!

Always a fan of Restaurant Week, we chose Gaslight in the South End last night to see if it lived up to the hype many of my friends had built for it. And in many ways, it did. First, the atmosphere. This place is very cool – the bar got packed by later in the evening and the dining room was full from the beginning, so yes it was Restaurant Week, but make a reservation. The rooms are very “warm,” and the service was great, so thumbs up there. I was a bit nervous reading the menu, since I honestly didn’t know what half of the descriptions of the dishes actually meant. (This is a French restaurant, so the menu isn’t in French, but the descriptions were nothing I had ever heard before.) However, I was pleasantly surprised with the food. I had some sort of an onion appetizer that was very strong in its sauce, but tastier than I expected. Others at the table had the parsnip soup, which they loved. For the main meal I had a pasta with shrimp, which was delicious. The pasta had to have been homemade, since it was so light and fresh – and it was great. The beef brisket that others had was a big hit; they loved the cabbage on the plate.

All in all, this place lived up to its hype. Don’t be scared by the menu – they know how to put an experience together.

This one will be short – as I really don’t have many good things to say about the Red Hat.  Our jalapeno poppers were still frozen in the middle – totally gross.  Our service was extremely slow – even though it was at lunch time and maybe 8 other people were in the entire place.  My fries were cold and the pub food – was well – standard pub food.  Nothing special.  Yea I get it – all of you Suffolk and Emerson kids will be all mad that I’m hating on your ‘trivia’ spot with great 10 cent wings… but come on – live a little – go to a better bar with better beer prices with better food.   

So you are probably asking the same question that I did 0 the Bell in Hand serves food?  Yea they do – but don’t get too excited – no one is heading to here to get the Sam Adams burger or to munch on the popcorn shrimp.

So let’s all be honest here, you should go the the Bell in Hand to see drunk college kids and adults from the suburbs on a night out on the town – and enjoy the good beer selection.  But truth be told – as harsh as I sound – the bar service actually is typically pretty good (before it gets waaaay too crowded).  So avoid this place like the plague on a Sat Night unless you are a girl who already has on her tight black pants looking for some dude that works on State Street to wisk you off of your feet.

This place to me is always better as a lunch spot – great location to grab a brew and talk to some old friends.