You Don't Need a Tourism Degree For This!

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Do you have a passion for food and writing? Well, I have a perfect job for you, and this job can take you around the world even without leaving your own city (literally and metaphorically). It'll introduce you to different cultures and with this job, you will never get hungry.

Now, you may ask, "so, what the hell is this job that you are talking about?"

Well,  I'm talking about becoming a "food critic." It's a job that you gotta love. You get to meet new people, taste delicious (and the not-so-delicious) entrees, and most of it all, it gives you the opportunity to taste different foods from various cultures. All you gotta do is to put your taste buds to work, and write about it efficiently.

So, what are the steps to becoming a food critic?


1. You have to be knowledgeable about what you're writing about. Learn the origin of the food, and the culture that it came from. It is good to write in a first perspective point of view, but don't let your personal experiences take over the whole article. Remember that this is a review, not a diary. Write your article in an objective view, but with your own voice.


2. It is important to experience it yourself. You can't describe something that you just see on recipe books. Go out there!


3. When you go to restaurants, ask them for their "specialty dish" and please, don't be picky! When they offer you their specialty dish, just eat it!


4. Develop professional relationships with restaurant manager and/or staff. You can learn a lot from them, if you get lucky, they might share you their secret recipe or even hook you up with free food.


5. Write honestly and efficiently. You don't want to bore your audience with big words. Just go straight to the point. We're talking about food here, not rocket science.


6.  Be an expert . Learn the culinary jargon. Go to wine expo and food festivals so you can have a taste of everything.


7.Study other languages. You don't have to be fluent, but just enough to be able to order or read the menu without the English subtext.


8.  You don't have to be the lonely one sitting in the corner of the restaurant analyzing your meal. Go with friends, you can even order different entrees, then write about them. 


9. When writing about a negative review, always remember to be fair and balanced. (Also, get yourself ready from getting angry emails/or snail mails from these restaurants!)


10. Once you have your portfolio of restaurant reviews, send them to editors or local newspapers. Who knows, you can be the next Anthony Bourdain!




Bon Appetit and Good Luck to you!

BALI HAI--For the drinker's friend.

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 LYNNFIELD,MA-- For all of you Bostonians, have you heard of Lynnfield,Massachusetts? Probably not, huh? Well, in this little town of Lynnfield, you can find the most affordable, cheapest, and best selections of cocktail drinks! Yes-- for this blog entry, I'm not going to comment much on the food, but this time we're going to focus on the drinks!

Nothing to do? On a tight budget? Well, why don't you call up your friends and check BALI HAI out. I have to tell you, this restaurant is absolutely cheap! If all you have is $20, you can feed five people, and they'd walk out feeling full and satisfied.

They serve Polynesian and Chinese food. I know that Chinese food sounds so typical, but we don't really have a lot of Polynesian restaurants around Boston. So, this restaurant is surely a great pick for those of you who want to try something different. First, you'll notice the settingt, the front of the restaurant is shaped like a hut. It gives you the Polynesian feel to it because in some islands, people live in a small hut.

As soon as you enter this place, a waitress will give you a table immediately. I'm talking about less then five seconds and you're already comfortably sitting down. The decorations are amazing. There are random stuff hanging on the ceiling (i.e. wooden drums, and other island decorations etc.) such as this one:

Also, another thing that most of you party people will like best, super cheap drinks! If you have a few dollars to spare, you can buy fancy drinks poured in a tropical looking glass. They even have some fruity alcoholic beverages, and you'll have a real freshly cut pineapple as your cup! Cool, right?

The restaurant is very intimate, and they even have red carpet. They have white tablecloths and neatly folded napkins and eating utensils ready on the table. Plus, the best part is the waitresses didn't even need a pen and paper to write our order-- she memorized it, and got every single order right.

Good stuff.

93 Moulton Drive
Lynnfield, MA 01940-1599
(781) 593-8600

THAI BASIL--- Back Bay Bargain

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COPLEY SQUARE---- Whenever we think of the "Back Bay" area, we automatically think about expensive restaurants and overpriced cramped apartments. I actually disagree with that visual image. There are a lot of restaurants in Copley where you can dine in and not spend a fortune. I used to work around that area, that's why I know about these hot spots. It is very true that Copley Square is a melting pot of all cultures. From Italian to Thai food, they have it all here. The only problem is, where should you go?

Imagine this, it is a Friday afternoon and you want to treat yourself out for lunch. Not just regular lunch, but we're talking about 'a fine lunch.' I'm sure you don't want to go to a super expensive restaurant, but you don't want to go to a fast food chain or a quick take out either. Well, if you don't mind a little kick of spice in your food, you should go to Thai Basil. I knew about this place because a former co-worker suggested that they have the best and cheap Thai Iced Tea, so I tried one-- and since then, I became hooked on it.

A couple of days ago, I went to Thai Basil to relax and eat after a long torturous day. I've always loved going there because the waitresses are absolutely nice! I never had an issue with the staff nor with the quality of my food. It is dining-in first class but on a low cost budget.

