March 21, 2025 • 42 mins
Get ready to talk about hidden restaurant gems and tasty food in and around the Boston area! Do you frequent a hidden restaurant that you’d like to recommend? Are you looking for a great Italian or Mexican place to eat? NBC 10 food writer Mark Hurwitz joined us to talk about hidden restaurants in Boston.
Listen to WBZ NewsRadio on the NEW iHeart Radio app and be sure to set WBZ NewsRadio as your #1 preset!
Listen to WBZ NewsRadio on the NEW iHeart Radio app and be sure to set WBZ NewsRadio as your #1 preset!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray. I'mdell you easy Boston
News Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All Right, the weekend approaches. It's not Saint Patrick's Day weekend,
so it's not a long weekend, and we can kind
of sit back and kick back and enjoy the weekend.
And one of the things that many people do on
the weekend is they try to find, oh, maybe a
new restaurant, a restaurant that they haven't been to before.
(00:28):
And so we thought, and we haven't done this before,
that we would try to help you out. Maybe you're
looking for a restaurant in your neighborhood that might not
be the most expensive, but might really be good. And
if there's one person who knows a lot of the
hidden gems of restaurants in the greater Boston area, it's
(00:48):
Mark Hurwitz who joins us. Mark has been a writer
in this field for many years. He primarily works for
NBC ten. He's a food writer there. And Mark, thanks
very much for joining us on a Friday night and
maybe providing some guidance to some of our listeners. They
(01:12):
can pick your brain. I'm going to pick your brain too,
about some of the great restaurants that maybe most of
us some of us haven't heard about. How are you tonight?
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Good?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
How you doing Dan? Thanks for having me on.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Absolutely absolutely. I will tell you that there was a
period of time, a long, long time ago when I
lived in Boston, in the city, when I knew the
great restaurants and all of that. But times have changed
and the city's a little more difficult to get into
for those of us who don't live in the city proper,
and parking is becoming more difficult, Navigating the streets of
(01:48):
Boston is becoming more difficult. How's the restaurant seen generally?
I mean, you have as good a sense of this
as anybody I could imagine. Is the restaurants seen? When
I say Boston's, we're also talking Great Boston too, because
there's great restaurants in some of these the suburban towns
as well. Overall, what sort of a rating would you
(02:11):
give the restaurant scene in greater Boston at this point
in time?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Well, it's a little choppy. So ever since the pandemic,
you know, it's what five years now, it was booming. Yeah,
it was booming until early twenty twenty, and then, of
course it's all off a cliff.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So everyone was.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Doing takeout and delivery, or a lot of plays just
shut down tempor earlier permanently, and then they slowly clawed
their way back, and you know what, by last year
things were going pretty well. There are pockets of areas
that are still hurting because like office space, people might
not have come back into the office is like you know,
downtown Boston, it's been a little slow, Kendall Square a
(02:52):
little slow. But lately it feels a little I don't know,
it's it depends on where you go again, but I've
been in a lot of empty restaurants lately. So I'm
a little nervous because there's so many restaurants, new restaurants
that have opened lately, and I am finding even on
weekends it's it's you can walk into most restaurants now
(03:13):
there's no lines at all. It's a little worrisome.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Now. I can remember, you know, a time when it
was tough to get restaurant reservations. Oh there's always some
restaurants that you just impossible to get, you know, small,
you know, hot restaurants. But why is it? I mean,
you know, twenty twenty was five years ago. I remember
(03:39):
when we were doing our grocery shopping at six am
in the morning and bringing home can goods and wiping
them off before you would bring them in the house.
I mean, well, I look back on that, I'm thinking
to myself, how weird was that. I mean, kids are
going to our great kids are going to laugh at
us and say you were wiping off can goods before
you brought them in the house. But that's what we
(04:01):
was told to do. Yeah, you know, the Seaport was
open back in twenty twenty. How much of a hit
did the Seaport take as the newest, you know, restaurant
district in Boston did they Did they get hit harder
than others or have they bounced back more quickly than others.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
I think the Seaport did a little better than people
might think. So, you know, people think that, oh, you
know seaports, it's a lot of new apartments and condos,
so people recently moved in. It's mostly people who live
there who go to restaurants. And you know, there are
some tourists who come in there too, and they didn't
come during the pandemic. And you know, I think, along
(04:44):
with every other part of the area, they were hit
during the pandemic. But you know, I go to the
Seaport a lot, and I think they're doing pretty well.
I think some of the restaurants there are the ones
that you cannot get into because they're so busy. I think,
I really think, I really think the Seaport has done
a good job. And I know some people will agree
(05:05):
with me on that, but I go down there and
it's kind of booming, really, especially compared to say downtown
Boston Financial District, maybe Kendall Square, you know, some places
like that that are almost all office space.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
I assume that the Financial District is hurt during the
day because those those office desks haven't been filled up again.
But I also assume that because there aren't that many
people hanging out during the day in the Financial District,
that some of those bars and restaurants which all of
(05:42):
us knew, you know, five ten years ago, they probably
have shut itered.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Correct, Yeah, a lot of them have closed.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
You know.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
I write a lot of news stories on opening and closings,
and a lot of those little independent restaurants and some
of the chains they have shut down, mostly right in
the heart of Financial District. So we're not talking Chinatown.
We're not talking Daniel Hall, but you know they area
Broad Street, High Street, Milk Street. A lot of those
there are a lot of those places are hurting. Not
(06:12):
so much the Friday night bars. You know, those places
have done okay, But if you're talking about the breakfast
and lunch spots, a lot of turnover and people have
some people have come back to the offices there, but
not everybody. You know, there's still a lot of people
work at home, and I think that's that could be permanent.
(06:32):
I mean, the way things are these days for us,
people working at home, and the same in the suburbs.
People do work at home now more than before the pandemic.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
When we get back, I want to take a break.
I want to invite people to call and if you
have a great restaurant that you really like and you
want to share it with well, with me and Mark.
I'd appreciate it, and Mark will give you compare notes
with you on it. I'd like to find out if
Boston is doing better in terms of restaurants in the
(07:05):
in the squares around you know ros Roslyndale Square, Claire
Square in Hyde Park, you know, Mattapan, Blue Hill Avenue.
If if there's a resurgence of people finding good restaurants
in those areas as opposed to driving into downtown Boston
or going to the North End, which of course is
always a great place to go if you can find
(07:27):
a parking space. My guest Mark Rwitz. Mark is with
NBC Boston. He is a food writer. He's also written written.
His work has appeared in a litany of other places.
We'll ask Mark about that as well. But we come back, well,
we'll talk about some of the different aspects of Boston
(07:47):
because we're just not going to talk about Boston downtown.
We can talk about that, but we're going to talk
about some of the community restaurants and then also some
of the restaurants in now the city's Cambridge, Wealthy and Watertown, Somerville,
h Revere, all sorts of the communities that surround our
city are the capital city. So feel free if you
(08:10):
got a question and you're looking for if you were
looking for a great type restaurant this weekend to impress someone,
I'm sure that Mark could give you a couple of
ideas as well. Six one, seven, two, five four thirty
or six one seven, nine, three, one ten thirty. Mark
has told us that He would be happy to stay
with us for an hour, but I think you'd be
smart if you get on early. We're coming back on
(08:31):
Nightside with my guest, Mark Hurwitz, a restaurant critic. There's
nobody that I know in Boston that knows the restaurants
seen better than Mark, and that's why we have them
here tonight. Back on night Side right after this.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
nights Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
You know, Mark, We're going to do is We're not
going to make people wait in the phone. So we'll
get the phone calls. And I've got a number of
areas I want to cover, but I want to accommodate
callers and encourage people but to call and ask questions.
Let me go to Larry down on the Cape. Larry
you wan my guess, Mark Hurwitz. He is a food writer,
works primarily at NBC ten, but he's written for a
(09:12):
lot of other places that you're familiar with. Go right ahead, Larry,
you got a question or comment?
Speaker 4 (09:17):
I have a comment.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
So a lot of people from the Boston area come
down to the Cape for vacation. Sure, and I'm going
to give them the best kept secret in Dennis.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Oh, here we go. Listen up, people take coats.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Go ahead, okay, And I know you spend time down
the Cape, so a little bit. Okay. There is a
place on the north side of Dennis. Have you heard
of the marsh Side Restaurant?
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Never have marsh Side Restaurant?
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Well, well that's not the one I'm gonna talk about anyway.
This place is right next to it. The name of
the place is Ummammy Pizza. You m a m i
ummmmi pizza and fusion. And they have a pizza there.
It's called New Haven Style clam Pie. It's clams, bacon, cheese,
(10:09):
olive oil, and it's to die for.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Not a big clam guy. Can I get it? Just
with the with the bacon.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
It's cape cod Dan, Come.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
On, I get it. I get it.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
I get it.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
That's my tip for the night. And by the way,
I missed your last episode because I was picking up
my daughter at the airport, who lives at the most
friendly country in the world.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Oh, I know exactly where she lives, Kaboul in Afghanistan.
