Boston: Sauciety and Galleria Umberto

The Engineer and I are back from our trip to Boston, where he won a prestigious prize at this year’s IMS (I’d tell you which one, but that would blow his cover). We spent three full days there, where we did the usual tourist stuff (shopping at Downtown Crossing, walking the Freedom Trail, visiting Harvard, going to the Aquarium...). We even had a private dinner at the Harvard Club by the Bay, complete with a police motorcade to shuttle us there!



Here’s a food-related picture. I won’t relate all the details of my trip here, but since this is essentially a food blog, I decided that I had to write about our dinner at Sauciety (425 Summer Street). We were tired after a day of sightseeing, so we opted for a quiet dinner at our hotel (the Westin Boston Waterfront). It turned out to be, by far, the best meal we had in Boston. The busboy was absolutely wonderful, and the waiter was very friendly, too. We started with a complimentary appetizer of a small assortment of bread and crackers along with three delicious dips (white bean, roasted red pepper and feta, and roasted garlic oil). The Engineer ordered a baked lobster macaroni and cheese, which was really gemelli pasta with lobster in a creamy, cheesy sauce. It was absolutely excellent. I had a Bosc pear salad with goat cheese, arugula and roasted walnuts, with a lemon dressing, beautifully presented in a tilted bowl, and I spent the rest of the evening oohing and aahing all over it. It was truly a wonderful salad, and the best meal I had eaten in recent memory. I’m still dreaming about it! We ended up not ordering dessert, because we were both too full from licking our plates clean. If I’m ever in Boston again, I’d go back there in a heartbeat.

Also, for a more casual lunch, be sure to visit Galleria Umberto, at 289 Hanover Street. The fare is very simple, and service is both extremely fast and friendly (though curt to the maximum, for efficiency’s sake). This cafeteria-style restaurant serves some of the best pizza in the US (according to a recent MSNBC article). While there is only one choice of pizza flavour (plain cheese and tomato sauce), it is truly excellent. The crust is thick, fluffy inside and crunchy on the bottom, and the sauce has just the right amount of herbs. Be sure to walk to this diner if you get hungry on the Freedom Trail. There are also calzones (several flavour choices) and arancini.