Belle Isle Seafood (aka following in Anthony Bourdain's footsteps)

Belle Isle Seafood - 1267 Saratoga Street, East Boston (Orient Heights)


"Best lobster roll in Boston" is the claim that brought me to this seafood shack located directly under one of Logan's flight paths in East Boston. Actually it was the fact that this one of the places my boy Anthony Bourdain visited during his taping of No Reservations: Boston. I made it out there as part of an impromptu bike tour of East Boston and Winthrop, but that is a story for another post. The place is much smaller than I expected, literally just a small room with the counter you order from and then a handful of stools lined up along the front windows.

The good news is that the roll lived up to its moniker and is the best roll I have had in Boston. The bad news is that it was perhaps the second best lobster roll I have ever had, beaten by a $10 lobster roll sold from a cart in downtown Newburyport (I really need to visit that guy again!). The thing is enormous, packing an entire half pound of lobster meat onto a single bun. In my opinion, the perfect lobster roll is a combination of fresh lobster meat, a little mayo, maybe some lettuce delivered in perfect proportion on a buttered, grilled split-top New England roll. The amount of meat at Belle Isle overpowers the taste of the bun beneath. This isn't a problem of course, you just pull the excess meat off until you've arrived at the proper ratio. Needless to say, it was a great meal and I got to follow in the footsteps of Tony.

MBTA Makes Boston Traffic More Bearable

The Texas Transportation Institute recently released its annual report ranking 439 urban areas according to the amount of time lost by residents stuck in traffic during their commute. Boston ended up tied with Dallas-Fort Worth for 7th worst traffic in the US. The average commuter lost 48 hours in 2009 to congestion. The Boston Globe ran an article last Sunday that highlights the fact that without the T, things would be much worse. Having a significant portion of commuters riding public transit led to a savings of 32.9 million hours, or about 8 hours per person for the year. Nationally, the MBTA ranked 5th in terms of hours saved.

Tremont 647

Tremont 647 - 647 Tremont St, South End (Back Bay)

Ann was in town last week so we took an opportunity to use a Groupon and visit Tremont 647 in the South End. It was my first time at the restaurant and it's a place I've been meaning to try since I've been by it so many times going to restaurants in that area.

I was not overwhelmed by the decor. It's a small restaurant with more of a laid back, neighborhood feel. It was pretty empty when we got in at 6:30, but quickly filled up.

It has a pretty wide ranging menu so it's hard to describe the cuisine other than American. I think it goes for more of a Southwest feel, but I'm not sure. For the meal, I ordered the crab and shrimp risotto, which was a special, and Ann got the pork chop. I enjoyed my dish but Ann's was a little dry. Overall, I would say the food is pretty good but it wouldn't be my first choice to head back to with so many good restaurants at similar prices in that area. Apparently they do have a $2 taco Tuesdays thing, so that might be worth checking out some time...

Parish

Parish Cafe and Bar - 361 Boylston Street, Back Bay (Arlington)

My roommate, Sanjay, and I went here on a Tuesday night to meet up with my friend, Laura (it's one of her favorite Back Bay spots) and it was packed. They have a large outdoor patio on Boylston and people were out enjoying the weather. Inside was equally full but we were able to find seats at the bar. I hoped this would be an indication of good things to come and I was not disappointed.

Compared to a lot of the Back Bay, Parish is a good, affordable option. They serve a refreshing variety of entree size salads and sandwiches for around $12 per plate (the $32 double lobster roll is an outlier). I went there with all intentions of eating healthy but when I saw 'The Coppa', I knew I was done for. The menu describes it as

"A slow roasted pork belly sandwich on a sesame seeded bun topped with American cheese, Hellman's mayonaisse, carmelized onions-red jalapeno peppers. Sided with your choice of homemade potato salad or cole slaw."

They had me at pork belly. If there's one thing I have come to realize, it is that I am becoming a big fan of the fatty, flavorful, less conventional parts of the animal. Perhaps this is the best thing that Anthony Bourdain has taught me. It started with bone marrow. Now it's pork belly. I first had pork belly at People, a tapas restaurant in Chicago about a month ago. It was shredded inside a small slider, but the flavor was phenomenal! This time they did not disguise the texture of the cut. My sandwich was literally packed with gooey pieces of essentially pig fat packing an overwhelming flavor of pork goodness. By the end of meal was hands were so greasy I felt like I had washed them in olive oil. If this disturbs you, I apologize. If it does not, you need to try it! Parish has definitely gotten my attention and I'm sure I'll be going back. I might not order the 'The Coppa' every time, but it definitely made me appreciate what they have to offer.