And you have her or give me a call or
whatever and I'll talk with her next weekend.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
I'll try you in the next couple of days when
she settles in.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Sounds great, sounds great. Thank you, Thanks Claire, thank you.
Have you let me ask Mark? Mark, have you do
you have any knowledge of the Cape restaurants scene as well,
because that is a very vibrant scene, trust me, particularly
between a Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
Well, I've actually been to marsh Side. I believe it's
not the restaurant. I think that's the one. There's a
special table, round table that overlooks the Marsh is just
a beautiful space. I have been there. It's a great spot.
I didn't realize there was a Haven style pizza place
in that area long or off Strafford sixth Day. I
love new Haven style pizza.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Yeah, said you money, So was the marsh Side restaurant?
Is that one that you would recommend? You know, we
spend some time down the Cape and it's funny in
the summertime, it's impossible. I worked Monday through Friday and
to get into a restaurant on a Saturday night that
you want to go to, I mean it's you know,
(11:43):
unless you personally know the owner, it's it's impossible.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
I mean, yeah, it's tougher to get tables on the
Cape than it is in the Boston area during the summer.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Oh absolutely, I mean that's why everybody, everybody has left
the Cape. So let's talk about restaurants. You know, Mayor
Menino was big about trying to build up Rosindale Square
and Clary Square and the different squares around Center Street
in West Roxbury. And there's lots of good restaurants that
(12:15):
you are in technically Boston, but they're not downtown Boston.
I think Mayor Menino called it Main Streets. That was
a very good program. How are those restaurants doing, because
there's some really good restaurants in the again, not the suburbs,
but in the neighborhoods of Boston.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Well, I think, you know, it's interesting, the further you
get out into the into the Boston neighborhoods and the
more suburban they feel, the tougher it is to get
into the restaurants. So it's it's actually a little like
the suburbs, especially satellite suburbs like Burlington, Braintree, Peevity, where
it's tough to get a table. You go to places
(12:58):
like Rossendale's Square to make a plane. Maybe parts of Dorchester,
like Lower Mills or Adams Village, Adams Village. It's tough
to get a table in Adam's Village. I've been there
so many times trying to get a parking space and
be a table. So those outer neighborhoods, Yeah, the restaurants
(13:20):
are doing really well, and I think it's because you
have a lot of residential areas and also in like
CA say, Adams Village, expressways so people can easily get there.
So they're doing really well.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
But also the amount of money that you're going to
drop at a restaurant in you know, Adams Square, Adams Circle,
whatever on Adams Street is going to be a heck
of a lot less than when you when you go downtown,
and it's going to be a lot less aggravation. So
again I just have become much more of an anti
(13:56):
downtown guy. It's just not worth the aggravation anymore. War
And you know, I don't work downtown. I never worked downtown.
I practiced law downtown in the seventies and early eighties
during the day, and but I worked in television at night.
So my base of operation was Soldiers Field Road. But
(14:18):
it what give us give us two or three restaurants
that maybe most people haven't heard of, but they they
are their secret gems that that people will not be
disappointed in.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Are you talking within Boston city limits or or anywhere?
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Let's try Let's let's try Boston city limits however you
want to define it, and then we can move out
into the suburbs a little bit.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Okay, Well, one that's been around forever, and I'm surprised
a lot of people still don't know about it as
a pleasant cafe in Rossendale. I don't know if you've
been there, but seriously, one of the best pieces I've had,
not in Boston but in New England. I mean, there
are times where I think they have the best peeps
in Boston.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
It is that good.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
And the thing is it's old school. There's one side
is a bar, it's all the wood paneling and TVs
and Keno, and the other side is a restaurant with
all these wooden boots and they have the steam radiators
and the servers who have been there forever, and they
call you honey and sweetie. You know, it feels a
(15:26):
little like the old Doyle's in Jamaica Plaine, and it
is just fantastic. It's it's such a great place.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I can't right, is that right in the square?
Speaker 4 (15:38):
No, it's up the hill. It's near the West Roxbury
border on Washington Street, so as you head out of
Rosendale Square heading up the hill toward right there, heading
towards den Him. Yeah, exactly. So that's a really great
place that And again I'm surprised people don't don't really
(15:58):
know about it that much. You know, it's it's a
special spot. It's a place I go to more than
most other places. You know, I don't go to restaurants
and repeat much because I'm always reviewing, but that's the
one I go to when I take the reviewer's head off.
So that's one. Another one I like, is uh the
Galway House in Jamaica. Plane, it's it's old school, another
(16:21):
old school place. You go there for their fish chips
and you know, maybe their steak tips or the chicken palm.
From the outside, the Galway House looks a little dicey,
but it's not. You know, it looks like a dive bar,
but it's really not a dive bar because you know,
the harder Jamaica Plane, it's it's gender five. There's there's
nothing really scarying down in the downtown area anymore, so
(16:45):
that's definitely hit in Gem. I absolutely love that place.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
I just had someone who and I just happened to
pick up my phone. I never look at my phone, so, uh,
Meg call, uh send me a text here just a
few minutes ago, said Hi Dan, and again she said,
we love a grill in tavern in Arlington. Fresh great
fresh food, great cocktails, wonderful staff. And I probably won't
(17:12):
pronounce this correctly, and I wish that Meg had called
in so she could pronounce it. Uh, monotymy grill? Have
you ever heard of that in in Arlington? Monotymy grill?
Enemy y Have I mispronounced it?
Speaker 4 (17:29):
No, that's the old name for Arlington. Arlington used to
be called Mononymou, and that's where they got the name.
And it's you know, it's a very nice place for
you know, American food, maybe new American food. I wouldn't
call it up scale, but maybe leaning toward casual upscale.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
They do music, they have events there, and they have
good beers. And that's an interesting thing because Arlington used
to be a dry town. Though you would not go
to Arlington if you wanted to have a beer or
hind with your meal, and now you can go to
on Re Tavern or a few other places in town
and get a nice meal and maybe glass of wine.
So yeah, that's a good call there.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Okay, well that that's a good That is a good
suggestion a lot of Again, I want others to join
the conversation and uh and and ask questions, uh if
if you want to find you know, if you're looking
for a specific type restaurant this weekend an Italian restaurant.
We're doing an event with nightside listeners and I want
(18:33):
to I don't want to use this as a plug,
but it's a restaurant that Bill and Bowl Winnaker really
think is great in Westwood. And again I don't know
how far you get out in that direction. It's called
Naroli any r O l I. They claim that it's
like one of the best restaurants that I've ever been.
It's on Route one A in Westwood. No problem with parking.
(18:57):
They have a parking space behind the restaurant him on
street parking without meters, which is my idea for the
way the world should be. And we're going to do
a brunch there on April twenty seventh with night Side Listeners.
Have you ever heard of this? It's an Italian restaurant
any r O L I I.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Think isn't that's fairly new, isn't it isn't. I think
it's in Islington maybe, which is within Westwood. I'm pretty
sure that's a fairly new place. So you said it's not.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
It's yeah, it's one A. It's on Washington Street, two
eighty two Washington Street. And yeah, I'm familiar that Islington
is sort of like a sub section of either Denham
or Westwood. I've seen the signs entering Islington leaving Islington.
It's not that big. But yeah, well again, I just
I'm looking for ideas and looking for suggestions. My guest
(19:47):
is Mark Hurwitz. He is a food writer for NBC ten.
Has to be a nice job to have to just
go around and enjoy food at different rest Are you
able to metabolize this food? Mark? I hope that you're
not putting on extra weight here and if you if
you are, we have awakened one to eighty, which will
(20:09):
help you out. By the way, how many nights a
week do you eat out? Seriously?
Speaker 4 (20:16):
And people always ask me that they just assume I'm
out every single night. You know, I may I probably have.
I go out to eat maybe i'd say three times
a week. And I'm also a hike leader for the
Appalachian Mountain Clubs, so I actually did. I did fifty
thousand vertical feet of hiking last year alone, So it
balances out. So, you know, somehow I'm under two hundred pounds,
(20:39):
and I do go out to eat a lot, so
it's you know, I have a hike tomorrow morning, for instance,
so it all balances out. But yeah, i'd say maybe
two or three times a week, and I cook a
lot at home, so it's not quite as much as
people think.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
That's okay. You've You've built up over the years quite
a retinue of restaurants. My guess, Mark Hurwitz, NBC ten
food writer here in Boston, been doing it for a while,
and he knows this city well well. I have. I
have a million other questions about restaurants, and I hope
you do as well. Six one, seven, two, five, four ten,
thirty six one seven, nine, three one tenth. There. We've
(21:15):
got a quick news break here and we'll be back.
