Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Another New Review: Zaleks in Wakefield, MA

photo of Zaleks, Wakefield, MAYet one more new review is on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site. The restaurant, which is in Wakefield Center, is called the Zaleks. Hidden behind Main Street in Wakefield, Zaleks has the look of a sub shop but offers much more than your basic sandwich joint. They have everything from seafood to pizza to Greek entrees, and, of course, they have all kinds of sandwiches, including some of the best roast beef in the area.

Tags:

Poor Service, Good Ice Cream, and a Nearby Tornado at Manchester's Shady Glen

We were on our way back from Brooklyn yesterday and decided to find a place to eat just east of Hartford, Connecticut. I had been toying with the idea of driving around Tolland, Stafford Springs, Somers, or Vernon to find an interesting roadside restaurant, but we ended up going to Shady Glen in nearby Manchester instead. The service at Shady Glen was lacking, as we had to ask several times for our order of fries, finally canceling the order after we finished our meal, at which time our fries were brought over (we sent them back). The ice cream at Shady Glen almost made up for the subpar service, however, as it was some of the best I've had so far this year.

An interesting sidenote about our lunch at Shady Glen; apparently, just before we arrived at the restaurant, a tornado touched down in Somers, destroying some property (though fortunately not hurting anyone). We had noticed the sky getting dark to the north, but had no idea the weather was turning that severe. I guess that in retrospect it's a good thing we didn't decide to drive up to Somers for lunch!

Tags:

Friday, May 25, 2007

Excellent Mediterranean Food at Marco's, Lawrence

A group of us took advantage of the nice weather yesterday by eating outside at Marco's, which is an upscale Mediterranean restaurant along the canal just outside of downtown Lawrence.

Marco's used to be One Mill Street, a similar restaurant with decent food. The food we had to Marco's, however, seemed to be much better. The fried calamari was tender and delicious, which the hummus and baba ganouj were freshly made and nearly perfect. The steak tips that I had for my entree were better than most I've had, though not quite to the level of New Bridge Cafe in Chelsea (my favorite).

It's a shame that many people will never get to Marco's, partly because it is in Lawrence. But Lawrence has been coming back over the past few years, and the section of town where Marco's is really isn't that bad. Plus, where else can you enjoy upscale dining at an outdoor patio alongside a canal in the Boston area? Marco's is certainly worth checking out.

Tags:

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

A Sad Day Indeed: Ristorante Romanza in Providence Is Closed

Ristorante Romanza, which is an absolute favorite on Boston's Hidden Restaurants, has closed its doors. This romantic Providence restaurant was a classic place, with three fireplaces within the old rooms of the restaurant, and terrific Italian food that was also reasonably priced. It will be sorely missed...

If there is any good news in this, it is that the owners of Ristorante Romanza have another restuarant that remains open. It is called Il Piccolo, and it is in nearby Johnston, RI. I may take a trip down there this summer to check it out. If so, I'll report back to folks on the place.

Tags:

Latest Review: Waterfront Cafe in the North End of Boston

photo of Waterfron Cafe, Boston, MAAnother new review is on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site. The restaurant, which is in the North End of Boston is called the Waterfront Cafe. The Waterfront Cafe is a rare bird in the North End; a place that is parts sports bar, part local watering hole, and part comfort food joint that, unlike its neighbors, doesn't feature much in the way of Italian food. However, their pizza is one of the best in the North End, so pizza lovers who visit the North End might want to consider this restaurant.

Tags:

Hurray! Our Readable RSS Feed Page Is Back!

Boston's Hidden Restaurants has had an online readable RSS feed for this blog on its site for awhile now, but for the past several weeks, it was not working correctly (possibly due to the changeover of Blogger to its updated format). Fortunately, we now have the online feed back; it is at http://hiddenboston.com/restauranttalkrssfeed.php.

This page allows viewers to see the latest blog entries i a user-friendly format, since many older browsers cannot read RSS feeds directly, and even the newer browsers show it in a format that is often a bit ungainly and confusing. We are glad that this page is working again; hopefully it will make life a bit easier for our readers.

Tags:

Monday, May 21, 2007

Emily's Closes Its Doors In Chelsea

Emily's, a beloved Italian restaurant just off the main drag in downtown Chelsea, has closed down. No details as of yet, but it will surely be missed by locals and out-of-towners alike, as it was an unpretentious little neighborhood dining spot that helped bring folks to this city.


Tags:

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

New Section on Unreviewed Boston and New England Restaurants

Boston's Hidden Restaurants (the site I founded) is in the process of creating a new section to the site. It is a section on Unreviewed Restaurants in Boston and New England that nevertheless seem like they may be good fits for our site.

Through lots of research, word of mouth, and postings and emails from our readers, we have compiled an initial batch of restaurants in Boston and New England that seem to correspond with the main theme of our site: Restaurants that aren't all that well-known (especially to Bostonians), but are places where folks might have a good dining experience.

There are literally thousands of restaurants in the region, so what we are doing is finding truly unique spots, whether it be a specific dish (such as the johnnycakes at The Commons Lunch in Little Compton, RI), a beautiful setting (such as the grounds surrounding the Pond House Cafe in West Hartford, CT), or a cozy, romantic environment (such as the grounds surrounding the Vienna Restaurant in Southbridge, MA).

