Myers & Chang - Fancy Asian in the South End

For my birthday this year a few friends and I hit up the buzz of the South End, Myers & Chang. The pedigree of the chefs promises great things, although I am not entirely certain of the decision to not offer a dessert menu when Ms. Chang is known for her pastry skills.

The night started off very poorly with us being quoted a 45 min wait, which turned into an hour and half. There's really no excuse for this, as numerous people who arrived after us without reservations were seated before us. We were a party of 4, it's not incredibly hard to wait for 2 tables of 2 to be empty to seat 4. Plus a party of 4 that arrived after us was seated before us (because one member of the party was pregnant?). They lost many points for the poor handling of this, and for the lame excuses of it will be just a few more minutes.
I wanted to leave, as there are plenty of great restaurants in the area, but my companion K was determined to eat the food there since we had waited already.

Once we turned that corner and were seated the rest of the experience was all positive. Our server was funny and friendly and full of suggestions of what is good "my fault is that I am honest and will tell you what not to get".

The food arrived super fast (as in under 10 minutes), which again, confused me as to why we had such a long wait.

We started with crispy spring rolls ($5) which were filled with chives, bamboo and shitake mushrooms. I didn't taste the mushrooms at all, it was much heavier on the chives and bamboo. Good, standard fare.

We also had the scallion pancakes ($7), K liked them so much we ordered them again later in the meal. These aren't your typical scallion pancakes, they are doughy, an almost foccaccia type of dough lightly sprinkled with scallions. Very yummy, and very filling.
Tiger's Tears ($10). Oh my the yum! If you like beef, and spicy THIS is the dish for you! It's a salad, so it's cold, but the beef is so tender and flavorful and citrusy and just mouth on fire good! The basil and tri-color bell peppers were fresh and crunchy and delicious, and the khao koor (some sort of rice like thing) added a bit more crunch. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the lack of flavor of that ingredient.
Our waiter recommended we have a couple of the dumplings. So we opted for the lemony shrimp ($13), which were interesting yet not particularly memorable or flavorful. Next time, I'll skip this.
The girls also tried mama chang's pork and chive dumplings ($11), I think they all liked them. I had a tiny bite, but not being a huge fan of pork, didn't like these much either.

We had to try something from the middle page of the menu as well and so C asked for the Nirvana Chicken ($9) served over white rice. I loved this dish! It had to be the incredibly strong star anise smell and flavor that did it. One tender thigh and a good smokey flavor.

Onto the noodle portion of the menu, first up we have the Dan Dan Noodle Salad ($7). The waiter commented that this was a heavy dish, but I didn't think so. The peanut sauce was tasty, and the cucumbers added a clean fresh flavor to the dish. K apparently got a bite that had all the sambal in it, because she suffered the mouth on fire phenomenon and yet the dish was completely not spicy to me or anyone else at the table. Perhaps I didn't mix things up well enough. N also loved this dish and threatened to finish it off.

Thai ginger chicken salad was one of the dishes recommended by the waiter. The dish was very pale looking, white rice noodles, very white grilled chicken, pale cabbage. The girls dug in and ate it, I was a bit hesitant it would be too bland. However, I was wrong. The ginger and lemongrass flavor came through in the chicken and at the bottom of the bowl there were even some red pepper flakes.

Although the restaurant doesn't have a dessert menu, before the check everyone is served a dessert. This evening it was a lemon mousse with small pieces of crystallized ginger on top. I am not a fan of the ginger and was able to pick it off, while totally enjoying the lemon mousse. K didn't like it at all and had thought we were being served a bowl of parmesean, which she would have been very happy with. N didn't like the mousse of the ginger on this.

And a special dessert for the birthday girl, a brownie with chunks of ginger. I'll give the brownie yummy points, but the ginger was way too much for me to be able to enjoy it. N loved it and ate half of it.

Ambiance: The restaurant is cool and casual, very reminiscent of a diner. Complete with the counter seating overlooking the kitchen. The soundtrack is provided by an iPod, but the noise level in the restaurant makes it hard to hear what songs are playing unless you are in the bathroom.

Their website is a myspace page, which is a bit odd. Just pay for a real website and design it so that the menu is easy to read. Speaking of menus they do have a vegetarian menu and a nut free menu. You need to ask for them separately, but the items are all also on the main menu (which for some reason smells like crayons).

Our total bill pre-tip was $153, including 2 bottles of wine. A bit steep for the quality of the food and the fact that it's basically chinese food in a very casual setting.

