Home Taste

I had lunch at Home Taste today and it was phenomenal. Seating is limited but there were still plenty of seats open. There are only a few people working but everything seemed to move extremely fast. I ordered the Noodles mixed with chopped beef lunch special. It came with two chicken fingers, egg roll, and egg drop soup. Extremely cheap, only $10.98. The noodles are hand pulled in house and they are so tender. The appetizers were really good too, especially the egg drop soup. I absolutely recommend this place. Make sure you get something that comes with the hand pulled noodles. I will definitely order from here again!

As the hunt for the familiar continues, my list in Boston continues to slowly grow with fine additions that port me back to specific aspects of childhood. Some very directly, some of a windy nature, but all in all, they all lead back home one way or the other. Here at Home Taste, I found that to be of the latter. It isn't exactly the same as my childhood but the flavors lead in all the right directions. There is a slightly different preparation (as expected of regional differences) but it sure packs the flavors that you'd hope for when the name literally means "flavors of home" (obviously for those of some form of Chinese descent). From the first time to many visits after the move here, it has become a truly comforting spot whenever I am hungry. The menu is extensive (as expected) so I'm only starting to grasp the varied flavors they have to offer. Yet, so far, it has already become quite safe to say that their food is legit and their prices are really cheap for what they offer (especially in this area and considering the current inflation that continues to drive everything up so much). They seem best known for their hand pulled noodles that either are the standard wide/flat or thin/round that come with varied finishing preparations. What really stunned me was the noodles seared in hot chili oil. The amount of flavor, the chewiness of the noodles, the fragrance of raw minced garlic and acidic notes ported me back several decades back into an earlier childhood. It was so good that I had to come back again the next day for it. I really don't think I need to elaborate more. As for the service, they are actually remarkably friendly. Something you'd never expect from a Chinese place on average. They operate like a genuine mom-pop shop: gentle in the way they approach and speak, patient when explaining things (noticed this especially with the varied diners here), and never at any point rushing you to finish and get out. It's like you're REALLY welcome here and they just want to feed you and keep you warm. I have become a solid fan of this little casual diner and know that I'll always come back at least a few times a month to experience home flavors from a different angle.

Dined in and was pleasantly surprised with how fast the service was! The food was spectactular, everything was freshly made, was well-seasoned, and came out piping hot. The fresh handmade noodles were the perfect chewy texture I was hoping for. The service was friendly, attentive, and warm. Would highly recommend dining in if you don’t mind the slight breeze from the door opening and closing from folks going in and out.

My expectations of Home Taste were high. I remember when they first opened that they were one of the most anticipated new restaurants in Boston magazine that year. That type of buzz with the promise of authentic homemade traditional fare for a tiny Chinese restaurant awash in a sea of Chinese restaurants only added to the expectations. But if nothing else, Home Taste will just add more fuel to the ever-present traditional versus "American" Chinese food debate: Is food better just because it's considered authentic? The restaurant is certainly aimed at take-out with a bare-bones aesthetic. A handful of tables on bathroom tile in front of a service counter with "please-dont-stay-long Orange" slapped on the walls. I chose to take-out. The food is good. It is carefully prepared, and I have no doubt that the authentic dishes are truly authentic. But I have to say that in my time in Asia, I really liked the local cuisine. With Home Taste, ive tried many different dishes and always found that the one's I really like are the more American chinese dishes. They were just better. Cold spicy noodles are not the nutty tangy version you may be used to, but rather an oily burnt black pepper sauce so bitter that I couldn't eat it. The Chinese hamburgers were dry and bland. The twice cooked pork is good, but the pork is literally chunks of equal parts meat and unrendered fat. On the flip-side the orange chicken was sinfully delicious with crunchy chicken slathered in a sweet and slightly spicy neon orange sauce and fresh broccoli. The kung-pao shrimp had very large shrimp with fresh crunchy vegetables and tons of peanuts (which I found is often used sparingly in other restaurants) mixed in. I personally don't like food more just because I'm told it's traditional. I will continue to try different dishes here as the food is certainly fresh, it's fairly priced, and the location is convenient for me... but I would not up my rating it any higher than 3 stars until Home Taste can prove that they are more than just Chinese take-out offering middle of the road traditional and American dishes.