The Elephant Walk’s décor, at least at the Boston location we were at, reminded me of one of those elegant restaurants you’d find in the middle of a random Vermont town. It was as if you had stepped into someone’s (really nice) living room.
I was first won over by my spicy martini—but you know me and spicy drinks… so I'm biased.
But on to the important part: the food. The idea of the restaurant is that there are three categories you can choose from: Traditional Cambodian dishes, original Cambodian dishes (e.g. Elephant Walk original dishes), and original French dishes (also Elephant Walk original dishes, but French). We mixed it up and tried a bit of everything.First we started with the vegetarian rouleaux (which was also vegan) - Cambodian spring rolls with shiitake mushroom, carrot, onion, bean sprout, peanut, and beanthread, served with fresh greens and vegetarian tuk trey. 
This was a traditional Cambodian dish. I really liked the sauce you dunked it in. Plus, the spring rolls were perfectly fried-- yum.
We also sampled the Crêpe de Canard aux Poires --you guessed it, an original French dish-- a savory crêpe filled with braised duck, pear, scallion, and crème fraîche. This sounds like the most delicious thing in the world, but it was kinda mushy and could've been executed better, IMHO.
Next up, I pretty much forced everyone in to getting a tofu dish, so we tried the organic tofu amrita (also vegan) - "tofu, flash-fried and sautéed in a lightly sweet Cambodian satay sauce with coriander, cumin, cardamom, galangal, cinnamon, ginger, peanuts, star anis, and lemongrass; with button mushroom, onion, and scallions" (description straight from the menu).
I really enjoyed this-- and wish I had known about its existence during my short period as a vegan. Finally, we also shared this original Cambodian dish--grilled pork tenderloin served with a caramelized sauce of black pepper, garlic, mushroom soy sauce and coconut milk. Despite my love of bacon, I really don't like pork all that much, but this sauce was so yummy I didn't really mind.
Looking back, I enjoyed the Cambodian dishes the most. While The Elephant walk doesn't offer the most cutting edge cuisine, or the best meal you'll have in Boston, I'd still recommend The Elephant Walk for nights when you're craving Asian-- but don't feel like sitting in one of those empty restaurants, with the plastic tablecloths and the soft muzak, where you're thinking, "Why didn't I just take this home and sit on my couch?" You know you've been there... =)
Next we split the mixed greens salad ($8). Now, that sounds like a boring choice, but with kumquats, goat cheese, pecans, and an elegant vinaigrette, it was the farthest you could get from boring. A few weeks later, I was reminiscing on my meal at HM with a food-loving friend of mine, and we both couldn't stop talking about our love of this salad, if that gives you any idea how memorable it is.
For our mains, Dish Bro went with their famous cornmeal-crusted catfish with andouille sausage and green tomato relish ($18).
I chose the French gnocchi, possibly the fluffiest gnocchi I've ever had. This came in a creamy parmiagano-reggiano sauce with summer squashes, peas, and pancetta.
We also split (I told you, we weren't messing around) the baked grits with cheddar and ham ($4). Thank God I had made a dent in my meal before trying this, because I ate one bite and instantly was full. This crazy-rich little pot of heaven is not for the faint of heart-- or those apt to have an actual heart attack.
We were too stuffed to have dessert, but perhaps that will be my reason to return to Hungry Mother. Not that I need another reason-- I'm already plotting my return visit. Anyone wanna join? ;)
The day after the Taste of Cambridge, I woke up in a haze. Did I dream that amazing night? Was I the only one who had a ridiculous amount of fun? But fellow partygoers, including Alec, Michelle, and Ruth (new character alert! Ruth is a co-worker who enjoys her daily Starbucks fix and loves to read--she chose her name from John Irving's A Widow for One Year), agreed: 
I think this was my favorite savory dish-- pulled duck sandwiches with slaw from Hungry Mother. I still haven't been to this widely-acclaimed restaurant, but after absolutely loving all their food at tasting events, I'm getting really antsy to get over there.
This summer gazpacho from Small Plates? Not the best ever, but was so pretty I had to take a photo:
Yes, that's a security guard busting a move...
For my main meal, I went with the BBQ chicken ($14)- so un-Dish Gal like, I know! But I couldn't resist the description of the Bourbon-BBQ sauce, and the accompaniment of cheddar grits and sweet onions (with an awesome surprise of cornbread, too!). I loved the lime garnish, too.
In general, I shy away from foods labeled "comfort food" for fear of that feeling afterwards, like there is a cannonball in your stomach. But I LOVED how Tupelo countered heavier fare (grits) with lighter fare (a tossed salad). It was Southern, but with an elegant- yet not pretentious-twist.
Finally, I forced the rents to order dessert-- brown butter pecan pie with Toscanini's special Tupelo honey ice cream ($7). But boy were they glad I suggested this! This was AWESOME, so much better than any pecan pie I've ever tasted. You actually tasted the nuts instead of the usual overly sugary and processed taste of other pies. And with the honey ice cream? To die for.
(Aaaand now I'm drooling at my computer.)
Suggested pre-concert dinner spots in the area:
