Ramen @ Yakitori Zai | South End Boston, MA

went to check out yakitori zai ramen on a lazy sunday afternoon.

click here for my full Yakitori Zai post.

Yakitori Zai serves ramen from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

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plum wine
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tongkotsu ramen – chashu braised pork, nitamago, tonkotsu soup

best out of the two. broth was relatively rich.
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shoyu ramen – shredded chicken, onsen tamago, chichen broth

the flavors werent rich/deep.

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ramen @ yakitori zai was very average and very over priced. i dont think i will return again for their ramen.

Yakitori Zai
Category: Japanese
315 Shawmut Ave
(between Union Park St & Waltham St)
Boston, MA 02118
Neighborhood: South End
(857) 350-4450

http://www.yakitorizai.com

Yakitori Zai on Urbanspoon

Journeyman | Somerville, MA Boston

went to journeyman couple weeks ago
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poached egg
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veggie dumplings
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beef
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probably one of the worst dessert ive tasted. very salty and weird tasting
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this hazelnut one was pretty good.
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Journeyman totally didnt do it for me. nothing i had was memorable. portions were small; ingredients did not work well together and lacked flavors. service was friendly but slow. dinner was really unsatisfying.

Journeyman
Category: American (New)
9 Sanborn Ct
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 718-2333

http://www.journeymanrestaurant.com

Journeyman on Urbanspoon

Mexico Trip: Day 2 Chichen Itza & Valladolid

rise and shine!!!!
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well, someone didnt rise

this is our mexico trip day 2 road trip to chichen itza.

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cancun to chichen itza is about 200km. we took highway 180D. the tolls cost about 400 pesos, about $40USD. locals dont take this highway, they take 180 which is a local road. there were rarely any cars on the 180D; we only saw 5 cars the whole way through.
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half way to chichen itza, we got pulled over by a local (fake) police. he asked for my driver’s license and papers. he checked everything and he said ‘good!’ pointing to my drivers license and rental paper and said ‘problems’ pointing to the seatbelt and my two friends in the back. he busted out a book looked like a bible. its all in spanish but im guessing its their ‘road rules’. he was pointing to this one sentence and it says 1000 pesos (90 USD) next to it. basically he was asking for 1000 pesos because 2 of my friends in the back werent wearing seatbelt. we know for fact and checked online that only the driver has to wear seatbelts in mexico. he asked for 900 pesos and we just pretended we dont understand what he was saying. then he lowered his price to 500 pesos and started yelling us. i know we were getting ‘robbed’ and i wanted to just drive off, but he actually had a small hand gun on hanging from his belt which was probably fake. i didnt wanna risk it so we offered him 200 pesos. he suddenly had this BIGGEST HAPPIEST smile on his face and started to shaking each of our hands vigorously. he was absolutely thrilled to take the money which almost convinced me the 200 pesos was totally worth it to make this amigo this happy.

we got stopped another time on our way back, but he let us go cuz my friends in the back were wearing seatbelt this time. so make sure you buy your insurance and wear seatbelts. it doesnt matter what the laws are. in country like this, the locals are the law if you dont want more trouble. we also saw what real police looked like when we passed by couple check points. they were all carrying ak-47s or some sort, not some small hand guns.

anyways, it was a pretty smooth drive to chichen itza besides the police incident.
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so yea, pyramid Kukulkan is one of the new world’s 7 wonders. we hired a guide and he explains a lot numerology behind how its built which i cant remember any of them now. like how many staircases are related to how many days in the season or the calendar blah blah blah. it’s pretty interesting. check out this web is you are interested to find out more about it: http://www.numeralgame.64g.ru/numtr/numtr7en.htm

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when you clap right in front of the pyramid, you can hear an echo sound of a bird.
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this is the original ground level.
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Temple of a Thousand Warriors
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*gross animal warning! quickly scroll down if you hate lizards*
*gross animal warning! quickly scroll down if you hate lizards*
*gross animal warning! quickly scroll down if you hate lizards*
*gross animal warning! quickly scroll down if you hate lizards*
*gross animal warning! quickly scroll down if you hate lizards*

lizards are everywhere in mexico
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the wall
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Cenote Sagrado

ancient mayans would conduct sacrificed during times of drought. gold, jade, clothes, and skeletons of children and adults and other good stuff have been found in this cenote.
our guide told us there are about 6000 cenotes in the area.
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these ppl hustle so hard too, even offered me mayan boyfriends
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sorry to bore you guys with so many picture i promise this is the last one
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this was the hottest day out of the 6 days we stayed in mexico. they dont sell any water or any food related items in the park so we were dying by the end of our tour. as soon as i got out of the park, i got this slushy thing. life saving.
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now was lunch time, we headed to Valladolid for lunch and more cenotes.
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a lot old beetles in mexico
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city of Valladolid
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oh yesssssssss! street food!
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when the dude handed this to me, there was a hair stuck in my sandwich. oh well im in mexico. i wolfed it down without having a second thought. it was alright.
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oh yesss! fruit! all peels and cut for your convenience. told you there are true professionals! too bad the mangos were sour.
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The Church of San Servacio
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we walked by a few fancy americanized looking restaurants, but i wanted to eat at where the locals eat! we asked a local looking amigo he pointed us to this food court.
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it was a tough job ordering food since we barely spoke any spanish. my man charles got the job done yay.

