Kate M.'s Profile

It's embarrassing how often I stop in here for cupcakes.  Thankfully, Sweet's management likely coaches their employees not to say, "You again?  Third red velvet cupcake today?  Putting away for winter?"

The cupcakes are delicious, gloriously moist (unlike KICKASS CUPCAKES of Somerville -- see my review of their subpar offerings) and topped with luscious, sweet frosting.

Best of all, what allows me to save face and not be a complete and total glutton is the fact that they have mini cupcakes and even tiny frosting shots if you just want a teensy bit of sweetness.

Be forewarned: the best ones tend to sell out early in the day.  Red velvet mini cupcakes are often first to go, I hear.

Four stars and not five because I've had the occasional dry cupcake.  NOT often -- think two or three, ever.  But that's enough.

Hands down, one of the best meals I have ever had in Boston.

Erbaluce is the perfect antidote for those who wrinkle their noses at seeing chicken parmesan dominated "authentic" Italian menus.  This is the real deal: it's natural, it's local, and it's authentic but innovative.

The tomato and zucchini salad featured the best goat cheese I've ever tasted.  The wild boar chop was fabulously succulent -- and for someone who lives for wild boar, it's incredible to find a whole chop in Boston!

We also shared the rabbit, and though I'm not the biggest rabbit fan, it was served with a wonderful sour rhubarb compote.

But the panna cotta!  We shared the panna cotta for dessert, and it was OTHERWORLDLY good.  It nearly made me burst into tears -- the cream that was flavored with honey, topped with marinated raspberries and blackberries, and split apart perfectly underneath your fork.

I could eat that panna cotta every day for the next ten years.

This is one of the next great foodie destinations in Boston.  If you don't order the panna cotta, please lie to me and say you did.

The guys who work at Symphony Mart regularly see me at my best and worst.

I'm there at 8:00 PM, grabbing a Red Bull and an Odwalla, fresh and excited, before hitting the club.

I'm there at 3:00 AM, buying a bag of chips and three tubs of French Onion dip, falling over and chatting up every customer in the store.

I'm there at 9:00 AM, shakily buying a box of Triscuits before retreating to my hangover cave.

And yet they still serve me, always with a smile.

Five stars.

Back when I lived in Davis, I was so excited for Kickass Cupcakes to arrive.

Oh, and then they arrived, and like most people, I was so disappointed!

It looks great in theory.  Mojito cupcakes?  Dog and cat cupcakes?  Quirky name for a quirky neighborhood?

But the cupcakes, which should be the selling point of this place, were quite dry, bland, and WAY overpriced.

I've been back to Kickass enough times to determine that they're not getting better over time.  Not at all.  It's too bad; Davis could use a place like this.

To the owners of this business: please concentrate on your cupcake recipe.  Make them moist.  That would elevate this business SO much.

One star for the frosting on the double chocolate cupcake.

I stayed at the Hotel Vintage Park for three nights in June.  I was here for a conference, and we wanted a hotel in a good neighborhood but not too far of a walk from the conference on the waterfront.  This was a fabulous choice!

CHEERS to free wine every day!  They offered a few different ones each day, including sangria, along with delicious bar snacks.

CHEERS also to the TURN-DOWN SERVICE!  So nice.  And who puts chocolates on pillows anymore?!

Points for the great location (close to great shopping and a mile from the waterfront), the sexy room decor and the kind staff.

Despite the free wine, there wasn't much of a fun atmosphere.  My colleague and I are both girls in our mid-twenties and we were the youngest people there by far.

I would definitely stay here again.

Picture it: gorgeous sunny day; beautiful outdoor setting; cocktails, apps and dreams.

My best gay and I went there with the intention of grabbing a drink.  We were there for HOURS, sipping our drinks and watching hobos' antics on the other side of the fence!

Seriously...what a perfect place!  We had a GREAT waiter (wish I remembered his name), the drinks arrived promptly, and we feasted on several martinis, Ipswich clams and some truly delicious ahi tuna tacos.  Mmmmm.

And watching hobos walk by and ask patrons for drinks -- and WATCHING A GIRL GIVE HIM HER MARTINI, which he downed in a second, and watching the guy at the next table go out to buy him booze, in hospital scrubs, no less -- made this place hilarious!

Love the atmosphere, food and drinks.  Can't wait to go back!

Lilly's Gourmet Pasta is a Fenway gem -- hell, a Boston gem!  Their crab sauce is so good, I nearly wept the first time I had it.  No joke.

Lilly's specializes in fantastic, fresh pasta that you can customize any way you like with dozens of ingredients -- what's not to love?

I order delivery from them all the time, and they are always prompt and courteous.  I feel like I'm discovering new dishes all the time -- a few standouts include the lobster ravioli (which is how I discovered the CRAB SAUCE!), whole wheat pasta and gnocchi.

My favorite: whole wheat pasta with mild-level spicy tomato sauce, prosciutto bits and fresh mozzarella.  Add a side salad and I'm set.

And on top of everything, Lilly's is so cheap, you have no reason not to at least give them a try.  Trust me -- you won't regret it!

I call it "the gauntlet" -- the stretch of bars along Union Street filled with a mixture of older sports-watching townies, college kids trying out their fake IDs for the first time, and neighborhood winos ordering a pitcher and a shot for themselves.

The Tap -- or, as my best gay and I call it, "Tap That" -- is a bar of the gauntlet, and for that reason it doesn't deserve many accolades.

However, it has two very, very good things going for it:

1) They have my favorite beer, Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat, on tap.

2) There is no cover charge.  (Therefore, if you somehow end up in the area and need to go to the bathroom, go here.)

I came here for Mother's Day with my sister and Africa-loving mom.  For the record, none of us have ever had Ethiopian food.

The honey wine?  Sweet but not diabetes-in-a-glass sweet.  (A rarity.)  I'm a fan.

The meat sambusas?  Crispy and a bit dry, but good.

The lamb?  Delicious, flavorful and spicy, but not so spicy that we needed to gulp down water and bread.  

The vegetable dishes (collard greens, tomatoes, a chickpea spread and lentils)?  Not as exciting as the lamb, but delicious all the same.

The injema, or bread, was fine and spongy -- I've never had anything like it!  (My Italian mom compared its texture to tripe, of all things.  Kind of a skeevy comparison, but hey, whatever works for you.)

We had no problem sitting in the Ethiopian wooden chairs (we're 5'4" to 5'9"), which was a relief, since I admit that Yelpers made me a bit nervous about the seating.

Service is slow for no reason.  If you come in expecting slow service, as we did, you'll be fine.

When I go back, I'd like to try more meat dishes and possibly go to the South End location!

Last thing -- if you're new to Ethiopian food, don't be intimidated by this place...it's all very easy and straightforward.  You just pick the food up with the bread.  It's that easy.

If you dream of dancing in a sea of ya-dudes of Irish descent, no skin color other than white in sight, come to Ned Devine's.

If you prefer to be surrounded by tipsy bachelorette parties clad in veils, sashes and penis paraphernalia, please, come to Ned Devine's.

If you enjoy waiting in line for half an hour in the rain and paying a $10 cover charge to see a lame band pretending to be hardcore while playing Fall Out Boy songs, by all means, come to Ned Devine's.

Don't get me wrong.  I've had some good times here.  Some great times, even.  But there are SO MANY BETTER PLACES throughout the Boston area!!  Don't waste your time here.