I got a chance to eat lunch and catch up with a buddy of mine today. The place we went to was Courthouse Seafood Restaurant, an amazing “hole in the wall” in the East side of Cambridge, MA. Stepping through the front entrance, I was greeted with a familiar fragrant of seafood that excites my taste buds in anticipation of what’s coming. And since it was Wednesday, there was the Super Fish and Chips special. I got one with onion rings while my buddy got it with regular fries.
Delicious is all I have to say. Four giant fillets of white fish perfectly breaded and fried. A quick bite into the super-hot fish fillet tells me that they did it right. The fish wasn’t greasy at all, which tells me the chef knows what he/she was doing. And the fish was just oh-so-fresh. I guess it helps to have a sister fresh fish market (Courthosue Fish Market) right next door.
So if you’re ever around the East side of Cambridge, give it a try. But you’ll need to try your luck during lunch time, because they close early.
Since my girlfriend lives in NYC, I’ve been visiting the city alot and have come across a number of treasures:
- Ess-A-Bagel (website, map) - This is one of the best bagel joints in NYC. Soft chewy dough inside an semi crunchy bagel crust, simply fantastic. And mind you that I’m lactose intolerant, their selection of tofu cream cheese just speaks to me like no one else can.
- Grill 21 (E21st & 1st Ave in Manhattan) - Authentic Filipino cuisine will have to begging for more after a delightful brunch session.
- Planet Thailand 212 (website) - A design-conscience restaurant offering a variety of fantastic dinner selections. Remember to try the fried calamari appetizer and seafood entree.
The traditional Chinese soup dumpling (also known as “Little Dragon Dumpling” or 小籠饅頭) is one of the culinary wonders of Asian cuisine. Here’s a description on wikipedia.
I had a chance to visit Joe’s Shanghai in the heart of New York’s Chinatown a couple weeks ago. They are known for their soup dumplings. After much anticipation in a 15 minute line wait, my girlfriend and I ordered a basket of 8 from the appetizer section of the menu. Five minutes later, the cute little steamy buns was dropped off swiftly in a bamboo steamer by an expert waiter. The moment of truth arrives as I took my first bite… WOW is the only word I can utter.
While visiting NYC this past weekend, I got to visit an fantastic chocolate place called Max Brenner. To read about my personal review, visit the article on my other blog.
Wow, it’s been more than a month since my last Platinum Chef post, things have just been crazy. So here’s a quick update:
Boston Restaurant Week, is an event that occurs twice a year in the city (and greater areas) of Boston that helps promote and celebrate dining out. Spanning one week, famous restaurants in different areas of Boston offer fantastic 3 course lunches and dinners at a fixed price. The upcoming restaurant week takes place on Sunday, March 4 to Friday, March 9.
I was able to lock in a reservation at a French restaurant called Brasserie Jo via opentable.com. This restaurant should be fantastic as it is describe (on its website) as:
The Colonnade Hotel is home to Boston’s most authentic brasserie, Brasserie JO. Under the culinary direction of world-renowned Chef Jean Joho, owner of the acclaimed Everest and Brasserie JO restaurants in Chicago and the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Las Vegas, Brasserie JO has the style and cuisine of classic brasseries throughout France.
I’m looking forward to this dining experience and also writing my personal review.
Wild Willys in Watertown (multiple locations)
A bunch of people, after a friend’s wedding, went to Wild Willy’s Burgers for a post-wedding celebration. Their burgers definitely live up to their slogan of Real Burgers…for Real Burger Lovers. The burgers at this place was simply fantastic. Forget your overpriced and overhyped burger joint, this is the real deal. And while you’re at it, get yourself a serving of the orion rings.
Laurel Grill & Bar, Boston (map)
Fancy restaurant in the heart of Boston. Too bad the service and the food stank. I went here with a bunch of good friends (party of 20+) to celebrate a birthday, and was greatly disappointed with the lack of service, poor food quality, and crappy restaurant ambience.
Don’t get me wrong, the people I went with were fantastic. But the whole dinner lasted 3 hours. It literally took at an hour to get our food. Even the simplest task of keeping water cups full was unaccomplished, completely atrocious for a fancy restaurant in the city of Boston.
Machu Picchu, Union Square (reviews, map)
Went there with a friend of mine for dinner last night. I really didn’t know what to expect because I’ve never really had Peruvian cuisine before, so it’s was a brand experience. There’s weren’t too many patrons, probably because it was a Wed night. Everything on the menu sounded fantastic and both of us had difficulties deciding on what we’d like to fill our stomachs.
Luckily the waiter was helpful and recommended a Steamed Fish Stew for me and a Seafood Stew for my buddy. Note that these aren’t actually the name of the dishes, because I don’t remember. Regardless, both of our meals were delightful. My steamed fish stew came with fillets of fresh white fish, chunks of tomatoe, and slices of sweet onion. The steamed rice side dish was a perfect companion to the stew broth. All the seafood that came in my friend’s seafood stew (calamari, shrimp, fish) tasted extremely fresh. The broth of the stew was tasty and did not overwhlem the taste of the seafood. The only down side is that I can still taste the onion in my mouth the morning after, which is definitely not for the onion-timid individuals.
Tom Yun Koong, Meford (map)
Ordered a delivery tonight for a couple of my friends and myself from this Thai restaurant. The dishes I ordered were Pad Thai, Beef Dynasty, and Pine Nuts Chicken. We were pretty hungry by the time we ate, but these dishes were fantastic. Despite the relatively small portions, these dishes were cooked with the freshest vegetables I’ve had in a long time.
The Pad Thai dish was crafted just right, soft and chewy with a mile hint of sweetness. The Beef Dynasty had tasteful pieces of beef, fried tofu, chunks of celery,
baby corn, cashew nut, and mushrooms, all accompanied by a delightful sauce. The pine nuts chicken consisted of an appealing ginger sauce covering slices of ginger, onion, zucchini chunks, and more.
Another factor that made Tom Yun Koong an Ace in my book was that everything was cooked with the slighest bit of oil. Most Asian cuisine comes bathed in a tub of oil, and leaves you with a heavy feeling post meal. I’m blogging an hour after I ate and I feel refreshed and light. It’s fantastic.
