Ethnic Dining
Taranta
I met some friends during Restaurant week at this charming, intimate restaurant on Hanover street that combines southern Italain cooking with Peruvian cuisine. Owner chef Jose Duarte and Mario Nocero work together to create some wonderful ethnic dishes.And during restaurant week a lot to sample. We began our dining adventure with Pisco sours , a traditional Peruvian drink that was authentic and so good. It set the tone for the evening. Appetizers included a delicioous tamale stuffed wiht duck confit and a bowl of PEI mussels with sicilian marsala balsamic roasted shallots and pancetta abruzzesa. The main courses included braised lambshank over mushroom quinoa risoto and three of us ordered the Taranta's signature pork chop double thick served over a saute of giant Peruvian corn and a sugar risoto glaze. It was the largelst pork chop I ever saw, and needless to say, one would have sufficed for three of us. Cooked to perfection, we each took half home for another taste the next day. The quality continues with dessert and included a tiramasu and a melt in your mouth cannnoli filled with Aquava ricotta. The resstaurant takes its name from the Tarantella that translates into an uncontrollable urge to dance...in this case, a visit to Taranta demands an uncontrollable urge to eat. You must go. It's a true dining experience. The one drawback is no valet parking, but there is validated parking ($!) at a city garage a block and one half away.
Taranta, 210 Hanover St, Boston
617-720-0052
Orinoco
Make way for another popular South End restaurant, this one specializing in authentic Venezuelan fare.
The tiny storefront Shawmut Avenue space (seats 20) is the dream come
true of owner Andres Branger, whose 5-month-old eatery is always busy.
(They take no reservations, and there's often a wait.) The
Venezuelan-born Branger and his partner Carlos Rodriguez have
created a menu inspired by the small, casual, rustic eating spots
found along the Venezuelan roadside. Their "taguarita" has mismatched old
chairs, a vintage tin ceiling, straw masks and old photos on the wall. Family recipes blend the delicate cuisine and flavor
of the Andes and the Caribbean.
To start, try some "arepas", the
palm-sized pillowy cornmeal breads.Other choices include the "reina pepiade" filled with cool
avocado chicken salad or the "pernil arepa," juicy chunks of sherry- and
herb-marinated pork. A popular salad favorite is the "palmito,"
hearts of palm topped with crumbles of Cabrates blue cheese in a zingy
vinaigrette with bacon-wrapped dates. Rodgriguez has a secret 10-spice rub he uses on his tuna and chicken. The
citrus-marinated raw fish "ceviche" seems to be one of the most popular
entrees. Leave room for the side dishes -- fired potato-like yucca, or
seasoned rice and black beans. Finish your Venezuelan soiree with
either a delicious home-made flan or molten chocolate cake made with
real Venezuelan chocolate. Wine and beer only. The one
drawback: parking is at a premium. But drive around until you
find a spot. It's a happening place.
Orinoco
477 Shawmut Avenue, Boston
(617) 369-7075
O'Leary's Pub
Guest reviewer: Waldo Fielding
It is always easy to regard an Irish pub as a great place to meet
friends, where the drinks are plentiful, and the atmosphere is noisy, the laughter is loud, and the customers
content. All of the above is true of O'Leary's, but there is one outstanding difference -- and that is the kitchen.
Not only are there the traditional Irish dishes, but Chef Marc turns out eclectic choices that attract the most discerning gourmand. His
ability to offer daily specials is the reason that customers return time and again for an attractive and satisfying lunch and/or
dinner. None of the above detracts from the bar and its servers -- Lisa, JP, Ed, Diedre -- and in the afternoon you will meet the
genial owner, Aengus O'Leary, who in an instant will satisfy both your thirst and your palate. Try it -- and like most of their regulars -- you'll know
that once is not enough.
O'Leary's
1010 Beacon St., Brookline
(617) 734-0049
La Verdad
Chef Ken Oringer is at it again, with successful restaurants like Clio, Uni and Tori, he's now set his sights on Mexican cuisine and" La Verdad" on Lansdowne Street in the
Fenway area is his latest venture. Hand-made tortillas and tacos are available in 14
flavors!