watermelon, papaya, banana milk.
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we all argued that our own drink was the best.
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ground beef
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they recommended this. sausages were super dry and disgusting taste.
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bland, but probably the best out of all.
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everything all together was only 210 pesos = less than 20 USD. cheapest meal of our trip but also most terrible tasting meal. the meat was all dry, flavorless. on top of that, there were a million flies kept flying and fighting for food with us.
locals dont necessarily good. lesson learned.
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after our lunch, it started to rain. i stopped by the Church of San Servacio briefly to take some pictures.
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our original plan was to visit cenote zaci, but it started to rain really hard so we settled to visit somewhere closer.
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we also got stopped by some kids asking for money smh

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i am claustrophobia, so this kind situations really scare me to death. took me forever to get down, i was almost in tears.
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i believe this was Cenote Xkeken. im not 100% sure cuz i forgot the name.
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one of my biggest regret during trip was not bringing my swimsuit. i left them in the car because it was raining so hard so i wasnt in the mood of swimming before i got there. i thought it would be an open air cenote, but it was actually a cave. trust me, you would wanna swim there. i couldve returned to the car and picked up my swimsuit, but i didnt wanna go through the hole entrance again. terrifying.
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so i watched my friends and the fish swim. fml
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that pretty much ended our day 2.

on our way back, we missed the exist to get on 180D paid highway, so we had to take the local route. you have to pass 20 villages on the local road. whenever you hit one village, there are these massive speed bumps that can make your car fly if you dont stop for them. there were also dogs, cats, chickens, children, bikes running around the street, i almost killed a few.
then it started pouring and our wipers BROKE!!!!!!!!!! the worst thing could possibly happen when driving in rain!!!! charles took over and he had to manually turn on and turn off the wipers all the way back to our hotels. it was supposed to be a 2-hour ride but it took us almost 5 hours to get back to the hotel. mexico’s water system is terrible, it was flooding everywhere. I was complaining how expensive the toll was on our way to chichen itza, but on our return trip I realized the toll was super worth it. I’d even pay double to avoid driving through these villages.
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if it werent charles, me and tingting would never make our way back to cancun. charles is the man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what would we do without him. sorry ladies he’s taken!
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we got back to our hotel in one piece thanks to charles. we settled for room service
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some quesadilla
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tacos, pretty decent.
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charles and erica flew back to LA the second morning.

hated to let them go but next up: day 3 snorkeling at isla mujeres!!!!!!

Mexico Trip: Day 1 Cancún & Dinner @ Cambalache

hola!! sorry ive been MIA for a while because ive been busy hustling night and day baking selling french macarons (click here!!!)

my friend tingting and i also went on a trip to mexico 2 weeks ago, so next a few posts will be on our trip to mexico. i took 6,586 pictures throughout our entire trip. its taking me forever to edit them because the weather was terrible, im trying to photoshop some sunshine in so you guys dont feel depressed looking at my pictures.

before i start, i just wanna thank tingting (she single ready to mingle :) )) for going on such trip with me, down for anything: hunting for the good food that never existed, ready to go under any bad weather and dangerous road conditions, taking care of me, hearing me complaining about the bad weather day and night, probably sick of watching me running naked in our room for 6 days or jus seeing me for 6 days 24/7 in general, calling room services and doing all the talking for me cuz i hate talking to strangers. one of the hardest thing to find in life is a friend that you can travel together. most times friendships break at the end of the trip and im speaking from experiences. a true friend that can pack up and go on adventures with you anytime to anywhere is priceless. <3

we chose mexico not only because we wanted go somewhere tropical, its gotta amazing culture and history.

this was our original plan, but we couldnt follow it due to the bad weather.
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day 1

although the plane ride was like a roller coaster, we did arrive to cancun on time and picked up our luggages after they were sniffed by police dogs. i reserved one rental car on expedia.com with thrifty car rental one week before the trip. their counter was right outside the gate and they drove us to the thrifty location to get our car. as soon as you get on the van, there are two $5 bill sign that says ‘tips’ right in front of your face. tipping starts from here.

its illegal to drive in mexico without liability, so we purchased liability and the lowest damage coverage just to be safe. we got a standard sized car because their cars are pretty crappy so we didnt wanna risk the economical ones. safety first. everyone drives a volkswagen here since they are made in mexico?

