Opinions about Boston restaurants

 My all time favorite from the Boston Area is "Dali" on the
 Somerville/Cambridge line.   (I think it's at the corner of  Beacon and
 Washington).  It is one of the few restaurants where I'll happily wait more
 than 30 minutes for a table.

 Someone wrote:

 > Also, some new ones have just opened up -- The Federalist and Bamboa among
 > them. How are the wine lists (actually, I've heard Les Zygomates has a
 > really good wine list...anyone concur?).

 Tremendous wine list. My complaint about LZ is inconsistent food...it
 can be very good, or it can be sloppy. But maybe they've tightened it up
 recently (I haven't been there about eight months).

 The Federalist's list is the longest in the city. It might also be the
 most expensive. It certainly has more trendy names on it than any other.
 And now I've said everything I feel is worth saying about it. :-/

 Can't help you with the wine lists at the other places...I haven't been
 to Mistral since the reworking, so I don't know what their list is like.

 Thor

 Someone wrote:
 >Okay, Spring has Sprung, and it's once again warm enough for me to eat out
 >after work a few times a week (I don't do it so much in cold weather, because
 >slogging around in the snow and cold is a royal pain....all I want to do is go
 >home, curl up next to the rattling radiator, and eat chicken soup. haha).
 >
 >I'm a fairly recent transplant to the city, so I'm not super familiar with all
 >the restaurants here, but I've heard some buzz about the following:
 >
 >Les Zygomates
 >The Black Goose
 >Mistral
 >Budapest Cafe
 >
 >Also, some new ones have just opened up -- The Federalist and Bamboa among
 >them.
 >
 >Anyone have some feedback on these places? Any dishes that were especially good
 >that I should 'absolutely try'? How are the wine lists (actually, I've heard
 >Les Zygomates has a really good wine list...anyone concur?).

 The best place, IMNSHO, to get an answer about Boston restaurants
 is in the ne.food newsgroup.

 I've crossposted this there for you.  Thor, the wine critic for
 the Boston Phoenix posts to ne.food and can probably give you a
 good opinion on the wine list at many restaurants, as he has in the
 past in ne.food.

 FWIW, my favorite Boston area restaurant is Upstairs at the Hasty
 Pudding, but it isn't cheap, so I rarely eat there.  :~(

 Chuck Demas
 Needham, Mass.

 Someone wrote:
 >Chuck, have you tried Tapeo on Newbury? It's a tapas place.  I went last
 >spring. The food was good, but the place was so crowded and the wait was so
 >long, that I didn't enjoy it as much as I might have...by the time we got
 >seated and got some food, I was really cranky.  I think, though, that I'll try
 >it again, and Dali, and see how they compare.

 Haven't tried either, but IIRC they are owned by the same people,
 and have the same tapas, but the ones at Dali are supposed to be
 better, and I think a little more expensive, at least that's what
 I recall someone in ne.food saying.

 You really should try reading and posting to ne.food, as it's really
 a great source of information, especially about Boston.  Most posters
 are from the greater Boston area.  The ne.* newsgroups cover New
 England, but most posters are from around Boston, though NH, and RI
 are covered, and Massachusetts out to Worcester.  Not many from
 Western Mass, but some of us have family and friends there.

 My parents next door neighbors own/run The Student Prince, a very good
 German restaurant in downtown Springfield.  My parents/family ran
 a restauirant in Springfield for over 50 years, but they retired
 and closed it 25+ years ago.

 Chuck Demas
 Needham, Mass.

 > Someone wrote:
 > >Okay, Spring has Sprung, and it's once again warm enough for me to eat out
 > >after work a few times a week (I don't do it so much in cold weather, because
 > >slogging around in the snow and cold is a royal pain....all I want to do is go
 > >home, curl up next to the rattling radiator, and eat chicken soup. haha).
 > >
 > >I'm a fairly recent transplant to the city, so I'm not super familiar with all
 > >the restaurants here, but I've heard some buzz about the following:
 > >
 > >Les Zygomates
 > >The Black Goose
 > >Mistral
 > >Budapest Cafe
 > >
 > >Also, some new ones have just opened up -- The Federalist and Bamboa among
 > >them.

 I've been to all of these but Bomboa.  I think I should have been
 more impressed with the Federalist for the prices they charge, but
 it was very nice.  I think Mistral is quite good and it's reputation
 for coolness doesn't mean service with an attitude.  Les Zygomates
 is a comfortable place to go with reasonable prices.  Black Goose
 was too but I haven't been there in ages.  Cafe Budapest is pretty
 traditional and staid, but sometimes you want that.

 Joanie

 I used to go to Black Goose avery couple of months or so when I lived
 in Charlestown - it was a nice walk over the bridge for me.
 The last two times I went, spring of 98, I was sorely disappointed.
 Food not hot, service sloppy, and jsut not as much fun as it used to be.
 Haven't been back. But I miss a pasta with gorgonzola sauce they used
 to do very well.

 barbara

 >
 > I've been to all of these but Bomboa.  I think I should have been
 > more impressed with the Federalist for the prices they charge, but
 > it was very nice.  I think Mistral is quite good and it's reputation
 > for coolness doesn't mean service with an attitude.  Les Zygomates
 > is a comfortable place to go with reasonable prices.  Black Goose
 > was too but I haven't been there in ages.  Cafe Budapest is pretty
 > traditional and staid, but sometimes you want that.
 >
 > Joanie
 >