September 20th 2013: Dinner at Shanghai Social Club, Boston

Today after work, I had a meetup dinner at the Shanghai Social Club in the Allston area of Boston. Before that, as I was a little early, I decided to get some froyo from Dante's Frozen Yogurt nearby. This place is pretty small, although I have to say they have pretty unique flavors, like Orange Sherbet and Salted Caramel. As always I had to add a ton of stuff to my cup before I could hit $10 worth, which was what I had to spend to get the deal.

I could not finish it all though before it was tine to head to dinner. I have to say the place looks pretty upscale, with decor much like at Red Lantern, though much smaller.

After getting seated and taking a look at the menu, which was pretty short for a Chinese restaurant, I decided to avoid the Americanized Chinese food and go for the unique stuff, getting the Firecracker Short Rib Steamed Buns, the Spicy Beef and Shiitake Steamed Buns, and the Red Roast Pork Steaming Noodle  Bowl.

Firecracker Short Rib Steamed Buns (left)
and Spicy Beef and Shiitake Steamed Buns

Red Roast Pork Steaming Noodles Bowl

My other friends got the Crispy Chicken Skin Steamed Buns, the Lion's Head Meatball Steamed Buns, the Hoisin Scallion Duck Steamed Buns, the Ginger Braised Pork Belly Steamed Buns, the Black Pepper Shrimp and the Honey Shrimp.

Of the steamed buns, I felt the spicy beef ones were the best, being a little sweet and spicy at the same time. The crispy chicken skin was next, with the skin being especially crispy. The short ribs were just spicier without much more flavor, while the duck was too salty, the pork belly was a little too sweet and the meatball was a little bland. The black pepper shrimp was pretty good, while the honey shrimp was a little too sweet. The noodle bowl was pretty good as well, the soup being really rich in pork flavor, although by the time I got to it, I was already too full to finish all of it.

Overall, my dining experience wasn't too bad, and the company I had today was pretty fun. The long drive back home, not so much.