Savory and Sweet at Pie Bakery and Cafe - Newton Center, MA

Pie Bakery and Cafe has been in Newton Center for about a year now. I like stopping by to get a snack. The cafe is pretty unique since it specializes in pies, both of the sweet and savory variety.



The menu at Pie Bakery and Cafe includes items like spinach and feta pie, chicken pot pie, macaroni and cheese pie, and an assortment of sweet pies like apple, pecan, strawberry rhubarb, banana cream, pumpkin. The only downside to ordering the savory pies is that it takes about 10 minutes for the pies to get heated in the oven.

I get a craving for "tea" in the afternoons so I got the banana cream pie and some earl grey. The banana creme pie was very light though I'd like it if the crust were a little more buttery. Overall it was good.



Chomp Meter Review:
Savory pies are not as popular in the U.S. as in Europe so this cafe certainly has a refreshing take on the traditional concept of pie here. It's a convenient place for pie and I'm even thinking of getting some here for Thanksgiving. Three chomps rating because not all the pies are terrific but thumbs up for variety and creativity. There's also free wifi but the coffee is only average. I'd get coffee from Peet's instead which is right next door.

Pie Bakery and Cafe
796 Beacon Street
Newton Center MA 02459
(617) 332-8743

The Breakfast Club in Allston - Not the Movie!

We were in Allston on Saturday to say goodbye to one of our cars. Sniff, car we will miss you. As we drove past The Breakfast Club, it looked fairly crowded so we decided to stop in for breakfast.



As the name suggests, The Breakfast Club is 80s themed complete with Madonna playing on the sound system. The menu has a school theme with items named "The Jock" and "The Janitor". We enjoyed sitting at the counter and watching the cooks at work. It was fascinating how they had the technique down to a science.



I got "The Jock" though I'm not sure why it's named so. "The Jock" is a healthy egg white omelette with tomato and broccoli. Wouldn't a jock have beef or bacon or something?




Chomp Meter:
This diner is pretty good if you are in the area. I liked that the eggs and home fries weren't too greasy so I didn't feel like I'd get a heart attack after leaving. As far as diners go, I still prefer Deluxe Diner in Watertown however which has more creative and better tasting fare.

The Breakfast Club
270 Western Ave
(between Riverdale St & Speedway Ave)
Allston, MA 02134

Sushi Man Review - Take Out Places in Newton MA

Whenever we are too lazy to drive further out, we head to Sushi Man in Newton off Route 9. The restaurant is a hole in the wall place with about 3 tables and seats at the sushi bar.

Sushi Man is run by a Japanese Chef and his Taiwanese wife. The sushi here is decent with some hits and misses. We usually get the chirashi set and a couple rolls. I'm not really a fan of the chirashi and I really don't know why we keep getting it. The slices of fish are cut too large and the fishy taste can get to be too much. Perhaps the chef is trying to be more like his competitor restaurant down the road?

Venus Roll (L) Chirashi (R)


Chomp Meter Review:
OK if you live in the area. There aren't many choices for sushi. The really like the Venus Rolls there (fresh scallops). The squid sashimi is also thinly sliced to enhance the taste.

Sushi Man
387 Boylston St
Newton Center, MA 02459
(617) 969-7878
Past the Chestnut Hill Mall on Rt.9

Monday Dinner @ Thai Thai Kitchen

If you live near Newton Center, you'll realize that there's a dearth of supermarkets in the area (with the exception of Whole Foods). There used to be an Omni and a Shaws, both of which are now closed. Thus our empty fridge.



Having run out of food, we decided to go to our staple take-out place, Thai Thai Kitchen. It's tucked away on one of the side streets in Newton Center and serves the usual Thai fare. I'm a Pad Ki Mow kind of girl so that's what I got. P got the Basil Fried Chicken.

Pad Kee Mow (L) Basil Fried Chicken (R)


Chomp Meter: It's no Dok Bua or Rod Dee but it serves up decent Thai food and is convenient. An added bonus is the ample parking for a hassle free pick up.


Thai Thai Kitchen
19 Pelham St
Newton, MA 02459
Phone: (617) 527-0285

Aroa Fine Chocolates - Nice concept but ...

