Ryan "Damn right, it's better than yours" W.'s Profile

I'm upgrading Boloco a star because they've done some pretty impressive things in the year since I last reviewed them.

1) They've become a Certified Green restaurant, an honor held by only a handful of other establishments in this town.

2) They did this by adding biodegradable/recyclable cups and bowls and encouraging recycling in their cafes.

3) They've also added a lot of food-conscious language to their menu - i.e. offering organic tofu and organic free-range chicken.

4) They're about to wrap up a killer promotion for their anniversary whereby they offered burritos and smoothies at killer prices - we're talking $3 for burritos and $2 for smoothies - making it possible for me to eat a freshly-prepared, organic lunch for less than I could prepare it for at home. In the middle of an economic crisis. Awesome job, Boloco.

5) They seem to really care about what people write in their Yelp reviews and are eager to please.

So, you got me, Boloco. Not because you offered me $1 burrito coupons when I wasn't totally satisfied with your product, but because you're doing right by the environment and your community, which I really admire.

That said, please add more vegetables to the Bangkok wrap. I always have to add them and it tastes way better with broccoli, peppers and onions. Thanks and keep up the great work!

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place already. We've been going here as an office lunch group for almost 2 years. The service is fast and friendly, they have lots of vegetarian options (including fillings like mashed potatoes, peppers and portobello mushrooms), delicious mole sauce, and reasonable prices considering the huge portions you get. The lines can sometimes be long, but they move fast (not always a good thing when I'm trying, as I always am, to decide between peppers or mushrooms).

The only drawback is that unless you go before or after the lunch rush there is nowhere to sit. Just an FYI before you go.

We stopped in here last night for their New Year's Eve party and were impressed. I've walked past this place half a dozen times on my way to Les Zyg or South Street Diner (two of my faves), and had never thought of going in. But a friend of a friend talked us into coming after dinner to their FREE New Year's Eve party. It was amazing. While other restaurants around the city were charging $60+ for champagne, food and dancing, Sorriso was giving it all away for free, and so will forever have my gratitude. Although we had stuffed ourselves at dinner an hour before, we couldn't resist the delicious slices of thin-crust pizza that our companions kept bringing to the table. We'll definitely be back for the food -- especially since our friends said that on Saturdays and Mondays after 5pm, the pizza is half off. Mmm. We also had fun dancing in the back room and making noise with the complimentary noisemakers the restaurant passed out before midnight. Nice touch!

The only drawbacks were the A.D.D.-style DJ (which I won't count against them, as I'm sure he's not a permanent fixture of the place, and again, the event was FREE) and the Jack & Coke I ordered to start, which was kind of awful. However, it was my fault for not perusing their fairly well-pedigreed cocktail list before blurting out a knee-jerk drink order. They've got Red Hooks and other good-looking drinks (although the Pisco Sour looked to be a mongrel version of the Peruvian original -- it's made with Sprite? What?). Next time I'll order one of those drinks, or try something off the wine menu.

Something that I feel neutral about but should mention is the murals. Sorriso has several paintings on the walls depicting regions of Italy, and many of them contain women who all look exactly alike: buxom, bootylicious and, in cases of nudity, strangely bereft of body hair. That's all I'm going to say, because I know less about art criticism than I do about food, but just be warned.

Wow, I'm extremely surprised at all the negative reviews for this place. We just went today, and had a very nice time. And I'm a bit annoyed at the criticisms I see here, so I feel I should address them:

1) Shoddy service - Yelp reviewers, you have a choice to make here. Either you get your scenester points by checking it out early and being "first to review", or you get a good meal when they've worked the kinks out a few weeks later. Yes, first impressions count, but generally when you're about to meet someone, say for a job interview, they don't barge into your bathroom when you're still applying your makeup and judge you based on that meeting. That's why it's called a "soft opening." They're making it clear that they're training staff, testing the menu and gathering feedback -- not presenting a picture of perfection.

2) "It's not the same menu as Harvard Square/India Castle/my favorite Indian restaurant in Cambidge." No, it's not. Here in Brookline, we're bored with the other stuff and glad there's something new.  If you like the other menus better, go to those places and Yelp about them instead. If you want interesting seafood dishes and Indian coastal fare that you can't get in other restaurants that would prefer play it safe with tikka masala, go to this location.