Rowes Wharf Sea Grille

Rowes Wharf Sea Grille - 70 Rowes Wharf, Waterfront (Aquarium)

For the Winter 2010 Boston Restaurant Week finale, I went to Rowes Wharf Sea Grille with Ann, Kyle and Melissa. It is located in the very posh Boston Harbor Hotel. The decor was maritime themed and very refined. As I feared, it was a little too staid and lacked the energy of a hipper, more accessible restaurant. This may have had something to do with being tucked away in a hotel, which I feel always removes a certain authenticity from restaurants.

I had heard about the place in the Globe when they described it as the first truly great seafood restaurant in the city actually located on the waterfront. And what a picturesque waterfront location it is. We were seated next to the window, which was nice even though it was night. The view looks out over the middle of the harbor and just off to the right you can see the glass-enclosed back side of the Moakley Courthouse.

Let's get to the food. Surprisingly they had chosen to put their most expensive entree, the Filet, on the Restaurant Week menu so three of us chose to get it. Knowing this, I decided to go seafood for my appetizer and ordered the New England clam chowder. I'm not going to claim to be a chowder expert, but this was real good. The steak was exceptional as well, although we all ordered ours medium rare and they came out a range of medium to medium well. This was really the only disappointment of the night. My Cheesecake with Blueberry compote was delicious as well. On top of that, our server was extremely attentive so it is no surprise that the Sea Grille ranks at the top of OpenTable's list for service.

It was another great Restaurant Week experience. I would recommend it for a more formal celebration or possibly a date if you're looking for something romantic with a harbor view.

Olive's

Olive's - 10 City Square, Charlestown (North Station)

As you hopefully know by now, Boston's winter/spring Restaurant Week is upon us. This means a lot of activity for the progressBoston blog as I usually like to try out two new restaurants each time. For the first restaurant, I was inspired to try a neighborhood I don't venture to very often, Charlestown. It's kind of tucked away across the Charles from the North End, but the City Square section is very quaint and historic. It was here that Todd English founded his breakthrough restaurant, Olive's. Now I'm not really sure what to think of Todd; he may be a little too commercial and overrated now and judging by what I've read in the papers may have a bit of an ego. However, my only intent here is to judge his restaurant.

Ann and I were joined by our new friends Lisa and Brad for this outing. The restaurant's decor was classy and yet had a modern enough feeling that it didn't feel stuffy. One thing I did not like was how crammed everything was, especially near the entrance, with tables tucked inches away from where people were standing. The bar was likewise too small to really enjoy grabbing a pre-meal drink. Fortunately, we were seated in the more open dining room near a large window with a view of the Square and the Zakim Bridge beyond (about as good as a view as you can get in most Boston restaurants).

For my three courses, I went with the Lobster Bisque, Crispy Confit Duck, and Rich Chocolate Tart. I was very impressed with the Bisque, as I usually am. Perhaps I was spoiled by Salts, but I did not find the Duck as enjoyable as I had hoped. The "cassoulet style" was interesting, but having a duck leg sitting in a heavy sauce type thing made it hard to enjoy the flavor. Finally, the Tart was very different with caramel corn included on the plate. This I really enjoyed, but found the creme fraiche sucked all of the flavor out of the chocolate when I included even just a little dab.

I also got to try a bit of Ann's Carbonara and Pork Chop, both very good. Lisa and Brad differentiated themselves by additionally getting the Salmon Cake, Lasagna, and Cod and I did not hear any complaints. For the other desserts though, the Tapioca was overpowered by the kumquats.

Overall, it was a fine experience and worth checking out but I'm not sure it would be a first choice destination restaurant compared to some others in Boston.

