Jack can talk Thai. Jack talked Thai real well…
Thai Basil: In recent times a few friends and I have taken advantage of Spirit Airlines $9 fare club. We’ve flown to Boston for a weekend getaway for a measly 6 bucks. You can’t beat that (even though it was -10 at one point)! While walking around the bitter cold and awesomely popular Newbury Street we stumbled upon this underground gem. Thai Basil is a traditional Thai restaurant that was getting some pretty heavy traffic. Some dim lighting and a run-of-the-mill décor didn’t change our mind. We really wanted some Thai food. The menu was very reasonably priced and they had plenty to offer. We ordered a round of appetizers to start: The Crab Rangoon and an awesome little number called the dancing shrimp. The Crab Rangoon was wontons stuffed with crabmeat, carrots, and cream cheese. They were deliciously cream and could have used a bit more crabmeat. Overall, it is a heavier appetizer that I wouldn’t recommend before planning a big meal as it can easily fill you up. The dancing shrimp were shrimp that was tempura served with a deliciously sweet tamarind sauce. This is also another heavy appetizer that if I wasn’t sharing I probably would have been full at this point. For my meal I chose a traditional Pad-Thai. No bells and whistles it was traditional and delicious. I could probably eat this every day. Overall, it was a great meal in a cool place with a great price tag attached. We’ve now been to Boston twice and have eaten there both times.
-J
Price: $$ - moderate
Thai Basil’s Location: 132 Newbury St. Boston, MA
Chicken Holiday: This place is amazing. It’s a very tiny place in a little shopping mall, next to a Shop Rite and a Blockbuster. Its not really meant for eating there, though they have tables. Every time I’ve been there I’ve been the only person in the place, but I love their food.
The Dog House: On my way home from Rehoboth, DE it was pretty hard to not notice the huge hot dog sign for the dog house on your way to the Del Mem Bridge. So like a lemming to the sea we pulled over and saddled up for a bite. This place had a classic diner feel to it with only counter seating and a huge grill behind it where they are constantly cooking. It kind of reminded me of the place in that old movie “Batteries Not Included” (google search it you’ll remember). Anyway, foot-long dogs grilled perfectly with an awesome chili sauce to top. Throw some fresh onions and mustard (that’s right I had mustard) and you got yourself one awesome all the way dog. If you’re coming home from DE you’ll notice the sign definitely stop in and grab a bite. They also roast turkeys every day for their famous turkey sub. It has to be awesome.
Texas Wieners: Growing up in Northern New Jersey and around some of the greatest hot dog places I find myself to be a very harsh critic when it comes to eating dogs. The atmosphere has the down the block neighborhood shop feel, which I really enjoyed. It doesn’t have the feel of some dark ominous bar where everyone glares at you the second you walk in. As for the food, they boasted a pretty extensive menu for a hot dog place, which was a cool thing to see. They even had a nice menu of dogs to choose from. For my order I went with 1 with the works and 1 Texas Tommy. The works was your classic Texas Weiner: mustard, onions and sauce. There sauce was different in a way I was impartial too. I would have preferred some good old-fashioned chili sauce. The Texas Tommy was a dog with bacon and cheese. Not something you should be eating on the daily. The dogs came out and were on a small buns with the dogs cut in half, not something I was used to seeing but original nonetheless. Overall, the dogs were okay. They were grilled instead of my favorite deep-fried. I also would have liked for the buns to be toasted to add some crispiness to the bite. My recommendation is: If you’re in the area and need a quick bite then do it. I wouldn’t travel out of my way to go here though.
Landmark Cocktail Lounge: Little begins to describe this place. But to be polite, once could call it cozy. The place does have a very small, warm, feel to it. It reminds me of a tavern of old. Everyone there pretty much knows each. The bar is the prominent feature, having a different special beer every month. They have a small backroom kitchen with an elderly Chinese couple cooking the food.
Jeff’s Kitchen (Old Rail Tavern): After a Sunday drive passed this establishment that boasts the title “Best pizza in south Jersey” on a sign hanging high so the whole town can see. I felt it was my duty as a blog writer to observe and report. The Old Rail Tavern is a small bar with some tables and a few upstairs as well in case you don’t want to sit by the bar. The décor is fashioned after a garage with some Nascar and Philly Sport things decorating the wall. It has the hometown type of place and I felt the bar guys were all regulars from the area. After a pint or two during an Eagles game we decided to give the pizza a whirl. The menu is pizza intense with plenty of styles, toppings, and sizes to choose from. We went with a large buffalo chicken pie. If you do venture to this location and order a BCP just make sure you specify chicken steak or chicken breast (go with the chicken steak). The pie was a thin crust that came out piping hot. The coverage of chicken was great. We weren’t let down in the least. The first bite was amazing, a perfect blend of chicken, cheese, and hot sauce. I hate when I order a specialty pizza and am only eating dough. The hot sauce was both tangy and hot, which is a perfect combination in my opinion. The dough was nice and crunchy on each bite while still remaining soft, perfection in pizza form. I put down 4 and went into food coma mode. I was down for the count. Make it out to this place for a great slice. If the games on just look out, it might be a little tough to get a seat.
Nobi Japanese Cusine: Talk about special rolls. This place has the widest selection of special rolls I have ever seen. They even had a roll with ham in it, which I’ve never seen. This place has a lot of variety.