Samurai Boston

Amy's Rating: C+

http://www.samurai-boston.com/

I hit up Samurai on Boylston Street Saturday night for some dinner which is located in the heart of back bay and next to the Thai favorite, Chilli Duck.

My meal:

Appetizer:  House Garden Salad with house dressing and Edamame.  I also split a sushi roll with my friend called, Coco Salmon-cajun seasoned salmon, avocado w/wasabi & basil sauce in coconut shrimp.
 
Entree:  Sushi rolls, spicy yellowtail, salmon and tuna. 

Drink:  Some sort of martini with grapefruit.

The garden salad was very large and the house dressing was typical Japanese style ginger dressing.

I was not impressed with my entree sushi rolls.  I have much better tasting sushi at other restaurants.  The coco salmon was tasty but couldn't really taste the coconut.  I did have a lot of wasabi on it though so I could have been missing the flavor.

I didn't think the drink was strong but it was tasty.  I usually am a little buzzed after one martini but not with this one.






Ambiance:
What I did like, is that there are small tables which look like mini bars to have drinks or eat sushi with bar stools.  At the tables, they have loose cushions to sit on which reminds me of Japanese decor.

Service:
Service was perfectly fine.

Price:
Sushi is expensive but this place was priced the same as other Japanese restaurants.  Not cheap.

They do have Korean food too (pictured above), which may be good to try but I wouldn't come back for sushi. 

Boston Restaurant Week Summer 2011

Here it is! My favorite part of summer has arrived to Beantown.

Boston's finest restaurants offering 3-course lunches for $20 as well as 3-course dinners for $33.

If you want to try a new restaurant that you can't really afford on on a normal day, take advantage of the next two weeks.

Check out the different menus and participating restaurants in the link below.

http://www.restaurantweekboston.com/

If you decided to indulge in restaurant week, definitely make a reservation through Open Table. Tables tend to fill up pretty quick.

I will be dining at Wine Cellar on Mass Ave. next weekend.  Review to come...

LaFamiglia Giorgio-North End

Amy's Rating: B

http://www.lafamigliagiorgio.com/menu.htm

Located in the heart of the North End, La Famiglia Giorgio never fails me.   I have been to this place a few times and also have swung by to grab take out for dinner.  The amount of food they give you is large enough for 2 to 3 meals or easily can be split between people for family style dining.  


My meal:


Appetizer: GARDEN SALAD -Cucumbers, diced red onions, Green and Black olives, plump cherry tomatoes on a bed of fresh iceberg lettuce.

Entree:  Linguine with FRA DIAVOLO -Sautéed olive oil & garlic with red onions, jalapenos and crushed red peppers in a Marinara sauce.

Wine:  Sauvignon Blanc, Bell, Lake County, CA., 2008

The garden salad was a decent size but nothing special with a light vinaigrette dressing.  It wasn't iceberg lettuce but romaine which I prefer so I enjoyed that. 


I love anything with a little spice so I chose the FRA DIAVOLO  red sauce with my fresh pasta.   I have had this before and liked it.  I have also had the pesto sauce there, which is also tasty.  

Ambiance:
I wouldn't say this is the most romantic place in the North End compared to all the other places in the vicinity.   There are two floors which makes room for more tables compared to other restaurants tucked away in the North End.


Service:
Sorry fellows, no pretty ladies working the tables.  This is one of those places where they ask what you want and you get what you get.  They aren't really big on catering to your liking or serving to your needs. 

Price:
With 6 people, multiple apps, entrees, bottles of wine. and beers, we each paid $26 plus tip. Bargain!



So why do I keep coming back to this place with lousy service and not so nice ambiance in the North End?


The food is delicious and  I love the extra large portions!! There is a rule they have though; if you want to split an entree with your date or friend you have to order an appetizer (which sadly does not include a garden salad) but there are a lot of great choices.


I am not sure I would take someone on a first date there but for good food at a really reasonable price with great friends, I always come back to LaFamiglia Giorgio.

Sweet Cheeks

Top chef finalist Tiffani Faison will be opening southern-style food in Boston's Fenway area.  As many Fenway residents know, Cambridge 1 recently closed on Boylston st. and we are all wondering what will be going into the space.

