Boston

Anyone have any suggestions for casual, lunchtime fare in the downtown area (financial district, Faneuil Hall, etc.) or in the North End. We've already covered dinner for the three nights that we'll be there (Legal Seafoods, Mamma Maria, and Piccolo Nido). Also, any good recommendations for bars and/or Irish pubs?

Thanks in advance.

There is a place downtown called something like "The Small Bar" or the "Lilttlest Bar"....well, you get the idea....and they're not kidding....it is truly miniscule.....but very fun if you can get in....

There is another fantastic old bar near the theater district....truly an historic Boston classic (if it's been remodeled in 100 years, it's very subtle)...but again, sorry, I just can't remember the name...perhaps someone else can help...

How causual are you thinking? I used to work across the street from City Hall and have had many lunches in the area. Two of my favorites near city hall were Sam Lagrassa's for Pastrami Rubens (the best deli I have found in Boston). The other spot to grab a great sandwich is Chacarero for Chilean street food (combination of green beans, grilled chicken or beef, avocado spread, sliced tomato, muenster cheese and hot sauce on soft, round bread).

Boston's China Town is a very short walk from down town an has many great spots for a quick, causal lunch. Taiwan Cafe has a number of great lunch specials including the pork chop and the beef with poblano peppers. King Fung Garden is a great spot for "Boston" style chinese with the best potstickers in town and great lo mein with wonderfully chewey thick noodles. If none of these fit what you are looking for, let me know what you had in mind and I'll do my best to direct you.


Sam Lagrassa's
44 Province St
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 357-6861

Chacarero
426 Washington St
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 542-0392

Taiwan Cafe
34 Oxford St
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 426-8181

King Fung Garden
74 Kneeland St
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 357-5262

Thanks for the info so far. I had thought about (and read a bit about) Chinatown...Thanks for the rec's. I also was thinking about pizza. I've read about Pizza Regina -- it sounds popular and packed. Any lesser known spots in North End for good pizza?

Ron A. wrote:Any lesser known spots in North End for good pizza?

None worth going to IMHO. Regina is the best I have had. The one thing is that you must go to the north end location. The others are more like Sabbaro than anything ellse.

There is a place downtown called something like "The Small Bar" or the "Lilttlest Bar"....well, you get the idea....and they're not kidding....it is truly miniscule.....but very fun if you can get in....

I believe it has closed down, sadly enough. Not my favourite place in town, but it was another old Boston dive bar well-known among locals. Unfortunately, many of these have closed recently. End of an era, and all that.

Pizzeria Regina for sure.

Yes, the Littlest Bar has closed. One more classic Boston bar is gone...

Jacob Wirth in the Theater District is an old-time Boston restaurant and bar with tons of atmosphere. Great beer selection, good pub grub, and a piano singalong every Friday night.

As far as lunch places downtown, there are several good ones. Sultan's Kitchen on State Street has excellent Turkish/Middle Eastern cuisine, Sakurabana on Broad Street is an outstanding Japanese restaurant, and King Fung Garden on Kneeland Street (Chinatown) is one of the best Chinese restaurants in New England. And in the North End, there is a place called Galleria Umberto (http://www.hiddenboston.com/GalleriaUmberto.html), which makes an amazing Sicilian pizza. They are only open until the pizza runs out, though (usually 2:00 or so).

There are many other places, some good and some not so good. But the ones above are consistently great, so you can't go wrong with any of them.

I heartily second Galleria Umberto. Not only are their pizza slices for a dollar great, but they have these fried potato balls filled with stew beef, carrots & peas (I'm Italian and have forgotten the name!), and I think those are no more a buck-and-a-half. My brother used to live a block away & when he was tight on funds he could live on those for a week. Then he'd need his arteries rotorooted...

And like hiddenboston said, when the food's gone, they close for the day, most times before 3PM. What a weird atmosphere! Kinda of a combination of VFW hall, Italian social club & lunch counter. Rickety, mismatched tables & chairs, with the obligatory old men playing dominoes.

jnm123, do you mean the panzarotti? Umberto's also has arancini (rice balls with cheese).

It's a great place for anyone who comes to Boston, looking for an old-school Sicilian restaurant!

I was in Boston a couple years back for a job interview and a friend of mine guided me to Galleria Umberto. The pizza is great! I love how they bring a large tray of fresh, bubbly, glistening pizza right onto the front counter for everyone to see. We need a *drool* emoticon on LTH, seriously!
The spinach calzone I ate had great flavor but the spinach was a little gritty. Next time I'm in Boston, I'll give it another try. Hopefully it was a one time thing.
Warning though, they only make a certain amount a day. Once the pizza's gone, that's it until the next day.

It's right across the street from Mike's Pastry so make sure you grab a cannoli afterwards.

