My last question for Boston...(foodie ?)

I thank you all for your advice so far, and only have this one question left...

On our last night in Boston, July 5th, I had already booked Oleana%26#39;s but cancelled it because of reading reviews on Chowhound (good) %26amp; Yelp (pretty good - good), but just wondered if this is the restaurant to ';close'; our trip on...the review that made me cancel said it%26#39;s in a ';sketchy'; area, not ';T'; friendly, and I just thought I%26#39;d like to have an ';easy'; finish to Boston on our last night....we%26#39;re staying at Park Plaza. I don%26#39;t mind walking the 2 miles to Oleana, but don%26#39;t want to be feeling uncomfortable in the late hours (10pm or so) going back, whether we walk or take the ';T';...am I being silly? Veronica from this forum said to stop at ';B Side Lounge'; on the way back, and I thought this was a excellent idea! I guess I would just like to know if we walk back, it%26#39;s ok?

I did book ';Clio';, but honestly, the menu didn%26#39;t ';send'; me, though, I do/did want to try a Ken Oringer%26#39;s restaurant, so I cancelled that too! I have now decided to go to ';Toro'; for our last night in the South End, but don%26#39;t like they don%26#39;t take reservations and apparently have long waits especially on weekends, but it is only a 1/2 mile walk from our hotel! But, I really would like to do a reservation place if possible!

For Boston, I have:

Great Bay - happy hour

Fig%26#39;s

Taranta

Legal Sea Foods

Eastern Standard Kitchen for Sunday Brunch the day we leave...

and Toro now...

I have 8 real ';foodie'; days in NYC before Boston, (one great lunch %26amp; one great dinner each day), but would just like to close out my Boston planning - and find a place that will make us happy - great food %26amp; close to the hotel, but not Italian or Asian or French! Is this a hard request???

Thanks for any advice you can offer! I certainly appreciate it all!

C.

My last question for Boston...(foodie ?)

Hi,

I won%26#39;t call it great but if your looking for real good food at a reasonable price, consider heading over to the Laurel Grill and Bar on Berkeley Street near Columbus Ave. It%26#39;s American Cuisine and only a few blocks walk from your hotel. :)

My last question for Boston...(foodie ?)

It%26#39;s probably safe to walk from Charlestown back, but honestly, I wouldn%26#39;t do it, if only because it%26#39;s a bit far, and you%26#39;re walking in an area across the bridge to Boston where it%26#39;s more automobile-oriented and pedestrian-scarce, which I don%26#39;t think is a great combination.

If you want to go, take a taxi, it can%26#39;t possibly cost a heck of a lot more than $10 from there to the Park Plaza.

signothetimes53: I have no problem paying a cab fare back at that price, and I thank you for telling me that...as, I was wondering that for sure - what if we took a cab?!

So, is Oleana the place to go for final the dinner then?

Help! :-)

Will! Laurel looks great too! I%26#39;d prefer good food over ';fancy/trendy'; food any day!!!

Me%26#39;s so confused! :-)

Oleana is a nice restaraunt and I wouldn%26#39;t call the area sketchy, but it would really be crazy to walk there from the Park Plaza. (By the way, Oleana is in Cambridge, not Charlestown.)

You%26#39;re leaving out the North End. How about one of the ';upscale'; non-red sauce places there like Mamma Maria or Prezza?

Oleana is not in a sketchy neighborhood at all--I%26#39;d be curious why anyone would say that and what they were used to (cookie cutter developments, maybe?). It is a bit of a walk from the T, though, but there are always cabs around.

Toro is fantastic, but if you want to go on a weekend, go early. Like, 6 o%26#39;clock early.

Hi,

Oleana is a wonderful restaurant and it%26#39;s not at all in a sketchy area. I can%26#39;t imagine where the rater got that idea from, it%26#39;s ridiculous.

You can grab a taxi there from your hotel and it won%26#39;t cost more than $10-15. Or, you could grab a taxi from the Lechmere T station and that would only cost $5.00

If you don%26#39;t like fancy, ';foo-foo'; places, you won%26#39;t like Clio. It%26#39;s the type of place that serves things like ';essence of truffle foam'; and so on. It%26#39;s supposed to be great, if that%26#39;s they type of restaurant you like.

Here are some suggestions:

Salts--a wonderful little restaurant in Cambridge that has some of the best food in Boston, and is usually overlooked for some reason. It%26#39;s very close to the Central Sq. Red Line station as well:

http://www.saltsrestaurant.com/

Vlora--this is a Mediterranean restaurant in the Back Bay that does have some Italian, some Greek, and some Albanian dishes on the menu. The chef%26#39;s philosophy is to take the freshest ingredients and prepare them simply, to let the flavors shine. It%26#39;s really great and I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;d enjoy it. They do take reservations, and it%26#39;s a 5 minute walk from your hotel.

Another suggestion...have you ever had Ethiopian food? The Addis Red Sea in the South End is one of my favorite restaurants to try in Boston. It%26#39;s walking distance from the Park Plaza, probably about a 15 minute walk, or a very short taxi ride. It%26#39;s not a fancy place and the prices are very inexpensive, but it%26#39;s got a fun atmosphere and the food is delicious, and different.

http://www.addisredsea.com

Finally, the Helmand restaurant in East Cambridge is a wonderful Afgani restaurant that%26#39;s very popular (meaning you must make a reservation first). The food is delicious and it%26#39;s got a warm, inviting atmosphere. It%26#39;s a block from the Lechmere Green Line T, so it%26#39;s very easy to get to from your hotel.

http://www.helmandrestaurantcambridge.com/

Hope that helps...enjoy!

http://www.vloraboston.com

Laurel is great and right next door to it is Club Cafe, also an option to look at for good food, although it%26#39;s a bit more pricey than Laurel. Close to your hotel is also The Rustic Kitchen. Nice atmosphere and good food.

Missed Taranta. That is in the N. End. Still, Prezza and Mamma Maria are good choices.

Sel de la Terre over by the Aquarium is nice and not outrageously expensive.

Thanks again, all those choices suggested look great...ugh...I wish I didn%26#39;t do this to myself. It literally took me 8 months to decide my New York restaurants!!! When I go anywhere new, I always want to make sure I don%26#39;t miss a restaurant I could/should have went to!

Boston took me so long for the 5 days we have, it surprised me! I%26#39;ve changed a lot of my choices over and over and realize I have to stop it! Soooo, today I decided we%26#39;ll just go to Durgin Park on our last night. I know the food isn%26#39;t rated that great, but I like the ';idea'; of the place, and maybe will just have the prime rib they%26#39;re known for...

So thanks again, I have to now start planning my NY itinerary (based around my restaurant locations!) ;-)

Will report when we get back on how our trip to Boston turned out! See ya.