Just read that the Financial District location, D’Guru, has closed. Maybe they can re-focus their efforts in Somerville now.
This is (surprisingly where I am). I have allocated a very large portion of my disposable income to dining out in Boston for the past several decades. However, I have been saving my shots for things I can’t make, splurge meals, dining while traveling, etc. I know many others who are doing the same. I suppose we may be aging out a bit and being replaced by younger diners. It will be interesting to see how things evolve.
To be frank, Boston was right on the margin of providing enough variety before the pandemic. The somewhat limited upper end, and overpriced middle tier was offset by just enough good values and ethnic spots. We were in NYC last week and had one epic meal in k-town and another at a downtown sushi place. All in, less expensive than our last 2 meals out in Boston and infinitely better. We enjoyed ourselves immensely but were a little saddened by this fact on the train ride back. It’s never been fair to compare NYC and Boston dining, but the gap may be widening. We’re sort of resigned to saving some dining dollars for quarterly trips to Portland and NYC.
On the bright side, I had a delicious sausage and peppers from The Sausage King outside of Fenway last week.
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Where did you go? Always so happy to hear about epic meals!
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Cho Dang Gol - I will post more about this when I have time. THIS was exactly the meal we had not enjoyed in 18 months and needed at this time. We ordered too much food, feasted and everything was spectacular.
Sushi Azabu - With our local standby (Cafe Sushi) still closed for indoor dining, this was our first proper omakase in quite awhile. It did not disappoint. 15 East used to be our NYC go to, but it’s not quite the same since chef Masa left for Thailand. We will be back to Azabu soon.
2 thoroughly satisfying meals. The city still feels off, but the addition of all the outdoor dining spaces is a huge improvement to many neighborhoods. I hope they stick.
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Yes, I have similar feelings, especially now that even non-spectacular beers frequently pass the $10 barrier.
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Hah! Glad to hear they are alive and kicking!
The old upstairs at Azabu used to be a favorite lunch haunt - first time I encountered “Tokyo Italian”!
Been ages (even pre pandemic) since I went to Cho Dang Gol - I get stuck in a rut, so it’s nice to have a glowing rec to mix it up.
Did you have the uni at Azabu @uni?
(Sorry, but if you choose that moniker you invite such a question.)
I ask particularly, though, because I had uni from Sushi Noz a few weeks ago and it was a revelation. I’ve had it from many places before (Greater Boston and NYC) , but this was so gently custardy, so nuanced in flavor, to be almost something new.
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My memory of eating at Cho Dang Gol was from 2017. I was in NYC to attend a training for 3 days, and my flight to NY was an evening flight right before dinner time. With delays, I didn’t get into NYC until about 8:30pm and I was starving! Passed by CDG and it looked so good, I decided not to walk the extra 3 blocks to drop off my luggage first. I just jammed the suitcase into the tight table, and had a delicious meal. I was so happy afterwards, and glad I didn’t hit the hotel first. I probably would have been so tired and just settled for something boring.
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Yes, they had some nice Hokkaido uni at Azabu when we went. You can’t beat high quality uni, particularly when it is in season. I think the seasons for the various uni regions (Hokkaido, Santa Babara, Maine) differ. It’s nice to go to high quality traditional places you can trust to steer you in the right direction. Uni definitely gets a funk toward the end of the season that I do not prefer.
If you are developing an appreciation for uni, hunt for places that have fresh live uni. Somewhere like Noz will likely have this from time to time. Live uni fresh out of the shell is a true delicacy, it truly tastes like you are eating the essence of the ocean.
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Thanks, @uni. I’ve had uni straight out of the shell, but interestingly at Astoria Seafood in Queens, a place where you first grab a table, then stick your hand in a plastic bag, and pick up seafood from various bins at the back, put it all into your container, take it to the counter, pay, then tell them what you want raw and what you want cooked (the options are grilled or fried).
I’ve missed having the uni course at Cafe Sushi – its never been on the menu when I’ve had omakase there.
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I hope they re-open for in person dining soon. It seems like they’ve had a few false starts. First when things started to spike up in early summer, and they posted some job openings again a month or 2 back.
I think they’ve done extremely well adapting to take out. I’ve enjoyed their platters, but it’s really no replacement for the omakase.
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Sorry uni newb here but when is uni season? I didn’t love it but my husband found it to be akin to a religious experience
I remember what I was told by an internet pioneer back when we were on UseNet (rec.travel.europe). He said “I have never regretted something I didn’t post.”
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Happy to read this! Seriously considering eating inside after reading their reservation policy for indoor dining. Currently my reservation is for outside.Looking forward to dinner at Pagu in two weeks!
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Sharing an Instagram post by Nightshade Noodle Bar, hope this helps your uni question : nightshadenoodlebar I know I’m all wound up on uni lately but we just got these super fresh Marblehead urchins from a new diver pal that are a MUST TRY. Tonight we are serving them with brown butter hollandaise, lime zest and chili. They are so lovely. 
the patio is CLOSED. Walk in availability is tight so please call ahead or reserve at nightshadenoodlebar.com
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