Meritage | Waterfront | Boston, MA

Meritage is a restaurant at the boston harbor hotel on the waterfront.

according to bostonchefs.com, meritage has a 15,000-bottle wine collection.

the views of the waterfront is nice, but if you want a even nicer view, i would recommend Legal Harborside especially during summer time you can dine on the patio on the 2nd floor.

we opted for the wine pairing

Macon – Uchizy Les Maranches Chardonnay

butternut squash stuffed dumplings – the filling was rich and creamy.

Pan Seared Cod Loin, Count Neck Clams, Chorizo and Spinach – tender cod, the clam was juicy and tasted like ocean, exploded in my mouth. very well prepared!

Wood Grilled Filet Mignon with Soft Whipped Potatoes, Horseradish Onion Cream
Meritage Syrup

well executed steak. juicy, tender, dericious!!!

Banfi Rosa Regale Sparkling Red Wine, Italy

this sparkling wine is the BOMB!! i was in love with it. aromatic with hints of rose petals, strawberries and raspberries. super awesome!

Citrus Tasting Plate of Orange Buttermilk Pudding Cake & Lemon Cream Tart with Coconut Tuile

Red Fruit Tasting Plate – i wasnt a fan of this.

the meal was very enjoyable overall. my friend and i had a great time. i liked everything except for the desserts. i was very satisfied with the wine pairing. our waiter was super friendly and unpretentious. the ambience was surprisingly relaxing and delightful.

Meritage
Categories: American (New), Seafood
70 Rowes Wharf
(at Atlantic Ave)
Boston, MA 02110
Neighborhood: Waterfront
(617) 439-3995

http://www.meritagetherestaurant.com

here’s some macarons i made last night :}

Bondir @ Cambridge, MA Boston

ive written a pictureless review about bondir before. i revisited bondir recently and figured i would do another one with pictures!

so without further ado, lets get right into it!

homemade maple + mint soda

Breads
9 Grain, The Sea, Barley Flour with Cranberries and Walnuts

Black Mission Fig-Almond Flour Tart
Washed Rind Farmstead Cheese, Seared Teff, Puffed Amaranth,
Summer Vegetable Mignardises, Hot Snow

Hand Made Burrata
Heirloom Tomatoes, Melon and Sumac Granite,
Romano Beans, Pickled Green Beans, Confit Lemon Vinaigrette

Roasted Chicken Breast and Saucisse
Rhode Island White Flint Cornmeal Cake, Fried Green Tomato,
Braised Kale, Jacob’s Cattle Beans

Barley Flour Rigatoni
Roasted Shiitake and Black Trumpet Mushrooms with Fava Beans,
Pickled Sweet Corn, Fresh Cream Ricotta

Vermont Wagyu Beef Braised Chuck
Adirondack Pink Potato Salardaises, Dandelion Green, Spelt,
Eggplant Caponata, Braising Jus

super tender tasty! best dish of the night.

i absolutely love this place!! if you wanna read more about this place please check out my older review.

Categories: French, American (New)
279 Broadway
Ste A
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 661-0009

http://www.bondircambridge.com/

Hungry Mother & Tatte Fine Cookies & Cakes @ Kendall Square/MIT Cambridge, MA Boston

a friend of mine recently moved to kendall square area so we decided to explore the dinning scene around the area. i picked hungry mother for din din last sunday; was able to get a same day reservation on opentable.

parking wasnt too hard to find, but they do offer validated parking at kendall square cinema garage.

hungry mother consists of three dinning rooms. the room we dined in didnt have much decorations, but i did like the ambience: quiet, intimate.

hungry mother does change their menu a lot. they get the ingredients from farms in and around new english. everything is pretty much made in house.

crispy antebellum grits, beets, wild mushrooms, pickled ramps, sorrel & leek soubise

smoked beef tongue on toast, robinson swiss cheese, dijon, gremolata – bbq flavor, super tender beef tongue, very yum!

pickled florida gulf shrimp, avocado spread – delish

fried chicken

sausage

french gnocchi – flavorful, awesome texture, but a bit salty.

i basically loved/liked everything we ordered. everything was very flavorful and well executed; did live up to the hype! we were pretty full after dinner, but next time i ll def try their desserts! one year it was rated as ’10 best american restaurants in the america’. they offer $8 tickets to kendal square cinema if you dine at hungry mother. would be a great date night.

Category: Southern
233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave
Cambridge, MA 02142
Neighborhood: Kendall Square/MIT
(617) 499-0090

http://www.hungrymothercambridge.com

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my friend bought me a tiramisu from Tatte Fine Cookies & Cakes. pretty good.

