My Movable Feast

Trini's Taqueria

I've been to this taqueria a few times now. It's located in Arsenal Mall, in Watertown MA and happens to be right across the street from my workplace. Trini's is exactly what Boston needs for taquerias. The food is fresh and amazingly tasty. They keep busy enough that they'll take your orders while cooking. Best of all, it makes me think of the West Coast.

Today I had a chicken quesadilla, which comes with rice, and some guacamole.

The quesadilla was full of scallions, tomato, queso blanco, onion, and marinated chopped chicken. The guacamole was free and a part of their salsa bar that is complimentary to customers. It's loaded with tomatoes, cilantro and onion, but thin on actual avocado. But can you really complain for free guacamole??

The food was so good it made me forget that I was sitting in a basketball court themed food court surrounded by Foot Locker, Foot Locker Kids, and Lady Foot Locker.

The meal coast $5.85, including tax. Cash only.

Trini's
Arsenal Mall
485 Arsenal Street
Watertown, MA 02472

Jake's Boss BBQ

This past Sunday, my beau suggested that we head out to JP for some barbeque for lunch at Jake's Boss BBQ.  We'd heard about it before on the Phantom Gourmet, and  it's  in my beau's old 'hood.

The shop consists of a counter in back with about 12 gingham tablecloth-covered tables. Ambiance is not a priority here, but why would you care when you're about to eat some of the best barbeque in the Northeast?

We arrived around 1pm and there was one guy working. He was manning both the kitchen and the front counter. The great thing was, he was more calm and collected than any other person would have been when the line is about to go out the door.

Despite long delays in even ordering (and a shorter delay in getting the food), the food was perfect. I ordered brisket topped with "Level 2" hot sauce, collard greens, and garlic mashed potatoes.

My companion ordered pork ribs, collard greens, and potato salad.

The brisket was fall-apart delicious, though I think next time I'll go for "Level 3" hot sauce to add more spice. I like a lot of spice and Level 2 seemed mild to me.  The pork ribs were just as succulent as the brisket, if not more. The Texas sauce on the ribs was amazingly flavorful. The greens were quite good, though I have to admit that Coast Cafe still leads for best collard greens in Boston. The mashed potatoes were different than I've ever had before. They must have used stock instead of milk or cream, though there was certainly no lack of butter or roasted garlic.

To drink we had Jake's own bottled fruit punch, which was carbonated, and sweet tea, also bottled by Jake's. The sweet tea was definitely suggahed, with corn syrup being the second ingredient.

We left with full bellies, as well as about half of my brisket and one order's worth of collard greens. Sucess.

The total came to around $22 for two dinner plates and two drinks. No credit cards and no booze. Open Sun - Wed, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thurs-Sat, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Jake's Boss BBQ
3492 Washington Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 983-3701

Coast Cafe

Coast Cafe has long been a favorite of mine. When I first moved to Cambridge just under two years ago, I saw a vacant storefront that said "Coast Cafe- Coming this summer." The excitement started. But sadly the weeks went on and the signs changed to say "Coast Cafe- Coming this August," "Coast Cafe- Coming this Fall," "Coast Cafe- Coming this October." Sometime around late October, it did come.

Coast is a tiny storefront that is about 2/3 kitchen and 1/3 order counter space. There are two stools at a side counter for dining in, but it's really a take-out place.  It's a family-run joint that specializes in Soul Food and home style cooking. R&B plays from the radio, there's usually sports on TV, and they provide a stock of food and African-American centric magazines for you to read while you're waiting.

Prices are more than reasonable given the huge portions, ranging from about $7-$9 for plates, that include a meat and two sides.

The last time I stopped by, I ordered my perennial favorites from them: fried chicken with mac & cheese and collard greens.

The fried chicken is moist and perfectly spiced. I always order the white meat (you are given a choice of white, dark, or both). They'll give you two pieces of chicken breast. I'm sure with the dark or combo choices you get just as ample of a portion. The mac & cheese is solid- good ratio of sauce to noodles, and you invariably get some of the delicious crust. But what really gets me going is the greens. I can honestly say that their collard greens are the best I've had this side of the Mason-Dixon line. They use smoked turkey instead of the more traditional pork-fat, which adds the most delicious smokey flavor to the greens.

Cash only.

Coast Cafe
233 River Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 354-7644

Thai lunch in Newton

Yesterday's lunch took me to Amarin of Thailand in Newton Corner. The garden level restaurant is a respite from the concrete Eastern Bloc style parking garage cum office building it is housed within. It's a white tablecloth joint with reasonable lunch prices: around $6.50 for Pad Thai to around $8 for seafood based entrees. The center of the restaurant holds a shrine area as well as traditional seating on low cushions rather than chairs. Too bad they don't seat tables for one there.

I'd had their Pad Thai in the past and thought it was just like most Pad Thai: just kind of there. On this visit I opted for something I'd never tried before: Black Pepper Curried Chicken with Mango. Yeowza! Black pepper? Coconut milk based red curry? Mango?? The chicken was cooked perfectly and the mango, cut in thin slivers the size of the thinly sliced onion in the dish, was a sure treat. Presentation was pleasant, with the aromatic jasmine rice (topped with a slice of orange, natch) placed to the side of the curry on the brightly colored dish. My only problem was the amount of onion used in the dish. There was perhaps more onion than there was chicken and mango combined. I got over it.

With my curry, I had a glass of lemonade. I was hoping for freshly made tart lemonade, but instead I got syrupy-sweet $2 concentrate in a glass. How disappointing, but not enough to make me never crave the Black Pepper Curried Chicken with Mango.

Total: $12.20 incl. tax and tip.

Amarin of Thailand
287 Centre Street
Newton, Massachusetts 02158-1719
617.527.5255

Welcome

My Movable Feast was created for Boston... and my belly. There's a lack of restaurant blogs for Boston and I'm willing to take it on, one restaurant at a time. I love sites like 'Ono Kine Grinz and Extra MSG. Boston needs a site focused on the love of cheap, good food. And an exploration on why there aren't better Mexican restuarants here.