Dine Out Boston: Starter Kit

By Bovey Rao ’19

The city of Boston is a great place to find an eclectic and engaging dining experience. Home to some of the oldest restaurants in America–and some of the hippest new bars–, Boston has a diverse and incredible food scene for any palette and budget. From March 6-11 and 13-18, 2016, Boston will offer its hungry masses two weeks of good-eating. It’s called Dine Out Boston (formerly called Restaurant Week), an event organized by the city of Boston with the goal to make restaurant dining more economical for two mouth-watering weeks. Enjoy two or three course meals at some of Boston’s finest restaurants (Lunch $15/$20/$25, Dinner $28/$33/$38). While I encourage looking through all 169 restaurants participating, here are some of my recommendations.

Note: You are strongly encouraged to make a reservation at the restaurant, whether by calling, booking through OpenTable, or using the Dine Out website.

 

I Sea Food – Boston’s prime location (i.e. by the Atlantic Ocean) means that fresh seafood is always close and convenient, so don’t miss out!

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Photo Courtesy of Atlantic Fish Company
  • Atlantic Fish Company – 761 Boylston Street, Lunch: $25
  • Mare – 135 Richmond Street, Dinner: $33
  • SELECT Oyster Bar – 50 Gloucester Street, Lunch: $25
  • Union Oyster House* – 41 Union Street, Lunch: $25, Dinner: $38
  • Oceanaire Seafood Room – 40 Court Street, Lunch: $25, Dinner: $38

Best of the North End – The Historic North End is known nationally for its authentic Italian food, and some of their best restaurants are participating this year:

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Photo Courtesy of Terramia Ristorante
  • Bricco – 241 Hannover Street, Dinner: $33
  • Mamma Maria – 3 North Square, Dinner: $38
  • Nico – 417 Hannover Street, Dinner: $38
  • Terramia Ristorante – 98 Salem Street, Dinner: $33
  • Tresca – 233 Hanover Street, Lunch: $25, Dinner: $38

Italian outside the North – While the North End boasts some pretty impressive Italian fare, other exceptional Italian joints are scattered all over Boston.

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Photo Courtesy of Scampo
  • Da Vinci – 162 Columbus Avenue, Dinner: $38
  • Davio’s – 75 Arlington Street, Lunch: $25 Dinner: $38
  • Grotto – 37 Bowdoin Street, Lunch: $25 Dinner: $33
  • Scampo – 215 Charles Street, Lunch: $25

Je Suis Francais – French food has a strong showing this year, with many past and current winners of Best French Boston participating in Dine Out Boston.

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T.W. Food Photo Courtesy of Boston Magazine
  • Bastille Kitchen – 49 Melcher Street, Dinner: $38
  • Bistro du Midi – 272 Boylston Street, Dinner: $38
  • Gaslight – 560 Harrison Avenue, Dinner: $33
  • T.W. Food – 377 Walden Street, Dinner: $38
  • La Voile – 261 Newbury Street, Lunch: $25 Dinner: $38
  • Ma Maison – 272 Cambridge Street, Lunch: $20 Dinner: $33

Something’s at Steak – Do you have a beef with someone? Resolve it at one of the many great steakhouses in Boston!

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Photo Courtesy of Grill 23
  • Boston Chops – 1375 Washington Street, Dinner: $38
  • Capital Grille – 900 Boylston Street, Lunch: $25, Dinner: $38
  • Grill 23 & Bar – 161 Berkley Street, Dinner: $38
  • STRIP by Strega – 64 Arlington Street, Lunch: $20, Dinner: $38

Somewhere Beyond the Sea – Other countries exist besides Italy and France, I promise, and they have delicious offerings as well.

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Bronwyn Photo Courtesy of Boston Magazine
  • Bronwyn – German, 255 Washington Street, Dinner: $33
  • Oishii Boston – Japanese, 1166 Washington Street, Lunch: $20/$30
  • Q Restaurant – Chinese (Hotpot), 660 Washington Street, Lunch: $20, Dinner: $33
  • Estragon – Spanish, 700 Harrison Avenue, Dinner: $33

Murica has Food Too! – Why is it so hard to describe American food…?

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Photo Courtesy of Parker’s
  • Courtyard Restaurant – 700 Boylston Street, Lunch: $20
  • Kitchen – 560 Tremont Street, Dinner: $28
  • Parker’s** – 60 School Street, Lunch: $25 Dinner: $38

Nearby Dining – If you feel like leaving Harvard Square is too much of a chore, fear not! A number of restaurants nearby are participating.

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Photo Courtesy of Henrietta’s Table
  • Beat Brasserie – 13 Brattle Street, Lunch: $25
  • Grafton Street – 1230 Mass Avenue, Dinner: $28
  • Harvest – 44 Brattle Street, Lunch: $25, Dinner: $38
  • Henrietta’s Table- 1 Bennett Street, Lunch: $25, Dinner: $33
  • Park Restaurant – 59 JFK Street, Dinner: $28
  • Rialto – 1 Bennett Street, Dinner: $38
  • Russell House Tavern- 14 JFK Street, Dinner: $28
  • Temple Bar- 1688 Massachusetts Avenue, Dinner: $28
  • Toscano Harvard Square – 47 Charles Street, Lunch: $20, Dinner: $38

 

*One of the oldest restaurants in America with frequent visits from presidential candidates.

