Boston hounding

Quick report on two good meals this weekend. Going to DC tomorrow, don't expect to do any great eating there, work work work. I caught a cold in London so I've mainly been eating soup. But Dax made sure I got at least two good anti-sickness meals of chinese food and pizza.

Taiwan Cafe in Chinatown yesterday - beef with longhorn peppers, spicy salt and pepper pork, xiao long bao. The beef with peppers is a standby, with mild green peppers and hot thai chiles mixed into the shredded beef. The pork dish is a new favorite - the meat is braised with scallions, then deep fried in the spicy salt and pepper batter. Xiao long bao, aka soup dumplings, are always a welcome saturday food curative. I need to get there with a dinner hunger to go after the oysters with black bean sauce.

This afternoon we were going to go to Pizzeria Regina in the north end (accept no substitute for the mother ship at 11 1/2 Thacher St - it's all in the original brick ovens) but remembered that the Rolling Stones play the Garden tonight. Therefore, Regina's would be a madhouse and parking would be outrageous. So instead we made the trek to Eastie for Santarpio's. I've been there once for takeout but didn't actually go inside. Two years ago or so.

Today we sat at the bar. They are also famous for "BBQ" - I am a southerner, and the improper use of "BBQ" bothers me; if it ain't slow smoked, it ain't BBQ - which in this case means homemade sausages and lamb tips roasted on skewers. Sausage was outstanding, peppery and crusty on the outside. I'm not a big fan of lamb other than braised shanks and such but it was very well cooked. Pizzas at Santarpio's come one size only and are very different from the classic new haven style pizza. We got a pepperoni sausage pie which must have had a pound of meat on it. Maybe more. I bit into a stack of pepperoni six deep at one point. Sauce was very, very peppery from the sausage in the pie. I have to vote with the Regina as my favorite pie in town but am going to reserve judgement til my next visit back to Santarpio's - now I know what to order. Cheese pie. Sausage "BBQ" plate. I have a feeling that's the way to go. Also, they gave us great, friendly service. It's about a thousand yards from Logan airport, just out the Callahan tunnel on the local exit option.