Food is certainly the most important part of any trip – and just wait until you see the last pic!
This is actually kind of a painful post to write because I’m currently starting a wedding diet. Anybody who knows me knows I absolutely love food (and that’s pretty obvious if you’ve seen any of my blog posts). It’s fine. I’m not dying inside and drooling just staring at the burger and fries below…😒
My flight from Raleigh to Boston was at 6am, so as soon as I put my bags in my room, I made a beeline to Starbucks for a latte and oatmeal. After conference presentations and lots of walking, my breakfast was long gone by the time I finally decided on Shake Shack. I know that probably seems lame and I try not to eat at chains when I’m traveling, but I’d never eaten at one and really wanted to try it. I didn’t regret it, especially the bbq, bacon, and cheese fries. It took everything within me to not add a custard, but that seemed excessive, even for me.
Have y’all ever had cherry peppers?? Yummo!!! I wish I knew where to find those where I live because I’d probably put them on everything.
After a great sleep Thursday night (so many pillows!), I was on the search for coffee Friday morning. My favorite app to use when I’m traveling is Foodspotting. Not many people know about it, but it’s so helpful. It searches your location and shows pictures of food that’s nearby. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s amazing, especially if you’re traveling and want actual images of food possibilities. You can see the food I’ve spotted by following me! (I’m just “Autumn” on the app, and I may or may not be a dessert and French toast expert. No big deal.)
ANYWAY, back to coffee. I had read about Thinking Cup Coffee in the Back Bay area, so it was close to me. And it was packed when I got there, which is always a good sign. They had cases full of delicious pastries and cookies. I ordered the hazelnut latte because people had talked it up in reviews because of the hazelnut paste they put in. To be honest, I wasn’t very impressed. The chocolate croissant was pretty tasty, though.
I had every intention of simply going out for coffee and returning to the hotel, but the rain stopped and I thought it was an excellent time to do a little exploring. You can see some of the pictures at the Charles River Esplanade that I wandered into in my previous post.
Since I had a lot of exploring to do, and at an attempt to minimize the amount of eating, I waited pretty late in the day for my second meal so it would end up being another lunch/dinner. I was craving seafood, shrimp specifically, so after looking at a ton of pictures and reviews on Foodspotting and Yelp, I decided to try Legal Seafoods – Harborside. This was strategic because it put me in a different part of Boston and within close walking distance to the Boston tea party ship.
I really can’t brag enough about my waitress here. She was so sweet and made me feel welcome (referring to me as “friend” the whole time), which is nice when you’re traveling and eating alone.
Fried shrimp and a strawberry sangria at Legal Seafoods Harborside.
I ordered the fried shrimp and a strawberry sangria, and both were absolutely delicious. I like some crunch to my fried shrimp, and these definitely hit the spot! I sat right in front of the kitchen and everything that came out looked amazing.
The next day was my conference presentation. I got up early to finish my paper (shame on me) and had a plan to grab brunch somewhere later. Since I missed the Poe Walking Tour (hear about that here), my morning was wide open.
One place that kept coming up in all my food searches was The Friendly Toast. Their menu looked extremely unique (and delicious!), so after more exploring around the Boston Commons area I made my way there.
The good thing about being a solo traveler is that you never have to wait for a seat at a restaurant because of the bar which was great for me since there was a lengthy line. Since it was my last day, I figured I’d go all out and ordered a mimosa flight. Is that weird? I kind of felt like people were judging the single lady at the corner of the bar with a mimosa flight. I didn’t care. Because just look at this beauty!
Mimosa flight!
But the best part? A sandwich…made into a doughnut…out of French toast!!! 😍
Just look at it in all its glory. The description from their website is “[a] breakfast sandwich on French toasted donuts filled with scrambled eggs, sausage…& cheddar cheese. Topped with powdered sugar & served with sides of zesty maple sour cream & strawberry habanero jam.” I can’t sell this enough to you. Strawberry habanero jam, y’all. My stomach is growling just thinking about it.
We can’t ignore those potatoes, either, cooked all perfect and seasoned with a spicy kick. Seriously, take me back!
My fiancé has never been to Boston, so it’s on our list as a must-do in the future. What are your favorite restaurants in Boston that you recommend on my return trip?
Biscotti and a Ph.D. 