Pizza with Mushroom and Onion

Name: Haymarket Pizza “The Famous One”

Location: Boston, MA

Meal: Slice of Mushroom and Onion Pizza and a Pepsi

Type: Pizza

People often make the joke that pizza is a lot like something else, even when it is bad it is still pizza. I’ve been to the top of the pizza world, having eaten at a coal-fired pizzeria in Naples, Italy. I’ve also had crappy college delivery pizza at 1:00 in the morning. Haymarket Pizza was definitely on the better half of my pizza scale. The crust is great, the sauce a little strong (heavy on oregano), and the cheese is melted so therefore good. What Haymarket excels at is delivering a tasty meal quickly and at a very decent price. During lunchtime they do such a steady business that any one of their dozen-plus varieties of pizza is served piping hot without any reheating. You can easily be in and out of Haymarket with two slices and a drink in less than 3 minutes and having spent less than $6.00.

Inside Haymarket Pizza

Haymarket Pizza "The Famous One"

Fresh Roasted Garlic

Name: Vinny T’s of Boston

Location: Boston,MA

Meal: Fried Mozzarella, Linguine with White Clam Sauce, and a Martini

Type: Italian

The foodie in my wants to abhor chain restaurants. Commonsense should tell me that if a restaurant is good enough to be franchised it means it is probably pretty good. Vinny T’s in Boston is an example of one of these chains restaurants worth visiting. I was in Boston, luckily with a friend who used to live in the neighborhood and knew that I’d enjoy Vinny’s. Let me preface my next comment by saying that I really enjoy Maggiano’s; they do Italian and service really, really well. My short description of Vinny T’s is that they are the restaurant that Maggiano’s tries to be. I understand that the pictures that decorate the walls don’t actually have any connection to anyone actually involved with Vinny T’s but it does come off a lot less contrived then Applebee’s and Fridays (to be honest, that’s pretty easy to do). One of the great things about good Italian restaurants is that they bring you bread and olive oil when you sit down. Vinny T’s takes this to the extreme, they bring you bread and an entire fresh roasted head of garlic in olive oil. Roasted garlic is one of those foods that is just plain good, sure it often has negative outcomes and side effects but its just so good. Our waitress let us in on a secret as we made our way through our second bowl of garlic. She encouraged us to mash our garlic, some Parmesan, and crushed red chili peppers together and spread it on the bread. The skies briefly parted and the sun shone down, that’s how good it was.

My visit to Vinnie T’s was a rarity; I was actually there with people I know. More than 90% of my Hungry Traveler meals come from my solo adventures. We decided to start with an appetizer (no, two whole roasted bulbs of garlic was not enough). Fried mozzarella was the general consensus and I was alright with it, albeit with low expectations due the prevalence of pre-made frozen mozzarella sticks out there. What we got was some of the best fried cheese I’ve ever had. They start with fresh buffalo style mozzarella so it light, they then only slightly bread it and give it a quick fry. The cheese is then placed on a nice light marinara sauce. Fried yet not heavy; I’m quite glad we decided on the mozzarella.

Being in a seafood city, I went with the linguine with clam sauce. My expectations were perfectly met, it had the strong but not overpowering seafood taste. The clams were piled up on top of the pasta, way out numbering the shells also sitting in the pasta like they’re supposed to. All told, I was quite happy that we wound up at Vinny T’s. The service was great, the food was tasty and well executed, the drinks strong, and the overall experience quite enjoyable. At the end of the day, yes Vinny T’s has a few locations, 7 to be precise and no, Vinny doesn’t work behind the counter. Its classification as a chain does not nothing to hinder its ability to deliver a great meal you’ll be sure to enjoy next time you find yourself in the Boston area.

Fresh Fried Mozzarella

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

New England Clam Chowder

Name: Union Oyster House

Location: Boston,MA

Meal: New England Clam Chowder and Sam Adams Summer Ale

Type: Formal Seafood

Anyone who has read my entries before knows that I love older establishments; restaurants that have been serving quality for years if not decades. I may have taken this love to an extreme with my visit to Union Oyster House in Boston, MA. Union Oyster House holds the distinction of being the oldest restaurant in the United States. They have been operating from the same location since 1826. It is so old that records of its creation don’t exist. Needless to say, if you can stay in business that long you’re doing it right. The restaurant is located just around the corner from Faneuil Hall, Boston’s most popular tourist destination so its a little touristy but they handle it well.

More after the jump.

I visited soon after they opened for the morning and took a seat at the bar; a half-circle built around the oyster shucking station. Being that they had just opened for the day, the two shuckers were fast at work; quickly processing bins of oysters. The guy behind the counter was by far one of the best restaurants characters I’ve ever met. He mentioned that he now works part-time; retired after working full-time for over 30 years shucking oysters. Cracking jokes, offering to take pictures, and engaging everyone in conversation all while quickly prying open the oysters reminded me that it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you love your job. I had a big day of eating exploring planned ahead of me so I opted for a bowl of their clam chowder and a “local” beer, in this case Sam Adams Summer Ale. The clam chowder was the best I had in Boston; hearty but not too think. On the thickness scale, if Pike Place is a 2 and Jacob Wirth’s is a 10, Union Oyster House was a perfect 5. The right consistency is important for good chowder, it effects both mouth feel and how well the all-important oyster crackers play into the whole thing.

