Hello

Recomendations most welcome for eating places in Boston over the Holiday Period

Looking for: Good Steak - Fish - Local specialities - good views - perhaps somewhere good for New Years Eve?

5 people - budget - with the dollar rate as it is! somewhere good not stuck up!

Looking forward to hearing suggestions

John

Check out www.chowhound.com and go to the Boston section.. Are you coming from "across the pond"??? The exchange rate would be in your favor...

where are you staying? Will you have a car? Are you willing to leave downdown?

dear shannon

We are staying @ Beacon St (close to common) We are willing to leave downtown and we wont have a car.

Thanks
John

Dear all

When I said budget in my original mail I meant that as the dollar rate (for us Brits!) is so good that we are willing to splash out - but we like fun places not stuck up!

THANKS

J

The Union Oyster House is an historic site, and is the oldest restaurant in Boston. It's a fun place to pop in for lunch, have some oysters or chowder, and maybe a pint or two.

I was born in Boston and just returned from a trip. Durgin Park (near Fanueil Hall) is great. Lots of history (from the 1700's) and great food. I had 3 lobster rolls during my stay and the best was at Durgin Park. I'm not a big prime rib fan, but dh is and he says their's is great (it is definitely huge!). Durgin Park is known for surly waitresses, so don't be offended if they are short w/you!!

Steak: Grill 23, there are also many upscale chain steakhouses-- Morton's, Capital Grill, Smith & Wollensky and we are supposed to be getting a Ruth's Chris, thoough I don't know when it is expected to open.
Views: Top of the Hub
Seafood: I don't eat seafood, so can't give any first hand experience, but others have liked Union Oyster House or Legal Seafood

IMO, Legal Seafood has gone downhill in recent years. The lobster roll I got there was subpar to others during my trip. Durgin Park is very reasonable and there is NOTHING stuck up about it (you'll see what I mean if you go!). As far as local specialties, baked beans at Durgin Park and anywhere reputable for fried clams, clam chowder (or "chowda" as it's said there), and my personal favorite - LOBSTER ROLLS (I at 3 in 24 hours).

Abe and Louie's on Boylston Street for Steak and Seafood - wonderful restaurant with great service!!!!!

janiekins - Thanks for jogging my memory. We had great steaks last year when we were in town and I couldn't remember the name, but Abe & Louie's it was. Very good.

We ate at legal Seafoods near the wharf and found it to be excellent.
Very casual and upbeat atmosphere.Prices are reasonable as well.

For a nice evening, stroll thru Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall Area - usually very nice Christmas lights and decorations - sometimes even live free music. From there walk into North End (Italian section) and read menus in windows until you find something that looks appealing to you - all price ranges. Possibly stop for a pastry and coffee someplace else after.

We happen to like McCormick and Schmidt instead of Legal Seafood. They have a salmon dish that is prepared on a cedar plank that's quite good.

We had lobster at Durgin Park and it was very good. However, the prime rib on other diners' plates actually hung over the sides of the plates! It looked wonderful. The place is definitely not stuffy...far from it.

Durgin Park is classic Boston. Tell your waitress you're a brit and you'll probably get insulted...it's part of the charm.

I just held a function at Bonfire in the Park Plaza hotel, and it was nothing short of spectacular. Superb food and service, a beautiful dining room, and a very lively environment.

Seafood? Toss a rock and you'll hit a good place. Union Oyster House is the oldest, Legal is the localy run chain, for a "Boston" seafood experience, I'd go for Jimmy's Harborside. It's not trendy, but it's excellent.

If you want to just eat a LOT of goods seafood for not much money in informal atmosphere, I would highly recommend a stop at the No Name Restaurant on the Boston Fish Pier:

http://www.theinsider.com/Boston/Res...ts/no-name.htm

Bon Appetit!

Legal Seafood is consistently good but for a something a bit more unusual I'd trry East Coast Grill in Inman Square in Cambridge -- very good seafood, low key, etc.

Grill23 for Steaks.
Legal for seafood, there's one in Harvard Sq, Kendell Sq, Prudential Center Mall, Waterfront/fanuil hall, Park Sq.
For Spicer seafood, East Coast grill.
For oysters, sitting at the bar at the Old Union Oyster House.
And for everything else, there's Mastercard!

Good one, Mimi.

I like Old Union for oysters and chowder.