Comfort Food in Boston - Silvertone

Hidden on a side street in downtown crossing is Silvertone. It's a bar with great food, and good drinks. Really, you can't go wrong. Cocktails are in the $6 - $8 range, and beer on tap is $4. Food runs from $4 - 18 at dinner time, with the majority under $12.
The steak tips are great ($10) as is the mac and cheese ($8). Portion sizes are decent, and it's a fun place to go with a group. Friends have had the meatloaf and raved about it.
One warning, if your party is arriving separately and they are busy, they will not let anyone who sits at the table later order. It is a completely retarded rule, and I can't figure out the reasoning behind it. We've had that happen to us once, and luckily it was still not super crowded that the two that were half an hour late were allowed to order.
It's kinda like that hidden dive bar, but with the law school in the area, it's usually got a good size crowd.
Location: 69 Bromfield St (at Tremont) - Park Street T stop served by both the Red and Green lines, a short walk from the Downtown Crossing T stop for Orange and Red lines.
(617) 338-7887

Kingfish Hall - At which Todd English joins us for dinner

Ok not really, but he was at the next table. Kingfish Hall is his seafood restaurant in the heart of Faneuil Hall. Since this area caters heavily to tourists, I tend to not eat at the restaurants, I figure overpriced and mediocre. But last night my favorite neighborhood restaurant was booked solid and I wanted something good to eat. And in my world, one cannot go wrong at any of Todd English's restaurants. I did like that he was there, popping in on the kitchen and watching the goings on in there. It's good to know he still takes the time to keep an eye on his restaurants.

The menu is very expensive for such a casual place. There was an incredible sounding crispy lobster, which is basically a de-shelled lobster tempura fried, for $49. Other entrees were all over $28 and fairly basic. And since I wanted to eat more than one dish, I opted for some Kumamoto Oysters served with a cocktail sauce, I opted for just some lemon juice squeezed on top. I ordered the tuna tartare, a starter which I thought would be small. I was wrong. This was a lot of tuna, served on a lot of sushi rice, with a thin layer of seaweed in between. Basically a deconstructed tuna roll. And completely delicious! There was a hint of Sriracha on top which nearly burned my tongue off. I also ordered a side of the mac and cheese, which was served in the cutest cauldron, but lacking in cheese flavor and left a filmy layer on my teeth. I took a few bites, brought it home and reheated it with additional cheese. Sadly, I can make a better mac and cheese myself.

N ordered the fried calamari and the seafood gumbo. The calamari was delicious. It was covered in sauce, which resulted in it becoming soggy rather quickly. The seafood gumbo was served in a shallow skillet and was good, although over salty. You definitely tasted the seafood in the stock, however it looked and tasted as if it was thickened with black beans. Something we both found odd.

The service was a bit slow, even though there was enough staff and the restaurant wasn't very crowded.

A cool thing about the space, if you get a seat on the second level and can get into one of the booths that look like giant clam shells, they turn. So you can opt to sit facing the open kitchen or you can face the dining room. The light fixtures are also all funky and I would love to have one in my house.

Overall, I would not go here again for dinner, our total bill was $90 (including 2 glasses of wine) and for that much money there is far better food in the area at less casual places.

Small and Classy - Melt Spa

Are you looking for a small, intimate day spa? Melt is your place. Yet another spa on Newbury street you say? Yes, but this one is different.
The waiting area is small, just three chairs, meaning it's not the type of place that is so busy you have to wait around. There are 2 side by side pedicure stations (great for bringing a friend!), and from what I could see 3 treatment rooms. Satin sheets on the bed for facials, soft cotton flannel sheets for massages. The odd thing is there is one bathroom, no shower, and I had to change in the treatment room. There was a closet in the room for my clothes if I didn't want to leave them on the chair.
I was offered water, wine or champagne after my massage.
The massage itself was incredible. Sheila listened to me and avoided the areas I was uncomfortable with. She asked me about the pressure more than once, leaving me comfortable to indicate if it was too hard or too soft. There was music in the room from an ipod. Next time I will ask if I can use my own tunes.
Their prices are on par with most places, but the intimate aspect of the spa and the great service is priceless.

The Butcher Shop - Restaurant Week #2

Barbara Lynch is pretty much the queen of the Boston chefs. She's opened a couple more casual places in the past few years, and as luck would have it one was participating in restaurant week.

The Butcher Shop is a small restaurant, with table seating for 19 and a long bar. In the back there is a refrigerated section with a selection of meats and accompaniments. I will admit, that I walked out with a bag of meat, cheese, honey and cornichons. The set up is a bit weird, in that there is no real waiting space so it gives a very bar-like atmosphere. Our table was shared with another couple, I'm not a fan of the communal dining, so luckily I wasn't on a date.

My dining companion (B) and I planned on splitting everything, so we got to taste the whole gamut of restaurant week offerings. Instead of the usual bread and butter, here we were served Irish Soda Bread and butter with Fleur de Sel (man that salt is good!) and a giant side of their unfiltered honey. We both ended up buying jars of that and B doesn't even like honey!

I needed to try the chickpea fritters off the regular menu, so we started with those. They had a yogurt and mint sauce with them, the yogurt was a thick greek style and the mint flavor was very mild, perhaps dill would have worked better? The fritters themselves were good, very dense, but a bit dry, so that after 2 I had enough. Good to share for a table of 4, where everyone just gets one.

