At a restaurant named Flat Patties, the obvious choice is a burger. And sure, the burgers are cheap and tasty, but there are other winners on the menu that are just as good (if not better) and don't require much cash in your pocket. The grilled chicken sandwich ($3.25) is well-seasoned and super moist, a big plus for a dish that can often be dry and tough with poor cooking. The Shredded Pork sandwich......

Being as it's Cinco de Mayo, everyone in the city is going to be trying to grab some Mexican food and cervezas tonight. Most of the options are less than ideal, however. For truly great and authentic Mexican (no beer yet, though, but they're working on it), head to Angela's Cafe in East Boston. Angela's is a small storefront that focuses on food from the Puebla region of Mexico, but it also offers American......

There's been plenty of talk about burritos on Bostonist and in other local news media. And sure, this Bostonist enjoys a burrito now and again, but sometimes you want something that's not so heavy or rice-filled. The quesadillas at Anna's Taqueria are formidable competitors if you broaden the search for good Mexican in Boston. The tortilla is oiled and grilled to crispy perfection, while the cheese inside is creamy. The best choice for a......

Pizza is the quintessential cheap eats. A slice typically only costs a couple of bucks, and it's fast and portable. One slice, however, is often not enough, and you're left wanting more. At Pinocchio's in Harvard Square, however, one slice is filling, and two slices, for the low price of $3.95, makes a full meal. The Sicilian slices are hefty, especially if you snag a corner piece. The dough is crispy on the bottom......

When most people think of crepes, they think of the on-the-go snack from France, spread with sugar or Nutella, or the fancier flambéed Crepe Suzette, served for dessert in fine restaurants. But crepes can make an excellent meal, especially when they are stuffed with lots of fresh ingredients, like those at Arrow Street Crepes in Harvard Square. Arrow Street Crepes is a small place, with the kitchen and the crepe pans right out in......

Don't have tickets to opening day at Fenway? Well, Bostonist can't help with tickets, but we can definitely help with the food. The Lower Depths Tap Room is located on Commonwealth Avenue in Kenmore Square, only a few short blocks from where all the action will be tomorrow. No matter how busy it gets in the neighborhood, though, this bar and restaurant stays relatively peaceful. It's no sports bar - while there are two......

Surrounded by Harvard University offices in the Holyoke Center Arcade, Oggi Gourmet offers a change of pace... and taste. Oggi serves up fresh pizzas, salads, and sandwichs in a hip and comfortable atmosphere. A variety of tables spill out into the concourse, where the wide windows let in plenty of light, and the chairs are comfortable enough for leisurely lounging over your meal. At first look, Oggi seems like a regular pizza joint -......

Restaurant Week should be considered more of a sport than a dining occasion. As The Food Monkey has already pointed out, different restaurants handle Restaurant Week in different ways. With some work (and, ok, a little dumb luck), Restaurant Week can be fun and exciting and even cheap... in context. The full list of participants is available on the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau website about a month before Restaurant Week. Some restaurants......

Bostonist tends not to eat at places with the word “junkyard” in their name, but when the food is as good as at Spike’s Junkyard Dogs, rules can be broken. Spike’s offers up hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, subs, salads, and wings (plus burgers at the Somerville and Boylston branches) that are quick, inventive, and delicious. The obvious order is a hot dog, but there are so many toppings to choose from. You can order......

--Find out where to meet up on March 6 to ask Rep. Ed Markey (aka "Biz Markey") to support Cape Wind. [Blue Mass Group, more on Cape Wind from Bostonist] --Holy crap. This guy eats a Big Mac in one bite. Honest. Where is Morgan Spurlock when you need him? [Andy Eats via Menu Pages] --Following a more highbrow food track, Le Cordon Bleu is opening in Cambirdge on April 7. [Beantown Bloggery] --Apparently Barstool......

When a fast-food restaurant has a name like UBurger, the first choice is, obviously, to order a hamburger. And UBurger definitely has plenty of choices when it comes to burger toppings. But the hidden delicacy on the menu is the chicken. The marinated, grilled chicken breast is a fast-food of dreams. While most chain burger places use chicken that doesn’t always look like chicken, the meat at UBurger is always a whole chicken breast,......

Most taquerias in the Boston area are counter service, fast food-type places. You order your burrito and move down the line, making sure you get all the right fillings. But at Taqueria Mexico, in Lynn, Waltham, and Coolidge Corner, Brookline, a hot, cheap, delicious, and sit-down meal is only a few minutes away. The Brookline location is small, with only a handful of tables, so service is quick. Hot and fresh tortilla chips and......

