Vinh Sun BBQ Restaurant, Chinatown, Boston

Posted on March 4, 2013 by bakingmehungry

We extended Lunar New Year and got together with the family for a lunch in Chinatown. Our standard favorite, Hong Kong Eatery was just too busy and we grew hungry and impatient.

Our father decided on going to Vinh Sun, Hong Kong Eatery’s competitor. He said they have similar menus, the restaurant is more spacious, but slightly more expense. However, they do take credit cards unlike HKE.

We enjoyed the smokier black tea and let our father decide on the items to order. The first dish that came out was the Eight delight chow mein noodles with squid, beef, shrimp, baby corn and carrots. All the ingredients were perfectly cooked, noodles nice and crispy and the gravy brought the elements together.

Per tradition, father ordered a Spicy Salt Squid and the calamari was chewy, yet tender and had the right level of crunch and saltiness.

A personal request was Pork Chop Spicy Salty Dry Fried for $9.95. The tender pork was coated with spicy salt and nicely seasoned.

Our father exclaimed “Ooh, they have hot pot here!” So he ordered one with Fillet Steak, ginger, scallion and onions with black pepper sauce for $14.95. The tender beef balanced the green and yellow onion. Delicious and went well with the chow mein noodles.

Finally, we enjoyed Me pa tofu, fried tofu rounds which were served with oyster sauce. The soft, silky tofu on the inside went well with the crispy exterior.

Overall, our meal at Vinh sun was solid, great dishes, well seasoned, well executed and delicious. There is something to be said for nostalgia and Vinh Sun is a great substitute for Hong Kong Eatery, when HKE is crowded.

Boondocks, Lyons Falls, NY

Posted on July 27, 2012 by bakingmehungry

Boondocks Restaurant & Bar is open 11:30am until 2am everyday and is one of the most popular restaurant bars in the area. There are extended hours and pretty solid all American fare. The appetizers and sandwiches were all pretty spot on.

We had the green token from The Edge Hotel to redeem and enjoyed some Labatt Light. There was also a serving of Swamp Water, a blend of Malibu Rum, Island Punch Pucker, Sour Mix and Orange Juice with a splash of Sierra Mist.

The Thousand Island Winery North Country Red was a grape juice with alcohol content. Super sweet and fun to drink, it was like juice.
The bread rolls were super fluffy and served with honey butter. We were very tempted eat them all. The rolls reminded us about Texas Roadhouse rolls, which we can not get enough of.

Two of our favorites dishes of the entire meal was in the APPETEASER section of the menu. (Love it). The Loaded Cheese Fries loaded with cheddar cheese, scallions, chives and bacon with sour cream on the side were just like Papas Supreme (BMH review of Taco Bell, Plaza Las Americas and BMH’s rendition of Papas Fritas Fiesta Supreme Fries) for $6.75. We were happy with the crispy fries and mix of toppings.

The Breaded Portobello Mushrooms were nice and juicy on the inside and then nicely breaded on the outside. The sliced portobello mushroom breaded and fried to a perfect golden brown served with the special dipping sauce which reminded us of Thousand Island or chipotle dressing ($7.25).

The Rodeo Burger was a hefty 1/2 lb. burger. Although we asked for medium rare, our burger was medium-well. Still, the burger pattie was juicy and went well with the Chipotle BBQ. The huge square of Fried Muenster cheese was definitely unique and heaviness was cut by the fresh coleslaw $9.25.

The Over the Edge Chicken Sandwich had a crispy chicken served on a toasted garlicy hard roll topped (which tasted like garlic bread) with BBQ sauce, fried onion tanglers and fresh chipotle coleslaw $9.25. We were really happy with the combination of the crispy chicken cutlet, sweet bbq sauce and the texture of the onion and coleslaw. Great combination.

Of all our dishes, the only dish that was a bit underwhelming was the Chicken Cordon Bleu Chicken breast overstuffed with ham and Swiss cheese smothered in a creamy cheese sauce. The chicken itself was a bit dry, but what made up for it was the garlic and buttered vegetables. Some of the best roast vegetables eaten $15.95.

Later on that evening, we enjoyed a 100 ounce beer tower. Several nights later another Tower. Boondocks is our go to bar in North Country and are happy to patron it.

Carolina Grits, Southern Barbeque Pork Roast and Garlic Spinach

Posted on April 11, 2012 by bakingmehungry

I’ve eaten grits at some brunches and in New Orleans before. However, I have never made proper grits ever. I recently had the opportunity to have proper Carolina plantation stone ground grits and gave it a shot.

