7 courses of fish at Anh Hong in Dorchester, MA

7 courses of fish

So I adore the Vietnamese style 7 courses of beef. Imagine my surprise to hear of the great 7 courses of fish. To some, it might sound great. But I did enjoy my recent outing (back in good ole Fields Corner--where the GOOD Vietnamese food is to be had) with my good friend Anne. We went to Anh Hong Restaurant (291 Adams Street, Dorchester -617-265-8889). We met up on a week day for lunch. (I figured it might be too much for dinner. The restaurant space has many tables and not overly decorative. The service wasn't overly attentive and they did come when needed (probably did not hurt we were after the usual lunch rush). The whole process of 7 courses of fish took an hour and half at least. (Not the type of meal to rush.). Plus Anh Hong is the only location in Dorchester that serves 7 courses of fish.

The first two courses are the fish (Red snapper) is cooked in 1) vinegar fondue like bath (first way) and 2) saute the fish pieces in butter (Second way). After the fish is done, you dip the rice paper into the hot water (quickly once is enough). Then you add on the vermicelli, the herbs (mint, cilantro etc), cucumber, green apple, bean sprouts etc). You are given a dipping sauce (consisting of fish sauce, pineapple bits, sugar). The third way is fish "cooked" in citrus juices ( a la ceviche style) over a bed of shredded daikon and carrots topped off by peanuts. The next few you can wrap up per cooking styles one and two (by this time my dining partner and I were getting stuffed we opted not to wrap anymore). We had fish meat wrapped in Hawaiian leaf (grilled) on a stick and another way is just grilled grilled ground fish meatballs. The final way is fish in a soupy congee (very nice light ending to a great OMEGA3 ridden meal). (I am missing one way, I am forgetting right now).

If you are adventurous and want to try, I think you should. Wrapping the food in the thin rice paper rolls takes practice. I notice you cannot be too greedy and put too much (just collapses on you). You have to put your items sparingly to have a decent rolled piece to consume. Practice makes perfect and what an enjoyable meal. At $29.95 it is a deal (must be for 2 people at that price) and for the amount of food you get---not bad.

Petit Robert Bistro

Hot French Bistro on the BLOCK

Last night, I met up with my friend JM ---first time in over a year and half since we last saw each other. We hit the new kid on the block and heavily reviewed (all over the Boston publications last month and this month) ---the ever hot----Petit Robert Bistro. We arrived before the dinner rush and on a Wednesday night, it was very busy and bustling by 7pm. Our water was attentive and host was funny. This space is cramped and tiny off of Kenmore "T" stop and near Commonwealth Hotel area. We started with Foie Gras (14.95) (yummy) a good piece with rhubarb seared to perfection and the trio of pate (7.95). All the pate were made in house served simply with mustard. Very pleasant, but my fave was the foie gras hands down.

Upon suggestion from our waiter, we got the LAMB and the DUCK CONFIT (made in house). Please remember the chef worked at Maison Robert (now shuttered). Both were splendid. I got a good piece of duck , crispy skin phenomenal sauce over a nice complementary cabbage arrangement. The lamb slices were over some veggies and mashed potatoes. The portions were huge but reasonable for the prices with main entrees not topping $20.

According to a recent review, the reasoning is a bistro shouldn't have overly expensive prices. It sure fits the bill. The going rate is for the desserts and they all were under $10. I sampled the LEMON SOUFFLE served with a blueberry sauce. It was perfection being light and airy--delectable. My friend got the warm apple tartin---which was lovely as well.

The company and the atmosphere topped with great food made for a wonderful experience! I would recommend this place!