Aroa Fine Chocolates is in the South End a couple doors down from Flour. I've been debating whether to try the chocolates at Aroa for a while now but the lack of people in the shop make me reconsider each time.

Anyway we finally checked it out last weekend. Aroa is more of a cafe/dessert shop that sells not just chocolates but also pastries, cakes, macarons, and jelly candies.

The chocolates:


The pastries:


The macarons:


The first thing I noticed was that the cakes didn't look as sophisticated for a fine pastry shop. The edges of the cream and sponge were not clean lines and looked amateurish. I have a weakness for cake so I tried a piece anyway. It tasted pretty good just didn't look as nice.

I also tried a piece of the stout chocolate. It was ok. I still love Kee's Chocolates from NYC (oh so good).

Though there were many flavors of French macaroons, the one I had was disgusting. The cookie part didn't taste fresh. The crust was too thick, not crispy on the outside and too chewy. It also tasted too sweet. (The flavor I got was the raspberry chocolate). I didn't try the others so I don't know if this was an exception ...

I stole a sip of the SO's hot chocolate. It was good but not L.A. Burdick good.

Aroa Fine Chocolates
1651 Washington St
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 425-4988



Chomp Meter:
I like that they had ample seating. Maybe I'll try one of the pastries next time. They have cute mini brioches and muffins etc. But with Flour right next door, I don't know if I'll take another chance on Aroa.

Cafe Casal

I stumbled into Cafe Casal last weekend as I waited for my car to be fixed. Not being that familiar with Inman Square I headed to whatever seemed crowded for some coffee and breakfast. And I'm glad I did.

This little cafe right next door to Muqueca is also Brazilian which I didn't realize before walking in. The decor is bare bones though they have plenty of seating and a TV. It reminded me of a school tuck shop. They serve an assortment of sodas and pastries/breads.

I was pretty excited to see that they had my favorite cheesy poofs aka cheese buns aka pão de queijo (according to wikipedia!). This brought back fond memories of my trip to Brazil. Coffee and cheesy puffs served after every meeting. In Brazil I noticed that coffee (at company events) was served in really tiny plastic cups. Like condiment sized cups. No idea why, but coffee is always welcome! Anyway I digress ....

Back to the cheesy poofs. They are really cheap at 3 for a dollar. On first bite they weren't as good as the ones I had before but they grew on me. In fact, when I was in Inman Square today (the ongoing car saga continues), I went in again and bought another 3. Restrained because I devoured a Zuger Kirsch earlier at L.A. Burdick's.

Here's the cheese buns photo. Forgot my camera so that's it :(



I also tried the egg custard they had (Pastel de nata). The custard was actually lemon flavored which I didn't expect. I would have preferred it plain. They also do a simple toasted Portuguese bread with butter. Pretty interesting and not what you usually get in the U.S.

Cafe Casal
1075 Cambridge St
Cambridge, MA 02139
(Inman Square)
(617) 576-2171




Chomp Meter:
Seems like a place where local Brazilians go. Not sure how good the pastries are but it's certainly interesting and the espresso (Brazilian Style) is decent. Do stop by if you are in the area. It'll be fun!

Johnny's Luncheonette

Sunday brunch was at Johnny's Luncheonette in Newton Center. We'd originally arranged to meet T and S at Chung Shing Yuan in Newtonville but the line was literally out the door and 20 people long (the students are back!) when they got there at 2pm so we decided to switch venues.



Johnny's is always a good place to go for brunch. In addition to breakfast fare, they have a whole lunch menu as well.

I like the corned beef hash at Johnny's but T's promised to take us to a place in Brookline with the BEST corned beef hash.


S and I shared the Blintzes. It was delicious, though it's hard to go wrong with lots of cheese, isn't it? :)


Belgian Waffles. This actually looks better than it tasted. The waffles could have been left on the pan a little longer.


Home fries, turkey links, and eggs over easy. Always a good choice.


Chomp Meter:
We frequent Johnny's quite a bit since we live in the area. The line isn't as bad if you go later (around 2) and parking is also fairly easy to find.

See Johnny's Luncheonette and other foodie finds on a map on Chompster.com

Johnny's Luncheonette
30 Langley Road
Newton Center MA
617 527 3223