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1) Oye's Restaurant in Reading opened this past Monday. Kevin, one of the owners of Sato II in Stoneham wanted to open his own place and has now done so. It is a fairly large restaurant, nicely decodated with a large and well stocked bar. The menu bears some similarities to that at Sato, though it is more expansive, including items like a raw bar. You'll find plenty of Chinese and Japanese cuisine, as well as a few Thai and Korean dishes. They even have a gluten free menu.
I stopped by for lunch the other day and had a nice meal. I began with some good sushi, from unagi to sweet potato tempura maki, and it seemed fresh. Sushi prices are average. I then ordered one of their lunch special, Combo #2 ($8.50), which came with pork fried rice, four chicken fingers, a beef teriyaki skewer, and some boneless spare ribs. I then chose chicken wings as my extra appetizer. The food was good, better than the average Chinese restaurant.
The restaurant is promising, and I look forward to returning to try more of their menu.
2) I was excited to learn about the first annual Boston Wine Week, which is reminiscent of Restaurant Week but in the realm of wine. Numerous restaurant will participate, from September 20-26, by offering at least six different wines at a substantial discount. All of the wines (some of which retail up to $90/bottle) will be offered at $9/glass and $32/bottle. And based on the samples, there does appear to be some excellent bargains.A sampling of wine highlights include:
--2006 J Hoffstatter Gewurtztraminer (Alto Adige, Italy)
Served at BiNA osteria; normally $75/bottle
--2007 Sottimano Langhe Nebbiolo (Langhe, Piedmont, Italy)
Served at Bin 26 enoteca; normally $54/bottle
--2007 Broglia ‘La Meirana’ Gavi di Gavi (Gavi, Piedmont, Italy)
Served at Lala Rokh; normally $44/bottle
--2001 Castellani, Soave Classico (Veneto, Italy)
Served at Jer-Ne; normally $84/bottle
Participating restaurants include: Bin 26 enoteca, Lala Rokh, 75 Chestnut, Clink at The Liberty Hotel, The Hungry i, Beacon Hill Bistro, Woodward at The Ames Hotel, BiNA osteria, Jer-Ne, Locke-Ober, The Beehive, Petit Robert Bistro South End, and Brasserie JO.
In addition, during Boston Wine Week, you will have the opportunity to attend a couple special events. Guest pourer Tyler Balliet of The Second Glass will offer featured wines at BiNA osteria from 6pm–7pm on September 20 (complimentary pizzettas included). Richard Elia of the Quarterly Review of Wines will also be on hand at Bin 26 enoteca on September 21 from 6pm-7pm to serve featured wines alongside paired cheeses.
Additional restaurants and more details about which wines will be served will be posted on the Boston Wine Week website so keep checking it. I will be taking advantage of this special wine week, and maybe I will see you there.
2 comments:
I just had lunch at Oye. I was happy to see they had a liquor license. Food was okay but a little bland. Good prices on their lunch options with soup, egg/spring roll and rice included. We actually order out from Sato II all the time - Oye is about on par but not quite as flavorful. I had the seaseme chicken, my husband had the pad thai which was woefully under sauced.
Did you mention to them the issues you had with their food? When I was there, my waitress specifically asked me about whether the food was right or not, stating the kitchen really wanted to make sure it was getting everything right.
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