Tamarind Bay

Last week we were in the mood for some Indian food, so we did some research and put together a list of possible restaurants to try. Posters on Chowhound recommended a few places in Cambridge, particularly Tamarind Bay, so we decided to give it a shot. Tamarind Bay is located right in the heart of Harvard Square on the corner of JFK and Winthrop Street. I had never heard of this place but apparently, Zagat awarded Tamarind Bay the highest rating for food among Indian restaurants in the US this past year. The Boston Globe and Boston Phoenix also recognized Tamarind Bay as one of the best new restaurants of 2004.

Eric and Meat joined me for the lunch buffet, which Tamarind Bay offers everyday. The buffet includes about five or six main courses, various sauces and condiments, and as much nan bread as you can eat. It’s a decent spread of food, although I was expecting there to be a few more dishes for some reason. For only $8.95, I guess you really can’t complain.

Of all the dishes, the tandoori murgh was my favorite. Chicken pieces were first marinated in yogurt, paprika, and nutmeg and then baked in a clay oven. The chicken really picked up the flavors of the seasoning and tasted a bit smoky. The only thing I did not particularly like was having to detach the meat from the various bones, which got a little messy.

Some of the other dishes included basmati rice, achari murgh, aloo mutter curry, bhindi masala, and dal tadka. The achari murgh was another chicken dish I believe, although this time the meat was a little on the tougher side and the flavoring was different. It was cooked in Indian Pickle spices and finished in a dark red sauce. It was quite spicy I might add as well. The aloo mutter curry was much more mild and agreeable to my palate – potatoes, onions, and green peas were stewed together in a yellowish, curry sauce. The bhindi masala was an okra dish, and the dal tadka, which is a Northern Indian specialty, was soft lentils fried in some onion, coriander and cumin.

We finished the meal with the dessert soup shown above. The main ingredients were likely coconut milk and sugar. It was slightly sweet and reminded us of the tapioca soups served at the end of meals at Chinese restaurants. The soup was served luke-warm, though it probably would have been more refreshing if it had been chilled.

I really love buffets in general, and I always take the opportunity to get my money’s worth and eat to my heart’s content. I do not eat Indian food that often, but for what it’s worth, I thought the quality of the food was quite good.

Grotto

This past week has been terrible in many respects, and I'm glad to have it over with. The one highlight, however, was dinner Saturday night with Eric and Meat at Grotto. The weather wasn't ideal to travel in but considering this past week's torrential down pours, Saturday night's scattered showers and light misting didn't seem all that bad in comparison.

Grotto is an Italian restaurant located on Bowdoin Street in the exclusive Beacon Hill area of Boston and is only a few blocks away from the State House. I really didn't know what to expect, but from the reviews I had read, most people had only positive things to say about it. I had also checked out Grotto's website beforehand, and it was not particularly sleek or well formatted like many other restaurants', so I had a feeling that Grotto would be somewhat “rustic.”

I would definitely describe the restaurant’s interior as eclectic. When we entered the restaurant, we walked down a few steps into the dining area, which is located on the building’s basement level. One of the first things I noticed was that quite a few water and gas pipes were visible and exposed. Jazz-themed paintings lined the brick walls, and two gypsy-style chandeliers hung from the ceiling. There were also a few flower and vegetable arrangements throughout the room, which added to the room’s character.

Grotto is a very small restaurant - maximum capacity could not be more than about 30 diners. Grotto won't ever be able to boast huge volume and turnover numbers each night like larger establishments, but the one advantage of its small size is better quality control. The head chef/owner poked his head into the dining room a few times, and it’s comforting from a diner's perspective to know that the main man is in the kitchen overseeing the preparation of your dishes, if not preparing them himself. Grotto is clearly about quality food, and from the handful of dishes we ordered, it's quite evident the head chef is very talented and knows what he's doing.

