Ah yes. The city of the Tea
Party, Red Sox, and Mark Whalberg; Bostonians enjoy their rough yet warm and
welcoming reputation. It is a history-steeped city full of Irish hospitality
(take that how you will) and packed full of intellectuals who have attended one
of the many fine institutions in the area. Food is not a thing many people
venture to Boston for, beyond the local tradition of clam chowder (‘chowda’),
oysters and Boston cream pie. Despite this I have found that wherever there are
young, ambitious people there are bound to be a few dining gems. I didn’t get
round to everywhere I wanted to. I have listed at the bottom of this article those
places that came highly recommended but that I just couldn’t fit into my
schedule, or my stomach.
Drink
One thing you need to know about
Boston; this is a Barbara Lynch town. The woman has about seven restaurants,
all of which do an insane level of business. This is her first venture into the
liquid side. A hidden, underground speakeasy beneath her casual Italian
offering (Sportello; see below) with a bar that zig-zags across the floor space
so that every customer gets the best seats in the house. There is no cocktail
list, instead the team here concoct you a drink based on your mood and
preferences. I start easy; a tequila based negroni. They do a top-notch job.
Next I challenge them to make me something with Hendricks and St. Germain. The
result is an MOP (Means of Preservation), a martini minus the slap. It contains
the aforementioned, as well as vermouth, celery bitters and grapefruit. New
all-time favourite. Even better than the Hendricks with Szechuan bitters at Mr.
Wong’s (Sydney). I round things off with a Rum based blazer, perfectly prepared
by Will Thompson, who is more than happy to prop up against the bar and talk
shop. Here they hack the ice up from once huge block using Japanese cleavers
ensuring that the size of ice cube they put in your glass is suited to the
drink you are partaking of. Food-wise they have a selection of small plates
designed to be shared or eaten solo. Apparently the burgers here are amazing. I
tried on two occasions to get one, both times they had already sold out! A
great endorsement in itself. Instead I have the griddled (their spelling)
cheese (jaffle) with orange and caramelised fennel. Orange and fennel are a
classic, but adding them to a cheese toastie is the best idea ever. I’m going
to be gourmet-ing my toasties from now on! If you only get to one place while
you are in Boston, get here.
Sportello
Upstairs from Drink is Sportello,
a casual osteria with a similar sit-at-the-bar format. This gives you a better
view of the open kitchen. The bar again takes up most of the space, with only
one or two tables for larger tables. Sportello also has a bakery, desert,
takeaway counter that is stocked with items baked fresh by the team each day.
More than once I stopped in to pick up their special pastry of the day, the
cronut (a croissant-doughnut hybrid) is particularly nice. If you have time to
sit and enjoy lunch (or brunch from 10:30 am on weekends) I advise you do so.
Soft polenta with lamb ragu is tasty, however I could have done with more lamb.
Cream is added to the polenta so it is mega-rich. A stock-based version might
have been better suited. The aperol spritz washes it down nicely once it
finally arrives. On the second occasion I had the chicken breast, heirloom
carrot and barley salad. While they really stretch the definition of salad, (there
was more protein than green, and it was warm) this dish is one of the best
chicken dishes I have ever eaten. It is juicy, and tender with crispy skin. The
entire dish is perfectly seasoned and well balanced with the earthy barley
complementing the sweet chicken and al
dente baby carrots. The waiter even throws in some free macarons (which are
pretty lack-luster, jam instead of ganache? Really?). They have a fun selection
of ice tea mocktails, each named after one of the staff members. The ginger and
green tea (Monica? I forget) is refreshing and not overly sweetened. I didn’t
try any of their pasta, but judging from the happy noises from fellow diners,
it must be pretty good.