Nico

Nico Ristorante - 417 Hanover St, North End (Haymarket)

A couple weekends ago, Ann and I went out in the North End in search for a late night drink and small bite to eat. We didn't have a plan and so like many Bostonians, were walking up and down Hanover St looking for a reasonably priced, able to be seated place. We ended up at Nico. Compared with a couple of the other places nearby, the menu was reasonable. Additionally, it being about 9:30 on a Saturday, the place had a pretty lively bar scene going on compared to some sleepier establishments nearby.

We kept it simple and just split and appetizer and entree between us. The appetizer was the Prosciutto and Fresh Parmagiano and it was amazing. It had an intense salty flavor that was almost debilitating but it was just also extremely tasty. For the entree, we got the Spaghetti Calamari. We had told our waitress (who was very friendly and approachable) that we were going to be sharing and she brought out the entree on two plates with portions that were essentially a meal for each of us. I'm not sure if this was because it was so late at night, but it was a nice gesture. The dish was good, but certainly not outstanding. I would like to go back and try some more of the menu to see what else they do well.

South Station Expansion

Last week there were a couple of articles in the Globe about a proposed expansion of the commuter rail facilities at South Station. The first article described the collapse of the initial deal involving the Postal Service, MBTA, and a private developer that was going to develop the property and allow the MBTA to expand with 5 more tracks and platforms at South Station to relieve congestion. The next day, another article was published saying that the T was now thinking about purchasing the entire 15 acre site and adding as many as 11 additional tracks to South Station. The major concern is that with the private developer dropping out, the MBTA, already $4 billion in debt, may not be able to secure the financing to make the deal work.

The MBTA can't afford not to make the deal the work. As the articles point out, next year commuter rail service is scheduled to be expanded to Worcester now that the state has worked out a deal to purchase the tracks from CSX that run between the state's two largest cities. Additionally, the long-proposed South Coast commuter rail expansion to New Bedford and Fall River is slated to occur in 2015 or 2016. Add to that anticipated increases in ridership on other commuter rail lines and on Amtrak in the Northeast and there is certainly a need to expand Boston's busiest rail station. Located in downtown Boston, there is certainly limited room adjacent to South Station so an opportunity to pick up prime real estate such as this should be seen as a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity and the state and MBTA should make all efforts to complete the deal. David D'Alessandro, who recently completed a top to bottom financial review of the troubled agency stated in the Globe that the T still has certain assets that it could sell to possibly finance such a purchase. In addition, development of the rest of the property could easily pay for some of the up front costs. This is more than just a nice opportunity for the T, it is an essential expansion project if sustainable rail travel is going to be allowed to continue to grow in the Boston area and throughout the Northeast.

Groupon

So as my friends already know and I am coming to realize, I have become a little obsessed with Groupon. Basically, each day a new deal (or two!) is announced for given cities that if enough buy in on it, everyone gets the deal. You can check out the Boston deals here. A lot of the recent deals have been for restaurants, including a couple of my local favorites (Red Bones, The Middle East). It is certainly a good way to get a deal and try out some places you might not have otherwise gone to.

Salts

Salts - 798 Main Street, Cambridge (Central/Kendall)

Salts is a hidden gem of the Boston restaurant scene. It is certainly located out of the way, tucked in to an old industrial area behind Central Square. However, once you step inside the atmosphere is both warm and inviting, aided in no small part by the gracious hosting of co-owner Analia. It is great for either a romantic dinner or a small group celebrating a special occasion with the price point higher than any other restaurant I have yet reviewed.

The cuisine is French-inspired but the ingredients are locally sourced, which means the menu turns out to generally be a taste of New England. This was certainly true with Ann's squash soup appetizer, which we both described as tasting like fall. This is a place that foodies would love, with special attention given to an uncommon combination of ingredients as well as diligent preparation. Between appetizers and the entree, we were given a free sample of artichoke soup with I believe foamed parmesan on top. I was having a hard time keeping up with the ingredients, but the results were superb. The highlight of the evening was the roast duck for two, which Salts is famous for and we were lucky enough to secure one of the final two late in the night. The entire duck is presented on one platter along with vegetables and fruits and the waiter carves it practically at your table. The first bite was perhaps better than anything I had ever tasted before and we both ate as much we liked and were still left with a healthy portion to take home (Note: there is also a tasting menu offered at $75 per person where they ask what you do and don't like on the menu and then come out with six courses tailored to your specific tastes. This was highly recommended by my friend Olivier who suggested the restaurant, but Ann and I didn't feel quite ready to try it out).

