Crystal K.'s Profile

Wow, I'm surprised at all the lower stars for Catalyst that are here. This is one of our go to bar spots because the bar is absolutely GORGEOUS. Food is excellent, cocktails are excellent and it's a beautiful setting.

In fact the only ding that I could give Catalyst isn't even related to the restaurant, but to the fact that because there isn't much around there, it tends to be a go-to spot on Friday night for area businesses (we were there one night when a ,massive crowd of people from Forrester came in and were, to my surprise b/c I deal with them for business, rude and annoying as all hell). If you go in on Saturday though it is so so quiet...huge contrast between the two nights.

I can't comment on the table service because I've only eaten at the bar but I've loved the food.

Parking can usually be found on the street which is nice.

This is my favorite little shop to buy gifts for friends (and for myself!). I love their gorgeous assortment of jewelry, scarves, handbags, candles, cards and beautiful things for the home.

I always make Marmalade my cut-through for other things in Belmont Center when I park out back.

The ladies who own the shop are so friendly and I love how nice my gifts end up when they wrap them for you. Love love love Marmalade!

I met a friend for brunch here recently and had a great meal. It's not quite as charming or incredible as its South End counterpart but definitely a great stop in the burbs for a wonderful meal.

Brunch is excellent...they have a nice selection of breakfast drinks, eggs and southwestern/mexican flaired items. I had the mango banana pancakes and they were super tasty and not too big (I didn't feel like I needed to be rolled out at the end of the meal). The breads that they serve to start were very good and came with an interesting mix of special butters.

For the type of restaurant that it is, it's in a very strange location---a shopping area near a CVS and a Whole Foods, not what you would think of for a upscale restaurant. It was very quiet when we were there on that morning which was nice enough but I imagine it's full of children in the evenings which would drive me batty--the regular Masa isn't that type of joint.--it's upscale food with fine cocktails but I imagine the location in the burbs makes it a completely different sort of place entirely.

Fastachi has a few things going for it.

1. They're right next door to Romagnoli and Sons where we go for the best Italian meats, cheeses and specialty foods so it's easy to hit up Fastachi on the way over there.

2. They'll grind up any nut you specify into butter and paste. I needed pistachio paste and they whipped me up a batch which made for some extremely tasty homemade gelato.

3. They have a counter full of amazing, gorgeous, beautiful chocolates and candied fruits. YUM. This will be our go-to place for chocolates in the future. Delicious and far more convenient and cost-effective than Burdicks in Harvard.

4. The nuts!!!!!! Who knew that they could be so fresh! Crunchy! Delish! Plain, salted or in mixes that are sure to please the most picky nut eater. Perfect for parties and the costs are reasonable--it's miles beyond anything you could buy at Whole Foods or Trader Joes.

5. The staff--nice, friendly and happy to let you taste samples!

6. It's VERY close to our house! Bonus!

This is a great little store, which has moved from its Alewife parkway location just a bit away in Belmont. They used to have fish at the old store, but have since pared down as one of the previous posters noticed.

We went in today looking for cat climbing furniture for a new kitten. WOW--probably some of the best prices we've seen so far for scratching posts, kitty condos and the like. We're talking $30 for furniture that would cost you $150 at Petsmart. Maybe we lucked out and hit a sale but wow...what a deal.

Their selection for other things are smaller at the new store. For example we'll probably hit up Petsmart for a cat bed and toys because the selection is broader, but we'll definitely be back for cat food moving forward. They sell organic food as well as Science Diet and other standard brands. Prices are great and the staff is very very friendly.

And while their huge parrot didn't say hello to us he did wave!!

SO happy this little spot is so close to us. Even happier that they deliver within 5 miles! YES! Fresh organic sushi, veggies and wines---what else can you ask for? They even let you choose your types of rice, white, brown or multigrain!

We had the Spicy Crab Tempura Roll...beautiful to look at and even more beautiful as it hits your tongue. The traditional Philadelphia roll delivered and I can't tell you how fresh and good the edamame tasted.

Service was excellent. They even treated us to a little tapioca dessert at the end of our meal.

They have lunch specials every day and they also cater. You can pick up big platters of sushi for your party at very reasonable prices. We're thinking that we may end up doing that for one of our next shindigs!

We're very pleased to have such a great little sushi spot (and organic!!!!) so close to home!

OMG I can't believe I didn't know about this place. It's within walking distance for me and dang, talk about GREAT.  This is definitely going to be the go-to place for me when it comes to anything Italian--cheese, meats, pasta, sandwiches.

The owner is so personable and loves what she's doing. I am unsure what a previous poster was talking about when it came to the staff--they all seemed like they got along great when we were there. Half of what I thought made the store great was the staff.

The prices are another huge bonus--definitely will be hitting them up before Formaggio and Russos moving forward. With the hot summer ahead, there is nothing more wonderful than a plate of mozarella (they make their own, YUM) and speck with melon.

Paninis were excellent. We had a taste of the tiramisu and honestly, I haven't had a good tiramisu since I was in Italy. Can't wait to try all their other treats!

Oh and they have brunch on the weekend--why wait in line at the Town Diner when you can have Panetone French Toast?!

Second time at Marco last night and although we knew we'd love it going in, I wasn't expected to be completely blown away by the dishes I ordered. It's a tiny, intimate spot on the second floor overlooking Hanover street. You'll definitely need a reservation--there are only a handful of tables and it's the only way you'll guarantee a spot. It's not very good for a large group--four people is probably the most you could do comfortably.

