We were there yesterday! Had the Caesar and heirloom tomato salads, also the kids’ usual McL’oven and Alla Norma, plus the Brassica, which is definitely worth a try.
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Now that you can add the pate to any bahn mi, my usual order is the roast pork with pate. So good, and still very reasonable at $7, $8 with pate.
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That heirloom tomato salad is a revelation. The perfect salad version of a BLT. Looking forward to the blistered green beans next time.
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Nearly triple the price of the first time I had it, yet still the best value in a town that lacks in that category more with each passing day.
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Finally made it to T & L, for lunch. We’d heard good things from friends, but it seems lunch is not their finest hour. Almost everything was fried. Pan con tomate- why would you fry the bread for this Spanish staple? Fried fish tacos were pretty decent. Potato rosti was pan fried but also pretty good with the clam dip. And a fried chickpea sandwich, so so. Our enthusiasm for returning for dinner is tempered.
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Dinner is way better. I loved the fish tacos but I hear your points.
Yeah, I’ve only had some sandwiches at lunch (and that amazing potato rosti with clam dip), but dinner is definitely where it’s at at T&L. Apart from the rosti, and possible fries, I can’t think of any other fried items on the dinner menu.
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A few new places have opened that I have tried and needed to add to the list. Also Ding’s is currently closed for health code violations. A friend of a friend knows the owner, and apparently the refrigeration units were very old as was other stuff in the kitchen. It may be a reason why Jumbo left so suddenly, perhaps they knew what was happening, and didn’t want to incur the cost of fixing it. Pure conjecture on my part, but it would make sense. Anyway onto the new reviews.
Salt Patisserie
Food: 4.5
Service: n/a counter service
Celebrity chef Thiago Silva opened yet another bakery in Newton Centre in 2022. At first I was a bit upset, we really don’t need any more bakeries, but after tasting his wares, he has changed my mind. The croissants are shatteringly crisp, and we are big fans of the Rocher and Oreo eclairs, and the strawberry (in season now), chocolate, lemon and especially Passionfruit tarts. The Passionfruit tarts have a half “passionfruit” on top that is passionfruit mousse, decorated to look like the actual fruit. They sell Amann Scraps, left over pieces of Kouign Amann dough with a pastry cream inside, and Brazilian cheese rolls (pao de Queijo) that are divine. The Tiramisu comes in an edible chocolate shell. People love his cookies, but they are the only thing I don’t buy, as I think the ones at Clear Flour are superior. I haven’t had the coffee, but a good friend who is a coffee fiend has and he proclaimed it fantastic. I have also not tried his chocolates, which at $3.75 per piece are a bit too much for me. Not cheap, but excellent quality overall.
Pon de Joy
Food: 4
Service: N/A counter service
Not very long ago this mochi donut place opened near Lee’s Burgers. It was my first experience with the Japanese sweets. They have rotating flavors, and each I have tried have been very good. There are 8 pieces to each donut, and I’m told they are a bit larger than others in the area. I like the slightly crispy exterior paired with the silky soft interior. They are very light, and not dense at all. The bacon maple, black sesame, strawberry, and cinnamon sugar have been my favorites so far, but the flavors do rotate, so you never know what varieties they will have.
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Thanks for the tip about Pondejoy. Popped in this morning following an errand in the Centre. Tried the matcha, key lime, and mango - all excellent. I do love the texture, and they are pleasantly light.
I was the only one in the store at around 9am. I hope business picks up for them.
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I think they open at 9 (at least they do on the weekends). It’s not been too busy whenever I’ve gone in, so I also hope they survive.
Have you had their spiedini yet? Those tiny skewers of cheese wrapped in prosciutto, that they put in their oven til it gets all… delicious? Trust me you want it.
Jinny’s is awesome. Just wish they had better hours
While you weren’t asking me, I’ll answer that the spiedini are incredible. They don’t do them for take-out (as they would be awful if they got cold), so that’s why we eat in at Jinny’s on occasion, just for the spiedini. The Mike’s hot honey is an added bonus.
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Glad you chimed in. Spiedini lovers unite!
Honestly they’re so good that they kind of distract from their stellar pizza and their other offerings.
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Stella has reappeared on Commonwealth not from from the Centre. Looking forward to reports.
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It may take me a bit to get there (due to the very small size, plus I like to let places work out their opening kinks before trying them). As long as they don’t use the chairs that were in the South End restaurant, I’ll be good. Their chairs had a weird seat, where the front was higher than the back. I only ate there twice, but I should remember the food more than I remember the uncomfortable chairs (but the chairs are my overriding memory of Stella, unfortunately).
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Details, no matter how small, matter so much. Doesn’t matter how good the food is if the service stinks. Doesn’t matter how great service is if the food is not edible. Or how uncomfortable you were. That’s a bummer
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That’s funny. We ate at Toscano in Harvard Sq earlier this year. The food was Italian, mostly forgettable in an average way. But what I DO remember about our experience there was that the chairs were an inch or two too short. We looked around and it wasn’t just us, most of the diners were reaching up slightly to eat. Now every time I walk by and look in the window I can’t help but laugh at the diners in short chairs.
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Did you eat at a high-top or a table?
Table
Interesting. I’ve eaten there many times and have not consciously noticed that the chairs were short. I’ll have to make a note of this the next time.
