On The Cheap

2009: The year in cheap eats

A good year to dine 'On the Cheap,' for many reasons

By MC SLIM JB | December 24, 2009

In the wake of the Bush Recession, it's been gratifying to spend 2009 noting how many good budget-priced restaurants Boston has. From my past 50 weekly columns, here are a few standouts:

BEST BREAKFAST Steak & eggs at Auntie B's, in West Roxbury. The half-pound sirloin is a king among diner steaks.

OUTSTANDING DUMPLINGS Taiwanese-style pan-fried dumplings at Gourmet Dumpling House, in Chinatown. (Its other dumplings are merely good.)

BEST SANDWICH (CENTRAL AMERICAN) Pork-shoulder chimi at Alex's Chimis, a Dominican joint with great rotisserie chicken in Jamaica Plain.

BEST SANDWICH (NORTH AMERICAN) Chicken cemita at Dorado Tacos & Cemitas, a fresh Baja California breeze in Brookline.

BEST SANDWICH (ASIAN) BBQ beef bánh mì at Mike's Bánh Mì, in Chinatown. There's no better lunch for under $3.

CAL RIPKEN AWARD Chuck & Ann's, a sub shop run by the same couple for 47 years, in Southie. Love that sardine sandwich!

BEST CHEAP BURGER Flat Patties, in Harvard Square. Approaches the In-N-Out, West Coast–style, griddled-burger ideal.

BEST MALL FOOD Trini's Mexican Grille, in Watertown. An improbably good reincarnation of a real Mexico City taqueria.

SWISS ARMY KNIFE AWARD El Mondonguito, in a Dudley Square juke joint with Latin dancing, convenience-store sundries, cheap beer, and Puerto Rican snacks.

BEST REASON TO FORSAKE FAST FOOD Goat curry roti at Ali's Roti, in the South End. Delivers love in the cooking that chain outlets can't.

BEST STATESIDE RARITY Amazing pork gyros at Zo, in Government Center. Ubiquitous in Greece, rarely seen here.

NICEST SURPRISE Impeccably authentic osso bucco Milanese at Rino's Place, a venerable red-sauce palace in Eastie.

BEST REINVENTION South American accents and French refinement under new chef Marco Suarez at Bon Savor, in Jamaica Plain.

MOST COMFORTING DISH Rabbit stew at O Senhor Ramos, an Azorean restaurant/sub shop in East Cambridge.

CARNIVORE'S BARGAIN (TIE) Brazilian churrasco buffet at Bom de Boca Grille, in East Somerville; roast duck/chicken/pork rice plate at Chinatown's Vinh-Sun BBQ. Mmm, protein-y!

BEST PIZZA Fiorella's, serving dynamite wood-oven pies in an obscure corner of Newtonville.

Here's wishing you more delectable, frugal dining in 2010!

Related: Indian Dhaba, Cafe 57 and Grille, Azama Grill, More

Indian Dhaba
The phrase “fusion cuisine” inspires dread in me — I’ve been served too many misconceived culinary mash-ups over the years, usually European sauces awkwardly force-fit onto Asian foundations, or vice-versa.
Cafe 57 and Grille
I've always felt a little sorry for Brighton; it's a lovely residential neighborhood, but seems short on decent places for a quick bite.
Azama Grill
As someone who dines out nearly nightly in Boston at every level — from highfalutin snob joints to decrepit diners — I'm often amazed at the lack of correlation between prices and love.
WAN Convenience Store and Deli
I can easily imagine my less-adventurous friends entering WAN Convenience for the first time, glancing around, and turning on their heels to flee.
Restaurante Montecristo
East Boston is a treasure trove of Latin American restaurants serving delicious, filling fare.
El Pelón Taquería
A 2009 fire in the Fenway destroyed an entire block of beloved independent restaurants, including the very popular El Pelón Taquería. It was the second fire in two years to hit this Baja-style joint, prompting my comment, “If there is a God, he’s an angry God, one who probably dines at Applebee’s.”
Griyo Lakay
My first visit to Griyo Lakay, a tiny Haitian restaurant near Franklin Park, reminded me of playing an adventure game: “You enter a storefront furnished with four booths. There are no signs, menus, customers, or staff in sight. At the back is a counter on which rests a hand bell.”
Lee's Place Burgers
Americans eat more than a billion hamburgers each year, most of them at fast-food restaurants. That's a lot of bad, sad burgers.
Sichuan Gourmet
I’ve been miffed for some years that Boston’s suburbs had all the best Sichuan restaurants.
Lee’s Store and Bakery
I’ve long relied on Web sites like Chowhound and Yelp for tips on new restaurants.
Yasu
I adore Korean “BBQ”: marinated slices of raw meats that you cook on a little grill inset directly into your tabletop.
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Topics: On The Cheap , Culture and Lifestyle, O Senhor Ramos, Senhor Ramos, More

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