Mark's gonna stick with us until eleven o'clock and then
we're gonna go to the twentieth hour and we're gonna
change topics and talk about the retail change that maybe
you grew up with and that you now miss. And
I can think of a couple and I suspect most
of you will be able to as well. Back on
(21:35):
Nightside with Mark Hurwitz, food writer. Back right after this.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
With me is food writer Mark Hurwitz. Uh. He is
a font of information. So there's just probably no restaurant
that you can mention him. You know, one that I
just wanted to throw out there, which I know is
a favorite of not only mine but also my colleague
Morgan White, is the Midway Cafe, the Midway restaurant over
(22:12):
in Dedham, just over the West Roxbury line out of
Washington Street. Have you been to the Midway or no?
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Oh, I've been there many times. In fact, I was
there the night that the NBA shut down during the
at the start of the pandemic. That's when I found
out that this thing was real at the pandemic. But yeah,
I've been there countless times for their meat low they
have a what is a porterhouse, sporkshop something like that
and everything. The burghers are great. The turkey chili, I
(22:42):
love that place.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Yeah, and that's the sort of place that you walk
into and you walk out and you city yourself. Wow,
that was great. And it didn't cost me at arm
and a leg. I mean it's moderately priced. It's the
guy that owns a Bob Jenks is a great guy
and he and his wife have it and uh, it's
it's comfortable. The boots are comfortable, the bar is comfortable,
(23:07):
and this the parking isn't bad. And if you uh,
if you know where it is, easy in, easy out,
it's on on good good roads. Those are the sorts
of places that that I tend to like housing. Let's
switch from Dedham and Westwood. Uh and if any of
these restaurants that I've mentioned you folks like, feel free
(23:29):
to join the conversation. We got some calls coming in
right now. We'll get to those as well. Tell me
about the North End. How's the North End doing. I
know they've had the fight over there over the outdoor
dining with the mayor. And I love the North End,
but it's tough to get to there is no parking.
I got to believe that that it's that things are
(23:53):
are not as as good as they were a few
years ago. In the North End.
Speaker 4 (23:59):
It's tough to, you know, on weekends, and I go
there a lot, and I'm one of those The North
End is lightning rod. I mean, I know people, including
some food critics, who won't go there, and and I
love it. I just love everything about the North End.
And on the weekends, I mean it is, it is packed,
(24:19):
especially on nice weekends in the spring summer. So I
think they're doing pretty well. I'm sure that there are
some places that aren't doing all that quite as well
on the whole thing with the patios, the big controversy there. Yeah,
you know, I think overall the North End is doing fine,
(24:39):
maybe not quite as good as before the pandemic. But
I do find that when I go to restaurants there,
like Cafe Vortoria, which is in a real restaurant's cafe,
But whenever I go a Cafe Victoria on Hanover, it
is packed. So I think they're there.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
That's the place that that's the place, that is the
cigar bar downstairs.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
Correct, Yeah, yes, And you go there and you get
the viscotti, and you get a cappuccino, and you dip
the this scotti in the cappuccino and there's nothing like it.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Yeah. Well, I'll tell you this. I went into the
cigar bar. I don't smoke cigarettes or cigars, but I
went down there and just had a beer or whatever
it was. The next day I literally had to have
the suit directly sent to the drug leaders. It was unbelievable.
It was like forty dollars just to get it fumigated.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
I mean, oh, I can imagine.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Something like Yeah, never had before. Let's get some more calls.
Let me go to Judy in Medford. Judy, you were
next on Nightside with my guest, Mark Hurwitz, NBC food writer.
Go right ahead, Judy.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
One of my favorite restaurants, actually my most of the
Italian in Arlington, Scuotra.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
I will be surprised if Mark does not know that one.
What do you say, Mark Scutra in Arlington?
Speaker 4 (25:55):
I know of Scootra. I know people have been there.
I have not been there myself. I have heard really
great things though family owned.
Speaker 5 (26:04):
The chef is great, the staff is terrific. You go
there to die and you don't push you out in
the bar. And the bartenders are terrific even they have
all different kinds of options for those of you who
don't want to invobe alcohol, but very good on mocktails
as well.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
And is that on Summer Street. I'm trying to picture that.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
It looks like Summer Street to you, but it's really
Summer Street is right.
Speaker 6 (26:26):
Off of it.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
It's in back and mass al.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
You're off the lakes, right, Yeah, No, I have not
been there there.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
You are want to yourself to take a trip out there, definitely.
And then my favorite world million in town is true?
Speaker 2 (26:42):
That name of the Let me ask both of you
this since your since you know Arlington, what was the
name of the Great Steakhouse which was on mass Avenue
very close to the kidneys.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
Yeah, yeah, Jimmy's Jimmy Jimmy Steerhouse. Yeah, it's sure.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
I have not been there. Again. What happens is you
get to the suburbs and you just you go to
the same places and it's you know, you get comfortable.
And that's that's a mistake that I that I make,
which I don't want to make. Think the future. These
are great. So it's called scutro, Judy.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Right, s c U r O s c U t
r A SCOO truck scootra.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
What does that mean in Italian?
Speaker 7 (27:30):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
You asked the wrong girl.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Well that's okay. I'm sure it means great food or
something like that.
Speaker 5 (27:37):
Especially all the time. It's really great.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
And you don't walk out of there, you know, having
spent five hundred dollars for two people.
Speaker 5 (27:44):
Right, No, you do not no, no, And and it
is really they go a lot with the seasons of
to where they've had with us. But the specials are
there's always a special on and then deserves are terrific
as well.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
They were.
Speaker 5 (27:57):
Really it's a terrific Uh, it's a truic place to Oh,
if you haven't tried it, have you guessed by all news?
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Go and try it sounds great, sounds great.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Thank you, Judy, You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Let's let's keep rolling here. Going to go to Karen
in Wisconsin. Karen, I have no idea if you're going
to give us a restaurant in Wisconsin. But I'm not
sure Mark is going to be able to call me
if go ahead, Karen.
Speaker 8 (28:20):
Now what I'm going to do is now that I
know it's still there and I love it is. I'm
going to give a second the Pleasant Cafe in Rosendale.
He had mentioned it, and I lived right down the
street from there. I love that place, the pizza and
(28:42):
the stakes and everything he said about it. I want
to give us a second notion to that bar. I'm
glad that it's, you know, like restaurant bar and it's great.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Right. Well, Karen used to live here in the Boston area,
and that's why that's why she knows your Boston restaurants.
That is for sure, no doubt about that. Yeah, all right,
that's a good one, Karen, appreciate it. Thank you for
all the way for Wisconsin. Hope everything's well.
Speaker 8 (29:12):
Okay, there's several good ones also, he mentioned in JP
and Death surrounding area. So there you go.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Okay, thanks, thanks for participating. It is always thanks for listening.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Thanks very much, thank you.
Speaker 4 (29:29):
One thing about the Pleasant Cafe. One thing I didn't
mention about the Pleasant Cafe. One of the reasons I
go there. Besides the pizza, they have a list of
drinks that basically are from the nineteen thirties and forties.
You know, you can get like a Brandy Alexander, Tom
Collins Slow Jin Fizz. You can get a California root beer.
(29:50):
I mean they I go there and sometimes I grab
my phone, which they shouldn't do in a restaurant, and
I'll quickly I'll type in, like what's this story? What's
the godfa? You know, and and and all the drinks
are fantastic, But you know, they're not pretentious drinks. They're
not the new fangled stuff. These are drinks that you've
got back well, none of us were back around the thirties,
(30:12):
but these are drinks.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
At least we weren't drinking in the thirties, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Here's one that that I love in Malden and went
there a lot. It's run by a friend of mine,
Paul Solano. Pearl Street Station in Malden, mass It's a
great restaurant. The food is fat. Have you been there?
Pro Street Station?
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (30:35):
Yeah, so I do. I do radio and a lot
of the radio people will go there. We've had big
groups at Pearl Street Station. They used to be at
another location long ago, but now they're in that huge space.
It's multiple rooms and uh oh, they have some of
the one of the best chicken palms I've ever had.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
Yeah, yeah, you're talking my language now, that's that's for sure.
Chicken bob the best. I am not the most adventures
in either for me as a as an Irish kid
from Reidville. Uh. I you know the idea of Italian restaurants,
that's that's that's pretty good for me to get out
there and enjoy it. I love Italian restaurants, I really do. Uh.
(31:16):
And there's so many good ones in our area. We
we ate the other night with some friends out at
a restaurant in Sherborne, Massachusetts. We lived there for many years.
It's been the Sherborne Inn. I don't know if you
ever been out there. It's now called I think the
Fireside Tavern. And it was really good. It was really good.
(31:40):
The whole atmosphere had changed. A number of the people
who were in there were trying to take it up
high and make it, you know, a big, a big
number restaurant, and they have changed, they've have taken it
down a little bit. We hadn't been there in years.
