DOMANI --take two 6.16.07

Recently I went to Domani Bar and Trattoria again for their chef tasting menu. It was wonderful and I had met the chef after interviewing him recently. Great guy and wonderful delicious food!

It is a bargain steal at $50 a person (before drink, tax and tip) for four course and the fifth is dessert! I guess we got the royal treatment because we got to savor alot of great tastes. Our waitress was very attentive and everyone else was great. Our water was continually filled and on a Saturday night it seemed to be a quiet night.

We started out with raw oysters with a watermelon mignonette (a great refreshing combo with brine and sweetness). Next we got the seared scallops over two different colored beets (the orange one had a bit more flavor --yummy) and the other dish was dry rubbed salmon over a fresh peas and corn salad. It was great and I loved the fresh peas and corn! The pasta dishes (made fresh daily) were a tagliatelle with mushrooms (fantastic in its simplicity and taste) and asparagus the earthiness of the mushrooms were musky but an excellent accent. The potato gnocchi with tomato cream fresh peas created lovely flavors for me. My dining companion did not care for the raw garlic though.

With surprise, the chef brought out entrees--a lovely lamb chop served with figs (sweetness melded well with the meat) and the duck confit (with an Asian twist Peking duck style). Well the meat was medium rare and lovely with the grilled figy being fantastic! Plus the collard greens with the lamb chops added a very nice slightly bitter accent I enjoyed. My friend BN and I had to put down our forks to savor the duck confit dish. We wanted more and this dish was a home run for the both of us! SCORE!

The finale was a lovely plate of four desserts---mango pudding, chocolate fondue, tiramisu and grandmarnier cheesecake. After having the great food, you can tell the desserts are not the chef's territory. Though pleasant though lacked the punch of the other four courses. The grapefruit segments over the cheesecake cut the richness, the tiramisu was alright, the mango pudding was wonderful and the fondu was a bit cold.

**Food and Wine Magazine had hailed the chef Rene Michelena as Best New Chef in 1998! Since then he has worked at some great places among them Charlie Trotter and Dove.

I give this place a 10 forks out of 10 forks.

Shanghai Gate--Allston/Brighton

*Shanghai gate (exterior shot not mine---www.hiddenboston.com)

Not that long ago, I went to Shanghai Gate (204 Harvard Avenue, Allston, MA (617) 566-7344) with my mom. She head kept repeating to me wanting the "xiao lung bao" many times. After the tenth time, I got the hint. We embarked on a good 25 minute walk from my place. It was a cool Sunday afternoon for a June day. We got there by 1pm.

There were a few tables. I told my mom there were major renovations for this restaurant since I first ate there back in fall of 2005! There was picture of the owner with Daisuke, our treasured BOSOX pitcher. Later on that night, my sis told me she saw him at the airport.

Once seated, we got the "Xiao lung bao" or soup dumplings usually served with a gingery vinegar dipping sauce, west lake chicken, five spice tofu and leek pies. The two cold appetizers five spice tofu and west lake chicken were interesting. I LOVED the five spice tofu and both my mom and I ate it up. The west lake chicken did not do much for us. It was our least favorite. We tasted the wine in the marinade but holds lackluster in flavors compared to other Asian style chicken dishes I have had. The leek pies were good and the crust nice and crisp. There were plenty of chives and you could tell it was freshly made. The "Xiao lung bao" were good and mini sized. A bit on the pricy side compared to NYC but bursting with flavor and freshness.

We did get the sweet soybean milk. To my mom's taste, she thought it overly sweet. I thought otherwise, I said compared to others I have had it was just right.

Our server was friendly and explained things. When we noted the price discrepancy on the "lunch menu" and regular menu she said they had no issues. We just warned her that they should not show the "incorrect" menu to avoid some misunderstandings.

I give it 8 forks out of 10 forks.

*side story: He was cool and she did not know that D & G made gold plated razor phones! He was very polite and nice. Seems he was being sent ahead for the next time he was pitching but that day there was a game at Fenway. He was taking an American Carrier. When he came into Logan, it was not that busy. My sis did mention if it were not for someone recognizing him, she would not have known.

