Wild Willy's

The Rio Grande Burger - Roasted Green Chilies and Cheddar Cheese

I love it when I learn cool and interesting things from the community of readers of this blog. Close to a year ago, I conducted a giveaway where the question was, "what is your favorite steak and/or burger place?"

Two places showed up over and over again - enough for me to notice. One was Peter Luger in New York City (not a surprise, considering it actually won a Michelin star in 2011!! - post coming soon!). The other was this humble little burger place in Watertown called Wild Willy's.

I finally had a chance to try Wild Willy's the other day to see what all the loyalty and hype was about.

French Fries

I soon discovered that Wild Willy's is unique in that it is one of the few (cheaper) places that serves grass-fed beef. For an extra $1.50, you can substitute grass-fed beef in any of the burgers on the menu. Grass-fed beef is a great option for a variety of reasons. Most notably, grass-fed beef is healthier. It's reported to be lower in saturated fat and have higher omega-3 content and than traditional corn-fed beef. I really like having the option to pay just a bit more for it.

"The Spicy Cactus" - Black Bean Veggie Burger

On top of the classic burgers, their menu offers various other interesting burgers such as the Annie Oakley (blue cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions) or the Rio Grande (roasted New Mexico green chilies and cheddar cheese). They even have a surprisingly delicious black bean veggie burger called The Spicy Cactus. I was surprised at how tasty it was - it had a crusty grilled edge just like a normal meat burger, and somehow the patty had tons of umami flavor. The salsa that was paired with the burger added juiciness and a kick to the burger. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Onion Rings
The burgers may not be as creative as, say Bartley's (still my favorite!) or the recently opened 5 Napkin burger. However, the menu has a solid variety that's sufficient for most people. Additionally, at around $6 a burger (or closer to $8 if you want grass-fed), it's definitely cheaper than Bartley's, where burgers run closer to $10.

I would probably say it's somewhere between Five Guys and Bartley's in terms of "fast-foodness" (you order at a counter and they bring it to you), though taste-wise I'm not sure if it's actually better than Five Guys. Bryan still says he much prefers the burgers from In & Out in California, which cost about the same (if not less).

The French fries and onion rings were quite solid, though the mac & cheese was forgettable.

Mac & Cheese

Overall, Wild Willy's has a good concept and executes it solidly: they provide no-frills high quality burgers at reasonable prices. Granted, there are better burgers Boston. However, if you're just looking for a solid burger and you're not looking to spend too much, Wild Willy's is a fine option.

If I ever find myself in Watertown again, I would most definitely be happy to return.

Wild Willy's
46 Arsenal St
Watertown, MA 02472

Celebrity Pizza and Dairy Bar

Celebrity Pizza and Dairy Bar looks like one of those seafood shacks that should belong on a beach near a seaside town somewhere. They serve 24 flavors of soft serve ice cream, pizza, sandwiches, and various types of fried seafood / lobster rolls.

Interestingly enough, it's smack in the middle of Watertown, Massachusetts, a town about 20 minutes outside of Boston. On a nice day, you can sit at the picnic benches right outside the shack, where you can almost feel like you're at a seaside town, just without the ocean. :P

Some of the fried seafood at Celebrity is surprisingly good. The scallops were very sweet and lightly fried in a way that was not too greasy. The onion rings were good too. The fries were mediocre, and seemed more like a bed on which the seafood could rest than anything else. The rest of the seafood was fine, although nothing special.

This is a great lobster roll, and a surprising value at only $11.99. The bread is nicely toasted, and they actually don't use much mayo, which keeps the sandwich pure with its fresh, sweet lobster taste. I highly enjoyed this sandwich and would order it again.
The soft serve is solid, though not super interesting. I tried the creamsicle (orange sorbet and vanilla). The mix of the two different textures (sherbet + ice cream) threw me off guard, and I didn't like it that much. The next time I just got vanilla, which tasted no different than McDonalds but cost twice as much.

I think what I should have done is either try one of the 24 interesting flavors or try a chocolate dipped cone, which looks kind of fun. Maybe next time.

Two downsides of this place

1. No public restrooms. So . . make sure you go before coming, otherwise you might be a bit uncomfortable!

2. Cash only, although there is an ATM right inside the restaurant
This is a fun, very reasonably priced place for lunch. If you don't feel like driving all the way to a seaside town for some fried seafood and soft serve, you can head to Watertown and get a pretty solid version of the same.