We were with some our some of our friends from
hollist and we met there and that was really good.
(32:02):
Now again, maybe we just hit it in a great night.
But I enjoyed it, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
Yeah, it's a beautiful space. It's just old school New England.
I love that place.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Yeah, and they have a great The bar there is
wonderful if you just want to sit at the bar
as opposed to the restaurant. So yeah, yeah, Hey, I'm
hanging in there. Everything I've mentioned, you're with me on it,
which is great. We're going to take a quick break.
I got three more calls to deal with quickly. By
the way, I noticed that you have a lot of
followers on your Facebook page. Well, how many people do
(32:34):
you have following your story your report?
Speaker 4 (32:40):
Well, on social media, maybe three hundred thousand. And I
run a group. I run a group, a restaurant group
on Facebook that has about forty five thousand. And that
group's great because there are chefs, restaurant owners, food critics.
A lot of my friends who are food writers are
on that. So if you ask questions you will get
some really good am.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Wow wow, that that is a big number. I hope
you you'll let them know you're going to be on
Night Side tonight and if if you haven't, they can
listen to the this hour will be posted at Nightside
on Demand and you can put it up on your
web page and allow people to listen to you tonight
here on Nighttide, it will be available.
Speaker 4 (33:25):
I definitely will do that. I already told everybody in
the group, and I told us others on social media,
and my mother who's sleeping, h she wants to listen.
Then I said, I told my mother. I said it's
going to be on a podcast, so she can do
it over the weekend.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Yeah. No, we have big numbers of people who listen
to the to the podcast, so it's just Rob Brooks
who post this. It would be probably posted by time
Rob goes home by three am this morning, so it'll
be the ten eight hour Nightside on Demand dot com
pretty easy to find. We'll take a quick break here
on Nightside. I got Linda, Tim and Christine coming right
up with their restaurant selections Weymouth, Wilburn and Denham. That's great.
(34:03):
We'll be back on Nightside after this.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
News Radio, where we were talking, by the way about
restaurants on the Cape. There's a great restaurant in Chatham
called Pates. It used to be an old school more
you know, kind of like a nineteen fifties sixties restaurant,
but they have changed it up and it's a really
great restaurant owned by a friend of mine named Jim Peterson.
(34:34):
And if anybody can get into there in Chatham on
a on a well, anytime, whether it's March or May,
June or July, you like that. Have you ever been
down to Pates and Chatham?
Speaker 4 (34:49):
No? I think the only place I've been to in
Chatham is that outlet of Max for lobster roles. But no,
I haven't been to that place.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Oh yeah, No, that that the outlet I've been to
that one. Yeah, Max Max, this is a good one.
I'm familiar with that as well. Let's keep rolling here.
We're going to pick up a couple more, at least,
well three more. Callers. Got to be quick, Linda, you
got to be quick for me. You got two behind you,
Go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (35:11):
I can be real quick. I get a question, somebody
else can follow up and answer. I've in New Hampshire.
I can recall from younger days ninety nine restaurant I
think it might have been. The original is still up there.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
What time was it? Ohgi, Okay, well, let's see. Let
me do this. I'm going to ask I'm going to
ask Mark if if he knows if the ninety nine
began in New Hampshire. That's a very popular restaurant. I
think it's still doing well at the ninety nine, still
doing Walmart.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
Yeah, yeah, I still I go to them. Don't tell
any when I go to them. Whenever I go there,
people say, what are you going ninety nine for?
Speaker 3 (35:53):
You're a food writer.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
I'm like, I like one ninety nine. But yeah, I
don't know if that's a good question about Hampshire. I mean,
I know there's a lot of them in the Boston area,
but I'm not sure.
Speaker 7 (36:05):
Just over the border. Okay. The other question is is
Dallly's in Braintreet used to be there? It's now with
the Toyota with the hype flying flag.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (36:15):
Dall's Steak House.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Called next Hour on that because those that's one of
those that I missed. I missed that, and I missed
the uh the steak place on Route one going north
that had the fake cows out there. Oh well, the
Hilltop the Hilltop Standouse, absolutely da. I got two more.
I gotta get to thank you so much. Have a
great weekend. Gotta go, gonna go next to Tim in
(36:41):
wilbur And Tim, you were next on nights. I go ahead.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
I think I heard somebody say Jimmy's and Arlington.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
Yeah, yep, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
Years ago. I was alignment for the EDS, and we
used to go in there, the whole crew, about five
of the line trucks. They wouldn't chat yet.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Now that's that's my sort of restaurant right there. I
wasn't alive with the electric we were you with me?
Speaker 3 (37:10):
I'd live the waitress a twenty dollars tip.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
Well, at least Tim, Were you with Boston Edison and
then the back in.
Speaker 3 (37:16):
The day, Yeah, there was nineteen seventy eight. I was
here for three years and I didn't like the job
that much, so I left. It was a big mistake.
I'd be rich.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Yep, there's no doubt about that. All right, Thanks Tim.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
Great. By the way, I got my night side T shirt.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
All right, we'd proudly weird, proudly I were good. All right,
Thanks Jim, thanks for it. Have a great night. Good night.
Christine in Denham. Christine, I'll bet you've been to the
Midway Cafe in Denham, Right, I have, I have, so
give us another restaurant in debt him or what anywhere
(37:56):
you want? Get what? What? What would you want? Which
restaurant would you like to talk about? To ask a
question about?
Speaker 5 (38:02):
I love the Bay Point in Quincy.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
That's the I love that place Bay Pointed.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
Yeah, Yeah, it's really nice. It's beautiful. The location. You
gotta there's a patio that overlooks the ocean. It's so
nice there.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
Yes, how often? How often do you get there? Christine?
Speaker 5 (38:25):
Almost every summer?
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Wow, that's beautiful, it's always. It's a great tradition.
Speaker 5 (38:33):
The mill Walk in Situate, that's another good one.
Speaker 4 (38:37):
Oh, I was just there.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
You are?
Speaker 3 (38:40):
I was.
Speaker 4 (38:42):
Yeah, that's terrific, great great seafood there.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
Thanks Christine, talk to you hater good night. Uh what
happened in the Marley Ive in downtown? Is that still
around to now? No?
Speaker 4 (38:57):
And I'm really depressed about that. That was one of
my go to places back way back when. Well, I
think it was the oldest Italian restaurant in I mean
it wasn't truly Italian. I think it was Italian and French.
But one of the maybe the oldest Italian restaurant in Boston,
along with what was it in Javelli's and East Boston.
Those two places were just legendary.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Well, another good one, which again when we were at
this when I'd be working at the State House, was Denis.
We were around when Deani's right on on on Tremont Street.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
I might have been. Was that around in the eighties?
Speaker 2 (39:30):
Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, it was there for many many years,
and it was it was just it was a great
political restaurant. I mean, you know, you got you at
the Parker House and then Deni's and uh, you know,
now there's a whole different group of restaurants that have
come in. But what would you give as an overall rating, Mark,
(39:51):
I'm sure you've traveled to Boston as a restaurant town,
Greater Boston as a restaurant town. What sort of grades
would you give it. I'm sure New York is an
a because you can get anything you want in New York,
and Chicago probably has some great steak places. Wait is
Boston rank? And and you know, look, Washington has a
lot of great restaurants as well, but Boston rank do
(40:12):
you think?
Speaker 4 (40:14):
Well, I've been in Chicago Philly, Washington, Boston, San Francisco,
New York, Churs, Boston, and I give it. I'd say
a minus B plus. I mean, it's a really great
city for food, and it's it's gotten better in many ways.
It's also lost a little bits charmed with the Old
School restaurant's closing. So i'd say minus B plus is
a great city for food. I'll tell you though, Providence,
(40:37):
and I just wrote about a place for Providence. It
just went up tonight on NBC L Providence has an
incredible food town.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
So Hill's tough to be tough to beat. Federal Hill. Hey,
I got one more here, let's get one more under
the wire. Different community. Melvin in Roxbury, Melvin, we get
less than a minute. What can you do with it?
Speaker 6 (40:55):
Buddy Roll, Paul mod Dixon's Dona, the best fried Chicken,
the best Chittling's, the best hog Marks was the best
of all. Dad and Bob the chef.
Speaker 2 (41:07):
Yeah, I remember Bob the chef. Absolutely. Hey, Melvin, you've
never called me? Yeah, go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 6 (41:14):
I'm gonna here. Bob the Chef used to work for
Mob Dixon's at Shamattabb which he owned the place down
there and he stole all her recipes and he opened
up Bob the Chef at six oh four Columbus alf
At the True Story.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
Hey, Melvin, is this your first call the night side. Yes,
we got to give you a quick round of applause
our digital studio audience. Melvin, thank you so much for listening.