** Original creator of the Boston Cream Pie

Barbecued Bliss at Sweet Cheeks Q

by Caroline Gentile ‘17

Compared to my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, Boston has a lot more to offer. In terms of culture, things to do, and most importantly, things to eat, the difference is like night and day. In fact, I think Harvard Square alone has more diversity in fare than my homogeneous suburb of Cincinnati. However, the one category in which I’ve found the greater Boston area—and New England in general— has fallen short, is barbecue.

Until I found Sweet Cheeks Q.

Finally, a place where I could stuff my face with smoked meat and biscuits the size of my face – and wash it all down with a towering glass of sweet tea! At first, I will say, I was skeptical. Given the scarcity of barbecue in New England, I did not have high hopes for Sweet Cheeks. Located in Fenway, the restaurant itself seemed a bit too polished with to serve truly authentic barbecue compared to the dive-like barbecue establishments I’m used to.

I was quickly proven wrong. When a large bucket, overflowing with warm, fluffy, buttery biscuits was placed right in front of me, with a side of honey butter, I could barely control myself. After a 5-minute-but-felt-like-5-years walk in the 15-degree weather from the T to the restaurant, let me tell you that there are few things better than coming in from the cold and being given a bucket of biscuits to slather in melted honey butter deliciousness.

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Approximately two minutes elapsed until my table had demolished all ten of the massive buttery biscuits. Our next victim? The drinks. I should have known from the bar vibe that Sweet Cheeks gives off—think bar stools and massive TV—but they have some damn good drinks. The legal members of my fellow diners decided to go for the John Daly Scorpion Ball. For those of you who are unfamiliar, a John Daly is the alcoholic twist of an Arnold Palmer: lemonade, sweet tea, and sweet tea vodka. When the drink finally arrived, we were in shock; the Mason jar, filled to the brim with the sweet, yet tart elixir, was literally bigger than our faces. For the under-21 crew, the non-alcoholic version of this beverage was just as tasty, and also served in an absurdly massive mason jar.

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Now, for the star of the show: the barbecue. By this point in the meal, I was already overflowing with biscuits and sweet tea, but I soldiered on so as to make room for what I really came for. A friend and I decided to split the Fat Cheeks Tray, which allowed us to pick three kinds of meat, a cold side, and a hot side. We decided on pulled pork, pulled chicken, and brisket, with sides of mac n’ cheese and potato salad.

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While the pulled chicken was nothing impressive, the pulled pork and brisket were everything smoked meat should be: tender, flavorful, and well, smoky. Their tangy, savory barbecue sauce went perfectly with their meat. The potato salad was crisp and fresh. Honestly, though, I think the best part of the Fat Cheeks Tray—even better than the barbecue itself— was the mac n’ cheese. Not too thick, creamy, or cheesy, and covered in toasted breadcrumbs, this mac n’ cheese was probably the best I’ve ever had.

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Frankly, because I am not truly from the South (although Cincinnati does share an airport with Kentucky…), I am not entirely qualified to make informed decisions and recommendations about barbecue. I am, however, a mac n cheese expert. Rest assured, one of my friends who accompanied me to Sweet Cheeks Q hails from San Antonio, and she, too, was impressed with not only the mac n cheese, but also the barbecue. And if a Texan likes it, you know it must be good.

 

Sweet Cheeks Q

Location: 1381 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215

Reservation: TableUp or call at (617)-266-1300

Stand-out dishes: Brisket, Mac n’ Cheese

Overall Rating: 4/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 3.5/5

Ambience: 3.5/5

 

Editor’s note: Tiffani Faison, the head chef and owner of Sweet Cheeks Q, recently opened an Asian-inspired restaurant, Tiger Mama. Check both of them out!

 

The Ultimate Dining Hall Hack: A Review of Mange App

by Richa Chaturvedi ’18

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At long last, Mange App is a dining hall hack that everyone on campus will enjoy.  Currently beta testing in Cabot, this app allows for HUDS grill orders to go paperless.  The app displays the daily menu, takes grill orders from anywhere on campus, and texts students when their orders are ready.  Finally, no more of that awkward circling around the grill during the chaos that is lunch hour!

Mange App currently lives exclusively online – the iPhone and Android app should be rolling out in the next month – and, while there are some areas for improvement, it definitely has this starving student’s stamp of approval.  The first time I used Mange App I was a bit annoyed.  I was running to office hours, wanted something from the grill, and had to register as a user and figure out a new interface just to get a piece of chicken.  I soon realized that my aversion to adapt to something new got in the way of me understanding the coolness of the entire set-up.  Now, if I need something quickly, I can order from my room and get a text telling me to go pick my food up.  I’ll probably start getting more texts from Mange App than I will from my roommates, to be honest.

