BFB "Homework" #1 and a Giveaway!

A couple weeks ago, I sent out the first BostonFoodBloggers.com newsletter. (You can view it here if you're not on the list; there's also a subscribe link near the upper left corner if you'd like to receive future newsletters right in your inbox. They'll be going out twice a month or less.) Each newsletter is going to have a "homework assignment" - a blogging prompt that'll hopefully get bloggers thinking outside of the box a bit. Completed assignments will be featured in the following newsletter and on BostonFoodBloggers.com. Since newsletter #2 is going out later today, I figured I should probably complete the assignment myself as well. The task: a restaurant review of 500 words or less with no photos, just descriptive language. For extra credit, words like "tasty" and "delicious" should be avoided.

My review follows, and details about a completely unrelated giveaway are below that!

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Coriander Bistro: A Multi-Use Name

My hometown of Sharon, Massachusetts lacks nice restaurants. I can count the non-fast food spots on one hand, or maybe two. No matter; my family virtually lived at Mandarin Taste anyways, so there was no need for options. A few years ago, there was much excitement about the opening of an upscale French restaurant, Coriander Bistro, right in the center of town. It did well, but not well enough. Now under new management, Coriander is still Coriander, but it serves Indian and Nepali food, owned by the same people as West Roxbury’s Himalayan Bistro. The name seems a bit more relevant now, as coriander is found in Indian food more often than French food.

When I was home for a quick visit last weekend, we decided to pull ourselves out of the Mandarin Taste routine and finally try Coriander, which has been receiving encouraging reviews. We arrived at noon for the lunch buffet, a mistake. Like most Indian restaurants that offer a buffet, Coriander completely dumbed down its menu, offering only the most stereotypically American-accessible dishes. The line of copper pots held chicken tikka masala, chicken tandoori, chicken biryani, vegetable pakora, and the other usual suspects. The only “daring” dish in the line-up was a goat curry. There were no Nepali dishes, which I found very disappointing.

Our favorite: chicken tandoori, tender and flavorful. The biryani was the blandest I’ve had, and the chicken tikka masala texture was off. The buffet accompaniments were solid: garlic naan, soft and warm and glistening with butter, plus a surprise order of dosa, crispy potato-stuffed crepes. I found the kheer (rice pudding) to be an acceptable sweet ending, but my dining companions barely touched the gazar ko haluwa (carrot cake) that they had taken.

The ambiance suggests more hand-me-downs from the previous owner than just the name. The straight-backed chairs and layers of white and pale green tablecloths suggest a banquet hall (or stuffy French bistro, perhaps) rather than a taste of India, but the Taj Mahal poster loudly reminds you where you are. Subtle wood carvings do accent the walls nicely.

My experience seems at odds with the reviews I’ve read, and I’ll refrain from making a real judgment until I’ve ordered from the full menu, which features a wide range of Indian dishes (from several regions of the country) and Nepali dishes. From this experience, though, I’d recommend skipping the buffet.

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And on a completely unrelated note, I have a $10 HSN Gift Card to give to a reader. The fine print: it's valid for HSNTV or hsn.com purchases, it can't be combined with other offers, and it expires soon - 4/30/2011. HSN provided this gift card to me as part of promotion for HSN Cooks Spring Weekend Event (presented by Bon Appetit), happening this weekend (March 26-27). HSN describes this weekend as the "ultimate kitchen and food shopping experience with celebrity chefs and culinary experts presenting high-quality kitchenware, time-saving appliances and tasty cuisine." (It is also aimed at "women who enjoy cooking." HSN, I'm sure it's true that your target demographic leans heavily toward women, but perhaps "people" would have been a better choice here. I know plenty of men who enjoy cooking, and maybe some of them are interested in the latest kitchen gadgets.) Anyway, featured chefs include Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Padma Lakshmi, Ken Hom, The Lee Bros., and Jacques "Mr. Chocolate" Torres.

Want the gift card? Here's how to enter; the first one is required and the others are optional:

1. (Required) Check out hsn.com and leave a comment here about what you'd like to buy.
2. Tweet about this giveaway (must include link). Leave a comment here to let me know that you've done so.
3. A little bit of BFB cross-promotion: sign up for the BostonFoodBloggers.com newsletter here:

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The giveaway ends this Friday (3/25/11) at noon.

Rangzen Cures Everything

I hate to throw around cliches and overused terms like "hidden gem" and "delicious" - and since I used "delicious" in my previous post I'll avoid it today - but Rangzen, a tiny Tibetan place in Central Square, qualifies for "hidden gem" status as far as I'm concerned. First of all, it actually is kind of hidden in a literal sense, tucked away on a side street with an unassuming exterior. Joel had been there before - a friend used to live right above it - but it took a bit of wandering for us to find it. (I'm not sure how his friend survived living there. I think I'd have to eat there every day...and there's a lunch buffet. Very dangerous.) Joel's band was scheduled to play later that night downstairs at the Cantab, so we were looking for something light enough to not weigh us down but heavy enough to soak up the beer that would be consumed later. We were also still suffering the effects of a late gig we both played the previous night - our folk band, The Bowties, played a house party in Cambridge. It was our first gig, so there was much partying and whiskey-drinking afterward. Rangzen cured our tiredness, hunger, and pretty much everything else that ailed us. (Ok, I had a little help from 5-hour energy.)

