Fruits and Vegetables

Latest Articles

Review: Thornton's Grille

Giving people what they want
Restaurants are notoriously difficult businesses to start up, with survival rates not unlike those of small countries with larger, hostile neighbors. But some people know how to put them together so they'll stick around awhile.
By BILL RODRIGUEZ | June 29, 2010

Review: El Parque

A Mexican oasis in Portsmouth’s Island Park
Recent talk of favorite eateries turned to places with "a good vibe." That certainly holds true for El Parque, a relative newcomer to Portsmouth’s Island Park neighborhood.
By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | June 22, 2010

Review: Basho Japanese Brasserie

A tasty fusion of new and traditional Japanese fare
Weirdly situated in the Fenway, this large restaurant from the owners of Back Bay's Douzo conveys an immediate sense of space well apportioned, with the minimalist fascination of the best haiku.
By ROBERT NADEAU | June 24, 2010

Playing Thai-alai

Fast-moving small plates engage at Boda
The writer Stephen Metcalf recently suggested that the cult of cultural authenticity has reached a tipping point analogous to our desperate search for oil.
By BRIAN DUFF | June 16, 2010

Review: Nico

An average North End destination with a sweet ending
The North End can be touristy, it can be posh, it can be authentically Italian, it can be nostalgically Italian-American, it can be snooty white-sauce Italian, and sometimes it can be charmingly (or not so charmingly) vulgar.
By ROBERT NADEAU | June 20, 2010

Lee's Place Burgers

A great hamburger stands out against millions of awful ones
Americans eat more than a billion hamburgers each year, most of them at fast-food restaurants. That's a lot of bad, sad burgers.
By MC SLIM JB | June 20, 2010

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Savor the flavors of beer

Beer is a chef’s best friend
Beer makes everything better, even food. And not just as an accompaniment to food, but as food .
By JOSH SMITH | June 16, 2010

Review: Wu's

Turning up the heat in Westerly
When I heard that Wu’s was the favorite restaurant of a vegetarian acquaintance, I thought we might give it a try.
By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | June 08, 2010

Bombay Club

A favorite local Indian eatery finds a new home
As we were on our way home from dinner at Bombay Club, Mrs. Nadeau said, "We didn't try any curries — we missed that."
By ROBERT NADEAU | June 09, 2010

Review: Café Latino

Heaping plates of fine Puerto Rican fare in an easy-to-miss spot
It pays to keep a sharp eye out for good cheap food; I often fail to notice worthy places right under my nose.
By MC SLIM JB | June 09, 2010

Live to be 106

The Nicaraguan secret: tortas de espinaca
Jenny Sanchez learned many of her magical dishes, including chancho frito and gallo pinto (previously featured here), from a family helper when she was a young girl.
By LINDSAY STERLING | June 02, 2010

Review: Temple Downtown

From graffiti to Gorgonzola
Temple Downtown certainly has gone through changes.
By BILL RODRIGUEZ | June 02, 2010

Review: Coppa

A complicated conception with a delicious finish
One of the strange features of the Great Recession is the incredible complexity of down-market maneuvers.
By ROBERT NADEAU | June 28, 2010

Bergamot

A perfect complement to Somerville — or, for that matter, anywhere
I guess the experimental-chef thing isn’t over, after all. At least not at Somerville’s Bergamot, the chosen sobriquet of which is “progressive American cuisine and a warm neighborhood setting.”
By ROBERT NADEAU | May 24, 2010

Griyo Lakay

Abundant, heart-warming Haitian fare awaits intrepid diners
My first visit to Griyo Lakay, a tiny Haitian restaurant near Franklin Park, reminded me of playing an adventure game: “You enter a storefront furnished with four booths. There are no signs, menus, customers, or staff in sight. At the back is a counter on which rests a hand bell.”
By MC SLIM JB | May 20, 2010

Lee’s Store and Bakery

Another worthy source for one of Boston’s best budget sandwiches
I’ve long relied on Web sites like Chowhound and Yelp for tips on new restaurants.
By MC SLIM JB | May 14, 2010

Russell House Tavern

Tastes good, looks great — no gimmicks necessary
For a place with major, major foot traffic, Harvard Square has proven to be a tricky spot for restaurateurs.
By ROBERT NADEAU | May 12, 2010

Yasu

Tiptoeing into the shallow end of the Korean-cuisine pool
I adore Korean “BBQ”: marinated slices of raw meats that you cook on a little grill inset directly into your tabletop.
By MC SLIM JB | May 05, 2010

Buddachen

Jae’s grill is reborn with pan-Asian zen
The Web site says “modern Asian bistro” and the other description they’ve put out is “ultra trendy modern Asian cuisine.”
By ROBERT NADEAU | May 05, 2010

La Masseria

Exemplary Italian fare in East Greenwich
The first thing to say about La Masseria is that, despite its name meaning “farmhouse” and its décor focusing on earth tones with exposed brick and pitchfork tines hanging on one wall, it’s a beautiful space.
By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | May 05, 2010

Woodward at Ames

Ben Franklin meets a supermodel? Go with it — it works.
The Woodward is the slightly quieter upstairs of the Woodward Tavern, a high-concept downtown café-bar based on the idea “Ben Franklin meets a supermodel.”
By ROBERT NADEAU | April 29, 2010

Café Nuovo

A celebratory eating adventure
Café Nuovo is one of those places you go to celebrate.
By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ | April 21, 2010

South End Buttery

From Viennoiserie to veal: a local bakery grows up
South End Buttery started with cupcakes and coffee, but opened up a dining room below street level two summers ago, and has since gradually taken on more serious cheffery.
By ROBERT NADEAU | April 29, 2010

Cafe Mamtaz

Bracing subcontinental flavors burst into Southie
You have to admire pioneers in the restaurant business like Pho Republique, which took a big risk in 1999 by opening in a half-gentrified corner of the South End.
By MC SLIM JB | April 14, 2010

Second act

Veranda opens an excellent Noodle Bar
One of the fundamental principles of marketing is that since competition is inevitable, you might as well be your own rival.
By BRIAN DUFF | April 14, 2010

Tremont Street Cafe

Just your typical South End deli/bakery/cafe/juice bar/gelateria/organic convenience store
Many budget restaurants I review have a single-item focus: hot dogs, banh mi, zapiekanki. They say, “We do one thing, and do it really well.” Then there are the Swiss army knives.
By MC SLIM JB | April 07, 2010