Dining chat with Alison Arnett, Nov. 29, 2006

Alison_Arnett: Welcome. We all love to dine out. But finding the right place -- great food, fine ambience, and at a price that fits your budget -- can be a puzzle. This is your chance to explore the possibilities -- what's new, what's great, what's best for a romantic evening, where you might want to take the clan for a holiday treat. Ask away.

mr_natural: Hi Alison, Why don't restaurants serve fish cowder anymore?
Alison_Arnett: There are several that serve good chowder -- the many Legal Sea Food restaurants, Jasper White's Summer Shack restaurants, and other places that serve chowder for specials. Are you asking only about "fish" and not clam chowder?

steve: the no name has great fish chowder, not a fan of the rest of the menu, but their fish chowder is fantastic
Alison_Arnett: That's good to know. No Name is one of those old reliables for certain dishes. And there's nothing like fish chowder on a cold winter day.

boston2: Hi Alison, what is a great Thai restaurant in Boston or Cambridge? I love atmosphere as much as food. I'm also looking for a really great Lebanese food restaurant. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Alison_Arnett: Thai restaurants abound in the area. Brown Sugar on Jersey St. has an interesting menu and good looks -- not so much the Brown Sugar on Commonwealth. Patou in Belmont Center (I know you asked about Boston or Cambridge) is a really sleek-looking place with a nice wine list and great food.
Alison_Arnett: The Lebanese mom-and-pop's that used to be all over the place seem to be disappearing. Sheryl Julian recommends a Persian place -- the food would be very similar -- in Watertown -- Jasmine Taste of Persia.

pal: In the North End, who do you think makes the best pizza ?
Alison_Arnett: Good pizza can be scarce. There's Pizza Regina, of course, and Umberto's. Beyond that, Antico Forno, with its wood-fired oven, does a good pizza. You might want to try Nebo, with new-style pizzas and bruschetta. It's on the edge of the North End on North Washington.

billyray: Hi Allison. Any specific food trends for dining out in the middle price range you see in the coming year?
Alison_Arnett: Mid-price is actually the trend. I'm amazed at the prices for entrees at some restaurants, when many established chefs and restaurateurs are coming out with menu prices under $20. There's Cafe D in Jamaica Plain, the new Z Square in Harvard Square. Rendezvous in Central Square has an impressively reasonable price point, and Bin 26 Enoteca on Beacon Hill is another. Of course, you're not getting steakhouse portions at some of these places, but the creativity is much higher.

Bill_Clinton: is blue ginger worth the price?
Alison_Arnett: I went back to Blue Ginger last year for a friend's birthday -- not for work and not on the Globe's tab. We thought the food was excellent and Ming Tsai was working the line. Yes, it's a lot of hype, but worth it.

sweetpotato: What is your recommendation for good seafood paella in the cambridge/somerville area?
Alison_Arnett: I'm not going to have any surprise recommendations -- a full seafood paella is a production and not many places do it. Dali in Somerville, Toro in the South End, Solea in Waltham all are worth trying.

bri1981: my 16 year old sister in law has her semi next friday night, they want to go out to eat after but are having trouble finding a oplace that is inexpensive but nice since they will all be dressed up in formal wear. do you have any suggestions?
Alison_Arnett: Can you give me an approximate location? And a price point?

bri1981: do you have any suggestions for north of Boston, we are in Stoneham so Rt 1 may be easier than boston?
Alison_Arnett: The old Wei Lu's is back in business -- not sure what the name is. But it looks impressive.
Alison_Arnett: Otherwise, the Rte 1 places tend to be chain restaurants.

foodgal: I do have a new pet peeve when it comes to dining out. When no one says "goodbye" or 'thank you' - what do you make of that?
Alison_Arnett: Not saying "good-by" and "thank you" is very bad manners, and a sign that the management is not paying attention to business. That attitude will hurt business -- at least it certainly would mean I wouldn't want to come back.

emily: i've heard mixed reviews on the cactus club. alison, what is your take on it?
Alison_Arnett: It's a gin mill and a meat market. Sonsie at least has a chef with a resume.

