Coach Grill Restaurant

To celebrate the “people’s day” of Chinese New Year, my family and I went to a very popular steakhouse in our neighborhood for dinner. Since moving in six years ago, we pass by Coach Grill every week, and we always see flocks of older people going into the restaurant starting in the early evening. Outside of the restaurant, there is a sign of the restaurant’s name with has a big carriage on top of it. When we arrived at six o’clock for dinner, the whole parking lot was already filled. We were grateful to have found the last parking spot available. The décor of the restaurant is very American style, with soft lighting, paintings on the walls and a big fireplace on the side. There is an open kitchen where you can see the action by the chefs. It is definitely a high class restaurant with some people dressing up with a jacket. Unlike places like Capital Grill, this restaurant is not pretentious at all and the ambience is warm. The wait staff is friendly and the service is pretty good.




The waitress brought us a big bread bowl, which is one of the best bread I’ve ever had. The bread is crispy on the outside and not hard at all. It is very warm and soft on the inside. When I put the butter on the bread, the butter melts right away. It was so good that we asked for more. I ate two pieces of the bread, which is quite unusual for me. My mom almost ate the whole bread bowl by herself.



For appetizers, we ordered half a dozen oysters from New Hampshire. The oysters are fresh with a slight salty taste. I personally prefer oysters that have a sweeter taste. My husband ordered a Caesar salad, which was alright.



For main courses, my mom and I both ordered the Prime Rib, cooked medium. It was a generous cut of Prime Rib. Even though the Prime Rib was so thick, it was surprisingly tender and juicy. It was served with au jus which is the natural juice from the meat. There is some fat near the edges of the Prime Rib. I can say that this is the best Prime Rib I have ever had. It is definitely a notch above the Prime Rib at Ken’s Steak House or Texas Roadhouse. We also ordered a side of pan seared sweet potato as side dish.



My husband ordered the Rack of Lamb, cooked medium. I love the strong distinct taste of lamb meat. It was served with mint jelly which adds a refreshing taste to this dish. There is a side of mashed potatoes in the middle of this dish. The mashed potatoes have a strong garlic taste. My husband likes it but it’s just not my cup of tea. The only imperfection is the inconsistency of how the chefs cook the different meats. We ordered both the Prime Ribs and the Rack of Lamb to be cooked medium, but the Prime Rib looks more like medium rare while the Rack of Lamb looks more like medium well.



This was a great night out, and we all left with our stomachs extremely full with boxes to take home also. The quality of the meat at Coach Grill was excellent, and we would love to come back when we crave for some tender and juicy Prime Rib.

HOKAT Rating:
93/100

Address:
55 Boston Post Road, Wayland MA 01778
508-358-5900

Texas Roadhouse

Last night my family and I went to Texas Roadhouse in Worcester for dinner. We love the atmosphere at Texas Roadhouse because it is free-style and boisterous. There are buckets of peanuts everywhere and you can take as much as you like. People can dump the peanut seed coat onto the floor. Whenever there are birthdays, the waitresses would stand in a line and dance for the birthday boy or girl.




What we love at Texas Roadhouse the most is their bread. The bread is freshly baked and is extremely soft. It is served with cinnamon butter which adds a sweet buttery taste to the warm soft bread. I am usually not a bread person, but I find myself cannot stop eating the bread at Texas Roadhouse. Sometimes after eating the bread, I am already half full and I would wonder if I need to order main dishes at all. We usually ask for another basket of bread because it is so good.



Besides the complimentary bread, we also ordered the baby blossom to share. The baby clossom is hand-battered onion that is deep fried and served with a Cajun Horseradish sauce. It is deep fried perfectly in golden brown color. The strong zingy taste of Cajun Horseradish sauce matches perfectly with the fried onion. It is better not to eat too much of it though, because it is very oily.




For main dishes, the three of us ordered a 12 ounce rib-eye steak and a 12 ounce prime rib. We asked for them to be cooked medium rare. However, it must be an off night at Texas Roadhouse because the rib-eye steak was too rare while the prime rib was cooked medium. The rib-eye steak is very juicy with a strong taste from the grilled meat. The portion of the prime rib is huge. We believe that they ran out of the 12 ounce prime rib and gave us the 16 ounce instead. Since the prime rib is so big, the meat is a little rough and not moist enough. When we went to the Texas Roadhouse in Everett a few weeks ago, the quality of the prime rib was much better and much juicier.




Each main dish comes with 2 side dishes. We asked for 2 caesar salads, a mashed potato, and a baked sweet potato. Of these side dishes, I enjoy the sweet potato the most. It is very moist and the cinnamon butter on top adds to the sweetness. The caesar salad is very creamy and even my mom (who is not a vegetables person) likes it.



We love coming to Texas Roadhouse for its freshly baked bread with cinnamon butter, side dishes, and great quality steak for a very reasonable price.

HOKAT Rating:
92/100

Address:
535 Lincoln Street, Unit F, Worcester MA 01605
508-853-7266

or

31 Mystic View Road, Everett MA 02149
617-381-9598

Chez Siam

There is a great Thai restaurant in our neighborhood called Chez Siam. It is an authentic restaurant with most of its businesses from takeout orders. There is usually not many people who dine inside of the restaurant. However, when we went there on a weeknight with my mom, we were surprised to see that many tables were filled. There is only one waitress and she was extremely busy that night but was still able to keep up from the demands of all the customers.

We ordered the beef satay to start off our dinner. The beef is grilled perfectly with the juice kept inside of the meat. The satay sauce has a strong aroma in which you can clearly taste the peanut inside of it.



One of the main dishes that we ordered is the Pad Thai. This is thai style noodles served with chicken and shrimp. The noodles are sauteed with fish oil and topped with peanuts and bean sprouts. I guess the Thai people really like peanuts. We had actually saved some of the satay sauce and put it on the pad thai.



The second main dish that we ordered is the duck with green curry. It is served on a hot plate with a candle lit in the bottom. The green curry is slightly sweeter than the Indian-style curry. There is a generous portion of duck, and the duck meat is very thick and juicy. The curry sauce goes perfectly with white rice. Besides these two main dishes, we also ordered the pineapple fried rice. It is just like any other fried rice dish, but the pineapple provides a nice sweet taste and makes the rice more moist.

HOKAT Rating:
86/100

Address:
280 East Main Street, Marlborough MA 01752
508-485-3880

Fugakyu

A couple of friends came to our house on a Saturday for a “board-game day”. After playing a couple of board games, we went to the nearby Fugakyu for dinner. Fugakyu is a Japanese restaurant owned by some Taiwanese people and most of the wait staff speak Cantonese. For this reason, Fugakyu doesn’t feel as authentic as places that hire Japanese sushi chefs like Oishii.
My mom ordered the Seafood Deluxe Tempura, which is a variety of seafood dipped in light batter and deep fried. The seafood includes shrimp, scallop, salmon, crab meat, and also vegetables such as sweet potato. According to my mom, the tempura batter is a bit too thick. She did not enjoy the two pieces of shrimp tempura at all since it’s mostly batter and the shrimp inside is very small.



I ordered the Unagi Sandwich as a starter. The Unagi Sandwich is eel sandwiched between two slices of sweet potato and deep fried. The strong aroma of eel matches well with the sweet taste of the sweet potato.



My husband and I ordered a few maki's to share. Two maki's that we order every single time we go to Fugakyu are the Cherry Blossom and the Spicy Girl Roll. Cherry Blossom has salmon, avocado, and tempura crumb on the inside, which is then topped with tuna. It is topped with a wasabi mayonnaise sauce & served with seaweed salad. We like both salmon and tuna, so having both of them inside a maki is perfect. The wasabi mayonnaise is slightly spicy yet creamy. However, there is a bit too much tempura crumb. The Spicy Girl roll has fried spicy salmon on the inside, with eel and avocado on the outside. It is then topped with a spicy sauce. Surprisingly, the strong taste of fried salmon does not collide with the heavy taste of eel at all. The spicy mayonnaise adds a nice kick to this roll. This is definitely my favorite maki in Fugakyu.




We also ordered the Snowing Maki and the Crazy Maki. Snowing Maki is a tuna lover’s paradise. It has spicy tuna on the inside, which is topped with an extremely generous portion of even more spicy tuna and tobikko on top. This maki is quite spicy. Crazy Maki has shrimp tempura, avocado, and spicy mayonnaise on the inside and tobikko on the outside.



My brother-in-law ordered the Catepillar Maki and the scallop sushi.



Somehow the maki's served at Fugakyu have a Chinese style to them. Maybe there is just too much tempura crumb in the makis.