Thank you for calling. Talk again. Okay, thank you, right
back at you Melvin's thanks and Mark, this was a
fun hour. I really we we got to talk about
a lot of different locations. I really enjoyed the hour.
(41:50):
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did
and love to have you back at some point, you know,
maybe as we talk about summer dining.
Speaker 4 (41:56):
Okay, that was great. Yeah, definitely, summer dining would be
te rific with doutor patios. I would love to come
back and talk about that.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
Mark, I appreciate very much Friday Night. You have a
great guest. We had some great calls. This hour far
exceeded my expectations. Thank you, my friend. We got a
grab mine. Okay, thanks Mar and it's on me. Talk
to you later. Okay, here comes the eleven o'clock news.
It is the twentieth hour and We're going to change
the focus just a little bit. Okay, gonna give you
(42:26):
a chance to tell me what retail chain store do
you miss. I don't miss many, but there's a whole
bunch of them that have gone the way of all
good things. And let's talk about that in the next hour.
We will be back on Night's side right after this
It's Night Side with Dan Ray. I'mdell you easy Boston
News Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All Right, the weekend approaches. It's not Saint Patrick's Day weekend,
so it's not a long weekend, and we can kind
of sit back and kick back and enjoy the weekend.
And one of the things that many people do on
the weekend is they try to find, oh, maybe a
new restaurant, a restaurant that they haven't been to before.
(00:28):
And so we thought, and we haven't done this before,
that we would try to help you out. Maybe you're
looking for a restaurant in your neighborhood that might not
be the most expensive, but might really be good. And
if there's one person who knows a lot of the
hidden gems of restaurants in the greater Boston area, it's
(00:48):
Mark Hurwitz who joins us. Mark has been a writer
in this field for many years. He primarily works for
NBC ten. He's a food writer there. And Mark, thanks
very much for joining us on a Friday night and
maybe providing some guidance to some of our listeners. They
(01:12):
can pick your brain. I'm going to pick your brain too,
about some of the great restaurants that maybe most of
us some of us haven't heard about. How are you tonight?
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Good?
Speaker 4 (01:22):
How you doing Dan? Thanks for having me on.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Absolutely absolutely. I will tell you that there was a
period of time, a long, long time ago when I
lived in Boston, in the city, when I knew the
great restaurants and all of that. But times have changed
and the city's a little more difficult to get into
for those of us who don't live in the city proper,
and parking is becoming more difficult, Navigating the streets of
(01:48):
Boston is becoming more difficult. How's the restaurant seen generally?
I mean, you have as good a sense of this
as anybody I could imagine. Is the restaurants seen? When
I say Boston's, we're also talking Great Boston too, because
there's great restaurants in some of these the suburban towns
as well. Overall, what sort of a rating would you
(02:11):
give the restaurant scene in greater Boston at this point
in time?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
Well, it's a little choppy. So ever since the pandemic,
you know, it's what five years now, it was booming. Yeah,
it was booming until early twenty twenty, and then, of
course it's all off a cliff.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So everyone was.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Doing takeout and delivery, or a lot of plays just
shut down tempor earlier permanently, and then they slowly clawed
their way back, and you know what, by last year
things were going pretty well. There are pockets of areas
that are still hurting because like office space, people might
not have come back into the office is like you know,
downtown Boston, it's been a little slow, Kendall Square a
(02:52):
little slow. But lately it feels a little I don't know,
it's it depends on where you go again, but I've
been in a lot of empty restaurants lately. So I'm
a little nervous because there's so many restaurants, new restaurants
that have opened lately, and I am finding even on
weekends it's it's you can walk into most restaurants now
(03:13):
there's no lines at all. It's a little worrisome.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Now. I can remember, you know, a time when it
was tough to get restaurant reservations. Oh there's always some
restaurants that you just impossible to get, you know, small,
you know, hot restaurants. But why is it? I mean,
you know, twenty twenty was five years ago. I remember
(03:39):
when we were doing our grocery shopping at six am
in the morning and bringing home can goods and wiping
them off before you would bring them in the house.
I mean, well, I look back on that, I'm thinking
to myself, how weird was that. I mean, kids are
going to our great kids are going to laugh at
us and say you were wiping off can goods before
you brought them in the house. But that's what we
(04:01):
was told to do. Yeah, you know, the Seaport was
open back in twenty twenty. How much of a hit
did the Seaport take as the newest, you know, restaurant
district in Boston did they Did they get hit harder
than others or have they bounced back more quickly than others.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
I think the Seaport did a little better than people
might think. So, you know, people think that, oh, you
know seaports, it's a lot of new apartments and condos,
so people recently moved in. It's mostly people who live
there who go to restaurants. And you know, there are
some tourists who come in there too, and they didn't
come during the pandemic. And you know, I think, along
(04:44):
with every other part of the area, they were hit
during the pandemic. But you know, I go to the
Seaport a lot, and I think they're doing pretty well.
I think some of the restaurants there are the ones
that you cannot get into because they're so busy. I think,
I really think, I really think the Seaport has done
a good job. And I know some people will agree
(05:05):
with me on that, but I go down there and
it's kind of booming, really, especially compared to say downtown
Boston Financial District, maybe Kendall Square, you know, some places
like that that are almost all office space.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
I assume that the Financial District is hurt during the
day because those those office desks haven't been filled up again.
But I also assume that because there aren't that many
people hanging out during the day in the Financial District,
that some of those bars and restaurants which all of
(05:42):
us knew, you know, five ten years ago, they probably
have shut itered.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Correct, Yeah, a lot of them have closed.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
You know.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
I write a lot of news stories on opening and closings,
and a lot of those little independent restaurants and some
of the chains they have shut down, mostly right in
the heart of Financial District. So we're not talking Chinatown.
We're not talking Daniel Hall, but you know they area
Broad Street, High Street, Milk Street. A lot of those
there are a lot of those places are hurting. Not
(06:12):
so much the Friday night bars. You know, those places
have done okay, But if you're talking about the breakfast
and lunch spots, a lot of turnover and people have
some people have come back to the offices there, but
not everybody. You know, there's still a lot of people
work at home, and I think that's that could be permanent.
(06:32):
I mean, the way things are these days for us,
people working at home, and the same in the suburbs.
People do work at home now more than before the pandemic.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
When we get back, I want to take a break.
I want to invite people to call and if you
have a great restaurant that you really like and you
want to share it with well, with me and Mark.
I'd appreciate it, and Mark will give you compare notes
with you on it. I'd like to find out if
Boston is doing better in terms of restaurants in the
(07:05):
in the squares around you know ros Roslyndale Square, Claire
Square in Hyde Park, you know, Mattapan, Blue Hill Avenue.
If if there's a resurgence of people finding good restaurants
in those areas as opposed to driving into downtown Boston
or going to the North End, which of course is
always a great place to go if you can find
(07:27):
a parking space. My guest Mark Rwitz. Mark is with
NBC Boston. He is a food writer. He's also written written.
His work has appeared in a litany of other places.
We'll ask Mark about that as well. But we come back, well,
we'll talk about some of the different aspects of Boston
(07:47):
because we're just not going to talk about Boston downtown.
We can talk about that, but we're going to talk
about some of the community restaurants and then also some
of the restaurants in now the city's Cambridge, Wealthy and Watertown, Somerville,
h Revere, all sorts of the communities that surround our
city are the capital city. So feel free if you
(08:10):
got a question and you're looking for if you were
looking for a great type restaurant this weekend to impress someone,
I'm sure that Mark could give you a couple of
ideas as well. Six one, seven, two, five four thirty
or six one seven, nine, three, one ten thirty. Mark
has told us that He would be happy to stay
with us for an hour, but I think you'd be
smart if you get on early. We're coming back on
(08:31):
Nightside with my guest, Mark Hurwitz, a restaurant critic. There's
nobody that I know in Boston that knows the restaurants
seen better than Mark, and that's why we have them
here tonight. Back on night Side right after this.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
nights Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
You know, Mark, We're going to do is We're not
going to make people wait in the phone. So we'll
get the phone calls. And I've got a number of
areas I want to cover, but I want to accommodate
callers and encourage people but to call and ask questions.
Let me go to Larry down on the Cape. Larry
you wan my guess, Mark Hurwitz. He is a food writer,
works primarily at NBC ten, but he's written for a
(09:12):
lot of other places that you're familiar with. Go right ahead, Larry,
you got a question or comment?
Speaker 4 (09:17):
I have a comment.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
So a lot of people from the Boston area come
down to the Cape for vacation. Sure, and I'm going
to give them the best kept secret in Dennis.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Oh, here we go. Listen up, people take coats.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Go ahead, okay, And I know you spend time down
the Cape, so a little bit. Okay. There is a
place on the north side of Dennis. Have you heard
of the marsh Side Restaurant?
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Never have marsh Side Restaurant?
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Well, well that's not the one I'm gonna talk about anyway.