Grotto’s menu is pretty limited, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes it’s better to do only a few things effectively and consistently, which is exactly what Grotto accomplishes. We all decided to go with the $33 tasting menu, which is pretty affordable compared to the pre-fixe offerings at other places. Included were an appetizer, entrée, and dessert.

Crab ravioli, saffron, asparagus, and toasted pistachio nuts

Meat ordered this crab ravioli dish, and I only got a small sampling, but from what I had, I liked it alot. I actually wish I ordered it for myself. I've had other lobster/crab ravioli before and with all of them, I found that the crab or lobster flavor was too subtle. Not the case with these raviolis, however. The crab was very prominent, and the saffron sauce acted as a nice complement.

Gnocchi, braised short ribs, mushrooms, and gorgonzola

Eric and I both order this for our appetizer, and I was pretty pleased with the choice. The gnocchi were light and fluffy, absorbing alot of the rich sauce. The short rib meat was very tender and flavorful. The gorgonzola was scattered throughout the dish and slowly melted, binding both the gnocchi and meat together.

Grilled proscuitto wrapped beef tenderloin, Reggiano risotto, grilled asparagus, and a red wine sauce

I ordered the tenderloin for my entree. It had a warm, pink center and was cooked medium as requested. As expected, the beef was extremely tender and juicy. However, I didn't think the proscuitto added a whole lot, and I think bacon would have worked better. Accompanied with the beef was a bed of risotto, which was smooth and creamy. I believe parmesan was the main flavor agent. I was in the mood for meat, so I ordered this dish, and although it was good, I probably should have ordered a more exotic dish and changed it up a bit. Oh well.

Pan seared jumbo sea scallops, pumpkin risotto, chanterelle mushrooms, pomegranates, and chestnut sauce

Eric and Meat both ordered this dish. Just from the ingredients, you can tell that it's a special dish made for the fall season. The dish got great marks for presentation. The mushroom risotto was stuffed into a whole roasted baby pumpkin, and the pan seared sea scallops were arranged nicely on the side. Overall, Eric and Meat seemed pretty pleased, although Eric thought that his risotto was a little undercooked since it was a bit on the chewy side.

Banana Bread Pudding with Caramel Ice-cream

This banana bread pudding was one of the desserts we ordered. One of the first things Meat noticed was that it was very sweet. The banana bread pudding also seemed to drown out the caramel flavor of the ice-cream. Nevertheless, this dish was quite satisfying.

Pumpkin Creme Brulee

Eric got the creme brulee. I tried a little, and it was very smooth and creamy with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with the meal. We paid just about the same amount per person at Sibling Rivalry and got an extra dish basically. Our servers were also very attentive and amiable. The quality of the food was top notch, and I think that's what matters most at any restaurant.

Well, that's about it, folks. If our meal at Grotto was any indication of things to come, this upcoming week should be a whole better...I'm counting on it.

Taiwan Cafe

Because of the little “incident” last Friday, most of us were not in the mood (or condition for some…) to try Taiwan Café as planned. We postponed our visit to this weekend and unfortunately, the weather was atrocious. Despite the conditions outside, we braved the wind and rain to head into Chinatown to have dinner at Taiwan Café. The things we will do in the name of food!

Finding the restaurant was a bit of an adventure. Taiwan Café is located in Chinatown on Oxford “Street,” though a more accurate label would be “sketchy alleyway.” As with most Chinese restaurants around Boston, Taiwan Café is a small, homely no-frills kind of place that serves up affordable, down-to-earth food rather than pretension or over-priced fare.

We had a decent sized group with us, which included Eric, Ivan, Tom, Kirstin, Joe, John and Veronica, and when we arrived, the hostess promptly seated us at a large, circular table by the window. Around the dining room, I spotted a few families and couples, all of which looked like regular locals - good sign. The dishes on nearby tables looked appetizing, and all kinds of savory smells permeated the room.

