Grilling for Greenhorns

The other week, while my girlfriend and I were running errands, a friend called and invited us to a Grill Your Own Meat Dinner. We were right by Roche Bros so we checked out their meat counter. While I'm not a fan of having a grocery store prepare my meals, I couldn't resist the temptation of their pre-formed burgers and shish kabobs. I ended up ordering several different marinated chicken kebobs and two burgers that were stuffed with bacon and cheese. When we got to our friend's grill, I unwrapped our lazy BBQ feast. Everything smelled terrific. At first taste, the food was a little disappointing, knowing that we could have made them better, but for buying everything pre-made, we were impressed. The chicken marinades had flavor, but they were too bland for my liking. The same went for the burger-- it was good, but needed more bacon along with some other spices. But even though I could make better, I know that I'll be back for more a few times this summer. I recommend these prepared meats for the lazy and the pressed-for-time master grillers.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Shopping • West Roxbury

Kebabs and Kofte for Everyone

I have passed by this place so many damn times, and always thought I should check it out. Then, one day, when my girlfriend put orange blossom water on the grocery list for a dessert she wanted to make, I figured that the Bay Sweets Market might have it, Middle Eastern grocery as they are. When I walked in, the first thing I did was drool over all the baked goods and kebobs. The second thing that I did was kick myself in the ass for not stopping here sooner. I walked out with the orange blossom water along with a lamb kebab, several pieces of baklava, kofte, and a few of other meat and cheese-filled baked goods. All I can say is that I learned my lesson; I’ll never pass this place again without getting at least a few kofte.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Shopping • West Roxbury

Donna's Cakes

Ever take a bite of a cake and say to yourself, “Something’s wrong?” You know, the cake part’s fine, but the icing has that Oleo taste, as if it were made from rocket fuel (Twinkies actually are). Or the icing is fine, but the cake part is dry, like someone just let all the air out. Donna’s Cakes gets cake and icing right. Synchronicity. The cake is moist yet firm, but the real standout is the icing. All butter cream. You can eat it by itself, I do. Donna has been creating masterworks for 18 years. She started by taking a class in a cake-maker’s home and she did the same before opening this storefront in quiet West Roxbury. Give Donna an idea, and she’ll make it reality. How about a beehive cake with bees swarming around the hive? My four-year old cousin got treated on his b-day with a construction site cake. The toy bulldozer pushed a pile of dirt (chocolate cake crumbs). Now, thanks to technology, she can even put a computerized image on your cake if you so desire.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Shopping • West Roxbury

Marinated Olives + More

MaSoNa Grill is one of those places that suffers only from location. The food is really good. The pizzette appetizers are crunchy and fresh, the marinated olives are redolent of Spain(!) and the beet and apple salad is a perfect dish for this time of year. It’s located behind Roche Bros. supermarket, next to the commuter rail in West Roxbury. I happen to like restaurants that serve chicharrones with dignity. MaSoNa is very distinctly a grill, the leg or lamb brochette is very good and aesthetically pleasing in presentation (it’s served with cilantro rice, carrots and a green chimichurri), and a fair representation of the rest of the menu is New American with a distinctly South American flare. If you’re in the pseudo-burbs, check it out.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Restaurants • West Roxbury

Mess 'O Italian Food

This place is a small storefront purveyor of old school Italian food with an interesting approach. Essentially what they do is process all the old standards—eggplant parm, lasagna, ziti, mozz, ricotta, etc.—in a blender, cover it with melted cheese, throw it into a half-tray and call it “the mess.” Both apt and completely awesome. They have about 30 different varieties of messes with your favorite nonna-style addition from spicy sausage, meatball, cutlet to unthought-ofs that are essentially as Italian as, I don’t know, a fiat driven by the pope. You can order messes by the serving, half-bucket, and full bucket. The prices are more than reasonable, and you could feed a family on a half-bucket for a week. One suggestion: better take your acidophilus before you go.

Link It  •  Print It  •  Email It  •  Post a comment

• More Info & Map

Restaurants • West Roxbury