Simply Ming

My sister, Laurie, and I have a deal. Every year for our birthdays, we take each other out to a "fancy" restaurant that we want to try but neither of us would normally splurge for on a regular day. This way neither of us has to struggle to find each other a gift, and we both get enjoyment out of it. This year was no exception. Although we usually like to try new place, we had visited this restaurant for one of my past birthdays. It has always stuck in my mind as one of the best meals I have ever enjoyed so it made sense to go back. The restaurant is Blue Ginger in Wellesley.

If you are a food fan you probably have spent some time watching the Food Network. And if you watch the Food Network, you probably are very familiar with Ming Tsai.

Picture from ming.com

Blue Ginger is Ming's first culinary endeavor. And now, he is touted as a celebrity chef with several cooking shows: East Meets West and Ming's Quest on the Food Network and Simply Ming on PBS. He also has his name on a line of cooking products and serving ware.

While the restaurant is considered one of the best, it is not pretentious or stuffy. The restaurant is very simple and inviting. There is a large open kitchen where you can watch the chefs do their magic. The service is impeccable. Over our two visits, we did not see Ming himself. Which is expected from most celebrity chefs since they are probably out and about filming TV shows. (However Bobby Flay did make an appearance at his restaurant Mesa Grill in NY when we visited there last fall!)

The food was delicious and perfect as I remembered. I ordered the Sake-miso Marinated Alaskan Butterfish. It is incredibly light, delicious and perfectly cooked. It is served with a plate drizzling of vibrant green wasabi oil to add just a bit of heat. On the side there was seaweed salad, and soba noodle sushi- basically maki rolls filled with soba noodles. Every bite was delicious. Laurie enjoyed the Asian Lacquered Poussin with Tamarind-Hoisin Sauce which was served with mandarin chicken orzo "fried rice" and three pea salad.

For dessert, we shared the Sesame Pecan Caramel Nut Tart which was served with roasted bananas and house-made hot fudge and coffee caramel. In honor of my birthday, the plate came out with a single candle, and Happy Birthday written in chocolate on a cookie. It was a nice touch. Thanks, Laurie!

Blue Ginger still remains one of my favorite restaurants that I have been to. I hope to go back again for another special occasion.

Margaritas es muy bueno

I have heard many people say there is a shortage of good Mexican restaurants in the Boston area, especially those that are really authentic. I agree that this is true. The restaurant I'm about to talk about is not really authentic AND it is a chain (gasp!)... but is consistently good. Usually, I am not fan of chain restaurants and go to them if it is not my choice, or in a pinch. (Does this make me a snob?) However, Margaritas (the Waltham location), while it is a chain, has consistently good Mexican food, and of course, margaritas. There is always a wait at Margaritas no matter what day of the week. The restaurant has the stereotypical Mexican restaurant decor- pinatas, Mexican blankets, and stuccoed walls, but it is fitting. There is a large bar area with lots of seating, several dining areas, and the best part is in the warm weather they open the outdoor patio seating along the Charles.

My most recent visit to Margaritas was last week with Pat and my friend Tom. I hadn't seen Tom in a couple of months since he moved to CT so we made plans to meet up while he was in town for work to catch up. The requisite chips and salsa are served at every table which are quite good. The salsa has just the right amount of heat, and the chips are not too greasy and have the right amount of salt. For my entree, I ordered the Enchiladas Muchachas which I ordered with chicken. They are stuffed with gobs of cheese and baked in ranchera sauce. They are topped with fresh chopped scallions, sour cream, refritos and Mexican rice. The portions are large and the food is consistently good. I don't recall what Pat and Tom ordered by they enjoyed their meals as well. While it may not be totally authentic, and it is a chain, if you have a craving for Mexican, this should satisfy you. I look forward to enjoying some margaritas outdoors there once the weather warms up.

From A to Zebra's Bistro

On Thursday night, a group of 5 us went out to celebrate my friend Rachel's big 3-0 at Zebra's Bistro and Wine Bar in Medfield. We met at the restaurant around 7 and started off with a glass of wine in the cozy lounge area that had some comfy couches and overstuffed chairs. Once all of us got there, we were seated at a big round table in the dining room.

I wasn't super hungry as I had splurged on an Indian buffet lunch with a co-worker at Diva in Davis Square. It was really good and I can't wait to go back.

Zebra has quite a few menus. They have a bar menu featuring thin crust pizzas, a sushi menu, and a traditional menu, so we had quite an array of options. We decided to start with a Margherita pizza from the bar menu as an appetizer. The pizza was really good and had a thin crisp crust, fresh basil, big chunks of tomatoes and lots of mozzarella cheese.

For dinner, 4 of us decided we were in the mood for sushi. Sushi is my absolute favorite food and I've had it at many places. I am happy to report the sushi was some of the best I have had. I was pleasantly surprised.



**I'm going to insert a plug here for my friend, Alisa, who was with us. She has started her own food company, Spice Genie, which features spice mixes, flavored sugars, and candles. Check it out!

We had a great time laughing and chatting for a few hours. To end the meal and celebrate Rachel's birthday, we ordered the chocolate tasting platter which had about 4 or 5 mini desserts, such as creme brulee, which they topped with a candle for Rachel to blow out. It was wonderful meal with great company.

I would definitely go back to Zebra Bistro and Wine Bar. Although Medfield is a little off the beaten path for me, it is worth returning to. Reviewing my day of gluttony (Indian food, pizza, and sushi!) is a little sickening but it was very enjoyable.

A Taqueria Like No Other? And ice cream...

Last Saturday night was another night of wanting to eat, but no ideas where to go. I was perusing Boston.com's Arts and & Entertainment Cheap Eats section and came across a write-up for a new taqueria in Newton Centre called Tango Mango. Mexican is a favorite so I thought my usual dining companion, Pat, and I should check this place out- and the name sounded appealing. As we approached the restaurant, I noticed the slogan on the window that said "A Taqueria Like No Other..." My curiosity was peaked.

The inside was cozy with a few colorfully painted wooden seats and some kitschy plastic flowers and floral printed tables. We went up to the counter to figure out what to order. Where was the menu? A printed take-out menu was taped up to the glass that separated the order line from the trays of beans, meat, rice and vegetables that were used to prepare the Mexican creations- but there was no menu board- so it took a little while to read all the fine print on the take-out menu. Ok... so we finally we figured out what to order, but it was a challenge shouting the order over (or through) the glass partition as it was much taller than we were. I wasn't starving, so I ordered two chicken soft tacos in corn tortillas, with lettuce, fresh salsa, sour cream and guacamole. I wasn't impressed with tiny dribbles of sour cream and guacamole that were added- since these toppings cost extra. Pat ordered a quesadilla. Just that plus a Pepsi cost about $15.
The tacos were tasty, but nothing special. Pat was still hungry so he ordered something else.
I left wondering why this was a "Taqueria like no other?" And I still don't know. I revisited the Boston.com article and went into read the user comments. The reviews were mixed. One reviewer said, 'The food is a couple notches below Anna's, and their prices at least a notch above." I agree wholeheartedly. I wouldn't necessarily go back, unless I happened to be in the area and needed to grab something quick.

We left Tango Mango and were still a bit hungry so we decided to get some ice cream. I knew of two ice cream places in Newton Centre. The famous Cold Stone Creamery and local favorite, J.P. Licks. What to choose? I had been to a Cold Stone once before and while it was very good, I thought it was extremely overpriced. I also felt that J.P. Licks may be the underdog in this location with all the recent Cold Stone hype - so I wanted to support their business. J.P. Licks it was. I ordered a cone of Coconut Almond Chip which was very tasty. It had lots of coconut shavings, almonds and chocolate chips- much like an Almond Joy candy bar. Pat had his favorite Cake Batter.

Ok, so it wasn't the healthiest night of eating. But, the ice cream was a nice way to end the evening despite the cold.