You can be sure it won't be your typical Mexican fare. There's a full bar, and
lots of tequila. The 65-seat dining area does include a taqueria up
front where Sox fans can hop in for a fast bite, before or after the
game.
La Verdad, 1 Lansdowne St., Boston
(617) 351-2580
Lucca
The Williams Brothers are making some noise in the North End these days. After
managing Mama Maria's for over 20 years, they have transformed the former "Il
Baccio" space on the upper end of Hanover Street into an upscale restaurant
that offers elegance and charm mixed with traditional Northern Italian cuisine.
As you enter the street level space, you're struck by the very "untrattoria-like" look
. . . a lengthy, rich mahogany bar that fills almost 3/4 of one wall, marble
floor, white tablecloths, dramatic lighting -- a very sophisticated decor.
For those who want a more casual atmosphere, they have the lower level that
offers much less formal dining. No newcomers to making diners feel welcome,
the Williams boys have made a wise choice in their man in the kitchen, Chef
Frank Santonastaso, who has come up with a varied and delectable menu. On
our first visit, we began our dining experience sampling the seared sliced
tuna, the melt-in-your-mouth lasagna de funghi, with warm potato and wild
mushroom, as well as the Prince Edward mussels simmered in white wine with
mustard, garlic and herbs. That set the tone. On the list of entrees, the
winner at our table seemed to be the seared sushi tuna, although I particularly
enjoyed my seared beef tenderloin with risotto de funghi. The taste combinations
were excellent.
A fully stocked bar, (many North End eateries serve only wine and beer) under
the tender care of Ted Kennedy (formerly at Ambrosia) is a major asset -- make
sure you try his killer martini. Lucca's is definitely upscale and with the
combined experience of the Williams brothers and Ted Kennedy (no relation,
by the way) they have moved the seemingly restaurant-saturated North End eateries
up a major notch. One drawback (soon to be remedied) -- there is no valet parking.
Validated parking is available at the nearby Haymarket Garage. They're open
for dinner nightly from 5 p.m. An extensive bar menu is served till 12:15 every
night, cocktails till one.
Lucca
226 Hanover Street, Boston
(617) 742-9200
The Red Fez
Guest Reviewer: Chef Argold, Brookline
The hot new spot is the Red Fez located on bombed-out Washington Street about
a block and a half from Holy Cross Cathedral. The decor is quite attractive
and comfy. Architecturally they did well, leaving the warm sand-blasted brick
walls with new hardwood and marble floors and soft lighting. The Red Fez is
a fun place. Take your No.1 and a few friends and you'll have a great time.
It is not where you go to celebrate the grand promotion or your in-laws 50th
anniversary. It's for good food and fun. Focus on an assortment of their Middle
Eastern appetizers with their wonderful flat-bread dipped in herbed olive oil.
The hummus, tabbouleh, spicy lamb meatballs, spinach and cheese Sanbusak, and
the red mullet -- all great and fun to share. For entrees we liked Kefta skewers
of minced lamb and beef served with a cumin-yogurt sauce and grilled Vidalia
onions; also char-grilled skewers of chicken served with a stack of grilled
vegetables and a tahini sauce. Save room for dessert. We shared a delightfully
fruity Strawberry Napoleon in a fresh citrus-sauce and a rich but deliciously
chilled chocolate tart. Their coffee is Turkish and the Moroccan mint tea is
worth lingering over. Moderately priced, comfortably rehabbed -- a fun place
with good food.
The Red Fez
1222 Washington St, Boston
(617) 338-6060
Via Matta
Lydia Shire's former Pignoli restaurant has undergone a name and ownership
change. The newest gourmet entry in that burgeoning area is the work of two-thirds
of the Radius team, Chef Michael Schlow and Christopher Myers. The menu still
remains classic Italian, with antipasti (Pappa al Pomodoro, spicy calamari),
and five different pasta dishes, including a garlicky delicious Spaghetti
Aglio e Olio. The "secondi dishes feature, crispy "pollo" and
pan roasted halibut with sweet and sour peppers. Everyone, wait staff and
diners, seems to be happy. An all-Italian wine list accompanies your meal.
