Just returned from a great trip to visit Colleges in the Boston Area with husband and teenaged kids. Thought I would share for others doing similar trips.

We stayed at The Lenox near Copley. First night dinner at Summer Shack. Lobster Potstickers were yummy. Clam chowder was not. Overall the food was fine but the atmosphere was not great. Would not go out of my way to return.

Lunch near Brandeis at Watch City Brewing Co. on Moody Street in Waltham. We all enjoyed our meal and the server was terrific. If you are nearby, this would be a great place to stop.

Dinner in the North End at Gennaro's 5 North Square. Our server was terrific. We all agreed that the best part of the meal was the fresh pasta served with each dish. The highlight that evening was coffee at Caffe Vittorio.

We had a quick lunch after our BU visit at Uburger in Kenmore Square. Yum! Between us we tried the burgers, chicken sandwiches and veggie burger. The veggie burger is nothing special...it seems to be a Garden Burger. The chicken and beef were great and we all loved the topping selection and the fries. This was a win for fast and cheap.

Dinner after our Tufts visit at Russell House Tavern in Harvard Square. The highlight of the meal was the hamburger. I would go back just for that. The menu is a little heavy on snout to tail meats so this is definitely not for everyone.

Ice cream at Toscanini's was great!

Legal Seafoods in Copley Place was very ordinary except for the excellent table by the windows looking out over the city on a sunny afternoon.

It's always difficult to travel with teens. They are becoming more adventurous in their eating but it's still not worth dragging them everywhere that I would like to go. I think overall we made out well.

Had breakfast there on Monday. I'm sad to say that the bagels are still soft, white and doughy. They were actually kind of dry too. The plain cream cheese was tasteless (per my kids) and the veggie cream cheese was bland (my opinion). The servers were pleasant and quick. The line to order was a little chaotic because of the giant couch plopped in the middle of the room. People seemed unsure of where to stand. I can't imagine why you would want to sit there with all the commotion around you. Oh, and the coffee was not great. I like the location. I think there is potential if they change a few things....

My kids love Asian food. Maybe a Koney Island place would make sense. Any other ideas?

Looks good!

Thanks for the suggestion...

We will be visiting family in West Bloomfield, Michigan for Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day we are visiting a cemetery in Birmingham. We will need to feed our kids lunch afterward. Any suggestions for places open on Thanksgiving Day (but not for a typical Thanksgiving meal---we are having that later) between Birmingham and West Bloomfield? Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Thanks for the suggestions! You are right about that Tom Wahl's...we stopped there while out "antiquing" and it's really great!

Help! Looking for a restaurant to meet up for dinner with an old law school classmate who is picking up his son at Geneseo this week. We live in Pittsford, so anywhere in between would work also. Thanks in advance for the advice!

Just had a surprisingly delicious lunch there. First, the name does not go with the decor or the menu. I had an amazing pasta dish with an incredibly flavorful wild mushroom sauce and roasted cauliflower. No butter, minimal oil. Less than 500 calories. (yes there are calorie counts on the menus) The dessert was amazing too. I had crepe with an orange sauce and a coffee mousse filling. 110 calories. I will definitely go back for that. i think that this is what Tasteology wants to be. Anyone else tried it? What did you have?