This place is right next to it. The name of
the place is Ummammy Pizza. You m a m i
ummmmi pizza and fusion. And they have a pizza there.
It's called New Haven Style clam Pie. It's clams, bacon, cheese,
(10:09):
olive oil, and it's to die for.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Not a big clam guy. Can I get it? Just
with the with the bacon.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
It's cape cod Dan, Come.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
On, I get it. I get it.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
I get it.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
That's my tip for the night. And by the way,
I missed your last episode because I was picking up
my daughter at the airport, who lives at the most
friendly country in the world.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Oh, I know exactly where she lives, Kaboul in Afghanistan.
And you have her or give me a call or
whatever and I'll talk with her next weekend.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
I'll try you in the next couple of days when
she settles in.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Sounds great, sounds great. Thank you, Thanks Claire, thank you.
Have you let me ask Mark? Mark, have you do
you have any knowledge of the Cape restaurants scene as well,
because that is a very vibrant scene, trust me, particularly
between a Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
Well, I've actually been to marsh Side. I believe it's
not the restaurant. I think that's the one. There's a
special table, round table that overlooks the Marsh is just
a beautiful space. I have been there. It's a great spot.
I didn't realize there was a Haven style pizza place
in that area long or off Strafford sixth Day. I
love new Haven style pizza.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Yeah, said you money, So was the marsh Side restaurant?
Is that one that you would recommend? You know, we
spend some time down the Cape and it's funny in
the summertime, it's impossible. I worked Monday through Friday and
to get into a restaurant on a Saturday night that
you want to go to, I mean it's you know,
(11:43):
unless you personally know the owner, it's it's impossible.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
I mean, yeah, it's tougher to get tables on the
Cape than it is in the Boston area during the summer.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Oh absolutely, I mean that's why everybody, everybody has left
the Cape. So let's talk about restaurants. You know, Mayor
Menino was big about trying to build up Rosindale Square
and Clary Square and the different squares around Center Street
in West Roxbury. And there's lots of good restaurants that
(12:15):
you are in technically Boston, but they're not downtown Boston.
I think Mayor Menino called it Main Streets. That was
a very good program. How are those restaurants doing, because
there's some really good restaurants in the again, not the suburbs,
but in the neighborhoods of Boston.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
Well, I think, you know, it's interesting, the further you
get out into the into the Boston neighborhoods and the
more suburban they feel, the tougher it is to get
into the restaurants. So it's it's actually a little like
the suburbs, especially satellite suburbs like Burlington, Braintree, Peevity, where
it's tough to get a table. You go to places
(12:58):
like Rossendale's Square to make a plane. Maybe parts of Dorchester,
like Lower Mills or Adams Village, Adams Village. It's tough
to get a table in Adam's Village. I've been there
so many times trying to get a parking space and
be a table. So those outer neighborhoods, Yeah, the restaurants
(13:20):
are doing really well, and I think it's because you
have a lot of residential areas and also in like
CA say, Adams Village, expressways so people can easily get there.
So they're doing really well.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
But also the amount of money that you're going to
drop at a restaurant in you know, Adams Square, Adams Circle,
whatever on Adams Street is going to be a heck
of a lot less than when you when you go downtown,
and it's going to be a lot less aggravation. So
again I just have become much more of an anti
(13:56):
downtown guy. It's just not worth the aggravation anymore. War
And you know, I don't work downtown. I never worked downtown.
I practiced law downtown in the seventies and early eighties
during the day, and but I worked in television at night.
So my base of operation was Soldiers Field Road. But
(14:18):
it what give us give us two or three restaurants
that maybe most people haven't heard of, but they they
are their secret gems that that people will not be
disappointed in.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Are you talking within Boston city limits or or anywhere?
Speaker 2 (14:39):
Let's try Let's let's try Boston city limits however you
want to define it, and then we can move out
into the suburbs a little bit.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Okay, Well, one that's been around forever, and I'm surprised
a lot of people still don't know about it as
a pleasant cafe in Rossendale. I don't know if you've
been there, but seriously, one of the best pieces I've had,
not in Boston but in New England. I mean, there
are times where I think they have the best peeps
in Boston.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
It is that good.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
And the thing is it's old school. There's one side
is a bar, it's all the wood paneling and TVs
and Keno, and the other side is a restaurant with
all these wooden boots and they have the steam radiators
and the servers who have been there forever, and they
call you honey and sweetie. You know, it feels a
(15:26):
little like the old Doyle's in Jamaica Plaine, and it
is just fantastic. It's it's such a great place.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I can't right, is that right in the square?
Speaker 4 (15:38):
No, it's up the hill. It's near the West Roxbury
border on Washington Street, so as you head out of
Rosendale Square heading up the hill toward right there, heading
towards den Him. Yeah, exactly. So that's a really great
place that And again I'm surprised people don't don't really
(15:58):
know about it that much. You know, it's it's a
special spot. It's a place I go to more than
most other places. You know, I don't go to restaurants
and repeat much because I'm always reviewing, but that's the
one I go to when I take the reviewer's head off.
So that's one. Another one I like, is uh the
Galway House in Jamaica. Plane, it's it's old school, another
(16:21):
old school place. You go there for their fish chips
and you know, maybe their steak tips or the chicken palm.
From the outside, the Galway House looks a little dicey,
but it's not. You know, it looks like a dive bar,
but it's really not a dive bar because you know,
the harder Jamaica Plane, it's it's gender five. There's there's
nothing really scarying down in the downtown area anymore, so
(16:45):
that's definitely hit in Gem. I absolutely love that place.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
I just had someone who and I just happened to
pick up my phone. I never look at my phone, so, uh,
Meg call, uh send me a text here just a
few minutes ago, said Hi Dan, and again she said,
we love a grill in tavern in Arlington. Fresh great
fresh food, great cocktails, wonderful staff. And I probably won't
(17:12):
pronounce this correctly, and I wish that Meg had called
in so she could pronounce it. Uh, monotymy grill? Have
you ever heard of that in in Arlington? Monotymy grill?
Enemy y Have I mispronounced it?
Speaker 4 (17:29):
No, that's the old name for Arlington. Arlington used to
be called Mononymou, and that's where they got the name.
And it's you know, it's a very nice place for
you know, American food, maybe new American food. I wouldn't
call it up scale, but maybe leaning toward casual upscale.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
They do music, they have events there, and they have
good beers. And that's an interesting thing because Arlington used
to be a dry town. Though you would not go
to Arlington if you wanted to have a beer or
hind with your meal, and now you can go to
on Re Tavern or a few other places in town
and get a nice meal and maybe glass of wine.
So yeah, that's a good call there.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Okay, well that that's a good That is a good
suggestion a lot of Again, I want others to join
the conversation and uh and and ask questions, uh if
if you want to find you know, if you're looking
for a specific type restaurant this weekend an Italian restaurant.
We're doing an event with nightside listeners and I want
(18:33):
to I don't want to use this as a plug,
but it's a restaurant that Bill and Bowl Winnaker really
think is great in Westwood. And again I don't know
how far you get out in that direction. It's called
Naroli any r O l I. They claim that it's
like one of the best restaurants that I've ever been.
It's on Route one A in Westwood. No problem with parking.
(18:57):
They have a parking space behind the restaurant him on
street parking without meters, which is my idea for the
way the world should be. And we're going to do
a brunch there on April twenty seventh with night Side Listeners.
Have you ever heard of this? It's an Italian restaurant
any r O L I I.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
Think isn't that's fairly new, isn't it isn't. I think
it's in Islington maybe, which is within Westwood. I'm pretty
sure that's a fairly new place. So you said it's not.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
It's yeah, it's one A. It's on Washington Street, two
eighty two Washington Street. And yeah, I'm familiar that Islington
is sort of like a sub section of either Denham
or Westwood. I've seen the signs entering Islington leaving Islington.
It's not that big. But yeah, well again, I just
I'm looking for ideas and looking for suggestions. My guest
(19:47):
is Mark Hurwitz. He is a food writer for NBC ten.
Has to be a nice job to have to just
go around and enjoy food at different rest Are you
able to metabolize this food? Mark? I hope that you're
not putting on extra weight here and if you if
you are, we have awakened one to eighty, which will
(20:09):
help you out. By the way, how many nights a
week do you eat out? Seriously?
Speaker 4 (20:16):
And people always ask me that they just assume I'm
out every single night. You know, I may I probably have.
I go out to eat maybe i'd say three times
a week. And I'm also a hike leader for the
Appalachian Mountain Clubs, so I actually did. I did fifty
thousand vertical feet of hiking last year alone, So it
balances out. So, you know, somehow I'm under two hundred pounds,
(20:39):
and I do go out to eat a lot, so
it's you know, I have a hike tomorrow morning, for instance,
so it all balances out. But yeah, i'd say maybe
two or three times a week, and I cook a
lot at home, so it's not quite as much as
people think.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
That's okay. You've You've built up over the years quite
a retinue of restaurants. My guess, Mark Hurwitz, NBC ten
food writer here in Boston, been doing it for a while,
and he knows this city well well. I have. I
have a million other questions about restaurants, and I hope
you do as well. Six one, seven, two, five, four ten,
thirty six one seven, nine, three one tenth. There. We've
(21:15):
got a quick news break here and we'll be back.