The restaurant has become very popular, and at dinnertime, the noise level
gets a little crazy, but maybe that's the way it should be in a restaurant
whose name translated means "crazy way."
Via Matta
79 Park Plaza, Boston
(617) 422-0008
La Casa de Pedro
Watertown Square is a happening place these days with a growing legion of ethnic
restaurants that are popping up all over Main and Mount Auburn Streets. Hole-in-the-wall,
funky, fun places. This tiny spot (17 tables) features South American, Venezuelan
cuisine, and is actually run by a man called Pedro. The menu features traditional
fare such as yucca, sausage, plantains, arepas, ceviche and empanadas. The
large portions are not pricey. The wait staff is just happy you're there
and ready to serve you their home-made sangria that will put you in a happy
mood. No full bar. Plenty of parking in the rear. They serve lunch Tues.-Fri.,
Dinner Tues.-Sat. 5:30-9 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.
La Casa de Pedro
52 Main Street
Watertown, MA
(617) 923-8025
Tangierino
As a movie buff, I expected to see Rick and Lisa at Rick's Café, the
fictionalized hangout in the film "Casablanca." Although Bogart and
Bergman were nowhere to be found, this newest dining jewel in the heart of
Charlestown's Main Street conjured up romantic memories of Morocco with its
authentic food and decor lovingly created by the husband wife team of Heike
and Samad Noamad. Both of them bring special strengths to the enterprise .
. . she, serving as hostess and decorator (she actually imported authentic
Moroccan furniture from her mother-in-law's house in Casablanca). Moroccan
fabric, art, and handcrafted items abound in the main dining room and bar and
in the nook where our party dined, seated on comfortable, colorful couches.
Not only is the decor authentic, but the food prepared by chef Samad was definitely
Moroccan-inspired. For appetizers we began with "harissa tuna tartar," spicy
yellow fin tuna, adorned with mango salad and lemon and cilantro vinaigrette.
The tasty "tagra," Moroccan spiced crab cakes, also set us up for
the entrees that included a special lamb shank where " the meat fell off
the bone." We also tasted another lamb dish, "Lamb Kadra," spiced
rack of lamb, with fennel mash, haricots verts and cilantro-roasted potatoes.
If you fancy duck, make sure you try the "Canard au Tassirgal," pan-crisped
duck breast, glazed prunes, baby turnips with chive couscous.. Make sure you
leave room to linger over the variety of desserts. Our palates relished the
home-made sorbet assortment and the melt-in-your-mouth crème de caramel.
A cup of strong coffee kept the Moroccan mood intact as, satisfied and satiated,
we headed out into the fog-shrouded night hoping to catch a fleeting glimpse
of Rick and Lisa.
Tangierino
83 Main St., Charlestown
Betty's Wok and Noodle Diner (New Review!)
Next time you're going to Symphony Hall or the Huntington Theatre, stop in
at one of the few good eateries in the area, a funky retro restaurant that
offers Asian fusion with Cuban and Asian influences. For appetizers, try
the golden shrimp rangoon -- a light pastry shell filled with cream cheese
and shrimp. We also tried their version of fried onion rings, a heaping platter
with a curried flavor. There are chicken and beef dishes, along with rice
or noodles. Soup is prepared with your choice of seven different sauces,
including Cantonese, Hoisin, a dark, rich velvety sweet, Cuban Chipolte --
citrus, spicy with hints of orange and chili, to Thai-kiki, a sweet and sour
sauce. The dishes come with stir-fry vegetables and your choice of jasmine
or brown rice. The vegetables, rice and sauce make for a hearty repast. The
portions are huge, healthy and hearty. You might want to share, or plan to
take home some of the goodies. Beer and wine and specialty drinks are offered.
