KOREANA
154 Prospect Street, Cambridge
617-576-8661
HELMAND
143 First Street, Cambridge
617-492-4646
CARAMBOLA
663 Main Street, Waltham
781-899-2244
CAFE JAPONAISE
1032 Commonwealth Avenue, Brookline
617-738-7200
PENANG
685 Washington Street, Boston
617-451-6373
KONG LUH
9 Medford Street, Arlington
781-643-2456
SICHUAN GARDEN
295 Washington Street, Brookline
617-734-1870
SHANGHAI CAFE
232 Tremont Street, Boston
617-338-8686
LALA ROKH
97 Mt. Vernon Street, Boston
617-720-5511
BOMBAY CLUB
57 JFK Street., Cambridge
617-661-8100
CAFE ST. PETERSBURG
236 Washington Street, Brookline
617-277-7100
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KOREANA
154 Prospect Street, Cambridge
617-576-8661
Restaurant reviewed 11/26/98 by Alison Arnett
The days after Thanksgiving can seem pretty bleak. The remains of the turkey feast, with its endless bowls of mashed and pureed vegetables and pumpkin pie a la mode, might still inhabit most of the refrigerator, but the family and all the out-of-town visitors have had enough of that. And the walls of the old homestead are closing in.
It's time to venture out to eat -- anything but turkey. Luckily, Boston and its environs have a wealth of ethnic restaurants, good antidotes to Americana overload.
A few suggestions for post-Thanksgiving meals:
The spicy foods of Koreana can "make the cold go away," as the manager of the Cambridge restaurant near Inman Square once told me. The fare here is authentic and highly seasoned, from delicious seafood tofu chigae, a stew bright with chilies, to salty barbecue yellow croker to a soothing rice concoction of bibimbop with steak tartare and a raw egg. Barbecue grills for bulgoki, strips of beef, garlic cloves, onions and rings of hot peppers, and other meats add a communal spirit to a meal as diners join in do-it-yourself cooking. This is a big restaurant, and it's reasonably priced, making it a good place to bring the tribe.
A foray into another culture, that of Afghanistan, can be a very pleasant dining experience at Helmand, near the CambridgeSide Galleria. Grilled and sauteed lamb, beef, and chicken are combined with vegetables and served with yogurt sauces and masterfully made rice. There are also many vegetarian dishes, such as an Afghan version of ravioli and a baby pumpkin baked and served with a yogurt-garlic sauce. Owner Mahmood Karzai combines the food of his homeland with Western-style decor and service. The Helmand is a handsome whitewashed room with a crackling fire, a good wine list, and comfortable seating. It's also great fun to watch the delicious flatbread, nan, being made and baked in a wood-burning wall oven.
The fragrance of lemongrass and ginger and the slightly funky smell of tuk trey (fish sauce) perfume the air at Carambola in Waltham. This restaurant is the thoroughly Cambodian venture of the family that also owns the two Elephant Walk restaurants. Here the night chill can be chased away by dishes such as monkfish sauteed with Asian basil, pineapple, peas, and kaffir lime leaves, and a soup-like braise of chicken, lemongrass, butternut squash, and about every other vegetable one could imagine. The curries, grilled fish and meats, and tofu selections combine earthiness with a deft handling of exotic seasonings.
There are plenty of Japanese restaurants in the area, but few venture too far beyond the standard fare Americans have gotten used to. Cafe Japonaise on Commonwealth Avenue, Brookline, near Boston University, offers sophisticated dishes that might be served in Japan today. Pheasant teriyaki; a custard filled with bits of fish cake, ginkgo nuts, and shiitake mushrooms; some really light and wonderful vegetable tempura; plus good sushi and sashimi give this spot distinction.
Penang, a Malaysian restaurant on the edge of Chinatown, exemplifies hip, especially late in the evening when Asian students flock to share seafood dishes and festive goblets of ABC, a red bean and shaved ice drink. The food, a heady amalgamation of Chinese, Indian, Thai, and other Southeast Asian cuisines as well as native Malay, is a seductive reflection of a culture that knows how to eat well. Those who fall under the spell almost always return. And though Penang gets very busy, things move quickly, in the way of Chinatown, so the wait is usually bearable.
Chinese restaurants, too, are numerous in the area, but here are a few with unusual twists. Kong Luh in Arlington is a pleasant family-run place. The chef-owner, who hails from northern China, specializes in Mongolian dishes such as lions' head meatballs in a sustaining soup; red-cooked bean curd; and a wonderful lamb dish seasoned with sugar, vinegar, soy, ginger, and other spices. For large parties, Kong Luh will prepare Mongolian hotpot. Unusual and highly flavorful, the food here can banish turkey ennui.
Sichuan Garden in Brookline Village matches its name in the highly spiced food of southern China. Dan-dan noodles, brightly sauced whole fried fish with mustard greens, and camphor tea-smoked duck are among the flavorful dishes on the menu here.
Shanghai Cafe near the Theater District showcases the creations of C.K. Sau, who also is co-owner of New Shanghai in Chinatown. This restaurant presents well-made Chinese fare along with more unusual dishes, like lobster served with 10 different sauces, from hot and spicy garlic to black bean to steamed with ginger and scallions.
Lala Rokh quickly became an institution on Boston's Beacon Hill since it opened three years ago. The finely crafted Persian cuisine of Azita Bina-Seidel and her mother gives the diner a glimpse into the graciousness of the Persian culture. And the ambience of the place, complete with exquisite Persian art and artifacts from the family's own collections, makes one feel in a different time and place. Sun-cured garlic cloves; a wonderfully succulent Cornish hen; all the rices flavored with saffron, raisins, and barberries; and great lamb dishes make it worth searching for a parking place anywhere near the restaurant.
Indian food can suffer from sameness -- too many creamy sauces that only vary in being spinach- or tomato-based. The Bombay Club in Harvard Square recently broadened its Northern Indian menu to include other regions and cuisines of the owner's vast homeland. The results are usually delicious, and one can feel enlightened as well as well-fed. And the breads are great.
The fare at Cafe St. Petersburg in Brookline Village couldn't be classified as light, exactly. But after settling in for tiny glasses of cranberry vodka, a starter of caviar on toast triangles, and contemplating cabbage soup or chicken tabaka (flattened and then pan-fried over high heat), it seems sensible to postpone dieting until later -- maybe after Christmas. The ambience -- especially when the pianist is careening through Tchaikovsky and animated Russian conversations fill the room -- is intoxicating.
Tips & hits
