MMHO: Hojoko

Posted on September 28, 2015 Updated on September 28, 2015

We’re introducing a new feature on the website. We’ll use the Monday Morning Hangover to review places we’ve gone or things we’ve done when we’re NOT crawling. Restaurants, bars, tastings, events, we’ll cover them here

Hojoko is the newly opened restaurant and bar in the Verb Hotel, formerly the Howard Johnson in the Fenway. From Tim and Nancy Cushman, the husband and wife duo behind one of Boston’s priciest places, O Ya, Hojoko is a kitchy, funky place with tiki-inspired cocktails and twists on Japanese food.

The décor is in line with the rock and roll vibe of the hotel. From Hello Kitty frozen drink machine to the anime movies playing on a giant projector, to the table top old-school video game machine (which you can play gratis, no quarters needed), the vibe is relaxed, comfortable, and fun.

We visited a few times when they first opened for drinks at the bar. The drink list is varied and vast, with frozen concoctions, drinks from the tank, which can be served as a cocktail or a bowl, classics with an Asian fair, as well as a section called “bombs away”, which boast a sake bomb and other interesting takes on the “drop a shot in your drink” format. From the frozen section, we particularly liked the Japanese Caucasian, which is a play on a white Russian. Vodka, coffee brandy, cold brew coffee and condensed milk make a great drink with a pick me up. The Chiyoda G&T is another twist on a classic, with avocado oil, ponzu, and sesame punching up the flavor of the standard drink. The sake list is also quite long, but we haven’t delved into it.

After much anticipation to try the food, we finally made it for dinner on Friday night. The food follows a small plates format. The menu is sectioned off by type including rolls, teppanyaki, fried, cold, warm, robuta (grilled over charcoal), randos and sandos. There is a lot to choose from, and there are things for both adventurous and conservative eaters.

The first item we got was super gimmicky, but this is a gimmick that works and was both fun and delicious. It’s called “Wasabi Roulette”: a spicy Hamachi roll served with a small baby bottle containing Pina Colada. One of the unmarked pieces had a huge piece of wasabi inside, and the recipient of the extra spicy piece gets to drink the Pina Colada to cool off. It’s one of those dishes that have everyone at surrounding table asking what it was, and was just a fun way to start the meal.

The chicken meatball was a highlight for half of our group. It was served a on a skewer with a side dish containing an egg yolk. It was suggested by the server that we beat the egg yolk and dip the meatball in it. The two of us who love a runny egg yolk loved it. The meatball was flavorful and salty and the yolk was a perfect accompaniment to it, creating a creamy foil for the meat. The two of our group who don’t eat runny yolk thought it was just salty, but the yolk is really needed balance it out and make it a perfect bite.

The Steak-um was a group favorite, and really did evoke the childhood cafeteria staple, only elevated with wagyu short rib and served with a tangy kimchi. The crispy maitake tempura was an umami bomb, with rich mushroom flavor in every bite. The udon carbonara was an interesting take on the Italian classic, but more like a soup, with the amount of sauce to noodles. We also tried the crispy chicken tails after inquiring as to what they were, since we figured it must be a name for something else. It turns out, there is meat in a chicken tail, and you can eat it. These were tasty, salty, and tiny. Interesting to try, but they were so small, it seems like it wasn’t really worth the $7 price tag. We also tried the Brains on Crack, which are fried calves brains served with XO butter and bonito flakes. They were flavorful and well cooked.

For dessert, Hojoko only offers mini Ben and Jerry ice cream cups for dessert, so we opted instead for some of the frozen drinks. The “Ohhhh Mommy” Grasshopper tasted like a mint chocolate milkshake, and the pina colada was festively topped with a toasted marshmallow.

Service was friendly and helpful. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and offered good suggestions. Other servers who brought and cleared dishes were likewise friendly and nice. We received glasses of sake on the house at the end of the meal, which was an unexpected and nice touch.

They recommend about 3 plates per person, and the prices really run the gamut so you can get out rather inexpensively (or not), depending on what you’re after. With the exception of the aforementioned chicken tails, I think the prices were fair for the high quality of the meal. We tried about 12 dishes and I feel like we barely cracked the menu at all, so we look forward to returning and further exploring both the food and drink menus. Overall, this is a stellar addition to the Fenway neighborhood for both food and drinks, as well as a great atmosphere.

This entry was posted in MMHO and tagged hojoko, MMHO.

MMHO: Koy and Select Oyster Bar

Posted on September 21, 2015 Updated on September 21, 2015

We’re introducing a new feature on the website. We’ll use the Monday Morning Hangover to review places we’ve gone or things we’ve done when we’re NOT crawling. Restaurants, bars, tastings, events, we’ll cover them here.