There was a considerable amount of buildup because I had never tried Taiwanese cuisine. If we were going to do this, I wanted to do it right, to have the real deal, to experience Taiwanese cuisine as it should be. We were fortunate to have Tom along with us who is Taiwanese, and he had an idea of some good, traditional dishes to order. He talked for quite a while with this middle-aged waitress serving our table. I think he liked her.

We started the meal with a few appetizers, which I am told are a significant part of Taiwanese meals. The food came out extremely quickly. It could not have been more than five minutes before the first few dishes started arriving at our table. Honestly, deciding on what to order took longer.

Stewed Minced Pork over Rice

Sometime during the ordering process there was a little miscommunication and only two of these were ordered. However, I did get to try this simple, yet satisfying starter. The minced pork tasted like it was cooked in some soy and oyster sauce, and the pickled vegetables on the side added a refreshing dimension.

Chilled Spicy Beef Tendon

We were feeling adventurous and took a page out of the DeepEndDining playbook, ordering some mildly outrageous, out-of-the-ordinary dishes, one of which was this chilled spicy beef tendon dish. Although the beef tendon were firm to the tooth and slightly chewy, they were shaved thinly, which made them pretty easy to eat.

Blood Pudding Rice Cake with Gravy

Hmm, not too sure what to make of this dish. The name of this one was what made us order it. I had never eaten blood pudding before, so I didn't really know what to expect. The blood pudding had a semi-sticky consistency and was covered in a sugar and nut mixture. The accompanying sauce was a little sweet but didn't do alot to enhance the flavor in my opinion.

Steamed Taro over Pork Belly in Special House Sauce

I liked this dish a lot and was one of my favorites of the night. The pork belly was nice and fatty, and the taro was soft and not too starchy.

Beef with Chinese Watercress in Sa-Tay Sauce

I liked this dish alot as well, although my only complaint is that it was a little oily. The pieces of beef were cut fairly small so they were coated by the tasty sa-tay sauce. The vegetable stalks, with their hollow centers, also absorbed alot of sauce flavor. They weren't overcooked either, so they retained a little crispness.

Homestyle Braised Eggplant with Basil

Eric had done some research about good dishes to order at Taiwan Cafe, and alot of posters of Chowhound recommended this braised eggplant dish, which did turn out to be quite good. The eggplant had a firm, yet tender consistency and weren't mushy. Every few bites there was a hint of heat from the chilis, and the basil flavor was very strong but didn't overpower the dish.

Oyster Omelette with Gravy

The oyster omelette is one of the most popular dishes in Taiwanese cuisine, so we had to order it. The dish reminded me of a Chinese-style pancake rather than what I gerenally think of as an omelette. My slice didn't have any oysters in it but regardless, I liked the dish alot.

Mustard Greens with Edamame and Bean Curd

This was probably one of my least favorite dishes and one of the weaker ones. The mustard greens were cooked in a light, clear sauce. The soybeans were also pretty bland I thought, although I guess they were a good source of protein for the night.

Pickled Mustard Greens with Intestine and Blood Pudding

This blood pudding and intestine dish was another one of the dishes ordered for its shock value. I wasn't particularly a fan though. It reminded me way too much of hot and sour soup.

Taiwan Style Pan Fried Dumplings

These dumplings were one of the last dishes to arrive, and there was some discussion at the table whether they were made fresh from scratch since they took so long. The dumplings were much like Japanese gyoza but larger and more rectangular in shape. The filling was a nice pork-vegetable mixture. According to Ivan, there was too much meat, and if his mom were eating the dumplings, she would have commented on the meat-to-dough ratio too. "It's all about the dough, you know."

Considering the amount we paid, I was pretty pleased with the quality and quantity of food. I would actually like to go back to Taiwan Cafe to try some of their other dishes. So overall, I was pretty pleased with my first experience eating Taiwanese cuisine, although it's still not clear to me what exactly gives it its unique identity... Our next culinary adventure will be at Grotto, so check back next week.