Pho Hoa

I've been missing out all these years.

I'd always heard from my sister (and my brother-in-law, among others) that the best Vietnamese food in Boston is in Dorchester. I guess for one reason or another, I've mostly kept to my microcosm here - Cambridge, with bits of the North End, downtown, and occasional jaunts to the suburbs. Heck, the South End even feels too far away even though there's tons of interesting restaurants there.

Thankfully, thankfully, my sister decided to take the entire family down to Dorchester after her graduation to try some Vietnamese food from her favorite haunts.

Yes, I know this is a chain, but  . . . wow! Fresh ingredients, very reasonable prices, and a brand new, beautiful space. It's no surprise that Pho Hoa grew as quickly as it did.


Pho Hoa is a chain of Vietnamese restaurants that started in California and is now all over the world. They have locations all over Asia (Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Macau), in Canada, and spread throughout the US (Georgia, California, Boston, and Utah, just to name a few). The restaurants are franchises but all have similar menus and philosophies ("health conscious choice").

We were immediately impressed with the freshness of the ingredients. You won't see any limp bean sprouts or tired vegetables here. My brother-in-law also noted that they carry the more unusual rau ngò gai, or thorny coriander or sawtooth herb alongside your more typical Thai basil and bean sprouts.

Bún Gà Nướng
Grilled chicken with vermicelli, pickled carrots and daikon, beansprouts, and peanuts. You toss this together with a fish-sauce based broth. Absolutely delicious.

Bún Thịt Nướng Chả Giò

Pork, pork skin, and tiny spring rolls on top of vermicelli.

Bryan got a RAW(!) beef noodle pho, something he had never seen in Boston up to this point.

Essentially, they give you raw slices of prime beef, which you just dip into the hot soup!

Bryan loves rare meat, so he was thrilled.

For dessert, they had ice cream from Christina's on the menu! Yes - we are talking about the uber famous ice cream shop in Cambridge. Of course, we were thrilled. I tried the green tea ice cream and it was definitely much better than what you typically get at an Asian restaurant.

I had a lot of fun at Pho Hoa and I would definitely return. There is another location in Chinatown, which I have not tried. I'm hoping it's just as good as this one. I hate to say it, but Pho Hoa has replaced Le's & Pho Pasteur as my favorite pho place in Boston (though Le's still holds a special place in my heart just because it's so close to home and is such a great cheap dining option in Harvard Square!)
 
This post is part of a larger series dedicated to my sister, Patricia, and describes meals we had when my parents came to town for her graduation. Other posts in this series:

Joyful Garden
Moves and Changes 


Pho Hoa
1370 Dorchester Ave
Dorchester, MA 02122

Joyful Garden

This post is part of a larger series dedicated to my sister, Patricia, and describes meals we had when my parents came to town for her graduation.

You would never ever have expected to find good Chinese food here. I mean, really . . . we're inside a very ordinary-looking hotel/inn. The front lobby reminds me of an extended stay suite, with dated furniture, tired wallpaper, and a bright neon green sign that screams "Joyful Garden!"

How would anyone ever think of coming here - much less dine here?

And then you peer in a little bit closer. Surprise! The place is teeming with Chinese people? Large round tables are filled with Grandmas, kids, and people of all ages engrossed in lively conversation. Cantonese can be heard all over the place.

Could it be? A secret Chinese haven inside of a Days Inn in the middle of Brighton, Massachusetts?


The first clue in support of authenticity is the all-Chinese menu. My sister was dying to come back here with my parents because she couldn't read the menu the first time she came. Sadly, she was stuck with the English menu, with lovely choices such as Sweet & Sour Pork, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, and General Gau's Chicken. The Chinese menu is quite different, with exotic ingredients such as sauteed frog legs ("spring chicken" as they call it), a plethora of lobster dishes (I don't even see lobster on the English language menu), and great value "banquet" type multi-course meals where you can get set menus for 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 people ($29.95, $59.99, $98.88, $168, and $199.99 respectively).

Because we had a big table of people, we ordered the 10 person meal but substituted a few of the dishes to suit our personal tastes (i.e. my sister's tastes since this was her graduation meal!)