Categories: Bakeries, Cafes
318 3rd St
Mid-Cambridge, MA 02142
Neighborhoods: East Cambridge, Kendall Square/MIT
(617) 354-4200

http://www.tattecookies.com/

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ive been getting a lot questions about my camera and my secrets of taking photos in restaurant/low light settings. yes it is super hard to take good photos at low light settings. most of the time lighting is even nonexistent. this is when a dslr would really make a difference. a decent dslr + low aperture will allow you to take sharp photos at low light settings, but most importantly it’s the magic of photoshop!!!

below is a comparison of two photos, left one straight from the camera and right one after photoshopped. wow i know hehe

shot with canon 5d mark II with a 50mm 1.8f

i am no where close to professional and ive never taken any photography or photoshop classes, but feel free to ask me any questions about my pix. i’d be more than happy to answer with the very little knowledge i have.

dont forget to like my facebook page and follow me on twitter! thanks!

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Bergamot @ Somerville, MA Boston

went to bergamot for din din last night. had a reservation for 8:30. went kayaking in the afternoon @ charles river. pork belly and i were STARVING when we got there. service was friendly but super slowwwww. it looks like they have plenty of wait staff, but we waited for an hour before our appetizers came. we ate a billion pieces of bread cuz we were soooo hungry.

complimentary bite

House-Made Charcuterie – duck live mousse, some kinda meat thingy, and sausage. very yummmm

Grilled Oyster Mushrooms – Roasted Fairytale Eggplant, Cippolini Onions, Pickled Ginger Raita, Fried Rice
tasty. really liked the eggplant. mushroom was good as well.

Grilled Heritage Pork Loin Chop -Escarole, Roasted Golden Beets, Chanterelles, Peach Gastrique
tender and flavorful

zucchini tomato and feta cheese – im not a big fan of feta cheese, but pork belly loved it. basically he loves everything stinky.

Pan-Seared Striped Bass － New Orleans Oyster Stew, Grilled Yellow Tomato, Zucchini, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Corn
really liked the broth, very creamy

red currant sorbet

cheesecake

we did enjoy our meal at bergamot except the unbearably long wait. everything was good but nothing was mind blowing. pork belly liked more than i did. at the end of the meal i felt like i was getting hives from the dirty charles river water i wasn’t feeling well.

fyi, they do have a small parking lot to the left of the restaurant from the beacon st side. if full, there are plenty street parkings.

Bergamot
Category: American (New)
118 Beacon St
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 576-7700

http://bergamotrestaurant.com

hope everyone had a great weekend!

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Ten Tables @ Jamaica Plain, MA Boston

went to ten tables for a dinner date with my gf today cuz we had something to celebrate last min. i thought reservations would be so hard to get, but i managed get a reservation this morning.

ten tables is another neighborhood joint that supports local food. we got there a lil early so we sat at the bar while our table was getting ready.

the dinning room:

riesling, decent, but wasnt impressive.

we opted for the tasting menu, very good deal.
chicken liver – im not a fan of chicken liver at all, but this was probably the best chicken liver ive had. it kinda tasted like pig liver instead of chicken. not bad at all.
the restaurant’s pretty dark. extremely challenging for me to take pix. food pix didnt come out well sowwie.

Hake and Shellfish Stew with Couscous, Cauliflower, San Marzano Tomatoes, Red Peppers and Golden Raisins
i liked it a lot. very light but flavorful. i always like soupy dishes. havent had cauliflower forever.

Adobo Rubbed All Natural Hanger Steak with Farro & Braised Kale

i liked the flavor, but the steak itself wasn’t so tender.

blackberry with vanilla stuff on the bottom + hazelnut cookie – i expected it to be really sour but it wasnt which is good. i like the combination. the hazelnut cookie was awesome!

i really liked the ambience; i felt really comfortable like i was sitting in my own house and probably intimate if i were on a real date. service was average and informative. although i had an enjoyable experience overall, but i think this is a lil overrated. so many ppl rave about this place it’s crazy. people tend to compare ten tables with Bondir, but i think this doesnt even compare. if i give bondir a 10, ten table probably gets a 7 or lower. i still like how the food here is nice and light tasting, but it’s not as well executed as Bondir. bondir is a lil more perfect in every small way.