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we were staying at the ritz carlton in cancun. the road from the airport to our hotel was an easy drive. signs and directions were super clear, we got to our hotel no problem.

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our oceanview room
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i like this fridge
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my friends charles and erica happened to be in cancun at the same time so we decided to meet up for dinner and visit chichen itza together the second day.

charles and erica stayed at Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach
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charles and erica had been to mexico for 5 days already when we got there. they were super sick with mexican food and tacos in particular. they wanted to try this Argentinian Steakhouse that someone recommended.

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margarita and some wine
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tuna and octopus carpaccio
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sucking pig – not too flavorful
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tender skirt steak – not so tender
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rib eye – this was the best piece of meat of the night
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tenderloin brochette with bacon, peppers and onion
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me charles and erica
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me and tingting
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we werent really impressed by Cambalache, but the service was great. maybe choosing to eat steaks in mexico was a bad idea to start with.

Cambalache
Blvd. Kukulcan Km. 9 (Plaza Forum), Cancun 77500, Mexico

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g150807-d792804-Reviews-Cambalache-Cancun_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

http://www.cambalacherestaurantes.com.mx/

after dinner we walked around the area.
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we decided to get a few more drinks and call it a night to get some good rest for chichen itza the 2nd day.

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i have to say that mexicans are the true hustlers. they try to sell you stuff and keep you entertained any second. true professionals. this lady was trying to sell us tequila shots. after the 20 attempts, we finally decided to buy her tequila shots. she would feed you the shot then after you took the shot, she would spin your head, squeeze and shake you boobs/nipple (if you were a guy), then shake your butt. she was super aggressive, couldnt stop her from what she does. i have to say $5 was well worth it after all that.
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this is all for our first night in cancun. next up: chichen itza, one of the world’s 7 wonders, and city of valladolid

Kaju Tofu House | Allston Boston, MA

had been wanting to try kaju tofu house for a long time, but the long lines jus too crazy for me. one day i was really craving for soondubu, so i decided to wait.

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this is my fave banchan – sweet potatos, love it so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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galbi – super low quality meat, look at all that fat. meat was hard to chew.
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We ordered two soondubus at two different spicy levels, but they all tasted equally spicy. It was super bland, one of the worst soondubus ive ever had. Even my Korean friends agree with me. Boston Korean food disappointed me once again, kaju tofu house never again.

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Kaju Tofu on Urbanspoon

Kaju Tofu House
Category: Restaurants Korean
58 Harvard Ave
(between Cambridge St & Franklin St)
Allston, MA 02134
Neighborhood: Allston/Brighton

(617) 208-8540
http://www.kajutofuhouse.com

The Beehive | Brunch | South End Boston, MA

ive been to beehive couple times at night for drink but always wanted to check out their brunch. they have live jazz brunch on saturdays and sundays. we took my mother to beehive for mother’s day brunch.

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we sat right in front of the stage section. it was a little too loud to have a conversation.
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beehive

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mimosa
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moroccan cigars, lamb-filled phyllo springrolls
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short rib, farmhouse cheddar & fontina grilled cheese
this was terrible. meat was not tender and the bread was dry and as thick as my pillow.
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smoked salmon eggs benedict – very average.
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the beehive prime burger, frites, slaw, gorgonzola, bacon
this was good comparing to other things we had
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a full stomach of food
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the food was disappointing, but we did enjoy the live music at beehive. i will continue to come here for drinks at night. check out their website for live music events.

The Beehive
Categories: Jazz & Blues, American (Traditional), American (New)
541 Tremont St
(between Hanson St & Milford St)
Boston, MA 02116
Neighborhood: South End
(617) 423-0069

http://www.beehiveboston.com

The Beehive on Urbanspoon

Bronwyn | German Sausages and Beer/Wine | Somerville, MA Boston

highly anticipated Bronwyn opened up in Union Square last night. we were lucky enough to get a reservation. i am a huge fan of t.w. food in cambridge. bronwyn is wiechmann and her husband’s new venture. i was super excited for the german wurst and bier meaning sausage and beer in german.

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the bar opens til 1am
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we sat in the back room, a european feel.
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i like the chairs
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couple beers were sold out already by the time we got there around 830pm

Ayiner – hefeweizen
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i was in love with this grapefruit beer. i usually dont like fruit beers, but this one was really good.
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house made sausages: not overly salty and very well flavored.

