Burning Holes in Wallets and Livers: Boston

So every year my two best friends and I get together for a weekend of veritable gluttony.

A few years ago we went to the Bay Area and hit Chez Panisse, Greens, and French Laundry in a three-day weekend. Another year we did Tru and Avenues. The following year was Uncommon Ground bloody marys, Alinea and Katsu. Last year was L2o, M. Henry, and Katsu.

This year, with one of us in school in Boston, we're taking the weekend out there. The question is, where do we go? We're looking at at least one major blowout meal: $300-$500 per person (inclusive of tip, drinks, etc) is OK. The other dinner can be more modest but not any less spectacular. We're also cocktail geeks, so we'll need places to go for drinks.

We know about Barbara Lynch's Sportello, Drink, and No. 9 Park. But that's about it. We need two dinners, random cheap lunches, and a spectacular brunch... Help!

I promise a report after this (April) trip, which takes place the day after tax day. There go any returns we'd three get...

EDIT: I should add that we're generally fond of tastings rather than a la carte, and certainly love drink pairings, but we're open. This trip is more to introduce us to new cuisines and something "fun" or "exciting" that we can't get elsewhere - so either a regional favorite or an up-an-comer chef who isn't to be missed - or a chef who is reknown for whatever positive reason - is really what drives our decisions. Otherwise, type of cuisine not important. Ethnic is good but it doesn't have to be exotic.

If you can swing it, have dinner at Neptune Oyster.

Some mentions in past threads:
I May Never Eat Oysters Again -- Neptune Oyster, Boston
Boston GNR's?
Lobster Roll article in the Trib

Neptune Oyster
63 Salem Street
Boston, MA 02113
617-742-3474

Not really my style of dining, but the first response to the "money is no object" query usually begins and ends with O Ya. They have several tasting tiers, well-designed to torch your wallet.

O Ya
9 East Street
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 654-9900
www.oyarestaurantboston.com

I'll come back to you for the 'random cheap lunches', but hopefully you'll get more insight into the blowout meals from others.

I just did a six-month stint in Boston, which means I barely scratched the surface, but here's my abbreviated intel from the second half of '09, some firsthand, some secondhand:

The three places I consider musts, covering both ends and the center of the spectrum, are Craigie on Main in Cambridge (casual 4-star, if that makes any sense), Kelly's Roast Beef in Revere for a lobster roll (outdoor picnic tables only), and a raw bar somewhere. I'd probably include some kind of North End Italian if I knew what I was talking about, but I never got to find out (we thought we'd be there for 4-5 years, minimum, then ended up making a very sudden and unexpected move).

For a raw bar, Neptune Oyster, as mentioned, is pretty awesome. I've only done raw bar and the hot (Connecticut-style) lobster roll, and that's enough. The place is a total zoo, however, and the most densely packed restaurant I've ever seen. A little easier to approach if you want to do high-end raw bar is B&G Oysters, Barbara Lynch's place. It's kind of the anti-Neptune -- slick, hip, trendy (not ridiculously so, but notably so) -- but it's open late, much easier to get into and while I prefer Neptune on the whole, it's not a bad fallback position if you can deal with the scene. It's also absurdly overpriced. Incidentally, B&G does a really neat slightly but not overly jazzed-up clam chowder. Of course, it's a $14 bowl of clam chowder, but it's really good. In either place, be sure to get some Island Creek oysters. Of course there are other great raw bars, but those two are the two big names and I didn't get a chance to dig before we had to skip town.

As mentioned, O Ya is the big blowout place. And if Bruni's opinion means anything to you, he fell over himself raving about it. It's the one place I regret not getting to while I was there.

Troquet gets a lot of love on CH Boston, particularly for the wine list, and our dinner there was very nice, but I see no reason to steer somebody there over Craigie.

Dinner at Sportello, for us, was REALLY hot and cold. One good, two flops and one excellent dish. Be aware that it's a really odd space, like a Jetsons diner with a specialty food store crammed into one corner.

One thing that's weak in Chicago but strong in Boston, I'm told, is Cambodian, and the place for that is Floating Rock (NOT Elephant Walk, though EW has the big name). This is purely secondhand info from people I trust. They were closed for a private party the night I tried to get there.

Late-night in Chinatown is all about Peach Farm for straight-up Cantonese seafood. There's nothing mindblowing (unless you've never had really good Cantonese seafood), but they hit all of the marks and they scratch that particular itch in a way that Chicago never quite could for me. Salt & Pepper Shrimp (or whatever the title is on their menu) are especially good. Also, they do a pretty formidable Peking Duck with no advance notice.

Drink, from what I've heard, is quite good, but don't expect The Violet Hour. I had some exceptional classic cocktails at Eastern Standard.

And remember that you're only two hours away from a New Haven pizza pilgrimage.

Just be sure you go to Craigie.

I went to O Ya back in 2008, and while I was very impressed with the innovative food, and I was less so with the space (very cramped for our table) and the service, which seemed satisfied with bringing out food somewhat randomly. With a tasting menu sometimes we would get dishes back to back with seconds to spare and sometimes there was a 15 minute gap between courses. I was very impressed with most of the preparations, but I left rather rattled, not relaxed.

This is all great info, thanks all. We're definitely hitting up Drink, as I'm a regular at In Fine Spirits and need to see what Beantown's answer to craft cocktails is.

Neptune, lobster rolls, and Cambodian seem perfect for the non-blowout meal.

I think Craigie's looks perfect, but one friend has been there before and that usually means ixnay for this weekend. But I really want to go, so I'm going to see if I can convince her by offering to cover her part of the tax and tip or somesuch. There's frequently some sort of dare or bet that gets a portion of one person's tab paid by somene else (I got my entire wine pairing at French Laundry covered just by tasting a bite of something with banana, which is my food nemesis).

With spotty reports on O Ya's service, that's probably out, as our whole point of this meal is not only the food, but the overall experience. But it certainly does look delicious.

If you can swing it, have dinner at Neptune Oyster.

YES. Last fall, when I was up in New England, made a stop there for lunch.
Best meal the whole trip, best oysters I've ever had, and all in all, pretty reasonable.
Do it.

The tasting menu at Uni should definitely be on your list for consideration. Similar to O Ya but less torching / truffle oil / preciousness. Excellent service, spectacular "overall experience".

I always walk out of Neptune wondering how it got so expensive, and I never regret spending the money.

Craigie on Main, and the chef's table, would be a night to remember. Great cocktailery too, so you can kill those two birds together.

More ideas to come ...

porklet wrote:Craigie on Main, and the chef's table, would be a night to remember. Great cocktailery too, so you can kill those two birds together.

Seconded. I've only had one cocktail there, but it was absolutely dynamite. Though I believe their cocktail guru -- whose name escapes me -- recently left for greener pastures?

Dmnkly wrote:

porklet wrote:Craigie on Main, and the chef's table, would be a night to remember. Great cocktailery too, so you can kill those two birds together.

Seconded. I've only had one cocktail there, but it was absolutely dynamite. Though I believe their cocktail guru -- whose name escapes me -- recently left for greener pastures?

Tom left, but Carrie is doing just fine as his replacement.

I don't like Drink, but cocktail weenies I know swoon over it.