HOKAT Rating:
87/100

Address:
621 Boston Post Road, Sudbury MA
978-443-1998

Pho Pasteur

One of our favorite restaurants in Chinatown is Pho Pasteur. It is a traditional Vietnamese restaurant that serves many noodle dishes and some rice dishes. My husband's favorite is the Pho Xe Lua which is an extra large bowl of beef noodle soup. It contains a variety of beef, which includes rare steak, well-done flank, beef brisket, tendon, and tripe. The noodles are squared in shape and are very soft. Both my husband and mom were able to finish this huge bowl of noodles, which means it must be pretty good.



For me, I am not a big noodles person. I always order the lemongrass chicken on rice. A big piece of thigh and drumstick is rubbed with lemongrass and deep fried. The quality of this dish has declined over the years. The chicken meat is too rough from being overcooked.



One nice touch to the meal is the special drinks. We love ordering the coconut and red bean shake which is blended very well.

HOKAT Rating:
83/100

Address:
682 Washington Street, Boston MA
617-482-7467

Olive Garden

A good friend gave me and my husband a gift card to Olive Garden as Christmas present. We decided to use the gift card for a nice lunch with my mom on a Saturday afternoon. Olive Garden is more of an American restaurant than an Italian restaurant. Most of the patrons are traditional Americans in their forties or fifties. We were taken to a booth seat by a waiter who is about 80 years old. When our waitress came to our table, she offered to pour us some complimentary wine. Since it was only noon time, we felt it is too early for a drink and so we passed on the offer. My husband likes to eat the freshly baked breadsticks which is warm and relatively soft.

The three of us ordered two pasta dishes to share. One of the dishes is the Seafood Alfredo which is shrimp and scallops tossed with spaghetti with creamy alfredo sauce. The size of the shrimp is very small and it is not bouncy enough. The scallops are quite fresh but also pretty small.



The other pasta dish that we ordered is the Seafood Portofino. This is definitely the more original dish between the two. This is mussels, scallops, shrimp, and mushrooms with linguine in a garlic-butter wine sauce. The garlic-butter wine sauce is rich in aroma and the wine taste is not overpowering. The mushrooms match very well with the garlic-butter wine sauce. I am surprised by the nice effect of mushrooms in a pasta dish. The mussels are pretty chewy. The shrimp and scallops are just average.



The lunch was nice but all of us would definitely prefer California Pizza Kitchen instead.

HOKAT Rating:
80/100

Address:
1 Worcester Road, Framingham MA 01701
508-879-7285

Acapulcos

Since my mom has never tried Mexican food before, we brought her to Acapulcos for some authentic Mexican food. We went to the branch of Acapulcos that is a few minutes from my house. The décor of Acapulcos with the colorful tiles on the walls and all the wait staff are Mexican make you feel like you are in South America.

When we were seated, the waiter brought us some tortillas to start us off. The tortillas are warm and crispy. Together with the tomato dipping sauce, we could not stop ourselves from finishing the whole basket of tortillas. They are the best Mexican appetizers. What’s even better is that they are free of charge.

The three of us ordered the beef fajitas for two to share. The fajitas are served hot and sizzling on a cast iron skillet. The portion of the beef is generous. It is served with sautéed onions, bell peppers, rice, beans, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream. You put a spoonful of each ingredient inside the warm flour tortilla wraps. The slight spiciness and mushiness of the guacamole matches very well with the hot sizzling beef.



This is an excellent Mexican restaurant that is very authentic. We will definitely come back here from time to time.

HOKAT Rating:
85/100

Address:
694 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, MA 01776
978-443-3970

Blue Fin

After going to church with my husband and mom in the morning, we met up with my brother-in-law for some lunch at Porter Square. Porter Square has a building with many Japanese eateries inside, which makes it feel little Tokyo. We went to the biggest restaurant in the building called Blue Fin. This is a place that lets us reminiscence into the past. More than ten years ago, when my husband and I were still in school, Blue Fin used to be a regular place where we had dinner with our friends. It is opened by Japanese owners and the staff members are all Japanese. Since we visited more than ten years ago, the décor has not changed much but it is clear that the place has been renovated.

My husband, brother-in-law, and I shared a sushi combination plate with 30 pieces of assorted sushi that we selected. We tried the tuna, salmon, halibut, striped bass, red snapper, yellowtail, flying fish roe, and eel. The quality and size of the sushi is average, but considering the price it is a pretty good deal. Comparing to ten years ago, the sushi has definitely improved.

