When in Boston, you should have lobster or some kind of
seafood, right? We decided to splurge
after our trip to the New England Aquarium and eat at Legal Seafood on the
harbor. It had great ratings on Trip
Adviser and a few other sites, so we thought it would be a safe bet. I ordered the Louisiana Gumbo, my sister
ordered a Fried Clam Sandwich, and my mom ordered the Crab Roll. Out of the three, the gumbo was the only
thing tolerable. It was good – spicy, with meaty shrimp, fried okra, and LOTS
of rice. I would have liked more okra
and less rice. Because the other two
dishes were so bad, we decided to share our food. The clams in the sandwich were too greasy,
slimy, with an oily taste. It came with
seaweed salad, which tasted exactly what I imagine the bottom of the ocean
tastes like. The crab in the Crab Roll was
odd, very cold on a hot roll. It tasted
like cold fish that shouldn’t be on a sandwich.
For the cost of lunch, the food should have been superb and the service
exquisite. It was neither. To make the experience even worse, the
waitress was rude and ignored us as soon as we ordered water instead of
alcohol. I guess Boston isn’t known for
its hospitability.
Just when we thought the food of Boston was a lost cause, we
found a quaint, cozy, Irish pub called The Black Rose. It had a green door and a green stair case
that led to extra seating on the second floor.
Our waitress greeted us with a smile and in a thick Irish accent gave us
recommendations, which we took. I ordered
my very first Fish and Chips, my sister ordered the Guinness Beef Stew, and mom
ordered Shepherd’s Pie. This time we
all shared our dishes because they were so good!
Fish and Chips-
All I can say is delicious! Two haddock filets fried to a perfect crispiness and
accompanied with fried potatoes that were cut perfectly - not too thin and not too thick. I don’t
like Tartar sauce and usually opt for Ketchup, but these fries were seasoned so
perfectly that I didn’t even need it! All fish and chips will now be compared to this.
Guinness Beef Stew
– Hearty is the best word that describes this dish. The beef was thick and so tender that it hardly had to be chewed. It was
accompanied by potatoes, carrots, in a rich gravy-like base. This is comfort food at its best. I would definitely order this for myself.
Shepherd’s Pie – This was made with ground beef and ground lamb. I’m
not a big fan of lamb, but because it was mixed with the hamburger, the taste wasn't as wild to me. The combination was interesting. The peas and carrots stood out to me as a
yummy compliment to the mashed potatoes that topped the dish. The best part to me was that it was served with broccoli. The broccoli was slightly salted, but not overpowering.
We also tried Sam LaGrassa’s for lunch one day. It was on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins,
& Dives, so we couldn’t resist. The
menu of sandwiches is extensive and it was difficult to choose, especially in a
line that was meant to move fast in a busy downtown lunch environment. We decided to share the Pastrami Sandwich and
the Club Sandwich. Both were delicious. They were so big that we decided to split
them and share. Of the two I enjoyed the
Pastrami the best – thick cut slices of meat with tangy mustard. However, the bacon from the club sandwich
added just enough saltiness to keep me eating the club too. The pictures speak for themselves.