Bierwurst – pork, egg, spice.
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Kielbasa – coriander, garlic, pork
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Smoked Soft Shell Crab grilled chestnut, red onion relish, cucumber sauce
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Knödel bacon bread dumpling, fiddlehead purée – i didnt really taste the bacon tho
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Biernudeln dark beer pasta, artichoke, mustard, blue cheese
somehow i misread the dark beer pasta as deer pasta, so i was expecting deer meat at the entire time. -_-
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Jagerschnitzel thin veal schnitzel, foraged mushrooms, walnuts, honey
i really liked this dish.
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Oat-honey Challah, Rye Roggenbrot, Bauernbrot, juniper-sesame crisp, butter, sea salt
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chocolate cake – i liked the richness of the chocolate, but i found the cake was a lil bit too floury
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since it was our first time there, we wanted to sample a variety of dishes. although everything we had was FANTASTIC, i would probably skip the pasta, desserts and some of the starters next time. they have an extensive list of german beer and wine. i would come in for drinks and order bunch of their house made sausages and maybe a pretzel if im super hungry. just now as im writing up this post, i realized i didnt try any of the rieslings!!! i freaking love german riesling. ughhhhhhhhhhhhh how could i not try any?! service was awesome, fast, and accommodating! cant wait to return to try their riseling and more beer!

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Bronwyn
255 Washington St
Somerville, MA 02143

http://www.bronwynrestaurant.com/

Bronwyn on Urbanspoon

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Asta | Back Bay Boston, MA

it was pork belly’s birfuday last thursday so we decided to celebrate it at Asta.
Asta, standing for Alex & Shish’s Taste Adventure, is Alex Crabb’s first restaurant after serving as sous chef at L’espalier for over five years.

parking wouldve been a pain, but fortunately they share the valet at Deuxave next door.

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we sat at the ‘bar’ overlooking the kitchen. i loved the setup. it felt very cozy like i was dining at someone’s kitchen.

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asta only offers tasting menus available in three, five and eight courses. they allow everyone at the table get different tasting menus which was awesome. ive read good reviews on the 5 course tasting and someone mentioned the 8 course was ‘overly conceptual’, so i was curious about that as well.

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2008  Schoenheitz riesling ‘lisenberg’ alsace
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duck heart, green almond milk, carpaccio
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8-course tasting #1. oyster smoked and raw with celery juice
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5-course tasting #1. peas with sheep’s milk cheese from vermont and mushrooms.
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8-course tasting #2. after the storm: seaweed pasta, salmon roe, lemon mussel foam.
this was probably one of the ‘conceptual’ dishes. i loved it! when chef alex brought the dish, it smelled like the ocean. i was a fan of the lemon mussel foam, the whole dish tasted like ocean it was awesome. i loved it how it incorporated visual, smell, and taste.
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the chefs were super friendly
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8-course tasting #3. poached arctic char with ramps and cheeries.
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5-course tasting #2. asparagus with egg and ajoblanco
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8-course tasting #4. quail – escagot was stuffed in the quail, green garlic, and fava leaves. this was another one of our faves.
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5-course tasting #3. scallop with farro, blueberries, and coriander. the scallop was fabulous
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8-course tasting #5. sweetbreads – cepes & shimeji mushrooms, sugar snap peas.
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2012 ch. d’Or et de Gueules ‘les cimels’ rose rhone – i wasnt a fan of it
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5-course tasting #4. beef ribeye with chopped herbs, stinging nettles, and baby radish.
i thought this was a lil underwhelming and bland. the ribeye was very well executed, but i was looking for a kick to the flavor that it’s lacking.
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8-course tasting #6. lamb with beets & scallions – same thing with the lamb: very well executed but a lil bland.
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8-course tasting #7. campari stewed rhubarb with ricotta, pink peppercorns and white chocolate. im not a fan of rhubarb, but the flavors worked well together.
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coconut cream pie. super dericious. the sweetness was just right.
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5-course tasting #5. swiss roll – chcolate, passion fruit, tobacco. im a sucker for passion fruit, this def hit the spot. rich and creamy dark chocolate with passion fruit filling. ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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8-course tasting #8. almond and apricot – rosemary milk. this was served warm. super dericious and satisfying as well.
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bunny cookies ;) )))))))) hehehehehehe
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asta

i had a great meal at asta. food was light, dericious, creative, and unique in terms of the ingredients, smell, presentation, and taste. the unfamiliar ingredients connected surprisingly well together. the presentation was beautiful. i dont think they were ‘overly conceptual’ either. its like alinea in chicago, they combine food with art. i totally dig it.
like i mentioned before, i totally love the ambience and kitchen setup. very cozy, relaxing, and entertaining. staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating. although i wish couple dishes had more flavors, the overall experience was excellent. i will def be back.

Asta
Category: Restaurants American (New) American (New)
47 Massachusetts Ave
(at Marlborough St)
Boston, MA 02115
Neighborhood: Back Bay

(617) 585-9575

http://www.astaboston.com

Asta on Urbanspoon