Upon walking into Rangzen, we were immediately hit with a comforting wave of smells; the scents of Tibetan spices seem to have almost magical aromatherapy powers. The restaurant is very cozy, and not in the real estate way of describing a tiny, cramped apartment. Yes, it's small, but not uncomfortable unless you're waiting for a table. Shivering from the unseasonable cold, we warmed up with some darjeeling tea. It was prepared with milk and tasted like a less-sweet chai. It came in a mug with a little cap on it, I guess to keep it warm. For some reason, I found it adorable. They also have a traditional Tibetan tea called Poecha, which is made with butter, milk, and salt (not sugar). I wasn't in a very adventurous mood last time, but I'll definitely give it a try next time I go.

We split an order of Sha Phaley to start: Tibetan-style whole wheat bread stuffed with minced beef, cilantro, and garlic. (Speaking of cilantro, did you see this April 2010 article in the New York Times? Apparently there's a possible genetic predisposition for hatred of cilantro. Until recently, it never occurred to me that there was such a love/hate divide. I enjoy it, but I never realized that the flavor was strong enough to evoke such a response. If you're on the hate side, don't wander into Somerville's Tacos Lupita. I was there last week and there was a large table quite literally covered with a mountain of cilantro.) Anyway, back to Rangzen. The bread was good! Maybe it was a bit heavy for an appetizer, but I ended up getting a vegetarian entree, so I wasn't completely overwhelmed.

Joel ordered the Langsha Chow: noodles sauteed with beef, shredded cabbage, carrot, red onion, cilantro (there it is again!), tomato, scallion, spinach, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, sprinkled with cilantro (yes, more). It had some similarities to a Chinese lo mein dish but with less grease and more flavor. I got Bok Tsel: baby bok choy and shogo (potato) sauteed with ginger, garlic, tomato, onion & spices. The flavors were nice and light, and it was more substantial than I imagined a vegetarian dish would be (in a good way).

The menu is full of other dishes I'd like to try. A few potential highlights: pan-fried momo (dumplings) with chicken or beef, spinach, celery, ginger, garlic, and cilantro; spinach soup with tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, and lime juice; and tomato mango salad with red onion, green apple, cilantro, and lime juice. The menu does seem to lean heavily on the ginger/garlic/cilantro/onion combo of flavors, but fortunately, it tastes good!

Bonus recommendation: Joel says the mango lassi is great.

MiniBite: A Pumpkin-y Post

...just in time for Halloween!  Or, early for Thanksgiving!

Pumpkins, pumpkins.  I've tried to acquire a taste for them, but I'm just not there yet.  Once, I did have a pretty good pumpkin soup - served in a pumpkin! - on a Rochester dinner cruise along the lovely Genesee River.  (I'm using the term "lovely" loosely here.  When I rowed on the crew team at the University of Rochester, rumor had it that if you dipped any limbs in the water, they'd come out infected or mutated.  A giant mutant fish did jump in the boat once, right behind my seat, flopping against my back.  I had to stop rowing to toss it overboard.)

Anyway, back to pumpkins.  I wanted to give them another chance this year, so I gladly accepted an offer of a sample* of Pumpkin Pie Fudge from Phillips Candy House, "Boston's Oldest Chocolatier."  Phillips also sent me some chocolate-dipped jack-o'-lantern-shaped Peeps. YES! I'm a big fan of Peeps in moderation, but if you eat too many in a row, they start tasting pretty gross.  I had never tried chocolate-dipped Peeps, so this was an exciting sample to receive!

First, the fudge:

Look, it's in the shape of a pie slice!  Cute :)  And I liked it!  Made of pumpkin puree, it actually tasted like real pumpkin, and it was very nicely spiced.  The chocolate crumb crust balances out the pumpkin nicely.  Pumpkin alone probably would have been too much for my taste, but I'm still on the fence about pumpkin flavor in general.  I'm sure all you pumpkin lovers out there will really enjoy this fudge.

Next, the Peeps!

I shared these with my bandmates before a rehearsal a few nights ago.  "Peeps suck, but these don't suck so bad," said Andy.  So there you have it!  The chocolate is an improvement over regular Peeps.  It was a very mild milk chocolate, so it seemed to tone down the obnoxious sugary Peep flavor that so many people dislike.

According to the Phillips Candy House website, they "continue to make artisan chocolates and other confections by hand and in small batches, using only the finest and freshest ingredients," which is pretty awesome, so I'm happy to report that I really enjoyed these samples.  If you buy anything from Phillips, I'd encourage you to consider a Yoouukk! Bar as part of your order.  Phillips is donating 100% of the net proceeds from this chocolate bar to Kevin Youkilis' "Hits for Kids" charitable organization, which supports charities and organizations focused on kids' health and well-being.

In other pumpkin-y news, I just picked up some bottles of Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, "a full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar," to bring to a Halloween party.  I've never had it, so I'll update this post once I've actually tasted it, but I'm a big fan of several other Dogfish Head beers (60 Minute IPA, 90 Minute IPA, and Raison d'Etre) so I have high hopes for this one.