As the weeks go on, we will be adding many more restaurants to this section, and we are hoping to try some of them along the way. We are definitely excited about this new section, as it will give readers the opportunity to easily find hidden restaurants that we have not been to yet.


Tag:

Monday, May 14, 2007

Our Latest Review: Genesio in Randolph

photo of Genesio, Randolph, MAAnother new review is on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site. The restaurant is called Genesio, and it is on Route 28 in Randolph. Genesio is a classic red-sauce Southern Italian restaurant, but with fresher and better-tasting pasta than you might expect at an old-fashioned place like this. Popular with the locals but completely unknown outside of the area, Genesio is truly a hidden gem.

Tags:

Friday, May 11, 2007

Lynn: A Destination for Dining?

People don't generally think of Lynn as a place to go when they are looking to dine out. But this seaside city just north of Boston has a number of decent restaurants, most of which are casual and reasonably priced.

As viewers of Boston's Hidden Restaurants know, we are big fans of Monte's on Eastern Avenue. Monte's is a local family restaurant that has extraordinary "bar" pizza (personal-sized pizza with a cracker-like crust) and other decent entrees. If you like pizza, Monte's should be on your short list of places to go.

Another restaurant in Lynn that is worth checking out is Tacos Lupita on Munroe Street in the downtown area. Tacos Lupita, which has other locations around Boston, including one in Somerville, has excellent El Salvadorean and Mexican food at ridiculously cheap prices.

So what are some other Lynn restaurants that you might want to look into? A few that I have heard about that have gotten good reviews are listed below:

--Mandee's, Goodridge Street (pizza)
--Porthole Pub, Lynnway (American cuisine)
--Christie's Restaurant, Lynnway (seafood joint)
--Hayward's, Lynnfield Street (American cuisine in a lakefront setting)
--Gulu-Gulu Cafe, Central Square (European-style cafe)

If you have been to any of these restaurants, please post a message to let me know what you thought of them. Thanks!


Tags:

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Dionysos and Bisuteki In Cambridge Closed

Dionysos, a Greek restaurant, and Bisuteki, a Japanese restaurant, have both been closed. These two Cambridge restaurants, which were located in the Radisson Hotel on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, closed up when the hotel shut its doors. Word is, a new hotel will be moving into the old Radisson location, but whether Dionysos or Bisuteki will reopen is unknown at this point.

Tags:

Monday, May 07, 2007

Our Latest Review: Eastwind Lobster in Buzzards Bay, MA

photo of Eastwind Lobster, Buzzards Bay, MAAnother new review is on the Boston's Hidden Restaurants site. The restaurant is called Eastwind Lobster, and it is in Buzzards Bay, MA, near the western end of the canal separating Cape Cod from the mainland. Eastwind Lobset is a fish market as well as a restaurant, and it has all kinds of delicious dishes from the sea. The fish is brought in daily, so it is as fresh as can be.

Tags:

Friday, May 04, 2007

Firefly BBQ Is Now Open in Quincy

Firefly's, a renowned barbecue joint in Framingham and Marlboro, is now open in Quincy. It is located at Adams Street and the Furnace Brook Parkway, where the Redwood Tavern and Red Sauce used to be.

I hope to get to Firefly's soon, and will report back once I do. If anyone has tried it yet, please post a comment on this site to let me know what you thought of it.

Tags:

Best Comfort Food Dishes in the Boston Area

As many people know, I am a big fan of comfort food. There's something about grabbing a burger or a dish of macaroni and cheese in a cozy (or not-so-cozy!) little restaurant that really makes me happy. Of course, there are hundreds of places in the Boston area that serve comfort food. So which are the best? Below are some of my favorite individual dishes from specific restaurants:

MACARONI AND CHEESE:
Harvard Gardens, Boston (Beacon Hill)
Zon's, Jamaica Plain
The Restaurant, Woburn
Blue Ribbon BBQ, Arlington

PIZZA:
Santarpio's, East Boston
Galleria Umberto, Boston (North End)
Pizzeria Regina, Boston (North End)
Monte's, Lynn

BURGERS:
O'Sullivan's, Somerville
Mr. Bartley's, Cambridge (Harvard Square)
Zon's, Jamaica Plain
The Druid, Cambridge (Inman Square)

HOT DOGS:
Simco, Mattapan
Grumpy White's, Quincy
Sullivan's, South Boston
Kelly's, Revere Beach

SOUP:
Cronin's, Quincy--Cajun Chicken
Barry's Village Deli, Waban--Matzah Ball
Pho Hoa, Dorchester--Pho Ga
The Biltmore, Newton--mushroom barley

There are so many other types of comfort food that I like, including fried chicken, shepherd's pie, and tacos, but the foods above are the ones I have most often. Feel free to post some other places that have good individual comfort food dishes!


Tag:

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Another Review: Wheelhouse Diner in Quincy

photo of Wheelhouse Diner, Quincy, MAOur latest review is a classic roadside food joint in North Quincy called the Wheelhouse Diner. The Wheelhouse Diner has been around since the 1940s yet is still not known all that well outside of the Quincy area. Breakfasts are terrific at the Wheelhouse, with one particularly good item being the homemade corned beef hash.

Tags: