From Thailand to Portugal: Culinary Adventures in the Suburbs of Boston

I've lived in the Arlington area for over 14 years, but I've seldom explored the businesses and restaurants in the surrounding suburbs of Burlington, Woburn, and Billerica, being mainly a public transportation commuter, and habitually patronizing businesses on convenient bus and train routes. Being able to travel as a passenger in my boyfriend's car, is analogous to having a passport to the culinary wonders of the world, on a

local scale.

Recently we sampled the wonders of Thailand at Rice Cube in Lexington, and Portugal at Adega in Woburn. We were absolutely thrilled to discover Rice Cube two weeks ago, which is a convenient short drive away from my home. We've passed it many times driving to and from Market Basket. One snowbound evening, when we were too tired to go shopping for groceries to cook, or to eat out at a restaurant, we decided to give Rice Cube a try. We looked up the reviews first, and then ventured out. We decided not to order takeout until we actually entered the establishment where we could smell the food first. A most fragrantly delicious aroma greeted our nostrils, when we arrived, so we stayed and ordered food. We ordered Capricorn Shrimp, and Wild Boar Basil, and some shumai. All of the food was cooked to perfection, well seasoned, and fresh, and very reasonably priced. The service is very fast, and the people who work there, very friendly. The restaurant itself is tiny with one table, so it really is for take out only, unless you don't have a convenient place nearby to eat. The very next week we ordered takeout again. It is already one of our favorites.

This week we tried a Portuguese restaurant in Woburn called Adega. It had a very charming atmosphere and decor, but was a little cold. We were the first to arrive that evening. We tried a cod cake appetizer, which was absolutely scrumptious, lightly crusted, warm, and flavorful. Then we tried Pork Adega, which was a mixture of clams, and pork, and potatoes in a seafood and tomato broth. This dish was somewhat of a disappointment. It was a gigantically proportioned dish, but it had only 6 perfectly cooked clams, and six bite sized pieces of pork, that were hard to distinguish from the potatoes because they were the same size and color. I could only tell if it was pork or potato by jabbing my fork into it, if it met with a bit of resistance. There were so many potatoes in this dish in proportion to clams and pork that it should have been called "Potatoes Adega" instead. It was as if a clam and pork appetizer had been heavily padded with potatoes to be called an entree. I ate all of the clams, which were, I am happy to say, free of sand, and the small bites of pork, and a few of the potatoes, which made the overall texture of the dish seem very dry. I couldn't stomach eating the rest of mountain of potatoes, and sent them back. The steak and shrimp entree was far superior. The steak and shrimp were well seasoned, and tender, and not dwarfed or camouflaged by the side of potato frites. The chocolate cake we had for dessert was rich and decadent. If you go to this restaurant, I recommend sticking with the appetizers and ordering a tapas menu, or asking very specific questions about the proportion of starch to protein.

Bon appetit!