Everything about Salts was fantastic, with exceptionally friendly and personal service and fabulously prepared and presented food.

FRA Shuns Northeast Corridor

I read in the Globe today that none of the $8 billion in stimulus money that was set aside for high speed passenger rail is going to be directed to the nation's only functioning high speed corridor, the NEC. Apparently the issue is that the Federal Railroad Administration, which controls the funds, has said that it will not allow funding for projects until a full environmental review has been conducted. Since the planners along the NEC weren't preparing for this, there is not enough time to complete a full review and apply for this year's funds and probably not enough time to apply for next year's $2.5 billion in high speed rail money available next year. To not fund necessary upgrades to the corridor most supportive of rail travel in this country is short-sighted. The Acela high speed train was the only line in Amtrak's entire system to turn a profit last year. The proposed upgrades, which are shovel ready, could decrease travel time between Boston and DC by as much as an hour! If that doesn't get more people riding, I don't know what will. To require a full environmental review for an existing 450 mile corridor that travels through eight states and the District of Columbia because of a few upgrades is byzantine and ridiculous.

That is not to say that other areas of the country are not perhaps more desperately in need of transit funding. In particular, California is a huge potential market for high speed rail and really needs it to improve air quality and reduce sprawl. The silver lining in this announcement is that infrastructure upgrades in other areas could increase the constituency for rail travel and make continuous future investment more of a guarantee than it has been over the past 3+ decades. However, I firmly believe that we should prove the ability for high speed rail to succeed in the US by demonstrating it in the Northeast while the rest of the country improves its infrastructure.

Here is the full article.

Mantra

Mantra - 52 Temple Place (Downtown Crossing)

It's been a while since Ann and I actually ate here so this post is quite late. That said, I thought I should put something down.

Mantra is billed as a French-Indian fusion restaurant. I would say the menu trended more towards the Indian side of the spectrum and that was what I decided to order. The food was good but nothing remarkable for the higher price over your average Indian restaurant.

It has a very central location in the middle of Downtown Crossing and tries to come off as a modern, hip restaurant and nightclub. My biggest complaint is that it is definitely a nightclub first, and restaurant second. It has elements that are nice and flashy, but the details just are not completed well. The tables and chairs are cheap and light, easy to be moved out for the dance floor. There is a giant air conditioning unit with a hose that is just sitting on the side of the restaurant floor. The bathrooms are very modern but not really clean or polished. The space does not have a friendly, intimate feeling like you would expect from a nice restaurant.

Overall, Mantra was ok, but for the price there are a lot more real restaurants in Boston with better menus.

Toro

Toro - 1704 Washington St (South End, Worcester Sq)

Perhaps first impressions aren't the most important. When I visited this place with Ann shortly after she had first moved to the South End, I came away not very impressed. We had stuck to more traditional tapas that we had had elsewhere and I thought the food was mediocre and overpriced. However, after a year of walking by the place and seeing it packed every night, I decided it was time to give it a second shot.

This time we strayed a little farther from the traditional and found some great dishes. The grilled corn with alioli and cheese was as great as anything smothered in cheese must be. It is also the 'house specialty'. I had bone marrow for the first time and loved it! The short ribs were incredibly tender but perhaps overpriced. We went for a daily special of lamb sausage and it was good but not great. Finally, the dessert plate of churros with melted chocolate was delicious.

I'd recommend Toro as a place to stray a little out of your comfort zone and experience the lively atmosphere every night of the week. I think it's especially fun with a group if you can get a table.

Pomodoro

Pomodoro - 319 Hanover St (North End, Haymarket)

This place has definitely been on my radar for some time as a top notch restaurant to try out. I think I ate there a couple years ago with some friends, but if so they have since changed the layout and I don't even remember what I ordered.

The description on the website is pretty accurate: it is a tiny restaurant, though the decor and low lighting makes it intimately romantic. I would not really recommend going with a group larger than four here.

