[bostonian #5] : green street grill

nat was gracious enough to be ok w/ this photo,
despite being caught in the middle of chewing. merci!

nat is frequently one of my faithful partners in crime when it comes to food explorations, and i was fortunate enough to be graced by her presence last weekend, when she came up for a "let's see everyone i know in boston" weekend spree. i had heard about green street through over-heard conversations - people said it was a good place to grab drinks. someone might have also mentioned it was good for food. so when i told nat i knew of a place "somewhere on green street" that could be tasty but had yet been explored, my dinner partner was a good sport. we went to investigate.

yes, green street grill was a good option. the ambiance was cool and borderline romantic with the dim lighting and christmas string accents - it was fine w/ a friend, but i could imagine it being the right atmosphere with the right person, too.

neither of us actually got drinks (too sleepy already from the day), but the food sounded good (aka flowery menu descriptions) and, in most cases, was. nat's burger was juicy and had homemade potato chips on the side. my arugula and grapefruit salad was on the bitter end and probably wasn't the best choice, but it still worked.

although we did talk about food (and aspirations to be a food writer or go to culinary school if it weren't so self indulgent), it was more of an overall catch-up conversation, which is always fun. nat and i have actually been pretty good about keeping up w/ one another over the years, meeting up in the most random of places (from her grandparents' apartment to a japanese stationary store in nyc) and always having a good time :]

and she entertains my idiosyncrasies like taking photos at dinner, which helps.

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green street grill
280 green street (off of magazine st.)

[bostonian #3] : pho pasteur

rice vermicelli w/ grilled pork + spring rolls - one of the favorites

vietnamese food is one of my favorites, probably because of the unabashed presence of meat alongside crisp veggies and mint. mmmm... so when i got to choose the dinner venue pre-harry potter on friday, i asked quyen for a vietnamese place in chinatown and got pho pasteur as my answer.

although people always seem to think of pho when thinking of vietnamese, i personally think vermicelli first - not sure why, but it's my dish of choice. this one was pretty good - tasty pork that was still tender (although burnt in some parts) and plenty of crisp bean sprouts, fresh mint, and julienned cucumbers (some were scored - awesome). the spring rolls were a bit densely stuffed with more pork than anything else, but they were still pretty good.

otto enjoying his monster bowl of pho - the size of his head!

my stomach was full w/o being overfull, perfect for a pre-movie meal. i still like le's over in harvard square a bit more, although this was a good option and the long line outside was a testiment to its name (or the # of positive reviews on yelp.com).

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pho pasteur
682 washington st.
(bet. beach aka la grange + kneeland aka stuart)

my first meal

baked balsamic chicken + whole wheat penne, with broccoli along for the ride

this isn't to say that i don't eat or haven't cooked anything this past semester, but it's come to a point when the preparation of a full-out meal deserves recognition in my life. that's how life-swallowing school has become.

usually when i have a bit of free time, i can manage a simple stir fry or fried rice, the typical simple chinese comfort foods. when time is slimmer, i resort to dishes my mom ships to me (yes...she does do this even from PA) or sandwiches. when time is anorexic, i grab something from the student center - the food source of last resort.

but today, being the tail end of spring break, i was able to do a full-out trip to the grocery store and make what i would consider a real meal. i can't say it's culinary genius because it's not, but it was satisfying to prepare, smell it baking, and then eat afterwards. and it gives me enough for 3 more meals, which is great for anybody, not just busy grad students. i experimented w/ a variation on a recipe i had made before of baked balsamic chicken, with whole wheat penne and broccoli to go along w/ it. the baked tomatoes made the sauce a little watery, but all in all, it was yum. :D

for someone who likes taking pictures of her food, i could've plated my meal a bit better and gotten some better lighting. but a meal's photogenic-ness doesn't necessarily correlate with its taste, as i've learned.

+ + +

in other eating adventures, last night i met up with stef, a friend from college, and we ventured to casa romero, a quaint mexican restaurant recommended by quyen just off of newbury street. my enchilades verdes were tasty although not wow-making nor necessarily photo-worthy, so i'd say you could find better mexican elsewhere but it becomes worth it with the ambiance of the space itself (low ceilings, blue and white tiled tables, hand-painted animal masks on the walls). we also had ceviche for the first time, which was fresh and tangy but left me wondering what the hype is around it. maybe i need to try it elsewhere.