parsley & polka dots: sushi

Showing posts with label sushi. Show all posts

Sunday, April 7, 2013

simple weekend recap: edition 23

Eek, looks like I haven't done a simple weekend recap in the past month! Whoa, oops! This weekend wasn't very simple, rather it was quite busy...it started off on the right foot with a delivery of the gift I bought myself for getting into school, a beautiful Smythson organizer.

Friday evening cocktails & sushi at Thelonius Monkfish in Central for some fairytale sushi...

...before a bit more gallivanting before calling it an early night in time to wake up early for a busy busy Saturday. The day started with brunch at Masa, a well-known brunch in Boston for the value of the dishes. Tasty & so reasonably priced, we loaded up on cornbread, multiple types of butter, and fiestas all around.

We headed out to the Drink Craft Beer Springfest event at the Revere Hotel. With 70+ beers from 25 New England breweries (and unlimited samples) & samples of snacks, I can actually say I found a few beers I really liked (and I am not a beer gal). Although most of the beers were hops-focused, I really liked the pale ale offered at High Horse brewery (and no, it's not just because they had the nicest cup-cleaner, the coolest logo, or a horse...but those didn't hurt). Also of note, Enlightenment Ales had a surprising champagne beer, which was unlike anything I have ever had before.

With crowds moving in, and our stomachs full of beer, we went out in search of sandwiches. We ended up at one of my favorite spots in the Fort Point Channel neighborhood, the well-known Flour bakery (more later this week).

We ended the day with my new favorite shop in all the world...the Bee's Knees Supply Company, which my friend, Kelsey, gave me a heads up about. Located right next to Flour, it is amazing. Period. I guess I'll write a bit more about it tomorrow, to show you just how perfect it is.

Sunday was uneventful, full of errands, flowers & a perfectly-prepared chicken for dinner. Now it's time to rest up for a long week ahead, and a Spring soiree next weekend.

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Monday, February 18, 2013

oishii too

I just found the hands-down best sushi in the metrowest area and I am excited! Finally, an amazingly fresh & creative sushi bar within 20 minutes of me! To be honest, this has just slid into my #2 spot for favorite sushi in Boston,behind only o ya (but much much more reasonably priced). Oishii has 3 locations, one in the South End, one in Chestnut Hill, and finally one in Sudbury. Opening Oishii in 1998, Kung San expanded to Sudbury with Oishii Too in 2000. Beautiful artfully-presented pieces of sushi come straight from the bar to your plate, bursting with fresh clean flavors, all while not shaking your wallet with worry. Find more information here.

We headed over Saturday evening after a long day of shopping (without a reservation), and were able to snag the remaining 4 bar seats before the bar got quite busy. The place is small & cozy, with about 10 seats at the bar and 30-35 spots at the few tables.

We looked over the extensive menu & the specials board for a while before deciding on a wide range of appetizers & rolls.

Meim started with the lobster tempura, large chunks of buttery lobster lightly tempura-ed along with homemade potato chips & a creamy horseradish garnish. Delicious, but a bit difficult to eat with the large pieces, this appetizer was quite filling.

After enjoying steamed shumai, the heavy hitters arrived. On the outside of the picture below are the two Route 66 maki, with salmon tempura, snow crab, cream cheese, avocado & spicy mayo deep-fried and drizzled with sweet sauce (delicious). Lined on the inside of these two rolls were the Tekka maki (tuna), California roll, and Unagi maki (eel).

Next was the special roll I ordered, which is my favorite everywhere I go, and absolutely amazing here: Snow Mountain. Shrimp tempura wrapped with avocado and topped with real crabmeat and loads of tempura flakes.

T ordered a special of spicy tuna with avocado, topped with roe & mango. This turned out to be one of his favorites, but other tasters begged to differ, stating the textures were a bit too mushy and the roll needed a bit of a crunch.

The final roll was the roll I forced T to order, as I didn't want to commit to it completely, but still wanted to try it! Thank the goodness, because this actually turned out to be my favorite roll of the night. Flavorful & light, it was the perfect roll to end with. The Matsuzaka Maki is a combination of crispy shrimp tempura & bonito flake maki covered with torched yellowtail & drizzled with plum sauce...also known as sushi perfection.

Much too full for dessert, we got the check and were pleasantly surprised to see the total was $160 for 4 dinner-portions including 3 drinks. So reasonably priced for a sushi dinner! With our stomachs smiling with fresh clean sushi, our wallets smiling with the amazing value we just received, and our mouths smiling from the super friendly service we received, we headed home...smiling! I am quite excited to have found this gem, so close to home, without having to head into the city to find fresh, quality, interesting sushi!

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Monday, November 5, 2012

boston restaurants: o

Yes I'm skipping ahead to "O" for Boston's best restaurants, but this is a secret I can no longer hide. O ya is hands-down my favorite restaurant in all of Boston. With steep prices and mostly two to three pieces per order (ranging from $8-38, with an exception of the $189.99 eight-ounce wagyu beef striploin), it is definitely a place for celebrations. T & I first headed to o ya for our 4-year anniversary, then I took my college roommate, Amanda, here when she visited from California, and this recent trip was to celebrate my birthday. Located in the small Leather District of Boston (yes, it exists), Tim and Nancy Cushman have been dazzling diners since 2007 in their loft-like open space that seats 17 at the bar, and only 20 at tables. Reservations for these highly-coveted seats can be made online for the bar, but seats at the tables must be called ahead (and be sure to 3 months in advance of the date you wish to dine). To make o ya even more accomplished, this year Tim Cushman received the James Beard best chef of the Northeast award and once again o ya landed on Boston Magazine's 50 Best Restaurants list (unsurprising really after you have had the honor of tasting their innovative combinations).

With a small sign hanging a block or so from South Station, and a large unmarked wooden door, at first you may think you have mistaken the directions...but you are correct, and behind this large door is a magical restaurant where you will have a magical evening.

With many menu options to choose from (including an omakase chef's tasting and a grand tasting menu), you have the option to either mark up the menu and let them be brought out as prepared, or order like a tapas menu, a few orders at a time while you enjoy and decide your next steps. We marked our menus up and handed them over, trying some new items as well as some of our favorites (you can find the menus here). If you are unsure, the waiters and waitresses are very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly!

We started with the Nantucket bay scallop sashimi

with a coconut broth, a nice light start with a little kick

Soy marinated salmon with truffle oil & green onion

Hamachi with a spicy banana pepper mousse

Artic char with yuzu cured, smoked sesame brittle, cumin aioli

& cilantro (this arrives to your table still smoking, a real show-stopper)

Scottish salmon with spicy sesame ponzu,

yuzu kosho & scallion oil (T's favorite)

It was somewhere around here that an older gentleman, that was apparently out with a rowdy bunch of friends, approached our table and simply said "I just want you to take this...please take this"...and handed over his gold mask...