Mango Martinis and Potato Pizza

Last Friday, my friend Riki organized our monthly book club meeting at Anthem. It's located in Boston about a block from the TD Banknorth Garden. I had heard good things about Anthem so I had been looking forward to trying it out. We had reserved an area of couches in the front of the restaurant that was a perfect place for the girls to chat, have some tasty drinks and food.

The decor at Anthem was really well done. It had high ceilings and industrial features such as exposed ductwork, in addition to modern elements such as large columns, big draperies and bright colors. (Pictures are from the Anthem website)

When I got there, one of the girls was drinking an interesting looking orange drink with some whipped cream on top. I asked her what it was-an Orange Julius- and decided to order one too. I figured it had to be good as I remember enjoying the old Orange Julius shops that used to be common in malls as a kid. Do they still have those? The drink was good, but pretty strong. It was sour at first, but once the whipped cream dissolved into it, it was sweeter.
As the night progressed, I also tried a mango martini. I liked this one better. It had lots of mango nectar and was very smooth and fruity.

I did like the drinks a lot but the food also deserves mention. I had an interesting "potato pizza pie."It consisted of a thin, pita-like crust, with yukon gold potatoes, roasted red peppers, bleu and gruyere cheeses, prosciutto, and fried sage. The cheese, potatoes and prosciutto were a great combination; welcome comfort food on a chilly night. I didn't try anyone else's food, but it all looked good. People shared PEI mussels, spinach and artichoke fondue, hummus platter with pita chips and olives.

I would definitely return to Anthem for a full dinner or just a night out to have drinks. I would also like to try it for lunch- maybe a good place to bring clients. Thumbs up!

Going Greek

Last Friday, Pat and I were exhausted after a long week of work and wanted to get some dinner somewhere easy, cheap, and close to our home in Waltham. After throwing around a few ideas we settled on the Andros Diner in Belmont for some Greek food.

We had been there once before and remembered the Andros Diner having large portions of good food but not much to speak of in the ambiance and service departments. We found this to be true this time as well, but we were really just looking for some good and quick food and not really out for a wonderful restaurant experience.

The Andros Diner serves "homestyle" Greek food in this family-run establishment. Because I remembered the portions being so large, I decided to order an appetizer and a small salad instead of an entree. I went with a traditional Greek salad, Horiatiki.
I remember having learned recently from someone who had visited Greece, that authentic Greek salad doesn't have lettuce. This Horiatiki, described on the menu as "Old Greek Country Salad" had a combination of tomato, cucumber, oregano, pepper, onion. kalamata olives, and slabs of feta cheese. This picture isn't the actual salad (I forgot my camera) but this is what it looked like. Andros has a signature salad dressing that they also sell bottles of that is like a typical Greek dressing but is tomato-based and contains chunks of feta cheese. The vegetable were very fresh tasting and the saltiness of the feta cheese and olives was a great complement. (I have to say, cheese usually a good addition to any dish, in my opinion.)

I also had the Spanokopita: spinach pie made with egg, cheese, and wrapped in phyllo dough. I was served two large triangular pastries of spanokopita. The filling was a good blend of spinach with just the right amount of feta and it was all wrapped with lots of delicious golden, flaky phyllo dough. I ended up taking one of the spanokopita home because it was more than enough food.

Pat had a large plate of chicken kebabs that came with lots of roasted red and green peppers and onions on a bed of rice. This entree was served with a salad and vegetable.

As I mentioned, the ambiance isn't particularly nice- it could use a bit of updating and seemed a bit grungy. We had a chuckle about the "Best of Boston 1984" award that still hung in the window. But, if you are looking for good food and a good value, I recommend it.

Welcome to my blog!

Hi and thanks for reading amy's appetite. I love to go out to eat (probably more than is economically responsible) and I plan to tell you about my various dining experiences (good or bad) in the Boston area. I hope that you will find my reviews both entertaining and useful. One thing you won't find on amy's appetite are recommendations for the best steak, best burger, or best ribs. I don't eat red meat or pork (ok, bacon once in while is really delish). I am stritctly a poultry and fish eater.