Service is friendly, and best of all, you won't have to take out a second
mortgage. And since my wife's name is Betty, it's gotta be good -- she's
already addicted, and can't wait to return. It's a much-needed dining addition
to the Symphony section of the city.
Betty's Wok
250 Huntington Ave., Boston
(617) 424-1950
Masa
One of the more popular South End eateries features Southwestern-style goodies
with original high-end creations that should please the palate of most New
Englanders with a hankering for the spicy and tangy taste of the Southwest.
To get in the proper mood, start off with the house-made fresh fruit juice
margarita which will prepare you for tangy dishes to come, including chilled
avocado soup, red-chile-rubbed steak and green-chile empanada. The crispy
chicken with apricot pinon mole comes with smoky peach salsa. Delicious!
Southwestern-style pork chop, chile glazed with roasted corn and stone fruit
salsa, is another of my favorites, and check out the roasted salmon with
chipolte and horseradish crust (hot). Cool down your palate with the home-made
fruit sorbet selections, including passion fruit and mango. It's a little
bit of Santa Fe in Boston's South End.
Masa
438 Tremont St., Boston
(617) 338-8884
Jumbo Seafood Restaurant
Reviewed
by Rene - "Boston's Gal About Town"
Chinatown has one restaurant after another, but this is a savory find! Here
you'll find some of the best fresh seafood (Chinese-style) from lobster, scallops,
and crab to tanks of ocean-fresh fish, prepared in tasty, different ways with
ginger scallion, salted, spicy, steamed, or with black bean sauce. There are
delicious poultry dishes, and a variety of outstanding vegetable dishes --
pea pod stems, baby bok choy, and steamed Chinese broccoli with garlic sauce.
There are so many tempting noodle selections from which to choose, along with
one of my husband's all-time favorites, chicken corn soup. This place is not
only frequented by the Asian community, which makes it so very interesting,
but it's also a favorite hangout for many of Boston's top chefs who leave their
upscale pricey spots and come to relax for their after-hours meal. Jumbo stays
open late: Sun. -Wed. 11a.m. -1 a.m., Thurs.-Sat. 11a.m. - 3 a.m. Hosts Cathy
and Ken Leung are there to warmly greet you. Try it. You'll be back for more
and more and more. Let's hear from you. Write to me at Rene@bostonman.com.
Jumbo Seafood Restaurant
7 Hudson Street, Boston
(617) 542-2823
MaSoba
Reviewed by Rene - "Boston's Gal About Town"
A
bountiful beauty sits at the brink of Beacon Hill on Cambridge Street at the
corner of Hancock. This sophisticated white tablecloth gem has one dynamite
sushi bar offering sushi and sashimi as well as an array of Thai and Chinese
delicacies. As you enter there is a welcoming wine and sake bar and two dining
rooms. Begin with such delicious appetizers as tuna tataki, sliced seared tuna
with daikon radish and ponzu sauce, tasty beef banana rolls with a honey all
spice glaze, and many different variations of traditional dumplings. Entrees
are served as individual dinners as opposed to the Chinatown family style.
Choose from lemon chicken katsu, lightly breaded cutlets served on a bed of
garlic sautéed green beans, or scrumptious pan-seared lemon grass salmon
fillet with mango salsa and sweet potato mash. My favorite: Thai Green Curry
with pan sautéed Tiger shrimps seasoned with crispy basil leaves. Side
dishes can be sweet potato fries with fresh lime or Japanese seaweed salad
and of course, there is steamed white or seasoned Japanese sushi rice. Noodle
dishes are interesting as well. Yang Chow fried rice, satay & curry beef
chow foon and their delicious pad thai. Along with the many lovely beverages,
there is green tea and for dessert a melt-in-your-mouth red bean ice cream,
and coconut or mango fruit custard. Make sure you don't miss out on their wonderful
chocolate shortcake with caramelized bananas and ice cream. The family that
owns this marvelous place hails from Toronto, and the restaurant is personally
watched over by the charming Sharon Lee. Open 7 days a week 11:30 a.m. -11
p.m. Saturday 12 -11 and Sun 12 - 10:30. The Sushi Bar is closed between 2:30
-5:30 p.m. every day.
