Blooming in Boston in November
My hubby and I had planned to get away for a few days. After a long fall, tough work schedule, a gazillion hours of football coaching and the finish to a long photo project (and four children need I say more), we headed to Boston. From our home in Vermont to Beantown it is only 21/2 hours, making Boston an ideal quick trip. We both love to eat and wander so I figured what a perfect opportunity to search out some really good food.
Being this is my first post I should clarify that I am not a food expert in any sense. I have had the privilege to eat at some of the finer eateries around the world and know what things should taste like. The reason for my blog is twofold. I want to keep a detailed record of my tasting journey and also give friends and family some hints on great food experiences when they set out for a memorable meal.
We stayed at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston. Good location for exploring the city, and right now a great price on the rooms. We started our trip with dinner at the McCormick and Schmick’s restaurant attached to the hotel. Expensive and not memorable that night. The breakfast hunt the next morning actually was another disappointment. We tried Henrietta’s Table in The Charles Hotel on Harvard Square which failed to excite. The best part was the cute little cast iron pan my hubby’s Red Flannel Hash came in.
Henrietta's Table
It is not that the meal was bad, just not memorable. The next morning we followed a Boston Globe recommendation and hiked over to Charley’s Sandwich Shop in the South End for another meal that left us full but unfazed.
Picco
So enough about the disappointments! I had the best pizza in forever? Travel to Picco in the South End. We had a really hard time finding the place because the street layout in Boston is absolutely confusing beyond belief. Smack me down in NYC and I’m confident I can find my way anywhere, not so in Boston. The restaurant is bright and comfortable, great windows for people watching. While waiting for our pizza my hubby and I were entertained by an elderly woman trying to parallel park her large Lincoln. The spot she picked was large enough for a semi-tractor trailer to fit, but we watched as she backed in and hit the car behind her, pulled forward and hit the car in front of her, and so on, over and over again. Best part was her friend was standing on the sidewalk directing her!
Braised Pork Belly
We started with a plate of peppery arugula salad topped with a crispy, melt in your mouth pieces of pork belly heaven topped with a light balsamic vinaigrette. Nice combo and a lead in to the piece of heaven we were about to experience. Picco uses a two-day process for their pizza dough. The fermentation and cold rising creates a crust that has amazing texture, soft yet crispy in all the right places.
This is Picco’s ”version of France’s tarte flambe’, sautéed onions, shallots garlic, sour cream, bacon and Gruyère cheese. Delicious and well worth getting lost several times to find it.
Alsatian
The Peach Farm in Chinatown served up a great feast. Though our meal consisted mainly of fried, heart stopping delicacies, sometimes you just have to do indulge your cravings.
Peach Farm Oysters
The oysters were some of the largest I have ever seen. The light, crispy fried batter gave way to a salty, briny luscious oyster experience. I had heard their Spicy Dry Fried Salted Squid was a must, so along with the Jumbo Crab we truly gorged (the seafood is really fresh and taken from the tank in the front of the restaurant after you order).
Jumbo Crab
The wait staff were friendly and though the flourescent lights were a bit bright, we knew we were in for a treat. I think a good way to pick a place is by the customers. If it is empty, bad sign, if locals are eating there good sign. Really yummy, authentic fare.
Best Beantown burger, Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage. Seven ounces of fresh beef, ground daily is their lead in. The assortment of famously named burger combinations is overwhelming. Hubby chose the Viagra (?), a blue cheese burger with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and their famous onion rings.
Mr. Bartley's Viagra
The place is cramped, the chairs are plastic lawn chairs, the food is FABULOUS. Customers don’t seem to mind the waitresses screaming out their orders to the cooks, everyone is elbow up to their little tipsy tables completely engrossed with this thick, juicy, mega morsel of meat sandwiched between a fresh yummy, yeasty bun! A must visit. (p.s. no bathroom, out the door and around the corner if you need to tinkle)
Cuchi Cuchi
The diamond of our stay was a small restaurant between the Harvard and M.I.T. campuses. Cuchi Cuchi named after the 1970′s Charo, is a romantically retro place with exotic drinks, beautiful wait staff, and delicious food. The place was packed and with no forethought of reservations, we ended up having dinner at the bar.
Exotic Cuchi Bar
The staff wear vintage clothing and jewels, and the atmosphere is fun, sexy and slightly over the top. I indulged in a Blackberry Cosmos (or a few), prepared by a very handsome bartender dressed in black. I quickly figured out his upper body physique was not created at the gym, rather the repetition of pounding the fresh blackberries and ice together into a pulverized nectar of slide down the throat (way to easily) ecstasy was the culprit. He must have made fifty in the hour we sat there eating our dinner
We snacked on their signature “small plates” not tapas they are quick to define. Their dishes are international, not just from Spain. We shared a small plate of Grilled Eggplant Napoleon, Fried Artichoke Hearts filled with gorgonzola, pistachios and basil, and a Cuban Cigar, dough wrapped around spicy beef short ribs with a black bean salsa on the side. Loved this place, fresh food, great selection of vintage and signature drinks, When you want to indulge a little, this should be your destination!
Stata Center, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, M.I.T.
Will continue to search for a great breakfast in Boston!
Cuchi Cuchi 795 Main Street, Cambridge, Ma. 02139 617.864.2929
Mr. Bartley’s Burger 1246 Mass. Ave, Cambridge, Ma. 617.354.6559
Peach Farm 4 Tyler St. (Beach St.) Chinatown, Boston, Ma. 617.482.3332
Picco 513 Tremont St, Boston, Ma 617.927.0066
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