Chef Faision will now be occupying the restaurant and opening a BBQ joint called Sweet Cheeks

Plans are to open late summer....you know for sure, I will be checking this one out!
 

Legal Test Kitchen-Seaport

Amy's Rating: B-

After waiting for a while at the Barking Crab, my friend and I decided to walk around and look for something different.  I was in the mood for seafood, so Legal Test Kitchen was the best choice and had only a 5 minute wait for table.

My meal:

Entree:  Baked Boston Scrod with lemon caper sauce with  green beans and potato salad.

Wine:  Riesling

I was disappointed the summer vegetable wasn't corn on the cob but the green beans were fresh and crisp.  Scrod was tasty and moist, I ate it all up. Potato salad was okay, better than your local deli but nothing special.

Ambiance:
The dining room is kinda swanky and there are TV's all around (not just in the bar) to catch the Red Sox game, which I liked of course.

Service:
We had a very peppy and enthusiastic server especially for it being 9pm.  She was very nice and offered to change my sides if I didn't like the potato salad. 
As for the hotness of the hostesses for my male readers.... all cute girls (hostesses, servers etc.).


Price:
My meal with wine was only $24.  I think that is a bargain for a good piece of fish and will not hurt my bank account.

If you want something more elegant, legal sea foods is across the street and they have a new patio/roofdeck looking over the water and of course Morton's steakhouse (but I haven't been there yet).
I think I would have rather been to the Barking Crab than LTK but it was okay for second choice.

New Japanse Tapas Restaurant

Zai is a new Japanese tapas restaurant that will be opening in the South End Neighborhood at the corner of Union Park and Shawmut avenue.  Zai will feature japanese-style tapas  and also yakitori, which is a skewered chicken cooked specifically on charcoal. 


Sounds delicious to me...


No official menu to post yet. 

Capital Grille's Boston Location is Moving!!!

The favorite steakhouse chain is moving from it's original spot on Newbury st. to around the corner at the Hynes Convention Center!!

Walking on Boylston the other night I got a glimpse of the new restaurant's location. What I can tell is that the space is twice the size and of course all shiny and new.

It is right across from Dillon's the bar and on the corner of Boylston and Dalton st. in the Back Bay neighborhood.

I have attached their menu for you all to view.

http://www.thecapitalgrille.com/menu/main.asp

Common Ground Allston

Many thought that Friday 90's night in Allston was gone...

Don't worry!! Common Ground is re-opening under new ownership tomorrow!

For more information, follow the link below.  

http://bostonrestaurants.blogspot.com/2011/07/common-ground-in-allston-has-been-sold.html

Sel de la Terre- Boylston St Boston, MA

Amy's Rating: B
Sel De La Terre on Boylston!!!

http://www.seldelaterre.com/

I chose this restaurant in the back bay last night because I had a $40 Groupon (love love Groupon).  The restaurant is right near the hotel Mandarin and includes two floors. The downstairs is more casual style bar with pub/cafe style food and the "fine dining" upstairs.  My friend and I decided on the fine dining...

My meal:
 5 different types of bread to choose from which is always nice.

App: Baby arugula salad, baked aged goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, pickled red onion; balsamic 
Entree:  Roasted east coast halibut, ASF spinach, garlic confit potatoes, hollandaise

Wine:  Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.  The wine list is HUGE, so if you are a wine-o, it is perfect.

The salad was large for a starter size but a little plain, I would have liked some more color in it (veggies).   Halibut was perfectly cooked and I always love fingerling potatoes because they aren't at my local Shaw's.  As for the hollandaise sauce, I am not a huge fan but they only had a little on the side of the plate so I was happy it wasn't all over my fish.

Ambiance:
The dining room is very "date nightish" with white linens, candlelight etc. However, if you are laid back like me, a first date in the bar downstairs with a drink and their pub menu would be fun and wouldn't break the bank.

Service:
No complaints all very helpful and attentive.
I was told to rate if they have cute servers for my male friends.  I actually only had male servers so I am not sure.

If you don't feel like spending $$ the bar has a special for every Monday from 5-7pm they have $2.50 sliders!

Also they offer a monthly 3-course meal for $33 which is the same price as Boston's restaurant week. I was intrigued but didn't like the choices.

I would go back if I had the money to eat there a lot, otherwise I may try the bar food downstairs and get a cocktail.