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Since moving to Boston one of the things I crave most is good Mexican food. There is a typical ‘Family Mexican’ place right by the office, which is alright, but not great. So I did some hunting on the interwebs for best Mexican food in Boston and Anna’s Taqueria was listed by a number of places for having the best burrito’s in Boston. Just happened to be in Sommerville with one of the many Anna’s Taqueria locations and decided to try it out. I got a steak burrito with rice, cheese, salsa, hot sauce, refried beans, and lettuce. One thing that surprised me is how small it was. Not the massive burritos I am accustom to back home in Seattle or some I got in L.A., got some chips and a coke as well. The burrito itself was great. The steak was well seasoned, the mixture of the salsa, cheese, and refried beans made for great filler. Overall it really hit the spot and made me think that Boston does have some good Mexican places to eat. The chips were tasty too!
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I went out to the Middle East Underground for the Bishop Allen and Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band show on Friday night. The bands were going to take the stage fairly late, so my friend and I wondered around to find a place to eat. We decided to grab some Indian food at Shalimar of India right on Mass Ave. I haven’t seen very many Indian places in Boston yet, so it was nice to grab some tasty Chicken Tikka Masala. Pretty good chicken, the sauce was a little thick, but still pretty good. I got medium for spice, and it wasn’t too bad at all. The portions were a little on the small side, but enough to hold me over until I got home after the show. I need to find more Indian places in Boston.
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My first week in Boston it happened to be one of my co-worker’s birthday, and being new I decided to go and hang. I took the T into downtown and met up with everyone at a bar, and then we moved on to Good Life. Good Life is a trendy little place with a live DJ spinning and booze and food. Fairly good combo. There are countless places like Good Life in every city, so nothing really new here. Mood lighting, pretty wait staff, hipsters in and out. The menu was pretty varied with hummus dish to start, awesome looking burgers, salads, and a bloodly amazing looking steak. I went a little out of the norm and ordered Mac & Cheese. It sounded good, and it didn’t disappoint. The cheese was so rich and creamy. Large pork meat balls, strong bacon flavor, and good hearty pasta. I was kinda shocked how good it was, I could hardly finish it because it was so rich. Good Life isn’t the place I typically go, but I am happy I went out and was pleasantly surprised how good the food was.
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When I arrived in Boston I had a day or two to wonder around town before I started work, so I took the Red Line up into town and just started wondering. Via the wonders of Facebook and Twitter updates, I got the message to go to Spike’s Junkyard Dog and get a Junkyard Dog. Since I was on my way to Fenway, there happen to be a Spike’s on the walk there. Spike’s is a Burger and Hot Dog place with a junkyard theme, so car parts and crash signs are on the walls. The menu is pretty standard with various options of burgers, hot dogs, and chicken. I prefer my dogs plain, so I got a hot dog and a fried buffalo chicken sandwich. Hot dogs are one of those basic foods that when done right can be amazingly good, and Spike’s didn’t disappoint. The chicken sandwich was pretty good as well, but I am not a fan of chicken stripes used as sandwich inners, but it was alright. There are multiple Spike’s in the Boston area, and well worth grabbing a bite there if you have the sudden urge for a good hot dog.
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Moving put a clamp on your spending especially at lunch. Constantly going home for a turkey sandwich and some puppy time was getting a little old, so some of my co-workers suggested Schoolhouse Pizza, which is a short walk from the office. It is your typical pizza place with sandwiches and pizza whole and by the slice. The pizza is thin, sparse on cheese and toppings, but HUGE slices. I ordered two slices before I knew what I was getting into, and the slices are more like quarter slices of a whole pizza. Well worth the $2.50 or something per slice. For a quick bite at lunch the Schoolhouse is a good place to grab it.
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Last week my boss took me out to lunch and we went over to Four’s Restaurant in Quincy. Four’s is a well known sports bar with another location just a stone’s throw away from The Garden. Four’s has your typical sports bar quirks as well. Lots of televisions with all your favorite games on, probably Sox or Celts, and a pretty nice staff and full bar. The place where Four’s gets a little confusing is the menu. All the sandwiches are named after athletes. So if you want a steak sandwich, then you are going to order a Bobby Orr. Made for a long review of the menu the first time I was there. Sadly I didn’t get any of the named items. I was lame like that. I got some pasta, which was good. I want to go back to Four’s for sure. The Bobby Orr sounds really good! It is on my list!
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So moving to a new city I have found the need to start recording what places I enjoy eating at and others I don’t.  So I’m going to attempt to provide a nice quick review of the places I go and eat at as I explore Boston.  First up is The Half Door in Quincy.  The Half Door just happens to be across the street from where I work, so it was one of the first places I went to when I wanted something more then microwave mac & cheese.  The Half Door is a standard pub with a light Irish Bar look.  Menu is typical bar fare with burgers being the primary item.  I ended up getting the Buffalo Fried Chicken Sandwich with fries and a coke.  Overall it wasn’t a bad burger at all.  Nice large chicken breast deep fried then dipped in buffalo sauce with lettuce and mayo on the burger (hold the tomatoes please).  A little messy to eat with the hands, so I wimped out and ate it with a knife and fork.  Overall I was please with the burger.  The waitress might have been a little more prompt at time, especially considering how slow it was, but whatever.
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