Would Boston HOs be interested in gathering this summer for a shared meal? I’m game for anyplace as long as there are veggie/pescatarian options. Importantly, it should be T-accessible for those that need it and we should be able to converse at a normal volume.
Any takers?
One of the food halls, for a wide range of options ? I’ve only been to Time Out, and noise level can be an issue. High Street Place sounds interesting (I’ve been curious about Bubble Bath) but I don’t know what the acoustics are like.
I guess Eataly is a food hall. The acoustics aren’t terrible.
I’m interested! I think somewhere that has a big round table might be preferable. I know there were some Fuloon meet ups way back when. Maybe something along that line? Dumpling House in Harvard Square?An afternoon time frame might avoid excessive noise?
I like High Street Place a lot and it’s – fortunately or unfortunately – always dead when I visit. (Fortunate in this context but I seriously worry about its long-term tenability…the place shouldn’t be empty on a Friday evening at 6:00p.m.) Bubble Bath is a nice place for a glass of wine and there’s also a surprisingly good cocktail bar right across the aisle. Food-wise some of the places are hit and miss of course but there’s a nice selection. Also plenty of tables. I think it could work well.
Count me in!
Depending on time and date, this could work!
Hi Digga. I’m in. I like the idea of a big communal table, if we can. Not a deal breaker. Also, would be good if there was reasonably accessible parking. There was a wonderful place down in West Roxbury, I think, called El Wadi. Very terrific Lebanese food. Just a thought.
To summarize, here’s the wish list of parameters:
and I think it goes without saying, good food 
This all sounds so wonderful. I’ve been helping my mom with her cataract surgery. I’ll re-surface soon!
I would try to join depending on how things are going at home, which changes quite frequently!
Good luck to your mom! I had cataract surgery at age 60 and it went spectacularly! Within about 5 hours I could already tell my vision was much improved. It was amazing to have 20/20 distance vision for the first time since I was 5 years old. I still need reading glasses!
Thank you @MaxEntropy for keeping the ball rolling.
Can folks meet for late lunch/early dinner so that anyone who wants to can have some adult beverages (maybe that’s just me)? My current work project has taken a bit of a downturn so I can probably jet early from my home office. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays work great for me. I can also do some weekends.
So far, the contenders are (I haven’t been to any of them):
High Street Place
Dumpling House just outside Harvard Square
El Wadi in West Rox
Love the idea of a big round table per @Parsnipity. I was fortunate to participate in a CH dinner at Fuloon with the likes of yumyum, Limster, @beetlebug, and Sam Lipoff but it was still hard to talk to everyone! Everyone was too busy eating. 
Would Kendall or Central Squares be possible or a PITA for people? I was hoping Darling, in the old Mary Chung space, would be open by now, but it isn’t. An outdoor space might be fun, like Daedalus (don’t go for the food, go for the space), Felipe’s, or Mex. Always easier to chat plein air.
Anyway, I don’t want to perseverate too much about our first gathering. If we like each other well enough (and I’m fairly certain we will), there will be more shared meals!
I won’t be able to get into any part of Cambridge on a weekday. Al Wadi is doable though (and has lots of gluten free options for me, woohoo!).
If we reach 8 or more people, I think a place with counter/self service rather than table service might be more felicitous. High Street Place is T-accessible, but I looked into the parking and even with the discount it would be $41 for 2 hours.
Boston Public Market is also T-accessible (including by commuter rail to North or South Stations, a 15-minute walk from either), and parking is $3 for 3 hours, with a purchase in the Market. They have tables both indoors and out that could be joined to make a large communal table. The outdoor tables are picnic tables with benches that accommodate 3 along each side. A pair would bring us up to 14 (using the 2 ends).
Hub Hall, Time Out Market, Brighton Speedway, Bow Market all seem to come up short on accessibility.
Thoughts?
We should have sent that recent out-of-town visitor to gather intel for us (170 posts? Holy cow!). 
Maybe it’s the Rhode Islander in me but driving/T’ing 30+ minutes for a meal is anathema to me, as tempting as the food might be (ie, Al Wadi, High Street Place). 
I feel like we’re at an impasse and maybe I’m not the best Onion to keep this moving. Or I just show up somewhere, tell Onions where I am and hope for the best?!
Actually, I think you probably are.
I’m going to echo your sentiment that >30 mins of transit means I won’t make it. I hate when people are all enthusiastic about something, then back out. Better to be realistic up front. So I will be put my cards on the table and state that I won’t travel more than 30 mins from my Davis/Porter square location, even if y’all would make ideal dining partners. (I just had to drive for a work thing from the South Shore today, and it took me 90 mins in stop-and-go traffic and probably cost me a year off my life, so I am feeling especially firm about that at the moment!) So, no, you won’t see me in Roxbury as lovely as that sounds.
Where does that leave us? Maybe with a few mini-meet ups at different places, and different onions picking their own convenient location?
If it would help, I’d be happy to offer shuttle service from/to South Station to Boston Public Market…up to 6 passengers.
Sorry for the delay - I’ve been busier than expected. This is an amazingly generous offer @MaxEntropy. I was just logging on to propose that we meet at High Street Place - its proximity to South Station I think makes it somewhat convenient. I promise to organize more get-togethers in the fall, but we need to get the ball rolling.
I’ve created a poll for lunch or Happy Hour (for which I’m envisioning a snacky situation at an early hour after work [5 pm-ish], rather than a full-on sit-down meal). My calendar looks great next week except for Thursday. If next week doesn’t work, I’ll create another poll for the first full week in August.
Sorry- we’re in the Azores next week! Enjoy & I’ll catch y’all next time around! Also: so cool that you can do a poll in a post. I did not realize that existed!
You do know how to live.
ETA: As for the get-together I offer the greatest gift I can: my absence. (My scheduling is too complicated to explain.)
