Wagamama (Prudential Center)

Today, I went for a quick bite to Wagamama in the Prudential Center with my friend Randy. I had only been to one Wagamama before and it was in London. From what I remembered, Wagamama was a relatively inexpensive noodle house that proved to be a good time so I was anxious to try out their new second Boston location. Wagamama is open and airy with long wooden tables laid down in rows, not much fuss or muss about the place. This sparser atmosphere works well and lends a clean, modern, and comfortable feel to the restaurant.

We were quickly greeted at the door by a nice woman who brought us to our table. At Wagamama, there is a chance that you could end up sitting right next to someone you don't know since the tables hold at least 20 people. Tonight wasn't extremely crowded so we were able to secure part of a table that was a bit away from people. For drinks, we both ordered Japanese beer. I ordered the Tiger Beer,billed as "a premium beer from the far east with a full flavour and refreshing taste" it was just as it was described, a pretty darn good light beer (with a cool label). Randy got the Kirin Ichiban premium beer, "the fine aroma of hops and joponica rice provides its lighter body and delicate aftertaste". Randy said he enjoyed it very much although I did note it had a bit of a bitter aftertaste compared to the Tiger Beer. (Something I did notice is that no one at the restaurant had a glass of water...not sure if you specifically have to ask or if it costs extra.)

For an appetizer we got a bowl of edamame. Edamame is steamed green soybeans. Ours were covered in salt and chili pepper (just lightly) and they were great. A good snack before our main course.

For our entrees, I ordered the simple Chicken Ramen ($9.50). The Chicken Ramen is "soup and ramen noodles topped with a marinated and grilled chicken breast, seasonal greens, menma and sliced scalion." When it arrived it came with chop sticks and a small ladle that I wasn't quite sure how to use. I enjoyed the Ramen. It was simple but fresh and the noodles were soft and good. The broth wasn't as salty as ramen you buy in the store but I think that's definitely a good thing! The best part? I got to slurp up the liquid at the end right from the bowl!





Randy ordered the more complex chicken chili men, "stir-fried chicken, squash, red onion, peppers, snow peas and scallion served with wheat noodles in a chili sauce made from chilies, ginger, garlic, onion, lemongrass, sweet red pepper and tomato. It was a bit spicy for me but had a good flavor to it and had a familiar tomato sauce taste.

One thing Randy pointed out to me was that at Wagamama, they bring your food out right when it's done so sometimes not everyone is fed at once. This isn't a huge problem since most of the food arrives within 5 minutes of ordering.

I really enjoyed Wagamama. It had a fun crowd from young college students to fancily dressed older women, friends and couples. The wait staff was super friendly and super fast. They even bring the credit card machine right to your table so you don't have to wait too long for the bill. I would definitely recommend Wagamama for a fun quick bite with friends.

Galette des rois

Happy Mardi Gras!

For the occasion, I decided I wanted to make a King's Cake for the office...but I wanted to make my favorite: the Parisian-style galette des rois.

This delicious, flaky creation filled with almond paste is traditionally enjoyed at Epiphany, but that didn't stop me!

Galette des rois

Ingredients:

1/4 cup almond paste
1/4 cup white sugar
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt

1 (17.25 oz) pkg. frozen puff pastry; thawed

1 fève (or you could substitute a dry kidney or fava bean)
1 egg; beaten (for egg wash)
1 Tbsp powdered sugar (for dusting)


Note: I didn't have any almond paste (and the store was already closed), so I just made my own using the pulverized almonds from Trader Joe's that I was talking about in my last post and some additional sugar and almond extract. After pulsing this together in the food processor, it came out quite nicely.

1. Follow instructions on packaging to properly thaw your puff pastry.

2. Add the almond paste, sugar and butter to the food processor and process until ingredients are incorporated and smooth. Add egg, flavorings, salt, and flour. Blend. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Prepare a baking sheet by buttering or lining with parchment paper or a Silpat.

4. One sheet at a time, roll-out the puff pastry into about a 11-inch square being careful not to manipulate it too much and avoiding letting it get too warm. Using a large plate, etc. as a template (Ha! temPLATE!) cut out the pastry into a circle. Place on prepared baking sheet and refrigerate while preparing the 2nd sheet of puff pastry.

