ghostcat's Profile
Best Pot Pie in Boston?
Some friends and I lunched at the new Post 390 last week, and two of us had the turkey pot pies. They describe the crust as having sour cream and chive, and I thought it was a good crust, but I didn't eat all of it, as I was sort of watching the carbs. The other pie eater scraped the bowl clean. There was lots of turkey in the pie. The crust was flaky and it had a great sauce. It was not a huge serving for fifteen dollars,but more than you would want at lunch.
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Post 390
406 Stuart Street, Boston, MA 02116
Lunch near Huntington Theater in Boston?
There are not a lot of choices really close to the Huntington, but it is only a ten minute walk from the Pru and Brasserie Jo. The Huntington subscirbers handbook states that you can get a free dessert with lunch with your theater ticket, if that interests you at the Summer Shack on Dalton St, again not too far away.. Uno is right next door and if you just want a salad or some soup, it's not dreadful and very easy to drop into. If you are going to see Fences, you will love it.
Time to Throw Back The Daily Catch, Fan Pier location
It is beyond me why a four year old post could even come up. I haven't been in a while, but did have the Puttanesca dish two years ago and it was very good. The patio also has one of the best views of the city and is always cool on a hot day. I''ll make a point of going back there soon
hosting 30 out of town colleagues
McCormick & Schmick's in Quincy Market is uniqely Boston, housed in an historic building where Durgin Park is located. It has several large privage spaces.I think the seafood is as good or better than Legal's. Scampo is located in the former Charles St. Jail, a former unique Boston institution. I don't know how large their private room is. Both the Sel de la Terre locations have large private spaces, but probably lack the uniqueness you are looking for
Dining near the Aquarium?
If you intend to walk to the Broadway Bridge, it's a hefty walk, almost two miles and Amrheins is right there at A St. Not a great place, but after a long walk, I'm sure you'll appreciate it. On the other hand, give Sel de la Terre another chance. It's the best place in that area unless you want to try the newly remodeled seafood restaurant at the Boston Harbor Hotel. I tend to spend most of my time at the bar there, but the restaurant looks very nice and I think it's moderately priced.
Birthday Dinner in the South End
I get on this room very late, so I'm not sure you'll read this in time, but 28 degrees is a fun place but on Sundays has a gay orientation. I think I've read that the waitresses are all in drag, but this may have changed. I"ve only been there once and the food is good, but the drinks are expensive. My favorite place in the So. End is the Union Bar and Grille. I was there twice last week just for the caprise salad, which I think is now off the menu. Very stylish and moderately priced and I would avoid ordering the specials. Happy Birthday to your boyfriend and ask if you can have the bar chips!
dinner with visiting mom, stay in cambridge vs find something special in boston (casual/mid-priced, no super fancy)
I was with some friends recently and we had the best time at Rocca's in the So. End. The weather was prefect so we sat on the patio, which has to be on of the nicest in town, after Dante's in Cambrige. The food is Italian, Ligurian actually and is wonderful There is also free parking, which is a real plus.
Restaurant Week... No More
I've never had a bad meal during RW in all the years that I've taken advantage of it. I mostly do lunches, where the portions are a bit smaller and I can handle dessert. I too had a great lunch last year at Radius and this week we've been to L'Espalier where the service and food were flawless. Someone mentioned about price points and how some of these places can't do a decent job and make a profit. I'm not a professional, but I think my twenty dollar lunch probably cost less than ten dollars for the ingredients. The canteloupe soup with grilled watermelon and seared shrimp was wonderful as was the fennel poached Scotish salmon served with a good summer squash stuffed with ratatouille and a perfectly sized piece of peach and yogurt parfait cake was the perfect way to end this very enjoyable lunch. The featured wines were only eight dollars a glass, so I just don't see how anyone could complain about how this might seem like a rip-off. Today it was lunch at Sensing, with a totally different casual atmosphere, but with the same goal to serve quality food at a comfortable price. I was a little put off by the casualness of the place (one waiter didn't know where the men's room was), but my sister enjoyed herself to no end and the portions were too big here. Neither of us finished the fettuccini with all sorts of fresh veggies, lemon confit and a wonderful sause. As full as we were, we were ready to ask for a straw to drain the last of the strawberry and Szechuan pepper soup that was dessert.
My feeling about RW is that if you think you can do better, then don't bother with it. Over the years I've been to many places that I don't ordinarily go to, although I go out to dinner six nights a week. I just don't think anyone should be too negative about it so that a someone might feel they are missing out on somethng if they go. You can only miss out on the experience.
$1 oysters at legal
McCormick's & Schmick's at Quincy Market have oysters for two dollars for two every day during their social hour and at at the Park Sq. location the same deal is all day on Tuesdays.during their happy hour. Linegage in Brookline also had a great oyster deal as a favorite waiter told me, but I haven't checked that out. I think the oysters I had yesterday at McCormick's were as delicious as any I've had at Legal's.