Great food aside, you owe Union Oyster House a visit. It is a designated National Historic Landmark for being the oldest restaurant in the country. I spent a couple days in Boston and know I didn’t even scratch the surface but am quite glad my short list included Union Oyster House. Go, sit at the oyster bar, you’ll be glad you did.

Shucking Oysters

Union Oyster House

Established 1826

What Others Are Saying About Union Oyster House

-Boston Discovery Guide

-TaroYam

-10 Engines

Legal Sea Food Lobster

Name: Legal Sea Foods

Location: Logan International Airport, Terminal C

Meal: Lobster, Onion Rings, Broccoli, and a Pepsi

Type: Formal Seafood

Flying isn’t very fun these days; between the check-in process, luggage fees, and cramped quarters there isn’t a whole lot to love. Air travel takes a turn for the worse when you hurry to get to the airport only to find out they have delayed your flight for no reason (ahem..AirTran). Of course no one likes to be delayed from their flight but Boston’s Logan Airport has at least tried to make it bearable. Logan has a Street Pricing Policy that ensures you pay no more for a meal at the airport then you would elsewhere around Boston. They also make sure to bring in restaurants you would actually like to eat a meal at. Legal Sea Food was one of the first high-end restaurants to open in the airport and as luck would have it they opened in the very terminal I found myself stranded.

Legal Sea Foods is widely considered one of the best seafood restaurants in the country, topping lists far and wide. As I was in a bad mood (ahem…AirTran), I decided that a fresh steamed lobster was in order. One of the first things you have to notice about the Logan Airport Legal Sea Food is that the service is phenomenal. They are well aware of the stress their customers are under and go out of their way at every opportunity to make dining there an enjoyable experience. The lobster came out hot and fresh with sides quickly after. I’ve got a lot of family in Baltimore so I am well versed in disembodying sea crustaceans. I was able to make quick work on the little guy, mainly saving my sides for last.  The onion rings were as good as any you will find a seaside shack along the Rt.1 which is a pretty comparison if you’ve had them. The broccoli was good, fresh steamed with a little cheese but not too much that you felt it wasn’t healthy anymore.

My hope for you is that you never have to enjoy the quality service and food at Legal Sea Food in Logan Airport.If you do find yourself there with lots of extra time (ahem…AirTran) you should bypass the requisite McDonald’s, Sbarro’s knockoff, and Panda Express and head towards a meal that is actually worth eating. Legal Sea Food will deliver a great New England meal that you’ll be proud to eat, even under better conditions.

Onion Rings

Broccoli

The Post Meal View

Wedge Salad

Name: Jacob Wirth Restaurant

Location: Boston, MA

Meal: Wedge Salad, Sausage Sampler, and New England Clam Chowder

Type: Pub

Jacob Wirth came highly recommended to me by my brother who used to visit frequently with his work in Boston’s theater district. I’ll have to concede this one to my big brother and admit the recommendation was dead on; Jacob Wirth is a great restaurant. Boston is an old town with lots of history; Jake’s is the second oldest restaurant in Boston. It is safe to say that Jacob Wirth’s knows what they’re doing.

I started my meal with a well done wedge salad with Caesar dressing (my bleu cheese taste buds are still developing). A wedge salad is extremely simple yet I’ve seen it screwed up; the key is temperature and crispness. Since Jake’s is known for their German food (technically my brother’s original suggestion) I had to try some of the sausages. Coming sliced, skewered, and grilled they had a great taste before you dipped them in the beer sauce. Included with the sausage was a tastings of their German sides: sauerkraut, red cabbage, and German potato salad. I batted a little less than .500 with the sides; I try to but I just can’t develop the taste for sauerkraut. Maybe those taste buds come as a package with bleu cheese and red wine. The German potato salad had a wonderufl texture and wasn’t too vinegary. Fully aware of my location, I had to have some clam chowder and it was of course great. Compared to my first chowder post (and still favorite…shhh, I’m still in Boston) this chowder was much, much thicker. Despite the thickness of the chowder, individual tastes and textures of the ingredients were still discernible which I appreciated.

In addition to a huge selection of beers on tap they have, in my opinion, one of the better menus out there. The menu is pulled together so that you have lots of options.  I’ve always been a slower menu reader/decider but I was particularly slow at Jake’s. I’m sure a single large entree would have been great but I’m glad I went the route I did; sure there was food left here and there but the different tastes I got along the way were worth it. Follow my brother’s advice, if you’re near the theater district in Boston; not just because my big brother said so but because you’ll be well fed.

Jake's Nibbler

New England Clam Chowder