Day 54 Dinner at Asmara Restaurant in Central Square MA

 






Stuffed Tomato - $8.95
Whole tomato stuffed with spiced rice.

Ahimilti Bebaynetu- $16.95 (per person)
Vegetable Combination - Cabbage, yellow split peas, spinach, chick peas, lentils, and tomtato salad.

One of my favorite neighborhoods is Central Square in Cambridge, not just for the great shops and people watching but also for its vast array of restaurants and pubs. The ecclectic choices leave one wondering where to settle on for dinner. Well once again my friend Lina made a wonderful suggestion for us. I had always wanted to try Ethiopian food, and she recommended that this would be a great place to try it for the first time.

The staff was very friendly and informative. They seemed happy to answer questions about the different foods you see pictured above.  The first thing to start off with is that Eritrea cuisine (which shares the same custom of food with Ethiopia) is eaten with your fingers or with a delicious bread called Injera. Both dishes shown above are actually served on top of the bread and you brake off the edges to scoop up a portion of food. The amazing parts where the food is sitting on, is just soaking up all the flavor from the amazing spices.

We started off with stuffed tomatoes , stuffed with rice and a spicy tomato sauce. These were delicious and it was our favorite part of the meal. The spicy blend of rice and sauce was delicious, the tomatoes cooked perfectly. Served on top of a salad, this alone would make a great meal.

We got the same entree which was a veggie combination of spinach, split peas, chick peas, lentils , cabbage and a spicy tomato salad. the dish also came with spicy and mild accompanying sauces.  The entree is visually appealing and has a very authentic feel to it. The cabbage and spinach were lovely, but if i had to pick a favorite it would be the yellow split peas. I could eat them with all sorts of dishes.
The whole experience was lovely and a refreshing change of pace from the usual restaurants you might frequent because you aren't sure where else to go.

The next time you are feeling adventurous and looking for delicious food, try Asmara restaurant, you won't regret it.  i know i didn't !

have a great night and an even better meal.

Kevin B.


http://www.asmararestaurantboston.com/menu.html

Day 53 Dinner at The Korean Grille in Quincy Center

 

Shumi	7.95
	Steamed round shrimp dumplings, served with a soy dipping sauce

  

Japchae	12.95
	Clear sweet potato noodles with beef, chicken or seafood with assorted vegetables

 side dishes served with our entrees, top left(radish ), top right (cabbage), lower left bean sprouts,  lower right cucumber

 

Tofu Bu Sut Gop Dol Bi Bim Bap	13.95
	Tofu shitake mushrooms & Vegetables over rice in a ho stone pot

I must 1st admit i am not an avid asian cuisine fan, i think most of my problem is i grew up eating only the basic appetizers and entrees. I was never adventurous about ordering meals outside my comfort zone. Well writing this blog, i have forced myself to step outside the box.  So when my friend Lina suggested Korean food at a restaurant i probably walked past 20 times without ever realizing it was there i thought this was a great opportunity for something new.

Korean Grille, is a very quaint restaurant with maybe seating for 25-30 people.  Nice ambiance and the staff friendly and knowledgable.  We started a meal with an appetizer, the shrimp dumplings with soy dipping sauce,  very tasty and perfectly cooked. A perfect appetizer, tasty but not too big that you are too full for your meal but also not so small that you wonder did you have anything to eat in the first place.

Lina had the Tofu Bu Sut Gop Dol (# 37 on the menu) , her go too meal here and for good reason. It looked and smelled delicious. Served in the crock that it was cooked in, and with a fried egg on top. The heavenly aroma equalled its flavor, as Lina enjoyed her dish very much.

I had the Japache with seafood, the picture above does not do this meal justice. The meal came with amazing sweet potato noodles( a new favorite, the texture is nice and absolutely delicious) it was served a lovely medley of veggies and seafood (shrimps of different sizes and some mussels).  The accompanying side dishes pictured above came with all sorts of different sauces ( which i apologize i don't have much details on) the cabbage was a little spicy but the radish was my favorite, the sauce was delicious.  The side dishes were such a great companion to our entrees.

Before this dinner i was not too familiar with Korean food and now i must say i can't wait for my next opportunity to try this delicious cuisine.
If Korean food is something you are interested in trying for the first time or if you have had it before and are looking for somewhere new to try, i can't recommend Korean Grille enough.

have a great night and an even better meal.

Kevin B.


http://koreangrille.com/?page_id=2

Day 52 Dinner at Life Alive in Cambridge , Central Square

 The Lover (filling bowl)

 Loco Coco Alive (smoothie)

Well my journey to my first vegetarian started with a new health kick i have been on….Kale.  A vegetable i have long considered a four letter word. But with the help of my blender and some different fruits and veggies, i was trying to have kale based smoothies for breakfast a few days a week. 

Upon hearing of my new kale kick, my friend was kind enough to recommend a wonderful little restaurant in Cambridge's Central Square called Life Alive, that specializes in making different types of meals (Bowls, wraps, salads, juices and smoothies) using all organically grown fresh vegetables. 

they specialize in making meals that will taste great and use the kind of ingredients that help recharge your battery & your soul.

Well i said if i am taking this health kick seriously , i have to check this place out.  Well i owe her a debt of gratitude because while i am not a big carnivore , i do normally lean towards meals that have a lil meat. We both had the above listed "The lover" filling bowl,  consisting of kale, brown rice, shiitake mushroom, shredded carrots & beets, and broccoli with an amazing ginger nama shoyu sauce (on a side note this sauce is ridiculous, and i would pretty much eat anything that was smothered in it. 

The combination of the veggies went well together and for the price you get a perfectly cooked meal, in a very generous portion. I had the amazing smoothie shown above for my beverage.  

The loco coco alive…Wow, better than any milkshake i ever had. So creamy and flavorful. It consisted of Dandi Blend,raw cacao,  coconut oil, ice cream ( coconut milk based, non dairy ) and rice milk.

The whole meal was heavenly, i was full after but not the kind where you don't want to move after, the kind of full where you know you ate just the right amount. The freshness of the veggie was clear in the look and texture but also the flavor. The staff was overall good and informative of their products. The restaurant is clean , nicely decorated and i have to say the huge display of their vegetable stock behind the counter is a nice touch (and speaking as someone who does a veggie garden every year, i could only dream of a crop as nice as what they were using for their meals). 

I have to say this was a very nice surprise ( thanks again Lina) and i can't wait to go back to Life Alive again.

have a great night and a better meal.

Kevin B. 

http://lifealive.com/LifeAlive%20Poster%20Menu%202-23-15.pdf