If you are in Boston and want good Italian food, you head to the North End. If you are in the North End and want good pizza, you head to Regina. Which is exactly what my daughter and I did yesterday and it was so good! We lucked out because we were able to walk right in and get a table which is pretty much unheard of. There is usually quite a line stretched out along the sidewalk and the reason we don’t go more often than we do.
The North End is filled with restaurants and if you were to walk into any one of them lining Hanover or Salem Streets I’m sure you would not be disappointed. However, tucked away by itself on Thatcher Street is where you really need to go if you want great pizza.
Regina Pizzeria is one of the oldest pizza restaurants in Boston, if not the oldest? They have been serving up these delicious pies in this location since 1926. It is no frills and in no way fancy, and very possible it hasn’t been updated since 1926. For me, that is another reason I always head to the original location even though their newer locations are easier to get to. Depending on which table you sit in and what time of year it is, you may need to be careful not to lean on the hissing radiator abutting your table.
They only make and serve pizza and they do it right. No salads, nothing except pizza.
I hardly ever eat the crust on pizza, but I eat every bite of the crust of Regina pizza. It has to be one of the best crusts I have ever had.
The next time you are in Boston craving pizza, head to the best. Actually, maybe you shouldn’t so I won’t have to wait too long to get a table 😜
My husband and I went to Nightshift Brewery in Boston last weekend for the first time. We have always been “brew pub” fans and are always up for trying someplace new. I had seen it from the highway not too long ago, but wasn’t exactly sure where it was. It is in a building right next to TD Garden, and around back on the water which would be really nice in the warmer weather. I have been to TD Garden so many times throughout my life and for some reason never knew there was water back there.
When we arrived we got carded at the door which when you are my age, you pretty much just want to go back for that reason alone. I get so excited when I have to dust off my license and show it to someone. I know it’s just a technicality and they aren’t really even looking at it, but whatever, I’m going to keep telling myself it is because I look so young.
I really loved the place, but after we left we realized the food and service weren’t very good. But I still loved it, and want to go back. I think the main reasons I loved it so much was the atmosphere, the popcorn, and the beer. I am not a big beer person, but their beer was excellent! I tried two of the sour beers, and actually loved them which never happens. I had the Made In The Shade which is a Gose beer with salt and lime; and the Briar Weisse which is a sour ale with blackberries and lemon peel. My husband really liked the ones he tried, but his favorite was the Mint Condition which is a dark ale with cocoa, spearmint, and dark chocolate. So for beer, I give them a 10!
Now let’s talk about the popcorn. Oh. My. Goodness. You can order a little bucket of truffle white cheddar popcorn with free refills that is one of the most amazing things I have ever eaten. I actually found myself doing a happy little food dance while I was eating it. I felt like Pooh Bear. I honestly could have sat there and had about 20 of them, the buckets are quite small but still. Just writing about it is making me want to go back now.
Along with the popcorn we ordered the Half Pound Pretzel. Soft pretzels are one of my favorite things, but this pretzel wasn’t soft. It was hard and kind of burned, which I have never experienced and I have had many soft pretzels in my life. It was bad, like really bad.
For dinner I ordered the mac and cheese with chicken, because the woman next to me was eating it and it looked really good. It was good, not great, but good and even though I only ate a tiny bit I enjoyed it. My husband tried it and didn’t like it, however.
My husband ordered The Hot Take, which was a chips and cornflake fried chicken sandwich, with viva habanera hot sauce, ranch, tomato and arugula. He sent it back because the fried chicken was too hard and over fried. He never sends food back either, so it must not have been good. He also didn’t even think it was remotely spicy. The replacement was covered in the hot sauce, but just as over fried and he really didn’t like that one either. The fries were very good, however.
The waitress was also not very good, and never brought one of our popcorn refills 😡, and really just didn’t care about us or my husband not liking his meal.
As I mentioned, I am looking forward to going back mostly for the popcorn and beer, but I will try something else to see if it was just a bad food day.
I had the BEST day today, and not just because I got to try a new restaurant, but I got to try it with my daughter. I am one of the luckiest mothers alive with a daughter in college only 3.7 miles away from our house. If that wasn’t good enough, she has Mondays almost free of classes and wants to spend them trying new lunch spots with me!
My daughter’s school and our home is just North of Boston. You really can’t ask for a better location to try new restaurants, there are thousands. I’m guessing at thousands, but it’s really big however many it actually is. Since I am the type of person that goes to the same favorite places over and over, the idea of trying something new every week is so exciting.
We decided our first restaurant to try would be Flour Bakery in Harvard Square. They have three locations in Cambridge, but we headed towards Harvard Square not just because it was the closest to her school, but because it’s Harvard Square. If you have never been to Harvard Square, make sure to put it on your bucket list. It is such a fantastic spot filled with restaurants, shops, and of course that University you may have heard of, Harvard?
