Took the recommendations of Fodors posters and ate at Artus in the North End and it was reasonable, service was great and food incredible. This trip was just my daughter and I and she got the first taste of discrimination by the service industry with women travelling alone. (Despite the fact that I waited tables to put myself through lawschool and always over tip). However, service at Artus was great. Cannot understand why people were lined up to eat at other much pricier eateries around the corner.

Glad you liked Artu' I like it also.

Where did you receive the bad service/discrimination? Call them out. It's a service to all board readers to hear the good and the bad.

I want to know more about that disceimination.

Glad you enjoyed your meal. I find their food to be very average but that's the great thing about the North End, there are so many places to try and everyone has a different favorite.

I hate to reflect on a business by employees only but some examples include being ignored by our waiter at a restaurant in Ogunquit while others around not experiencing the same, the front desk at the Marriott Long Wharf was horrible to her when her room key would not work (she is 14) and the counter folks at Mike's Pastries totally ignored her, then took forever on getting her order, chatted with another girl for at least five minutes before comlpeting my daughters order. I stood watching the poor girl standing there - trying to look like she was not mortified before I intervened. May have just been the girl waiting on her. When I went up later the guy waiting on me was very accomodating. Those were just a couple of examples, may have been a combination of gender and age discrimination but they were very upsetting to her. And she is very polite and mature for her age.
It happens everywhere - my best friend and her husband own the most successful restaurants in my home town (four now) and when she and I go out we still sometimes experience snubs from wait staff because we are females. Not as frequent as in the past but still happens.

Re Marriott Long Wharf---that's unexcusable. Call company headquarters.

Re Mike's Pastry. They were actually doing you a favor by delaying your purchase. Their pastries and cookies are crap. Popular as all get out, but crap nonetheless. Just last week someone brought a box of their cookies to the office, so I tried one just to see if they'd gotten any better recently. Nope, they still stink.

I recently travelled solo (female) in Indiana and Loisville and was also snubbed when I went out to eat - I've travelled alone quite a bit and this was the first time that it was noticeable. Sorry about your experiences here in Boston, but we are not the most polite people here so it may have had nothing to do with your vendor. And as for the comments by a previous post on Mike's - I would say that many many many love their pastry!

Sorry about the treatment - over the summer we just had three separate families visit us from the west coast and were so pleased that all of them commented on how friendly and accomodating everyone was to them all over Boston during their touring, walking, directions, dining, hotel, etc....

I would complain imemdiately when it happens -

as far as Mike's - or Artu's, - as one above said, that's the beauty of the NOrth End, something for everyone - some like MIke's, others swear by Modern, Maria's or elsewhere.... I like some things at all of them -

sometimes, I find people may overlook a 14 yr old depending on the situation, wrongly assuming an adult is close behind and/or doing the ordering - no excuse, just I've noticed this a few times and I've spoken up and said - are you next? that type of thing......

and hlsam, we have to stick together - you are not rude, I am not rude - there's two Bostonians who are not - and there are more !!! I assure you - all our company met all the other friendly Bostonians this summer too

We enjoyed Artu also. The experience started badly with the very rude hostess, however. She did not have our reservation written down....she was convinced that I had called their other location and wouldn't believe me even when I went into call history on my cell phone and called the number I had called and her phone rang. Anyway, she finally got us in. The waitress, however, was the best we've had in ages and I thought the calamari was terrific.

"And as for the comments by a previous post on Mike's - I would say that many many many love their pastry!"

I'd say that too, I said they were popular. There are many many people at that place, it's huge, and always crowded. I just think their product is junk, and so does every North End resident I've ever spoken to on the subject.

Don't get me wrong--I'm happy whenever (almost) any business does well in Boston, so I really don't mind that Mike's is popular. I just like to look out for the little guy whenever I can. Modern is a smaller place, been there longer. Maria's has suffered during the big dig construction when everything on either side was closed / gutted. I want the little places to do well (especially when their product is superior).

When we visited Artu's for the first time in June, the waitress was downright cold, though she eventually warmed up. The food was excellent, and I would go back again, although I intend to try some of the other Italian restaurants next time. I was not impressed by Modern's cannoli; our's was stale, but they may have other blockbuster things that I'd like. Different strokes for different folks, you know ...