Restaurant recommendations in Boston?

[Tracey]

Anyone have a suggestion for a place to feed 10 people lunch after my daughters graduation in Boston next month?

I've been on Yelp all week and I keep backing into Legal Seafood. Marie is appalled and says it's a tourist trap and she'd rather have beer and fries on picnic tables at the Barking Crab.

Well I would rather, too; but that's not gonna fly with the grandma's.

[Ian McColgin]

Ancillary questions:

Diatery issues like any vegitarians, vegans, or food allergies? Where are folk staying? Will parking be an issue? Do you want to be an easy walk from the graduation? What college or university, anyway? And congratulations.

[Tracey]

Ancillary questions:

Diatery issues like any vegitarians, vegans, or food allergies? Where are folk staying? Will parking be an issue? Do you want to be an easy walk from the graduation? What college or university, anyway? And congratulations.

Thanks Ian. No real dietary conditions, and we will drive everyone, or walk. Basically it's to be a nice leisurely lunch, not too rushed, worthy of the effort of everyone traveling in. Is Legal Seafood really too touristy? The website looks fine to me.

[Norman Bernstein]

Thanks Ian. No real dietary conditions, and we will drive everyone, or walk. Basically it's to be a nice leisurely lunch, not too rushed, worthy of the effort of everyone traveling in. Is Legal Seafood really too touristy? The website looks fine to me.

Legal Seafood really sin't all that 'touristy', IMHO. It's a seafood restaurant, a little over priced, but the fish is unquestionably fresh. Limited choices for people who don't care for fish, though. The restaurants (it's a chain) tend to be larger and noisier than I prefer... to me, the most important attribute of ANY restaurant is the noise level.

I'd still recommend Anthony's Pier 4 for a somewhat more 'New England' atmosphere, and a broader menu.... and the dining rooms aren't that noisy. The place might be a cliche for the locals, but for 'New Yawkers', it will feel a bit more like they're really in Boston.

As for your daughter: tell her the celebration is really for the family... and slip her $100 so she can go to the Barking Crab with her friends, insterad of grandma.

[Shang]

Legal Seafood is over-priced, or maybe I'm just a country boy.
A light lunch for three of us came to nearly $150.

Durgin-Park is kinda fun. It dates back about two centuries.
"...In keeping with its long history, the concept of Durgin-Park maintains the tradition of communal seating at long tables. The menu is designed to offer traditional New England-style fare with a concentration on seafoods, chowders, broiled meats, and boiled dinners. The service is also a partial hold-over from the time of its founding as the waitstaff have been encouraged to adopt a "surly" attitude and "backtalk" the clientele. Another sign of it heritage, is that it has only changed head chefs a handful of times in its history."

[David G]

Seafood is great. I love seafood. A lot. But if I could only have one meal in Boston... I'd head to the North End and eat Italian.

[ChrisBen]

My vote goes to The Union Oyster House.
Union Oyster House

[Donn]

Seafood is great. I love seafood. A lot. But if I could only have one meal in Boston... I'd head to the North End and eat Italian.

At Prezza.

[Tracey]

What college or university, anyway? And congratulations.

Thanks, Ian! Marie will graduate from Simmons College with a degree in Business management. Like many of her peers she has no solid job offers, but plenty of internships to choose from. Thankfully, hers will be paid, as I'm told that most are not.

[Tracey]

Legal Seafood is over-priced, or maybe I'm just a country boy.
A light lunch for three of us came to nearly $150.


Durgin-Park is kinda fun. It dates back about two centuries.

WOW! Liquid Lunch? with appetizers on the side?

Seafood is great. I love seafood. A lot. But if I could only have one meal in Boston... I'd head to the North End and eat Italian.

At Prezza.

Well, Don and David, this gets Jim's vote, hands down. My original intent was Italian, but I couldn't single out somewhere on my own. Thanks Donn!

[Tracey]

My vote goes to The Union Oyster House.
Union Oyster House

Chris, half the party is leaning toward seafood. This place looks great and, since we will be there a couple of days!, a sure hit for at least one meal! Thanks for the suggestion.

[Donn]

Prezza's seafood is spectacular, and when you accompany it with his homemade pasta, it's a quick trip to heaven.

[ChrisBen]

Chris, half the party is leaning toward seafood. This place looks great. Thanks for the suggestion.

Born and raised in Boston, It's always my first stop when I go home.

[Tracey]

Legal Seafood really isn't all that 'touristy', IMHO. It's a seafood restaurant, a little over priced, but the fish is unquestionably fresh. Limited choices for people who don't care for fish, though. The restaurants (it's a chain) tend to be larger and noisier than I prefer... to me, the most important attribute of ANY restaurant is the noise level.

I'd still recommend Anthony's Pier 4 for a somewhat more 'New England' atmosphere, and a broader menu.... and the dining rooms aren't that noisy. The place might be a cliche for the locals, but for 'New Yawkers', it will feel a bit more like they're really in Boston.

As for your daughter: tell her the celebration is really for the family... and slip her $100 so she can go to the Barking Crab with her friends, instead of grandma.

LOL on that last line. Marie's all for that. And maybe Jim, her brothers, and I will be there bending an elbow as well, after packing up her apt.

[Harbormaster]

I'll never forgive Anthony's for being the final resting place for two grand old vessels, the schooner Alice S Wentworth, and the Hudson River dayliner, the Peter Stuyvesant. I wouldn't go there if it was free.

Legal Seafoods isn't too bad, though on occasion I've had better meals at Joe's American Bar and Grill - also on the waterfront, but the best of Boston is the North End and just about any of the Italian Restaurants, I can't recall a bad meal there.

[Shang]

WOW! Liquid Lunch? with appetizers on the side?

No, that's the scary part, just a light lunch for three. The fish we ordered was okay, but not fantastic. But service was good, and the ambiance is okay.

Then we went to the M.I.T. bookstore and spent more than we'd done for lunch.

However, I will cast another ballot for the Union Oyster House--rustic but fun.

While we're on the topic of food in Boston, try to be there in July for the Clam Chowderfest. The best chowder houses in town compete in City Hall Plaza to see who is voted the best in Boston. The portions are small, but refills are free. I was there the year that a U.S. Navy ship that happened to be in Boston harbor won the competition.