We arrived a bit early and sat at the tiny bar. The bartender was making some concoction with jam in it which made my eyebrow raise...and I inferred from my conversation that it was probably not the best drink on the menu, so steer clear. Sometimes simple is just better. Like the Marco Fizz; light, pomegranate and prosecco yum.

For entrees we split the stuffed zucchini flowers--MMMMMMMMM good. We also split the prosciutto, melon and ricotta insalata, but the flowers were just so so much more amazing in comparison.

My husband had vongole cavatelli...clams, sausage and pasta. It was HUGE and you could easily get away with a half portion for your meal. I had the chicken Saltimbocca, which I was pleased about because I'm not a fan of veal usually. WOW. It was probably one of the best chicken dishes I've ordered in a restaurant. Perfectly cooked, the chicken, sage and prosciutto flavors mingling to create heaven for your tastebuds and oh my, the mushrooms that accompanied the dish were absolutely incredible. As I write this I'm wishing I could have more!

We were stuffed so opted out of dessert. I would have probably had the gelato but it was vanilla and oh, what a boring flavor to finish off the meal with, IMHO, so we shunned the extra calories this time around.

We have always loved Pigalle and it's wonderful to see Orfaly doing delightful things with an Italian vs. a French menu. We'll definitely be back.

Oh Clio, how do I love you? Let me count the ways.

Let me start with the bar. Head bartender Todd Maul rocks the joint with some of the best cocktails in all of Boston. We're faithfuls here...spoiled by the drinks. We're huge foodies so tend to eat around town but almost always come to Clio afterward for post-dinner cocktails. They have a new 80 drink cocktail menu of incredible classics, tiki drinks for two, retro sips and new modern tastes. Absolutely incredible. I am almost loathe to talk about how great the bar is because with only 8 seats, it's tiny. But good things come in small packages, right?

And oh, the food. The food. Admittedly we don't eat at Clio all that often as there is a bit of sticker shock when it comes to the prices, but every single time we have splurged we have come away with one of the best meals we have ever had in Boston. Service is impeccable, the food is beyond amazing and it's such a lovely romantic atmosphere. The desserts are FANTABULOUS. Magical. Incredible.

I'm hoping that the bar menu expands a bit with a few more affordable choices; we'd eat there all the time if it did. But for now, if you want some of the best vegetable tempura you've ever had (I think it's one of the few crossovers from the Uni menu), head to the Clio bar. Yum.

We've avoided OM almost since it opened based on a couple of bad experiences, one where we were in the lounge around 6PM not long after it first opened and seated ourselves near the window. Shortly afterward we were yelled at for sitting there because the lounge window spot was "reserved." Irritated, we moved to the bar and had our drinks. An HOUR later a group of Harvard hipsters waltzed in and took that spot--clearly the window spot was saved for the pretty, richer looking people. So we knew there was attitude.

A few months later I was trying to arrange for our holiday party...about 20 people. I called many weeks in advance, reserved a spot for 6:30 (we had employees who had kids and didn't want to be out late). Originally that was fine but two days later they called me to tell me they could only put us in at 8PM on a Tuesday. No apologies, no nothing. I said no way and booked us at Dante instead where we had an incredible, no attitude, hassle free meal.

So for a couple of years now my husband and I have pointedly avoided OM even though we had never actually eaten there. Yesterday we were looking for an outdoor lunch spot and when we saw there was a couple of tables open, we decided to take the plunge and see if perhaps we were mistaken about the place.

Unfortunately, no. Terrible, slow service and a mostly absent waiter (although when he did show up he was friendly enough).  Took forever to get our drinks (which were the ONLY saving grace of the meal--very delish cocktails) and therefore forever for our order to be taken. Then they messed up my husband's appetizer, so he watched me eat my food while we waited for his to show, then I watched him eat his appetizer. Always a great way to start a meal, no?

Then the wait for our entree...the very very long wait. Completely absent waiter. Then, when the food arrived, it was cold. I had sliders and the buns were hard, meat was cold and my fries were barely warm. Sent it back, which I RARELY ever do in restaurants. My husband's chicken curry sandwich was barely warm and the bread was soggy but by then he was just ticked and wanted to get out of there so didn't say anything. I watched him eat his meal, then when my hot sliders arrived (with bizarrely, cooked many hours before, super hard brioche buns) he watched me eat my meal.  Our clueless waiter came by in the meantime to ask if we wanted another round of drinks and I had to point out that I really just wanted my food hot and was waiting for the second plate to arrive. He said, "oh I'm sorry, no one ever told me about that!" then went off to see what the story was. I watched the manager brush by him with my new slider plate, clearly irritated. So it seems that there is no communication in the back of the house.

Took forever to get water at our table and then only because I made some off-handed comment about it when a different waitress was serving water to her table and I think she overheard me and brought us some.

After my husband watched me finish my meal we had to wait another ten minutes to get the check. While we were signing it, completely ticked off that they didn't apologize or comp us anything for all the mishaps, the clueless waiter was talking to two women who sat down next to us. One woman asked how the chicken curry sandwich was. Clueless waiter says, "oh, just ask him, he had it..." and turns to my husband (UMMMM at this point you should know we're unhappy...why on earth would you ask us to talk up something to another customer??).

So my normally restrained husband proceeds to tell the two women how our food arrived cold and terrible. She immediately changed her mind and ordered the salad.

The waiter, as we were leaving, said, "it's only through feedback that we're going to get better."

So here it is OM, feedback. Your food and your service just plain suck.