Some Restaurant Ideas

First there was Cantonese Chinese, next Sichaun Chinese, then Thai cooking, today the “in” Asian cuisine is Vietnamese. I’ve been heading to Randolph to get my fix lately, but now there is a wonderful new Vietnamese restaurant, Pho a Dong,  in Brockton on Belmont Street on the left just before the Diary Queen.

Big bowls of noodles or noodle soup  filled with vegetables and meat form the heart of the cuisine and the broth at Pho a Dong is exceptional. Here’s a picture from the foodspotting website with their excellent grilled pork:

Asian cuisine has rice and dumplings, but the Vietnamese took French baguettes and turned them into the perfect sandwich. There are dozens of combinations and Pho Dong has started with just three simple versions: a grilled beef, a grilled pork, and a Vietnamese cold cut. The veggies and seasonings make Vietnamese sandwiches unique and very tasty-the friendly staff will ask about the hot peppers-get them, they've got a great taste, but get them on the side because they are hot. Here's a picture:

At $3.50 it has to be one of the biggest bargains in Brockton! Is it the best Vietnamese sandwich I've ever had? I still would give that honor to N&H Saigon Sub in North Randolph a tiny shop that can take more risks to be authentic due to the large Vietnamese population there, but Pho Dong's sandwich is a close second.

 

Meanwhile back home in Easton three restaurants are doing some interesting things. I’ve always felt that the bar menu of small plates and appetizers is the best thing about the Stone Forge. For some time now the restaurant has been offering half price appetizers after 9 pm. My favorite is the pan seared tuna normally $10, but after 9 a bargain at $5. A great, if noisy, spot to stop after a program at the library or a meeting at the Town Offices.

A daily bargain is the offerings at Soups on Center. A great summer soup is the cold Carrot-Ginger. Fairly new are the specialty sandwiches with customers names. Two great vegetarian wraps are the Tom Cat and the Ali Cat. My gift for alliteration got twin hot dogs with peppers and onions renamed Ed’s Double Dogs. Become a regular and you’d probably get a special named for you. Don’t forget the cookies and ice cream.

 

I love a good lobster dish although I haven’t cooked any at home since my last one grabbed the outside of the cooking pot when I was tossing it in. Maguire’s has just added a new twist on lobster called lobster tacos. It's soft tacos with lobster seasoned with Southwest spices. The diner then gets all the fixin’s to make a taco-cheese, guacamole, sour cream, rice, corn and black bean salsa. Surprisingly, the taco ingredients enhance rather than obscure the sweetness of the lobster.

Fox 25 brought Frothingham Park alive today with it's weekly Zip Trip. Things that make Easton special from our outstanding school baseball team to Hilliards, Simpson Springs, and Flynn's Farm all appeared. You can check out pictures of the event here. The video tour of Easton is very funny!