The Grill Most Likely to Succeed

It’s that time of year again, when the smell of searing burgers begins to waft through your weekend and Home Depot starts advertising their line of gleaming Webers. With our seemingly endless winters, the beginning of the grilling season is as much a beloved sign of spring to many New Englanders as Red Sox opening day.

For those carnivorous grill masters among us who obsess over creating the perfect burger or the serving the tastiest ribs, the first stop this spring should be The New England Meat Market on Walnut St. in Peabody. This third generation family-owned business, which also has a location on Broadway in Cambridge, is the place to go for fresh beautiful steaks, chops, ribs, and roasts as well as a huge range of house-made marinated steak tips, chicken and lamb kabobs. We recently brought home some of the marinated steak tips ($6.99/lb.), which were phenomenal.

The meat counter is reminiscent of an old-fashioned butcher shop, where the cuts are chosen with care, trimmed to order and wrapped in white butcher paper while you wait. Special orders are encouraged and may be called in ahead of pick up. There are also refrigerator and freezer cases with specialty cuts and imported items. New England Meat Market specializes in American lamb, and their lamb prices are generally a few dollars less than supermarket prices.

In fact, despite the great quality and service, most of their prices remain competitive with supermarket prices and their weekly specials are worth keeping an eye on. This week’s featured lean hamburg at $1.99/ lb. and boneless pork roast at $2.89/ lb.The specials flyer is conveniently available on their website, as are their super saver deals; if you’re planning to feed a crowd or just want to stock your freezer, these packaged deals can save you up to 20%.

The market also carries a fascinating array of foods; they have a wide range of Greek and Mediterranean specialty items, a decent produce section, breads and baked goods from several local bakeries, beer, wine, and standard convenience items as well. In addition there is an extensive deli, which offers sandwiches, sliced meats, and quite a few salads. The prepared foods section is another wonderland: entrees, soups, meatballs, desserts. A new discovery there became an instant favorite—house-made Greek Lemon Chicken Soup; the creamy broth was unexpected, both tangy and savory, with rice and chunks of chicken.

They open at 8 a.m. seven days a week, so if you are planning a backyard cookout or just looking for an excuse to fire up the grill this weekend, a visit to New England Meat Market should definitely be on your to-do list.

New England Meat Market
60 Walnut St., Peabody
(978) 531-0846
http://nemeat.com/

Breakfast With a Side of Cheer

Stepping into a vintage dining car often gives you the feeling of stepping back in time, but that isn’t quite what happens when you enter the Little Depot Diner. It’s more like you’ve stepped into some bright and happy idealized version of the past, and you’re glad you’ve stumbled upon it.

Built in 1929 by the Worcester Lunch Car Company, this diner car was moved to its current location in 1950 where it has had a succession of owners, most recently Jim and Judy Miles who re-opened the diner just over a year ago.

A tiny place with no booths and just fourteen stools, waiting for a seat on the weekend looks highly probable. The interior is a warm yellow with the ceiling painted sky blue and accented with clouds. Just below the ceiling is a model train track that runs the length of the car. The black and white tiled floor, reproduction tin signs advertising Moxie, and a small shelf with courtesy books for those wishing to linger over their coffee complete the atmosphere. The background music, hit tunes from the 1930s and ’40s was perfect. (I wasn’t the only one humming along to Judy Garland singing “Zing Went the Strings of My Heart;” the cop on the stool next to me was, too.)

The owner and her sister Terry, wearing vintage-styled waitress dresses, greeted me with smiles and an immediate offer of coffee. When I mentioned this was my first visit, Terry gave me a “train ride” by blowing the whistle and making the little train run the length of its track. This honor is generally reserved for those ordering the All Aboard breakfast, which consists of two eggs, two bacon, two sausage, two pancakes, and homefries or baked beans. ($9)

The menu is small and straightforward, with all the usual diner fare, though I was sad to see they don’t offer waffles, one of my personal favorites. The counter was almost full with locals and regulars chatting, and every meal I saw go by looked generous and tasty. I decided on the little stack of pancakes (2 for $3.75) with a side of homefries ($1.50) and bacon ($2.50) The homefries were a bit bland, but the the bacon was terrific, crisp and plentiful, and the pancakes were large and dense. I opted to try the Special Butter, which turned out to be a brilliant decision. The maple caramel cinnamon butter, whipped together on site, was absolutely delicious on the pancakes.

The coffee is quite respectable, rich and fresh ground, and for those on the run, diner features The Honest Cup of Coffee, a self-serve station for take-out coffee at the bargain price of $1. (They are a cash only business, but there’s an ATM just around the corner.) If you want your breakfast to go as well, take out is available.

On weekdays, the diner serves both breakfast and lunch, open 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. On the weekend, they serve breakfast only and close at 12 p.m.  The lunch specials sounded great, and there’s no doubt you’re in Massachusetts because one of the sandwiches offered is the infamous Fluffernutter.

The Little Depot Diner is a place that just plain makes you feel good. Even without the siren call of that luscious Special Butter luring me back, I’d still return and bring my friends. Welcoming and comfortable with tasty food at good prices, this car is on the right track.

The Little Depot Diner
1 Railroad Avenue, Peabody Square
978-977-7775
http://www.thelittledepotdiner.com

Wrap it Up

Sure, it’s a chain, but we felt compelled to check out the PF Chang’s that just opened at the North Shore Mall. Asian food with a twist is one of our all-time favorites, and Chang’s did not disappoint.

The decor is inviting and comfortable, modern with a nod toward Chinese cultural roots. We found the lighting on the dark side at lunch, however. The menu is well organized and interesting, with old favorites like Peking Dumplings, new items like Chang’s Wedge salad, and desserts that go beyond pineapple chunks to include banana spring rolls and adorable $2 mini desserts in tall shot glasses.

Overall, the food was delicious, obviously made with fresh ingredients by chefs that put an emphasis on flavor. We enjoyed the dumplings and won ton appetizers but went crazy over the chicken lettuce wraps. The filling is chopped chicken and water chestnuts in an excellent sauce that we scooped feverishly into lettuce leaves.

For entrees, we sampled the wok seared lamb, mu shu chicken, and fried rice. The lamb was tender and flavorful, and the fried rice had a wonderful ginger flavor. The mu shu was outstanding–far from the shredded cabbage version we’re used to. This had large chunks of lightly battered chicken and mushrooms, along with a nice selection of crisp-tender vegetables.

On the downside, the prices are fairly high for lunch (the mu shu was $11.50 and the lamb was $14), and the service, although friendly, suffered from severe green-ness. True, we were there with a big group for an office outing, but since the server had not marked which person ordered which dish (and didn’t recognize some of the dishes by sight), getting the food on the table was more comedy act than elegant ballet.

If you’re an Asian food lover and prefer light flavors to heavy sauces, we recommend giving Chang’s a try. Go for dinner, sit in one of the cozy-looking booths along the back wall, and order hot tea–it comes in a beautiful cast iron pot to cheer you and warm your hands on a frigid winter night.

P.F. Chang’s
Northshore Mall
210 Andover St. Peabody
(978) 326-2410
http://www.pfchangs.com/