Guinness is Good For You…Even in Boston

As the result of my winnings at a golf tournament—the raffle, not the playing—Cheri and I had a weekend in Boston.  A limo to get us there and back, two nights at the Copley Marriott and a few dollars to spend…not bad for a twenty dollar raffle ticket that supported the fund raising for one of our hospitals.

We arrived late afternoon on Friday at the hotel and then headed out to walk around the area in Boston.  Before getting back to the hotel we did stumble upon Solas, an Irish Pub in Boston…how could it compare to Dingle (inquiring minds wanted to know…well, at least I did)?  The Guinness was okay, but not the same as in Ireland.  It could be the geography, the surroundings, the people…but I am guessing it was the brewing.  Ah well, a return trip to Ireland at some point in our future may be required.  It would be another great adventure and there may even be some readers that would want to join us.

Down to the Public Gardens—no swan boats this time of year—back up Boylston Street.

Here’s the view from our room when we got back.  Not a bad look at Boston.

Later Friday evening we headed over to Cambridge to meet up with Dan Whitney, currently at Harvard Law School, and to enjoy one of the restaurants on the other side of the Charles River.  First we went to Craigie on Main for a cocktail and to rendezvous with Dan.  Craigie on Main has excellent Food & Wine reviews for their mixologists and they didn’t fail us.  (Note to self – the layout, food being served and ability to see the whole kitchen operation make this a place to try for dinner in the future).

Coming out of Craigie on Main we made a few false turns—maps on the Blackberry were surprisingly inaccurate—and finally made it the couple of hundred yards to Salts.

FOODIE ALERT – some of the following may focus on food and wine…but then that is what we do…

Salts is a fairly small restaurant with only about 40 seats, but that meant the service was impeccable and the waiter was able to fully describe the food, the preparation, the herbs and spices, and the flavors.  He also had good insight into the wine, and they have a great wine list.

On-line and in several magazines Salts had great reviews and it was someplace Dan had not yet been.  So we had earlier made reservations and were ready for a new experience.. We were fortunate that a roast duck for two was available.  Usually this item requires it be requested before arriving, but it worked out for us.  Dan and I split this entree (which you can see being carved in the photo) and Cheri had tenderloin beef.  Preceding the entree we did each try an appetizer—Parsnip and Almond Soup with squab (domestic pigeon), sour orange and dark chocolate for me;  Nantucket scallops in a seafood broth for Cheri; and foie gras with carmelized black olives and beet foam for Dan.  To top off the meal we had Orange panna cotta, lemon souffle tart, and a chocolate and carmel tart…a filling evening spread over three hours.

We sent Dan off, back to his apartment, and caught a cab back to our room at the Marriott.

Saturday morning we lazed a little and, after I had already had some coffee and done some writing, I got Cheri up for some breakfast around 8:00.  We took our time, but had plans to meet a tour group in the North End just before 10.

When looking on-line for different things to do in Boston Cheri found The Food Tours of Boston—go figure—so we had a plan.  A small group of nine met at the edge of the North End along the Rose Kennedy Greenway—the park now in the place the Central Artery once occupied.  Our tour guide started us out at Maria’s Bakery and led us on a three hour tour of the history and the food experiences of the North End—fishmongers, butchers, green grocers, and general Italian groceries.  We learned the differences between Italian-American cooking and Italian cooking. 

Along the way we discovered Mediterranean pine nuts and Chinese pine nuts, identifying real (not doctored) balsamic vinegar, the importance and virtues of extra virgin olive oil (evoo), and how to tell male and female eggplant apart.  We were able to sample foods and ingredients along the way.  A very enjoyable way to spend the mid-day.

If you look closely at one of the pictures above you will see the word Gelati and Napoli Pastry next to a plaster ice cream cone.  We were told their gelato comes only from Italy and is flown in weekly.  Since we had time following the tour we grabbed some lunch at a trattoria and then determined we would validate the quality of Italian gelato…it was worth the side trip.

With full (or fuller) bellies we decided to walk from the North End back to our hotel next to the Pru.  It was a nice walk and the weather—at least in the sunlight—was very Spring-like.  We did wander through the Prudential Mall for a little while to pick up some odds and ends before getting back to our room for a little siesta and getting ready to meet Mike and Jo Gallivan for dinner.

Our evening adventure (yes another one of the eating kind) took us to Radius, a restaurant in the Financial District.  The food and service were once again outstanding and the evening was three hours of visiting and slowly eating.  Without going into all of the menu items some of what we enjoyed may be tried in some future cooking at one of our outings.

A cab ride back to our hotel—we weren’t walking at this hour—and we were tucked in for the evening.

Sunday morning was another slow awakening before an initial check out from the hotel.  We packed, checked out, and left our bags with the Bell Captain so we could enjoy a little more time in Boston. 

Having never been to the JFK Library—it’s one of those things where you rarely go to the sites close to where you live—we decided that Sunday morning would be a good time to make that trip.

 

We took the T from the Prudential Station out to JFK / UMASS—with a change at Park Street Station.  A free shuttle bus runs from the T Station to the Library, so the trip was easy.

The setting is on the UMASS Boston Campus—chosen by Jacqueline Kennedy—to reflect JFK’s love of the ocean and has great views back towards downtown.

We spent three hours in the museum and if not for having to meet our ride back home we could easily have spent at least another hour.  If you have never made it to this museum I highly recommend it.  We have all grown up hearing the speeches and some are old enough to have memories of living through some of the Kennedy days.  it means so much more to hear the words—mostly in JFK’s voice—and realize the context of the speeches and events.  The value you receive far exceeds the $12 entry fee.

Our trip back home was made easy by riding in the back of a town car.  A great way to travel—if someone else is paying for it.

A quick side-note…I thought we needed to have someplace to hang towels and bathrobes when using the hot tub so I asked Dad for some design advice and came up with what you see in the photo.

Thanks for joining the adventure this week.