Bill_Clinton: what are some good barbecue places in the area, besides redbones?
Alison_Arnett: Soul Fire in Allston gets good reviews from the Cheap Eats writers.

dsh: Where is the best steak in the city?
Alison_Arnett: I like Grill 23. But steak is steak and all the steakhouses do a credible job. Not as good as my brother's custom-raised beef, but ...

bri1981: she lookeg in to Jin old Wei Lu's it is really good, but she didn't like the idea of the buffet. how about anything north of Boston
Alison_Arnett: Instead of offering specifics, I'm going to suggest areas. Beverly has quite a few restaurants -- I like Soma -- as does Salem. So she might investigate those cities.

Jules: Ever been to either of the Bottega's? Little Italian places, the one in brookline village is superior to the cooldige corner one, but both have amazing pasta sauces and great sandwiches for cheap! Love those places!
Alison_Arnett: Haven't been but hear the food's good.

bob: Can you suggest some places with salad bars or BYOB in Greater Boston?
Alison_Arnett: Don't know about salad bars. Most cities and towns in the state don't allow BYOB, so that's why you don't see it much here (parts of the Vineyard are an exception.) That's too bad but the restaurants can't do much about that and keep their licenses.

chickie: Are there any restaurants in the Boston area open on Christmas Day?
Alison_Arnett: Hotel restaurants are open on Christmas Dayand some of the Legal Sea Foods. Although a few offer special Christmas Eve dinners -- UpStairs on the Square in Cambridge, La Morra in Brookline -- most places are shuttered on Dec. 25.

laurel2: Can you recommend a restaurant not to far from the Melrose/Stoneham area that offers decent food that is not expensive and not a chain
Alison_Arnett: Medford has quite a few ethnic restaurants -- Chilli Garden and down the street a Korean restaurant (don't know the name)plus some in West Medford.

Jules: What is your take on Union Street in Newton? Are the new owners going to change the menu a lot? I always felt like the old regime tried to do too much with the place, and everything was mediocre, rather than settle on a strength. They spread themselves too thin. Any prognosis on the new guys so far?
Alison_Arnett: Can't really answer that. It might be easiest just to call up and ask them. Restaurant owners are usually happy to describe what they're planning --- not that it always pans out.

allstonma: I recently moved back to Boston after living in the south for a number of years - I miss eating real Mexican food, are there any places in/around Boston that have good fish tacos or good queso?
Alison_Arnett: A real problem here. There are a few places that are authentic -- in that Mexicans are involved in the restaurants -- Tu y Yo in Somerville, Cilantro in Salem, El Charro in Jamaica Plain, El Serape in Braintree. The fish tacos at El Pelon on Peterborough st. are good, though there's no one Mexican involved. And the four Tacos Lupita -- Somerville, Revere, Lawrence, and Lynn -- are Central American but quite good and cheap.

twist: Where would you go for lunch to get a sense of Boston during the holidays?
Alison_Arnett: Locke-Ober is wonderfully Boston. And the North End is fun because you can poke around the salumerias before or after you eat.

Bowser: Any recommendations for the western suburbs? We tried Tomasso in Southboro, had one great meal and one not so great.
Alison_Arnett: The western suburbs are booming with restaurants -- Quince in Needham, Chiara in Westwood, Incontro in Franklin (really far west). And, of course, Lumiere and the Metropolitan Club in Newton.

Bowser: For laurel2 -- there is a fabulous mexican place in Medford called Tu y Yo. It's not a tacqueria (no burritos) but it's not too expensive and the food is excellent.
Alison_Arnett: Thanks for reinforcing that. Tu y Yo a sweet place and sometimes overlooked.
Alison_Arnett: It's time to wrap up the discussion. Thanks, all of you, for chatting. I hope I answered a few questions and gave some useful suggestions. Let's do it again!