Back Bay Archives - Foodology

In Back Bay

Casa Romero: Mexican Cuisine in Boston, MA

June 20, 2012

On our first night in Boston, we decided to go to Casa Romero in the Back Bay area. We heard they had some great authentic Mexican food. It took us a while to find this place because it was hidden in an alley of a residential area.

We didn’t make any reservations, but they were able to seat us right away. We got quite lucky because the restaurant was packed. The only issue that bothered us as we entered was the Host, he seemed a bit rude.

Since it was a nice day, we decided to eat outside in their patio.

Complementary tortilla chips and salsa come to the table. It’s freshly made and very delicious. You can also order a side of guacamole for $7.50.

Ceviche ($9) of Fresh Fish with Tomatoes, and Onions in a Citrus Marinated. It also have a lime and avocado on top. I enjoyed the tart taste that accompanied the dish, I just wish it had a bit more sourness to it. CanuckGirl thought this was a strange dish…so I had it all to myself!

Casa Romero’s Legendary Signature Dish – Puerco Adobado en Chipotle y Naranja ($25) has a tenderloin of Pork Marinated in Oranges and Smoked Chipotle Peppers. It also comes with a side of rice and beans. CanuckGirl loved it, but I wasn’t a big fan of the dish. It really comes down to personal preferences. The pork was nice and tender.

Overall, this restaurant was nice and pretty good ambiance for a date type of situation.

Words of Wisdom:

Make reservations to guarantee seats
A bit expensive for some dishes

We Rate Casa Romero:

Address:
30 Gloucester St
Boston, MA

Website:
http://www.casaromero.com/

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In American

Parish Cafe: Sandwiches by Famous Local Chefs in Boston, MA

June 18, 2012

CanuckGirl and I were looking for a place close to our hotel for dinner. After surfing on Urbanspoon, we decided to go to Parish Cafe. It was created by Gordon Wilcox and he had a simple concept. He approached all the famous local chefs and asked them to create a sandwich for the Parish Cafe menu.

Each Sandwich is named for the chef and the restaurant they are from. Since most of our menu items are created by other chefs, the standards are high and that’s how they have become quite popular.

On the walls, there are tons of articles about their restaurant.

On a busy weekend, it was quicker to get a table inside than sitting on the patio. 45 mins wait for the patio or a 5 min wait for inside the restaurant? Of course we chose to sit inside.

The Lumiere ($10.50) was created by Michael Leviton, the Chef/Owner of Lumiere, Newton. The sandwich is a slow-roasted pork butt sandwich on a seeded bun with a lime and green curry tartar sauce. Served with an ocean papaya salad topped with peppered peanuts.

The Schlow ($13.25) was created by Michael Schlow, the Chef/Owner of Radius & Via Matta in Boston. It s a roasted rare sirloin, sliced thin, with caramelized onions, tomato confit, arugula and a horseradish-cream sauce. Served on Tuscan wheat bread with coleslaw and mixed greens.

It was quite delicious and had a good amount of rare sirloin.

Overall, the sandwiches were great. The service was quite mediocre as the servers were always in a rush. We would signal to them that we were ready to order but they would not return. It took a while to get their attention.

Words of Wisdom:

Decent prices for lunch and dinner
Good quality food
Get their sandwiches!
Close to Arlington Station

We Rate Parish Cafe:
Address:
361 Boylston St
Boston, MA

Website:
http://www.parishcafe.com/

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In Back Bay

Au Bon Pain: It Came From Boston, Not Paris

June 11, 2012

Au Bon Pain is a chain of cafes that originated in Boston. The cafe can be found all around the world from Taiwan to Kuwait with over 250 locations. The idea came about at Faneuil Hall Marketplace in 1978, where founder Louis Kane wanted to bring fresh-baked goods to the people of Boston.

While I was visiting Boston, I would constantly bump into this cafe. At first glance, I would not think it originated in Boston. After Ange bugged my to try something besides Starbucks, I decided to check it out.

The interior remind me of a cafeteria. It’s layout is a little bit strange for my liking, but it’s layout is supposed to resemble a marketplace. They have an assortment of baked goods, soups and a bunch of other items.

There is also a counter to order freshly made sandwiches, wraps and salads that can be highly customized.

As I was just needing a snack, I grabbed a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant.

Cappuccino was quite bad. It was very heavy and it seemed more like a latte instead. There was barely any foam and was not representative of the calories indicated on their menu.

Chocolate Croissant was a bit disappointing too. It didn’t have a flakey texture that a croissant is supposed to have. It has powdered sugar and a chocolate drizzle on top.

On the inside, the croissant has a bread-like consistency and hollow is the center. It was quite mediocre and nothing too special. You could tell it was sitting out for a while. It might be good to heat it up in their microwave for a few seconds.

Overall, Au Bon Pain is good if you want something quick and decent. It’s not good if you have high expectations. Service is also quite mediocre.

Words of Wisdom: