July and August may be hot, but traffic, parking, and reservations all are easier. Saturday the 5th we decided to walk the Rose Kennedy Greenway. It’s a pleasure to see it thriving in all senses of the word - landsacping has matured and is varied and interesting, and people have embraced the fountains, swings, and beer gardens. We parked in the Haymarket garage above Boston Public Market (3 hours parking for $3 if you make a purchase in the Public Market). After walking the length of the Greenway and back we were hungry and willing to brave the line (even in July) at Neptune Oyster. After a 30 minute wait we ordered a dozen assorted oysters, scallop crudo, white anchovies, soft-shell crab, and lobster panzanella. Just the right amount for the three of us, but the service was a bit…disjointed. Everything but the oysters came out and when we asked what their status was, and our waitress said only that “the oysters come from a different place”. They finally arrived but our enjoyment was diminished (erased?) by the lingering flavors from the crab, panzanella etc. While the soft-shell crab, scallop crudo and panzanella were all excellent, we think the inversion of our order (oysters last) would never have happened at Row 34, Select, Saltie Girl,…
On Sunday we decided to visit SOWA Market, with a stop first at Bar Mezzana for brunch. Street parking was a bit challenging, probably because of SOWA Market, but with persistence I landed a spot a short walk from Bar Mezzana. My spouse and daughter had Bloody Mary’s, I had a refreshing basil/lime mocktail from their extensive list. Yellowtail crudo with grapefruit and chili, and burrata with grilled stone fruits and prosciutto made an excellent start. Duck confit hash, mortadella egg sandwich, and eggs in purgatory with crumbled sausage were wonderful mains. Not busy at all at 11:30 when we arrived (perhaps one or two other tables; we were alone outside on the terrace) but it began to get busier by the time we departed.
SOWA Market was lively as ever, with many more food options than our last visit (last summer). The outdoor section is sweltering in the sun - a shade structure like the one covering the Ithaca farmer’s market would be a big help. The vintage market (indoors, downstairs) is always fun to peruse, and offers a welcome repite from the heat.
Looking forward to several more low-stress weeks of summer. I think Moecca is up next.
Oysters coming last at Neptune? Granted, it’s been unfortunately years since I’ve been, but it’s hard to believe that would have happened in the past! Former Neptune chef Michael Serpa, now chef and owner at Select Oyster, would have been aghast.
A few logistical questions as I try to plan a visit: what time did you arrive on Saturday? You still have to wait in line, they stopped talking phone numbers year ago, correct? And can one of your party hold the place in line while other(s) go elsewhere for a bit? I ask because with my three joint replacements, it’s going to be hard for me to stand up for 30 minutes or more.
That Boston Public Market parking is a bargain; we did it the last time we went to Neptune. Thanks for reminder about SOWA Market, which I hope to do once high summer blends into early autumn.
We arrived a bit before 4pm. The line was twice as long when we left a bit after 5. They’re not taking numbers. I stood line duty while my spouse and daughter wandered around the North End. There are some stoops that give an occasional respite from standing.
Thanks, that’s really helpful. My most successful, least waiting time visits to Neptune in years past were arriving between 2:30 and 4:30. And during or just after snowstorms. Once we tried to park on the street and amazingly nabbed a spot right in front of Neptune…in January, on MLK day when the resident only permits were not in effect.
Keeping up our “summer in the city” program, we visited Moëca on a Wednesday. Moëca has received a lot of praise from HOs, so happy to finally make it. Summer parking karma was in full effect, with street parking directly in front of the restaurant available at 6pm. The last time i visited the space was during the Chez Henri epoch. The dining room seems much more open now that the wall that used to separate the bar from the dinning room has been removed. The room was less than half full when we arrived, but by 7:30 when we departed it was close to capacity.
We started with special striped bass crudo, crispy oysters, tuna n’duja and asparagus. The oysters (from Unicorn in Maine) were particularly meaty, and they stood up well to the light fry. The n’duja came with grilled squid ink sourdough bread - at first glance it looked like a dense German black bread, but had a lighter, toothsome crunch, an excellent vehicle for the tuna. Not sure what the “devil butter” served with the asparagus was about, but is was very tasty. For mains we shared udon noodles, perfectly al dente, with lightly fried shoft shell green crab (yes, the invasive crab species), and a bone-in swordfish grilled with a barbecue sauce and served with lettuce cups and slaw. The bone helped keep the swordfish from drying out. This dish was substantial, enough for three to share. We shared a lychee sorbet with beach rose jam, labneh and meringue, and vanilla frozen yogurt with amaro cherries. The lychee sorbet was the real winner.
So glad to have finally made it to Moëca to experience first hand what other Onions have known for a while. Moëca certainly deserves its place on the lengthening list of extraordinary seafood restaurants in the Boston area.
Next up was a return visit to Bar Mezanna, for the Bergammo/Lombardy wine dinner. Based on a previous fabulous experiance at a wine dinner at Bar Mezzana (Women wine makers), we were looking forward to this. This one was a bit of a let down. Overall dishes were rather heavy, and the wines, with the exception of a refreshing Franciacorta with the first course were rather …ephemeral, a term our waiter used to describe one. Not sure if this reflects a change in the kitchen, but we did learn that the chef de cuisine responsible for the women wine maker dinner (Eliza Purvis-Lemasters) is no longer at Bar Mezanna.