We began with this interesting soup - "Fish Maw Soup with Crab." Fish maw is actually the air bladder of a fish, and has a soft, spongy texture. If you didn't know what it was, you might think you were eating some kind of interesting sea plant. Bryan and I love this soup, though the texture may be an acquired taste! The soup here was decent, though we thought the same soup at Victoria Seafood was more flavorful.

The next dish was interesting as well - baby bok choy, Shitake mushrooms, and dried bamboo hearts. The texture of the bamboo hearts was also spongy, and definitely reminded me of fish maw (except that it was vegetarian and a significantly finer). I liked how it soaked up all the flavorful umami of the mushrooms and others.

I've always loved these fried taro nests, and this one was classic. The dish was decent - the seafood wasn't the highest quality, but overall it was alright.

When I'm to lazy to make my own golden pan fried noodles at home, I can find them at most Cantonese restaurants. These noodles came with a flavorful sauce and were nicely crispy.

I love the idea of a crab sauce over spinach - ingenious! This is one of my favorite dishes, and I thought they did a reasonable job executing it.

Pi Pa Tofu is another favorite of mine - these are essentially fried balls of minced shrimp and tofu. We weren't sure if there was actually shrimp in this one, but it was still pretty tasty, though maybe not the best I've ever had.

This simple steamed fish with ginger and scallions was quite good. It all comes down to freshness, and the fish here tasted sweet, clean, and delicious.

My sister loves these sweet, red spare ribs (jin du pai gu), so we swapped out another dish for this one. It's not one of my favorite dishes (half the time at restaurants I don't even touch it when it's ordered). However, I tried a bite, and it was alright.

General Thoughts
Overall, Joyful Garden is a surprising oasis on this stretch of Soldiers Field Road. I would have never expected to find pretty good Cantonese food in such a unique place.  Word of mouth seems to be what brings the hoard of Chinese people here.

It's not my favorite Cantonese restaurant in Boston, but it's definitely authentic and pretty solid. They have nice banquet packages that are reasonably priced and generously portioned. It's a great place for large groups because they have all those big round tables plus there's plenty of parking. I can't comment on the food off the English menu because I've never tried it.

Just make sure you order from the Chinese menu! Bring a friend who can read Chinese or try blindly ordering one of the banquet set menus and be pleasantly surprised!

Joyful Garden
234 Soldiers Field Rd
Brighton, MA 02135

Aragosta Bar & Grill

There's nothing more relaxing than sitting outside on a nice day, looking out into the ocean (or some other pretty view), and enjoying a delicious meal with friends or family.

Whenever it's nice outside, I can't resist seeking out restaurants that offer pleasant outdoor dining experiences. My absolutely favorite thing to do is to walk to such a place, enjoy fantastic food, and then walk home. Ideally, the walk would be very pleasant and last about an hour long (yes, I love walking).

During "good" weather months (in Boston we'll stretch this to include the cool spring, nippy autumn, and summer days that are not unbearably hot or humid), Bryan and I regularly walk to the North End, enjoy some of our favorite restaurants, and then walk home via the Public Garden, Boston Common, down Newbury Street, across the Harvard Bridge (aka "Mass Ave Bridge") back to Cambridge. By the time we've reached home, we've "walked off" the big dinner, had nice long conversation, and enjoyed beautiful scenes from downtown Boston. It's truly one of my favorite things to do.

One drawback to this regularly planned dinner outing is that none of our favorite restaurants in the North End offer outdoor seating. Accordingly, when I was invited to a blogger event at Aragosta Bar & Grill (in Battery Wharf, virtually steps from the North End), I was intrigued at the idea of dining on Italian food while facing the ocean.

Truffle Rigatoni And Cheeses, Warm Goat Cheese Fondue; Hand Crafted Selection Of Salumi, Capponata, Hot Cherry Peppers, Crusty Bread

Aragosta Bar & Grill replaces Sensing inside the Fairmont Battery Wharf hotel and just opened in April. Chef David Daniels, who previously worked at places such as Stephanie's on Newbury and the Federalist, brings to the table food inspired by his first generation Italian-American parents with "a Mediterranean flair and a fine dining twist."

I arrived late at the event, and therefore missed out on a few of the appetizers. Nevertheless, I had a chance to try some of the cured meats (shown above), which were delicious.

Small dishes continued to come out, one at a time. I was stuffed when I left - I can't imagine how I would have eaten everything had I arrived on time!

