Martin's Musings

There’s a certain freedom that comes from knowing that as much as I may want to lose weight, it’s more fun to not even try.

So that’s why when I saw on the Travel Channel or the Food Network or some other channel earlier this year that there was a Chocolate Bar at the Langham Hotel here in Boston, I knew I’d get there sooner or later. Thankfully, Nina felt the same way I did, so we went with her husband today to celebrate my birthday, his birthday, and their anniversary in gluttonous style. Continue reading →

Today was one of those days where I was playing tourist in my own city. Nina and I met up for lunch (at Vlora in Copley Square) and then just decided to walk. Our first destination? The Swan Boats in the Public Gardens. I’d made this loop before, but Nina had not, and I was happy to indulge her in this activity. The quiet, peaceful loop around the Gardens was actually kinda nice, and the sun peaking through the clouds made it even better.

We continued on through the Common and Nina asked if I had ever had the Boston Cream Pie at the Omni Parker House. I had not, and neither had she. So we decided we couldn’t really be proper Bostonians until we could say we had tried the pie, and we headed over to the hotel. I wish I could say I was impressed and that the pie lived up the the hype. It did not. The round, individual-sized cake was just not very moist and it didn’t have nearly enough cream in it. Yes, there were also crushed nuts all along the outside of the cake, and I don’t like nuts, but I got over that. So, a disappointment. On the other hand, the Parker House rolls, which I had also never had there before, were yummy, and they made the experience worth it.

We finished off our snack and continued on to a primo touristy destination, Faneuil Hall, where we walked around, saw some street performers, and even did a little shopping. But that was enough, so after that we called it a day.

Now I have another activity I can cross off my to-do list. After more than 12 years of living in Boston (16 if you include college), I can say I’ve had the trademark foods at the Omni Parker House.

I didn’t quite know what to have for dinner Monday night, but I knew one thing: I didn’t want to cook. And because Passover was two days away and I had already put all my dishes through my dishwasher, and I had nothing better to do, and because Sunday was the one-year anniversary of the day I moved into my condo, I decided to go out to dinner. Yes, by myself. It’s not the first time I’ve done this, but it’s been a very long time since I’ve gone out and sat in a restaurant eating dinner by myself. It was time to do it again.

I decided to go to the Bertucci’s at the Atrium, which I figured would be close, easy, and because it was a rainy Monday night, largely empty. And sure enough, it was. So I sat at my table, undisturbed, eating my rolls and my meal, drinking my beverage, and perhaps most importantly, catching up on a recent issue of Rolling Stone. I have to admit: It was really nice for a change. Sure, I could have gone somewhere a little nicer than Bertucci’s, but this was just what I was looking for. I was able to eat and read, and no one was rushing me to finish up or hounding me to order more, and when I was done, there were no dishes to clean up or anything. I had a nice waitress, and I gave her a nice tip because she treated me well, and I was not embarrassed by the situation in the least.

Yeah, I really kind of enjoyed going out by myself. I’m not going to make a habit of it, but maybe I’ll have to do it more often.

Oh happy day. Oh so very happy day. It’s a big deal in my world when a new lunch place opens because even though I like my favorite places (like Sam LaGrassa’s or the former Kingston Deli, for example), I do get bored. Today (or maybe it was yesterday), a new place opened on the corner of Essex and South streets, Al’s South Street Café. If that sounds familiar, it’s because there’s also an Al’s State Street Café. This is absolutely fantastic news. What’s so great about this new place? Well, both Al’s Cafés are owned by the same people who own one of my all-time favorite lunch places, the Italian Café on Broad Street, which I used to go to all the time when I worked at Faneuil Hall and now go to every once in a while on “special” occasions. So now, because the places share the same menu and food, it’s like having the Italian Café right around the corner and I don’t have to decide it’s worth the walk. Woo hoo!

To celebrate Al’s opening — and I suppose I should mention that I didn’t know about the Italian Café connection until I got there — I headed on over today for lunch. I only had a half-second to get past the excitement about what it was, because there was a huge noisy crowd of hungry workers to deal with. There were separate lines for hot and cold subs, and a mob of people waiting to pick up their orders. I was unlucky enough to stand behind a non-English speaker who had no clue what she was doing and didn’t understand when I asked if she had ordered yet or was waiting to pick up. When her order was ready, they called her number three or four times and she still didn’t get it. (And I wasn’t feeling charitable enough to tell her.) Anyway, I ordered a large steak pizzaiola, which is a two-foot-long sub of steak, marinara sauce, and cheese on excellent bread (strangely, it’s French bread, but no matter). It only cost $7 and you’ll probably be happy to know I was unable to eat it all. But it was gooooood, and so worth the discomfort it’ll cause my stomach later this afternoon. Folks, I like to think I know good lunch places, and Al’s is a great lunch place.

Someone I work with’s eyes practically popped out of his head when he saw how large my sandwich was and how good it looked. Suffice it to say, we’re going back tomorrow.

Oh happy day!