Appetizers:
Watermelon gazpacho with honeydew, prosecco, and mint: I love nothing more in the summer than a chilled melon soup. I believe it's just the lightest starter for a meal. This was no different, although it had an ingredient that wasn't listed - avocado. I liked this addition, it gave the soup a bit of substance. B wasn't a fan of the avocado, and tasted something that "tastes like redhots" in the aftertaste. I kept eating more and also tasted it, but it wasn't cinnamon. There also was some oil in the soup, which I couldn't quite figure out the purpose of.
Arugula Salad, Goat Cheese, Pickled Onions and Tomatoes: Straightforward salad with a light vinaigrette dressing. The tomatoes were yellow and red grape tomatoes, and when plated they were hidden under the arugula. There was a good sized serving of goat cheese on it, which we both fell in love with and I had to buy half a pound of to take home. I did ask the waitress 3 times what kind of goat cheese it was, but never did get the answer to that. B loved the onions.

Entrees:

Given the name of the restaurant is Butcher Shop one option was Hanger Steak, Great Hill Blue Cheese and Radish. I had a few issues with this dish, we asked for it medium, and it was a bit too pink for me, plus it came out cold. I asked if it could be cooked a bit more, and it was (rather, it was a whole new plate). But it was still cold. I think, they had prepared a bunch ahead of time and so they weren't fresh out of the broiler/pan what have you. The other being, that it was served not with radish, but with arugula. So if you had ordered the salad appetizer, you were essentially getting two of the same salad, one with blue cheese and one with goat. But the meat was good, not the best slice of steak I've ever had, but again that could be the cold factor. The Great Hill Blue was VERY strong. So much, that I opted to only eat the tiny crumbs. If you have a deep burning love of strong cheeses, this is certainly the one for you. Again, we had the plater who likes to hide things, the cheese was in the middle of the arugula.The next option was Crispy Chicken Breast with Corn and Shitake. Seeing as this was my lunch yesterday at Radius, I was curious as to how it was done here. This was GOOD! Although, not chicken breast. There was a drumstick and some thigh. It wasn't breaded, just skin on lightly fried with some herbs. B exclaimed that the corn was "da bomb" and she was sooooooo right. Neither of us could get enough of it. Fresh, crisp kernels with I have no idea what. The shitake was very garlicy. This plate was wiped clean with only the drumstick bone left on it. Desserts: My favorite part of any meal.
Fruit Salad with Chantilly Cream: Other than dessert in general there is nothing I love more than fresh cream. And this came with a GIANT MOUND of it. Underneath we had blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and a sliver of apricot. All delicious, light and a good end to a meal. B felt like the berries could have used something more, maybe sugar. The other dessert was Chocolate Almond Cake with Peaches. This was one dense piece of cake. A small piece, but anything more would have been a waste. Topped with a cream (possibly almond flavor?) that was weird. I couldn't put my tongue on exactly what was weird about it, but it was something in the texture. The peaches, I am fairly sure were apricots, sliced and just amazing in this heavy sugary sauce. I could've eaten a plate of those alone! Lucky for me, they didn't sell those in the retail shop. Service: Very good the first 2/3 of the meal. Our waitress was friendly and prompt with everything, until after the entrees. There was a 20-30 minute or so lag between those and the desserts. The only thing we could think of was they ran out of desserts and had to make new ones? She even came over at one point to mention the desserts were coming. I suppose us looking around wondering if maybe she thought she had already brought them may have fueled that comment. But other than that time lag, it was flawless.

Ambiance: As I said before it has a definite local bar feel. Which means I would be very likely to go back with a group of friends, rather than a date. There is a large butcher block area in the middle of the restaurant where when the wait got to be an hour and half a lot of people congregated. Besides, that is a good location to have a place to put drinks while waiting for a table.

Rating: 8/10. I would recommend it, and would take friends. And next time I will be sure to order the antipasto platter the table next to us had. It looked amazing. The $14 hot dog on the other hand, still seems a bit much to me.

Radius - Boston Restaurant Week

Coming from SF where restaurant week lasts a month, and generally the theory behind it seems to be "let's give customers the real restaurant experience to make them want to return, even if we are a 4 star restaurant and don't need to beg for customers" my first foray into Boston's restaurant week (really 2 weeks) seemed to be a tad different. I was warned by a friend that the theory behind Boston's is "let's get people in and out fast and not really put our best foot forward because we don't need the additional customers".

Lunch today was at Radius. This being one of the city's celebrated restaurants I was expecting food that stands on par with it's regular prices. Sadly, I would give it a 5/10 and most of that being for the service.

Appetizer:
Both my dining companion and I opted for the Salmon tartare. What we got was not really a tartare. Cooked salmon mixed with mayonnaise, topped a scallion paste and kumquats, sitting on top of cucumbers drizzled with chili oil. I felt like there should have been some sort of companion to eat it with. Basically, it was what I would call salmon salad (in the vein of canned tuna salad). I ate a few bites and left the rest on the plate, the waiter did ask if everything was ok and I told him that to me tartare generally is raw and not mixed with mayonnaise. He agreed and said they should have called it something else as it isn't tartare and the label is misleading. My companion was also not a fan, but being more polite and hungrier than me, she did eat her entire dish.

