BostonZest

Brookline Family Restaurant, Our first Taste

Brookline Village is fortunate to have Brookline Family Restaurant. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every neighborhood in the city had a least one restaurant where you can get a comforting warm lunch or dinner that reminds you of the very best ethnic family gatherings.

You know, the kind of holiday gathering or Sunday dinner where Aunt Jenny brings her collard greens with chicken. Aunt Anna comes with a big pot of lamb and peas. And, the dinner table is full of sides like rice pliaf, garden fresh salad, and baskets full of bread & butter.

The meal above was our lunch special from the Brookline Family Restaurant's steam table. For $8.50 each, we picked a main course, a choice of rice or salad, and a fountain drink. The bread and butter was delivered with our meals. It was more than we could eat, and it was all delicious. 

We had set out to have lunch at Cutty's across the street, but the line was out the door, and the tables filled. The crew over at Chowhound's Greater Boston Board has been saying nice things about Brookline Family Restaurant for years, it was on our list, and a natural choice. 

We are late to this show. All the way back in 2005 the Boston Globe describes the Turkish side of the menu here by saying:

"Turkish food is a delightful mixture of aromatics, rich meats, crisp salads, long-cooked vegetables, mild heat, and intense flavors."

That's a perfect description for what we found. This is lick-your-plate seasoning. Ed was glad he had a spoon to scoop up every spec of the sauce from his collard greens dish.

Penny's Serious Eats colleague Liz Bomze reviewed it in 2006 for the Phoenix's "On The Cheap" column and said: 

"What lingers in the air, though, is the aroma of meat on the charcoal grill. Lamb dishes dominate the menu, but the chicken shish kebab, juicy and piquant from a flavorful marinade, more than holds its own on a layer of rice pilaf, barley, and salad."

We still have the sandwiches, kebobs, desserts, and breakfast areas of the menu to explore. Looks like we'll be hopping off the Green line D trains in Brookline Village more often.

Related Post:

Craving a Spuckie from Cutty’s

Thanks to all of you who begin your Amazon shopping from here! Learn more about Turkish food with these books from Amazon.

Sultan's Kitchen: A Turkish Cookbook (from a Boston Chef)

The New Book of Middle Eastern Food from one of Penny's favorite food writers.

Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon

Details:

 Brookline Family Restaurant

‪305 Washington Street‬, ‪Brookline, MA 02445‬ (Map & Reviews)

‪(617) 277-4466‬

www.brooklinefamilyrestaurant.com (This is a flash site, so it won't work on some mobile devices.)

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Memorial Day Task....Make your Summer Bucket List

Memorial Day means different things to different people and many of us have our own Memorial Day traditions.  

We like to stay in town and enjoy the peace and quiet that comes when most of the students are gone and many neighbors are away opening up summer cottages or dashing off to weekend destinations.

And, with all the quiet, it's fun to plan your summer the way you did when you were back in school. Remember when each Memorial Day would find you on the phone with friends deciding what the summer adventures would be.

Since Memorial Day is about remembering, I decided to look back on the people, events and activities that still make me smile when I think about them. A few of them can never be recreated. But, some would make a great Bucket List to enjoy before Old Man Winter comes back again and fills my summer bucket with ice.

What's on my summer list?

We used to do a lot of sailing, and I'd like to get out on the water again this year.

While I read a lot for work, I plan to read a bunch of books just for pleasure.

My little elderly dog adores sitting on park benches and watching the world go, by so I'm planning more bench time this year. (I'll bring my book and read while she watches.)

Tomorrow I'll sit quietly and add a few more fun items to the roster. 

What's on your summer bucket list?

Looking for summer reading? Here are some top picks from Amazon. I'm reading:

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough and a friend just recommended

As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto

 

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Words: Penny  Cherubino
Sailboat Photo: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Bucket photo: iStockphoto.com

 

 

 

Sunday Dog, Hoagie– a Pint-Size Star!