First Impressions: Koy

Koy is the latest tenant of the oft-overturned space at 16 North Street, across from Fanueil Hall. They bill themselves as a Korean fusion place with old-world Korean classics as well as new takes on those classic flavors. It does so quite successfully, and I hope this place sticks around.

The space itself is colorful and fun. There’s a decent sized bar and plenty of seating with both tables and booths. The drinks are fun and well crafted. I am a sucker for a spicy drink and the El Pazzo hit all the right notes: heat from the Thai chili pepper infused tequila, with passion fruit and lime perfectly balancing it out. The Soju Sangria was a fun take on the classic, with flavors like lychee and aloe adding new dimensions on the apple and orange standard.

The menu is broken down into small plates, traditional food, and “twists”. We tried the cheese steak dumpling with were a very fun play on both a dumpling and a cheese steak, with kimchi, pastrami, and Swiss cheese. It was extremely flavorful. The Master Chang chicken is Koy’s take on the classic General Gao, with a crunchy exterior and a juicy inside The sauce is slightly sweet, slightly hot (it can be ordered extra spicy as well) and overall addicting. When ordered at lunch time, it comes as a special with salad and fried rice. From the twists menu, we ordered the Drunken Chicken Sandwich, which came with a Korean spice marinae, peppers and onions and fries on the side. It was well cooked and tasty. Other menu items include classic bulgogi, hot stone bibimbap, and a kimchi burger.

The staff has always been friendly and attentive. The food is well cooked and presented, and it is reasonably priced–entrees run generally from high teens to twenties for dinner, with lunch specials from 11-3.

First Impressions: Select Oyster Bar

Michael Serpa, formerly chef at Neptune, opened his own venture, Select Oyster Bar, in the Back Bay. The space is small but cozy, with a fantastic back patio that felt festive and fun to our large group. On that note, they only accept reservations for groups of 8 or more, so if you’re dining with less than that, get there early or be prepared to wait.

Mixed drinks were well crafted, and the beer and wine selection was quite good. Service was attentive, with Chef Serpa himself often appearing at the table to put down plates or pour wine.

The food was simply phenomenal. We started with a seafood tower, adding on some oysters. Everything was experly shucked and prepared. A standout appetizer was the octopus. Even the less adventourous diners in our group tried and fell in love with it. Very tender and flavorful, it was a highlight of the meal. Entrees were well received. The roasted lobster was very well prepared, the arctic char was perfectly cooked, and the whole roasted sea bream was beautifully presented before it quickly disappeared.

This wasn’t a particularly thrifty meal, but it was worth every penny. One thing to note is that they add an automatic 20% gratiuity to the check. We would have expected this anyway with a group of 8, but is something to note if you’re dining with fewer. It is clearly stated on the menu, and this doesn’t particularly bother me, but it seems to rub some people the wrong way. For such fantastic food and pleasant atmosphere, it’s worth it.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized.

MMHO: Coppersmith

Posted on September 14, 2015 Updated on September 16, 2015

We’re introducing a new feature on the website. We’ll use the Monday Morning Hangover to review places we’ve gone or things we’ve done when we’re NOT crawling. Restaurants, bars, tastings, events, we’ll cover them here.

First Impressions: Coppersmith

Coppersmith is a cavernous space in Southie, filled with brick, wood….and food trucks? There isn’t anything quite like it in Southie, or in the area in general. It’s a fine addition to the neighborhood, with an interesting and different concept.

This space is BIG, making it a good place to meet a group. There are two floors, multiple bars, and an outdoor patio, and the aforementioned food trucks. On the day we were there, Blue Point Brewery was hosting an event with free beer samples, free food, and games to win prizes. We saw that earlier Michael Serpa of Select had been giving a cooking demonstration. I’m not sure if they will be doing those sorts of things regularly or it was just for the opening weekend, but things like that are always fun, and provide something different to do on a weekend. We got there around 2 with the intention of grabbing lunch, but we learned they weren’t serving their regular menu until later, instead they were just serving food from the food trucks. However, we were given a voucher good for one food truck item from the brewery, so we sampled some of the offerings and decided to wait until 5 when their dinner menu started. The items from the food truck we tried were all tasty: a gooey grilled cheese, a savory and rich chicken and biscuits, and a decadent Nutella stuffed French toast.

We were there on the second day it was open, so there were some understandable opening related mishaps/confusion, but the staff was generally nice and helpful and worked to smooth over the bumps. After some conflicting information as to whether we could order meals or not, we tried several of the dinner offerings. The fried chicken sandwich was crisp and juicy, and the burger was well cooked. The duck fat potatoes were rich and enjoyed by the whole table. A steak that was ordered medium came out on the bluer side of rare, but it was replaced with a perfectly cooked halibut.

Overall, I think this place is fun, fresh, and is going to be a new go-to place in Southie. There was quite a line when we left around 9, and if you want to eat, reservations are a must.