Carolina Grits From Carolina Plantation Serves 2

2 1/4 cup of water
1/2 cup grits
1/2 tsp salt
1 T butter

Mix ingredients in large sauce pan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. If grits become too thick, just add water.

Boiled over Carolina grits

Barbeque pork roast

4 to 5 pound pork shoulder (butt) roast
2 cups water
1 bottle (16 oz) barbecue sauce, your choice

Add pork roast, water and sauce. Cover and cook 6 to 8 hours on low.

Braised pork with extra bbq sauce

Garlicky spinach Adapted from Food.com

1 1/2 lbs spinach, trimmed,rinsed and patted dry
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves of garlic

Place spinach and garlic in a large pot of boiling water. Cook 3-5 minutes. Then drain. Place in serving dish and sprinkle with salt and dot with butter.

Carolina grits, bbq pork, garlicky spinach and a buttermilk biscuit

Stubb’s Bar-B-Q, Downtown, Austin

Posted on February 29, 2012 by bakingmehungry

Happy Birthday to all the leap year babies out there and a special happy birthday to our little brother who is turning ofiicially 4 today!

Stubb’s Bar-B-Q has great bbq and also is a venue for live music and gospel brunches. Instead of traveling outside of Downtown Austin for bbq, which was just our own laziness, but s a definite must do for our next visit, we checked out Stubb’s. The antlers, Texas cattle landscapes and music posters were a nice touch to put us in a Southern bbq eating kind of mood.

There is a specific process to ordering and eating at Stubb’s. Get in line, order at the bar area and then chose a seat in the outdoor patio area or main dining room. The choices of Stubb’s meat include beef brisket, smoked chicken, pork spare ribs, sausage, turkey breast, chopped beef and pulled pork.

The sides include- fried okra, cole slaw, pinto beans, fries, sweet potato fries, potato salad, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and serrano cheese spinach. We asked what were the best and our cashier suggested the serrano pepper cheese spinach and potato salad. We had the option to substitute one side for onion rings or small salad for just $1.00 and add homemade cornbread for $.75.

Colorful posters

My Bar-B-Q Plate had pork ribs, sweet potato fries and serrano cheese spinach and a slice of white bread for $11.95. The fries were perfectly crispy on the outside and tender yet slightly sweet on the inside. I thought the pork ribs were good, tender, but the serrano cheese spinach was phenomenal. The flavor of the spinach, pepper and cheese were mouthwatering. I wish I only ordered serrano cheese spinach and is the best spinach we have ever eaten. I would go back to Stubb’s specifically for this side.

The Minor Plate had smoked chicken and beef brisket with serrano cheese spinach and potato salad for $13.95. The spinach and potato salad were suggestions by the staff and the potato salad had a nice flavor.

Both the smoked chicken and brisket were amazing. The beef brisket was super tender, flavorful, juicy and was positively delectable. The smoked chicken had a nice smokey flavor and we gobbled the meats right up. We would be back for to eat the brisket time and time again.

The banana pudding is exactly as claimed, like grandma would make ($3.95). Slices of banana, a few whole Nilla wafers and smooth homemade banana pudding. We still prefer the 1886 Cafe & Bakery’s banana cream cake. This is granny’s version, simple and an old standard.

Supermarkets: Whole Foods Flagship, Downtown, Austin

Posted on February 27, 2012 by bakingmehungry

In 1980, John Mackey and his partners opened a store in Austin, Texas called Whole Foods. Today, it has 310 stores in North America and the UK. I have had the opportunity see John Mackey speak twice and each time he wore simple plaid shirts, jeans and would espouse the philosophy behind Whole Foods and its growth.

Whole Foods flagship store is located at the corner of Sixth Street and Lamar Boulevard, is one of the largest, at 80,000 square feet. Built in 2005, the company’s headquarters moved into offices above the store. The flagship store is an amazing foodie Disneyland and very IKEA-like. The experience is a bit overwhelming, but the sheer variety, volume of people, food stations and choice was unbelievable and wonderful.

Whole Foods Market Culinary Center provides cooking classes and full-service catering and event planning.

The epicenter of all the Whole Food stores are fresh produce and organic or high quality products and in this right, the flagship is similar to every other Whole Foods stores. The main difference between the flagship versus other stores is the community spirit with proper dining areas and mini-restaurants combined with the magnitude of options.