Beehive
Even if you aren’t going to eat here,
you need to check this place out. It is in Boston’s trendy South End and is
fairly unassuming from the street. The bar is at ground level, but the real fun
is downstairs; an underground jazz bar! The place has a really bohemian/New Orleans
feel to it, an effect only magnified when you are hanging out with a bunch of
Quebecians! The furniture is mismatched and squished together, red velvet
drapes hang from exposed brick walls, waiters in vests ferry copious amounts of
wine to tables. It is chaos, and it is wonderful! The menu celebrates comfort
home food with a French bistro twist. Think blackened fish tacos or lemon sole
with clam sauce. I opt for the tuna tartare; raw tuna with all the standard
steak tartare trimmings. Light and refreshing. In Boston this is the place to
party!
Mare Oyster Bar
Oysters are somewhat of an
institution in Boston and the best ones I sampled were at Mare Oyster Bar. This
little restaurant would be at home along any of Sydney’s beaches; the smallish
room is blue with white accents, a large bar runs down one side of the room
behind which a large mirror touts today’s oyster selections and specials. The French
windows are thrown wide open to admit summer’s cooling evening air and snatches
of street performer music. The beautiful people linger at tables over glasses
of crisp white wine. My new Boston friend, Bubbles, a Brit ex-pat bring me here
once she hears (inevitably) how into food I am. Can I just say – thank you! As
we settle into our table, sticking out like sore thumbs I am flabbergasted by
the number of oysters on offer. How on earth am I going to choose? Luckily the
good people at Mare have this covered. The oysters are listed on a small slip
of paper with their region, size and taste described. You can then fill in the
sheet as you desire; one of some varieties, three of another. Each one is
absolutely perfect. For mains I opt for some crisp-skinned salmon with
white-bean puree and roasted fennel. The salmon is perfectly cooked and all the
components work well together, but it isn’t anything I haven’t tried before.
Bubbles opts for the lemon angel hair pasta with pan-seared diver scallops. The
scallops are beautifully plump gems and the pasta is tasty. A solid meal, go
for the oysters.
Papagayo
So due to proximity Mexican food
in the U.S.A. is meant to be worlds ahead of Mexican anywhere else (save Mexico
I guess) so I have to try at least one right? This place is close to the Boston
convention centre so due to the persuasive ways of proximity, this is where I end
up. This place is casual as they come, with bare wooden furniture and heaps of
space to plant your bum. They have s huge selection of tequila which I would
love to sample a hefty amount of, but as I am here on work I don’t think that
would be a terribly good idea. They have table-side preparation of ceviche and guacamole.
The ceviche is zingy but bulked out with prawns, so the beautiful fish becomes
a bit lost. The guacamole on the other hand is stunning. I don’t even need
nacho chips to accompany it, I could just eat it with a spoon! I get some tacos
al pastor, the huge portion of meat is tender but bland and served with a pineapple
salsa. The refried beans are essentially mush. It’s filling and cheap.
Top of the Hub - Prudential Towers
The main reason to visit this
place is to check out the view. Boston is no New York, but watching the sunset
over the bay while listening to live jazz while enjoying some wine and a
lobster roll makes this place the perfect touristy guilty pleasure.
Barrington Coffee Roasters
They have great coffee guys! As
in a beautiful espresso coffee with perfectly heated milk. I went here every
morning for my daily pep-up. The shop is mainly polished concrete with solid
wooden furniture; the main business here is take away, as such there aren’t many
places to perch yourself. They also have a nice selection of pastries. For
breakfast though I am unable to go past the toasted muesli with some lovely
sheep’s milk yogurt with ginger.
Artu
A lovely casual Italian eatery
with plenty of space to perch yourself at the bar to eat if (like me) you are traveling
solo. The staff are really helpful with choosing a nice American pinot noir,
and the lemon sole I order with quinoa is beautifully cooked. I keep
overhearing snippets of conversation, some in Italian, some with a thick Boston
accent. I tune into a conversation in time to hear ‘the whole family died in
that house…’ and tune out. Go for the food, and to spot a mobster.
Places I wanted to try but just couldn’t squeeze in…
The Butchery
Cappolo
B & G Oysters
No. 9 Park
Menton