Entrees:
Here and at dessert my companion and I opted for different dishes so as to taste all the options.
Hers: Grilled swordfish, sauteed squash and zucchini, potato confit. The swordfish should have been topped with a tomato and caper "salad" but it was left off the plate and we had to send the waiter back to the kitchen to bring a side of it. There was a dash of a basil puree streaked across the plate. The swordfish was very tender and well grilled. I wasn't sure I would like swordfish, but it was good. The tomato and capers added a good flavor to it. The potato "confit" was an utter disappointment. No flavor, just boiled potato taste.

Mine: Crispy chicken paillard with wild mushroom and corn succotash and bacon tomatillo sauce. This translated to fried chicken breast, not pounded thin as paillard tends to be, but a thick chunk of chicken breast. Luckily, it was very deeply fried and so very tasty for fried chicken. There was no bacon tomatillo sauce anywhere on my plate, unless they consider the very tiny slivers of bacon mixed in with my corn and mushroom to have been it. I didn't taste any tomatillo flavor at all.

Desserts:
Hers: Chocolate Pilon with Fenugreek Ice Cream and salted peanuts. I admit, I wanted her to order this because I was curious as to the flavor of fenugreek in ice cream and as part of a dessert. Fenugreek has a very strong and distinct flavor, not one I would ever think of using in this context. The dessert was a giant explosion of contrasting flavors and textures. The dense chocolate mousse core was delicious, but the almost curry like flavor of the ice cream was odd next to it. There was also some golden raisens and what we determined to be black currants involved and a very sticky strongly flavored not really caramel but the same consistency sauce. When deconstructed, the dessert was good, but as a whole, while interesting and the most memorable of all the dishes, it just didn't work for us.

Mine: Mango and Raspberry Tart with Pistachios and Hibiscus Ice Cream. The tart was just a giant shortbread cookie with raspberry sauce squirted on it and some sliced up mango a couple raspberries and pistachios. The cookie was very buttery and yummy and I had to control myself from eating it all. The hibiscus was a sorbet that my companion described as very flowery. Hibiscus always has a tart taste to me and so I was expecting a bit of that, but she was right, it was very flowery. Regardless, it was a light and summery companion to the dense cookie.

Service: As expected in a good restaurant the service was prompt and smooth. Napkins were refolded when I stepped away from the table. Fresh utensiles with every course.

Decor: Large space, but warm wood tones, beautiful molding, and a very cool dash of red across the top of the walls.

Hot Tomatoes Boston

I've been eating here pretty much 3 - 4 times a week since it opened last month. Mostly because it is convenient for a quick lunch and they have a large enough menu that I have been able to eat something different each time.

Prices are between $9 and $10 for sandwiches, this may seem high, but most of the sandwiches are big enough to last through lunch and dinner and come with a side of pasta salad or cole slaw. I would recommend any except the Sloppy Joe, it's very very very greasy. I took two bites and threw the rest out. The Yankee is good, but would be served much better warm (its turkey with stuffing). The few times I have asked for something slightly different than the menu (the Lucky 33 heated, or ciabatta instead of whatever bread the sandwich was supposed to have) I got back to the office with the sandwich and realized they didn't make the modification.

The salads are pricey, not great, and not large. I'd opt for something else. The pizza slices are $2.50, average sized, and quite good (although, by the slice so far has only been pepperoni or cheese). The frittata is $6.50 for 2 the size of muffins, but they are surrounded with a tomato sauce that is quite good, and it ends up being filling enough for lunch.

The space is cute, albeit a little crowded when there are more than 4 people waiting for food to go. The decor is nice and the punches of red add a fun feel. Downside, for now they are cash only.
The staff seems to rotate constantly (maybe they share staff with their other restaurant Carmen), but as a regular it would be nice to have a bit of a friendly rapport and that is lacking.

Location: North End. North Street at Lewis.

My favorite South End Gem - Delux

Many years ago I lived down the street from the most outwardly non-descript bar/restaurant called Delux. For months I thought it was a laundramat. Then I went in and discovered really really good food and cheap drinks. And an eclectic mix of patrons, from the old couple who lived next door to me, to bike messengers, and crazy punk rock gay hairdressers.

Years later, I find excuses to go back to the old neighborhood and take people with me, to experience the food and drink. And the decor. You can't be adverse to an Elvis shrine, bathroom walls covered in graffiti, and posters of Eloise. It's kitschy and somewhat divey without a whole lot of seating, but in the sea of change the neighborhood has gone through with high priced restaurants on every corner, this is really a gem.

Perfect example of the prices: The most expensive menu item is $12.95. Dinner for 4 and a shared dessert this evening? $45. We had bean and cheese quesadilla, it's written in small font at the bottom of the menu, not sure why, cause they are goooooooooood. 2 people got the grilled cheese special, 4 cheeses, beefsteak tomato, on thick cut bread with a side of tomato basil soup (one asked for a substitute and got a green salad and coleslaw that wasn't thick and mayo filled and smelled amazing!). I opted for the cajun crusted tilapia (perfectly cooked and not overly loaded with the cajun flavor) with coconut risotto (slightly sweet) and a papaya salsa which lent a nice balance to the cajun and coconut. Dessert was a strawberry banana tiramisu with butterscoth drizzle. We all agreed the butterscoth was a bit much, and it would've been better without it. But the fruit was fresh and the cake light.
The menu changes every 6 weeks, and there are daily appetizer, dessert, and 2 entree specials.
Drinks are also inexpensive, I usually opt for mixed drinks and think they run around $5.

2/10/08 - Updated since the chef changed. The new chef is Chris Cronin, I believe of Davio's fame.
The food has definitely lost some of its goodness. I don't remember the old chef's name, but I wish I did. Because I need to go whereever he has gone.
Last night dinner for 2 with one drink and one quesadilla ran us $43. A far cry from the first entry.
I've been twice since the chef change, once in November and once last night. The menu seems to have remained mostly the same.
Portions are slowly shrinking, my pumpkin ravioli last night was 7 teaspoon sized ravioli. Tasty, but not filling and with the $14 price tag entirely too reminiscent of the typical South End restaurants. The lamb pappardelle also very small portions and not hearty like you would expect. Steak tacos came with a regular salsa, no cheese and would have been bland had we not saved the apple salsa from the quesadilla.
The inventiveness that the menu had is gone, as are the low prices, all that now remains is cheap beer, the kitschy surroundings and one distracted waitress - not knocking last night's waitress in particular, the one I had in November left us waiting 20 min for a Guinness. And we were the only people in the bar!
I'm sad by the changes in the kitchen here, hopefully Chris will get his bearings and go back to what many used to love about this place.

So if you find yourself in the South End, head on over for a drink or two, and give the food a try. They are open M- Sa from 5:30 - 1 am. But they are cash only, so don't go without that.
Delux is on the corner of Chandler and Clarendon (100 Chandler Street)

Exhale Day Spa

Exhale is a high end chain spa. They have locations in Boston, several in NY, LA, Chicago, and TX. In addition to spa services they also offer yoga and core fusion classes. Which does give that part of the spa a bit of an aerobics studio feel.

My first experience was less stellar than I expected for the prices they charge. The $130 facial (z-peel) with Ella rocked! She is handsdown the best esthetician I have come across to date. Thorough, gentle, and super nice! My Pedicure Plus ($80) was rushed, and not completed in one visit (she didn't do my polish, scrub the heels, work on the cuticles, use the paraffin, or the scrub mask) due to the pedicurist running late and having major attitude, like she was doing me a favor by doing her job. I also was not a fan of the location of the mani/pedi stations (next to the workout studio). I did complain to the manager, and was invited back for a second mani/pedi.
My second visit also included another visit with Ella (this time for a cool laser - for the money I would stick with the z-peel, my skin felt and looked a lot better after that, the cool laser did nothing for me). She still rocked. I will go back time and again for treatments with her. My mani/pedi was much better this time (different manicurist). Coincidentally my last manicurist came in halfway through my manicure with the same bad attitude, I realized she just isn't professional in the least. You don't complain and bitch in front of customers (or to customers about who was sitting there before them). I will recomment Sita for the mani/pedi, she was awesome and sweet and very professional. But I would probably stay away from anyone else there.

Thier locker room is enormous, although their showers seem to leak, as the floor around them is soaked more than it should be. They have all the amenities one could ask for, from razors to q-tips, and enough space at the mirrors for 3 people to freshen up simultaneously.
The relaxation den has some interesting tea choices and just plain water.
I'm sure had I not had to encounter the same girl both times my visit would have been far more pleasant, as the spa itself is gorgeous and very zen-like. They even have a steam room which scores major points! Overall, I would go there for facials and a spa day that doesn't involve nails.

Bella Sante

Newbury Street probably gives you the most spas/salons per square foot than anywhere else in the country. You can't walk more than a few doors without seeing one. So after hearing about Bella Sante from various sources, and thier touting of being voted Best of Boston over the years for various services, I thought I should venture that way and try them out.
I made a last minute appointment for a cranberry enzyme facial. The spa seems large for being on the 2nd floor, and the seating area was comfortable, had lots of magazines, 2 kinds of tea and 3 kinds of water (plain, with lemon slices, and my favorite with orange slices). The seating area only had single chairs however, no benches or couches, so it was a bit austere.
My esthetician came out exactly on time and took me back to a candlelit room. I disrobed and crawled under the sheet and down blanket. She explained all the steps as she was working on me and had a gentle touch. However, I was a bit turned off with the constant mention of products that would be good for me. The facial consisted of a cleansing (cleanser wiped off with warm towel), the enzyme treatment, steam, and a mask. During the steam there was a hand massage, and during the mask a scalp massage. That was a nice touch, as I am not a fan of them putting the steam or mask on and then walking out of the room.
As I was getting dressed, she waited for me at the water bar with a fresh glass of water.
The locker room is under remodeling, but a few comments on its current state. Lots of lockers, but only 3 stalls, one shower, and one sink which is inside one of the stalls. This seems to be the regular configuration, so I hope they are fixing it. Three stalls is not nearly enough for how busy thier locker room gets (I was in there at 7 pm on a Monday with 5 other girls, I would hate to see it on a weekend). There are signs everywhere stating best as I remember "we offer you lockers to keep your items secure, please do the same by returning your robes, towels, and sandals, or bring them to the front desk for purchase". Do they really have that large a contingent of clients stealing thier robes and towels? It was a bit weird to see the signage everywhere in the locker room.
Looking in the mirror I noticed the cleansing wasn't very thorough. I don't have skin that requires extractions, and when I wash my face at home with cleanser, I don't have any clogged pores. But looking in the mirror I could see my pores still clogged. I'd like to feel my face is clean after a facial, it wasn't.
When I went up to pay, the esthetician had left some products up front for me. Not surprised given the product mentions during the treatment, clearly they earn commission on sales, and perhaps that blatent in your face "buy this" works on some of thier clientele. But given that the products cost more than my facial (a toner and a moisturizer) it was annoying. I opted to just pay for my facial.
Will I be back? Probably not. There are more spas on Newbury for me to explore.