It is located on 132 Newbury St., one of the busiest streets in Boston. If you're not a Bostonian, you have to really look closely because this restaurant is not on the street level, though you'd see the "Thai Basil" sign on the top of their stairs. It looks like this:

Now that you know what it looks like. I'm going to tell you about my experience in this place. The restaurant is small . It only holds about 50-75 people. Also, even if its a sunny day out, expect this restaurant to be dimly lit. They don't have bright ceiling lights, only wall lamps with yellow incandescent light bulbs. It maintains the Thai ambiance and the intimate feel of the place.

I ordered a cocktail drink called "Blush," a strawberry and citrus drink mixed with white wine. It is best to partner it with spicy food, but then again, that's just my personal opinion.

Moving on to the main course, they had this combination plate menu that I took advantage of. I'm a big fan of curry, especially when it's a spicy curry! I love spicy food! So, I ordered Randang Curry, it is a red curry mixed with grounded peanuts and bamboo shoots. I had a choice between chicken or beef-- so I just chose the beef. It was served with white rice with free dumplings and spring rolls. This is a big meal, it can be both lunch and dinner. Well, but if you're a hungry one, you can finish the whole plate in less than an hour!

The appetizers are free, so you really can't expect another plate full of spring rolls and dumplings. They only serve you a couple of them, such as this one on the picture. They also give you this special sauce, tastes like vinegar but somewhat sweet. To tell you the truth, I really don't know what it is! But it tastes good, so I have no complaints!

When I got my check it's less than $15 for everything. Well, of course I gave them a very decent tip for a wonderful service. For those people who LOVE spicy food. You should definitely check this place out. They have a menu with so many Thai food selections.

Bon Appetit!

AQUITAINE--- Si'l Vous Plait, Ooh Pass That Plate!

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DEDHAM,MA--- If you haven't gone to Dedham Legacy Place, well you better put it on the list of places you need to visit!. Just imagine this, shopping malls, high class restaurants and a movie theatre- all in one block! They have a whole strip of hot spots such as H&M, Express, Bebe, Victoria's Secret, Urban Outfitters and many more. After long hours of shopping, you don't have to go any further to find a place to dine in. Legacy Place offers a whole selection of exquisite restaurants such as P.F. Chang's, Legal Sea Foods, Met Bar and Grille, Wicked Fire Kissed Pizza ,Chatters Bar and Grille, Yard House, B.Good, Qdoba , King's and the best out all these is Aquitaine Bistro.

This Parisian inspired restaurant is truly a description of European sophistication.For some reasons,  food is a connection to good memories and my experience at Aquitaine reminded me of my good memories when I went to Paris,France a few years ago. We went to Aquitaine on a foggy Thursday night (kinda like what you see in vintage movies!) and most of the stores were already closed. Aquitaine was like a gleaming jewel in the middle of Legacy Place. It is such an inviting place, the exterior of the restaurant is made up of thick glass and wooden material, and standing from outside, you can see the glamorous and warm ambience of Aquitaine.

We were seated as soon as we came in, no waiting in lines. I recommend to make reservations before you come in, especially for those of you who are running on a tight schedule. As soon as we were seated, a friendly waitress greeted us and gave us our menus. You can tell if a restaurant is high class if they're giving you imported water (in this case, we had glass bottled French water!)

Then to start the night, I ordered a cocktail called "French Manicure," It is a martini that will never go out of style, blending Raspberry & Citron Vodka, with Fresh Lemon & Lime Juice. A very girly drink indeed, and very fruity too.
Here's a photo of French Manicure:

We ordered Fried Mussels a la Greque with Niçoise Olives, Red Onions & Spicy Aioli for the appetizer, and oh boy! It was out of the ordinary. It was so good.They serve a decent amount, good for two people. The waitress also gave us some fresh french bread and roasted garlic cut in half, drenched in olive oil. 

For the main courses,we ordered Bar Steak with Caramelized Shallots, Mustard Cream and Roasted Mushrooms and Steak Frites with Natural Jus, Perigord Truffle Vinaigrette & Watercress Shallot Salade. The main courses looked and tasted excellent, it was an authentic French dinner. I have no complaints about this restaurant. Everything was just perfect.

 We finished off our meal with this sweet Tahitian Vanilla Bean Crème Brulée with Brandied Cherries,  don't be fooled by the name, it's not really from Tahiti, and there's really nothing "island-feel" to this dessert. It was delicious, but it tasted like every other creme brulee I've tasted before. I guess the only difference is Aquitaine put cherries on top of it. Here's a quick photo:

 
If you don't mind spending at least a $80 for a meal, this is the place for you. Don't get me wrong, I don't spend that much for a nightly dinner, but I absolutely recommend this place for people who wants to celebrate their anniversaries, business meetings or a small gathering. Celebrate your special event at this extraordinary French restaurant.