Zoe's Chinese Restaurant Review - Somerville, MA

Zoe's Chinese Restaurant is an authentic Sichuan restaurant in Somerville. In case you're wondering about the name, (gee, Zoe's doesn't sound Chinese?) it is actually named for the owner's daughter, Zoe. The restaurant is a little run down on the outside but the food is excellent.

The waiting area:


A local haunt for Chinese students in Cambridge (we were brought here by a friend from Sichuan), Zoe's is on par with the other Sichuan restaurants in the area like Sichuan Garden and Sichuan Gourmet.

My favorite dish at Zoe's is the tea smoked mushrooms with pork (cha shu gu?). I haven't seen the latter dish at any other Sichuan restaurant in town. The tea mushrooms are really long, a little crunchy, and stir fried with shredded pork. I love the texture hehe though I don't know if it's for everyone. I can't seem to find the name of the dish online but I think it's near the bottom of the page on the menu in the pork section.

Some other dishes we usually get are the double cooked pork, hot and sour sliced potatoes with chili peppers, fish fillet in chili sauce (water cooked?), and the tea smoked duck.

Here's what we had when we were there recently. There's the tea smoked mushrooms on the right, the beefy looking dish is tripes, and the last dish is the braised fish Sichuan Style.


Chomp Meter:
Oh Yum! Bring on the spicy stuff. Where Zoe shines is of course the more authentic dishes. Try what I've recommended above, or ask the servers for recommendations. Be adventurous!

Zoe's Gourmet Chinese Restaurant
289 Beacon St
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 864-6265

Shabu Zen Review - Allston, MA - Order like a Pro

Shabu Zen is on our restaurant repeat list. As the weather gets colder, it'll be nice to head here for some steaming hot shabu shabu. Of course you'll come out smelling like the broth, but it'll be all worth while :)

We've mastered the art of ordering at Shabu Zen. On our first visit, we were amateurs, each ordering main courses off the set menu. We then spied the next table feasting away on a variety of ala carte items that looked much better than what we had!

Ok so here's what you should do the next time you are at Shabu Zen. Pick a meat item from the ala carte menu (the rib eye is delicious and tender but also more expensive). The chicken is cheaper (only $5.95). Now here's where the fun begins, you can proceed to order assorted sides that range between $2 and $5.

These include vermicelli, soba, tofu, and assorted vegetables. I usually get the tripe, fish paste (really good), assorted tofu, enoki mushrooms, veggie of the day, and the beef balls. I am also partial to the herbal broth though the kim chee one has a spicy kick. You can see the Shabu Zen menu here.

You cook the items yourself:



Chomp Meter:
One of the top restaurants in town for Shabu Shabu. Another option is Kaze Shabu Shabu in Chinatown. The quality and price is similar to Shabu Zen. There's also Shabu Shabu Toki in Allston. Shabu Shabu Toki is fancier and also serves yakitori but the price point is higher than Shabu Zen without significant added value. Perhaps they should loose the shabu shabu and focus on the yakitori since Boston has no yakitori restaurants.

Shabu Zen - Chinatown
16 Tyler St
Boston, MA 02111
Phone: (617) 292-8828

Shabu Zen - Allston
80 Brighton Avenue
Allston, MA 02134
Phone: 617.782.8888

The Shabu Zen Allston branch has parking in the back (limited) and it's somewhat easier to find parking compared to Chinatown. The restaurant is also bigger with 2 large dining rooms. There's usually no wait.

Vino Divino Review, Newton, MA - My Favorite Wine Boutique

Do you ever feel overwhelmed when you step into a wine or alcohol shop? I do.

I never know where to start and walk aimlessly through stores without knowing what to buy. Well, this is no longer a problem at Vino Divino. I've been frequenting Vino Divino for a few years now and love their small yet comprehensive selection. I think it's the layout of the store which is uncluttered and makes for easy browsing.


Source: Photo courtesy of Raphael K (VD's owner) from Yelp.

Vino Divino offers wines from all over the world (Italy, Australia, South Africa) which are displayed with a point rating system. The owners at Vino Divino research wines rated by various sources like Wine Spectator and taste the ones rated between 85-100 points. They then select from these to bring you the best tasting and best valued wines. The store's concept is created with the consumer in mind and is affordable luxury at it's best.

Vino Divino also offers a card with information about the wine with every purchase. I really like that since you can remember the wines you like and quickly refer to it for pairings. The wine cards are also a good marketing tool for the shop, especially when given as gifts!

Here's what one of the cards look like:

Source: Photo from Vino Divino's website.

Chomp Meter Review:
I highly recommend Vino Divino. The store makes wine shopping so simple. Vino Divino is right across the road from Whole Foods in Newton Center. I've never gotten a bad bottle of wine here. The owners are also extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Stop by and give them some support!

Vino Di Vino
899 Walnut Street
Newton · MA · 02461
617-527-VINO (617-527-8466)
877-8DIVINO (877-834-8465)

Hours
Mon to Saturday: 10am - 8.30pm
Sundays: 1-6pm
Tastings on Saturday from 1-5pm

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

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

Back to Oga's for Sushi

I realize I have said this many times before, so what is another time? Oga's in Natick ( Metrowest ) is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in the area. It serves well cut, fresh, traditional sushi in a nice restaurant setting.

We were craving sushi and headed there last weekend. Parking is easy at Oga and it beats navigating the traffic in Boston. We stuck to our tried and true strategy. Ask the waitress what sushi specials they have and order them. Here's what we got: abalone sushi ( awabi ), california uni, wild yellowtail, and a different type of japanese clam (help I don't remember the name!). We also got our staples, natto maki, Oga's makes the best, and a spicy tuna roll.

I thought the abalone was cut very well this time. Crunchy and with a mild flavor, similar to mirugai (geoduck). The clam was extremely chewy and I'm not sure I liked it. The uni and yellow tail were very good too. I like the way sushi is cut at Oga's. The grain of the fish is right so you don't have weird cartilage. The slices are just the right size and you can actually eat it in 2 bites if you want (though I know this is not how it's eaten).

The spread:


Close up of the clam. Looks amazingly fresh and succulent!


For appetizers we got fried oysters and hotategai.

I loved the fried oysters:


The hotategai was delicious. It reminds me of "Japanese Western" food since it's made with scallops, mayo and a layer of cheese on top. I wish there were Japanese Western restaurants in Boston, though I suppose the food stands at Porter Exchange may be considered western.



Here is a tomato appetizer we got from the fusion menu from another visit. Isn't it pretty?


Oh yes, and we spied Mr Oga working the sushi bar today! Perhaps that's why the sushi was particularly good that day.

Chomp Meter:
My staple Japanese sushi place. In my opinion, one of Boston's best. The menu's changed a little since we last visited. The hot appetizers weren't as varied as before and some fusion dishes were added as well. I've had the fusion dishes a couple times. In general, they're good but not phenomenal.

Here are my other recommendations for Oga's:

* Salmon Avocado Salad - The Oga's version is excellent.

* Lunch sushi or sashimi special - Great value for money at $12 per set. It comes with salad, soup, a dim sum item, and fruit. This value and price can't be beaten.

* Natto Maki of course

* Sushi Dinner

Oga's Japanese Cuisine
915 Worcester Rd
Natick, MA 01760
(508) 653-4338