5. Take 1st sheet of pastry out of fridge. Spread the almond paste mixture into the center of the circle leaving about an inch margin around the edge. Press the fève down into the almond mixture. Place the 2nd sheet of puff pastry on top and crimp edges to assure a good seal. (I use a fork to crimp, then push the edges back towards the center to make the galette nice and round and the edges less flat.) Brush on the egg wash. (Optionally, you can make a little design in the egg wash by drawing lightly onto the top sheet with a chopstick.) With a small knife, prick a few vent holes.

6. Bake for 15 minutes in the hot oven--making sure not to open the oven during this time! Remove from oven after 15 minutes and dust with powdered sugar. Return to oven for another 10-15 minutes--depending on your oven--until the top is a nice, golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.


Whoever finds the fève is king/queen of the party! If you have a paper crown, that makes it even more fun.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Hungry for public market, Boston plans a site - The Boston Globe

Boston is working on planning a new, upgraded public food market?! I'm so excited!

Hungry for public market, Boston plans a site - The Boston Globe

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Fenway Restaurant Revival Meeting

Our gâteau au chocolat

When I lived in France, this was our go-to cake (er, gâteau), and I decided to make it for Valentines' Day dinner tonight--after 4 years of not having it! It was so good, we thought we'd share.

I attribute this recipe to mes chers Lise-Marie and Mimo, who were masters at whipping-up this deliciousness for our many parties and Sciences-Po bake sales. In order to be true to the original that was given to me, I'll post that first followed by the conversion I used tonight.


Gâteau au Chocolat

200g beurre
100g farine
250g sucre
5 œufs
100g amandes en poudre
200g chocolat

-Faire fondre le chocolat.
-Mélanger le beurre moue & le sucre. Ajouter les jaunes d'œuf, la farine, les amandes, et le chocolat fondu.
-Monter les blancs d'œuf en neige et les incorporer
-Mettre au four (à 150ºC) environ 40 minutes.


Since I lost my trusty food scale during the last move, I used Julia Child's little conversion chart for measurements, making tonight's gâteau like so:

14 Tbs butter
3.5 oz. flour
9 oz. sugar
5 eggs
3.5 oz. almond meal (You can get this at Trader Joe's, or pulverize your own.)
7 oz. unsweetened or semi-sweet chocolate (I used Baker's Unsweetened, since that's what I like.)

-Melt the chocolate (I added about 1 oz. of espresso.)
-Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the yolks of the 5 eggs (conserve the whites), the flour, the almond meal, and the molten chocolate.
-Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold these into the chocolate mixture.
-Pour into a round cake pan (I used a 10" silicone mold.) Bake at 300ºF for 40 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes and turn-out. Serve warm. We chose vanilla ice cream as an accompaniment, but it is also good by itself or with a raspberry coulis.

Brunch at Ann Sather's (Chicago)

This past weekend I went home to Chicago, and seeing as I rarely get to dine out in the city I made it a point to go to one of my favorite spots for breakfast - Ann Sather's. For over 60 years Ann Sather's has been serving up delicious breakfasts and lunches with an assortment of delicious Swedish specialties throughout the menu. I remember my godmother bringing a box of freshly-made Swedish pancakes with lingonberry preserves over to my house for brunch straight from Ann Sather's, so this place has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.

The atmosphere at the Lakeview location is very bright and fun with Swedish-themed art adorning every wall. There are two main dining rooms and on a Sunday morning it is PACKED. Luckily our party of three didn't have to wait too long - maybe 20 minutes.

Since I hadn't had a good Swedish pancake in quite some time, I knew what I wanted from the get-go: The Swedish pancakes with lingonberries and Swedish meatballs. For those of you who aren't familiar with Swedish pancakes, imagine that a French Crêpe and an American flapjack had a baby - the pancakes are light and sweet and just the right thickness -delicious! The meatballs were served in a brown gravy and were a nice size and quite tasty.

Chris chose the French Toast fantasy, and I was quite pleased to be splitting my meal with him in exchange for some of this. Apparently endorsed by Rachel Ray, the "fantasy" consists of marscarpone-filled cinnamon rolls, battered, grilled and topped with granola and fresh seasonal berries. Absolutely delicious, and plenty of food. The mascarpone was nice and buttery, not too sweet and hence not overwhelming. The strawberries and blueberries were great, too, as was the bit of crunch added by the granola.

Jeff opted for a Denver omelet (Ham, Onions and Green Pepper), which also came with two sides. He chose the cinnamon rolls (another thing Ann Sather's is famous for) and hash browns. The cinnamon rolls were perfect and quite large considering it was just an included side. The sugary frosting tasted very fresh, and the hash browns seemed pretty standard.

