Sliced Pork with Garlic Dipping – $6.95
A Taiwanese appetizer with thinly sliced pork with diced lettuce and parsley served with their house-made garlic dipping sauce. The freshly boiled sliced pork is warm when it arrives so you get the warmth of the meat and coldness from the diced lettuce and parsley; adding the garlic dipping and you get a mild sweetness to the bunch.
97 Glenville Avenue, Allston, MA 02134
Phone: (617) 782-1688
Tonkatsu – $11.00 (lunch)
This pork loin, tender part of the pig, is from the Berkshire pig or kurobuta as the Japanese call it. The decision to use kurobuta instead of the conventional American pig, gives its meat a juicier and more flavorful taste because the meat is genetically predisposed to be fattier even though loins tend to have little fat. The pork loin is breaded with panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and deep fried. This dish from Shiki shall be well praised for not being over-fried and for its juicy and tenderness. Most places use cheap meats and tend to be dry and chewy. Tonkatsu sauce made from vegetable and fruit puree is provided along with mustard wasabi for you to dip. There are the cabbage and mayonnaise mini cucumbers on the side, but I never eat them.
9 Babcock Street Brookline, MA 02446
Phone: (617) 738-0200
Dhaba Chicken – $13.99
Dhaba Chicken at Kabab and Tandoor is a tandoori chicken equivalent at other Indian restaurants. Several chicken drumsticks are marinated in yogurt and several spices including cayenne pepper and turmeric to give its distinct red color. This dish is a little bit spicy, but definitely toned down for its more western audiences. Don’t be fooled by the ‘hotness’ associated with the deep red color, its bearable and good judging from the fact that the meat is favorable and NOT dry. Eaten with the parsley and onion, definitely cool down the spicy overtone. Did I mention it is baked in a traditional tandoor oven (clay oven).
699 Main Street, Waltham, MA 02451
Phone: (781) 899-0022
Crispy Pad Thai – $7.25
Pan-fried noodles with minced chicken and shrimp with bean sprouts, egg, scallion, and grounded peanuts thrown in. This dish is very light with crunchy noodles slightly glazed with a sweet sauce. The sweetness isn’t overdone to the point it becomes a sweet dessert.
168 Brighton Avenue, Allston, MA 02134
Phone: (617) 254-8488
Thai Fried Rice with Crispy Duck & Fried Egg – $15.95
Thai fried rice with slices of still juicy duck on top. Each piece of duck has its skin fried till crispy, so with each bite into the duck you get tender meat and crispy skin. Think crispy fried chicken skin. Sweet and sour sauce is provided in case you want more strong flavors with your duck and rice. Most importantly to the dish is to break the fried egg with the still runny yolk on top and mix it in with everything. The typical tomatoes and cucumber are there to offer ‘coolness’ in your mouth if you choose to do so.
411 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA, 02446
Phone: (617) 232-2955
Fettuccine Amatriciana – $6.75
A simple Tuscan Italian dish. Fettuccine was ‘al dente’ meaning it is well-cooked, but still with the firmness when you bite into the pasta. The pasta when bitten does fight back with a bounce, so watch out for the sauce splash. Amatriciana is a garlic and spicy tomato sauce with minced pieces of pancetta. The pancetta, dried cured pork, is salty which goes well with the garlicky sauce and the pancetta gives you a chewy feedback. Topped with fragrant parsley. Well done.
313 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Phone: (617) 232-2661
Kurobuta – $10.00 (dinner)
This little dish is not a full entree, but one of many dishes to have at an izakaya. In Japan, an izakaya is a drinking establishment and a place to have pub food similar to Spanish tapas bars. At Shiki, its more like a restaurant than a pub. The Kurobuta is literally translated as black pig which is the same as the Berkshire pork prized by many chefs and regarded as highly as kobe beef. This grilled pork tenderloin can either be finished with teriyaki sauce or shioyaki (sea salt). To appreciated the natural fat marbling of the pork and taste, go with the shioyaki. Lime on the side for the extra citrus kicker. All together and you get this tender pork cutlet with a salted grilled crust on the outside with mild citrus acidity.
Shiki
9 Babcock Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Phone: (617) 738-0200
Venus (Platter) – $81.00 (market price) (not during king crab fishing season)
Whole Lobster and 3 king crab legs
The so-called legendary Venus platter is market priced, so beware of the legendary check at the end. The Venus platter comes with a 2 pound steamed lobster and a pound of king crab legs. Both the lobster and the king crab legs were fresh with a subtle sweetness. Equipment is given to you to slowly dissect the platter (bibs included), so every time you devour the sweet lobster and crab meat, you will be met with hard-earned satisfaction (unless you prefer everything prepared for you). The platter comes with a mixed butter sauce that closely resembles popcorn butter and tastes like kettle corn. I would prefer everything without the sauce to savor the freshness, but that is my preference. The platter was split between 4 people (small stomachs) and it was not enough for a typical meal. Prepare to order more or jump to another restaurant (that is what we did).
The Barking Crab
88 Sleeper Street, Boston, MA 02210
Phone: (617) 426-2722
Roasted Pig’s Head for two – $60.00 (two person meal)
Please don’t be put off by this succulent pig’s head special for two. Most people wouldn’t be able to stomach this, but I tell you, there are hidden gems to this dish. Before I go on about the entree, let me forewarn you. If you can’t handle looking at a deceased pig’s head in front of you over the meal, don’t order this (obvious). If you find it embarrassing to order this at a relatively fancy restaurant, don’t order this. If you can’t handle the mess that is required to meticulously dissect the head, don’t order this. Finally, if you can’t handle people staring at you the whole night… don’t order this. Now for the good part. The pig’s head is diced in half and thoroughly cleansed. The main way the pig’s head is prepared is through slow roasting. Because of the slow roast, the skin becomes very crispy with a sweet undertone. The flesh beneath is extremely tender and juicy which boggled my mind because I was expecting a dryer meat. The waitress told us that the best part of the dish was located under the eye where it was just as tender as the rest of the head. The ears were crispy due to the thin nature of the appendage. There are pitfalls to this dish (the mess). The tender meat is there, but much of the pig’s fat is lodge in the way of the meat. I, on several occasions, swallow the fat with the meat. Caveat emptor (buyer beware). Lastly, I would like to note that before I ordered the dish, I knew that the restaurant might call me a ‘sucker’ for taking the usually unwanted part of the pig and paying an exorbitant premium to eat it, but how often can say you have eaten a restaurant-quality pig’s head. Skin:Fat:Meat ratio (1:14:8)
853 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617 ) 497-5511
Roasted Littleneck Clams – $25.00 (lunch)
A plate of littleneck clams bathed in a tangy spicy red sauce with scallions. The light sauce has hints of tomato paste and white wine similar to moules frites. On top of the entree are three baked garlic bruschettas which may be too hard for the average customer to eat without cutting up their gum, but the plentiful sauce allows the bruschetta to soak up and soften. The ideal way to tackle the meal should have plucked clams on the soaked bruschetta eaten in one bite, but that is typically impossible with this kind of dish, so expect a mess. I suggest take a bite out of the bruschetta and then fork a clam, simple and easy. The clam meat may be small, but the dish has enough clams to provide a satisfying meal.
550 Tremont Street, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 423-0550
