Porter Square isn’t known as a foodie destination, but it does boast one of my favorite Chinese takeout spots, Qingdao Garden.

 The restaurant is named after the coastal city of Qing Dao–also spelled Tsingtao, which is a name you might recognize if you’re a fan of Chinese beer. Beer, you ask? The city and surrounding peninsula was annexed by Germany in the early part of the 19th century, and a brewery was built in 1903  (you can also see the German influence in the architecture around the old port).

 Anyway, back to the food. This is northern Chinese fare, so don’t expect the more fragrant cooking of, say, Sichuan. But you can’t go wrong with several dishes: Peking style eggplant, hot chili chicken, minced potato with hot pepper, and pork with cilantro. The restaurant also does a very good dim sum service on weekends.

Whenever we find ourselves in rural Ohio, as we did this past holiday weekend, we’re reminded of just how good we Bostonians have it. Much as we gripe about $8 pasta sauce at Whole Foods or the rush-hour madness at Shaw’s, our grocery stores are generally well-stocked. Want to whip up a quick cacciatore or a bowl of pho? You’re covered.

As if to remind us that most Americans live a very different food reality, we had a hell of a time finding a plain baguette at the local Giant Eagle supermarket; the closest we came was a “Parisian” loaf that looked like it came from Subway, not the boulangerie. That’s not to say we didn’t eat heartily while we were out there; it’s just that we managed to fill our 2008 quota for margarine and Jell-O consumption in a matter of days. (more…)

This time of year, it’s not unusual for certain foods to keep cropping up on the Chowder radar: Champagne. Cookies. Chocolate. But lately we’re starting to feel like we’re being followed, and not by any humanoid, ginger-flavored pastries. (Are we the only ones who find that story creepy?)

Our stalker? Gougeres. (more…)

Factcheckers are a notoriously uptight lot, and it’s no different here at Boston. As the magazine’s research editors, Francis Storrs, Rebecca Dorr, and I do our best to ensure that the words you read in our pages are fair and accurate, whether they court controversy or describe things like high-end baby strollers.

We work long hours focusing on thousands of details, and while that may suit us fine, we do like to kick back every now and then. With that goal in mind, Boston’s research department convened its holiday lunch at Eastern Standard. (more…)

Last weekend’s snowstorm may have wreaked havoc with my tightly-packed holiday schedule, but it did have an upside. Being snowed in gave me an opportunity to bake some Christmas cookies. While they may not be a thing of beauty, it’s not Christmas at my house until the chocolate-covered cherry cookies are cooling on a wire rack.

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I’ve never been much of what you might call a provider. Though proven capable of keeping plants watered (mostly), pets sated, and cars fueled, I don’t do much by way of feeding actual people—excepting myself, that is, and even then it can get spotty.

So I’m at both fascinated and horrified by the fact that the staff here at 300 Mass. Ave entrusts me to wrangle their dinner on the nights we work late. Sometimes cranky but not terribly fussy, they generally go along with whatever eatery I’ve chosen based on the following: distance from the office, divided by the number of vegetarian-friendly options, multiplied by the likelihood that a big order will get hopelessly bollixed. Following that formula, a few reliables have emerged to help me put food on the conference table: (more…)

Somerville’s Ball Square has long been prime breakfast and coffee territory. There’s java mecca True Grounds, old-school Kelly’s Diner, and the cute Broken Yolk. But the neighborhood has primarily been known for Sound Bites, the legendary hole-in-the-wall and winner of multiple “Best Breakfast” awards from this very magazine. Packed yet supple omelets, rich challah French toast, and unusual items like eggs topped with cumin…truly the best way to start your Sunday.

Or at least it would have been if not for the endless line and owner Yasser Mirza’s seeming preference for turning over tables rather than ensuring that diners can properly enjoy their meals. As a Ball Square denizen, I am hardly the only person on a Sunday morning to experience Mirza hovering over the table, only to blurt: Enough, you have five minutes, finish up. (more…)

It has become an annual tradition in the Chowder household to build a gingerbread building. Not a little cottage or an A-frame chalet, but something a little more interesting. One year, it was the Guggenheim. This year, it was a pair of Back Bay brownstones. (more…)

“Did you hear there’s a raw food restaurant coming to the North End? Ugh.”

So shuddered my friend, the food snob. She was talking about a new venture called Grezzo (that’s Italian for “raw”), from local guru Alissa Cohen. It’s set to open in January, which in restaurant speak, means you should probably set your calendars to early March.

And yes, I had heard, but unlike my friend, I rather like the idea.

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A couple of weeks ago, I was out running errands with a friend and decided to grab a late lunch at UBurger. It was around 3 p.m. on a Saturday, and we arrived to find the place mobbed with BU students who’d recovered from their hangovers enough to make the trek out for some hamburgers and fries. After we collected our food and took our seat, it got even better.

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