Considering we all paid $10 or less for such a delicious breakfast, excluding coffee and juice, of course, there was really nothing not to love. The food is wonderful, the atmosphere upbeat and bright, and the service is great - especially considering what a mob scene it was. There were so many other things on the menu I am dying to have, for example the Norwegian smoked salmon and dill omelet (and anything else with smoked salmon!). There will definitely be a next time!

Rami's

Sunday evening Chris and I wanted something quick and easy but also delicious for dinner. I've always walked by Rami's, an Israeli-owned shawarma and falafel place, but have never gone ahead and eaten there. It always seems to be hopping, so we decided to give it a try.

The place is pretty small and the menu not overly extensive, but every day they have a number of specials in addition to their homous, baba ganouch, chicken, shawarma, and falafel combinations. Yesterday they had a number of "cigars" filled with things like kibee and assorted meats. I was a little taken aback by the prices, which seemed a bit much - $10.95 for a pita with homous, shawarma, and an assortment of vegetables, pickles, tahini, and hot sauce. Despite the price, it was excellent - the shawarma was very tender and flavorful and all the accompanying vegetables very fresh and a perfect balance to the hot sauce.

Chris' falafel was somewhat cheaper, maybe $8.95, and accompanied with the same assortment of side items. They were very tasty and not at all greasy like some can be. Overall I had a very nice quick bite to eat though I found the prices to be somewhat unreasonable. Rami's is located in Coolidge Corner on Harvard Street right across from the former Barnes & Noble.

Restaurant Recession Deals

Click here for a list of deals from restaurants all around Boston from L'Espalier to 28 Degrees.  Looks like the recession's beginning to hit hard!

Brunch at Union

Yesterday we made the long (one block) trek to Union for brunch. Union is located on Washington Street in the South End and is owned by the same group that owns Aquitaine. Union is a relatively small restaurant with a sleek metropolitan feel on the inside; black leather booths, tall ceilings, and the feeling of airiness all contribute to the great atmosphere. Union's brunch menu isn't very large but I have a feeling, most things on it are very good.

I ordered the $9.95 Early Riser All Inclusive Brunch Special, which included:

Cinnamon Swirl Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Choice of:

Chef’s Special Omelet
Served with Homefries & Choice of Toast

Smoked Salmon Scramble
House Cured Salmon, Crème Fraiche, Scallions, Homefries & Choice of Toast

B-52 French Toast
Orange Marmalade, Maple Syrup and Smoked Bacon

Served with:
Fresh Squeezed Orange or Grapefruit Juice
House Coffee and Tea

I chose the B-52 French Toast. While the coffee cake was just so-so, the French toast was awesome. Not too soggy and just the right thickness, the toast was battered in Frangelica, Kualuah, and Bailey's Irish Cream. The toast dipped in maple syrup and orange marmalade was a perfect combination. I also have to note that the coffee they serve at Union is really great. To me it had an almost chocolate taste to it. I asked the waiter what brand they brew and he told me it was Lavazza. I'll have to pick some of that up to try at home.

Bryan had the Huevos Rancheros. A crispy tostada with two eggs any style, black beans, cheddar cheese, home-fries & Salsa Ranchera ($11), Bryan liked it a lot. The tostada was nice and crispy, the eggs perfectly done (he asked for them over-medium) and the home-fries seasoned well.

Overall, we had a great experience at Union and will definitely be back for brunch and can't wait to try it out for dinner.

Educating Peter

If you don't know much about wine but are interested in getting informed you should pick up the book: Educating Peter: How Anybody Can Become an (Almost) Instant Wine Expert. Educating Peter follows Lettie's attempt to teach famous Rolling Stone movie reviewer Peter Travers that there's more to wine than just a "fatty Chardonnay". The book discusses everything from the different types of grapes, to each wine region in Bordeaux, to meeting up with some of Napa's top wine producers. Lettie provides the information while Peter provides the wit and humor. The two together make for a very enjoyable story. The best part of the book is that you can take away very useful tidbits of information that are easy to remember that will help you pick out wine next time you go to the store or out to eat. At the end of each chapter, there is a list of the top wine producers of the region you just read about. I enjoyed the book a lot and can't wait to try out my new-found knowledge.

Smith & Wollensky

To celebrate the historical inauguration of our new president, Bryan and I decided to go to Smith and Wollensky to celebrate. We've both been to S&W's before for restaurant week and both had good meals so we were anxious to return for some good steak.

