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My trip to Beantown
A weekend trip to Boston turned into a yelp adventure!
9 Places
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Pam’s 4-star review: Bukowski Tavern was exactly what I was looking for in Boston. Between their extensive draft list with plenty of local options and their endless selection of bottles (ask to join the beer club, they have 130+ beers), this dive bar was perfect for getting out of the cold and sampling some of Massachusetts' finest brews. I'm sure they rotate their draft list, but here's an idea of what we had this past weekend: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/7bq2nCYCPuvI5o2GCFRAeg?select=F1Z84DMJQrlfF9fuXc8AVQ Tried the Pretty Things Jack D'Or and the Oskar Blues G'knight at the recommendation of the bartender. Oskar Blues was a little hoppy, but a little fruity with a medium body. Pretty Things is a hefty beer despite its lighter coloring, but was also a good choice. ~$6 a pop for a draft (some of the pints are standard size, some are 12oz, but I'm a slow beer drinker so I prefer smaller sizes so things don't get warm anyway). My friend had the Haverhill and the bottle special Cambridge Brewing Company Triple Threat. Bartender was informative about the beer selection, friendly, and chill. Whatever bar food they were making in the back (I highly suspect wings, and I definitely saw some sort of rib), smelled amazing in the way only good pub fare can. For those of you who are indecisive, Bukowski has a wheel you can spin for your drink selection. The only drawback is that this place is cash only. Also, total surprise to find out after visiting: Bukowski's made it to Draft magazine's top 100 beer bars in America! What a lucky pick! http://draftmag.com/features/americas-100-best-beer-bars-2012/#northeast -
Pam’s 2-star review: Meh. I think I've outgrown the bang-for-your-buck value places near college areas. Or maybe this place just isn't that good even by that standard. For $16, I got the shumai and a bowl of tonkatsu ramen. The shumai ($4) were tasteless and soggy, and tonkatsu was middle of the road. The broth was lukewarm when it came out and pretty bland, although the ramen noodles themselves were pretty good. Good thing I added togarashi powder and tofu, otherwise it wouldn't have been very substantial. I'm sure I would have been happier if I had been here during lunch or dinner specials, but we came at an odd 2:30pm so no luck. Service was pretty solid, but it didn't make up for the disappointing food. Cash only. 2.5 stars
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Pam’s 4-star review: If you only are in Boston for the weekend, you must do the following: A) Try a local brew or two, or three...and maybe some pub fare B) Visit the north end for some delicious Italian pastries C) Boston Chowda Co. D) All of the above If you picked C, you wouldn't be wrong. Perfect snack when it's 5 degrees F outside! This is some of the best chowda I've had, although their bread is only okay. Boudin Bread in San Francisco makes a mean version of chowda with their infamous sourdough. Lots of clam chunks, and it comes in a variety of sizes and price points. This location is in the Prudential Center, which means plenty of seating as it is a food court. And yes, by the time you get to the front of the line, you'll say "chowda" instead of "chowder." -
Pam’s 4-star review: Almond cookies! Fruitcake cookies! Biscotti! Oh my... From what I could tell as a tourist, Modern Pastry shop is the quick grab and go local spot for your Italian bakery needs. I was forewarned about the rivalry with more tourist oriented Mike's across the street. Apparently, Mike's is where you get cannoli (I am no cannoli expert or fan), and Modern is where you get everything else. Modern definitely seemed like the more low key, local spot where I wasn't going to get trampled and still enjoy some authentic Italian baked goods. I'm a sucker for almond cookies, and these were just so tender with almond paste. Got a pound just to take back to DC. Nom! Just as good, if not better, than Nino's in Syracuse (I've seen the nonna matriarch there make them, so it's my only frame of comparison). Like any good ethnic spot, this place is cash only. Also, tried a sample of their biscotti, which isn't usually my thing, but was oh so tasty. I also love that they have fruitcake cookies! My Italian roommate made huge batches of them for Xmas, so I guess I will believe her now when she says it's an Italian thing. Shortbready, and not too sweet. Perfect for a winter's daycation in Boston. -
Pam’s 5-star review: "There is no good Chinese food in Boston!" laments my friend, David T, whose been living in Boston for almost two years. "If I can find decent Chinese food in DC, I can definitely find good Chinese food in Boston," Blueface responds. "You want to bet on that?" David T's famous last words. Lucky for David T, I didn't take him up on that bet because Gourmet Dumpling House has good Taiwanese and Sichuan food (if you order their Americanized Chinese food and it sucks, that's your fault). It's one of those super packed places where you might be seated right next to the fishtank and almost touching the next table, but you won't care because the food is so friggin good. Only demerits are that there is a $20 credit card minimum, and they'll only take one card. And they only have one kind of tea. Xiao Long Bao! Soup dumplings! Not as good as Joe's Shanghai in NYC, but definitely a solid contender. After being denied real Chinese food (i.e. veggie dim sum silliness) during my last trip to NYC, I was thrilled to have some authentic soup dumplings. I've never been sure what the proper etiquette is for eating soup dumplings is, but here's how I do it: 1)gingerly use the chopsticks (or your fingers) to place the dumpling in your soup