For weeks before I finally went, the amount of positive buzz I’d heard about Peter Chang and his new Taste of China in Albemarle Square was staggering: he’d cooked for presidents; he’d been all over the world; he could feed the masses with but a fortune cookie and glass of plum wine. Normally I’m pretty cool about such things, but I’ll admit, I got caught up in the hype.

Before the holiday season, I had no idea who Peter Chang was, and I was just fine for it. I had my regular take-out Hunan chicken and I was content. Over the course of December, however, as I heard more and more, I began telling my friends and family, “Oh, you’ve got to go eat at Taste of China…I hear it’s great!” What began as excitement, however, turned into outright hypocrisy by the end of the month. “What!? You’ve never eaten Peter Chang’s food before? Get out of my sight, you hay-chomping hick. Come back when you’ve had some real Chinese food.” Yes, I exaggerate, but as the holidays rolled on I knew I was getting past due for a visit to Chef Chang’s new eatery; thankfully some friends gave me the perfect opportunity to visit on New Year’s Eve. »Read More

Considering that very few people reading this actually know who I am, I could probably get away with claiming some fancy-pants background in reviewing fine restaurants and upscale cuisine. In the spirit of integrity, however, I’ll admit that I am in no way qualified to critique the winner of a AAA Four Diamond Award. Actually, given my fondness for making inappropriate jokes in inappropriate places, I’m not sure I was qualified to even go there. But go there I did, along with my wife, sister, brother-in-law, aunt, and parents, who were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. Needless to say, it was really good. »Read More

I was sitting at Beer Run’s bar about two weeks ago when some friends of mine wondered if I’d decided upon the next restaurant I wanted to review. After I told them, “No,” they said, “Well, have you been to the Thai place next door?”

“Sure,” I said. “A couple of times.”

“Then you’ve got to go back,” one of them said. “You’ve got to try the chicken wings.”

“Chicken wings?”

“Yeah, chicken wings,” the other said. “They’re not on the menu, but they’re awesome. Just tell Santi we sent you.” »Read More

Due to a variety of (mostly good) reasons, it’s been a few weeks since my wife and I have been on proper date. Finally able, and celebrating my recent cVillain appointment, we decided to finally visit Bel Rio, one of Belmont’s newer dining establishments and much younger sibling of the C&O.

After searching the surrounding streets for a place to park, my wife and I were greeted at the door by Dave Simpson, one of the owners. Smiling and clad in a black t-shirt and gray pin-striped suit, Dave, one of the owners, walked us to our table and, not thirty seconds later, returned to pour our water. Needless to say, between Dave’s warm, personal service and the instant notion of being somewhere other than downtown Belmont (the East Village, perhaps?), I was left with a very good first impression…and the feeling that our date was off to a remarkable start. »Read More