Forgive me if I blab a little bit here, but today, Friday, June 13 is my birthday! So, I’m allowing myself a little leeway this time around. I’m turning 23 years-old, and yes, that means I am a baby.
So in honor of my upcoming day of celebration, I’ve decided to gift myself something of an early present. In this week’s column, I’ll be sharing four Brockton-area establishments that I loved writing about.
Comparison is the thief of joy, and thus, this list is not the four best or even my four favorites. It’s just four places I’ve loved to write about or eat at over the past three months. Please enjoy.
Stella’s Pizza, Brockton
I walked into Stella’s and immediately knew I was in good hands. A decent rule of thumb is if you can picture Tony Soprano walking into a shop, you’re probably going to get a good sandwich. Stella’s only confirms that hypothesis. You walk through the doors and it feels like you’re somewhere that doesn’t exist in time, like the universe popped into existence and Stella’s just showed up along with it. There’s framed photos and paintings of boxers on the wall, everyone behind the counter seems to be directly or distantly related to each other, and there’s a 94-year-old man sitting at a table and he tells you things like, “this is the last of the east side businesses.” Stella’s is uncompromisingly authentic. And it doesn’t hurt that the food is delicious either.
Location: 197 Crescent St., Brockton MA
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
Tuk Tuk Pad Thai, Lakeville
When I wrote about chef Orawan Tang-on Maloney in April, I described her understanding of cooking as the following:
“Tang-on Maloney understands the combinations of flavor and temperature and texture the same way you might understand the combinations of vowels and consonants to make a word.”
Honestly, those words aren’t enough. They don’t give her enough credit. Hearing the way Tang-on Maloney describes cooking, the way she describes how her brain works, I realized that no combination of vowels and consonants could even begin to showcase her brilliance. So, in a way, I’ve failed. The solution? Head to Tuk Tuk Pad Thai and try her Thai food for yourself.
Location: 78 Main St, Lakeville MA
Hours: noon to 8 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Leal’s Grill, Brockton
Somehow I made it 22 years without tasting Brazilian food. Thankfully, Vera and Carlos Leal ended that terrible run. When I headed to Leal’s Grill to do a story on their expansion from Leal’s Kitchen, I was transparent with Vera. Sure, she might’ve laughed a bit when I confessed to never trying Brazilian cuisine before, but she was more than accommodating.
I showed up hungry, but instead of making my own plate at Leal’s buffet counter, I asked Vera if she would decide on my lunch for me. This was to be my introduction to Brazilian food, after all, and she did not disappoint. Vera piled the plate sky high with steak and rice and salad and fries and pork and flavors that I frankly had never tasted before. Not for nothing, when I weighed my plate to pay, the price was incredibly reasonable.
I’m sure you all know about Leal’s and I’m the one who’s late to the party, but I just wanted to highlight them nonetheless.
Location: 721 Warren Ave., Brockton MA
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Ultimate Pizza, Easton
Back in April, I went to Ultimate Pizza in Easton to grab a photo of something called a North Shore roast beef sandwich. My half-Mainer, half-Carolinian brain simply could not comprehend this, but OH MY. I was completely blown away. I took a photo of the sandwich and started to head out the door when the kind folks at Ultimate Pizza offered to let me try the behemoth itself. I said yes, as the sandwich’s alternative fate was the trash can, and I took the sandwich to go. Let’s just say this: I pray there is no security footage of me eating that sandwich in the front seat of my car. I made the thing disappear.
I’m raised by a Texan and spent the first 12 years of my life in North Carolina. So, it might be heresy to make this claim, but if y’all count the North Shore roast beef as a form of barbecue, then it’s just as good as any barbecue I’ve ever had. (Please don’t tell my dad I said this.)
Location: 277 Turnpike St. #4, South Easton MA
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday; 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday; 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 on Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
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