Mark's gonna stick with us until eleven o'clock and then
we're gonna go to the twentieth hour and we're gonna
change topics and talk about the retail change that maybe
you grew up with and that you now miss. And
I can think of a couple and I suspect most
of you will be able to as well. Back on
(21:35):
Nightside with Mark Hurwitz, food writer. Back right after this.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
With me is food writer Mark Hurwitz. Uh. He is
a font of information. So there's just probably no restaurant
that you can mention him. You know, one that I
just wanted to throw out there, which I know is
a favorite of not only mine but also my colleague
Morgan White, is the Midway Cafe, the Midway restaurant over
(22:12):
in Dedham, just over the West Roxbury line out of
Washington Street. Have you been to the Midway or no?
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Oh, I've been there many times. In fact, I was
there the night that the NBA shut down during the
at the start of the pandemic. That's when I found
out that this thing was real at the pandemic. But yeah,
I've been there countless times for their meat low they
have a what is a porterhouse, sporkshop something like that
and everything. The burghers are great. The turkey chili, I
(22:42):
love that place.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Yeah, and that's the sort of place that you walk
into and you walk out and you city yourself. Wow,
that was great. And it didn't cost me at arm
and a leg. I mean it's moderately priced. It's the
guy that owns a Bob Jenks is a great guy
and he and his wife have it and uh, it's
it's comfortable. The boots are comfortable, the bar is comfortable,
(23:07):
and this the parking isn't bad. And if you uh,
if you know where it is, easy in, easy out,
it's on on good good roads. Those are the sorts
of places that that I tend to like housing. Let's
switch from Dedham and Westwood. Uh and if any of
these restaurants that I've mentioned you folks like, feel free
(23:29):
to join the conversation. We got some calls coming in
right now. We'll get to those as well. Tell me
about the North End. How's the North End doing. I
know they've had the fight over there over the outdoor
dining with the mayor. And I love the North End,
but it's tough to get to there is no parking.
I got to believe that that it's that things are
(23:53):
are not as as good as they were a few
years ago. In the North End.
Speaker 4 (23:59):
It's tough to, you know, on weekends, and I go
there a lot, and I'm one of those The North
End is lightning rod. I mean, I know people, including
some food critics, who won't go there, and and I
love it. I just love everything about the North End.
And on the weekends, I mean it is, it is packed,
(24:19):
especially on nice weekends in the spring summer. So I
think they're doing pretty well. I'm sure that there are
some places that aren't doing all that quite as well
on the whole thing with the patios, the big controversy there. Yeah,
you know, I think overall the North End is doing fine,
(24:39):
maybe not quite as good as before the pandemic. But
I do find that when I go to restaurants there,
like Cafe Vortoria, which is in a real restaurant's cafe,
But whenever I go a Cafe Victoria on Hanover, it
is packed. So I think they're there.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
That's the place that that's the place, that is the
cigar bar downstairs.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
Correct, Yeah, yes, And you go there and you get
the viscotti, and you get a cappuccino, and you dip
the this scotti in the cappuccino and there's nothing like it.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Yeah. Well, I'll tell you this. I went into the
cigar bar. I don't smoke cigarettes or cigars, but I
went down there and just had a beer or whatever
it was. The next day I literally had to have
the suit directly sent to the drug leaders. It was unbelievable.
It was like forty dollars just to get it fumigated.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
I mean, oh, I can imagine.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Something like Yeah, never had before. Let's get some more calls.
Let me go to Judy in Medford. Judy, you were
next on Nightside with my guest, Mark Hurwitz, NBC food writer.
Go right ahead, Judy.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
One of my favorite restaurants, actually my most of the
Italian in Arlington, Scuotra.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
I will be surprised if Mark does not know that one.
What do you say, Mark Scutra in Arlington?
Speaker 4 (25:55):
I know of Scootra. I know people have been there.
I have not been there myself. I have heard really
great things though family owned.
Speaker 5 (26:04):
The chef is great, the staff is terrific. You go
there to die and you don't push you out in
the bar. And the bartenders are terrific even they have
all different kinds of options for those of you who
don't want to invobe alcohol, but very good on mocktails
as well.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
And is that on Summer Street. I'm trying to picture that.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
It looks like Summer Street to you, but it's really
Summer Street is right.
Speaker 6 (26:26):
Off of it.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
It's in back and mass al.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
You're off the lakes, right, Yeah, No, I have not
been there there.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
You are want to yourself to take a trip out there, definitely.
And then my favorite world million in town is true?
Speaker 2 (26:42):
That name of the Let me ask both of you
this since your since you know Arlington, what was the
name of the Great Steakhouse which was on mass Avenue
very close to the kidneys.
Speaker 4 (26:53):
Yeah, yeah, Jimmy's Jimmy Jimmy Steerhouse. Yeah, it's sure.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
I have not been there. Again. What happens is you
get to the suburbs and you just you go to
the same places and it's you know, you get comfortable.
And that's that's a mistake that I that I make,
which I don't want to make. Think the future. These
are great. So it's called scutro, Judy.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Right, s c U r O s c U t
r A SCOO truck scootra.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
What does that mean in Italian?
Speaker 7 (27:30):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (27:30):
You asked the wrong girl.
Speaker 2 (27:32):
Well that's okay. I'm sure it means great food or
something like that.
Speaker 5 (27:37):
Especially all the time. It's really great.
Speaker 2 (27:40):
And you don't walk out of there, you know, having
spent five hundred dollars for two people.
Speaker 5 (27:44):
Right, No, you do not no, no, And and it
is really they go a lot with the seasons of
to where they've had with us. But the specials are
there's always a special on and then deserves are terrific
as well.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
They were.
Speaker 5 (27:57):
Really it's a terrific Uh, it's a truic place to Oh,
if you haven't tried it, have you guessed by all news?
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Go and try it sounds great, sounds great.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
Thank you, Judy, You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Let's let's keep rolling here. Going to go to Karen
in Wisconsin. Karen, I have no idea if you're going
to give us a restaurant in Wisconsin. But I'm not
sure Mark is going to be able to call me
if go ahead, Karen.
Speaker 8 (28:20):
Now what I'm going to do is now that I
know it's still there and I love it is. I'm
going to give a second the Pleasant Cafe in Rosendale.
He had mentioned it, and I lived right down the
street from there. I love that place, the pizza and
(28:42):
the stakes and everything he said about it. I want
to give us a second notion to that bar. I'm
glad that it's, you know, like restaurant bar and it's great.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Right. Well, Karen used to live here in the Boston area,
and that's why that's why she knows your Boston restaurants.
That is for sure, no doubt about that. Yeah, all right,
that's a good one, Karen, appreciate it. Thank you for
all the way for Wisconsin. Hope everything's well.
Speaker 8 (29:12):
Okay, there's several good ones also, he mentioned in JP
and Death surrounding area. So there you go.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Okay, thanks, thanks for participating. It is always thanks for listening.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Thanks very much, thank you.
Speaker 4 (29:29):
One thing about the Pleasant Cafe. One thing I didn't
mention about the Pleasant Cafe. One of the reasons I
go there. Besides the pizza, they have a list of
drinks that basically are from the nineteen thirties and forties.
You know, you can get like a Brandy Alexander, Tom
Collins Slow Jin Fizz. You can get a California root beer.
(29:50):
I mean they I go there and sometimes I grab
my phone, which they shouldn't do in a restaurant, and
I'll quickly I'll type in, like what's this story? What's
the godfa? You know, and and and all the drinks
are fantastic, But you know, they're not pretentious drinks. They're
not the new fangled stuff. These are drinks that you've
got back well, none of us were back around the thirties,
(30:12):
but these are drinks.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
At least we weren't drinking in the thirties, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Here's one that that I love in Malden and went
there a lot. It's run by a friend of mine,
Paul Solano. Pearl Street Station in Malden, mass It's a
great restaurant. The food is fat. Have you been there?
Pro Street Station?
Speaker 1 (30:34):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (30:35):
Yeah, so I do. I do radio and a lot
of the radio people will go there. We've had big
groups at Pearl Street Station. They used to be at
another location long ago, but now they're in that huge space.
It's multiple rooms and uh oh, they have some of
the one of the best chicken palms I've ever had.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
Yeah, yeah, you're talking my language now, that's that's for sure.
Chicken bob the best. I am not the most adventures
in either for me as a as an Irish kid
from Reidville. Uh. I you know the idea of Italian restaurants,
that's that's that's pretty good for me to get out
there and enjoy it. I love Italian restaurants, I really do. Uh.
