Istanbul’lu @ Somerville, MA Boston

Istanbul’lu is a turkish joint in somerville. im so behind on my posts and i have already been here twice before writing up this reviews.

i have mixed feelings about this place. the first time i went, EVERYTHING WAS SO AWESOME. i LOVED this homemade bread with the red peper sauce. the bread was WARM, so yummmmm with the dipping sauce. the 2nd time i went, the bread was still good but COLD which made such a big difference.

famous for their yogurt drink. pretty tasteless and a lil salty but i guess thats how it is supposed to be.

its been so long and i forgot what this was.

sigara borek – pan fried special dough filled with feta cheese, parsley, and egg yolk mix. crispy and cheesy, i like.

imam bayildi – baby eggplant stuffed with sauteed vegetables like green pepper, onion.

beyti kebab – famous traditional turkish village style kebab, ground lamb mixed with bell pepper, garlic, and turkish spices. cooked in the oven and wrapped in lavas bread, topped with special tomato sauce and yogurt. served with coban salad.

very flavorful but kinda salty. im not a big fan of ground meat.

yogurt kebab- adana kebab over sauteed cubed buttered turkish bread. topped with special tomato sauce and yogurt.

kofte plate – kofte is a very famous dish in the region. ground meat, mixed with chopped onions and spices, bread crumbs, served with roasted veggies, rice, potatoes, and yogurt.

kuru fasuyle – turkish white beans cooked with lams and tomato sauce. very popular in turkish households, rich and poor, everyone’s favorite. served with rice and yogurt.

veggie delight – eggplant puree prepared in a turkish style. topped with sauteed vegetables

i still liked this place a lot despite the little disappointment from the second visit. food is good in general, i would avoid the ground meat if you are not a big fan of salty meat. i really wanted to try patates kofte which is cooked potatoes mixed with garlic feta cheese and spices stuffed with sauteed ground meat, onions, pan cooked and topped with yogurt, but they were out of it BOTH TIMES. umm maybe its a indication of amazingness.

Category: Turkish
237 Holland St
Somerville, MA 02144
Neighborhood: Teele Square
(617) 440-7387

http://www.istanbul-lu.com

Dok Bua Thai Kitchen @ Brookline, MA Boston

dok bua thai kitchen is one of my fave thai joints in boston. havent used my fisheye lens for a while.

i like how their menu has a lot of pix of the dishes.

thai iced tea

Tom-Yum-Koong Soup
Spicy shrimp soup with lemon grass and lime juice.

Grilled Pork (Moo-Yang) over Rice

Baby Clam Fried Rice

Rad-Nar Noodle with chicken

Broad noodle with Chinese broccoli and brown sauce.

Ped Krob
Crispy duck topped with chili and basil sauce.

everything we had was yummy. my go-to spot for thai food.

Category: Thai
411 Harvard St
Brookline, MA 02446
(617) 232-2955

French Macarons @ Bisous Ciao New York, NY

checked out bisous ciao couple months ago on the lower east side when i was in new york city.

macaron roses

its been a while since i visited so my memory is so vague now. i remember they were being generally decent, nothing mind blowing tho. they do have some interesting flavors such as:
pistachio – white chocolate pistachio ganache
gianduja – the classic mix of hazelnut and milk chocolate
yuzu- yuzu cream with a yuzu marmalade center
jasmine + green tea – jasmine infused white chocolate ganache
lavender + honey – lavender + honey flavored buttercream
mandarin and wasabi – mandarin was too strong, couldnt taste the wasabi at all.

Category: Food Bakeries Bakeries
101 Stanton St
(between Orchard St & Ludlow St)
New York, NY 10002
Neighborhood: Lower East Side

(212) 260-3463

http://www.bisousciao.com

Yamato Restaurant @ Boston Brighton, MA

yamato is an all you can eat sushi joint in brighton. ive heard good things about yamato for a lonnnnnggggggggg time, but i was always hesitated to check it out because im not a buffet person especially when it comes to sushi. i finally decided to check it out one day because my friend Nao told me its legit.

4 of us hungry wolves came to yamato on a sunday night. finding a parking was a PAIN in that area; i almost lost all my patience. the restaurant was busy but we still managed to get a table. they do offer a la carte but most people would just go with all you can eat. you dont have to get up to grab you food like minado or maki maki , you just need to check off what you want on a piece of paper and they will serve you.

i took a lot pix cuz 4 of us ordered a lot. unfortunately, i freaking accidentally deleted all my pix except for these two pix. worst nightmare of a food blogger. ugh.

they have all kinds of rolls, sushi, or sashimi. for the price you pay, the quality of the fish is really really not bad. i would totally come back one day. excellent value!

Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars

117 Chiswick Rd
(between Commonwealth Ave & Sidlaw Rd)
Brighton, MA 02135

(617) 787-8881

http://www.yamatoboston.com/

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to make up for my lack of pix and short post, im gonna do an update on Toraya restaurant.

toraya is probably my favorite sushi joint in boston. im not saying they have the best fish, best quality, best value, it’s jus simply my favorite spot for sushi. it’s sentimental.

ive written a full review before, but a lot of people dont know about this because it’s off the menu, you can actually order omakase at toraya . they dont have it all the time depending the availabilities of the fish. you will have to check with the waitress.

this is the sushi/sashimi omakase

smoked salmon and squid hand rolls. so gooood. i especially loved the squid one. yea sorry for the crappy iphone pix.

wash down with a shot of sake, life doesnt get any better than this.

Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Food Sushi Bars, Japanese, Food
890 Massachusetts Ave
Arlington, MA 02474
Neighborhood: Arlington Center

(781) 641-7477

http://toraya.jimdo.com

L’Auberge Chez Francois @ Great Falls, VA

L’Auberge Chez Francois was voted for the best ambience and scenery. they serve traditional Alsatian-French food. pork belly took me there two months ago for din din.

it’d be cool to sit there huh?

pork belly

a crêpe with chives, stuffed with a duxelle of mushrooms, tomato concassé, Madeira truffle sauce

warm asparagus on local Virginia country ham, with gruyère cheese, capers and a quail egg

lobster bisque

la salad de l’Auberge

homemade sorbet

veal scaloppini with Virginia ham, jumbo lump crabmeat, and mushroom cream sauce

medallions of beef and veal, grilled lamb chop, roasted half Maine lobster tail

rice pudding

i loved the ambience and scenery of L’Auberge Chez Francois. prefect for any occasions or a date. A little perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. the food was delicious and very well made, but nothing was too mind blowing. attention to details. the service was extremely polite and professional. the entire experience was relaxing and enjoyable.

Category: French
332 Springvale Rd
Great Falls, VA 22066

(703) 759-3800

http://www.laubergechezfrancois.com

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Monthly Archives: November 2012

Istanbul’lu @ Somerville, MA Boston

Dok Bua Thai Kitchen @ Brookline, MA Boston

French Macarons @ Bisous Ciao New York, NY

Yamato Restaurant @ Boston Brighton, MA

L’Auberge Chez Francois @ Great Falls, VA

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