South End Brunching - Aquitaine

Seth Woods and his restaurants always get good reviews, so we decided to try Aquitaine for Sunday brunch. The space is medium sized, smaller than I expected, and very inviting and upscale French Bistro style. One drawback was there was only one bathroom, so regardless of timing there is a line. And it's next to the kitchen entry, so difficult to find a safe spot to wait.
There were 4 of us without a reservation at noon, and so we had the option of waiting 45 min. for a table that would seat us comfortably, or to squeeze into a window booth that should really not seat more than 2. We opted for the latter.
Upon first sip of the coffee, my co-diners commented on how GOOD it was. This is a first, I have never heard anyone comment on the tastiness of restaurant coffee. I asked for a Passion Tazo tea (the menu stated they carried Tazo) and the waitress responded that she didn't think they carried it, and would go check. 2 refills of coffee and order being served, she still hadn't gotten back to me. I finally asked her about it again, and she said "oh yeah we didn't have any", seeing as she had told all the tables around us about the daily special and not told us until we overheard her and had to ask, I'd say she was a bit distracted.
We all ordered the brioche french toast, one without creme fraiche, and one with berries on the side. Both ended up coming to the table sans creme. She brought 2 small boats of syrup to the table, which wasn't adequate for the 4 of us. Good thing I don't love syrup. Again, maybe the waitress would have wanted to be more on top of things. She didn't really check in on us during the meal, other than to make sure the water and coffee glasses were full.
But the french toast was good! A hint of cinnamon, thick slices of bread, topped with berries and 2 slices of applewood smoked bacon. . The french toast was cooked very well, soft but not soggy, and crispy around the edges. The bacon was placed on top of the creme, and so was a little strange to eat. I love bacon, I love anything cream related, but the two together didn't do anything for me.
We all enjoyed the food and ambiance immensely. I'll try the restaurant again, perhaps for dinner as the menu looked excellent, hopefully I'll also have a server that isn't so distracted.

Asian in Southie

From the outside Pan Asia looks like an upscale Asian restaurant in the middle of South Boston. The decor is very modern and contemporary, giving it an elegant touch for the neighborhood. The bar looks cool and is pretty spacious. There i also a separate dining area. They have Chinese, Japanese and Thai offerings, so when you can't decide exactly what it is you want, it seems like a good place to go.

But it isn't.

Japanese food isn't offered until after 4 pm, so we opted for Chinese appetizers and Thai entrees. The crab rangoon, was all cream cheese very little crab. I love my cream cheese, but really, I want some crab in my appetizer that has crab in the name. The egg rolls were large, not greasy, but also not cut in half. Who doesn't cut egg rolls in half when serving them? Especially when they are the size of a large salt shaker?

The entrees all had spicy indicated on the menu. We asked for the chicken basil to be mild, and the yellow chicken curry to be medium. No spicy hot. At all. To top it off? They weren't warm. Not even lukewarm. Clearly not made today. Or they were made this morning and left sitting at room temp. Possibly microwaved for 30 seconds? How hard is it to at least reheat the food?

The service was nothing exceptional. Took order, brought food, brought check. But this isn't fine dining, so it didn't bother me.

Wouldn't recommend this place. Get on the T or drive over to Chinatown, it's only 5 min away.

London Noodle House Comes Stateside - Wagamama

Wagamama is HUGE in London. So I've been anticipating the opening of the first U.S. outpost for months. Went in yesterday for lunch (day 2 of it being open). The food was fantastic! I got the chicken katsu curry, which was more an Indian style curry, and the katsu was perfectly breaded and crispily fried. Just they way I like my chicken. We also tried the kare lomen (a shrimp curry ramen soup), it was very curry spicy, and had about 5 shrimp in it, however the portion was huge. Just make sure to not wear white when you order it, as it does splatter and stain. They served it with a ladle (yes, ladle, not spoon) to eat out of. If you are not adept with slippery noodles I suggest asking for a fork, there are lots of noodles in it.

