May 30

Boston - Ginza, Legal, Turner, Petit Robert

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I stayed at the Doubletree Hotel near Boston's Chinatown so I figured it'd be a great opportunity to check it out. It's not very large but there are a TON of late night places that open until the wee hours of the morning. The Chinatown is actually a mix of Vietnamese, HK, Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese places. So it was really pan-Asian.

I went to Ginza since it had been awhile since I'd had any sushi. That and the bright sign...like a moth to the flame...

Ginza Japanese Restaurant
16 Hudson St
Boston, MA
(617) 338-2261

The basketball game was on so a bowl of Edamame was in order. The shishamo was ok...slightly burnt. Some people like it that way though.

A small sashimi boat...definitely hit the spot though. The small rolls were surprisingly good...I think that they use quail egg whites in there.

The DoubleTree put me further from the convention center than usual. Nice hotel though. It's got a distinctive Asian theme which fit the Chinatown surroundings. I wonder if DoubleTree designed it that way or did it just buy a hotel with an Asian theme.

See what I mean? In any case, I like the pillow that says "Sweet Dreams" on it...I wonder if there's a correlating pillow with "Horrible Nightmares" stitched on it.

The dresser handles

Legal Seafood has a branch within Prudential Center which makes it super accessible for us convention people. This is the Portuguese Fisherman's Stew. I'm in the wrong profession if this is the kind of typical food that Portuguese Fisherman get to eat. The sausage wasn't too salty and the soup was to die for. Excellent lunch pick.

Legal Seafood - The Prudential Center
800 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02199
Phone: (617) 266 6800

Someone on the crew had a sense of humor.

Yeah, we went to Legal Seafood twice in one day. This time was for dinner though. I pretty much had clam chowder at every restaurant we went to. Kinda like par for the course.

Legal Seafood - Copley Place
100 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: (617) 266-7775
Fax: (617) 266-6304

Bucket o' Steamers...steamers are basically soft-shell clams that live in the tidal mudflats. It's difficult to get ALL of the silt/sand out but once you do...hmmm...very tasty. Basically mussel-sized clams.

Baked Boston Scrod...I had to have some scrod on this trip...you can only get it in New England and primarily in Massachusetts. Scrod isn't a species though...it's just a small cod. it's a flaky whitefish but there's an interesting flavor that's different from other fish. In any case, I had it.

Mornings were made better if only because I could get Lobster Bisque/Nantucket Chowder for breakfast. Hmm mmm....

Last time, I totally missed out on clam chowder at Tucker Fisheries. I recommended it to everyone and then went and got something else. I wasn't about to make the same mistake again. It's VERY good...sweet/creamy and good sized chunks of clams. I can see why their clam chowder won so many awards...another Hall of Fame member is the Chart House which will have to be a new place to try out the next time I'm in Boston.

Turner Fisheries of Boston
10 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 424-7425

Our group likes calamari...it's like a default appetizer. Turner's adds a little sauce (Garlic Aioli) and a little salt...just enough to give it a really nice flavor.

Baby Arugula Salad - Candied Pecans, Dried Cranberries & Crumled Goat Cheese, Tossed in a Fig Vinaigrette

Fried Oysters - Served over Beet Relish and Cilantro Hollandaise...I'm not that into Hollandaise but this sucker was tasty!!!

Seafood Pasta - Cavatappi Pasta Tossed with Shrimp, Scallops & Oven Dried Tomatoes in a Fennel Dill Cream Sauce

Prime Dry Aged Beef Strip Loin - Broiled and Topped with Herb Butter, Country Fries and Watercress

Cedar Plank Salmon - Tequila and Citrus Marinated Salmon topped with Jicama Tomato Relish

Pan Seared Haddock - Sautèed Arugula, Lobster Vanilla Sauce, Jumbo Lump Crabmeat & Yam Hash

Traditional Boston Baked Scrod - Lemon Chive Butter Sauce

I got my favorite entree at Turner's again...the Bamboo Steamer Basket...Lobster, Scallops, Shrimp, Tuna, Swordfish, Salmon, Mussels...and the sauces!!! *drool* It's horribly expensive but so worth it.

Probably my most favorite French place next to Left Bank is this place...Petit Robert Bistro. There are 2 locations (I've been to both now) and they've just got the most wonderful entrees and ambience. You don't have to pay for the ambience either since the prices are very reasonable (a real authentic bistro). This time, we went to the one on Columbus.

Petit Robert Bistro
480 Columbus Avenue
Boston MA 02118
617 867 0600

Meg almost always gets this so I gave it a shot...not bad. I ended up getting this a couple more times.

Moules Marinières...can you ever go wrong with mussels???

Creamy Lobster Bisque...I was definitely getting my daily serving of dairy products on this trip...

Duck Confit and Grilled Pork Sausage with Braised Cabbage...I tried some of Meg's confit...very tasty!

Braised Lamb Shank and Mergez Sausage...mouth-watering good. Off-the-bone lamb...excellent herbs in the sauce...the spicy Mergez sausage...I really cleaned off the plate.



Cathy said:
"It is a good thing I am eating while reading this post."
(Thursday May 31, 07 at 03:22:26 PM)

Jook said:
":-P be prepared for even more photos of food!!!"
(Thursday May 31, 07 at 03:31:53 PM)



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