Good call on going to Mike's afterwards.

There is an unwritten rule in the North End; always go somewhere else for dessert (don't get it at the restaurant you're having dinner at). Whether you go to Mike's, Modern, Bova, or Cafe Vittoria, it's always a nice way to end the night, since walking from one place to the other in the North End is half the fun!

hiddenboston---

Yeah, panzarotti must be the name, because they're different than the arancini's. Never been in the North End in the winter but my brother used to tell me about grabbing a couple of those fresh on a January day and taking them back to his apartment with a cup of strong coffee for his lunch.

Also, you are correct about the North End custom of having dessert at a different place than dinner. I kind of like Cafe Graffiti on Hanover 'cause it'a a little more spacious, and you can 'buy' a brick on the wall to write on, hopefully seeing your name on the next visit to town.

I second the recommendation on Mike's for dessert- the cannoli is drool-worthy, and, although it doesn't sound like it would be, it's actually a lot of fun to fight the crowd and make your way to the counter to order. It gives you time to soak in the atmosphere, and the lovely staff makes sure everyone gets their order and nobody gets stuck in the back all night.

However, if anyone tries to drag you to Finale's, fight that tooth and nail- I was dragged there one night and it was almost inedible. Basically, Boston's version of Sugar. Yech. There oughta be a law...

Mike's Pastry
300 Hanover Street
Boston MA
http://www.mikespastry.com

Was in Boston (for the first time ever!--great city) from Thursday through yesterday.

Olives--fantastic. It was the one reservation we made before leaving Chicago, which was probably a good idea. I had no idea it was a "celebrity chef" restaurant--it was recommended by friends, which was all the recommendation we needed--but I knew it was one when the young lady answered the phone, "Todd English's Olives." The appetizer I had stands out in my memory--the Black Truffle Flan, "pan seared mushrooms, foie gras, truffle cream and mache." I'm putting the description in quotes because I don't know what mache is, but I do know it tastes good.

I can see from the website that they have locations in five other cities, but nothing about the place says "chain." A very cool place, well worth the cab ride across the river to Charlestown.

Limoncello. In the North End, a short block away from the well-beaten path that is Hanover Street. Very good. Had a cioppino that was ambrosial.

Mike's Pastry. Right on the well-beaten path that is Hanover Street. What sweetsalty said.

Legal Seafood. The location in the upscale Copley Place shopping mall. (It was a block from our hotel.) OK--I get that Legal Seafood is a national chain now, and I also get that the one we went to in Boston is not the original, but hell, I wanted lobster again, and it was darned good. Very good food, pleasant contemporary surroundings, professional service. If I'd been stripped of all knowledge of the existence of other Legal Seafoods, I'd have simply concluded that this was a nice local restaurant. Wholly satisfactory for what we wanted out of the evening. We were a party of 7 that night, and we didn't seem to put a strain on their resources. My medium sized lobster at $34, for the same quality, would have cost me $68 in Chicago. (My only regret is that I restrained myself from getting the "large," at $43, which I am absolutely sure would have been the equivalent in size and quality of one costing $90 here--if we could match the quality.)

Durgin-Park. We really lucked into this place, for lunch in the Faneuil Hall complex during our walk on the Freedom Trail. There are a lot of bad and mediocre looking places right around there. This one seemed promising, but we had no idea how good it would be. All we knew was that our feet were tired and it was time for lunch. I swear to God, the best clam chowder I've ever had in my life. The "white" kind, of course, but not heavy and fatty and overwhelmed by the cream--so full of clams that the flavor could only be described as clamicious. Apparently the place was there long before Faneuil Hall was "Faneuil Hall."

Papa Razzi--the one dud of the trip. From the name alone I knew it would be, but was hoping against hope I'd be wrong. There was nowhere else our party of 5 could get in on Saturday night (the town was extra crowded because of various alumni weekends and the Head of The Charles crew race) and we didn't have the luxury of knowing much before 5:30 in the evening whether we were even going to be in Boston (as opposed to out in the burbs) that night. And it was right in the neighborhood of our hotel. Friendly waiter--very nice to us. Somewhat "upscale looking"--but the menu and execution were maybe one and a half steps above Olive Garden, and I'm not even sure of that. A chain, with about ten other locations in the New England and Mid-Atlantic area. Unlike the Legal Seafood we visited, however (and for that matter Todd English's Olives) this place had chain written all over it. But one disappointing experience couldn't dampen our fun in Boston. I look forward to our next visit.

My husband and I went to Boston for a long weekend a couple of weeks ago and had lunch at the Neptune Oyster Bar in the North End. It's a small place and we sat at the bar. We both had clam chowder which is made to order and we split a hot lobster roll. It was delicious and I believe we got the recommendation from LTH.

