What to do when your food is just yuck

A friend and I started a conversation today about what to do when you're at a restaurant and something you order is just plain gross. I think it's okay to send it back and simply tell the waiter that it doesn't taste right. My friend said that you have to just deal with it. 

I think its important we make the distinction here that I'm not talking about when food is over/under-cooked. If something your ordered does not come as you ordered it, I think the rule is you send it back. Despite all the horror stories we've heard about what cooks do to returned food, I haven't ever met anyone (cook, chef, even fry cook) who actually messes with the food (as much as they probably want to). Flashback to Roadtrip and the French Toast scene comes to mind here. 

However, I still think that in most restaurants--and by most, I mean anywhere that your dish costs more than $8.99--it is alright to tell the waiter/waitress that your meal does not taste as expected. AND, they should allow you to order something else. Am I the only one who thinks this way?

Chain Restaurants

It can only be expected, that every foodie will get tired of cooking for a bit, every now and then. This foodie is going through that lately. I've been frequenting some chain restaurants (don't scowl yet) in an effort to save money and get a quick bite to eat. Rather than giving a top 5 or 10 list (even though you must have picked up by now how I love list-making), I thought I would talk about one place at a time. 

Outback Steakhouse: As a child, I loved to eat here. I would down about 4 root beers in one sitting (leaving 12x more hyper than when we arrived). Until yesterday, I hadn't eaten here in almost 3 years! So, I decided to give it a try. 

Appetizer: Bloomin' Onion- although I'm a huge fan of onion rings, this restaurant specialty didn't impress me. The onion was so deep fried, it was hard to taste anything outside of the oil it was cooked in. Plus, the sauce was odd (it had bubbles in it).

Main Course: 12 oz. Outback Special- the sirloin center cut was mediocre. This could have been due to the fact that it was way overcooked, despite me asking for medium. I imagine the steak would have been quite tastey if it hadn't been overdone. The dish also comes with two sides: I picked Fresh Steamed Broccoli and a Loaded Baked Potato. The side dishes were great, perfectly cooked and delectable. 

Drink: Pinot Grigio, Estancia, California- Not bad for $7!

Desserts: Chocolate Chocolate Tower- A towering (this is not an exaggeration) chocolate layer cake with raspberry sauce. I also added whipped cream, which really added to the cake. The cake was so big, we took it home and saved half for later. 

I actually took half of my meal home and reheated it tonight for dinner. As a fan of leftovers, I think Outback reheats extremely well! So if the large portions are too large for you, don't be afraid to box it up and take it home. I think next week I'll try Bugaboo Creek for dinner and compare the two...stay tuned!

UPDATE (4/14/08): I gave Outback another chance this last weekend and tried a burger. What a difference! The Bacon Cheese Burger was phenomenal and cooked perfect. I would recommend the burgers over the steaks here any day! 

Better than the Yellow Pages

Being a shameless gourmand, I'm constantly on the look out for new places to eat and drink. I came across this new site that's a Boston wiki (something like wikipedia). Currently, there are 1,795 restaurant listings! You can also break down the restaurants by neighborhoods, type of food, delivery, etc. There's even an interactive map that shows the location of the restaurant as your mouse scans over the listing. 

Check it out and tell me what you think. You never know what you'll come across and what new foods you may find!

Lunch: perhaps the most difficult meal

I've always had some sort of love/hate relationship with lunch. What kind of food to eat, where to eat, how much to eat, light or heavy, hot or cold, leftovers, cafeteria, restaurant? Making all of these decisions within your short lunch break time can cause the even the wisest foodie to get frustrated. I often find myself pushing back the lunch hour because I can't even make a decision before I leave my desk! 

I thought a lot about where I could go for my 45 minute lunch break--somewhere that was fast, but not fast food, tasty, but not too fattening, and had a nice atmosphere, but wasn't too popular to have to fight for a seat. And of course, the most important factor: location. If you can't find a restaurant/deli/bar/eatery that is close enough to work/school, you can simply cross it off the list. 

So far, I've found a few places that work for me. I work in Brighton, bordering Allston and Watertown. Three of these places are chains, so if you can find one around your work/school, I'd say its your best bet for some good food at lunchtime. 

Top 5 Lunch Places

1. Panera Bread- With a huge menu, Panera has a variety of items to order from so it doesn't get old. Many of the sandwiches have distinct tastes which you won't find at usual deli's. Soups and salads are also reliable, always tasty and surprising low in calories. 

2. Bugaboo Creek Steak House- After avoiding this place for months due to its funny name, I finally gave it a try and decided I was the crazy one! Great food from sandwiches to salads to soup. The service is quick and food is always served hot. They're also good about letting you customize orders--ex: grilled salmon instead of chicken on salads, etc--which is always a plus.

3. La Casa de Pedro- A great place for salads and light lunches, especially if you're tired of the same old lunch options at other places. The Latino flare is sure to give your taste buds something new to savor.

4. Marty's Liquor, Allston- As odd as it sounds to have a sandwich shop in a liquor store, Marty's certain does it right! Best sandwiches and alcohol, all in one place, what's there not to love? Order up one of the Marty's specialties sandwiches or make your own.

5. Whole Foods Market- Did you see this one coming? Whole Foods is, not only one of my most favorite places on earth, but also a great place to get lunch. Most locations have a counter for customers, so you don't have to eat in your car. They carry everything, from pre-made salads to tuna salad to soup to BBQ sandwiches...and on and on and on. If you can find a Whole Foods near you, consider yourself lucky!

If you know of anywhere that you think belongs on my Top 5 list, tell me! I'm always up for trying new places. Also check out my past post with a list of great restaurants around Boston, if you have more time for lunch and want some really top-notch food. 

