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Tag: Eat New England

  • Fried ravioli and more old-world charm at a hidden hotel restaurant near Boston

    Fried ravioli and more old-world charm at a hidden hotel restaurant near Boston

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    So many new restaurants offer modern takes on food and drink in a sleek and trendy environment. Others give a retro vibe, with menus that bring back classic dishes.

    For those who prefer the latter, finding an eating establishment that’s the real deal (compete with history oozing from its every pore) really can’t be truly recreated. Rather, it’s earned through years and years of operation.

    These kinds of places seem to get fewer with each passing year, but a number of such spots still exist in the region, including a hotel restaurant called The Winthrop Arms that sits high above the ocean and feels like it is far, far away from Boston, though it’s in a community that actually borders the city.

    The Winthrop Arms Hotel and Restaurant isn’t the kind of place that you just happen across in your travels. Its location on a little peninsula in a residential part of Winthrop keeps it very well-hidden.

    The neighborhood is filled with charming old homes, and the Arms itself is in a structure that has been around for a long time — the business has roots that date all the way back to 1916. And unlike some historic spaces that have been modernized so much that they lose much of their charm, very little has changed here; the minute you walk through the front door, you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.

    The front lobby has a patterned tiled floor that you almost never see anymore, and the dark woods (including mahogany) and old-fashioned lights almost keep you from leaving the lobby area, which you certainly don’t have to do, thanks to the little bar situated toward the back of the lobby.

    A long patio that offers refreshing sea breezes on warm days can be found further back and along the left side of the building, while a staircase in the lobby leads up to the hotel rooms. The rest of the space is dedicated to dining (and functions), with multiple areas set up with tables and booths, and, because of the vast amount of space, it’s very unlikely that you’ll have to wait to be seated.

    The old-school feel of The Winthrop Arms doesn’t stop with its atmosphere, as the menu here reaches way back for some classic dishes, some of which you don’t see all that often at restaurants anymore.

    Some popular items (in addition to the free plate of crackers and cheese) include a plate of baked stuffed mushrooms with a special house stuffing; a hearty fried ravioli and house-made marinara appetizer that can be made into a meal by placing a double order; a perfectly browned and crusted macaroni and cheese appetizer — one of their signature dishes and easily one of the best mac and cheeses in the entire Greater Boston area and, like the fried ravs, can be double-ordered to turn it into a meal; an extraordinary scratch-made chicken pot pie, another signature dish at The Arms, which comes stuffed with peas, carrots, gravy and plenty of pulled chicken; a savory lobster pie that can be ordered as is or with scallops and shrimp added; and a classic prime rib dinner offered on Friday and Saturday nights, which comes with a potato and a house salad.

    Another favorite at The Winthrop Arms is the plate of marinated steak tips, and because the North Shore is known in part for its outstanding steak tip spots, it should come as no surprise that the tips here are fantastic, lean and tender with a nice char on the outside. Besides the lobster pie, seafood lovers might also want the fried clams, which the restaurant says has been ranked sixth in Massachusetts, or the seafood scampi, which includes scallops and shrimp with garlic and oil along with linguini and broccoli.

    PHOTOS: The Winthrop Arms Hotel and Restaurant

    Dessert lovers can look forward to such sweet treats as warm chocolate chip cookies, lemon meringue pie, tiramisu or limoncello, depending on what’s available at any given time.

    For those interested in an alcoholic beverage, the wine list includes an array of red, white and rose options by the glass or bottle, with most coming from either California or Italy, while beer choices include a mix of mass market and local craft brews, though you may also find some familiar European beers as well such as Heineken and Grolsch. The Winthrop Arms does have a full bar, so if you’re in the mood for cocktails or spirits, there are plenty of options here.

    There really isn’t a place in the Boston area quite like The Winthrop Arms, a throwback that goes along the lines of such now-closed institutions as Durgin-Park, the No Name, Anthony’s Pier 4 and Doyle’s. If you miss these places, take a trip over to Winthrop (with GPS on) and check out this wonderful place that locals have been frequenting for decades.

