We went to the Sox game on Saturday and tried Eventide Fenway for the first time, which we knew would be quite a different experience from the Portland original. We were surprised to find it pretty empty on that sunny day, around 12:30 pm. Ordering is efficient, in a Clover/fast casual-type of way. We both passed on seafood. My smoked tofu sandwich was just ok. I had the toughest time trying to decide if it was too salty or if was just due to spice. Plus, it was a messy sandwich. B’s Japanese katsu chicken sandwich was enjoyed but it too was messy and a bit too wet with sauce. The Maine Beer Co. Lunch was very pricey at $9 for a 12-oz pour. So, suffice to say, we were both disappointed. We’ll try seafood next time - maybe that was our mistake in ordering the wrong things. Also, I’m just not a big fan of the fast casual format but pre-Fenway, it was fine. (Incidentally, we had great seats right behind home plate and savored every precious drop of our $11.25 16-oz cans of Lord Hobo 617 Titletown IPA.)
We finally tried Trattoria Nina in a tiny former pizzeria. Some of you may have the 2018 Globe review. We went on a Friday evening which, along with Saturday, is my least favorite night to eat out. We managed to reserve a table for 5 at 6:45 pm. The place was hopping but we got wedged into our table and for such a small crowded space, the conversation level from all the patrons was respectfully low. The food was not remarkable - probably the most complete-looking dish was my dad’s pork tenderloin, which was on the dry side according to B. Penne puttanesca was boring and I preferred B’s pesto cavatelli. Mom seemed to like her chicken piccata, but the plating left a little something to be desired. We shared mussels in classic garlic white wine sauce which were fine but the mussels were on the runty side. Even still, we’d probably try this place again. There was something about the cozy atmosphere that would bring us back. I was surprised to see only 3 guys working with 2 of them running between the relatively big open kitchen and dining room, stacking up cleared dishes and just guessing at the hours of clean-up. Vinyl turntable playing right on the tiny eating counter. Miraculously, these guys were able to get food out in a timely manner - I would love to be wowed by some dish next time.
ETA: I heard one patron on her way out say to the guy cooking (presumably Nico from re-reading the Globe story) “tell your father (presumably Angelo) I said hi.” So they may have been a man down that night. We’ll return for an early weekday dinner in the near future.
For Mother’s Day, B suggested lobster rolls since we passed them up on Saturday. He called up Fresh Pond Seafood and got 2 boxes of whole-belly fried clams, 2 lobster rolls, chicken fingers for spring onion. Everything was delicious and really well-prepared. The oil was definitely fresh - the clams were not at all greasy. But the lobster rolls were the winner yesterday - big chunks of lightly-dressed lobster over-flowing from perfectly griddled/buttered rolls. We remember being disappointed at our last visit sometime last summer, but we are fans once again. B doesn’t remember how much they are right now, but the total bill came to ~$100 before tip. Spring onion, who never eats chicken, enjoyed his chicken fingers - again, looked like a very good fry job. Importantly, mom and dad shared meals with us. So 'twas a good mother’s day weekend.
