DD2 and SIL are in Boston for a long weekend. They stopped for a libation at Haley. Henry Wine Bar, along with an appetizer. The interesting thing about this place is it has an entire menu section with offerings of tinned fish, served in their tins even! They went on to Sportello by the Boston Children’s Museum, where they enjoyed salads, a bread basket and pork ravioli with rapini and black garlic. I think they were well pleased by both places. Anyone in the area tried them?
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Seems to be a trend:
Here in LA:
https://m.yelp.com/biz/kippered-los-angeles
In Austin, Texas:
DIY option:
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Nice! Hailey.Henry is well-reviewed though I haven’t been. Glad to hear that Sportello is going strong! Summer is such a lovely time to visit Boston.
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Both are pretty much stalwarts of the Boston dining scene. I have eaten at Sportello but not haley.henry. Sportello is part of the Barbara Lynch Gruppo which includes a number of well-regarded restaurants. The Barbara Lynch Gruppo “tree” has widespread branches and roots in the greater Boston restaurant community; indeed haley.henry was begun by Gruppo alums. Glad to read they enjoyed both meals!
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Thanks for the links! I didn’t know, but suspected tinned fish might be a “thing” after checking out the website. I’ve got to get out more - yikes!
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Thanks for the info Denise and Gretchen. The kids always seem to find good places to eat during their adventures. They said the weather was perfect for being tourists and walking around. I’m still hoping to get back to that area again sometime. Have a nice weekend!
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Saltie Girl in Back Bay also serves tinned fish. I haven’t tried it or Haley.Henry.
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Interestingly, this is the FK newsletter from today:
https://mailchi.mp/formaggiocambridge/a-world-of-tinned-fish-585409?e=c7c8b6dbfc
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Huge fan of haley.henry, especially its wine program. Love being able to open any bottle for a commitment of two glasses, such a great way to get people to explore your list beyond just a few by-the-glass options.
I’m also thankful for its introducing me to luxury tinned fish. I reviewed it for The Improper in 2016: https://www.improper.com/food-drink/tin-star/ I had a deluxe dinner there just a few weekends ago. Love it, and its Fenway sibling Nathalie, which has a bigger kitchen space compared to haley.henry’s little shoebox, and thus room for a more expansive menu.
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Hesitance about returning to indoor dining has kept us from haley.henry, but we’ve gotten our tinned seafood itch scratched by Saltie Girl, which has an expansive terrace on Newbury Street as a result of their recent expansion. One revelation, besides the surprising quality of the tinned seafood, is how well a good butter goes with it. We’ve studied carefully and now assemble a pretty mean tinned seafood board at home, including piquillo pepper jam, pickled peppers, assorted salts, and good bread (Iggy’s Francese does nicely). We’ve sourced good tins from Formaggio, Trader Joe’s, Marty’s (Newton). Looking forward to an excursion to New Bedford to check out a couple of retail places recommended by Hungry Onions for their tinned seafood offerings.
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Interesting note. If you have a tin of great smoked oysters at home, just open them, spritz on a bit of fresh lemon, grab a pickle fork and have at it. Yum. Same with tinned muscles and octopus. Sometimes this is my simple lunch!
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