Now the downside: The service was HORRIBLE. We went in late for lunch and despite there being plenty of seating and 5 employees standing at the front door when we walked in, we waited 10 min for anyone to acknowledge us. Our order was taken promptly by one of the 2 people who appeared to be the British trainers. But not once while eating did anyone come to see if we wanted more to drink, and it took no less than 30 min. to get our check. We caught the eye of several servers in an attempt to get the check, yet none of them seemed to understand this universal sign of "please come over here". Our British server disappeared completely after taking our order and spent the rest of our lunch on the other side of the restaurant clearly training their staff. When we finally had someone approach us with the check (not waiting to see if we wanted anything else or dessert), we informed her we wanted to put in an order of the soup to take with us and would like our leftovers wrapped to go.
"We don't do that".

They certainly have take out in London, and I had seen other people walk out with boxes, so this wasn't a crazy request. Plus, it's not a 3 star Michelin restaurant, and it is in the middle of one of Boston's biggest tourist centers. This was absurd.

She sent someone else over (a manager I suspect as his outfit was not the same as the others), who informed us they were not prepared for take out, but he would wrap our food. The rest of our soup filled half of a soup container. So why could they not put another order of soup in a similar container and let us take it with us? Not sure. This continued to baffle me all afternoon. The rest of my katsu went in a very common to go container.

The atmosphere is communal tables, minimalist style, and an open kitchen. Hopefully they will garner outdoor seating soon.

Overall the food was worth going in for, the prices are reasonable, but they really need to hire experienced servers and teach their current servers some customer service skills. I may be back, but I wasn't overwhelmed by this outpost, and will certainly take my time before going in again.

Neptune Oyster

Small and unassuming from the outside, off the crowded tourist laden path of the North End on Salem Street. Neptune Oyster is a gem! A good selection of east and west coast oysters, reasonably priced. The entrees are a bit on the pricey side, but don't skimp on portion size. The lobster spaghettini special is a big bowl of pasta and a generous serving of lobster (and at $38 it better be).

This is a photo of the half I brought home!


The scallops are to die for here. The menu changes seasonally, but the ones I had came with a port sauce and a fontina gratin ($26). So very very delicious.
There isn't much seating (18 seats at the bar and 26 at tables) so come early to avoid the wait, but even if there is a wait, it's worth it for a change of pace from the regular Italian and Seafood of the neighborhood.
The service is top-notch, and the decor is cute and a throwback to the old days of the neighborhood.

Spas on the Waterfront - Boston Harbor Hotel and Intercontinental

The Waterfront area of Boston is rapidly being taken over by luxury hotels and with that comes new spas!
The Spa at the Boston Harbor Hotel has been there the longest and set the bar for the others. As such, it is hard to get weekend appointments with on short notice. The decor is geared more towards comfy and more traditional.
I've had waxing services there by Lisa and was very pleased. The wax they use is very gentle and she has a light touch so that it didn't hurt. Quick and painless, that's how I like my waxing. I've also been in for a facial which while very relaxing, could have been better in the cleansing. I came home, looked in the mirror and still saw clogged pores. I have yet to get a scrub here, but they do have a room with a vichy shower which if you have never tried is a treat! They have a good solid list of treatments, everything you could pretty much want.
The best thing about this spa is the free use of the gym (not a bad size at all for a hotel) and pool and locker room (with steam room). The locker room has everything you need, towels, shorts and t-shirts to work out in, razors, hairdryers, etc. It's roomy and has lots of lockers, and a few showers.

The new spa on the block is the Spa InterContinental at the Intercontinetal (also the new swanky hotel on the block). Appearance wise, the two spas couldn't be more opposite. Meet sleek, new, modern. Meet infiniti pool. A fitness center that overlooks the Greenway that will eventually be completed. Right now it overlooks construction and dirt.
A massage here was good, the room was fairly spacious and they have a couples room with a shower in it for a more intimate feel. Thier spa menu is limited to face, body and waxing, no manicures and pedicures.
Locker room here is small, which was awkward with more than 2 people in there at a time. There is a "relaxation den" where they have teas and fruit while you wait for your therapist.
The downside? You have to pay an extra "spa access fee" (currently $10) for gym and pool use here if you are not a hotel guest. Not so cool. Thier waxing prices are higher, but thier massage and facial prices are comparable.

Sonsie

I went here a bit apprehensive as to the quality of the food. Sonsie was a very happening spot with the Euro crowd in the early 90's and while it's lasted as long as it has, it was always the type of place you went to be seen and to look at the beautiful people. This aspect doesn't seem to have changed, helped by the attractive servers and front of the house staff.
On a Friday night it was packed for dinner, we waited at the bar which was also quite packed. I felt like I was in a nightclub trying to get a drink. When we were seated, there was delicious foccacia bread and hummus on the table, a nice change from bread and butter. The menu is varied, so we ordered oysters, a salad with fried goat cheese - I didn't try it, between the other 3 people at the table it wasn't finished off, but there were also no complaints about it. The lettuce wrapped Asian spring rolls were well fried and had a nice dipping sauce, one of my companions commented that it was spicy. I thought it was perfect. The fried calamari had some hot peppers with it and a yellow tomato sauce. The sauce was a bit weak in flavor, but the calamari well fried and not soggy. We also had a pizza, half pesto cheese and half with soppresetta. Plenty of toppings, and a good size to share. I ordered a dish that was new on their menu. Beef sukiyaki. I have to say completely not impressed. The broth tasted like bouillon cubes, entirely too salty and not very flavorful. I did comment on this to our waitress, who then sent the manager over and he handled it very graciously. I like a place that can take constructive criticism. The thai noodles were recommended if I return, and given the size of the bowl on the table behind me, I'll go and take a couple friends!
The service is top notch here, and given it's prime Newbury Street location and outdoor seating in the summer, I can see how it's managed to stay around this long.
Updated 10/27/07: I can't believe I've forgotten to update this as I've been back to Sonsie bunches of times since the initial review. I did finally get the thai noodles (mee krob) and they are stellar. Huge portion, can be very very spicy, and completely delicious. The service has never failed, it is a restaurant I will return to time and again.