Category: American (New)
597 Centre St
(between Parley Ave & Pond St)
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Neighborhood: Jamaica Plain
(617) 524-8810

http://www.tentables.net

Bondir @ Boston Cambridge, MA

bondir instantly becomes one of my fave restaurants in boston. i was not gonna write a review because i didnt take pictures, but this place is too good to not share with you!
i must say the meal was exquisite. the keyword of this restaurant is ‘details’. from every little decoration of the restaurant, to the food, service, and everything, you can tell they put a lot of heart to every detail.

food was well executed. loved the ambience, cozy, intimate. great service. waiters were extremely knowledgeable, professional, attentive, unpretentious, and friendly.

impressive wine list – 09 St. Urbans-hof, Oekonomierat Nic. Weis, Mosel, Germany / riesling
as good as it gets. smooth, sweet, delicious, superb.

it’s always a good night when the wine is delicious.

instead of appetizers, bondir offers half portions of the entrees. this allows you try more variaty of their dishes.

everything is homemade here and everything is excellent!
we had:

Breads
9 Grain, The Sea, Barley Flour with Hops and Summer Herbs
the sea was awesome, made of seaweed.

Roasted Shallot-Pistachio Tart
Summer Vegetable Mignardises, Rye Berries, Herbs, Sorrel,
Mustard Oil, Toasted Pistachio Powder

Buckwheat Rigatoni
Braised Chicken and Chanterelle Mushroom Ragu with Lavender,
Garlic Scapes, Smoked Scamorza
this was my fave dish. the chicken was amazingly tender.

Scituate Striped Bass
Wax Beans, Roasted Fresh Onion, Guinea Hog Prosciutto,
Burnt Tomato Purée, Bronze Fennel Seed Lavash

Red Wheat Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe
Australian Perigord Truffle, Parmigiano, Fresh Pecorino,
Long Pepper

Lychee Sorbet

Chocolate Panna Cotta
Bitter Orange Mostarda, Angelica Gel,
Cocoa Nibs and Pistachio

i had an amazing night here. great food, great wine, and most importantly, great company. perfect for a date, she/he will be impressed. they do change their menu daily. i can’t wait to go back and take some pictures to share with you guys!

this place gets 5/5 bunny belly yay!

Bondir
Categories: French, American (New)
279 Broadway
Ste A
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 661-0009

http://www.bondircambridge.com/

Zaftigs Delicatessen @ Coolidge Corner Boston Brookline, MA

i haven’t been to zaftigs forever that i forgot how shitty their food is. my college friend came to visit me this weekend. i made a 1pm reservation at sportello for lunch, but we failed to wake up for it. we were trying to go to garden at the cellar but still didnt make it because they close at 2:30 for lunch. my friend still wanted brunch and another friend of mine suggested zaftigs. ive been to zaftigs once long time ago and i didnt remember their food to be as bad.

man, one of the worst brunch ive had in my life.

Borscht- disgusting

grapefruit juice. sour and diluted

Eggs Benedict – Two poached eggs and Canadian bacon on an English muffin, Hollandaise
was NOT fresh at all. over cooked eggs, cold/old cheese, hard potatoes. BAD

Empire Eggs -Two poached eggs, spinach, smoked salmon on potato pancakes, Hollandaise
potato pancakes were ridiculously hard. smoked salmon was overly salty and not fresh. over cooked eggs. bad cheese. old fruits.

this place gets 0/5 bunny belly. seriously, just go to mcdonald’s

Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Delis
335 Harvard St
Brookline, MA 02446
Neighborhood: Coolidge Corner
(617) 975-0075

http://www.zaftigs.com

after the shitty meal we went to the j.p. licks in coolidge corner for some ice cream. yum

Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
311 Harvard St
Brookline, MA 02445
Neighborhood: Coolidge Corner
(617) 738-8252

http://www.jplicks.com

The Gallows @ South End Boston, MA

i went to the gallows last nite for din din with a friend. plenty of parkings on washington st on a tuesday nite. when i got there gallows was pretty empty, but it started to get busy around 8pm ish.

loved the ambience and decor, very relaxing and causal. service was very friendly and attentive.

SCOTCH EGG

Daily Tacos – salty, meat was not tender, overall flavor was very disappointing

CHICKEN LIVER PATE – wasnt fresh, bread was soggy, weird taste

SMOKED BLUEFISH PÂTÉ – was not as bad as the chicken live pate but wasnt enjoyable either

GRILLED GULF SHRIMP – spice rub, chilled spinach, mango-cucumber sambal. shrimp was over cooked, overall flavor was kinda weird, but was the best dish of the night

SPIGARELLO BROCCOLI RABE- chili flake, lardo, preserved meyer lemon. extremely salty that we had to ask them to take back

THE THOMAS MAGNUM – miso mayo, spam, fried egg, toasted nori, wasabi gouda. meat was mushy, salty, and oily.

i really wanted to like this place because of the nice ambience and friendly service, but the food was TERRIBLE. i mean extremely terrible. very disappointing. i will not return.

this place gets 2/5 bunny belly

Category: American (New)
1395 Washington St
(between Union Park St & Pelham St)
Boston, MA 02118
Neighborhood: South End
(617) 425-0200

http://www.thegallowsboston.com/

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Tag Archives: american