There was a time when I couldn’t get enough Middle Eastern food, Lebanese in particular. An initial fast fling quickly turned into an all-consuming affair. I devoured lamb shawarma and sujok pitas a couple times a week with unapologetic abandon. I thought about smoky baba ghanoush and mujaddara an awful lot, maybe too much. Falafel, hoummus and tabbouleh were all good in a pinch, but it was savory skewered meats I was most after. I crossed the Charles for killer kibbeh and endured Coolidge Corner for a place in line at Shawarma King. Former Sami’s Wrap and Roll on Centre was my local fix. …

  Baby, it sure is cold outside. But hearty beer weather is here and there's plenty of superior suds to sip the winter away. Beer-guru (and nice guy) Mike McCabe of Blanchard’s liquor emporium recommends the following MA-made boutique brews to celebrate this chilly season proper. Cheers!    Mystic Brewery, Chelsea, MA Three Cranes Saison Ale ABV: 7.0% Saison brewed with cranberries? Yes, please. Crisp, tart and effervescent, this is the champagne of beers—and definitely worth celebrating.   Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project, Westport, MA Our Finest Regards Barley Wine ABV: 12.1% This medium-…

  Hispanic eateries and pizza shops have long dominated the eats scene in Jackson Square, so it was a welcome change when Gail’s Café and Grill opened its doors in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood last spring. The bright, airy and attractive eatery offers Greek-inspired, home-style classics and enjoys a prime location on Centre Street, just steps from the Jackson Square T station. Owner and JP native Lakis Vlahoulis curates an expansive, reasonably-priced collection of comfort foods prepared by his brigade of mostly Greek cooks. Spinach pie, lemon-roasted potatoes, kabobs and gyros are …

While it’s thrilling to witness the Jamaica Plain restaurant scene evolve, it’s easy to take a joint like Same Old Place for granted. The family-owned pizzeria and sub shop on Centre Street has been a neighborhood mainstay for decades, and while revered by locals for its Italian pizza and sub sandwiches, the humble hole-in-the-wall spot fails to elicit much contemporary culinary excitement, let alone the hot press buzz reserved for the neighborhood’s newer, flashier restaurants. Still, the place never ceases to pack in the patrons.  An unfortunate gang-related shooting at Same Old Place put …

Super Fusion Express, we hardly knew ye. The local sushi franchise, with successful locations in Cambridge, Watertown and Brookline, opened a spot on Centre Street last spring and subsequently closed its doors a year later. Many speculated that its mere one-block distance from JP Seafood—a restaurant regarded as one of the city’s top spots for sushi—was likely Super Fusion’s undoing. But this past spring the owners regrouped, revamped their concept and reopened last month as Wrapmi, a tiny take-out shop showcasing a brief menu of wrap-like Asian rolls. “It’s Asian fast food,” explains Sam Ho…

Outdoor restaurant dining is a thrill. Enjoy a table with a sweet view, favorable weather, or just some hardcore people watching. Here’s where to go in Jamaica Plain for al fresco dining while the sun still shines—and a few suggestions for what to get once you’re there.   Bella Luna and Milky Way Lounge, 284 Amory St. Seats: 30 dining seats, plus 15-20 bench and stool seats for bar-only patrons What to get: The Milky Way’s Sunset Summer Series of monthly events on the patio features themed food, drinks and music. Expect Spanish sangria and tapas, Mexican tequila and Mariachi, Caribbean …

There’s a decided dearth of flashy eateries in Forest Hills, as it seems Jamaica Plain’s destination dining is largely reserved for the Centre Street restaurant all-stars. But spanking new Tonic on Washington Street may likely lure diners to the relatively drab stretch of restaurants and bars across from the Forest Hills T stop.  The pretty, 85-seat Tonic—replacing the purportedly perilous Griffin’s dive bar—opened its doors in mid-April. And, well, the place has some serious charisma. Banquette-lined walls, attractive lighting fixtures and a soothing color scheme are all on point and …

It’s a measure of Krista Kranyak’s love for Jamaica Plain that she opened Grass Fed here last month. The casual and sleek burger bar was a concept previously lacking in JP’s growing culinary landscape. When the former Bon Savor space became available last fall, after the owners became locked out of the country in a heavily chronicled visa saga, Kranyak jumped on the opportunity to take over the property, just three doors down from her flagship and much-lauded Ten Tables restaurant on Centre Street. “I was focused for some time on a concept where quality food could be served in a fast food …

Pop-up restaurants have been an international culinary trend for years, but like the Beantown food truck explosion of late, they’re relatively new to the Boston dining scene. The concept? Ambitious young chefs take over underused kitchen facilities to experiment with culinary ideas and dishes in the hopes of gaining attention and attracting investors, without the cost of starting their own restaurant. When Chef Philip Kruta started running the kitchen at Fiore’s Bakery a little over a year ago, he knew the 30-seat bakery, which sits unused in the evenings, would make a great spot for his …

You might remember the Fill Bellys food jalopy cruising around the city last year, leaving behind the sweet scent of cinnamon waffles and fried chicken in its wake. Twitter blasts provided coveted up-to-the-minute location details, and in Boston's food truck wars, Fill Bellys was a fan favorite for its inexpensive (and addictive) soul/comfort food offerings.  But life on the road proved tough for owner Boswell "Chef Bos" Scott, who curbed his run-down 1986 Chevy step van last summer to open a 15-seat storefront on Washington Street. And his contemporary spin on classic soul dishes has created…