3) Slowness of waiters - we didn't experience this, although we came in today on a Saturday when the place was not crowded, and received excellent service. Our waiter knew that it was our first time, volunteered lots of information about particular menu items, offered suggestions, and seemed to be very proud of the food. Our water glasses were always full. Our entrees were out in under 20 minutes. The manager introduced himself and served us a free (and delicious) saffron and fruit dessert. Perhaps it's not as nice on weekend nights, but we tend to pick our battles on that front.

4)  Value for the money - this really depends on what you order. We spent about $15 a person and still came home with leftovers. We split a crab cake dish and a vegan bhindi dish. Family style seems to be the way to go here. I might be angry if I spent $15 and got a few crab cakes only.  But our views were also shaped by the fact that we spent $35 apiece the night before on a special prix fixe at Sage, and were 90% less satisfied with our experience there than we were at Tamarind Bay.

I'm sorry to hear about the other folks' experience with salty food, etc., but I'll definitely be back.

I was going to feel guilty for not having visited here since it opened this spring, but after reading the reviews of shoddy service, "amateurish" presentation and awkward service, I'm glad I gave Scampo 6 months to work out the kinks - because our experience, while simple, was for the most part very good.

Because I was waiting for a friend, I sat at the bar facing the open kitchen and settled in to watch. I saw a pink prosciutto being sliced paper-thin, a skewer of lobster being plunged into a mysterious cauldron with flames leaping out, and perfect, simple salads being plated and slid down the bar.  It was all very nice, and before I knew it, I had a glass of wine and a pizza on the way.

I was sad to find that Scampo no longer does housemade mozzarella for its mozz bar (the mozz was so popular that it didn't scale), but that they do make it for the pizza and a handful of other dishes.  I tried the anchovy and garlic pizza, which was pricy at $15 but the perfect size for 2 people to split, so not a bad option for a light meal or appetizer (they also have the famous Locke-Ober lobster pizza, not bad for $25).  

You couldn't quite taste the housemade mozz, but overall it was a lovely salty pizza, with a light, flammekeuche-like crust, sliced potato, red onion, a bit of cream and lots of mildly-flavored garlic heads that could be eaten whole. I ordered a great white wine to pair with it - I forget what it was now, but I ordered it on the suggestion of the waiter and was not disappointed.

We also had the opportunity to try the truffled gnocci, which was delicious. The gnocci was soft and almost melted in our mouths, and the mushrooms were substantial enough to stand up to any of the meats on the menu. It was a small portion, but worth splitting as well just for the taste experience.

I agree that the prices here are high for what you get (it's clear that the clientele is mostly wealthy socialites and the like who don't care as much about value). And I think that the cocktail list, while inoffensive, was not on par with what I would expect for a Lydia Shire restaurant.  And while my waiter was wonderfully friendly and chatty, he did not seem to know the menu as well as I would have liked (he wasn't sure where certain foods were sourced, and overall seemed confused at some of my questions).  

I think perhaps part of this problem stems from the fact that Shire opened Blue Sky at around the same time as she opened Scampo.  While many people marveled at this -- "it's like having twins!", people said - I think that what you can see now is that this cost Scampo some of the careful planning, training and execution that it might have had if it were Shire's only child at the time. She did a smart thing by bringing over many experienced staff members from her other properties, and trusting them to run the place, but everyone knows that leaving your kids in the capable hands of their loving teenage siblings is no substitute for real parenting. And while Scampo is doing well, and the food is very good, and I'm happy with what I had, I agree that it could still be better.  

I'll still come back, though, because the Liberty Hotel is such an amazing place overall, and I think out of town guests would love this tucked-away, insidery secret of a place in the basement of an old jail. You have to love that.

I was excited to try Ula, since I've heard a lot about it. I like the space, the menu and the vibe, and would totally camp out here with a laptop if I lived nearby. But I had a convo with the staff that definitely skeeved me on the place, and I'm hoping it was just a one-off.

I came in around 4pm, and there was no one waiting in line, so I decided to ask for something sort of complex - a half order of the sweet potato sandwich and a half order of the curried tofu sandwich, since I really wanted to try both. They brought out two full sandwiches instead, and things got awkward.

"Oh, um..are you hungry?" I asked. "Cause you can have the other halves." (I've worked plenty a counter in my time, and I know that a missed order often means a free meal - key when you're being paid crap wages.)

My companion offered, "Or I can take some home for my kids."

"No," the server said. "We might sell them, so we'll just keep them."

Uh, what? You're going to just hang on to it, in the hopes that someone else on this sleepy Saturday will wander in and want an hours-old tofu half-sandwich?  That is...really weird, and sort of unnecessarily cheap.