Mallorca Restaurant in the Warehouse District in Cleveland Ohio

Last weekend, I was in Cleveland with a good high school pal Jen H. We had a blast. But we did have a meal at Mallorca which was highly recommended by our hotel staff. The person did emphasize their service is impeccable! I had read they had garnered some food awards in the past.

After walking around a bit in Downtown and Lake Erie area, Jen and I were ready to have dinner. We entered around 9pm on a Saturday night and got seated immediately. (We are both used to waits for a table in DC and Beantown respectively). There was dim lighting, the decor was not to cluttered. The waitstaff was very attentive and made sure our water glasses were constantly filled. I even got to practice my Spanish a little.

We both opted for some soup---Jen the Spanish veggie soup and myself the gazpacho. This time around the gazpacho was very tart. After the first two spoonfuls it was delicious. After 5 or 6 I was worn down and not loving the taste. I would have preferred Tascas fresher, lighter taste with the hint of cucumber. As for Jen's veggie soup, it was salty and heavy on the bean and kale flavors. Next, we got salads with our meals which we did not know we would be getting. It was a decent plateful of mixed greens, raw red onions and tomato slices. I enjoyed the honey mustard dressing. Then our main entrees came out, Jen got the tilapia stuffed with crabmeat $26 and I got the surf'n'turf $39 with the petit filet and the lobster tail hailed from South Africa (of all places!). The lobster was fine, the petit filet was good. After talking to some people from Ohio, I had to have some steak. Just different from the ones eaten in Massachusetts. It was tender, did not need much chewing and very delicious. Jen's had a wine garlic sauce and the fish was good with the crab stuffing. The sides of rice---dry and lack luster. The veggies were at least not oil drenched and for that I was thankful. Just boiled veggies on a plate with no extra flavor.

We were stuffed after our meal so we had no room for dessert.

Overall rating of 7 forks out of 10 forks.

Though the food was uneven, the service and decor bumped up the score. In addition, the pricey menu did bring the points down a little. Jen gave them 6.5 forks out of 10 forks.

New Trendy Chinese Restaurant

My parents are always on the look out for new Chinese restaurants especially those that are near my apartment. If we go to Chinatown, we have to pay for parking, on top of just eating dinner and spending money on gas.

So this newly opened restaurant New Trendy Restuarant in Allston on Brighton Avenue (few doors down from Le's or former Pho Pasteur) has the New Business garlands with many red ribbons with gold writing wishing best wishes for the new business. The dining room is very welcoming and clean. We are welcomed with a plate of pickled daikon and carrots (a fave of mine). We get the "Lai tong" or soup of the day. My mom loves it as it is broth that takes a LONG time to make. I do not know what it is called but it is good. Next we have the fish with sugar snap peas. I like it. The sugar peas are still crisp and the sauce and fish are in a mild sauce. The grilled eel (with honey) get six pieces for $14 is good. But I would rather have unagi instead Japanese style. It does hold its own though. Then next is a dish with chicken "wong shan" I know my mom uses it in dried form for her herbal soups. I have never had it in fresh form. It is crispy as daikon or jicama but not too flavorful. But just for the health benefits alone I eat alot of it.

Dinner is ended with green bean soup, which is just right and not overly sweet. My parents want to come back again to try more stuff.

8 forks out of 10 forks

Anthonys in Little Italy or Murray Hill in Cleveland, Ohio

Anthony's gelato and lunch were awesome! I had a great time eating there with no frills prices, generous portions, and great food what more could you ask for?

I paid $3.50 and got two flavors gelato--one rum raisin and the other zabone (Italian custard). Excellent, not overly sweet and the flavors were just right.

Later on, even after walking up the few blocks of Murray Hill on the main drag of Little Italy, we opted to eat at Anthony's. We both got eggplant parm, I got two meatballs, and the cavaleri (penne paste in white cream sauce, cheese, artichokes and sausage) and we both shared an order of garlic bread. The portions were huge! (We were hungry!) The meatballs and tomato sauce were amazing! The cavaleri was yummy and the eggplant generously and delicous! We both got dessert and this time I opted for the sorbeto---grapefruit and lemon. I liked the tartness for both and it finished off a delectable lunch.