Some other local pumpkin finds (Except for the last one, I have not tasted these; I've just heard about them or found them online):

-Cinna Punk vegan cupcake at Kickass Cupcakes (Davis Square, Somerville) - "sassy pumpkin spice cupcake with cinnamon frosting"

-Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino at all Starbucks locations (Sorry, I know Starbucks hardly counts as local.) - "a delicious blend of pumpkin and traditional fall spice flavors combined with the finest coffees, blended with ice and topped with whipped crème and pumpkin spice spices."

-Pumpkin and pumpkin pie cupcakes at Sweet (Harvard Square and Back Bay) - Pumpkin: "Sweet's fall classic, fresh moist pumpkin cake topped with traditional cream cheese frosting and topped with a cinnamon sugared pumpkin seed" and pumpkin pie: "Graham cracker crust, rich pumpkin cake and a dollop of homemade whipped cream topping sprinkled with nutmeg complete the Sweet cupcake version of this favorite autumn pie."

-Kaddo at The Helmand near Kendall Square - "Pan-fried then baked baby pumpkin seasoned with sugar and served on yogurt garlic sauce, topped with ground beef sauce."  I've had great food at The Helmand before, but I've never tried this dish.

-Pharsi Ko Tarkari at Mt. Everest Kitchen in Allston - I went to this restaurant with a bunch of friends back in January, and it had just re-opened under new management, so our server kept bringing us delicious free stuff to try in addition to our meals, including a wonderful pumpkin dish that sort of looked like baby food but tasted really good.  "Pumpkin sauteed in veg. oil, ginger, garlic, spices & coriander."

Happy Halloween!


*I accepted a free sample from Phillips: a slice of fudge and some Peeps.  On occasion, I do receive free stuff, and I will always disclose when I'm writing about something I received for free.  I am in no way obligated to write about free stuff I receive, and if I do write about it, I'm not obligated to write a positive review.  This review, along with everything else in my blog, is my completely honest opinion.

Mt. Everest Kitchen

You should really just skip this whole blog post and head over to Mt. Everest Kitchen immediately because it's awesome. It's also under new management, so if you've been there in the past, now would be a good time to give it another try. I hadn't been there before, but our server, who just took the restaurant over from his uncle, said that he had redone the interior and was in the middle of revamping the menu.

Not only did my friends and I get to try tasty Nepali food, we also got to learn about the culture. Our server (and the new owner) - I think his name is Amrit - kept bringing out complimentary dishes for us to try as he taught us all about the food, how it is made, how it differs from other similar cuisine, etc.

We started out the meal with Mo-mo (dumplings) - one order of meat dumplings, one veggie. Each order came with one soup. There were four of us and only two soups that were supposed to come with the dumplings, but our server generously threw in a couple extra soups so we could all have one.

We also got several orders of rooti, which we thought was like a "croissant-y naan." It looked and tasted like naan but with an extra flavor, sort of buttery.

While we were filling up on tea, bread, soup, and dumplings, Amrit also brought out some veggies in an orange sauce for us to try. I think the dish is called "achar" and it was a flavor I've never encountered anywhere else. If I'm looking at the correct dish on the menu, the sauce is a roasted sesame seed paste with cilantro, chili, and turmeric.

Finally, we moved on to the main dish, even though I think we were all pretty full already. Ben had a flavorful goat stew. He enjoyed it, but would have liked it to be a little more tender. Meredith had a chicken curry described as "typical Nepalese style" on the menu. It was similar to Indian food, but the Himalayan spices lent a unique flavor. Julia had a vegetarian dish of bamboo shoots and potatoes cooked with Himalayan spices, and I had a delicious lamb and potato curry.

Just when we thought we could not eat another bite, Amrit gave us yet another dish to try - a pumpkin dish. Did you know pumpkins grew in the Himalayas?? I'm not normally a pumpkin fan, but I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. It had the consistency of baby food, but we all found ourselves enjoying it immensely. "It would be a travesty if the baby food went to waste," said Julia as we were all on the verge of giving up on finishing everything.

The ambience was very cozy, featuring nice music and a mouthwatering smell. It was sadly empty the night we were there - no one else came or went throughout our entire meal. Please go check this place out! I really hope it succeeds.

There is a weekend buffet - I'm not sure if it's lunch, dinner, or both - so try a weekend if you're not sure you like Himalayan food. If you like Indian or Pakistani food, though, you'll almost definitely like this too.

Here's a fun fact - I was too busy stuffing my face to pay attention, but Julia recalls Amrit saying that in Nepal, they churn butter using bamboo stalks.

On our way out the door, Amrit gave us some sinus-clearing cloves which we chewed (and some of us spit out) as we walked down the street to the White Horse Tavern for pub trivia.

Address: 182 Brighton Ave in Allston (a pretty short walk from the Harvard Ave stop or the Packard's Corner/Brighton Ave stop on the Green Line B)
Phone: 617-254-4912

What do other bloggers think? Check out:
Les Gourmands du South End: At the peak of good eats at Mt. Everest Kitchen!