    The Winthrop Arms Hotel and Restaurant, 130 Grovers Avenue, Winthrop, MA, 02152. winthroparms.com

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    Marc Hurwitz

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  • A new option for Nepali food debuts in Boston’s northwest suburbs

    A new option for Nepali food debuts in Boston’s northwest suburbs

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    The dining scene in Arlington has changed quite a bit over the years. Once known mainly for its Greek pizza houses and takeout Chinese food, it’s now a town with quite a variety of options for different cuisines.

    Indeed, while this Boston suburb may not have much in the way of high-end dining or destination spots, it is certainly a community full of outstanding eateries that won’t break the bank, including highly regarded Mexican, Indian, Vietnamese, Greek, Korean, Italian, Turkish, Thai, Lebanese and Japanese eateries.

    Now, Arlington is home to a restaurant that features Nepali fare: Zomsa Restaurant and Bar. It’s another local option for inexpensive street food that’s already starting to make a name for itself with outstanding dishes.

    Zomsa first opened in April, moving into the space in the center of town that had been home to Taipei Tokyo and, before that, Shanghai Village, the latter a popular spot for Chinese food for nearly 40 years until being hit by a fire in 2018 and never reopening.

    The people behind Zomsa did a nice job of renovating the space, which has multiple sections, including a comfortable seating area for people waiting for a table or takeout to the left complete with couches and sofas; a modern-looking bar with a few seats in the middle; and a separate dining room to the right with bench seats and both round and square tables. Attractive hanging lights are set up throughout the restaurant, and large windows allow extra light in while also helping make for a bit of people-watching along Mass. Ave.

    The restaurant considers itself a South Asian dining spot, so it’s not just Nepali food. There are plenty of familiar (and not-so familiar) Indian dishes, but the Nepali fare stands out when compared to the many Indian eateries in the northwest suburbs.

    PHOTOS: Great Nepali street food in the Boston suburbs

    The menu at Zomsa’s street food section features some very interesting options, including momos – dumplings with a relatively thick but soft wrapper that is crimped and pleated, looking vaguely like Chinese soup dumplings. Momos do not have broth inside them. Rather, they’re stuffed with meat and/or vegetables, and in the case of those offered at Zomsa, they can be ordered with chicken, pork, lamb or veggies.

    The restaurant has three momo options: Steamed, with a hearty sauce with a variety of spices; sauteed with veggies and sauce; and as a soup. The simple steamed pork momos are a highlight, stuffed to the gills with pork. The sauce has just a slight kick but not so much that it detracts from the dumplings themselves.

    Other options for street food include fried rice, chop suey, marinated chicken sizzlers and chatpate, which involves puffed rice, vegetables, cilantro and a mix of spices and lemon juice.

    Much of the rest of the menu at Zomsa includes items you might find in an Indian restaurant, though with a few other Nepali options that might not be seen on Indian menus, including a spicy and aromatic soup with Tibetan origins called thukpa; tareko kukhura, which is breaded fried chicken in Himalayan spices; and newari bara, or savory lentil pancakes.

    Some of the appetizers and meals often ordered at Indian dining spots are marvelous here, including the paneer pakoras, which are deep-fried fritters with a mild cheese and just the right amount of salt on the outside; a classic chicken tikka masala that can be ordered mild, moderate or hot and which comes with diced meat, rice and a creamy sauce; and palak paneer, which comes with cheese, a creamy spinach curry and rice.

    Tandoori chicken, lamb, salmon and shrimp are also available, as are various breads (roti, paratha, naan, poori). Meals include papadum lentil crisps with assorted chutneys.

    Zomsa does have a full liquor license, so those who dine in can choose from various beers, wines and spirits, while the menu also includes a Himalayan masala tea, and desserts include Indian doughnuts along with tres leches.

    Early impressions of Zomsa Restaurant and Bar are very positive, and the dining spot is one of two new places in Arlington that have gotten noticed by food lovers in and around Boston (the other one being Quilo’s Taqueria down the street in East Arlington, which had lines around the block when it first opened).

    There have been some ebbs and flows with the Arlington dining scene over the years — including during the pandemic, which saw the closings of such places as Sabzi, Tango, Twyrl and Common Ground — but things seem to be looking up once again for this Boston suburb, and Zomsa certainly appears to be a part of that with its delicious food, friendly service, laid-back atmosphere and reasonable prices.

    Zomsa Restaurant and Bar, 434 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA, 02474. zomsaboston.com

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    Marc Hurwitz

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