Lunch Magazine » Boston

An uncommon Boston hostelry

mark — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:50:47 +0000

Amy Hughes

My first stop after check-in is never my room. It’s always the gym. I like to see what kind of sweat I can expect to get from what’s typically no bigger than a broom closet. Is there more than one treadmill? Does it have easy controls so I can do interval sets? Are there free weights, or is it limited to three cardio machines and a mat? When the hotel gym is that grim, I pray for flat pavements and breathtaking views.

Even before I set foot inside The Ritz Carlton, I know I’ll be in heaven and it isn’t just because the hotel sits on the Boston Commons. This hotel gym is like no other – probably because it’s not actually a hotel gym. It’s a state of the art, world-class, 100, 000 square foot gym. I realise these are catchy phrases trotted out to describe things that generally don’t live up to the hype, but in this case, the Sports Club/LA lived up to every pre-conceived notion in my head of the best gym I’d ever set foot in.

Weeks before I arrive, I looked up kickboxing and cardio fit classes, arranging my schedule with military precision to make time for the most interesting sounding, heart-attack inducing sessions.

For gym junkies, there is no other place to sweat in Boston and the Ritz Carlton offers direct access, which includes a basketball court, junior Olympic size pool, squash courts, the aforementioned classes, machines I’ve never seen before; there are even low-tech heart thumpers like nautical ropes for bicep-building.

If you’re not an endorphin addict I may have lost you by now, but the Ritz does offer other things. It’s got a million-dollar contemporary art collection and its location in the new Ladder district, sandwiched between the Theatre and Financial districts, is convenient to Chinatown, Faneuil Hall, the waterfront, and it’s a short walk across the Commons to the boutiques and restaurants of the Back Bay, on Boylston and Newbury Streets.

Stylish... The Artisan Bistro

We’re treated to a room with club lounge access, a perfect place to replenish all those calories. Homemade cookies in old fashioned glass jars provide a welcome, but there are healthy options served throughout the day.

The best part about the rooms are those with views overlooking the Commons. And the spacious, marble bathroom has been designed with heavy attention to detail, from the book holder in the over-sized bathtub, to the shower mirror. There are Frette linens, featherbeds, perfect for relaxing at the end of the day with CDs or DVDs on loan from the lounge and played out through Bose radios and Bang & Olufsen sound systems. Always good to test a few things on the wish list…

After a night on the town, and a restful slumber we head down to the Artisan Bistro for brunch. Apart from the usual fare, omelettes with Maine lobster are perfect for sampling traditional New England specialties. A grilled cheese sandwich comes with bacon jam and Vermont cheddar. And fried eggs take on a whole new meaning when paired with duck confit. Pancakes and French toast, are, of course, on the menu. This is America, right? But so are the famous muffin tops, this time with streusel. Seinfeld, Kramer and Elaine would be in heaven.

Ritz-Carlton Boston

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/BostonCommon/Default.htm

10 Avery Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02111 U.S.A.

Phone: +1 (617) 574-7100

Boston – a city on the move

jonathan — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 05:49:02 +0000

Amy Hughes

Boston’s a city dear to my heart. I grew up just a couple of hours south, in Connecticut, a small state that straddles New York and New England; the best of both worlds. Boston, with its dozens of universities, is one of the best cities to earn your diploma, and your beer license in… and then on to New York for the soul-crushing experience of life in the real world.

Quincy Market, Paul Revere’s ride and the Freedom Trail, the JFK Library and the Aquarium were the big sights back then, but Beantown (it’s nickname), has come a long way. Those are all sights worth seeing, for sure, but Boston’s got a funky, new groove with a collection of spots to take in the green, and spend a bit of it, too.

Urban growth... the Greenway Gardens

The Rose Kennedy Greenway is perfect for a morning run to get acclimated with the city. It’s a 1.5 mile stretch of parks and public spaces, which includes the Charles River, opened four years ago as part of the 15 year Big Dig project. That’s right. 15 years! The Big Dig was a major construction project designed to create a smoother flow of traffic on the city’s main artery, Interstate 93, by putting it underground. It also sought to re-connect the waterfront and Boston’s North End (Little Italy) with the rest of the city. For road warriors, the city turned into urban warfare. Their reward? The Rose Kennedy Greenway, named after the Kennedy family matriarch.