The menu is simple and has more of a seafood tilt than most North End restaurants I have been to. It is also more sophisticated than your average Italian place. You won't find any chicken Parmesan here, yet the items are familiar enough that you won't find yourself stretching too far from your comfort zone if you don't want to. I opted for the Seared Salmon Filet and I must say it was fantastic. The portion was worthy of the price and the salmon was prepared perfectly. It had some sort of green sauce over it that was mildly sweet and spicy at the same time and the risotto cake matched it perfectly. The arugula offered a fresh, tangy change of pace from the salmon and risotto flavors. I paired my dish with a light red but you could also go white if you want.

The one disappointment on the night was the service. The waitress was handling the whole restaurant and she was very nice, but after seating us and pouring our waters, she forgot about us for quite a while while running around to the other tables. She did end up giving us a complimentary fried calamari appetizer, but we noticed that every table had one so maybe we weren't that special. In all it was a great meal and I would go back in a second, though it's moderately steep price tag ($20-30 entrees) prevents it from being a weekly option.

Memorial Day - A Good Weekend for Trains

I was able to get out and about this Memorial Day Weekend AND leave my car behind! I always feel more liberated knowing I can travel sustainably (and incrementally for free using my monthly pass) just about anywhere I want to go by making use of the MBTA system. In all, I saved at least 160 miles of driving this weekend by choosing to make all of my trips by train. First, I left my car in South Acton as I usually do. By making 2/3 of my commute by train, I save 20 miles each way. Next, to go visit my parents for the holiday, I rode the Lowell line up to Wilmington, a savings once again of about 20 miles each way. Finally, Ann and I went to Newburyport on Monday from North Station saving a round trip of over 80 miles. It was nice to not have to worry about fighting holiday traffic and to be able to make my morning train today instead of having to drive through rush hour out of Davis. As I'm sure I've mentioned, I just find the time on the train more relaxing; it's a good chance to get some reading done, you save wear and tear on your car, and of course it's nice to know you're using and supporting sustainable transit instead of causing more congestion and pollution for everyone.

Grotto

Grotto - 37 Bowdoin St (Beacon Hill, Bowdoin, Government Center, Park St)

For our second Restaurant Week dinner, Ann and I checked out Grotto in Beacon Hill. We were both very excited at the prospect of a high end Italian menu with accessible yet intriguing entree options. The name Grotto is very fitting as it is a cozy underground restaurant in an otherwise nondescript building on Bowdoin St. I would recommend it as a good spot for a special romantic dinner (once again price is an issue for making this a regular stop though Restaurant Week only saved $3 a meal over their regular menu with the same choices).

For the Primi course, I ordered the Cavatelle, which was hand rolled pasta combined with sausage and mushrooms in a thick cream sauce. It tasted amazing, although it was certainly very thick, almost like eating a cheese sauce, and required a very dry wine to cut through the taste in your mouth. Unfortunately my Chianti was not up to the task. I also got a bite of Ann's Sweet Potato Ravioli, and it was pretty good with an emphasis on sweet. I'm not sure I would order it for my meal, though. For the Secondi, we both ordered the Carne, which was beef tenderloin over risotto with asparagus and a red wine sauce. The beef was perfectly seasoned and truly a tasty piece of meat. Once again, my risotto seemed to be coated in a sort of thick cheesy sauce, with parmesan flecks on top of it. It tasted good, but could be overwhelming. Luckily, switching to a Cabernet for the meat certainly helped. The asparagus didn't really seem to fit into the taste patterns of the risotto or the red wine sauce, but overall I was very happy with my selection. To finish everything off, I ordered the Melting Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. For me, when it comes to dessert, simpler is better and it's hard to top this combination. That said, it was executed perfectly and was as good if not better than the Molten Chocolate cake at Finale (if only because they gave you a real portion of vanilla ice cream to offset the chocolate). Ann's dessert was Banana Bread with Caramel Ice Cream. I enjoyed the ice cream but am no big fan of Banana Bread and there was really nothing there to interest me after having eaten my chocolate cake.

All in all, I was a fan and would like to try some more dishes out. The normal $36 prix fixe price tag isn't outrageous for nice occasions and you get the added benefit of being able to walk off your meal through Boston's most romantic (and historic!) neighborhood afterwards.

