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MC SLIM JB

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La Fogata

A cozy Eastie spot for Colombian snacks and more
Few Boston neighborhoods are as blessed with affordable restaurants, or as unfairly overlooked, as Eastie.

By: MC SLIM JB | August 26, 2009

Stella's Pizza

A little slice of mid-century American heaven
Asked what I thought about Stella's the other day, I went on at some length about the swank South End fine-dining Italian destination.

By: MC SLIM JB | August 24, 2009

Dorado Tacos and Cemitas

Braving the early crowds for street-food flavors from Baja and Puebla
Braving the early crowds for street-food flavors from Baja and Puebla

By: MC SLIM JB | August 12, 2009

A taste of Trinidadian love, with echoes of the Punjab
Watching folks eat at national fast-food outlets depresses me. Not only are they paying for advertising, but they're getting so little give-a-damn in their food. You sense that acutely after dining at a neighborhood place like Ali's Roti, a 22-seat counter-service Trinidadian restaurant at the western edge of the South End.

By: MC SLIM JB | August 05, 2009

El Mondonguito

A place to dance, drink, and maybe get a little Puerto Rican nosh
I keep finding good, inexpensive food in Boston in unlikely places: a commercial shipyard, a construction-company lot, a mall food court, and what looks like someone's house in a residential neighborhood.

By: MC SLIM JB | July 29, 2009

M and M Ribs

Back-yard barbecue made extraordinary by a seasoned pro
In America, there's barbecue, and then there's barbecue. For most of us, barbecue means direct, high-heat grilling over a gas flame or charcoal, the method used in most back yards. To the growing cult of authentic-barbecue aficionados, only slow, indirect cooking of meats using hardwood smoke at low temperatures (200 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit) is the real deal.

By: MC SLIM JB | July 22, 2009

Ronnarong

A small-plates concept elevates a veteran Thai place above the pedestrian
For more than 10 years, the Great Thai Chef held forth in Somerville's Union Square.

By: MC SLIM JB | July 15, 2009

Maria's Taqueria

Fast, fresh Mexican in a neighborhood that needs it
Apple's ubiquitous iPhone ads would have you believe there's a portable application for every possible problem. How about this one: finding good, inexpensive chow in culinary dead zones at odd hours of the day?

By: MC SLIM JB | July 08, 2009

Mt. Everest Kitchen

The strange yet strangely familiar (and undeniably delicious) cuisine of Nepal
Asked to create pithy descriptions of obscure cuisines, food writers often triangulate, using familiar geographic signposts to nudge readers into the general neighborhood.

By: MC SLIM JB | July 01, 2009

Scup's in the Harbor

How refreshing: a waterfront joint that's actually quite good
Scouting out great cheap restaurants takes me down some strange byways, but I almost never make it to Boston's waterfront. Most places with water views tend to be overpriced or mediocre. Perhaps it's the high cost of picturesque real estate, or that owners count on the scenery to mask their shortcomings.

By: MC SLIM JB | June 24, 2009

South End Pita

Even sandwich shops need a little time to grow up
Restaurant critics must perform a balancing act. We want to bring attention to worthy new places, but slagging a brand-new venue during its shakedown cruise for slow service or uneven kitchen output isn't really fair.

By: MC SLIM JB | June 17, 2009

Jack and the Bean Bowl

A tasty vegetarian/vegan cart sneaks past the Back Bay’s guardians of dullness
A tasty vegetarian/vegan cart sneaks past the Back Bay's guardians of dullness

By: MC SLIM JB | June 10, 2009

Halal Indian Cuisine

Negotiating one's way to solid Northern Indian fare
I imagine many diners who like Indian cuisine and can tolerate some chili heat have had this frustrating discussion with their server: "Curry: spicy, please." "Would you like that mild, medium, or hot?" "Hot, please." "Ooh, hot here is very hot." "Hot, please."

By: MC SLIM JB | June 03, 2009

Corner Pub of Chinatown

Sometimes upgrading a beloved old dive is a good thing
Some folks bemoaned the closing of Weggie's, a Leather District dive that slung drinks for years to Big Dig workers (which presumably accounts for some of the workmanship).

By: MC SLIM JB | May 27, 2009

Trini's Mexican Grill

Splendid Mexican in a mall food court? ¡Absolutamente!
One of the joys of exploring Boston's cheap-eats universe is the occasional serendipitous encounter with an unlikely treasure.

By: MC SLIM JB | May 20, 2009

King Do Baguette and Pastry

An awesome roll makes for an extraordinary bánh mì
One measure of how far Americans have come in their globetrotting culinary breadth is the number of ordinary folks I know who've tried a bánh mì, the great Vietnamese street-food sandwich.

By: MC SLIM JB | May 13, 2009

Flat Patties

Making a virtue of a usually guilt-ridden quickie
A fast-food cheeseburger is like a drunken assignation with a stranger met at a wedding reception: momentarily delectable but often leading to shame, nausea, and possibly even health issues.

By: MC SLIM JB | May 06, 2009

Chuck and Ann's

A sweet little snapshot of a simpler time
How many Boston restaurants can you name that have been in business for 47 years — with the same staff?

By: MC SLIM JB | April 29, 2009

Poppa B's

Sweet Southern hospitality + fine Southern technique = matchless Southern comfort
Pity the poor transplanted Southerner in frosty New England. Iced tea comes from powder. Nobody's heard of a butter bean.

By: MC SLIM JB | April 22, 2009

Liberty Bell

Cheap-eats lesson No. 1: don't judge a book by its really homely cover
If there's one thing chowhound.com has taught me, it's that appearances are unreliable: beautiful restaurants routinely serve underwhelming meals, while modest exteriors often hide fine budget-priced fare.

By: MC SLIM JB | April 15, 2009

Hanmaru

Allston Korean with an unusual specialty, and plenty more
Hanmaru is back from the ashes of a 2008 fire that closed down many nearby businesses.

By: MC SLIM JB | April 08, 2009

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