--Adam Gaffin of Universal Hub was on NPR this week to discuss Boston Crime, which tracks violent crime on a Google map and allows people to comment on cases. A must-listen. They describe him as a "computer guy by day, crime chronicler by night." [NPR] --What's with the rats all over a recent edition of the Boston Globe? [Massachusetts Liberal] --Where to find pictures of Boston back in the day. [Beantown Bloggery] --Food sniglets! [Cave......

Sometimes you want something nicer than a counter-service type of place but you don't want to spend a ton of money. Pub food is always a good choice in that situation. Many bars, though, have only standard (i.e. greasy) food to go with the drinks. Silvertone Bar & Grill, located on Bromfield Street near the Park Street T stop, serves up just what you need. On first entry, the subterranean room feels like a noisy......

The Publick House is known primarily for its beers – a selection of Belgian brews too vast to enumerate. The food menu is not quite as long, but there are some fantastic eats to go along with the great drinks. The Veggie Burger is the top cheap eat pick at $9. The burger is actually made of vegetables – a rarity in the land of veggie burgers. It’s packed with peas, carrots and zucchini, a......

Sandwiches can be a rather mundane lunch choice, grabbed on the go or because there aren’t many other options. But Hot Off the Press, in Central Square and Charlestown, serves more original sandwiches which are, yes, hot and pressed, not to mention delicious and cheap. The Baja Chicken wrap, with grilled chicken, tomatoes, red onions, lettuce, and corn in a wheat wrap, was very tasty, although a little messy to eat. The addition of corn......

Listen hard enough, and you'll hear it: a slurping noise from the next table over. Loud jazz and the clanking sounds of metal soup pots can't drown it out. Order your own soup, and you'll be making those same slurping noises in no time. Some people don't think of soup as a meal unto itself. The soups at the New England Soup Factory, however, are rich and filled with diverse ingredients, making them a perfect,......

Basta Pasta doesn't look all that different from any of the hundreds of pizza shops around the Boston area: the menu board hanging over the counter, shakers of parmesan and red pepper flakes on the tables, uncomfortable benches, and stock photos of subs and greasy pizza in the takeout menu. But take a closer look at the menu, and it becomes clear that Basta Pasta is unlike its competitors. Most pizza joints don't offer risotto.......

--Useful, detailed advice on how to get your car started in the bitter cold. [b0st0n LiveJournal] --Dan Kennedy evaluates all the speeches the winners (and runners-up) gave after the Iowa caucuses. [Media Nation] --A rave review of La Voile in the Back Bay. [Cave Cibum] --And a not-so-rave review of The Publick House for their treatment of people who were just trying to enjoy trivia night and who arrived more than willing to spend money......

--Were there enough police out to handle traffic in the major intersections during Thursday's snowstorm? [Blue Mass Group] --Mike Mennonno has a message for those who complained about how the city handled the snow storm: "… why didn't you avoid all this frustration by just seeking out alternative transportation for the day? Yes, you would have had other frustrations to deal with, but they would have been fairly minor in comparison to five or six......

--Boston Daily has been following the story of Bernard Margolis, the Boston Public Library president who got fired by Mayor Menino. And Margolis has plenty to say about it. [Boston Daily] --The South End Is Over isn't over. And the incoming yuppies South End Is Over doesn't like better watch out: "If the Eagle ever closes, which I hope it will not, if only to annoy the pretentious Atelier dwelling yups across the street, I......

--Mike Mennonno writes a wonderful post about the power of the Polaroid. Photo of the Day fans, take note: "It's hard to say whether the fleshiness of polaroids is an illusion of their application or inherent in the process, but Warhol's polaroids capture that same sinuous, sensuous seediness polaroids seem made for. You don't get that with digital, with its sharp focus and white light." --Newton Streets & Sidewalks had another encounter with a turkey.......

When Bostonist heard that J.P. Licks’ October flavors include not just predictable seasonal favorites like pumpkin and caramel apple, but also a whole series of Thai-food-inspired ice creams, we had to give them a try. The Thai iced tea had a nice consistency—perhaps from the addition of condensed milk—but it had a milder tea flavor than we hoped for. If you hadn’t told us it was Thai iced tea, we might have mistaken it for......