Even better is that we each only paid $15 a person for our whole lunch with tax and tip!

10 forks out of 10 forks

Domani Italian Bar and Trattoria -tasting menu

Last Wednesday, I hit Domani with my good friend Aud. I had met the Executive Chef Rene Michelena recently and thought him to be very cool. He actually won Food and Wine Magazines Best New Chef back in 1998 and has worked in our lovely nation's great restaurants including the luxurious Charlie Trotters in Chicago.

Entering the space, it is very cool and slick design. There is even a moped in one wall as part of the design. The open porch area is cool but it did get cooler as the night wore on. I decided to opt for the 4 course chef tasting menu. After inquiring with our waiter, I found out that it was actually five including the dessert. I wanted to say hello to Rene but he was not in and had the day off. I know how having a day off from work is SOOOO valuable! You treasure your time off from work! It is so important!

Anyways, we had a nice meal and the chef tastings menu was a deal at $50 for four courses (then the waiter shares it is actually five including the dessert). Our main waiter was very good who came over a few times and asked if we wanted to the door closed. See there are big open area and it was a cool night. We opted for it to stay open but it was nice to have great attention. There was one point, the host started moving our table then in the middle of moving our table asked if it was ok to do so. (Aud was not amused and thought it not well done of him). Otherwise, I had no problems with service.

Since I got the tasting menu, my friend would get her pasta dish after I had the first three courses of mine. (Usually not sold if not everyone is at the table getting it, but we were conducting a meeting so we were not in a rush.).

I was remiss in taking a pic of my caprese salad which was delicious! Cheese from Italy and the tomatoe and balsamic vineger etc were lovely. Following it, I got the ravoili with cheese truffle (very decadent) which was delicious! The texture of the pasta you can tell it is homemade! I am reminiscing the flavors the textures of the food I ate in Italy. YUMMY ! Next course, I had the indian spices rubbed salmon (not dry) but the fresh peas with roe accents were nice. The meat dish is the pork medallion over zucchini.

Dessert was the rhubarb shortcake. The fresh strawberries and cream were lapped up by moi. Unfortunately the rhubarb shortcake though lovely in taste was a bit on the "hard" side. I ended up not finishing it was TOO TOUGH!

I give the meal a 7 forks out of 10 forks because of the service (moving the table without informing us and the toughness of the rhubarb shortcake!).

Little Italy in NORTHEND----Cafe Victoria, Fiorentine and Gelateria

After some plans changed alot, I ended up meeting Ben and Lesl V for dinner. Before meeting up, I had a iced cappacino at Cafe Victoria. I love this Cafe that has been in the North End for a long time.

Plus the prices are inexpensive, atmosphere nice (depending on the newer side or older side) and the service, you can sit and enjoy your drink. Just have to flag down the server when you want to pay and leave. Just cash only and their pastries are far superior than the well known neighbor a few doors down "Mikes Pastries".

Hit Fiorentine with Lesl and Ben and after waiting a good half hour for a table on a busy Saturday night, we are seated in the basement. We immediately dive into the bread because we are so hungry. I get the $30 lobster tail, Chilean sea bass, clams, red sauce with spinach entree. We do share the fried calamari which was great! Ben got the rack of lamb and that was good. Lesl was just fixated on wanting to see me finish my meal and eat the lobster. Never having had grilled lobster before, the shell was brittle. I did not have an apron but it was not hard to eat overall.

I thought the service, atmosphere and food were great. What I got was a great deal! Tons of seafood and great value! I give this place 9 out of 10 forks.

I need a gelato fix and I have been wondering how the Napoli style gelato place Gelateria just up the street is (two doors away from Cafe Victoria). I read about them last year. After coming back from Italy last year, I have been in search of a good gelato place. (Athans serves some good stuff for a good price). For a pricey $4.50 I did get a big portion of two flavors of gelato tiramisu and pistachio. But all I could taste was sugar. The decor was cool and hip. Once you sit at the table in the back, you are enveloped in some very strong AC.

4 forks out of 10 forks-Gelateria (on Hanover Street)