Hoagie is very much like his namesake– there’s a lot goin’ on in this pint-size package! He got his handle because his family is very food driven (we can certainly relate to that). And, besides being Philly’s name for a sub, Hoagie’s a word that makes people smile– just like our Sunday Dog.

We got aquainted at a bloggers’ picnic where this three year old Yorkie demonstrated a talent for seamless networking, hopping from blanket-to-blanket just to say, “Hi, what’d ya bring to eat?”



Although this little guy was constantly in motion, he did take a moment to relax and enjoy the scenery.



Originally from Florida, Hoagie has definitely become a Bostonian. There’s even a rumor that he’s considering the nickname, Spuckie! 

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.


Love reading and love dogs? Here are a few mysteries featuring canine characters. And, thanks for supporting us by beginning your Amazon shopping from here!

 

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Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Don't Hurt Me, I'll Make Oatmeal Cookies!

At first, we thought this was extortion. Another oatmeal raisin cookie lover threatening Simeon Cook to get him to bake our favorite Cook's Farm creation. All those cookies and not one oatmeal!

But, we soon noticed other Prudential Farmers' Market vendors in the same position each time the wind blew. Like this pair from When Pigs Fly! bakery.

And this casual pose at the Swiss Bakers. 

In reality, it's all about city winds and the need to grab your tent when a gust growls. 

But, that doesn't mean that a bit of arm twisting isn't needed to get the crew from Cook's back into their Oatmeal Raisin Cookie mode. Hey, it's been two weeks of farmers' markets without an oatmeal raisin sighting. We may need to recruit an army of hungry arm-twisters. 

When was the last time YOU baked cookies? 

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Free MFA on Memorial Day, Our Friday link

What's better than a trip to the MFA to see "Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass?" 

How about seeing it for FREE?

Here's the word we were sent- the MFA will have free admission on Monday May 30th.

If you're a Chihuly fan, you'll love these books!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Screenshot: courtesy of the MFA

Potted Herbs, A Best Buy

Consider what you pay for those little plastic boxes or fresh bunches of herbs in the supermarket. Then, take a look at the price on pots of herbs to grow in your garden, on a widow sill, or roof deck. Even if they were only to last a few weeks, herb plants are a great bargain for those who love to enhance their food with herby goodness.

At the Gilson's stand at the Prudential Farmers' Market (Thurdsays 11am-6pm on the Boylston Street Plaza) 4" pots of herbs were $3.50. Much larger pots of Rosemary were $10. And, Gilson's Herbs are at a different area market each day of the week. 

If you don't see your favorite herb, ask. I was looking for Thai Basil and Chervil and Dave Gilson said he would have both available soon.

Just look at this lush rosemary plant. It's almost ready to start providing rosemary skewers for your grill or rosemary mops for basting. 

Once your herbs start growing, clip them and use them. I visit our building's roof deck to snip a bouquet of herbs from our community herb garden and keep them on my kitchen counter like a bouquet of flowers, plucking a bit of this and some of that to add to our meals.

Just think how great a fresh sprig of mint will taste in a cool glass of ice tea this weekend, or crushed into your favorite cocktail. Go clear a sunny spot and make a place for some fresh herbage in your life.

Need some help growing and using herbs? Here's a selection of books on the topic.

   

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino

Do You Stop for Chuggers?

I watched a pair of particularly agressive street fundraisers, or as they're better known chuggers, work a corner on Newbury Street today. This poor guy was walking along, listening to his tunes, when she did her little walking backwards dance in front of him until he pulled out his earbuds and listened to her.

Meanwhile, her partner nearly walked the man in the white shirt into a van and forced him to walk in the tree pit to get past without hearing a sales pitch.

I can't understand why anyone would give personal information to someone on the street. And, from what I read here, these people may work for fundraising companies that take a cut of any money you donate.

How far do they have to go before they meet Boston's standards for agressive panhandling?

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino