Restaurant Reviews, Boston Cheap Eats, Boston Places to Eat

What’s with good Asian food in the suburbs? The crab rangoon are fantastic here – nice and crispy and not too greasy. The Pad Tai was – well good – nothing fantastic but nothing outstanding. The service was very good, very attentive and quick. Our sesame chicken was cooked very well with fresh veggies and a lighter sauce than typical. Overall due to the low prices I would certainly come back.

What else can be said about this Townie bar that hasn’t already been said? This is one of BostonFoodGuy’s favorite spots to go on a winter day, when it’s snowing outside and all you want is a Guiness and some chowder. The Warren Tavern offers some great deals on some traditional pub favorites like fish and chips, burgers, steak tips (the turkey tips are fantastic as well) and shepards pie. For apps, you need to try their homemade chips – very addictive and perfectly seasoned. All in all, this is such a familiar and cozy spot that it’s no wonder why it’s typically always pretty crowded. If you haven’t been to this spot in a while, it’s worth the tough parking to cozy up to the bar of this gem.

Hidden Gem alert. Even though Mai Place in Canton is in a strip mall, next to a ski outlet, it offers a memorable experience. For some reason the place hasn’t caught on yet, but it should and it will. The décor is very clean, and fits well. The whole place is very friendly and appealing. The menu is very diverse with a wonderful sushi bar near the front of the restaurant. The portions are large and the appetizers are wonderful, try the spring rolls. This is a must stop destination.

This hidden spot near the state house always seemed more of a lunch spot to me than a dinner place. Emmets seems to typically have a good crowd and good vibe every time I’ve been, and the staff has always been very friendly and quick to seat you. The beer selection is very good with a good mix of imports to wet your whistle. Some of the traditional Irish dishes like the Shepard’s pie are really very good, better than one might expect due to the prices. All in all this is a place that if you are looking for a pint near the state house and want to warm up with some good traditional comfort foods – it’s one of the best deals you’ll get for your money.

So what can I say about this outdoor dining spot in the middle of the tourist hotspot fanueil hall and Quincy market that hasn’t already been said? Maybe that it’s one of the better after work spots in Boston for a quick beer and 6 Island Creek Oysters – good deal on those oysters too. I guess for some reason this place gets overlooked and that’s too bad. The salmon BLT was cooked very well, and had a generous portion of fries, the chowder is decent nothing great but on the better side and everything from their fried clams to swordfish come out fine. The prices are decent – all in all a good pick for a great people watching, good cold beer and good seafood and good prices.

Come early and be prepared to wait at this popular hot spot in Brookline. But the menu is well worth it. I’ve only had the brunch there, but it was all I needed to give Zaftigs high marks. The omelets are above average, the potato pancakes are as delicious as you’d expect, and even the turkey sandwiches are better than what you’d make at home. The best thing on the menu, and the stand-out item, is the fruit-stuffed french toast. It really is as good as it sounds, but that’s also why it’s always packed. It’s a diner atmosphere, offering counter service as an alternative.

Max and Dylans has only been open since December 2008 and they are experiencing their growing pains. That being said they should be all set come summer 2009 as their menu and service has greatly improved and with it a solid price point. Max and Dylans is located right on the freedom trail by the end of the Charlestown bridge. The bar area is well laid out with nice cozy leather seats against the wall and comfortable high-top chairs. The service has been good, very fast food and drink orders and everything has come out great. They offer some great Mac and Cheese dinners, and some very solid flatbreads, but the best of the best is the Kobe beef meatloaf..at a great price point mind you. For an an try their dumplings, very tasty. All in all I have been impressed. Max and Dylans is owned by the same people that run Scolley Square and Tavern on the Water – you could think of Max and Dylans and right between those two for quality and service.

So, I  heard fantastic things about this place so I had to go give it a try.  If there is one thing the BostonFoodGuy loves, is a nice steak with a great bottle of red wine.  So a place named the Butcher Shop must be good right?  Plus it’s in the South End and super pricey and trendy so it must be good huh?

Well, first off while we were seated very quickly – the service to our table was very slow.  And I mean slow.

Then I looked at the menu, no steak.  I come to a butcher shop, and there is no pure steak on the menu… no chops, just fancy pate and foie grae – but nothing of real substance (I was hungry).  There was a steak sandwich type item which I ordered.

After we ordered our wine took forever to get to the table, and the wait started… after about an hour the hostess came over to apologize and gave us free appetizers because the meal was taking so long.  The wine still took over a 1/2 hour to get to our table – I mean it’s wine – it’s in a bottle – just open and pour.

Finally the meal came. Eh’ I’ve had a better steak sandwich at an Outback steakhouse (which is really really sad)- the meat was dry and tasteless – and the bread had no flavor.  Borrrrrring.  I felt cheated.  I just couldn’t believe how dry and chewy the steak was.

I don’t even know where to begin – I have never been more disappointed in a restaurant in all of Boston – (that’s not true the Legal Test Kitchen is right up there with disappointment).  I left hungry and angry.

I will never be going back to this place.

For the prices that they are asking the least they could do was have good service.  But my waiter was rude and unhelpful.  The hostess however was very nice and she was very apologetic.  The food,  very forgettable.

I know, some of you out there love this place.  I don’t get it.  Please tell me why you like it, because maybe I went on a bad night maybe the chef had a bad night I don’t know but as for me… I’ll always think of this place as one of the most overrated restaurants in the city.

So there is actually a good Mexican place in Southie? Yep, Salsa’s on the corner of West Broadway and East Broadway is a wonderfully good value Mexican joint. First of all the test for me for a good Mexican place is the guacamole, and Salsa’s doesn’t disappoint very fresh tasting and good texture made me very happy. The chicken chimichanga was excellent, friend to perfection and cheesy inside. Ok, so did I feel a little weird drinking a Margarita in southie, sure but after the first two I didn’t care anymore, wicked tasty. So parking is tough around this area but it’s worth it if you’re in the area.