Orecchiette, Broccoli Rabe, Pancetta, Capers, Preserved Lemon
It was exciting to try pastas that were clearly homemade. The texture of this orecchiette was chewy and fun to eat. The flavors were pretty good.

Pappardelle Bolognese, Veal Cheek & Ox Tail Ragu, Porcini Powder
Similarly, I loved the beautiful presentation of the pappardelle Bolognese, although the flavors of the sauce did not blow me away.

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder, gnocchi, asparagus, and rosemary citrus sauce

Seared Tuna, Roasted Fennel, Marcona Almonds, Golden Raisin Puree 

Apple pie with marscapone ice cream

It was a beautiful day, and I absolutely loved sitting outside, sipping a prosecco while enjoying some cool hangout time with other bloggers.

General Thoughts
The space at Aragosta is beautiful, and if you're looking for fresh pasta paired with lovely views of the water, this is not a bad place to go. As far as Italian food goes, it's still several steps below our favorite places in the North End, so I would dine at the North End instead if you're looking for the best Italian food. Having said that, the water views are great, and the food is still pretty enjoyable. You can always cross the street and head down Hanover Street after dinner for some lovely pastries, either from Mike's, Modern, or other wonderful bakeries in the area.

Aragosta Bar & Grill
3 Battery Wharf
Boston, MA 02109


Disclaimer - this blogger event was paid for by Aragosta Bar & Grill

Tiny Urban Tidbits #20: Moves & Changes

 
MOVES


It's been a hot hot week hasn't it?

Those of you in the East Coast (and probably most parts of the nation) can commiserate with me. I had the fun job of walking home the other day (about 1 mile) carrying a load of empty boxes.

Why boxes?

We're moving!

Don't worry - I'm not moving that far. I'm moving just a couple miles down the road. I'll still be in Cambridge, so the nature of the content of this blog won't really change at all.

A few things I look forward to in the new place:

1. A window in the kitchen! - finally, my cooking shots will look so much better with the benefit of natural sunlight!
2. A bigger (but still small by suburban standards) urban kitchen
3. A tiny urban garden - maybe I can plant some herbs now!

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks as I've been packing like crazy (sorry if the blog seems to have slowed down a bit). Bryan and I have also been shopping for all sorts of furniture. Honestly, when we first got married, we set a pretty low budget for furniture. When the money ran out, we just stopped buying furniture, even if we didn't have everything yet. This is why we've gone 10 years without even a headboard on our bed. Yah . . so we have a lot of catching up to do!


CHANGES
It's been a crazy busy year for our entire family.

Please meet my sister, Patricia, the inspiration behind my next series of posts.

My sister's got a TON going on right now! Not only did she complete her Ph.D. this past year, she's also expecting her first baby really soon (hello diapers and cribs!).  In a normal year I only see my parents a few times a year (usually during the holidays). This year, I'll be blessed to see my parents a lot more. First, they came to attend my sister's graduation earlier this summer. Later, when my sister has her baby, my mom will come again!

As you can tell, my sister and I have lots of fun together.


My next food series will feature the various meals we enjoyed throughout Boston with my family while they were here for Patricia's graduation. Here's a sneak peek at the upcoming posts! Can you guess any of the places?

They say the best Vietnamese food in Boston is in Dorchester. I finally had a chance to try one of these places with my family when they came for Patricia's graduation. It was the first time we experienced pho with actual raw beef (served table side) that you just dip into the soup!

We enjoyed a fun barbeque at Patricia's backyard where we tasted the ever-so-delicious Copper River Salmon on the grill.

We had surprisingly solid Cantonese food (this place is one of those "best kept hidden secrets places") at a Chinese restaurant inside of a Days Inn right outside of Boston!

My sister's favorite banh mi shop is also in Dorchester (right on Dorchester Ave). At her baby shower, every single guest got to enjoy one of these flavorful sandwiches. YUM . . .

Here's to you sis! Can't wait to meet the little one!

Kohlrabi Crunch Salad

I love summer for so many reasons. Living on the East Coast, you really have a super short window in which to soak in the sun, eat outside, and enjoy fresh local produce.

This is my third year participating in a CSA (Community Support Agriculture). The first year, I bought a share with ReVision Urban Farms, which is a great nonprofit program that works in conjunction with a women's shelter to teach women real life work skills. The vegetables were fantastic, and it was my first time experiencing a farm share.

