Second Chances: Fish Market in Allston

Decided to give Fish Market a second try. I really had high hopes.

Well, it resulted in a 40 minute wait for our food, and “meh” cuts of fish in my chirashi. I was pretty disappointed. I was really hoping that maybe the first time we went, the restaurant was simply having an off-day. Guess I was wrong.

This is just an addendum to my Boston sushi rant… Pretty disheartened at the moment.

Unexpected in Madrid: YokaLoka

One afternoon, Jonathan and I were strolling and browsing through Mercado Antón Martin when we stumbled across YokaLoka. We are obsessed with sushi, but we were in Madrid. And in Madrid, you eat like the Spanish, not the Japanese. After a few minutes of convincing (Jonathan: We’ll just have a few pieces, it’s kind of like tapas, right?), I caved in. After all, it was the first sushi restaurant we had seen so far, and how good can sushi be in Madrid?

Boy, was I wrong. The sake was amazing - it was extremely high quality, and the best part, you could easily taste that it was fresh! I guess that’s the great thing about being located in a fish market in the Iberian peninsula, fresh seafood all the time. Since we ordered the sake (I’m all about the salmon), we had to order the anago too (Jonathan’s all about the eel).

I’m not a huge anago connoisseur, but according to Jonathan, it was great. If you can get his picky approval on eel, then you’ve really done something right.

Unfortunately, there were slight downsides to everything else but the fish - the rice was not properly cooled, the pieces wobbly shaped, and the nori ripped like a 5 year-old. But the Japanese YokaLoka ladies were so kind - they tried to speak English with us, served us complimentary drinks, and even green tea chocolates! It’s hard to come by such hospitality at dining establishments, especially in Madrid.

If you’re a tourist in Madrid, you probably shouldn’t eat a full meal here. After all, you’re in Spain! But if you’re a local, and you just can’t resist some good sushi, YokaLoka is a stop you need to make.

They point to the fish to clarify that “toro” is not bull, “jajajajaja”.

Jonathan excited for sushi!

Can one have way too much Japanese food?

I didn’t think it was possible, but at Minado… it is.

Minado is a special trip when you live in Boston: you have to drive 30 minutes out to get to Natick where the restaurant is located by the Natick mall (not IN the Natick mall). I rented a Zipcar just for the occasion and waited 35 minutes to be seated.

Honestly, I never enjoy buffets (which if I haven’t mentioned yet - Minado is a “Japanese Seafood” buffet) simply because I can never get my money’s worth and when food is mass-produced so quickly, quality tends to spin off. But I have to say, Minado was one of the more enjoyable buffets I have been to. They had good broccoli tempura, tasty side salads (seaweed salad nom!), and a really good green tea froyo machine! Unfortunately, the sushi was a complete miss, but what can you expect when you’re standing in line watching a group of Mexicans hurry back and forth trying to make a spicy dragon roll, shrugs. (Not being racist or anything…) I don’t like rolls, but if you can’t get a roll right, a nigiri might be even harder.

I expected not to have great sushi, so it wasn’t a major disappointment. With that said, Minado was actually above my expectations! Would I go back? I don’t know… I stuffed myself until I was sick… (But I still left room for dessert.) Maybe if I am feeling adventurous enough - because going to Minado requires a steel stomach and an ambitious eating mindset.

A Review for Brunch at Gaslight Brasserie

I wish I had photos to share, but by the time I realized I needed photos, I had eaten everything on my plate. Gaslight Brasserie is exactly that awesome.

In the South End, Gaslight is the Aquitaine Group’s “neighborhood Parisian brasserie” aka upscale French dining. It’s moderately priced and has a great old-meets-new vibe. A girlfriend came to Boston for a visit and suggested having brunch, and if I have never mentioned this before, brunch is my favorite meal - leaning more towards the breakfast side. One of my friends has always raved about Gaslight’s brunch offerings, but I have always been hesitant to go because of its popularity, which naturally means long lines.

I finally decided to suck it up and met my friend there. The wait wasn’t too long because we were still early (the restaurant opens at 10AM), and I was happy to find that they have a first-come-first-serve bar that has full menu service.

Some people have claimed that Gaslight serves the best coffee in Boston, and though I cannot confirm that, I definitely agree that the mocha I ordered was perfect - foamy milk, chocolaty smoothness, and the right amount of espresso. Service was also great - I originally ordered a coffee, but changed my mind, and before I could say something, the waitress brought over a coffee, then nicely changed it to a mocha for me.

The food was phenomenal. My girlfriend and I split a croque madame and a vanilla french toast stuffed with sweet fromage blanc and maple syrup. Gaslight can make a mean (and fancy) ham and cheese sandwich! The ham was sliced deli thin, and the bechamel sauce added great flavor. Although I didn’t eat the part with the egg on the croque madame, I bet it really tied the sandwich together. As for the french toast, I will never make french toast the same again! The fromage blanc (also known as fromage frais) was injected into the middle of the toast, and it was such a pleasant surprise! The toast was also topped with a vanilla bean sauce, which made the toast even sweeter and richer. Topped with maple syrup? It was the best…

The estimated wait time for brunch was 45 minutes, so I can’t imagine dinner without a reservation, but I will definitely make my way back. Gaslight has now won a special place in my heart, and may be competing with Lineage for favorite Boston restaurant.