So, that was off-putting, although the food itself was tasty. However, it was really nothing I couldn't make for myself (and in fact I have made some curried tofu since then), so it's not something I'd be dying to schlep back to JP to eat, although I'm sure the neighbors love that they can get some healthy food in the 'hood.

Despite the fact that Chinese food is not the most vegetarian-friendly Asian cuisine, we were able to put together a pretty sumptuous veggie feast at Gourmet Dumpling House.

We tried the steamed veggie ravioli, the spicy eggplant with basil, and the ma po tofu. The portions were enormous - there were 2 of us, but the plates they brought (around $8 each) would easily feed 4 people. (I took plenty of leftovers.) The vegetable ravioli were tasty and filling, the ma po tofu was extremely spicy (and only got more so in its 2nd-day-leftovers incarnation) but good, and the eggplant with basil was absolutely delicious.  I'd certainly order both the dumplings and the eggplant again.

My only beef with this restaurant is that they were very, very slow to fill the water glasses - not fun when you've just committed to a table full of sinus-clearing spicy food - but we did come during a busy lunch hour.

My only disappointment was not being able to try the XLB (soup dumplings), because they are definitely known as the house specialty, but of course they are traditionally made with pork. If anyone comes across this and knows of a spot in Boston to try vegetarian soup dumplings, let me know!

Mmmm, shabu.

This place was a solid shabu experience.  It's reasonably priced, stylishly decorated, and the service was quick and excellent without being obsequious.  The menu offers a wide variety of dishes and portion sizes, so you're not locked into shabu if everyone else in your group is feeling it.  However, I do suggest going with an even number of people in your party, since each broth station holds 1 pot divided into 2 sections.

I ordered the veggie plate, which was reasonable at $10 for a large veggie plate and 2 dipping sauces. I also ordered the special miso broth, which was an additional $3. I highly recommend this combo - it was the epitome of umami deliciousness.  

Something strange - my dining partner, who ordered the duck with fish sauce-based house broth, waited a bit longer for her broth to boil -- maybe because of the saltier broth?  It was interesting to see how they differed chemically throughout the night.

I didn't try the "original" sushi rolls, but they looked tasty.  My dining partner ordered the quail eggs wrapped in pork, which I also did not try, but she loved them. We split the black sesame ice cream, which seemed interesting (you don't see that on many menus), but tasted a bit like charcoal. Definitely not a must-try.

I loved the food at Toki and would absolutely go back -- this is a solid choice for a swanky, low-key shabu experience in Allston.

After a lovely day on Duxbury Beach, my friend and I headed out along Washington Street to find Snug Harbor Fish Co., where she remembered having some killer stuffed quahogs years ago.

They were amazing, especially at under $5 each - although unfortunately they were stuffed with pork, which I don't eat.  

Luckily, we also ordered their seafood stew, which was incredible - a savory brew of scallops, clams, rice, corn and tomatoes in a buttery, salty broth. So I had plenty to eat.

This place is a classic fish shack, with a small kitchen, a few outdoor tables in front, and an enormous 2-tier lobster tank where enormous red crustaceans roamed in the shallow, cold water.  The glass case in front displayed white shrimps ready for the peeling and long cuts of fresh pink salmon, which my friend said looked good enough to eat raw.

Note: for those who don't dig seafood, they also have chicken, and I think there may be one or two veggie items. But for more options, you can also go next door to "French Memories", which says it serves sandwiches and soups and such. They were closed today, but dammn the desserts looked good.  There's also a wine store nearby.  Between those 3 spots, you've got the makings of a great beach trip afterparty.

I'm sure I'll be making this little strip a regular stop when I come to the South Shore beaches.  Next time though, I'm skipping the quahogs and going for the crabcakes - only $3.95 each!

Stopped by this spot after reading the glowing Yelp reviews.  I got the tofu banh mi, an order of tofu spring rolls, and the mango tea.

The banh mi was not as fantastic as I had hoped it would be based on the reviews. I think Pho Viet in Allston's Super 88 complex does it better (heartier veggies, more savory tofu).  

The tofu spring rolls were competently made, but not magical. Your standard mix of noodles, mint, and sprouts with tofu. The sauce was tasty. A good cheap downtown lunch option on its own:  $3.50 gets you three huge and filling rolls.

The mango bubble tea was the best part.  Served with a slushy consistency, it tasted fresh and sweet, but not sickeningly so. The dark blue bubbles were a fun contrast.  Highly recommended for a hot day in Chinatown.