Smith and Wollensky is located inside an old castle structure in downtown Boston that used to serve as an armory as well as a medical hospital before it was refurbished for the 21st century. The atmosphere is very nice, a gentleman's club feel with oak booths and dim lighting (not sure if I would consider it romantic, but it's cool nonetheless).

Our reservations were for 6pm, and when we arrived, we were taken right away to our seats. Flipping through the menu we both decided on ordering some wine. I ordered a glass of the St. Michelle Riesling (which I enjoyed a lot) and Bryan ordered a glass of Syrah (the brand escapes me) which he thought was too "hot" (a wine term meaning the wine has an excess of alcohol). After receiving our wine and looking through the menu, we were handed another menu for a prix-fixe 3-course meal for $50. It was being offered due to the recession, and we opted for it since it was such a good deal (compared to the other steep prices on the menu). Bryan started with the Wedge salad. He enjoyed it, commenting that the tomatoes were relatively more fresh than usual for this time of year. The best part were the chunks of bacon covering the wedge. I started off with the split pea soup. I've had it before and it is good, not stellar but good. I would recommend getting some crushed pepper on it when they offer it. We also were given bread and fresh butter. Bryan and I thought the bread was excellent. It was a small pan of pull-apart yeast rolls covered in sea salt and rosemary; they were truly delicious. I don't know if this is a new addition to the restaurant but during restaurant week we were never served it.

For our main course, we both chose the Filet Mignon. I've had the filet there two other times and both times, it was good. Last night however, it was not. At a high-end steak house, you normally would not use the words "horrible" to describe any type of meat but that's exactly what both of our filets were. First, the cut of meat was not good. We couldn't cut through the filet without hitting a tendon or some white gristle. The meat was too charred on top and way too chewy. A good filet mignon should practically cut itself and melt in your mouth, I struggled with a steak knife to cut through my meat as did Bryan. The meat was not flavorful and quite bland. We asked the waiter about the cut of meat since neither of us had filet mignon with white tendons in it. The waiter asked the chef who said that it was the same cut of meat given to people who ordered off the regular menu (a thought that did go through our heads but never expressed to the waiter) and if we weren't happy with the cut, we could send it back. Neither of us did because, quite honestly, if everyone got the same cut, what was the point? Normally a regular filet costs about 40 dollars. Based on this experience, I would never pay that amount for a filet there. I should mention that we also ordered a "side for two" of the Truffle Mac & Cheese. It was good, but how can anyone mess up mac & cheese covered in truffle oil?

For dessert, Bryan ordered the Crème Brûlée, which was very good (second best thing we had-- first was the bread), and I ordered the chocolate cake, which was too dry and crumbly for my liking.

Overall, based on last night's experience alone, I would not return to Smith and Wollensky. I've had many better meals at Capital Grille and Fleming's to risk getting another horrible one at S&W. Again, We have been there in the past and have had decent meals so perhaps this was just an off night? My official recommendation though is to not take the risk and get a great meal at Fleming's right across the way.

647 Pajama Brunch

Braving the snow storm this morning four of us trekked pajama-clad to the South End for a delightful Sunday pajama brunch at Tremont 647. While I'm a big fan of 647 for dinner or drinks, I had never actually gone for breakfast. We got a round of applause from the staff upon walking in thanks to surviving the cold and snow in pjs, a nice start to our meal. It was definitely hopping at 1pm when we went, and it was fun to see all the staff and (some) patrons all dressed down and scrubby.

After caffeinating ourselves, it was time for our food. I chose one of the specials for the morning, a scramble with steak and caramelized onions along with toast, hash browns, and applewood bacon. It was a ton of food, very tasty, and not overpriced at $12.

Chris had the gingerbread pancakes, which according to him were really good but not very ginger-y. I didn't taste them, so it could just be his being sick that inhibited his taste buds. I might have expected more than 3 small-ish pancakes for $9.

Melanie kept it on the lighter side with her fruit and yogurt parfait with a side of poached eggs. The parfait looked good, but for $7 I would have wanted something more substantial.

Kristen was the only member of our party somewhat disappointed with her meal, that being the cinnamon french toast. She said that it tasted overly-bready, like toast with cinnamon, as if it hadn't been given enough time soaking in batter.

Overall we had a nice time all cozy in our pajamas and for the most part satisfied with our food. I would definitely do this again, and pending not feeling so hungover, I would love to taste some of their fun brunch cocktails and other food items.