Last year, I signed up through my workplace with Siena Farms, whose beautiful produce is also used by the likes of Oleana, No. 9 Park, Menton, Market by Jean Georges, Upstairs on the Square, and Hungry Mother.

This year, my company decided to switch farms, mostly because people did not like having to deal with the various exotic vegetables that came out of Siena Farms (even though I personally loved experimenting with it all!).

So, this year I've been enjoying my share from Silverbrook Farms. It's been fun in a different way. They give us farm fresh eggs, jams, cheeses, along with fresh vegetables from their farm.

Recently, we received a few stalks of kohlrabi, one of my favorite summertime vegetables.

Kohlrabi is in the same family as cabbage, and related to broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts. The texture is crunchy, not unlike broccoli stem, but better!

Most kohlrabi you see in the supermarket does not come with the leaves attached. My guess is that the leaves draw water away from the bulbous part, thus reducing the shelf life of the kohlrabi itself. At farmers markets you are more likely to see the entire plant, which is cool because you can eat the leaves too (more on that in another post!).

My favorite way to enjoy kohlrabi is just to eat it raw, tossed with some salt, sesame oil, soy sauce, and a sprinkling of crushed red peppers. Remove the tough outer skin (I used a knife, but you could try using a peeler), and slice into thin matchsticks. Toss with salt and sesame oil to taste. You can add soy sauce and a bit of minced garlic too if you'd like, though it's not necessary. Sprinkle with a bit of crushed red pepper flakes.

Eat immediately, or store in the refrigerator overnight for even better results.

A perfect, summer treat.

Amelia's Kitchen

Amelia's Kitchen feels like a true, neighborhood restaurant. It's been in the Teele Square Somerville neighborhood since 1995, opened by the Delio and Amelia Susi who came from the Abruzzi region of south central Italy. Their menu consists of family recipes that Amelia brought over from Italy. Amelia passed away in 1994, but her husband and son continue to serve her special family recipes.

From the moment we entered, we felt like we were visiting someone's home. The man who served us (he acted like the owner - but we were not sure), was so friendly and hospitable, we immediately felt at ease in this cozy little Italian restaurant.

The olive oil that came with the bread was a bit unusual, filled with roasted onions and mixed with balsamic vinegar.

CAPRESE
Vine ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil drizzled with extra virgin olive oil

Caprese salad was fine - nothing particularly unique about it. I wouldn't have minded less balsamic (or maybe even no balsamic), but that may be more personal preference.

TOASTED RAVIOLI
Toasted raviolis with ricotta and basil stuffing served with marinara dipping sauce

I thought the toasted raviolis were fun and pretty good. I'd never had ravioli served this way - slightly breaded and toasted until crispy. It was a nice little appetizer, and we enjoyed it, perhaps more for the novelty, but also for the taste.

LASAGNA ABRUZZO
House made pasta sheets layered with ground beef, mozzarella cheese, and marinara sauce

The lasagna was pretty solid, generously stuffed with ground beef, cheese, and overflowing with tomato sauce.

TIRAMISU  
House made with ladyfingers, layered mascarpone cheese, and espresso

CANNOLI
House made ricotta cheese filling in a crisp cannoli shell, topped with powdered sugar

RUSTIC APPLE GALLET  
Imported open face apple pie, served hot, and topped with vanilla bean ice cream

The waiter/(owner?) convinced us to try a flight of desserts. These desserts were fine - nothing special, but not offensive either. They definitely pale in comparison to the North End.

Overall, we had a fun time at Amelia's Kitchen - more from the cozy, atmosphere and the warm and welcoming host than the food itself. Now don't get me wrong - the food's solid, homemade, and definitely beats out 90% of your typical Americanized suburban Italian restaurants. However, when matched up against our favorite North End restaurants, it's still got a ways to go.

Nevertheless, Amelia's Kitchen is a fun and intimate setting in which to enjoy a solid Italian meal. They often have promotional deals on Restaurant.com, which make a meal there a very good value. The waiter did try to get us to order a lot, so you may end up spending more than you had planned if you listen to all his suggestions.

Though I wouldn't necessarily call it a destination restaurant, it's definitely a fine place to visit if you live in the area or happen to be there for some other reason.

Amelia's Kitchen
1137 Broadway
Somerville, MA 02144