We also had dinner twice (on both our first night in Boston and our last when we returned from the cape) at Giacomo's in the North End based on some threads here. I had the homemade fusilli with lobster and shrimp both nights (recommended by LTH) and it's one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had. Unfortunately, they are only open for dinner.

Thank you LTH!

Panzarotti are not stuffed potatoes. They are, generally, deep-fried turnovers (like an empanadas). I've seen "arancini di patate," which when stuffed with ragu' are quite like Spanish/Criollo papas rellenos (with picadillo).

Here's a link to some Italian fritters, including arancini and various potato croquettes. As the descriptions suggest, the snack foods of the Mediterranean really get around. BTW, the About.com Italian food guy, Kyle Phillips seems to be quite versed in the details and history of regional Italian cooking.

http://italianfood.about.com/od/fritterssnacks/

Giacomo's also has a place in the South End that is a bit less crowded and a slightly better parking situation.

hiddenboston wrote:Giacomo's also has a place in the South End that is a bit less crowded and a slightly better parking situation.

Is the food comparable?

Thanks, JeffB!

Those 'things' I had at Galleria Umberto were actually arancini di riso--golden fried rice balls filled with beef stew, about the size of a xmall orange, and just as heavy!

On the dessert front, Mike's Pastry is fine, gaudy & well-known, but I favor Modern Pastry, just down the street on Hanover. Absolutely the best cannoli I've ever eaten, and a cool neon sign to boot.

Modern Pastry
257 Hanover St.
Boston, MA
(617) 523-3783

www.modernpastry.com

stevez wrote:

hiddenboston wrote:Giacomo's also has a place in the South End that is a bit less crowded and a slightly better parking situation.

Is the food comparable?

Yes, Giacomo's in the South End is one of my favorite restaurants. Excellent Northern and Southern Italian food...

In relation to Olives - I have a business trip to Boston next week, and looks like I'll have a solo dinner one night where I can spend some decent coin (drinks out of the equation, I could drop $50 on food)... What are some of the interesting upscale options out there? Any tasting menu type places? Olives looks like it might fit the bill.

Already penciled in Giacomo's with a friend from out there (his choice, looks fantastic regardless) and B&G's...

If anyone has some good bar recommendations (in boston downtown or cambridge) I'd love to hear those as well.

Thanks!

ab

I had a very memorable dinner at Sibling Rivalry if you're looking for an upscale place. I think you can book on opentable. I had the best veal hangar steak of my life. The sauce tasted as if they had been boiling bones for days it was so flavorful. We went for our anniversary and they pulled out all the stops with our own menu, and fancy desert. My hubby had plate envy as he watched me devour my luscious meat, while he had the fish, that was good, but not meaty good. The chefs use the same ingredients but for different dishes. So, it's like having two separate menus. It's very unique and fantastic.
http://www.siblingrivalryboston.com
525 Tremont St
Boston, MA
617-338-5338

I ended up eating at Central Kitchen in Cambridge. What a fantastic spot - I guess you can call it Gastropub-style, but I don't want to sell it short. Just phenomenal friendly service, a menu that read like a love letter to me, and fit in perfectly while I was exploring Cambridge.

I had a half-dozen oysters, a foie gras terrine, braseola/escarole/parm salad, mussels in beer/shallot and a apple crumb cake w/ Cinnamon... I walked away about as happy as I've been in a long time.

For a point of reference, I'd say it was a blend of Blackbird and Volo. Outstanding service, friendly, talked the whole time w/ the server and bar manager (I think) about the food and various boston topics, I highly recommend it.

Stagger wrote:How causual are you thinking? I used to work across the street from City Hall and have had many lunches in the area. Two of my favorites near city hall were Sam Lagrassa's for Pastrami Rubens (the best deli I have found in Boston). The other spot to grab a great sandwich is Chacarero for Chilean street food (combination of green beans, grilled chicken or beef, avocado spread, sliced tomato, muenster cheese and hot sauce on soft, round bread).


Sam Lagrassa's
44 Province St
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 357-6861

Chacarero
426 Washington St
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 542-0392

Thanks for the Sam Lagrassa suggestion. Corned beef is very good but the pastrami is delicious, they bill it as Romanian pastrami and therefore I expected a good garlic kick which it did have. I noticed the Chacrero joint when walking away from Sam Lagrassa's, I was just too full, maybe tomorrow.

hiddenboston wrote: And in the North End, there is a place called Galleria Umberto (http://www.hiddenboston.com/GalleriaUmberto.html), which makes an amazing Sicilian pizza. They are only open until the pizza runs out, though (usually 2:00 or so).

Only cheese is served from what I understand, a really good slice for sure. To date my favorite Sicilian slice is from spumoni gardens in Broolyn but Galleria Umberto is well worth it if in the area.