Tip for a large take-out? (moved from Boston board)
A tip is something that you leave because you appreciate the service and should always be given to the delivery person. I've found out that giviing a five dollar tip on a twenty dollar pizza from the Upper Crust in Brookline has cut the delivery time in half. When I need groceries delivered, I pay the delivery cost and tip on top of that. It's not going to cost you too much and is really appreciated.
From Montreal to Boston...
I'm sure you'll have a great time in Boston. My favorite patios around here all have an Italian slant to the food, but you should enjoy any one of them. dante's in Cambridge has the best view of the city from it's patio and it food and ambiance are worth the ride across the river. That's at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge. Scampo is in another hotel, but this one is unique because it is located in a former jail. Scampo has a nice patio that would look over to Cambridge, if it could. Great food and service. The patio I enjoy the most is in the So. End at Rocca, which has a Ligurian take in it's Italian dishes, very fresh and lively. As for seafood, Oceanaire is a short walk from where you are staying, if you like to walk. It's part of a chain, but is probably the grandest of all the seafood places in Boston. I hope this is of some help.
Need rec. for dinner-10 people, visiting from Ohio
Maggianos is in a parking garage and the Barking Crab if fun, unless you have to use the bathrooms. Between Durgin Park and the Union Oyster house, Durgin Park would be a lot more fun, but to treat your relatives from Ohio, I would suggest you take them to the Eastern Standard. It has developed the new Boston feel and I;m sure they will enjoy the food and the spirit of the place.
Toro kitchen closes at 10:15??? WTF?? Since when...
I go to the Union Bar and Grille frequently and their kitchen closes at eleven. One of their sister restaurants, The Gaslight stays open much later as do many others. I'm sure you'll get lots of posts on other people's favorite places.
Wolfgang Puck Cafe at ICA
Puck not only sold his sole, he sold his reputation. You can get the same bland food at the Musium of Science. At least at the ICA you can enjoy a glass of wine and a half decent salad on the waterfront, which is really great. It's a great place for a rest and a snack, not a meal.
Fish and Chips
The worst fish and chips I've ever had in any Boston restaurant was at the Beacon St. Tavern two months ago. Peter, the chef said that they use fresh fish, but not the best grade as they use when broiling. That was a lot of Irish bullshit. I was compted a glass of wine, and I love going there, know the staff pretty well, but there was no excuse for the meal that I was served.
Tory Row, anyone else?
I walked by there last Wednesday night and the place was wall to wall people. I stopped by there for lunch on Thursday and was the only one in the place. The menu is similar to Audubon Circle I thought. I enjoyed myself, inspite of the over cooked burger and the flat tasting rosti that accompanied it. It's well designed like all the other outlets of the owners, and the chairs are placed very close to each other. I said to the manager that I would have a hard time putting my fat ass on one of those stools, gut he said they were striving for a bar like setting, where you sit very close to each other. I'd never make a judgement on one visit, but was wondering if anyone else has been there?
where are the best crab cakes in boston area?
I've always thought that Legal's had the best crab cakes I had around here, but I've had them twice at McCormik' & Schmick's lately and they have been just great. I'm sure you;ll get a lot more feedback on this.
Eastern Standard
They do have lots of interesting lunch choices, but being in a hurry last Wednesday, I ordered the omelet. It was one of he wors omelets I've had anyplace, dry and unfluffy. I've enjoyed the cod fritters and the mac and cheese before. I love this place, so this is not really a put down, just a suggestion not get an omelet.
Brookline italian restaurant (closed in the 90s)
When I first moved to Brookline, Capucino's was the place to go to. There were waiting lines on many nights, and at that time, I thought the food was better than most places out here. Enzo's was the place that is now Zaftigs, and Enzo was very personable, moving to Brookling because so many of his dinners that lived on the cape,asked him to move here. It was a very good restaurant as I remember. I think he later opened a similar place in some motel on Soldier's Field Road.. Thanks for the memories!
Half-priced appetizers for after-work drinks
The bar menu at McCormick;s at Park Plaza is in effect seven days a week, which surprised me. I usually visit the McCormick's at Quincy Market and their hours are shorter, from 3:30 to 6:30 and then from 8:30 to 9:30. I was at the Park Plaza place late Thursday, and although I didn' order from the Bar Menu, the low cost appetizers were in effect until midnight. Actually, I think they shut down at eleven thirty. The burger now costs a dollar more, but Ithink it's still the best bar menu in town.