Besides the sushi combination plate, three of us also ordered the pork cutlet curry rice. It is disappointing that there is no onion served with the curry rice. There is no other garnish besides some horse radish. The curry is not very thick and not spicy. The pork is not fatty enough which makes the meat a little rough. The pork cutlet curry at the Narita Airport is much higher grade.

My mom ordered the Japanese Steak, which is sirloin steak served with ginger sauce and topped with grated radish. She ordered it to be cooked medium. The steak is pretty juicy with some fat in it. The style of this dish is very Japanese. The veggies on the side are too dry.

This place brings back memories from the old days. It’s a nice place to go if you want a quick bite of sushi that is relatively cheap.

HOKAT Rating:
83/100

Address:
1815 Massachusetts Ave, Boston MA
617-497-8022

Ken’s Steak House

My family and I went to Ken’s Steak House to try their $10 prime rib special that is only served on Wednesday nights. Ken’s Steak House is an old restaurant that has been serving the metrowest area since 1935. It is an old style restaurant with loyal patrons. The restaurant has never been renovated and so you can see that the décor is pretty much the same as 70 years ago. It felt as if we went back in time into the 1940s. In the main dining room, there is an old man playing the piano which provides a relaxing atmosphere and made the dinner more enjoyable.

We ordered the escargots as appetizers. The escargots are cooked in a classic French style and served in their own shell. The garlic butter has a mild taste. I would prefer the garlic butter taste to be stronger with more herbs in it. Besides the escargots, my husband ordered a cup of clam chowder and a side salad.

All three of us ordered the special of the night which is the queen sized prime ribs. It is definitely the best valued main dish. We asked for the prime rib to be cooked medium rare. For only $10, you get a good portion of meat and two side dishes. The prime ribs are seasoned lightly and served with an au jus. The prime ribs have a mild flavor and is moist and juicy. For side dishes, we ordered the mashed potato, french fries, and boiled carrots. I love ordering mashed potato when I eat steak or prime ribs. The softness of the mashed potato balances well with the strong taste of meat.

The normal price of the queen sized prime ribs is $20. For $20, I think there are better restaurants out there. However, the $10 prime rib special is a very nice bargain. We probably won’t choose to go to Ken’s Steak House if it’s not on a Wednesday night.

We paid another visit a few weeks later, also on a Wednesday night. The quality of the prime rib was even better than last night, very tender and juicy. Besides the prime rib and escargot, we tried the fried calamari, which was tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.

We really enjoyed the food and the live piano music at Ken's Steak House.

HOKAT Rating:
87/100

Address:
95 Worcester Road
Framingham, MA 01701-5348
508-875-4455
www.kenssteakhouse.com

Bullfinchs

My mom came to visit us from Hong Kong and is staying for 5.5 weeks. Last night we went to a small French restaurant in our neighborhood called Bullfinchs. We drive by this restaurant almost every day but we have never paid it a visit. Finally we decided to give it a try with my mom. Near the entrance of the restaurant, there is a flame in a glass box as decoration which is pretty unique. The inside of the restaurant is small and cozy with a bar area in the corner. The atmosphere is very homey and the seating is comfortable.

The waitress brought us a plate of fresh bread. The bread is crispy on the outside, while the inside is soft and warm. My mom enjoys the bread so much that she asked for another plate. She said she can keep eating the bread as her dinner. For main dishes, my mom ordered an 8 ounce rack of lamb. My husband and I shared a 16 ounce rack of lamb and a beef wellington. We asked all the meat to be cooked medium rare.

The rack of lamb is seared and then grilled. It is rubbed with herbs and served with a mint sauce that has a slight sweet taste and not too strong.



The beef wellington is basically a piece of filet mignon wrapped with a puff pastry which is oven roasted. It is served with a hollandaise sauce. The taste of the beef is very strong, and the butter taste of the puff pastry provides a nice balance to it. The puff pastry also helped to keep the moisture inside of the beef. It is a very nice dish and pleasantly surprised us.



For dessert, we ordered the warm chocolate torte with vanilla icecream to share. The chocolate torte is warm and moist. The taste of chocolate is extremely rich. The vanilla icecream is mild and cold which adds a nice touch to this dessert.



There is a sign outside of the restaurant that promotes its Sunday brunch with a live jazz band. Since we had a nice dining experience here, maybe next time we will give the Sunday brunch a try.

HOKAT Rating:
88/100

Address:
730 Boston Post Road, Sudbury MA
978-443-4094
www.bullfinchs.com