The Regal Beagle

Overview:  Owned by the same proprietors as Church in Fenway, The Regal Beagle is a fairly young restaurant that opened in Coolidge Corner this past November.  Thank goodness The Beagle did open, because Coolidge Corner was starving for a food-centric bistro (unless you count Friendly's Express). The menu is simple, yet offers enough options for the meat cravers, comfort-food seekers, or farm-fresh produce lovers. The Regal Beagle might be our new favorite "every night" restaurant.  The prices are reasonable, the drink list is decent, and the food is exceptional. 

Medium Dead: Both times we've been to The Beagle we came in for the appetizer special advertised on Twitter (@beaglebrookline), and both times the appetizer special was sold out.  We had to settle for the crab rangoon empanadas...again.  There are worse problems to have; because these are simultaneously the best crab rangoons and best empanadas I have ever had.  They have a soft chewy crust and are filled with silky crabby cream cheese.

I also ordered the burger both times I visited, and I have not been disappointed.  When they put the burger in front of you the first thing you smell is butter from the peppery brioche roll.  The Regal burger has more grilled flavor than any other burger in the city.  You can literally taste the grill marks in every bite.  The bread and butter pickles are also a nice touch.

Medium Well:  The last time we went to the Regal Beagle was on a random Thursday night, which directly (yet pleasantly) broke our "eat healthy during the week, indulge on the weekend" rule.  The Regal Beagle has plenty of entree options that appeal to me, but both times I have ordered the mac and cheese. (Yeah, i know.  Big surprise.)  Unlike most restaurant versions of mac and cheese that combine countless types of gourmet cheeses, the Regal's recipe is basic but so, so, very good.  The sauce of smoked mozzarella, cheddar and garlic is creamy enough to slide on the palate, but thick enough to smoother the tender macaroni and ensure each bite is full of cheese flavor.  The oh-so-buttery Ritz cracker topping is by far the best crust I have had on macaroni and cheese.  Trina's uses the same crust on their version, but fails to deliver the same crisp texture and rich flavor. 

My only qualm with the Beagle is that the appetizer specials sound so freaken good, yet we can't seem to get there in time to order them.  Do delicious, farm-fresh specials really need to be for early bird diners only? 

The Verdict:  Come here any night of the week to try the nightly specials (if you can get them in time) or just because you are out of food.

Mays Fusion & Cuisine

Overview: May's Fusion and Cuisine (formerly May's Cafe) is a small Taiwanese restaurant on Glenville Ave, a residential street in Allston. May's specializes in cooking healthy Taiwanese home style dishes, and with less than a dozen tables, it has a very intimate feel. The few times we have visited its been very quiet, which is not surprising because May's is difficult to find.

Medium Dead: I first read about May's in the Boston Globe shortly after I moved into Brighton. I was enticed by the gyoza and scallion pancakes, but then forgot about it for about three years. I don't know how we forgot about May's, but our second trip was like discovering it again for the first time.

Medium Well: To compare May's to any other Chinese restaurant in the Allston/Brighton area is to compare a gourmet gastropub burger to a Big Mac. Rather than using sodium rich soy sauce to enhance the flavors of dishes, May's uses fresh, whole ingredients such as ginger, scallions and chili powder. The resulting combinations are absolutely delicious. For every reason I have avoided eating Chinese food (salt, grease, mystery meats), May's gave me even more reasons to eat it regularly. And since all of the dishes are cooked with a modest amount of oil, this was the first time I have ever felt good after eating Chinese food.

We started with the best scallion pancakes I have ever had. They are crispy and flaky, fried to a perfectly golden brown. The "young" scallions must be why they taste so good.

I am a sucker for dumplings so we had to try the pan fried gyoza. The gyoza taste so fresh; filled with pork and ginger served with spicy soy sauce. They are steamed and lightly fried so they aren't heavy or greasy.

The entree choices aren't diverse, but the few things they make they do well. The main features are noodle dishes and famous stir-fried rice with a few Chef's Specialty items. I went right for the May's Special Fried Rice; I can see why its the most popular menu item. The stir fry is a little spicy offset with sweet and sour Taiwanese sausage and shredded chicken and shrimp. The dish is so fresh tasting and very light on oil. May's is a step above the other Chinese food in the area.

The Verdict:  Eat at May's regularly and feel good about it!