Parking in Harvard Square isn’t always the easiest to find, but we were quite lucky to find a parking spot pretty close to the restaurant. I was also able to have a very interesting discussion with an eccentric gentlemen sitting on the sidewalk near where we parked about the crazy bike lanes recently installed. My daughter didn’t seem as enthralled with the conversation as I did, but our eccentricity is what makes life interesting, right?
Flour Bakery was quaint and bustling. We arrived just before the peak lunch rush and were able to find a little two person table where we sat, ate, and chatted for hours. We each got a sandwich which we really enjoyed. My daughter rated hers an 8.5, and I rated mine a 6.5 only because of the bread. I just do not like bread with tough crust, and their multigrain bread was that kind of bread. The soft part of the bread was very good, but the crust just kind of ruins it for me. Next time I go there I will request a different bread and then I am pretty sure my rating would also be around an 8.5.
My daughter ordered the Applewood Smoked Bacon sandwich which consisted of bacon, arugula, tomato, and mayo on focaccia toast. I ordered the Smoked Turkey Sandwich which consisted of turkey, cheddar, cranberry chutney, and apple dill slaw. The contents were delicious! It was just my own personal dislike of tough crust that made me dislike it somewhat. I am actually really looking forward to going back and either trying something else like the Chicken and Broccoli Rabe Panini, or Roast Chicken with mashed avocado and jicama (if you have read my fish taco blog you know I love jicama), or the Smoked Turkey again but on different bread. Maybe focaccia, that sounds so good!
As you can see from my photos they include a strange little vegetable “salad” of sorts on the dish. Well, my daughter’s had more of a salad than mine did, mine was actually pretty sad. Some people like my husband would probably think that was lovely and delicious, but my daughter and I looked at it like it was an absolute waste of food because why would anyone want to eat that with their sandwich. I know, we aren’t proud of that but it’s the truth. Where are the chips?
They also had some wonderful looking salads on their menu, as well as baked goods.
Overall the Flour Bakery was a thumbs up for us and we would definitely recommend it to others!
Today we headed into Southie for brunch at the Lincoln Tavern. Every time I head to Southie, usually just to Castle Island or Rondo’s Sub Shop, I always think of the old Song “I was born down on A Street, raised up on B street, Southie is my home town”. Southie is not my home town, but I always remember my Dad singing that every time we went to South Boston when I was a child.
I have only recently discovered the Lincoln Tavern, and today was my second time dining there. The restaurant has such a great warm feel to it with the exposed brick, dark wood, and old school lighting. It is a very popular spot and has been packed both times we have been there. The waitstaff has been great, the managers have been friendly and professional, and the food has been amazing. The only negative aspect has been the hostesses, which have all been quite rude, but maybe they were all having a bad day, both times. Maybe?
Both times have been on a Sunday morning, and I think the next time I go it will be on a different day and time. I wasn’t the oldest person in the restaurant, but I was definitely in the minority. As a person who is only in their 40’s, this restaurant made me feel much older. I’m hoping it is just the Sunday brunch that attracts such an all young crowd, but time will tell.
I know it’s been awhile since I was in my twenties, but I have never seen a morning party location like this other than tailgating. It’s crazy! If you are looking to party on a Sunday morning, this is the place to be. It made for great people watching.
They serve brunch every day and the “Friday Test Kitchen” brunch sounds like something I will want to try. The menu changes weekly and I have just followed them on Instagram to see what the weekly offerings will be.
Both times the food has been excellent, which was good and bad. Bad because I would come here more often if I didn’t feel so old.
I was so surprised when we were treated with complimentary blueberry coffee cake while we waited for our meal. On our first visit it was amazing, but today it was a little dry and just ok. Regardless, what a nice treat and definite added points in my book!
The first time I dined there I ordered the Eggs Benedict which was honestly an out of body experience. Holy wow! Ham, spinach, boursin cheese, poached eggs, asparagus, and hollandaise sauce, accompanied by crispy hash browns. It was so rich and sinful that I just couldn’t bring myself to order it again today, even though I REALLY wanted to. Absolutely delicious!
My husband had a little more willpower than I did and ordered the California Omelet both times, which has egg whites, pepper jack cheese, avocado, bacon, and mango salsa. It was also accompanied by the hash browns. He loved the omelet. Oh, and did I mention the hash browns were so good!
Today I ordered the Fruity Pebble pancakes because I just felt like I had to. Right? Fruity Pebble pancakes? I am not a fan of Fruity Pebbles, and hardly ever order pancakes, but it was something I just had to try. It came with a cereal milk anglaise which was a little too much for me, but it was fun, and worth trying. As far as Fruity Pebble pancakes go, these were good!
My son ordered the Hot Chocolate Pancakes which came with a marshmallow topping and crushed peppermints, with a side of hot fudge. Yikes! Definitely a sweet treat, but he loved them!
Needless to say we both brought most of our pancakes home.
If the lunch and dinner are anything like their brunch, then it must be delicious. The Lincoln Tavern is a place you need to try, just try to look young 😉