Ask anyone where to get the best burger in Boston and you're sure to get a mixed bag of responses, if not spark a heated foodie debate. It seems everyone's got their favorite burger, and there's tons of beef getting some serious hype in this city (including the newsworthy and expensive Radius burger in the financial district which gets this writer's vote. It's pure burger perfection.)  But as the debate wages on in burger blogs and amongst burger enthusiasts, our humble JP burgers remain largely bereft of praise. Why's that? There's certainly no shortage of burgers on menus around the …

I wanted to like Velouria, the former Hyde Square coffee shop nestled between a liquor store and the perennial Chinese take-out joint, but I never got around to it—my experiences deemed the coffee weak and the service surly. So when the place closed last fall, I wasn't surprised, and like other nosy JP neighborhood foodie watchers, I wondered what would become of the tiny vacancy on Centre. When buzz spread about an Ethiopian restaurant taking over the lease, it seemed everyone was elated. Ethiopian food isn't necesarily as exotic as it sounds, and, typically heavy on flavorful vegetarian …

Local Fall Produce Perhaps the only thing that might assuage the sadness (and sighs) of packing away the summer grill for the season is the arrival of gorgeous fall fruits and vegetables. For many chefs and home cooks, fall means a welcome return to slower cooking and the distinctive flavors of the autumn harvest. Jamaica Plain's farmers' markets are currently brimming with the season's best from local farms—look for classic and innovative varieties of apples and cider, Brussels sprouts, leeks, Swiss chard, beets, sweet potatoes, winter squashes (including pumpkins and butternuts), tomatillos…

I dip into into City Feed on Centre a couple times a week. Sometimes I'm in for a coffee, a lemon Greek yogurt or some seasonal vegetables that I missed that week at my favorite downtown farmers' markets. Other times I'm stopping by for some obscure ingredients needed for a weekend dinner. And then there are the times when I need…just something. Point is, I consider this place a necessary and desired destination. What is it with this place? Let me count the ways.  1) The Bread: Locally-worshipped Iggy's supplies most of the bread here—a revolving selection includes their sourdough, 7-grain, …

The intersection of Huntington and South Huntington Avenues, where Boston's JP and the town of Brookline meet, is a bleak one. It's most often a knot of aggressive traffic and busy public transportation lines. And with just a few specks of commerce—including a small pizza shop and a Subway chain—this part of town is hardly a culinary destination. So it was both interesting and exciting to see the promotional frenzy surrounding the opening of a new Asian fusion place here, Wok n Talk. It fills the spot of a former Ethiopian restaurant, Fasika, which moved to Broadway in East Somerville over a …

The Robinwood Café and Grille sits on a sleepy stretch of Centre Street, just after the cluster of businesses near the entry of Hyde Square and just before the bustle of Centre Street proper. When I created a round-up of the best brunch spots in JP a few months ago, it was suggested to me that I had forgotten to include the Robinwood. Truth is, I had forgotten the place was there at all. Without actually calling itself a diner, the Robinwood has all the trappings of a typical diner—counter seats, a mix of quasi-art deco wall art, an open stainless steel kitchen with a well-used flat top grill…

It takes some moxie to open up a sushi spot just a block away from JP Seafood, the perennial 'hood favorite continuously praised as the "best of Boston" for sushi. Still, local sushi chain Super Fusion has taken over the lease from the forgettable Great Wall Chinese on a short yet sharp stretch of Centre Street, which houses such local luminaries as Vee Vee, Salmagundi, Station 8 Salon and the newly-opened Uforge Gallery.  Owner Sam Huang, who honed his sushi skills at the esteemed Fugakyu, likely knows exactly what he's doing. This is his fourth location in the city (the others include …

It was a somber day when JP's legendary Rhythm and Muse, the indie vinyl and used bookstore (and Scrabble championship arena) closed its doors for a spell last fall. But word around town was that this hip neighborhood gathering spot (since 1998) was simply getting a make-over. Owner David Doyle had a grand plan, fueled by excursions to Seville, Madrid and Barcelona, to add a Spanish tapas menu (and a kitchen) to his already successful business model. Tres Gatos opened for business just last month, and in a matter of weeks has become what all the buzz is about.  The renovated spot at 470 …

Editor's note: JP Eats! columnist Kate Mason has been in Argentina drinking good wine and eating some of the world's best steaks. In honor of The Haven opening for lunch (which happens today, March 1, for the first time!) we present this archive edition of Mason's column. It originally ran Oct. 7, 2010. While there's no shortage of Irish bars in Boston, Hyde Square is the only neighborhood to boast the city's first and only Scottish pub. Opened by Scotsman Jason Waddleton, formerly of Brookline's Matt Murphy's, with Ten Tables' former "Chef Wax" on the line, Haven's offering of spot-on …

Ever since JP officially became a Boston dining destination, a lot of praise and attention has been heaped on the all-stars of Centre Street, the newish Hyde Square eateries, and all of the much publicized, rumored-to-be-opening-soon joints. But lest we think Jamaica Plain's culinary scene is becoming too trendy and high-brow, there's a place still serving classic diner food on the cheap—toasty grilled cheese sandwiches, tender meatloaf, mac and cheese and runny eggs—for when the simple craving for homestyle, comfort food hits. The modest Forest Hills Diner blends in with the rest of the …