UPDATE: If you're eating anything resembling this Pancake-Sausage on a Stick, I would like to personally offer my condolences, and severely urge you to try one of the above restaurants. 

Vegas v. Boston

After a week long stay in Fabulous Las Vegas I started to think about all the fabulous food I had along the way. Although nothing trumps room service (read: I'm lazy), the food really was spectacular. On the plane ride back, my friend said that she didn't think the food in Boston was comparable. I, however, disagree. I'm glad to say that I found the food in Vegas really tasty, but I think that Boston does have really good food. I will admit that our restaurants aren't nearly as decorative as Vegas', but then again, when it comes down to it--I'll take good food over good decor any day. 

During some part of the 5 hour plane ride back, I made of list of places that I thought were comparable to the places we ate at in Vegas. If you ever do go to Vegas, this list is probably a good starting place for where to dine. In the meantime, at least you can rest assured that your not completely missing out!

Las Vegas 

1. Dos Caminos at the Palazzo - Great Mexican food, lots of choices in tequila and even had Sangrita, which is extremely hard to find in Boston.       

2. Canter's Deli at Treasure Island -Mile high sandwiches with fresh meats and breads. Also had my first frozen custard here!

3. The Grille at the Golden Nugget-Another quick sandwich place in Downtown Las Vegas that had the best hot dogs and fries. I almost felt like I was at Fenway with the Sports betting going on right behind the Grille. 

4. Grand Lux Cafe at the Venetian -A 24/7 cafe serving an array of food items. Finding this place at 5 am for breakfast was a treat!

5. Joe's at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace-I'm clearly biased since the Original Joe's is in Miami Beach, but they had wonderful seafood which was a nice change from the typical steakhouse in Vegas. 

Boston Counterparts

1. La Verdad Taqueria -Amazing Mexican food in a fun and decorative atmosphere. And yes, they serve Sangrita.

2. Zaftigs in Brookline - You can't go wrong at this classic Jewish deli. From sandwiches to cupcakes, this place will definitely fill you up just like your Jewish Grandma did!

3. Spike's Junkyard Dogs - For dogs and fries, this place can't be beat. Order one of the specialty dogs or just go for the Mutt (plain dog on a roll), everything is delicious.

4. Finale -Grand Lux Cafe is actually very hard to match since it does have a wide variety of food. I would have said Cheesecake Factory, but since it's owned by the same person, I wanted to suggest something different. Although, CF does deserve its round of applause for its consistently delicious food and desserts. 

5. Union Oyster House in Faneuil Hall- Without a doubt, better than any other seafood place in Boston! 

The Ultimate Kitchen Table

I've been dying to tell you all about one of my new favorite places to eat in Boston. It's called Ten Tables, in Jamaica Plain. This place is by far the best place I've ever eaten at (and I've eaten a lot in my time). I also like you leave without that guilty feeling of spending too much dough ($$) on dinner. This affordable, winsome restaurant will win you over the minute you walk in the door and get a whiff of the amazing aroma. 

So what's so great about it? Here's my top 5 list:

1) Wednesday night $29 3-course dinner specials (what a frickin' deal!)

2) The food is absolutely fantastic

3) Ambiance can't be beat (unless your really old and in that case it probably sucks)

4) All of the food is local and organic 

5) Free parking

I first went to Ten Tables on a Wednesday night with a friend, not even knowing about the $29 special. We also were able to find parking about 3 blocks away for free! Awesome, considering there are many places that charge a ton for parking these days! Anyways, back to my point, if you've ever eaten at a half-fancy place in Boston, you know that appetizers+entrees+drinks+desserts+ports=$$$$. This place offers the best food. Portions were just right. Small enough that you can eat all three, yet big enough that the last bite is a feat. I started off with a cauliflower soup that was garnished with some sort of red oil. I know I'm suppose to be more familiar with this, but I have no idea what it was...all I know is that it was incredible. I could have drank this all night long and taken some home it was so good. For the main course, I had gnocchi in a red wine and wild mushroom ragout. (That means sauce for you non-foodies out there.) Usually gnocchi is so filling, I can rarely finish the plate. But this gnocchi was light, fluffy and still full of flavor. Finally, I finished off the meal with 2 orders of dessert. Yes, 2. And I decided to divert from my usual chocolate sweet tooth and ordered citrus flavored desserts instead. 1 order of olive oil cake with a citrus garnish, and a lemon tart. Both were fantastic. I also noticed on the menu that all of the food used here is from local, organic farmers. Kudos for being environmentally aware and helpful!

The menu had a wide range of prices for wine, which is always a nice surprise. The ambiance was also incredible. In this tiny space, which is exactly why it's called Ten Tables, they have managed to create a warm, inviting feeling with dim lights and an array of tealight candles. The painted brick walls are adorned with photographs that make you feel like your in an artist's loft studio. There are also tree branches and other nature-related items in the room that make you feel like your sitting in someone's living room. 

If/when you go to Ten Tables, ask for the Chef's table. This is where we sat and literally had a direct view of the kitchen. Talk about the ultimate kitchen table. Situated on stools looking into the kitchen, I was in awe at how the chef's seemed to create little masterpieces on each plate. They even came over and talked to us for a bit. When's the last time the chef came out of his kitchen at a restaurant and personally asked you how the food was? I was blown away by the true love of food at Ten Tables. I know I sound like I'm gushing...and to be perfectly clear, I am! I love this place and will definitely be back soon. From what we were told, the menu changes quite often and I'm excited to see what else these talented people can do!