MaSoba
156 Cambridge St., Boston
(617) 973-6680
Cafe Brazil
Although this restaurant has been a fixture in the Allston area for a number
of years, I recently tried it for the first time and I now know why it is
a neighborhood favorite and why it has lasted for such a long time. There's
a friendly atmosphere, well-prepared, authentic Brazilian food, and reasonable
prices. (We were on our way to Scullers in the Guest Quarters Suite -- about
5 minutes away -- and for future reference, this convenient Allston location
on Cambridge Street is a perfect spot to dine before or after showtime at
Scullers.) With some nice wine and hearty appetizers, including some delicious
fried yucca, we feasted on "frango com quiabo," a Brazilian gumbo
of chicken stewed with potatoes and okra, and we also enjoyed the mixed grill,
flavorful and ample. We even had time for a dessert, a delicious flan "puddin" --
silky custard pudding with caramel. On weekends, there's an extra treat:
a live guitarist to serenade you with some nice samba rhythms. Open for lunch
and dinner. I'll admit there are other are authentic Brazilian restaurants
in the area, but even though it was late in my personal discovery, Cafe Brazil
is one of the best!
Cafe Brazil
421 Cambridge Street, Allston
(617) 789-5980
CK Shanghai
CK Sau has recently moved his operation (formerly in Chinatown) to the suburbs
-- a storefront setting on busy Washington Street in Wellesley. And the transformation
is good news for those who want to taste authentic Chinese dishes without venturing
into the heart of the city. The decor, with softly tinted walls, wood floors,
and white tablecloths, enhances the pleasant atmosphere. The extensive menu
has the usual traditional dishes from many of the various Chinese regions --
Scallion pancakes, Peking ravioli, hot and sour soup, General Gat's chicken,
plus some more adventuresome dishes, including sea scallops with black pepper
sauce. Peking duck, attractively presented with slices of moist duck, crisp
skin, thin crepes, lettuce leaves and hoisin sauce, makes for a tasty appetizer.
The serving is ample enough for three or four to savor. Pea pod stems with
garlic or bok choy with mushrooms complemented by an oyster sauce lead the
Chinese vegetable parade. CK Sau has transferred most of his in-town specialties,
clearly marked on the menu, and the word is out that now Chinese food aficionados
have an exciting new suburban venue with fine offerings to please their palates.
CK Shanghai
15 Washington St.(Rte 16), Wellesley
(781) 237-7500
Blue Ginger has become the dining
destination for folks way beyond the Wellesley border. Opposite the Wellesley
Inn, chef /owner Ming Tsai has come up with one of the best restaurants in
the Greater Boston area. He has taken traditional east and west -oriented
flavors and given them a new twist.The menu changes weekly and your only
problem will be that you can't taste it all. I particularly liked the Shitake
and Leek Spring Rolls with 3-Chile dipping sauce, and the Shrimp Tempura "Cocktail" with
Mango salsa for appetizers. And how about this for a creative combo? Indonesian
Curry Pasta with Panko-Crusted Chicken Breast or Braised short ribs with
Orzo Pasta and Baby Bok Choy. I devoured it all and was more than pleased.
This is ethnic food of exceptional gourmet quality. Get over to the "Ginger".
. . not your ordinary Chinese restaurant. Your taste buds will have themselves
an orgy.
Blue Ginger
583 Washington St., Wellesley
(781) 283-5790
Lala Rokh Adding to the success of Azita's,
her popular South End operation, chef and co-owner Azita Bina-Seibel, along
with her brother, has taken over what was a traditional romantic dining experience, "Another
Season," in the heart of historic Beacon Hill. The name alone, based
on Irishman Thomas Moore's poem about a young Persian woman sent to marry
a prince she has never met, sets the romantic tone. Decorated with some exotic
family art and artifacts, Lala Rokh has made Persian cuisine a dining experience.
Romantic and refreshingly different.
Lala Rokh
97 Mt. Vernon St., Boston
(617) 720-5511