684 Mt Auburn St
Watertown, MA 02472

Celebrity Pizza and Dairy Bar

Celebrity Pizza and Dairy Bar looks like one of those seafood shacks that should belong on a beach near a seaside town somewhere. They serve 24 flavors of soft serve ice cream, pizza, sandwiches, and various types of fried seafood / lobster rolls.

Interestingly enough, it's smack in the middle of Watertown, Massachusetts, a town about 20 minutes outside of Boston. On a nice day, you can sit at the picnic benches right outside the shack, where you can almost feel like you're at a seaside town, just without the ocean. :P

Some of the fried seafood at Celebrity is surprisingly good. The scallops were very sweet and lightly fried in a way that was not too greasy. The onion rings were good too. The fries were mediocre, and seemed more like a bed on which the seafood could rest than anything else. The rest of the seafood was fine, although nothing special.

This is a great lobster roll, and a surprising value at only $11.99. The bread is nicely toasted, and they actually don't use much mayo, which keeps the sandwich pure with its fresh, sweet lobster taste. I highly enjoyed this sandwich and would order it again.
The soft serve is solid, though not super interesting. I tried the creamsicle (orange sorbet and vanilla). The mix of the two different textures (sherbet + ice cream) threw me off guard, and I didn't like it that much. The next time I just got vanilla, which tasted no different than McDonalds but cost twice as much.

I think what I should have done is either try one of the 24 interesting flavors or try a chocolate dipped cone, which looks kind of fun. Maybe next time.

Two downsides of this place

1. No public restrooms. So . . make sure you go before coming, otherwise you might be a bit uncomfortable!

2. Cash only, although there is an ATM right inside the restaurant
This is a fun, very reasonably priced place for lunch. If you don't feel like driving all the way to a seaside town for some fried seafood and soft serve, you can head to Watertown and get a pretty solid version of the same.

684 Mt Auburn St
Watertown, MA 02472

New Ginza

We went to New Ginza this weekend with the extended family, who were here for my graduation this past weekend. It was a great dining experience, and I will definitely return.

Many members of my family ordered the Bento box, which was a steal at $16.95. Included in the Bento box are a bowl of miso soup, two skewers with grilled meat (beef and chicken), a salad, 5 pieces of sashimi (tuna and salmon), a few pieces of shrimp tempura, a California roll, pickled vegetables, and ice cream. I tried the salmon sashimi from the bento box (hee hee, neither my sister nor mom eat sashimi, so I helped them out ;) and it was very fresh and tasty.

Bryan and I also ordered several different maki rolls. Ginza has several unusual and inventive rolls that you won't see anywhere else. For example, we ordered the Super Crazy Maki Roll, which had raw fish, cilantro, jalapeno, avocado, and several other ingredients (which I can't remember) all wrapped in a thin daikon sheet. All the maki rolls were expertly made and all were delicious.

The green tea ice cream that came with the bento box was good. We tried to order the fried ice cream, but unfortunately, they had run out.

Over all, I would highly recommend this restaurant. The prices were reasonable - typical for a nicer sushi restaurant.

New Ginza

We went to New Ginza this weekend with the extended family, who were here for my graduation this past weekend. It was a great dining experience, and I will definitely return.

Many members of my family ordered the Bento box, which was a steal at $16.95. Included in the Bento box are a bowl of miso soup, two skewers with grilled meat (beef and chicken), a salad, 5 pieces of sashimi (tuna and salmon), a few pieces of shrimp tempura, a California roll, pickled vegetables, and ice cream. I tried the salmon sashimi from the bento box (hee hee, neither my sister nor mom eat sashimi, so I helped them out ;) and it was very fresh and tasty.

Bryan and I also ordered several different maki rolls. Ginza has several unusual and inventive rolls that you won't see anywhere else. For example, we ordered the Super Crazy Maki Roll, which had raw fish, cilantro, jalapeno, avocado, and several other ingredients (which I can't remember) all wrapped in a thin daikon sheet. All the maki rolls were expertly made and all were delicious.

The green tea ice cream that came with the bento box was good. We tried to order the fried ice cream, but unfortunately, they had run out.

Over all, I would highly recommend this restaurant. The prices were reasonable - typical for a nicer sushi restaurant.