“The Good, The Bad, and the Delicious!” Part One
Boston, MA: Our favorite (and not so favorite) spots.
We arrived at the Nine Zero Hotel in Boston, MA after a taxi, a ferry, a bus and some walking, but it was well-worth it! The Nine Zero hotel is located in Downtown Boston on Tremont Street, an inconspicuous red brick building. Awaiting us after the revolving doors was a sleek, modern hotel lobby. Andrew, the concierge, checked us in. We has some trouble locating out reservation, but he quickly resolved it! The lobby was equipped with 3 fresh water fountains infused with lemon, orange, and pineapple slices. Refreshing after a long trip, but maybe a Hot Cocoa bar would’ve been more appropriate in the 20 degree weather? Our room was on the 12th floor, equipped with the best minibar we’ve ever encountered!
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| Customized Martini Bar |
Answering a few simple questions (Where? Location! Why? Reason for visiting! What? Food!), check out everything we ate on our 1st day in Boston! Enjoy the pictures, though I apologize beforehand for the out of focus and bad lighting in some (still adjusting to the camera settings! I’m a baker, not a photographer!)
The Harp
Where? 85 Causeway Street, Boston, MA 02114-1722
Why? Our first place visited, so I was hungry and ask M. how he knows I’m hungry: I’m one cranky baker. Still, we shared it to not get too full and save room for what was next.
What? The North End Burger: fresh, house made mozzarella, Italian sausage, caramelized onions. Sausage on beef? YES PLEASE! The soft cheese and the sweet onions complemented each other perfectly.
The Cheesecake Factory
Where? 115 Huntington Ave # 181, Boston, MA 02199-7602
Why? M. had never visited one and wanted to try it out!
What? Margherita Pizzette and drinks. The “pizzette” was perfectly crisp, with gooey mozzarella cheese and slivers of fresh basil on top. A great snack, flavorful and delicious! The bartender was very accomadating, making me a fruity drink that didn’t taste like pure alcohol: the Georgia Peach. Sweet and frozen peach nectar with a swirl of tart raspberry puree not only looked pretty, but taste PRETTY awesome.
The Rattlesnake Club: Poe’s Kitchen
Where? 384 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
Why? On our first visit together to Boston, we discovered Poe’s Kitchen. We had a great meal and promised to be back. Plus, by tweeting our location, chef Brian Poe came out and met us, bringing with him two delicious appetizers! tweet, tweet 🙂
What?
- Grilled Mushrooms: Mixed Medley of Seasonal Mushrooms, Tofu, Soy Ginger Sauce, Tomato-Ginger Chutney. When this plate arrived at our table, I cringed. Aluminum foil grill packet? Really, you must be kidding me. Awful first impression, but the product was quite lovely. The mushrooms were delicately flavored, Asian focused, and vegetarian! I rarely enjoy food lacking pork-products, so I must point it out. No bacon, no sausage, no nothing and still, very delicious!
- Chicken-Chorizo Soup: Anaheim, Poblano, Onion, Himalayan Rice, Avocado: thick, chunky soup with good flavor. The rice was too cooked and went unnoticed in the soup, wished there was more avocado on top!
- Fish Tacos: Local Cod, Celery Root Tempura, Apple-Anaheim Chile Slaw and Chipotle Crema: how can you NOT love Fish tacos?! These were heavenly crispy, the slaw a perfect combination to these tacos.
- Pork Shank: Tequila, Cascabel and Chipotle braised with White Corn Polenta, Smoked Tomato Grits and Fried Swiss Char: I ordered this for the love I have to pork products and shank being such a sexy, naughty word, why not? The waiter promised this wouldn’t be a huge portion and he lied: it was HUGE. Stupid me, when is a shank small? Well, it smelled amazing so surely I wasn’t going to let size intimidate me! The shank was well seasoned and the sauce over it was a thick, flavorful liquid unlike no other. That’s were the positive ends: the polenta was cold in the center, the fried chard was limp and I don’t remember any Smoked Tomato Grits. After communicating to the waiter about the cold polenta, instead of taking my entire plate back, he offered a small plate in which to place my polenta. About 10 minutes later, his excuses and a new poleta, drenched in butter, shivering in heat. Shivering in heat, yes. Cook was now try to overcompensate for the lack of heat before, so this polenta was probably a good 150 degrees. Not complaining, just explaining. While waiting, my shank got cold as expected. Oh well, can’t win ’em all?
Chinatown
Where? “Centered on Beach Street, the neighborhood borders Boston Common, Downtown Crossing, the South End, and the Southeast Expressway/Massachusetts Turnpike. It is one of the larger Chinatowns in the United States”-Wikipedia
Why? I had being obsessing about getting my hands on Asian products to cook and bake with; find unusual spices.
What? For $10.00 I bought: Steamed Bun Flour Mix, Dried Red Dates (which apparently have to be rinsed, soaked and cooked for 30 minutes, warning never to snack on them dried), Black Sesame Seeds, Five Spice Powder, Tiny Tapioca Pearls, Water Chestnut Starch, Tapioca Flour. I honestly have no clue what I will make with any of these ingredients, but I’m all about experimenting with them.
The most intriguing one is the Water Chestnut Starch, so I googled it and came up with the following:
“Also referred to as water chestnut powder, or water chestnut flour the product is extracted from water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis). The resulting flour (starch) is a slightly coarse looking, greyish color used as a thickener which also adds a sheen to the liquid. It is also used as a coating for frying and it adds a crispy texture. Chestnut flour does not blend in water as easily as corn starch. **This is not the same as “chestnut flour” made from tree chestnuts.”-www.thegourmetsleuth.com
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| Chinatown Bakery |
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| Pre-packaged, colorful sponge cakes |
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| Chinatown Bread and Pastries |
This is all we did on Day One in Boston! What’s your favorite restaurant in Boston? Where do you stay when you visit?
http://www.vittoriacaffe.com/menu.html Cafe Vittoria North End. We go to the “other” island but have not been to Boston for some time. Oh how I miss the North End.
LOVE IT!
-MAG
Let me see… I hate hotels and cold weather but love food.
That sounds like an awesome trip, and many yummy-looking foods.
Amazing. I can not believe how many unique eateries you and “M” have visited. So fun!!
I can’t wait to return to Bean-town. We usually go in the Summer at least once… often twice.
Great write-up! Looking forward to part deux!
Will be there in 2 weeks, do recomment a place please 😀