Still not dead
Part the first for 2010.
Sherlock Holmes was flat out awesome. Well crafted, stunningly designed, full of laughably slashable moments, and dude, Jude Law and RDJr. As long as you're not expecting a traditional take on the stories, it's hard not to like this. In particular, swan_tower needs to see this.
Started reading for the year, but that's another entry. For now, some Boston food PSAs.
A sort of Chinatown roundup. Hei La Moon on Beach Street has definitely taken over from China Pearl as our dim sum joint of choice. More authentic flavors, more rustic dishes, a slightly wider selection (over the course of several visits) - skins and folding technique still leave a lot to be desired. Windsor Dim Sum Cafe on Tyler Street is a close second now - best skins in Chinatown (though still not great, in the grand scheme), fillings slightly tastier than China Pearl but not as good as Hei La Moon, and selection not as good as Hei La Moon. Gourmet Dumpling House on Beach is our go to joint for anything that's not dim sum. Their soup dumplings and pot stickers are really pretty good, and their other dishes are all very well done, and they have a broad menu. We finally found a favorite Chinese bakery in Chinatown - Lo Yuen on Beach Street, practically next door to Gourmet Dumpling. We came to this conclusion after buying pastry from Hing Shing (also on Beach) last week, and getting the same pastries from Lo Yuen this week. Lo Yuen has much better crusts (to our palate - they're thicker and more rustic, but have a confident, assertive texture - Hing Shing's are thin but undistinguished), and their nut cakes are vastly better. No firm conclusion on who has better bean paste, though. Also, melon biscuits at both places are only so-so, because both have very similar, slightly too smooth fillings.
Finally, a mere 11 years after we moved to Boston, we went to No. 9 Park, which is, if you don't know this already, the high end place in Boston. Lovely romantic views over the Common, and very well laid out - only one or two tables in the whole place are less than perfectly situated. The food is very, very solid. The kitchen's technique is nothing short of amazing, even if the dishes on the whole are pretty conservative. Deep wine list, only semi-painful markups. Good service, but poor pacing - we couldn't believe how quickly we were taken through 3 courses. Also, it's really quite expensive for what it is. The bar menu looks amazing, though, and I really want to try it.
Sherlock Holmes was flat out awesome. Well crafted, stunningly designed, full of laughably slashable moments, and dude, Jude Law and RDJr. As long as you're not expecting a traditional take on the stories, it's hard not to like this. In particular, swan_tower needs to see this.
Started reading for the year, but that's another entry. For now, some Boston food PSAs.
A sort of Chinatown roundup. Hei La Moon on Beach Street has definitely taken over from China Pearl as our dim sum joint of choice. More authentic flavors, more rustic dishes, a slightly wider selection (over the course of several visits) - skins and folding technique still leave a lot to be desired. Windsor Dim Sum Cafe on Tyler Street is a close second now - best skins in Chinatown (though still not great, in the grand scheme), fillings slightly tastier than China Pearl but not as good as Hei La Moon, and selection not as good as Hei La Moon. Gourmet Dumpling House on Beach is our go to joint for anything that's not dim sum. Their soup dumplings and pot stickers are really pretty good, and their other dishes are all very well done, and they have a broad menu. We finally found a favorite Chinese bakery in Chinatown - Lo Yuen on Beach Street, practically next door to Gourmet Dumpling. We came to this conclusion after buying pastry from Hing Shing (also on Beach) last week, and getting the same pastries from Lo Yuen this week. Lo Yuen has much better crusts (to our palate - they're thicker and more rustic, but have a confident, assertive texture - Hing Shing's are thin but undistinguished), and their nut cakes are vastly better. No firm conclusion on who has better bean paste, though. Also, melon biscuits at both places are only so-so, because both have very similar, slightly too smooth fillings.
Finally, a mere 11 years after we moved to Boston, we went to No. 9 Park, which is, if you don't know this already, the high end place in Boston. Lovely romantic views over the Common, and very well laid out - only one or two tables in the whole place are less than perfectly situated. The food is very, very solid. The kitchen's technique is nothing short of amazing, even if the dishes on the whole are pretty conservative. Deep wine list, only semi-painful markups. Good service, but poor pacing - we couldn't believe how quickly we were taken through 3 courses. Also, it's really quite expensive for what it is. The bar menu looks amazing, though, and I really want to try it.