This past weekend Marcus and I traveled to Boston for a wedding and a quick visit with my family. Before heading to the wedding, we decided to spend a few days in Boston to relax, shop, and eat.
I went to college in Boston and grew up about 20 minutes outside the city limits. It was good to be back.
On the first day, we strolled the public gardens. That park is some kind of wonderful, especially during the fall when the leaves are Monet-worthy. Then we spent some time in downtown crossing, which just isn't the same without its soul: Filene's Basement.
The first night we had dinner at the Neptune Oyster Bar, otherwise known as the place where I would like to go when I die. Or, even better, perhaps when I'm old I can rent a small apartment in the North End and walk to Neptune each evening. I'll have a lobster roll and a half dozen oysters on the half shell every night. The lobster rolls come with big hunks of fresh meat, dripping in butter, stuffed in a toasted roll.
Then, after my dinner, I'll walk to Modern and have some coffee and a chocolate chip cannoli.
The next night we had reservations at Sportello, a "modern day diner" in South Boston. Before we had dinner, we checked out the Institute of Conteporary Art, a few blocks away from the restaurant. Thursday is free!
While we waited for our table at Sportello, we had a few drinks at Drink. Cocktails are must here, so I had a Dark and Stormy with kick from fresh ginger.
Is this place gorgeous or what? At Sportello we started with a dish of cauliflower with pistachios and capers. For dinner I ate creamy gnocchi with porcini mushrooms and peas. Marcus had a steak with salsa verde and ciopollini onions. A memorable meal, for sure.
It was a lovely 48 hours. If you are planning a trip to Boston, I recommend the Ames Hotel. It's a bit expensive, but try Priceline, maybe you'll get lucky like we did.