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

Raw Oysters – Market Price ranges from $2.00 -$3.00 each

A small seafood restaurant with the raw bar occupying half the space, this truly is a seafood hole-in-the-wall. Neptune Oyster has a set of daily oysters from the east to the west coast that changes every so often. Their selection of oysters is quite large with every oyster having its own distinct characteristic. On our raw dine out, we had the following. Who knew oysters could have fruity tastes.

Starting from the lemon on top to the center of the plate:
Island Creek: medium-large, medium salinity, juicy, fruity finish
Taylor Bay: medium-large, medium salinity, seaweed finish
Summerside: medium, medium salinity, juicy, citrus finish
Kumamoto: small, sweet, plump, creamy, hints of honeydew melon
Fanny Bay: medium, low salinity, sweet, cucumber finish

63 Salem Street, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 742-3474

Fedelini with Tiny Clams, Smashed Cherry Tomatoes, and Parsley – $20.00

Ideal pasta should have the bouncy feel to it when you handle it. At Alta Strada, their fedelini is just perfect to Italian standards. The amazingly bouncy thin pasta is mixed with a light tomatoe sauce with smashed cherry tomatoes and parsley as its entree name indicates so. Some may prefer a heavy sauce to their pastas, but I personally favor a light sauce with my pasta. Tiny cooked clams are also part of the dish which add a little seafood twist to the entree.

92 Central Street, Wellesley, MA
Phone: (781) 237-6100

Macarons – $0.75 (each)

Often this French pastry gets confused with its American counterpart macaroon another sweet confectionery. L.A. Burdick is one of the few places in the Boston area that offers this yummy dessert. Although not the finest in the world, but definitely beats anything in Boston. It is basically sweet icing sugar sandwiched by chewy sweet almond cookies. The macarons come in a variety of flavors: ginger, chocolate, coffee, citrus, lavender, and raspberry. When I enjoy these cookies at this cafe, I prefer to enjoy a cup of tea to balance the sweetness of these macarons, personal preference.

52D Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA
Phone: (617) 491-4340

Escargots de Bourgogne – $8.50

Snails with butter, garlic, and parsley served on a ridiculously hot escargot plate. The escargots have volume and substance, definitely traits to be prized for. My companions and I found that the left over butter, garlic, and parsley in the escargot plate was a great dipping sauce for the complimentary toasted french baguette.

560 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 422-0224

The Professor Skip Gates – $9.95

From one of the older burger establishments in the prime locale across from Harvard University, Mr. Bartley offers a variety of burgers with a variety of names featuring names of significant political individuals to references to the current popular culture. The Professor Skip Gates burger barely squeezes a marinated teriyaki patty and grilled pineapple into a sesame bun. Definitely a messy business with the accompanying fried onion rings.

1246 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
Phone: (617) 354-6559

Codorniz – $8.50

The Spanish tapas dish, Codorniz, is broiled quail with balsamic beurre blanc. The quail itself was broiled lightly so that the skin is not too tough to chew because there isn’t much meat in quail to begin with. With the little meat available in this small catch, it is quite tender with its unique game taste. The complimentary sauce that comes with the tapas is a thick and slightly sour paste as it is made from either the reduction of vinegar or white wine and shallots.

388 Moody Street, Waltham, MA
Phone: (781) 894-1805

Banana Mille-feuille

This French dessert is made with soft crispy pastry sandwiching banana and a sweet cream in a repeating pattern. On top of all the goodness is a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with actual grainy vanilla bean  still apparent. The sweet cream and banana mixture is also cool in temperature giving you an all encompassing experience.

776 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 535-8800

Three Prime Cheeseburgers – $6.00

Morton’s known for its expensive and quality beef offer a special menu during specific hours (usually between 4:00-6:00pm) at specific Morton’s. Their ‘bar bites’ menu offer several small dishes for $6.00 dollars with one of them being the Three Prime Cheeseburgers. Crisp bun, juicy USDA prime-aged beef , red onion, tomato slices, and lettuce, all attributes of a delicious burger.

2 Seaport Lane, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 526-0410

Grass-Fed Half Pound Burger Daddy – $12.50 (Bacon strips +$0.75)

A burger from cow that is only grass-fed from Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine. Unable to tell the difference from other patties, but definitely reassures me that the originating cow was treated humanely in an open farm. The burger was juicy with Tremont’s somewhat sweet secret house mayonnaise. I decided to add bacon strips to personalize my burger making it little salty and cruchy. Everything with string fries on the side, of course.

647 Tremont Street, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 266-4600

TBS (The Butcher Shop) Burger – $18.00

The Butcher Shop burger is one oversize juicy burger, so be warned this is one messy meal. The bun comes pre-heated so that it is very crisp. The patty is approximately 1 inch thick cooked to your desire, but whatever outcome the juice will keep flowing. A side of the house mayonnaise is provides as well as a some thin fried onion rings as a compliment.

Note: The menu does change every so often.

552 Tremont Street, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 423-4800