Plough and Stars

Sunday brunch at the Plough and Stars has a gospel brunch. We were entertained by a country gospel band called the Sacred Shakers. The pub is small and the food excellent, but the service is a bit lacking. Most notably there is no real rhyme or reason to the seating of guests. Brunch is from noon until 3, we arrived at noon and the bar and all the tables were packed. That is a good sign. But despite arriving at noon we weren't seated until 12:45. Plenty of other parties that arrived after us and had the same number of patrons were seated before us, it was all very random and had we known of other brunch spots in the area we would have left.
The food came out relatively quickly, we had the fried chicken with cheddar cheese grits. The chicken was the requisite greasy and tasty, four pieces - a drumstick, a breast, a wing and a thigh. The grits were also excellent and recieved good ratings from the Southerner in the group. Others had the other white meat omlette and the basic breakfast, they all seemed pleased and the plates were taken away completely empty. A side of bacon had 4 thick slices and was only $2.50.
We had multiple servers, and that led to waiting and having to flag them down for refills. I'd give the service 1 star and the food 3 stars.
Would I return? Maybe, either before noon or after 1:30 when it seemed to slow down a bit.

Flamepoeria Cafe Gallery

Cute little coffee shop slash lunch spot in the North End. Yes, there are tons of those places in the neighborhood, but none like this. In addition to coffee, tea, and some desserts and pastries that make me want to eat everything, they have lunch. Items include salads, sandwiches and soups. Salads like lemongrass chicken (I haven't tried it as lemongrass and me have no love for each other - but I've heard from numerous co-workers that it is amazing), chicken dumpling salad (fried dumplings!) the dressing is very tasty and the salad comes with either feta or blue cheese. Most the dishes come in a salad, open faced sandwich or rice plate option. The rice plate has a small green salad on the side. Definite Asian flair, but in a non-traditional way. Soup choices include spicy beef pozole (and when he says spicy, he means SPICY!!! Much love, I've been eating this for three days now. I love it), a chicken and a shrimp noodle soup. So you get the South American flair as well. With a name like Flamepoeria, I think Brazilian.
Decor is minimalist, ottoman style benches and low tables make for comfy casual seating. Artwork is by the owner and for sale definitely fun funky art.

The best thing is that the food is made to order, so you know it is fresh and hasn't been sitting there all day. This means you won't just run in and grab lunch, but you can call ahead if that's what you are looking for.

Location is on Lewis Street between North and Commercial, and worth the walk over.

Sushi in Quincy

Beni Cafe is a haven of quick Japanese in North Quincy. It's cheap (and by cheap I mean nothing over $10), fast, and really good! The chicken teppanyaki uses dark and white meat, as opposed to those other places that use just the cheap dark meat, comes with rice (which wasn't clear from the menu, so I ended up with an extra side of rice), the standard carrots and sprouts, and was a large portion all for $5! The rolls and nigiri were all good, the fish was really fresh. Crab rangoon ($3) was a good mix of cheese and crab, and the sweet potato fries ($2) were basically sweet potato tempura and came with a slightly spicy dip. I thought with prices this low the portions would be small, but they weren't. It was regular sized portions, keep that in mind before you over order and then feel compelled to eat everything because it tastes so good!
The restaurant is very bright and clean, has free wifi, and 3 flat screen computers.

Oggi Gourmet Pizza

Do you like pizza? Do you hate heavy, doughy crust? Then you must go to Oggi if you find yourself in Boston. They aren't open on the weekends, but are open until 9:30 during the week. I hate crust, the only purpose it serves is to hold the toppings that need to make it into my belly, so I always stop eating when I run out of toppings and leave crust ends strewn about. Not so with this crust. It has sesame seeds on it for a little crunch. It's light, flakey, almost buttery - croissant like in its deliciousness. No more crust ends in my pizza boxes. I eat every last morsel.
The toppings range from the typical pepperoni to the more gourmet goat cheese and toasted almonds (quite delicious, although a bit heavy on the almonds). They also have a selection of sandwiches, salads and dinners - which will be reviewed if I can make it back and resist the pizza.
The restaurant is airy and light, with a casual decor. Nicer than your typical pizza joint, but by no means fancy.