Public comment and project info

A couple weeks ago, I was fortunate (I think) enough to attend my first public meeting for a major transportation project. The meeting in question was an information session about the Green Line Extension that was held at Somerville High School. The presentation was given by the Executive Office of Transportation, which is the state agency responsible for transit expansion projects. The Green Line Extension is the long overdue expansion of the light rail Green Line beyond Lechmere station into East Somerville and Medford. I thought the presentation was very well done and this is a project that will directly benefit a large number of currently underserved metro Boston residents while improving local and regional air quality. The tracks will follow the existing right of way of the Lowell and Fitchburg commuter rail lines and provide an additional seven stations to the Green Line in these communities.

It must be stated that I did not hear a single comment that was entirely negative about the project. Most every politician and resident that stood before the group commented on how happy they were this project would be getting done. (As a follow on to the Big Dig, the state is legally obligated to complete this project by 2014 in order to mitigate the environmental air quality effects of that highway expansion.) However, starting with the politicians, every person who spoke complained about the location of a maintenance facility in yard 8, adjacent to the Brickbottom station. It took a while to find out what about this they were against, but the basic argument was that this facility would hinder the economic development of this area for perpetuity. I don't want to discount legitimate concerns, but having driven through this neighborhood, it is currently an industrial area adjacent to a rail yard. Nowhere else in the project could a maintenance facility be housed and one is certainly required if this project is going to be successful. What amazed me most was the ridiculous analogies people (almost exclusively Brickbottom residents) would draw to show their opposition to this facility. One person said that "Developers don't like to build near three things: Nuclear power plants, chemical waste dumps, and maintenance facilities!" Another compared this project decision to the decision to send an elevated Interstate 93 through East Somerville.

I must say that I understand concern about a major project in your neighborhood. However, looking at the big picture, they can only be thankful for such a development. As I mentioned, this area is almost completely industrial and is one of the poorest parts of the city. Having access to reliable public transit will result in economic dividends on an order of magnitude greater than what will be lost by the location of a much needed maintenance facility.

Green Line Extension - www.mass.gov/greenlineextension

Other MBTA and Transit Documents
Capital Investment Program - 5 year plan outlining transportation needs and detailing planned investments. Interesting to skim through if you want to learn more about the financials of the MBTA

Program for Mass Transit - Long range plan for expanding and preserving transit infrastructure

Stimulus funded transit projects

Fitchburg Commuter Rail Improvement - Very near to my heart, this project would improve travel time and reliability on the Fitchburg Commuter Rail line primarily by improving the tracks to allow train speeds of up to 80 mph.

KO Prime

KO Prime - 90 Tremont St (Beacon Hill, Park St)

The inaugural progressBoston food post! Unfortunately, it's been a little too busy to post lately, but last night's dinner was certainly worthy of the effort. As part of Restaurant Week, Ann and I were joined by a couple of my friends, John and Danielle, at KO Prime. Centrally located near both Park St and Downtown Crossing, it was our first time eating there and I must say I was impressed.

I would describe it as a chic, upscale steakhouse. There's a nice bar area by the entrance with the usual modern fixtures. The staff was very friendly and accomodating. It's probably the fanciest restaurant I've been to in Boston, with a premium placed on presentation. The dinnerware was all oversized and sparkling white. The soup was poured from a pitcher into a bowl containing a garnish in the middle.

I ordered the Market Greens Salad for my appetizer and of course the 10 ounce Grilled Skirt Steak for the entree. I must say the special menu was not the most extensive with only two choices for appetizer and entree. However, it is a steakhouse so you pretty much know what you're going to get. The dressing for the salad was really too strong. However, the steak was probably the best I've had in Boston. It was three thin slices stacked on top of each other over a potato puree with an onion marmalade on top. The marmalade added a lot of flavor that was nicely balanced by the potato. By the time I got to the last piece, I had used the marmalade, but that was no problem. The flavor of the steak really came through and it was very good with a hint of pepper. For dessert, the only option was Grilled Cornmeal Pound Cake with Fruit Compote. I though the Pound Cake was very nice but thought the fruit was too candied and too strong. I'm not a big fan of mixing in fruit with my dessert (though I love fresh fruit salads) so you might not want to take my word on it. The wine list was extensive and expensive, but we were able to settle on a very nice Cabernet from Mendoza, Argentina for $40.

I was a big fan and am very glad we decided to go for Restaurant Week. That said, the price of the regular menu is certainly very hard to justify except for the most important occasions.