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Fruits and Vegetables

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Review: Thornton's Grille

Restaurants are notoriously difficult businesses to start up, with survival rates not unlike those of small countries with larger, hostile neighbors. But some people know how to put them together so they'll stick around awhile.
Giving people what they want
By BILL RODRIGUEZ  |  July 02, 2010

Review: El Parque

Recent talk of favorite eateries turned to places with "a good vibe." That certainly holds true for El Parque, a relative newcomer to Portsmouth’s Island Park neighborhood.
A Mexican oasis in Portsmouth’s Island Park
By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ  |  June 25, 2010
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Review: Basho Japanese Brasserie

Weirdly situated in the Fenway, this large restaurant from the owners of Back Bay's Douzo conveys an immediate sense of space well apportioned, with the minimalist fascination of the best haiku.
A tasty fusion of new and traditional Japanese fare
By ROBERT NADEAU  |  June 25, 2010
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Playing Thai-alai

The writer Stephen Metcalf recently suggested that the cult of cultural authenticity has reached a tipping point analogous to our desperate search for oil.
Fast-moving small plates engage at Boda
By BRIAN DUFF  |  June 18, 2010
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Review: Nico

The North End can be touristy, it can be posh, it can be authentically Italian, it can be nostalgically Italian-American, it can be snooty white-sauce Italian, and sometimes it can be charmingly (or not so charmingly) vulgar.
An average North End destination with a sweet ending
By ROBERT NADEAU  |  June 18, 2010
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Lee's Place Burgers

Americans eat more than a billion hamburgers each year, most of them at fast-food restaurants. That's a lot of bad, sad burgers.
A great hamburger stands out against millions of awful ones
By MC SLIM JB  |  June 18, 2010
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Savor the flavors of beer

Beer makes everything better, even food. And not just as an accompaniment to food, but as food .
Beer is a chef’s best friend
By JOSH SMITH  |  June 18, 2010

Review: Wu's

When I heard that Wu’s was the favorite restaurant of a vegetarian acquaintance, I thought we might give it a try.
Turning up the heat in Westerly
By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ  |  June 11, 2010
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Bombay Club

As we were on our way home from dinner at Bombay Club, Mrs. Nadeau said, "We didn't try any curries — we missed that."
A favorite local Indian eatery finds a new home
By ROBERT NADEAU  |  June 11, 2010
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Review: Café Latino

It pays to keep a sharp eye out for good cheap food; I often fail to notice worthy places right under my nose.
Heaping plates of fine Puerto Rican fare in an easy-to-miss spot
By MC SLIM JB  |  June 11, 2010
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Live to be 106

Jenny Sanchez learned many of her magical dishes, including chancho frito and gallo pinto (previously featured here), from a family helper when she was a young girl.
 The Nicaraguan secret: tortas de espinaca
By LINDSAY STERLING  |  June 04, 2010

Review: Temple Downtown

Temple Downtown certainly has gone through changes.
From graffiti to Gorgonzola
By BILL RODRIGUEZ  |  June 04, 2010
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Coppa

One of the strange features of the Great Recession is the incredible complexity of down-market maneuvers.
A complicated conception with a delicious finish
By ROBERT NADEAU  |  May 28, 2010
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Bergamot

I guess the experimental-chef thing isn’t over, after all. At least not at Somerville’s Bergamot, the chosen sobriquet of which is “progressive American cuisine and a warm neighborhood setting.”
A perfect complement to Somerville — or, for that matter, anywhere
By ROBERT NADEAU  |  May 21, 2010
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Griko Lakay

My first visit to Griyo Lakay, a tiny Haitian restaurant near Franklin Park, reminded me of playing an adventure game: “You enter a storefront furnished with four booths. There are no signs, menus, customers, or staff in sight. At the back is a counter o
Abundant, heart-warming Haitian fare awaits intrepid diners
By MC SLIM JB  |  May 21, 2010
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Lee’s Store and Bakery

I’ve long relied on Web sites like Chowhound and Yelp for tips on new restaurants.
Another worthy source for one of Boston’s best budget sandwiches
By MC SLIM JB  |  May 14, 2010
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Russell House Tavern

For a place with major, major foot traffic, Harvard Square has proven to be a tricky spot for restaurateurs.
Tastes good, looks great — no gimmicks necessary
By ROBERT NADEAU  |  May 14, 2010
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Yasu

I adore Korean “BBQ”: marinated slices of raw meats that you cook on a little grill inset directly into your tabletop.
Tiptoeing into the shallow end of the Korean-cuisine pool
By MC SLIM JB  |  May 07, 2010
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Buddachen

The Web site says “modern Asian bistro” and the other description they’ve put out is “ultra trendy modern Asian cuisine.”
Jae’s grill is reborn with pan-Asian zen
By ROBERT NADEAU  |  May 07, 2010

La Masseria

The first thing to say about La Masseria is that, despite its name meaning “farmhouse” and its décor focusing on earth tones with exposed brick and pitchfork tines hanging on one wall, it’s a beautiful space.
Exemplary Italian fare in East Greenwich
By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ  |  May 07, 2010
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Woodward at Ames

The Woodward is the slightly quieter upstairs of the Woodward Tavern, a high-concept downtown café-bar based on the idea “Ben Franklin meets a supermodel.”
Ben Franklin meets a supermodel? Go with it — it works.
By ROBERT NADEAU  |  April 23, 2010

Café Nuovo

Café Nuovo is one of those places you go to celebrate.
A celebratory eating adventure
By JOHNETTE RODRIGUEZ  |  April 23, 2010
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South End Buttery

South End Buttery started with cupcakes and coffee, but opened up a dining room below street level two summers ago, and has since gradually taken on more serious cheffery.
From Viennoiserie to veal: a local bakery grows up
By ROBERT NADEAU  |  April 16, 2010
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Cafe Mamtaz

You have to admire pioneers in the restaurant business like Pho Republique, which took a big risk in 1999 by opening in a half-gentrified corner of the South End.
Bracing subcontinental flavors burst into Southie
By MC SLIM JB  |  April 16, 2010
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Second act

One of the fundamental principles of marketing is that since competition is inevitable, you might as well be your own rival.
Veranda opens an excellent Noodle Bar
By BRIAN DUFF  |  April 16, 2010
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Tremont Street Cafe

Many budget restaurants I review have a single-item focus: hot dogs, banh mi, zapiekanki. They say, “We do one thing, and do it really well.” Then there are the Swiss army knives.  
 Just your typical South End deli/bakery/cafe/juice bar/gelateria/organic convenience store
By MC SLIM JB  |  April 09, 2010

Diego’s

Sometimes you don’t want just a taco or two, or the usual burrito stuffed with rice and beans as the quickest way to fill you up.
No sombreros allowed
By BILL RODRIGUEZ  |  April 09, 2010
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Barlow’s Restaurant

It’s not unusual for this column to have a different opinion of restaurants than the column in the Boston Globe — I favor a flatter bell curve.
When in doubt, ask for a second opinion
By ROBERT NADEAU  |  April 02, 2010
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Restaurante Montechristo

East Boston is a treasure trove of Latin American restaurants serving delicious, filling fare.
Another budget-priced Eastie winner serving traditional Central American fare
By MC SLIM JB  |  April 02, 2010

Potatoes and a pennywhistle on Somerset Street

Drive south on Broad Street past the markets and churches, take a left on Somerset and there, in a clearing of raised garden beds behind a chain-link fence, you will find Phil Edmonds with his peas.
In the Garden
By ELIZABETH RAU  |  April 02, 2010

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