2 Nights in Boston
Davio's, down the street from you hotel is an Italian restaurant noted for it's steaks. It's a haunt for sports figures and other high profile celebrities. Aside from that and the fact that there are several locations, it' not a chain in the true sense of the word, and is worth a trip to. Neptune is really great for very fresh sea food and it's lobster roll. It's small and usually crowded, but worth the effort. Oceanaire is more elegant and offers a more formal approach to fresh fish. Grill 23 and Locke Ober's are both very solid recommendations and both places will give you a better impression of Boston dining.
Coolidge Corner - Restaurant & Bar
I've been to the Corrib and the Coolidge Corner Clubhouse, I think it is called, only for sandwiches. They are both neighborhood bars, but can't compare to the Washington Sq or Beacon St. Taverns or to Matt Murphys. The answer to your question is that there is just not enought call for a lively pub in this neighborhood. It so easy to walk to several of the places you mentioned and the others easy to get to on the T. I live two blocks away and if I want a drink out, the closest place is the bar at the Holiday Inn. Of course, that's like having a drink in a nursing home and not what you are looking for.
First time in Boston this July
Cambridge has hotels scattered all over the place. If you want to eat near where you are staying, you'll get lots of advice if you mention the name of the hotel. If you are in Harvard Sq. which has some great dining options you can easily get into Boston proper on the Red Line, which is a subway. If you are at the Sonesta, Dante is a great restaurant with a patio over looking the Charles river,and is close to the Green Line, which is a trolley that can take you to Haymarket and bring you to the No. End where you can find probably the best pizza around at Pizzeria Regina and some of the best seafood at Neptune Oyster. It's amazing that you can plan so far ahead, and I'm sure you'll get lots of opinions on this board.
Birthday dinner this Monday night, help please!
If you have access to the Green Line trolley, you can get into town without any trouble. I have a friend who celebrated a significent birthday in her life and invited her friends to Locke Ober's. I was there for lunch last week and was reminded of what a great place it is for a celebratory dinner. The atmosphere reeks of old Boston. The service is flawless and the food is very good. Some of it you could replicate in your own kitchen if you had eight hours to fuss around. The food at No.9 might be better, but I think you would enjoy yourself much more in this venerable old Boston institution with Lydia Shire at the helm. She's as equally regarded as is Barbara Lynch is at No. 9. There will be some disagreement about this!
Locke-Ober RW Experience with photos
Thanks for the reminder. I was there with five other friends to launch RW on Monday. We went through most of the items on the menu as we all had different tastes. I'm tempted to go back to try their fish and chips some time during the week. It's a grand old Boston institution and we all shared your enthusiasm for lunch. Our bread basket could have fed twenty, but there were only six of us. Thanks for posting the menu
Architecturally interesting bars/lounges?
From an architectural standpoint, I think the way they carved the BeeHive out of the basement under the Cyclorama was incredible. I know there are lots of views on the food, but I enjoy going there. The bar at Rocca is an incredible space added to an old building and great fun. Banq was fun to look at, but it always photographs better than it actually is. I don't think Mantra or Ocenaire did great jobs with the old spaces they exist in. I think the decor at OM now outshines the food, but is very well designed and worth a visit.
Restaurant week ad nauseam
Hi ohmygod. I don't know how old you are, but I'm probably an older old fart. I know this is not what you asked about, but I had my first RW lunch at Locke Ober's this afternoon and it was just about perfect. The setting, the quality of the food and the variety of the menu and the enjoyment of being waited on by a professional, all made for a very long and wonderful lunch. I was at the Bar at Rowe's Wharf on Sunday and read the menu for Meritage's RW offereings and it seemed to be incredible. I don't think they have a TV there either. I've been to both of these restaurants before, and I don't think that Restaurant Week is so much about saving a few dollars as it is going to a place that you might not try otherwise. Give it a go!
Restaurant Week, next week.
I was just curious if anyone has had any problems making reservations for the restaurant weeks. I called Locke Ober's and got the time and day I wanted. The same thing happend with Mooo. I asked the manager of McCormick's and Schmick's tonight how there reservations were going and he told me that they were very open. This is the first time that getting a table has been so easy. I hope it's just not the rotten economy, but maybe a lack of enthusiasm about going out. Any thoughts on this matter?
Lunch in Salem?
The PEM has a decent, if not exciting restaurant and Pickering Wharf is a short walk and all of the restaurants there are inexpensive and most have water views. I've always wanted to try the Tavern at the Hawthorne Hotel, has anyone?
Stimulus Package Cocktails?
I was at the Union tonight and I talked with the bartender about the six dollar drinks. They were all just so retro for her, but I love a good Rusty Nail and I asked what they used for scotch, as someone on this board asked some time ago. They use Dewer's, which is fine. The free appetizers are probably the best I've had when they last did this promotion. I was there very late tonight,so I didn't try the freebies, but at least once next week I'll make it there to enduldge myself. The promotion is only for February, I think.
