While I love just about every part of traveling, good food is at the very top of the list. I mean without taking a break to taste some of the best bites your vacation spot has to offer you are on an endless quest of sightseeing. Food for me is always the best way to take a break, celebrate, and enjoy life. I guess pretty much all the reasons I love traveling so much to begin with.
Boston is a great food city, really one of the best. There are so many kinds of restaurants enticing you, you probably need a separate trip that focuses on eating only to make a dent. That was not case during this trip but I did have a small list of places that I HAD to get to.
On my first day in Boston I arrived to my hotel late afternoon after visiting Plimoth Plantation, MayFlower II, and Plymouth Rock. Most restaurants in that area were closed so we headed to our hotel to check in.
We stayed at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in the downtown area. It was a great location, gorgeous hotel, and most of all the price was right. I had booked this hotel months in advance as I always try to do when I plan a vacation during a popular time of year (http://bit.ly/2C9Uof5).
As soon as we got there we were greeted with hot cocoa and warm cookies. What a sight for sore eyes! They didn’t taste bad either.
We were all exhausted, cold, and needed a rest before going out to Thanksgiving dinner. The best course of action was to order room service so that we could refuel and get ready for our night out. The food was fast, delicious, and reasonably priced.
This hotel also has a Starbucks which is a BIG plus for me.
Besides room service this hotel also has the Wisteria Restaurant and Bar. It serves breakfast, lunch, as well as dinner. The menu is full of classic dishes you would see just about anywhere. We only had breakfast here but did so daily. It was delicious while also set in a nice, comfortable environment. No matter what you needed the hotel staff was always friendly and helpful. I would absolutely stay here again.
We had Thanksgiving dinner at 75 Bar & Grill. After booking our hotel, searching for the best locations in Boston for our holiday meal was the very next thing I did.
I selected this restaurant for their menu, scenic view, and customer reviews. It was a nice quiet place where my table was the largest party they had. It was exactly what we were all looking for.
I am not sure any one of us ordered turkey but the three course prix-fixe menu had something for everyone. I remember the pumpkin bisque, apple, walnut, blue cheese salad, along with entrees that including beef and seafood. Not one of us went away hungry or disappointed.
Before the Coney Island Wahlburgers location closed I was sure to visit (http://bit.ly/2yiIVq3). But the very first Wahlburgers I ever went to was the site of the original in the brother’s hometown of Boston.
This location is nearby another Wahlberg restaurant, Alma Nove, named for the matriarch of the family.
The wait outside of Wahlburgers wasn’t too bad. I had expected much worse. The place was pumping. It was crowded with the sights of many folks laughing, enjoying their food.
All six of us were REALLY ready to eat here. The atmosphere, humorous waitress, and high end fast food helped make this another ideal family meal experience.
As a life long lover of Donnie Wahlberg (http://bit.ly/2wCqLm8) I went with his fave; the bbq bacon burger featuring white cheddar cheese, jalapeños, bacon, homemade bbq sauce, and avocado spread. It was quite tasty and I much preferred this to their original style burger I would order later two years later back in Brooklyn.
Later that evening we would return to this area to have dinner at Alma Nove. it seemed only fitting.
This restaurant is entirely different than the boys franchise. This restaurant is the more adult version. It serves upscale Italian fare within a quiet, elegant surrounding. On most nights it is said that chef Paul Wahlberg and his mother Alma, are in the restaurant, but sadly neither was there when I was.
No matter we had another great family meal. I feasted on their homemade gnocchi with wild mushrooms, madeira, and truffled pecorino. While delicious, it got to be a bit too rich for me towards the end.
We left full and content, showing that when food comes from family with love it is often consumed the very same way.
Though I didn’t grow up watching Cheers, I still longed to visit the place “where everybody knows your name”.
Many years ago I read a magazine article that mentioned Cheers was based on the real life bar “Bull and Finch Pub”. This may be the very first mental note I ever made for my future trip to Boston.
On my very last night in town that thought made its way into my memory books.
Now officially known as “Cheers” there is the original location on Beacon Hill, where I went, and another in Faneuil Hall (http://bit.ly/2ACQSwB). If ever I move to Boston, Beacon Hill is the place I would have to live. How I would afford it is another matter.
This beautiful location has the homes and buildings you would see in a movie. The gorgeousness around us included Boston Common, a three hundred and fifty year old park. Had it not been nighttime or winter when I visited I would have loved to walk through to see the wonder. Cheers is directly across the street.
You enter downstairs just as you would if your name was Norm or Frasier.
There is both bar and table seating available. I was desperate to get to the gift shop but food came first. The menu is filled aplenty with items divided into categories like Sam’s Starters, Woody’s Garden Greens, and Ma Glavin’s Soups.
I had the grilled chicken taco salad; grilled chicken, fresh lettuce, tomato, peppers, cheese, guacamole, salsa and sour cream served in a crisp taco bowl. It was good enough that I still remember eating it.
But the most important part of this meal for me was the hard cider I ordered. It was the first alcoholic beverage I had in at least six years due to my chronic migraines and the medication I took for them. It seemed to be the perfect place for such an occasion.
Just as the producers behind the sitcom had said some thirty-two years earlier: “This is the place!”
And so it was.
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