Like I mentioned, no rollout is without its drawbacks.  Currently, lunch time on the app is set to begin at noon.  That means for you early lunchers that you literally cannot order food until 12:00, even if lunch technically begins at 11:30.  This, and other small issues, are already being worked on and will be resolved before the school-wide release of the app.  HUDS has even been kind enough to set up an iPad on the counter so that students without smart phones can use the service.

I am sure that the school-wide release of Mange App will turn out to be successful.  Already, Cabot grill (which is definitely the best) is more efficient, while using less paper.  Mange App is the ultimate dining hall hack: it increases productivity without sacrificing taste.  You may ask yourself, now what?  I have my grilled chicken in no time and now have no idea what to do with it.  For some great ideas on how to spruce up your dining hall meals, check out more Crimson Crave dining hall hacks!

 

 

 

5 Restaurants to Try at Yale

by Caroline Gentile ’17

Imagine the scene. You arrive to Yale on Friday night (or Saturday morning), excitement humming through the polluted New Haven air. Perhaps you are a bit buzzed, perhaps you aren’t (but you probably are because this is the one weekend Harvard kids act like its Harvard State). Regardless of your level of inebriation, you are very likely hungry. But where should you go to eat in New Haven? Do they even have restaurants there, in a place so riddled with crime and gothic architecture?

Surprisingly, yes! New Haven actually boasts many great restaurants, ranging from cheap eats to expensive gourmet fare. Below are some of the best picks on the cheaper, college-student-friendly end of that spectrum (disclaimer: there’s a lot of pizza on this list, but only because pizza is something that New Haven apparently does really, really well):

  1. Alpha Delta Pizza

Location: 371 Elm St., New Haven, CT 06511

Hours: 3pm-3am

Type of Food: Pizza

Price range: $

What to Order: The Wenzel, a deliciously greasy conglomeration of fried buffalo chicken, hot sauce, mozzarella, lettuce, and tomato atop a sub roll.

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Photo courtesy of yelp.com

 

  1. Ivy Wok

Location: 316 Elm Street, New Haven, CT 06511

Hours: 11am-2am

Type of Food: Cantonese

Price Range: $

What to Order: The curry soup or the fried pork dumplings.

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Photo courtesy of yelp.com

 

  1. Mamoun’s Falafel

Location: 85 Howe St, New Haven, CT 06511

Hours: 11am-3am

Type of Food: Falafel

Price Range: $

What to Order: Chicken kebabs.

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Photo courtesy of mamouns.com

  1. Miya’s Sushi

Location: 68 Howe St, New Haven, CT 06511

Hours: 5pm- midnight on Fridays and Saturdays

Type of Food: Sushi

Price Range: $$

What to Order: The Late-Night Specials, offered after 10:30pm, which consist of award-winning sushi made from leftover premium ingredients at a much lower price, as well as 1/3 off pitchers of beer, cocktails, and all bottles of wine. Also, their spicy-mayo-covered shoestring Tokyo fries.

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Photo courtesy of yelp.com

 

  1. Pepe’s Pizza

Location: 157 Wooster Street, New Haven, CT, 06511

Hours: 11am-10pm

Type of Food: Pizza

Price Range: $

What to Order: Any of their pizzas! Pepe’s is probably the most well known restaurant in New Haven, and is actually opening up a store in Boston soon!

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Photo courtesy of www.roadfood.com

 

VOTE HERE: 2nd Annual Dining Hall Hack Competition

Below are our best submissions to the second annual dining hall hack competition.  Until Friday, November 20th, vote here for your favorite entry! The winner will get to pick a recipe off the blog to be made and delivered to their dorm after Thanksgiving break.

 

Chicken, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Burrito (by Nolan Hellickson):

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast
2 fried over easy eggs
2 slices of swiss cheese
blue cheese dressing
oregano
pepper
veggie of choice (onions and mushrooms)
tortilla

Instructions
1. Order a chicken breast and 2 fried over easy eggs from the grill with swiss cheese
2. Slice the chicken into small pieces, put in the wrap with the eggs and cheese
3. Add veggies and drizzle with blue cheese dressing
4. Add oregano and pepper
5. Wrap the burrito and place in the sandwich press
6. Enjoy a perfect burrito

Chicken Teriyaki Bowl (by Amanda Heffernan):

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Ingredients:
1 grilled chicken breast
edamame
sliced carrots
honey
soy sauce
sesame oil
sriracha
rice
Directions:
Order some grilled chicken, dice it up, and add it to a bowl of rice with edamame and sliced carrots from the salad bar.
For sauce, mix three parts soy sauce, one part honey, one part sesame oil, and one part sriracha. Stir well with a fork and combine with the chicken, rice, and veggies.
Blueberry Waffle (by Katelyn McEvoy):
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Ingredients:
waffle batter
blueberries
whipped cream

Directions:

Get a plastic cup 2/3 full of batter and add one big spoonful of blueberries (without much liquid), then mix it up well with a spoon. Spray the waffle iron and pour in the batter, starting in the center and then making sure it spreads to the edges. Cook for about 15 seconds longer than called for, then top with whip cream and enjoy