Homeward Bound, In Reverse Part II

Greetings gang! Well it has come and gone, another Christmas season, did you survive? Santa was pretty decent to me, and I love my new g-shock watch! Score. But now the New Year is upon us and I’m pretty happy about it. This year was a roller coaster and while it has brought many good things in my life, a new year is a refreshing and rejuvenating promise of better things to come. I can’t wait. I’m very ready for new beginnings and a new, clean slate. Along this same vein, you, the faithful reader, can expect bigger and better things for this modest little blog, so watch out for them. (It will all be fabulous I assure you).

New Years Eve this year promises to be great. My outfit is picked out and my friends actually planning something out for once… shocker… I’m all geared up to get my Old Lang Syne on. So, a day early, a very Happy New Year everyone! Have a ball, you (and I) have earned it. (Maybe I should insert a Will Smith, “we’re gonna party like it’s 1999” joke here? Thoughts?)

Now, on to the review du jour! Yippy Skippy! Even though this review comes about a week past due, I thought it still important to relay the message of good food from Boston to you folks. The second restaurant I went to on my Boston day trip was the very delish Douzo, www.douzosushi.com. This is some of the best sushi I have had in the city, and I am a devout Fugaku fan, the legendary, homey and slightly kitsch Brookline sushi spot, www.fugakyu.net, so this is saying something.

Douzo's sign out front of the restaurant, at 131 Dartmouth Street in Boston's Back Bay



Douzo, by sharp contrast, is very downtown Boston. Sleek, modern and stylish, the term feng shui comes rushing to the top of my list. I have always said that a restaurants appearance can only directly influence your meal and the lush atmosphere here most certainly makes their artisan sushi rolls and sashimi taste that much better. I loved it here. The service was a bit slow to seat my friend and me, but once we sat down, our waitress was attentive and very personable once dinner got rolling.

As it should be, however, food was the star here. I started with a delicious Miso soup and seaweed salad, and my friend got the edamame, always good. But the main event was a lavish assortment of the freshest sushi in Boston (I’m pretty certain anyway).

I chomped down on wild salmon and striped bass sashimi and an eel roll (my fave) and my friend ordered a few different rolls to try out, including the Spider Roll which was a “soft shell crab tempura, avocado, cucumber and Tobiko and spicy mayo rolled with vinegary Daikon Radish” completely delish. The flavors of this sushi were so light, fresh, sweet, and salty that I didn’t want the meal to end. (The best compliment of a restaurant I can think of.)

The only proviso I have about this restaurant for the general public is that this place isn’t the “cheapest.” So be prepared to have a bit of money to spend. The food is worth the cost and the experience of having a upscale dining experience at one of Boston’s best restaurants is worth a few dollars. Right?

Now, this restaurant, with all of the décor, service and food is worth a 4 Fork (just shy of a five because my friend and I waited like idiots at the front door for a few solid minuets before being seated at one of many open tables). Such is life, but go to Douzo, you will not be disappointed.

There you have it, my last posting in the great year of 2010. What meals will the New Year bring? Stay tuned, you won’t be sorry.

Words for the day? Yes…

As stated above, the New Year is upon us. This is a big deal, because given the amount of harm we do to our planet and to others, it’s amazing we have held out this long. So, in the coming year, be kinder to your fellow man and to our planet, because without both we would be alone and floating in space cold in an awkward space suit and probably without great sushi to eat. And that future sounds awful… doesn’t it? Happy Happy New Year world! Get ready 2011!

Homeward Bound, In Reverse, Part I

Good day everyone! Well it’s December 23^nd and that means only 2 days till Christmas! Holy Crap! This also means if you left your holiday shopping until now you’re pretty much screwed. Try finding a size you need at the mall-turned-war zone or reach for that last Christmas Ham and tell me why it has the strange smell wafting from it. I, by contrast, have all my shopping done and am now counting down the hours, sans smelly ham, until I get to rip into what Santa has for me under the tree. Can’t wait, man I love this holiday.

