Great Quality Sushi: Fish Market, Boston

My husband and I have been in search of good, affordable sushi from the moment we first moved to Boston. A new favorite is the Fish Market Sushi Bar in the Allston area of Boston.

The Avocado Ball appetizer won a “most memorable dish” award in 2010. Thin slices of avocado are wrapped around chunks of red and white tuna and diced cucumber, then drizzled with a light wasabi mayo and topped with flying fish roe. It comes with two mini spoons, making it a cute sharing dish for date night.

Salmon and maguro sushi above. The fish is terrific, and melts in your mouth. The rice is also good, and not packed too tightly. I really like their scallop sushi – two large rounds of scallop slices overhang the sushi rice. I could eat these all day long.

From left to right: kappa sashimi maki (wrapped in thinly sliced cucumber), spicy scallop maki, eel and avocado maki, spicy tuna maki topped with tempura bits, jalapeno twister maki, and rainbow roll.

White Tiger maki – tuna, cucumber and avocado wrapped in white seaweed. Unique and beautiful!

The sushi at Fish Market is a bit more expensive than at other restaurants, and the setting is definitely very casual. It would be difficult to seat a group larger than four people. Parking can be tough in the Allston area, so taking public transit is recommended. Nevertheless, Fish Market’s sushi is worth the drive!

Food: 5/5 | Atmosphere: 3.5/5 | Value: 4/5

Info: Fish Market Sushi Bar, 170 Brighton Avenue, Boston, MA 02134, USA

Pretty Good Mexican: Perro Salado, Newport

Having been to Newport, Rhode Island a few times now, my boyfriend and I decided we would dine away from the touristy waterfront. We came to Perro Salado on a Saturday night. They were busy, and we were glad we had made a reservation. The restaurant is in and old house, divided into several small rooms. We were taken upstairs and seated in a comfortable corner.

Perro Salado’s drink menu includes some creative cocktails. My guy ordered the cilantro jalepeno margarita. It was deliciously yummy, with the freshness of cilantro balanced by the spiciness of the jalapeno. I had the namesake Perro Salado cocktail, made with grapefruit juice, grapefruit soda, and tequila. There are also pitchers of margaritas available, that would be perfect for enjoying outside on the small patio (It definitely looked like a party-it-up and knock-back-a-few drinks type of patio).

When we inquired about the avocado fries, our server enthusiastically told use that they are a popular appetizer. Large pieces of avocado are battered and fried, served nice and hot. I found the batter to be a bit on the thick side, however.

My boyfriend really enjoyed the seafood chowder – shrimp, mahi mahi and bits and pieces of scallops in a coconut broth. However, I was underwhelmed by the quality and amount of seafood in the soup, and the flavours didn’t seem to fit a Mexican restaurant.

Yes, there are two large, half-moon shaped empanadas hiding beneath the cilantro and salsa below. Filled with beans and cheese, they were tasty, but served not hot enough.

The kitchen’s timing was definitely off – though the appetizers came out at a reasonable pace, we waited quite some time for our entrees to arrive. When they did, results were mixed. Generous amounts of cilantro and sliced jalapenos was a theme, adorning my boyfriend’s three fish tacos, below. The mahi mahi was overcooked and not fork-tender. I’ve definitely had better. I had enchiladas – corn tortillas stuffed with beef short rib, topped with red sauce, large slices of jalapenos, and lots of cheese, served piping hot (finally, yay!)

We ordered several side dishes as well. The rice and beans were sadly at room temperature, while plantains were hot, crispy on the outside and slightly caramelized – yum!

Happily, our evening finished on a high note – the Mexican chocolate volcano cake was sooo good, with a slight spicy kick. Do not miss out on this!

The Final Word: Perro Salado has a great atmosphere and the menu has interesting options. Most of the food is a hit, though the temperature can be a miss.

Food: 4/5 | Atmosphere: 4/5 | Value: 3.7/5

Chocolate-banana cupcakes (vegan!)

These are some decadent chocolate-banana cupcakes with chocolate-avocado frosting. They may be vegan, but they are delicious!

Chocolate-Banana Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tins with paper liners or parchment paper. If you’re making mini cupcakes, spray the tins with cooking spray, otherwise much of the cake will be stuck to the paper liners.

1) In one bowl: mash 1 very ripe banana.

2) Whisk in:

• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

3) In a separate bowl, sift together:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon

4) Make a well in the flour mixture. Pour in the banana mixture. Stir together until just combined. Do not overmix.

5) Fill cupcake tins (only fill until they are 2/3 full)

6) Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (If baking mini cupcakes, bake 9-10 minutes). Makes 12 regular cupcakes.

 

Chocolate-Avocado Frosting

Cream together:

• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and skinned
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Yes, at first this mixture looks like guacamole gone wrong. But keep on mixing, and you’ll soon get a creamy chocolate frosting.

I don’t like a lot of frosting on my cupcakes, so I usually only make half this recipe. It’s enough to cover the cupcakes, but if you want a tower of frosting, make the full recipe.

 

 

Nutrition
Per cupcake (with half the frosting)
Calories: 221
Total Fat: 12.0 g
Saturated Fat:  4.3 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Fiber:  2.6 g
Sugars:  17.0 g

By comparison, Starbucks’ “chocolate bloom” cupcake has 420 calories, 27 g fat (15 g saturated), and 32 g sugar. Yikes!

 

Best-Ever Guacamole

My boyfriend makes the best guacamole ever! All our friends think so, too. He’s nice enough to let me share the recipe with you 🙂

Ingredients

• 5 large avocados (or 6 smaller ones)
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeds removed, diced
• 1/3 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 large garlic, minced
• 1 juicy lime
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• dash cayenne
• pinch salt and pepper

Directions

1. Mash avocados.
2. Add cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, and juice of one lime to the avocado. Mix well.
3. Add tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Mix well.
4. Serve immediately, or chilled.

Guacamole goes great not only with tortilla chips or in a burrito, but also as a dip for veggie sticks, or served with eggs at breakfast.