Just heard about this: Boston Black Restaurant Week Challenge. Teranga has been on my list, interested in Mida, have driven by Flames and Pit Stop Barbecue and been curious, have read about Ali’s Roti here more than once. Any intel on these or any other spots?
Edited to add: more info.
this is cool, thanks for posting. It gave me a couple more Dorchester spots! I don’t think I’ve ever been to any of these places…I went to Flames II years ago and it was good.
Ashur Restaurant is right near where my s.o. is staying in Fort Hill. I’ll try to go there this weekend and will report back.
I did go to Ashur tonight to pick up some takeout, and it was quite good. The place was filled on a Friday night with a handful of folks who mostly seemed to know each other, and the guy working the counter was super welcoming. I got the bone in lamb, which was flavorful and cooked just right and came with a ton of really great rice pilaf. There’s a little side salad too, which wasn’t anything standout but showed good taste–romaine lettuce and chunks of white onion, which sure beats the sad iceberg and bad tomato fixings you’ll get a lot of places. It also came with sides of hot sauce and ranch dressing, which was interesting. I asked if they made the hot sauce themselves but he said they got it from a Chinese supplier, but in any case it was pretty tasty.
The s.o. got the chicken kebab which I sampled and was also juicy and had hints of cinnamon and a nice charred aspect. The Somali chai was a little sweet but loaded with spice and nice to sip while waiting. All in all this is a great little neighborhood place, really friendly and with food that’s above average. Would certainly try again.
I had a memorable experience there, a couple of years ago. The food was good though not spectacular, but it was the neighborhood feeling that left an indelible mark. After lunch my friend and I sipped the chai while watching TV with all the middle aged men there. They all had some chai in hand and seemed to know each other. At one point one of the men wanted to change the channel from football to soccer, so he went around with the remote to take a poll of what everyone wanted to see. And from there we had additional conversations. It’s hard to convey the atmosphere via words, but we left with the sense of having participated in something warmly communal, a welcome escape from what awaited us outside.
btw, I liked Mida but have not been back since it first opened, though I would like to try the all you can eat pasta special on Mondays. Was very much unimpressed by a bland, uninspired meal at Teranga.
yeah, this is exactly right. It’s both homey in its cuisine and in the overall feeling the place gives off.
