Review: Joy Rice

We’d been meaning to try Joy Rice since it opened, being as it’s just down the street from our apartment and all. I finally made the plunge last Tuesday since I was home alone for dinner (cooking for one depresses me sometimes), and I’m glad I did.

Review: The New Alchemist Menu!

Long-time readers will know that I really want to like the Alchemist. And there are already some legitimate reasons to like it–the service is great, the atmosphere is nice (particularly since they seem to have curbed their habit of playing music with the express purpose of deafening diners), and it’s close enough to where I live to feel close, yet far enough away to be lazy and drive, which I also like.

But in the past we’ve experienced some real food flops there, not least of which being the really limited options for vegetarians (never mind vegans). While they’ve always had at least a couple of things for veggie-heads to order, they’ve often fallen into the trap of offering multiple veggie dishes with the same main ingredient–say, both the appetizer and entree featuring mushrooms, or a big pepper, or tofu chunks.

In fact, the last time we went–and this was quite a while ago–we filled out a comment card to that effect, and our server came back to the table to tell us how firmly she agreed with our sentiments.

So imagine my delight when I got an email from the Alchemist mailing list informing me that they were unveiling a new menu–one specifically designed with more options for vegetarians.

Review: Food Wall

Food Wall is the best Chinese food in JP. This might not be saying much, because JP also has that terrible place on Centre Street that I can’t even be bothered to look up because their food tied for the worst food I have ever eaten. (The other half of the tie? Kowloon. Do not eat there under any conditions.)

But it actually is saying something, because a lot of their menu is incredibly tasty. Other items, not so much.

Review: Ula Cafe

(Did I mention that my computer is dead? It is. I’m really hoping to get it fixed Monday. Until then I’ve been forced to steal the Sig Fig’s new laptop, which she understandably doesn’t want me to do all the time.)

We finally went to Ula, after months of saying “Hey, we should go to that cafe with the dumb name.” (What is it with us and poorly-named venues?)

Review: The New City Feed

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or, you know, just not in JP), you know that City Feed took over the old Videosmith on Centre Street, and was supposed to open a new, bigger store in May. Astute observers may note that this is, in fact, August, and that the new store didn’t open til two days ago.

Whoops.

Review: JP Licks

I once had a terrible experience at JP Licks. I almost broke up with them over it. In fact, I didn’t return for almost a year. Here’s what happened: a very good friend of mine from Oregon was in town, traveling across the country with his buddies in a vegetable oil-powered van. Most of them were dirty hippies, and several of them were vegans. It was a nice summer evening and they’d already had dinner, so we decided to see if we could find something vegan at JP Licks. I was at the end of the line of these several unwashed boys, and unbeknownst to me several of them had already asked the dude behind the counter if anything on the menu was vegan. (I mean, you’d think sorbet could be vegan, right? And it’s freakin JP, for crying out loud. Soy is a staple of the collective JP diet.) By the time I got up to the front, I made the innocent mistake of asking if any of their offerings were vegan.

“WE HAVE NO VEGAN ITEMS,” the guy bellowed. I’m not kidding—he yelled at me. Needless to say, I left in a huff, and didn’t come back for a long time.

But then I came back, and it turns out they have some really good ice cream. The problem is that they’re extremely popular, so in the summer you’re probably going to have to wait in line anytime you go, particularly around seven or eight at night. Just be prepared for that.

I recommend trying something off the flavors of the month board. Recent favorites have included Oreo mint and peanut butter ripple, which has a ridiculous amount of peanut butter in it. Prices are definitely higher than somewhere like Baskin & Robbins, but you’re also going to get a considerable amount of ice cream no matter which size you order.

I’m told they also serve waffles on weekends, and they roast their own coffee.

Review: Dogwood

I know I reviewed the Dogwood pretty early on when I started doing reviews, but I thought it was time to revisit since I’ve gone back and will probably return a lot more in the future, now that I live much closer to Forest Hills.

The Dogwood is pretty awesome. You have the great neighborhood feel of a place like Doyle’s but with better food, a similarly great beer menu, and a slightly classier atmosphere (although you can still watch Boston sports from the bar—we watched the Celtics trounce the Lakers from the bar).

In the food department, I’d like to recommend the pizza. It’s hard to go wrong with any of the choices, and you’ll generally have plenty left to take home with you. I’ve had some appetizers that were sort of duds—the broccoli bites come to mind—but then the wings have also made me salivate from several tables over. Desserts are divine, and as I mentioned, the drink menu is stellar. The bartenders are extremely friendly and helpful if you want something but don’t know quite what, as at the aforementioned Celtics viewing when one of my friends wanted “a nightcap.” (She ended up with something that involved kahlua and Bailey’s, and said it was delicious.) I have a secret longing to try all the fruity (as in gay, not necessarily fruit-flavored) cocktails they offer, as the caramel appletini was quite tasty. And potent.

All in all, I rate it “every time I want a beer and I’m tired of Doyle’s, or else whenever I feel like a fancy pizza and a quality beer.”

Review: City Feed

I’m really on a roll here, huh? I realized I had a lot of severely overdue reviews, and I’m icing the ankle I severely twisted this morning (the Sig Fig said the only way it could’ve looked worse would be if I’d been carrying my schoolbooks and full cafeteria tray) so what else am I gonna do?

City Feed & Supply is simply the best place in JP to get sandwiches. I would almost say in Boston, but they’re edged out slightly by Darwin’s for bread selection and the fact that Darwin’s serves sandwiches much later.

Like Darwin’s, City Feed sells coffee and a variety of groceries (largely organic), along with the ever popular coolers of snooty beverages. (My favorite.) But the real draw? Amazing sandwiches.

Review: Doyle’s

If you don’t like Doyle’s, you’re probably an asshole.

Review: Same Old Place

If you’re like me, at some point in your life you’ve thought, “I know it’s not even eleven o’clock in the morning, but man, I could really go for a cheeseburger.” And you might not have done anything about that thought, because you assumed that if you walked into a restaurant at 10:45 and asked for a cheeseburger they would laugh or point, or possibly invent a cruel song based on words that rhyme with your name.

But if you go into Same Old Place, they will say “Do you want fries with that?”