I hope everyone is well and still eating out or maybe taking out? Since out trip to Wellfleet we have had a few dinners, most to go but one really nice dine in experience in Lowell.
Thai from Sweet Basil in Andover is a favorite, steamed dumplings, wings with chili sauce, basil fried rice which my son always enjoys. Comes with a well cooked scrambled egg on top and a slight heat overall. Pad Thai which I like a lot, well balanced sweet/spicy dish. DH had a basil chicken dish that was much spicier than usual. But was still pretty good.
We also did a Raagini order of Samosas, Lamb Do Piaza, Vegetable Korma and plain Naan. All very good with plenty for lunch the next day.
My youngest and I went to Tasty Dumpling in Lowell for lunch, sat outside at very clean distanced tables and enjoyed Beef skewers (will get the spicy version next time), chicken and vegetable fried rice which was really well done, fresh rice and made to order, Pork soup dumplings and pork & Napa cabbage pan fried dumplings. All the dumplings are hand made on site. Highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. Food was excellent as was the service. Scallion pancake and noodle dishes and shumai all looked amazing. Can’t wait to go back.
The mini hot pot at Tasty Dumplimgs is excellent, but beware, when they say spicy, they mean it. I like spicy, but spicy was almost very spicy for me. Excellent food at this really delightful place.
How did I not know about Tasty Dumpling? Thank you! Sounds like a must-try for us.
Inspired idea for a thread, BTW.
My son might enjoy the hot pot more than I, but I really did enjoy the soup dumplings. Will be back for those and some of the noodle dishes.
Its not far from Sophia’s Greek Pantry, worth a visit if you are in the neighborhood.
Awesome—that is in my orbit. Dumplings, here I come.
Love Sophia’s! So many Greek staples in that little storefront. Their olive oil (from the metal decanter) is our everyday oil. A container of their Greek yogurt is in the fridge at all times. We use it in place of sour cream, for dips, and as a cream-cheese like spread because it’s so thick.
We took advantage of the warm weather and returned to Tasty Dumplings for a late lunch. Shumai, soup dumplings, pot stickers with a shrimp noodle dish for the 3 of us. All very good, really liked the noodle dish. We took home orders of Genreal Tso’s with rice and Mapo Tofu over rice.
Looking forward to those.
Mother Cluckers recently opened in Haverhill. Menu is basically fried chicken sandwiches, spicy fries, regular fries and chicken wings. Done really well. Dinner tonight consisted of 2 Bee Stings, 1 Cluck & Slaw, 1 Cluckamole and 1 Mama Mia. Plus spicy fries and 10 wings with hot honey and ranch sauces.
It was really good food, fresh not processed. I had the Cluck & Slaw and really liked it. Chicken was perfectly cooked and the slaw was vinegar based not mayo which I much prefer. Reasonably priced. We were barely through this meal planning for the next visit. Sorry for not having any pictures but next time for sure. Menu in the FB link.
Stopped by Tasty Dumplings yesterday hoping for outdoor tables in the warm weather but alas they’re not set up yet; soon, though. Got take-out dumplings (beef and flat cabbage, pork and kimchi) and an order of pork belly rice, ate some dumplings in a riverside park and had the rest at home tonight. TD is definitely going back into our regular rotation.
Also, nearby Sullivan Farms ice cream is open now, which is why we didn’t eat more Tasty Dumplings yesterday. Next time I’ll remember to get a kiddie size cup instead of the regular.
We’ve had Indian takeout from Holi in Bedford Center twice in recent weeks and it’s proved a treat.
Before now we were skeptical that the food could withstand a 15-minute drive well. Thanks to the restaurant’s meticulous packing and then putting the food into our own insulated bag, everything arrives at the house hot. Perhaps there’s a slight difference in the texture of the naan, though not enough to interfere with our enjoyment.
They even include small sauce containers of their chutneys and a pappadum, just as you would receive when dining in—a welcome touch.
I’m so glad Holi has survived, it is an office favorite! Lovely folks as well as good food.
At last we made it to Tasty Dumplings in Lowell. Loved it!
We did takeout in order to enjoy a glass of wine with our dinner at home. There’s a spacious area on the asphalt pad in front of the restaurant that has tables, so we also had the option to eat outdoors there.
Pork soup dumplings were fresh, light, and clean tasting (that is, not at all greasy).
We also enjoyed an order of chive pockets filled with chives, egg, mung bean noodles, and dried shrimp. The dried shrimp brought a hit of funk that reminded us of fish sauce.
We made a second course by sharing the “mapo tofu over rice” and and the scallion pancakes. Though the mapo tofu wasn’t as spicy as we’re used to, we liked that the dish tasted so light and fresh.
The order was ready exactly at the 30-minute pickup time quoted over the phone. Tasty Dumplings packed our order with notable care. To keep everything at the ideal temperature, next time we’ll take one of those insulated cloth cooler bags to pop the food into for the ride home.
Love that place. Staff is super nice.
Got takeout from Tasty Dumplings in Lowell after way too long, and we found a new favorite dish. Pork potstickers with kimchi! Deeply flavorful. Larger than your average potsticker, too—a good thing in this case. Next time I’ll try to remember to take a picture.
These and their soup dumplings are our two favorites among the items we have tried from them so far.
Note: Access to their online ordering didn’t work for us so we simply phoned the restaurant. Our order was ready precisely when they said it would be.
I just took a peek at the menu - I LOVE that the menu is more precise than many other Chinese restaurants I typically encounter (ie, there aren’t 300 menu items).
We have been eating out more often lately, but today decided on take out from Boston BBQ truck which is now located at Rolf’s Pub, Main Street North Andover. Very convenient!
A rack of ribs for my DH and I to share when he returns, (with some left over veggies to round out the meal).
My youngest ordered a combo, southern fried wings and ribs, fries and fried pickles.
The fried pickles (which I do typically like) were salty in a good way, somewhat addicting as they always are for me.
The one rib I sampled was very good, not saucey and not fall off the bone, still had some chew to it.
I think I would prefer the smoked wings over the fried but they were tasty.
Lots of sauce options, we chose the tangy, kind of vinegar forward. Would be good on the wings.
I have a feeling we will be back.
Lobster Claw, North Reading MA
(Not take out, cause seafood. )
Son and I wanted something summery on this humid rainy May day.
Calamari basket for him ($14.00), Scallops and full belly clams combo for me ($33.00).
Food was very hot and crunchy, batter was seasoned nicely. Would forgo the cole slaw in the future. The clams were good size and tasty wonderful but the scallops were the star. Cooked perfectly and nicely sweet. They have good size menu, broiled and baked items as well as fried.
Counter service, booths and tables were clean. No ocean view though.
https://lobsterclawnr.com/