The Massachusetts Horticultural Society designed the Greenway Gardens, which cover six acres and public art populates open spaces.

After taking in the scenery, it’s time to hit Boston’s gentrified South End. When I was in school, it had an artsy, off-beat feel to it, but was also where most students went looking for cheap rent. Now, it’s even more creative, and hosts the SoWa (South of Market) art and design market. Every Sunday, a changing group of artists, designers, chef and farmers hawk their goods, from gourmet food trucks, to clothing, jewellery, house wares, and produce. The market is sensory overload – in a good way.

Mobile boutique... The Fashion Truck

What the market does best, is show off the innovative, entrepreneurial spirit of the city’s inhabitants. Emily Benson rolls up every week with her Fashion Truck, a mobile shop of curated clothing and accessories in a van turned boutique.

Two years ago, with a passion for fashion and visual merchandising, Emily considered pursuing a graduate degree. Instead, she took inspiration from the popular food truck trend and put her retail experience to use, fitting a van with dressing rooms, displays and carefully selected merchandise. Nothing she sells is mass-produced.

The Fashion Truck relocates to other areas the rest of the week, and hosts personalised shopping parties. The two-hour event takes place in a driveway, with the van door flung open, and refreshments all around.

SoWa also hosts a mobile vintage shop. From a 1954 Bellwood trailer, “Punky” sells her vintage clothing, jewellery and accessories.

Sure, there’s lots more to see in Boston. But if you’ve ticked the guidebook list, or fancy an alternative tour, make sure you include a Sunday visit to the church of SoWa and clear your head alongside the Charles.

www.rosekennedygreenway.org

www.sowaopenmarket.com

www.fashiontruck.com

www.haberdashvintage.com

Hotel Eliot – a little piece of luxury

jonathan — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 04:25:24 +0000

Amy Hughes

It’s a bright, sunny afternoon as the summer starts to take hold in Boston. I’ve just arrived for my college reunion, I’ll leave the year a mystery, and already I’m transported back to dorm life. It’s nothing to do with the accommodations, but rather the location. When I attended Emerson College, best known for its artsy-fartsy-ness where the saying went, “the guys are gay and the girls are desperate,” and Back Bay location, it was a school without a proper campus. Instead, the city was our campus. So we relied on a few key areas and avenues as hang-outs, central spots close to the brownstones and townhouses which housed our lectures.

One of those was Commonwealth Avenue, or, the locals and students say, “Comm Ave.” As a student, I only knew it as the pretty boulevard where many of my friends shared apartments, particularly a few members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the coolest fraternity on our non-campus campus. Years later, with the benefit of having visited umpteen cities in France, I spot the parallels. It’s so unusual for an American city; a main artery with a center lane just for pedestrians, lush with rows of trees either side. It begs a jog, or at least a stroll.

French-inspired luxury... Hotel Eliot

And this is where the Hotel Eliot resides. It’s been around since my Boston days. It benefitted from many a Parents Weekend before, during and after my time, but I’d never stayed there. Why bother when the dorms offer every luxury one can imagine?

The Eliot (as it’s known), is also right around the corner from the only other two street names you need to know: Newbury and Boylston. The parallel roads run from where you turn the corner, all the way up to the Boston Commons, the city’s biggest and most beautiful patch of green, and the theatre district (where Emerson has since relocated). It’s about a 30 minute walk from one end to the other, or just a few stops on the T, Boston’s user-friendly subway system.

I’m greeted warmly at check-in and within a few minutes various requests are met. I’m shown to a lovely suite with views of the Charles River. The decor is traditional French (they saw the parallels, too) and the canopied beds are a rare, and enchanting treat. And not too girly, either.

Everything works, and seems intuitive. A night light activated by a light switch is ingenious.

After a quick breather, I’m off to meet old friends at the Island Creek Oyster Bar. Twenty minutes walk down Comm Ave in the other direction takes us to Kenmore Square, home of the Red Sox, Boston’s hometown baseball team. You can always tell when it’s game night. All the bars are packed, including the very subtle one at ICOB. The atmosphere is sophisticated beachcomber. If you’ve ever visited the New England coastline, or Cape Cod, you’ll recognise the pale grey washboard panels. The TV is discreetly centered among them above the bar and the place quiets as the game starts.

Casual dining... Island Creek Oyster Bar

The menu has what you’d expect from a seafood restaurant: oysters from Virginia to Nova Scotia, raw bar, lobster roll, and plenty for the landlubbers. But somehow more than a few dishes disappoint. We so want to love this place, but the crab cake is bland, overly reliant on the accompanying relish, of which there isn’t enough. A mussel dish requested sans chorizo seems naked, despite the promise of fennel and saffron broth. Thankfully, the salmon tartare starter is enough for a meal, and the sesame and chive work well to create a creamy bite. The seafood casserole is also a winner, negating the need for dessert. “There’s none of the usual filler,” I’m told.

It’s all lobster, scallops, shrimp, Pollack and carrots. “Something about those carrots is delicious,” is the next comment.

We can’t find room for dessert, but their descriptions alone are worth writing about: chocolate hazelnut puff with roasted banana ice cream, or how about doughnuts with lavender cream? It’s enough to dream about as I head back to the Eliot where a featherbed awaits, and a wonderful night’s slumber.

Eliot Hotel

www.eliothotel.com

370 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA (617) 267-1607

Island Creek Oyster Bar

www.islandcreekoysterbar.com

500 Commonwealth Avenue Boston, MA (617) 532-5300

Boston’s prime beef

jonathan — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 02:06:02 +0000

Amy Hughes

It’s a warm Friday night in June on Boston’s Boylston Street, lined with restaurants, boutique shops and people spilling out of busy bars. The after-work crowd is pushing happy hour into overtime when we arrive at Abe & Louie’s, a steak and seafood restaurant with no shortage of alpha males in the house. You’d be mad to come here without a reservation, and the bar is packed, the Red Sox game fuelling extra drink orders. The wine list is long, and varied, but this is the sort of place that demands Mad Men-style drinks. This is a place for martinis and whiskey.

Classic Steakhouse... Abe & Louie's

I couldn’t see a single empty table, and wondered just how this was going to work, when we were whisked away to a comfortable booth, one of my favourite elements of American restaurant decor, just across from us a table full of old friends. Those friends would come in handy for the steak review. We were here for the fresh New England seafood. Meantime, we pore over the menu, amidst low lighting, dark wood panelling and bankers lamps. It’s buzzy and busy, but not so much it’s distracting. It’s also the kind of place men in suits, or even blue button-downs and chinos flock to, and yet it’s not intimidating for two chicks ordering the healthiest stuff on the menu.

We start with a serious protein hit of lump crab meat cocktail, which is actually Maryland blue crab, but despite a bit of extra mileage, it’s delicious and well, very meaty. The chopped salad draws a decidedly authentic remark, “This is my kinda’ salad.” It’s got the right amount of feta and onion without being overpowering, and nuts and seeds complement it well.

When in New England in the summer, there’s only one thing to eat – Maine lobster. A two-pounder is delivered to the table with the classic drawn butter on the side, grilled asparagus and spinach with mushrooms and garlic. The lobster is good, but the swordfish steak is the sleeper dish. The wood-fired grill has left it crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The roasted taste reminds me of countless summer barbecues.

Over at the other table, four grown men are getting giddy over classic steakhouse salads of iceberg wedges, beefsteak tomatoes and blue cheese before the Mecca part of their meal arrives. It’s steaks all around, and they’re too busy inhaling iron to give more than a quick thumbs-up and wide, satisfied smiles.

If you know anything about great American steak places, you’ll know what to expect from the dessert menu – apple pie a la mode, New York cheesecake, and ice cream, for sure. But what we weren’t expecting was a plate of fresh baked, warm cookies and house-made chocolate sauce (none of that thin Hershey’s syrup), lemon sorbet, and my favourite, a mound of dark, fresh berries.

Abe & Louies will remind you of the sort of place your father may have come to close a business deal, but on a Friday night, with a few gin and tonics, and a peek through the bar to catch the Sox at the bottom of the ninth inning, it feels like the perfect place to kick off the weekend, which is, in fact every night, if you’re a tourist.

Abe & Louie's

www.abeandlouies.com

793 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116 (617) 536-6300