Keeping with the “summer in the city” theme, street parking was abundant.
Next up is Kaia.
Next up was Kaia. We went on a rainy Thursday evening. Traffic and parking were both challenging, counter to our experiences so far. Rain could explain the traffic, but parking?
Our first time to Kaia. The room feels more like a lounge. Most tables have a banquette that looks sleek but my spouse found uncomfortable (and she usually prefers banquettes to chairs). We started with zucchini “chips”, lightly battered and fried rings that were addictive. We each had the “gift from the sea” trio, consisting of a crab claw, scallop crudo, and an oyster. The accoutrement were inventive and delicious. Moving on we had an assortment of shared plates, a cucumber salad with watermelon gelee, a “spinach pie” that was a version of spanakopita in your dreams, light, flacky layers of pastry alternating with feta and spinach. A spanakopita mille feuille? Also octopus with artichoke heart and crispy lentils, a lamb neck “gyro” with zuchinin “pita”, and a whole (filleted) sea bream, dressed with olive oil and lemon and dappled with some sort of fermented seaweed or estuary plant. The flavors in all the dishes were bright and savory, with the octopus being the lone exception. It wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t up to the “I’ll have that again” level of the other dishes.
Deserts were somewhat less inspiring though they were inventive. A goat milk gelato with rhubarb compote, coconut cake with Greek yoghurt and plums, and a “baklava” of three layers, best shared and eaten as separate layers.
The wine list is exclusively Greek (and dominions). Our waitress expertly steered me to two different dry whites made from grapes I’ve never encountered. It seems one could dedicate a serious amount of time and effort to exploring the wines of Greece.
All in all this was one of the more fun outings of the summer, but it was also the most expensive, by a sizeable margin. The place was packed, and my spouse commented it doesn’t seem the Boston economy is suffering…yet.
Sounds delicious! I’ve been on a Greek / Mediterranean kick this summer. I’ll have to add Kaia to the long list. Not in the same league, but I am a fan of fast-casual Greco, and their zucchini chips are soo good too.
I do remember the same owners had a fancier Greek restaurant, but can’t remember which one. But it would explain the delicious zucchini chips. They also have a zucchini fritter option for their protein on their lunch plates and bowls and those are delicious too.
Yes! The zucchini fritter option is fantastic - and so much more flavorful than the usual falafel option on similar menus.
@MaxEntropy I’m loving this Summer in the City series! Please keep it running (although bummed to hear that Bar Mezzana, one of our favorites, wasn’t at its best).
It’s been fun, using the summer lull to visit some places we’ve never been, and revisit some old favorites.
My spouse is ready to give up on Bar Mezzana but I think that’s an over-reaction. They still have a stellar lineup of crudo, which is why we fell in love with them in the first place.
Next up is Woods Hill Pier 4. Friends from Carlisle/Concord have raved about the original, so we are looking forward to seeing what generates the favorable reviews.
It looks like Sarma is going to escape our grasp. Even in summer tables are fully booked a month out as soon as they are posted. We are heading overseas in about 2 weeks so this is the final stretch.
I blame these chips for several pounds of weight gain I experienced while working nearby for a couple of years. The chicken is really spot-on as well, as is the mixed beans side…but in either case, it’s all just an excuse to order a full-size side of the chips. (They’re vegetables, right? So it’s more or less the same as having a salad?) Saloniki, down the street a few blocks at the end of Newbury, was beloved of my co-workers and I could never understand why. That place doesn’t have any chips.
So, Woods Hill Pier 4. The dining room is sleek in a generic way, neither ostentatious nor very interesting. But what a great setting - we sat outside overlooking the harbor. We visited for Sunday brunch, starting with a generous pastry basket (my spouse thought two chocolate scones was too much chocolate, but the rest of us didn’t mind). Accompaniments included a lovely lemon curd, as well as butter and jam. The Bloody Mary had a bit of anchovy, kicking up the savory notes. A frosé was brightened with elderflower, as nice touch. Speaking of beverages, the wines by the glass included a grower champagne from the Aubry brothers, and a sauvignon blanc from Coteaux du Giennois. I’ve never seen these favorites served by the glass before, and you don’t often see them by the bottle for that matter.
I had the lobster popover, WHP4 take on a lobster roll. Served with a side of creme fraiche, it was delicious, a generous portion of lobster, and fun. My spouse had the Cubano. Excellent ingredients, but she struggled with it a bit because it wasn’t pressed and hard to get her mouth around. Our daugther enjoyed the smoked lamb shoulder hash.
We were too stuffed for desert, but we were perfectly situated for a long walk along along the harbor front and Greenway to recover. Parking in the adjacent building on Pier 4 is $25 on weekends, a pretty decent deal.
WHP4 is a great place to take visitors - with better vistas than the harborside seating at Legal.
We may have walked right past each other. Our plans on Sunday to take the commuter rail up to Singing Beach got thwarted so we did a Freedom Trail tour, had a lunch that was diametrically opposed to yours (slices at Ernesto’s, which to me wasn’t as good as the last time, which was years ago…more poufy. B still liked it as did Spring Onion), and then walked around the harbor/Greenway.
@MaxEntropy I am loving your write ups! We went to that location a couple of years ago for dinner and it was underwhelming, but your brunch sounds far better, in terms of options, than our dinner - will try!