However, with all the commercial frenzy that surrounds the holidays, sometimes a simple day trip to get away from your responsibilities and mounting credit card bill is in order (not to mention the crazed shoppers with fists instead of smiles, yikes!). So that’s exactly what I did. I packed an overnight bag, bought a bus ticket, and headed to my former home base of Boston, MA. With my wrapped Christmas gift for my friend in tucked under my arm, I departed Maine leaving the stress and holly jolly bloodbath behind. And two hours later, with some iPod time and a few articles in Rolling Stone Magazine, I arrived excited, refreshed and needing a restroom (I was totally not dealing with the one on the bus, please).

The moment I was picked up by my friend, we went straight to brunch at Masa Southwest Bar and Grill, www.masarestaurant.com/boston/ and man I love this place. A South End institution, it’s the type of restaurant that is familiar yet exciting, upscale yet comfy. When we arrived, the restaurant was decked out in festive holiday decorations, with a Latin bent, to make it extra festive. It really is the space itself you notice first when you arrive. Beautiful warm colors, metal ceilings, and white linens combine tastefully, making the meal you have here as visual as flavorful.

Here is a picture of the dining room, from Masa's website. Beautiful, right?

On this particular Sunday, the place was chock-full of diners, literally wall to wall. (Always a hallmark of a good restaurant, FYI). Luckily there was one table open. It was brunch on Sunday, so this isn’t a surprise, but what was a shocker was the service. They, even being as busy as they were, were prompt, friendly, and always ready with water, another Mimosa or anything else we needed. Brownie points!

Our meal started with complimentary spicy corn bread and a trio of Chipotle Butter, Raspberry jam, and a spiced marmalade. These flavors are what take center stage here; Latin inspired, upscale food, but always with a bit of whimsy and modernity too. All of this goes very well with their Mimosa, maybe the tastiest one I’ve had yet.

For the main event, I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, and another mimosa (can’t help it). A favorite of mine, the Sunnyside-up eggs in a savory Ranchero sauce, over a bed of corn tortillas and refried beans, I have to ask, is there anything better? Theirs was very good, and it was the perfect size, I finished the whole thing. My friend got a breakfast burrito, which was also good, because I got a bite.

Huevos Rancheros, yummo! (pulled from yelp.com)

After all of this, I wasn't able to order anything else, I was just too full. Even though I really wanted to order more because its hard to find this kind of cuisine in Maine, and sometimes just as hard to find this kind of dining experience this far up I-95. But fully sated, we left to go on our next adventure for the day, appreciating the time just to sit and talk for an hour or so. I let the delicious brunch wash over me and savored a rare moment, before the big day December the 25^th were I could do nothing but enjoy.

So rating time? Yes please! This is a 4 Fork restaurant, but there should be no surprise there. The food is suburb and inventive, the environment festive and classy, and the waitstaff attentive and friendly. Go here, and you will not be disappointed, at all.

*Since this post has been published, I have been back to Masa on a Thursday and all night long they have half off appetizers! This is amazing considering that their appetizers combination plate is only $10 normally, and that same plate becomes only $5. Get here on a Thursday, after work, and you won’t be disappointed. Sangria and tapas happy hour? Yes sir!  

Now on to… Words for the Day!

As stated above, Christmas is two days away. This is the time to reflect on the past year, surround you with family and friends, and understand the true spirit of the season is to love one another, dammit! And if dynamite food happens to sneak into your plans too, all the better. Merry Christmas everyone! Eat, Drink, and be Extra Merry!

Pizza News Flash

*!!!News Flash!!!*

Otto's Pizza has opened a second location in Portland, ME. In the old North Star Cafe at 225 Congress Street, this second Otto's location will become the accessible choice for those East End Portlanders who love their traditional Naples-style pizza, but don't want to walk the entire length of Portland to get at it. This is a good thing and we should all be excited about it.

That is all, enjoy your day everyone!

Burrito News Flash

*!!!News Flash!!!*

Chipotle, the national Mexican Burrito chain is now open by the Maine Mall in South Portland. This is not a test. I repeat this is not a test. Please walk, fly, bike or walk to Chipotle calmly but swiftly and enjoy some of the best chain restaurant burritos around.

This alert is paid for by The Novice Fork broadcasting system, made possible by the support from readers like you. Thank you.  

You may now return to your regularly scheduled lives.