Sam Adam's Brewery

If you find yourself with a few hours to kill and only a couple of bucks, make your way over to the Sam Adam's Brewery located off the Stony Brook T-stop on the Orange Line. For a suggested donation of $2, you get a quick tour of the brewery (the Boston brewery brews beer only for kegs for Boston bars, beer shows, and the tour tastings) a free glass, and a tasting of three beers: Sam Adams Lager, a seasonal beer, and an experimental beer that probably won't ever see the shelf. While the friendly and funny tour guide goes through the beer-making process rather quickly the tasting is a lot of fun and by the end the whole room is chatting up a storm. Go early, since they "sell" out quickly. Doors open at 10am and tours are 45 minutes. Last tour leaves at 3pm.

Jacob Wirth

Jacob Wirth is located in an interesting (historical?) building sitting right between Chinatown and the Theatre District. From the outside, it looks like a pub from a Charles Dickens novel, with an old clock hanging out front. This weekend, we have company, L & A, and we decided to try out Jacob Wirth, which was great, since I've always wanted to go.

Jacob Wirth is a German restaurant that's been around since 1868. It has a wide selection of German beers as well as local American brews. The menu is filled with German specialties all served in generous portions. The inside is large and comfortable with a very cheerful atmosphere.

We started off the evening by going through their extensive beer menu and ordering some great beers. (Sorry for the image quality, we used a camera phone.) I got a Hacker-Pschorr Weisse, which is a really delicious wheat beer. It's slightly fruity, and reminds me of my days in Munich. Peter got the Paulaner Weißbier. He says "It was billed as having an aromatic and fruity taste, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. It was definitely very aromatic--my first impression was almost like a Riesling smell. It was delicious with no bitter aftertaste."

Peter and L got the Sauerbraten, which is described as "Melt-in-Your-Mouth Sweet 'N Sour Braised Beef Round served over Dill Spaetzle, with Gingersnap Gravy and Red Cabbage." P said, "The beef was very tender. I loved the Spätzle, which reminded me of, like, German gnocchi, and the Gingersnap gravy was awesome. They gave me a ton of meat, so for the price, it was a really good deal." L also liked hers and mentioned really liking the basket of cornbread every table seems to get. She also said that her mudslide, which she had for dessert, was good.

I felt adventurous and got the German Sampler (although, without the beer). It was a great deal. Normally, I would have gotten the Sampler with its beer pairings, but since I was impatient and had already ordered a beer while waiting to be seated, I skipped it. The Sampler was a 4-course meal, which included 1) a potato pancake with stewed apples and a cinnamon sour cream on top, 2) an appetizer-sized portion of Wiener Schnitzel served with dill Spätzle, 3) your choice of sausage from Knackwurst, Bratwurst, or Weißwurst, and 4) a German-style chocolate cake.

A ordered the Sweet Potato Raviloi, which he said were good, but I think he had a bit of buyer's remorse after seeing the feast I was having! (The Sampler, really was a great deal and delicious.)

All in all, we're really glad to have finally made it to Jacob Wirth, and I hope we get back there again soon. Oh! and on Friday nights, they do a "Sing-along with Mel," which was very fun.

Fantastic Reisling

I just had a fantasic Reisling.

Producer: Weingut August & Thomas Perll
Wine region:Mittelrhein
Town:Boppard
Vineyard: Hamm Feuerlay
Variety: Riesling
Classification: Kabinett
Vintage: 2007

I'm not sure what a bottle goes for in the States but in Germany it's about 4.5 Euros (that's about 6 dollars) and it's an incredible bargain at that price. It was refreshing and tasted like the most wonderful apricots but not overly sweet. If anyone sees a bottle, pick one up for me.

http://www.perll.de/

House of Siam

House of Siam has a pretty solid reputation here in the South End. Many people I know like it and say it's really good Thai food. Even though Thai cuisine is not my favorite (although, Bangkok Bistro is pretty amazing), I've been to House of Siam a few times now so I feel I can write a pretty honest review of the place.

This particular night I went with Bryan, Bob, and Adam. The place was busy but not overcrowded. The atmosphere in the restaurant is good...not great, but good. The floor plan is split between two levels which makes it interesting and there are some nice pieces of Thai art around... overall, it's cozy.

Bryan ordered the Pad Thai ($10.95). Pad Thai is rice noodles pan-fried with eggs, chicken, shrimp, bean sprouts, and ground peanuts. Bryan thought the dish was delicious. He asked for it to be spicy and they delivered. The chicken was very tender and flavorful and it was just what he was looking for. Overall, a thumbs up on the Pad Thai.