spoon 2) "drill" a hole in the top with your chopstick, or just bite a small portion of the skin off near the top 3) pour in some of the vinegar sauce 4) attempt to fit the whole dumpling in your mouth without burning yourself or spilling anything. Alternatively, slurp all of the soup out, then eat the rest dumpling at your leisure. We also had the stinky tofu, which I thought was pretty decent and I have not seen very often outside of Hong Kong. My dining companion was not so enthralled. Perhaps it's an acquired taste? Use the hot dipping sauce that comes with it liberally. Served on a bed of kimchi-esque cabbage. Scallion pancakes are light and crispy and oh so good reheated as well. Just get them, they're totally awesome. Szechuan style fish, basically a white fish in searing hot (taste and temp) broth. It's amazing. Trust me. And you'll have plenty of broth to take home and add some noodles or rice to. Overall, GDH fulfilled the longing in my soul for Chinese food goodness. Thanks, Boston, I had a great time! -
Pam’s 3-star review: 3.5 stars Open late (1am even on weekdays!) and clearly an industry favorite as evidenced by the tables of off shift Za workers. Abigails has a small, but curated selection of beer and wine, and a promising late night menu for those looking for a bite in the area post 9:30PM. The bartenders were clearly old hands, with the perfect blend of informed customer service with a dash of reluctantly friendly curmudgeon. I especially appreciated that they had several signature cocktails that were tasty and fairly labor intensive (props to the bartenders for having to muddle all of that basil and mint). Try the strawberry basil limeade! It was almost too hot for the patio seating outside, but I love the decor and layout of the restaurant and we ended up perching at the bar. I've got to downgrade the star level for the food though - two out of three dishes were less than stellar. I'm normally a salt fiend, but I found the wings to be overly salty and vinegary and nigh unpalatable. The deviled egg sandwich was also in the overly salted category, and wasn't well constructed. I can highly recommend the blue cheese fries, since they were appropriately spiced and guilty pleasure inducing. -
Pam’s 4-star review: After playing tourist at the USS Constitution, my friend and I wandered over to Todd's English Figs for an early dinner. I'm a little old school, so if you've got a dish named after the owner, the owner's family member, or the name of a key ingredient is also in the name of the restaurant, odds are that you've got a good dish to order. No one is going to name a dish after their mom if it isn't amazing. That being said, you have to try their signature fig and prosciutto pizza! I am not normally a salty sweet person, but with a perfectly done thin crust and a nice ratio of figs and proscuitto... I still dream of this pizza. The Red Sox pizza we ordered was also excellent, if a little more traditional fare. We were not let down by the burrata special appetizer (my friend had never tried it before, then proceeded to hog the dish), brussels sprouts with bacon (classic, a little greasy, but no one was upset about it). Overall, excellent customer service in a beautiful casual bistro space with lovely indulgent food! -
Pam’s 4-star review: Full disclaimer that I'm not a huge baseball fan, so this is written from a layman's view. However, when in Boston, take a tour of Fenway as the Bostonians do. They have tours every hour on non-game days, and tours up to three hours before games. After purchasing your ticket, you'll meet up in the official store across the street until your tour guide comes to get you at the top of the hour. There is quite a bit of walking on this tour, and as I had a suitcase, this was a super fun arm workout. Well worth the $20 though! The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable (well, not totally about Jackie Robinson, but I digress). The oldest MLB stadium in America still has the old wooden grandstand seats on the lower level (people were so much skinnier back then!), including an infamous one partially behind a pole. They'll show off and explain the history behind Pesky's Pole, the Green Monster, the lone red seat, Mrs. Yawkey's garden tomato trellis, as well as uniforms throughout the years, and baseball greats who've played for the team. I think my favorite part of the tour was the view from the press box. Overall, Fenway is part museum, part functioning ballpark and well worth the hour walking tour. It will make you appreciate American baseball history, as much of it happened here at America's Most Beloved Ballpark. -
Pam’s 4-star review: Old school Canto Chinese bakery, which is high praise from me. Cash only + barely any English = odds of being authentic go way up. This reminds me of the places I used to go to in Oakland Chinatown, and it makes my heart smile since where I live (DC) lacks a decent Chinese bakery in their respective Chinatown. Typically, I make a beeline here after flying in early to Logan and need some breakfast before trekking around town. Considering it's the first shop past the Chinatown gate (convenient location! a stone's throw from South Station), its low prices(not gentrified yet), and its wide selection of baked goods, Hing Shing passes all of the requirements I need in a Chinese bakery. I usually go for their paper wrapped cakes (fluffy pound cake), cocktail bun (bun stuffed with sweet coconut), and if I'm being indulgent, I'll also grab an egg tart (have you tried to make these at home? It is NOT as easy as it looks). The stuff usually keeps for a day or two at room temp, so you can grab extras to share or save. I haven't gone full on buy-out-the-whole-display-yet, but for the items I've tried thus far it's reliable comforting baked goods.
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