Taste of Allston 2010

Allston isn't the first place I think of when dining out. When I was invited to attend the 13th annual Taste of Allston, I thought it would be the perfect chance to explore the neighborhood a bit, all at one time.

I know Allston is home to a diverse population, thanks in part to the zillions of students who live in the neighborhood. But seeing different restaurants side by side really drove the point home. Taste of Allston featured American, Japanese, Chinese, Burmese, Indian, Korean, Mediterranean (Lebanese?), and Salvadorean. It was a little jarring to be eating all those flavors in one meal, but it was still fun to try them all.

My favorite dishes of the day:

• Chocolate chip brownie cookies (above) from Angora Cafe - Yes, brownie INSIDE a cookie. Angora's sandwiches were tasty enough, although they suffered from having been grilled earlier in the day and served cold. Angora Cafe will be opening Angora Ice sometime this summer in Chestnut Hill, which will serve only their frozen yogurt.
  
  
• Spicy Chicken Sandwich and Spicy Potatoes from Garlic 'n Lemons. This restaurant had the best array, sampling six different dishes. The guys working the table were also having a great time, joking with each other and the crowd, which bodes well for the restaurant. I can't wait to try some of their other dishes - their menu includes Armenian lahmajun, which you don't find often, so I'm going to have to see if it's any good.
  
  
• Inbound Pizza's schwarma was delicious, even though my sandwich was lacking sauce. I didn't try their pizza, but my friends thought it was tasty.
  
  
• Kelly's Roast Beef, which has just opened in the neighborhood, featured clam chowder, just like I like it. It was more watery than other chowders (which I like), and the potatoes and clams were perfectly cooked - not a rubbery clam in sight!
  
  
• Papusas and tacos from Taqueria El Carrizal. I love papusas, which are similar to mini quesadillas, and had these been warm, they would have been perfect. The tacos (more like taquitos), stuffed with beef, were crunchy and salty. I had to stop myself from going back for more so I could try all the other restaurants.
  

Full Disclosure note: My ticket to this event was comped.

Cheap Eats: Pho Viet

Three dollars and change can't buy much - a coffee, a pastry, a slice of pizza... or a friggin' huge sandwich stuffed with great meat and veggies. At Pho Viet, one of the stalls at the Super 88 food court in Allston, a bahn mi sandwich costs almost nothing but is still super filling and relatively more healthy than some of your other "cheap" options. A large crunchy, crusty baguette is toasted and filled with cilantro sprigs, hot peppers (used sparingly), lightly pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber spears, a light smear of mayo, and your choice of meat (or tofu). This Bostonist tried the chicken, which is very well marinated, with lots of delicious lemongrass flavor. But really, for under $4, why not try them all?

Originally published on Bostonist.

Cheap Eats: SoulFire

There's something very summery about barbeque, but when the weather is so hot and humid, the last thing you want to be doing is tending the grill or the smoker. That's where SoulFire in Allston comes along.

The meat is expertly cooked and left unsauced so you can add your favorite from their line-up of sauces - the sweet sauce was this Bostonist's favorite. The pulled pork sandwich ($6.95) was piled high with tons of shredded meat, including some delicious little burned bits. Lone ribs ($2.75) can be purchased as a snack or added to a meal, and they are beautifully smoky and juicy.

Sandwiches come with one side and pickles, while entrees come with two sides, pickles, and cornbread. The collard greens are some of the best in the city, and the mac and cheese is the kind of homestyle stuff you wish mama could make.

SoulFire is open Monday-Thursday 11:30am-10:00pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30am-11:00pm, and Sunday noon-10:00pm.

Originally published on Bostonist.

Deep Ellum, Allston

So onto my third blogger meet up this weekend. Nine 20-something bloggers from Boston met up at Deep Ellum last night for a little networking and some drinks. It was great to meet the new people and to see the people I met at the last blogger happy hour, so thanks to Julie and Susie for planning the whole thing. I'm definitely looking forward to the next one. In attendance were In Development, The JQ Lounge, Skrinkering Hearts, Chez MRhé, She's Only Waiting on the Next Best Thing, Everyone Loves a Boston Girl, We Are Not Martha, and Transient Travels.


And not only did I enjoy hanging out with all these other bloggers, but this was also an excuse to finally try Deep Ellum, which I've been meaning to do for ages. There were quite a few drinks enjoyed, and the Cranberry Lime Rickey seemed to be the favorite at the table. I enjoyed a mint julep (which they even served in a silver cup) and a Black Water (rye and Moxie). I grew up with Moxie, as it's one of my father's favorite drinks, so I ordered the Black Water just to tell him I had it... but then I loved it and had to order a second. The boot polish taste of the Moxie was smoothed out by the rye, and it ended up tasting like a better Jack and Coke. Definitely give it a try.

We also shared a few appetizers. I enjoyed the pretzels with beer cheese and the fries with gorgonzola the most. And I don't even like gorgonzola, but this was delicious! Everything needed to be eaten quickly, though, as the cheese cooled and congealed fairly quickly. I figure if they can do wonders with pretzels and fries, the rest of the menu must be amazing. Can't wait to go back to try some more (and have some more Black Waters).

Grille Zone, Allston

Another celebratory meal - lunch with my friend Josh (what was I going to call you on here? JoshB? J.O.S.H.?) in anticipation of the end of the summer/start of school. We both begin new grad programs next week and needed to commiserate before the hectic sets in.

I've met Josh for lunch at UBurger before, since it's so close to my office (and one of my favorite spots). This time, he wanted me to try Grille Zone, located on Comm. Ave. near BU West.

Grille Zone is very similar to UBurger, foodwise. The menus are almost identical (fresh burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, fries), although Grille Zone also offers chicken wings, grilled cheese, and sweet potato fries. (Do you hear that, UBurger? SWEET POTATOES!!)


I opted for a chicken sandwich, for sake of comparison. The chicken breast was cooked perfectly, as it was still very juicy, and it was well seasoned... but the seasoning wasn't as addicting as UBurger's crack chicken. And I'm not crazy about plain yellow mustard, either... I tried to get sweet potato fries, but they ran out the person before me, so I was offered double the regular fries instead. The fries were tasty, but a tad underdone for my tastes - I like 'em crispy!


So the food didn't wow me, but I really like Grille Zone's concept. It's a green restaurant - 0% waste. Every disposable item is compostable, and the trash is collected every other day by a company that adds the waste to a giant compost. By next summer, my plate and napkins and plastic cup will be helping someone's garden flourish - pretty cool, huh? Click the picture above for more details of the project. I'm really impressed by this, and I hope the restaurant is able to thrive while doing this.

So if my office were closer, I might eat here quite often. However, it's a trek from Kenmore Square, so I doubt I'll be back much for lunch.