Didn't appreciate the panzarotti very much, I'd get a second slice before trying this again.

--

Sweet Willie wrote:I noticed the Chacrero joint when walking away from Sam Lagrassa's, I was just too full, maybe tomorrow.-

ok, who am I kidding, my client dinner plans were not until 6:30 and it was 5:15, so I of course walked over to Chacrero. What a GREAT sandwich, had the sliced grilled beef, skipped the green beans though as I just couldn't bring myself to have those on my sandwich.

--

Bump

I'm 95% sure the family and I will be in Boston during the winter break, so any and all ideas are appreciated. My short list right now consists of Durgin Park AND Union Oyster House (gotta) + the place we went to in the North End with all the specials on the blackboard--have no idea the name, but semi-convinced I can re-find it. That's it so far.

TIA

Vital Information wrote:+ the place we went to in the North End with all the specials on the blackboard--have no idea the name, but semi-convinced I can re-find it.

The Daily Catch ? Great place, I miss it so.

I also miss the Portuguese places, which I'm blanking on right now. I'll post those and some other places when I can whip my memory back into shape.

tatterdemalion wrote:

Vital Information wrote:+ the place we went to in the North End with all the specials on the blackboard--have no idea the name, but semi-convinced I can re-find it.

The Daily Catch ? Great place, I miss it so.

I also miss the Portuguese places, which I'm blanking on right now. I'll post those and some other places when I can whip my memory back into shape.

Wow! Thanks!

Sadly, I think the Portuguese places that I was fondly remembering are no longer, or no longer the same. One of them, O Cantinho, recently closed apparently, but its sister restaurant, Atasca, is still open but at another location.

Here are just some other random places that I happen to miss:

Matt Murphy's -- nice little Irish pub in Brookline, with some very good grub. I especially miss their Shepherd's pie & beef stew. Pretty good fish & chips, and usually some very good live music (mostly jazz-based) a bit later on in the evening.

Delux Cafe -- a small, slightly divey bar/restaurant in the South End that serves up some inexpensive comfort food and solid drinks. Maybe not a destination place, but was a good neighbourhood restaurant that I used to frequent.

If you're going to dine in the South End, do try to stop by Wally's to catch some jazz -- one of the few, if not only, remaining old jazz clubs from way back.

Cafe Miami -- another one in the South End. Very good Cuban joint, particularly deft with octopi, and I also remember enjoying their fruit shakes.

I also miss oysters, but you seem to have that on your list.

And I miss Pizzeria Regina, which I'm sure you know all about already.

El Pelon -- a tiny place near Fenway that has some great fish tacos (not quite Pacifico, but still very good), fish burritos, and be sure to check out any of their specials.

Taiwan Cafe -- great place in Chinatown. Beef w/ poblanos, scallion pancakes, xiao long baos (a bit thick-skinned), oysters in black bean sauce, a great eggplant dish, some good hotpots, just all around great.

You might consider doing a little crawl in the Jamaica Plains nabe. Here are a few of the places that I would hit, all very close walking distance from each other:

Alex's Chimi -- Domincan place with this amazing chicken sandwich called a 'chimi'. Real hole-in-the-wall, very limited English.

El Oriental de Cuba -- Pretty decent Cuban fare.

La Pupusa Guanica -- great pupusas, empanadas, and yucca.

That's all off the top of my head.

Have a great trip VI !


Atasca
50 Hampshire St
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 621-6991

Matt Murphy's
14 Harvard St.
Brookline, MA
617.232.0188

Delux Cafe
100 Chandler St
(between Clarendon St & Columbus Ave)
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 338-5258

Wally's
427 Massachusetts Ave
Boston, MA

El Pelon
92 Peterborough St
Boston, MA 02215
617.262.9090

Taiwan Cafe
Neighborhood: Chinatown
34 Oxford Street
(between Beach St & Essex St)
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 426-8181

Alex's Chimis
358 Centre Street
(between Forbes St & Wyman St)
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 522-5201

El Oriental de Cuba
416 Centre St
(between Barbara St & Paul Gore St)
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 524-6464

La Pupusa Guanaca
378 Centre St
(between Creighton St & Day St)
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 524-4900

Vital Information wrote:Bump

I'm 95% sure the family and I will be in Boston during the winter break, so any and all ideas are appreciated. My short list right now consists of Durgin Park AND Union Oyster House (gotta) + the place we went to in the North End with all the specials on the blackboard--have no idea the name, but semi-convinced I can re-find it. That's it so far.

TIA

If you're in the North End, I'm going to echo previous recommendations to go to either Mike's or Modern Pastry shop for dessert (or for a sugary breakfast, or lucnch, or...) - opinion seems divided: I prefer Mike's but as much for memories as for cannolis. Both are excellent.