Bob ordered the Crispy Pad Thai (11.95). The waitress asked if he had ever had it before, he said yes (from another restaurant) and she warned him that it was sweet and crispy. Bob was fine with that. When it arrived, I was surprised at how much food was on the plate! The noodles were deep fried and crisp but were a lot skinnier than normal pad Thai noodles (almost like french frites). Bob couldn't decide what to think of the dish. He liked it overall but was a bit weirded out by the texture or something. I tasted the dish and it was a bit sweet and I thought it tasted sort of like popcorn. Bob mentioned it looked like packaging material or something from Michael's Craft's (He ate the whole thing though).

Adam ordered the Yellow Curry Beef and I ordered the Yellow Curry Chicken (12.50). We both liked the sauce for the dish but honestly, the chicken and the beef were flavorless. The meat was prepared separately it seemed (with no flavoring) and then just tossed into the dish. The great flavor of the sauce didn't soak into the meat and it was really noticeable. We didn't care for our dishes.

Maybe it's because I'm not a huge fan of Thai food but I wasn't impressed with House of Siam this time or any other time I've been. I welcome you to go and try it out since it is consistently ranked well in Boston Magazine.

House of Siam is located on Columbus Avenue. A second location has just opened up where Thai Village was on Tremont Street.

San Francisco!

Jeff and I recently got to go to San Francisco for a conference; and, so of course, we had to add some fun restaurants to our agenda.

We asked friends and family for recommendations and checked-out Urbanspoon to see what was hot. We also read what Patricia Unterman had to say in her San Francisco Food Lover's Guide. We weren't steered wrongly in any case.

For our first dinner out, we decided to go to Bodega Bistro, a Vietnamese restaurant in Little Saigon, which wasn't too far away from our hotel. Wow! What a find! We both loved it.

For starters, we had an order of the cha gio, which are Vietnamese spring rolls. These were stuffed with mushrooms and pork and served with traditional lettuce, veggies, and herbs. As some of you may know, you take a leaf of lettuce, put some of the herbs (mint, lemon balm, etc.) and veggies (cucumbers and carrots) and wrap that around the rolls. You dip them in a yummy sweet/sour/spicy sauce, and it's just an amazing amalgamation of deliciousness.

The book recommended also trying the roasted squab, which it called a "must-order." We got it, and it was great. Here's what Jeff had to say about it: "It was a deep-friend pigeon served with the head and feet intact…the latter of which I of course ate." The meat was delicious as was the crispy skin; both were seasoned really well, and I'm definitely glad we ordered it.

We also had a Vietnamese beer each.

For mains, Jeff got something whose name escapes us. He describes it thusly: "some kind of shrimp/pork combo in a big pancake you wrapped in lettuce, mint, thai basil, etc." He seemed to like it. I had the Bistro's house Pho, and it was really good. It was a ton of food, and all for an extremely good price. We HIGHLY recommend Bodega Bistro!

~~~

The next day, after my presentation, we had a nice chunk of time for lunch. We also saw a restaurant recommended as a "value" called Naan-n-Curry, and there was one right across from our hotel! Turns out, it's a chain, but it was still really good and was a nice value.

It just so happened that they have a lunch buffet, and the rest of the Linguists at the conference seemed to be there, too. For $10.95-ish, it was all you can eat naan, aloo gobi, chickpeas, tandoori chicken, lamb curry, palak paneer, etc. Oh, and drinks were included, both sodas and chai.

Our only problem was that it was a bit smokey in the restaurant (not cigarettes, but from the kitchen), and they ended up opening up a door, which happened to be right beside our table. We understood, however, when we got back to the hotel and noticed that we reeked of smoke--and did for the rest of the day.

I'd definitely go back, but they should really get that smoke issue fixed.

~~~

For dinner that night we had--you guessed it--Asian food!

We went to dinner with our professor, and, based on SG's tip, we made our way (through the Tenderloin, San Fran's historically seedier section) to Bang San Thai Cuisine.

In additional to good Thai food, this location also offers an Vegan menu.

We all started out with goldn fried tofu.

I got the Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles) with Chicken; MT and Jeff got the Pad Thai; and SG got Pad Ka Na (Chicken stir-fried with Chinese brocolli and black bean sauce).

Everyone seemed to enjoy his/her meal, as most plates were practically licked clean. I actually thought it was the best drunken noodles I'd ever had, and Bangkok Bistro in Boston makes some darn good ones!



I suppose I should stop here and save the rest of our trip for an upcoming post, so stay tuned!