(31:16):
And there's so many good ones in our area. We
we ate the other night with some friends out at
a restaurant in Sherborne, Massachusetts. We lived there for many years.
It's been the Sherborne Inn. I don't know if you
ever been out there. It's now called I think the
Fireside Tavern. And it was really good. It was really good.
(31:40):
The whole atmosphere had changed. A number of the people
who were in there were trying to take it up
high and make it, you know, a big, a big
number restaurant, and they have changed, they've have taken it
down a little bit. We hadn't been there in years.
We were with some our some of our friends from
hollist and we met there and that was really good.
(32:02):
Now again, maybe we just hit it in a great night.
But I enjoyed it, that's for sure.
Speaker 4 (32:06):
Yeah, it's a beautiful space. It's just old school New England.
I love that place.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Yeah, and they have a great The bar there is
wonderful if you just want to sit at the bar
as opposed to the restaurant. So yeah, yeah, Hey, I'm
hanging in there. Everything I've mentioned, you're with me on it,
which is great. We're going to take a quick break.
I got three more calls to deal with quickly. By
the way, I noticed that you have a lot of
followers on your Facebook page. Well, how many people do
(32:34):
you have following your story your report?
Speaker 4 (32:40):
Well, on social media, maybe three hundred thousand. And I
run a group. I run a group, a restaurant group
on Facebook that has about forty five thousand. And that
group's great because there are chefs, restaurant owners, food critics.
A lot of my friends who are food writers are
on that. So if you ask questions you will get
some really good am.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Wow wow, that that is a big number. I hope
you you'll let them know you're going to be on
Night Side tonight and if if you haven't, they can
listen to the this hour will be posted at Nightside
on Demand and you can put it up on your
web page and allow people to listen to you tonight
here on Nighttide, it will be available.
Speaker 4 (33:25):
I definitely will do that. I already told everybody in
the group, and I told us others on social media,
and my mother who's sleeping, h she wants to listen.
Then I said, I told my mother. I said it's
going to be on a podcast, so she can do
it over the weekend.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
Yeah. No, we have big numbers of people who listen
to the to the podcast, so it's just Rob Brooks
who post this. It would be probably posted by time
Rob goes home by three am this morning, so it'll
be the ten eight hour Nightside on Demand dot com
pretty easy to find. We'll take a quick break here
on Nightside. I got Linda, Tim and Christine coming right
up with their restaurant selections Weymouth, Wilburn and Denham. That's great.
(34:03):
We'll be back on Nightside after this.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World
night Side Studios on WBZ.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
News Radio, where we were talking, by the way about
restaurants on the Cape. There's a great restaurant in Chatham
called Pates. It used to be an old school more
you know, kind of like a nineteen fifties sixties restaurant,
but they have changed it up and it's a really
great restaurant owned by a friend of mine named Jim Peterson.
(34:34):
And if anybody can get into there in Chatham on
a on a well, anytime, whether it's March or May,
June or July, you like that. Have you ever been
down to Pates and Chatham?
Speaker 4 (34:49):
No? I think the only place I've been to in
Chatham is that outlet of Max for lobster roles. But no,
I haven't been to that place.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Oh yeah, No, that that the outlet I've been to
that one. Yeah, Max Max, this is a good one.
I'm familiar with that as well. Let's keep rolling here.
We're going to pick up a couple more, at least,
well three more. Callers. Got to be quick, Linda, you
got to be quick for me. You got two behind you,
Go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (35:11):
I can be real quick. I get a question, somebody
else can follow up and answer. I've in New Hampshire.
I can recall from younger days ninety nine restaurant I
think it might have been. The original is still up there.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
What time was it? Ohgi, Okay, well, let's see. Let
me do this. I'm going to ask I'm going to
ask Mark if if he knows if the ninety nine
began in New Hampshire. That's a very popular restaurant. I
think it's still doing well at the ninety nine, still
doing Walmart.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
Yeah, yeah, I still I go to them. Don't tell
any when I go to them. Whenever I go there,
people say, what are you going ninety nine for?
Speaker 3 (35:53):
You're a food writer.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
I'm like, I like one ninety nine. But yeah, I
don't know if that's a good question about Hampshire. I mean,
I know there's a lot of them in the Boston area,
but I'm not sure.
Speaker 7 (36:05):
Just over the border. Okay. The other question is is
Dallly's in Braintreet used to be there? It's now with
the Toyota with the hype flying flag.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (36:15):
Dall's Steak House.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
Called next Hour on that because those that's one of
those that I missed. I missed that, and I missed
the uh the steak place on Route one going north
that had the fake cows out there. Oh well, the
Hilltop the Hilltop Standouse, absolutely da. I got two more.
I gotta get to thank you so much. Have a
great weekend. Gotta go, gonna go next to Tim in
(36:41):
wilbur And Tim, you were next on nights. I go ahead.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
I think I heard somebody say Jimmy's and Arlington.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
Yeah, yep, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (36:52):
Years ago. I was alignment for the EDS, and we
used to go in there, the whole crew, about five
of the line trucks. They wouldn't chat yet.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Now that's that's my sort of restaurant right there. I
wasn't alive with the electric we were you with me?
Speaker 3 (37:10):
I'd live the waitress a twenty dollars tip.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
Well, at least Tim, Were you with Boston Edison and
then the back in.
Speaker 3 (37:16):
The day, Yeah, there was nineteen seventy eight. I was
here for three years and I didn't like the job
that much, so I left. It was a big mistake.
I'd be rich.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Yep, there's no doubt about that. All right, Thanks Tim.
Speaker 3 (37:32):
Great. By the way, I got my night side T shirt.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
All right, we'd proudly weird, proudly I were good. All right,
Thanks Jim, thanks for it. Have a great night. Good night.
Christine in Denham. Christine, I'll bet you've been to the
Midway Cafe in Denham, Right, I have, I have, so
give us another restaurant in debt him or what anywhere
(37:56):
you want? Get what? What? What would you want? Which
restaurant would you like to talk about? To ask a
question about?
Speaker 5 (38:02):
I love the Bay Point in Quincy.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
That's the I love that place Bay Pointed.
Speaker 4 (38:11):
Yeah, Yeah, it's really nice. It's beautiful. The location. You
gotta there's a patio that overlooks the ocean. It's so
nice there.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
Yes, how often? How often do you get there? Christine?
Speaker 5 (38:25):
Almost every summer?
Speaker 2 (38:27):
Wow, that's beautiful, it's always. It's a great tradition.
Speaker 5 (38:33):
The mill Walk in Situate, that's another good one.
Speaker 4 (38:37):
Oh, I was just there.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
You are?
Speaker 3 (38:40):
I was.
Speaker 4 (38:42):
Yeah, that's terrific, great great seafood there.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
Thanks Christine, talk to you hater good night. Uh what
happened in the Marley Ive in downtown? Is that still
around to now? No?
Speaker 4 (38:57):
And I'm really depressed about that. That was one of
my go to places back way back when. Well, I
think it was the oldest Italian restaurant in I mean
it wasn't truly Italian. I think it was Italian and French.
But one of the maybe the oldest Italian restaurant in Boston,
along with what was it in Javelli's and East Boston.
Those two places were just legendary.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Well, another good one, which again when we were at
this when I'd be working at the State House, was Denis.
We were around when Deani's right on on on Tremont Street.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
I might have been. Was that around in the eighties?
Speaker 2 (39:30):
Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, it was there for many many years,
and it was it was just it was a great
political restaurant. I mean, you know, you got you at
the Parker House and then Deni's and uh, you know,
now there's a whole different group of restaurants that have
come in. But what would you give as an overall rating, Mark,
(39:51):
I'm sure you've traveled to Boston as a restaurant town,
Greater Boston as a restaurant town. What sort of grades
would you give it. I'm sure New York is an
a because you can get anything you want in New York,
and Chicago probably has some great steak places. Wait is
Boston rank? And and you know, look, Washington has a
lot of great restaurants as well, but Boston rank do
(40:12):
you think?
Speaker 4 (40:14):
Well, I've been in Chicago Philly, Washington, Boston, San Francisco,
New York, Churs, Boston, and I give it. I'd say
a minus B plus. I mean, it's a really great
city for food, and it's it's gotten better in many ways.
It's also lost a little bits charmed with the Old
School restaurant's closing. So i'd say minus B plus is
a great city for food. I'll tell you though, Providence,
(40:37):
and I just wrote about a place for Providence. It
just went up tonight on NBC L Providence has an
incredible food town.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
So Hill's tough to be tough to beat. Federal Hill. Hey,
I got one more here, let's get one more under
the wire. Different community. Melvin in Roxbury, Melvin, we get
less than a minute. What can you do with it?
Speaker 6 (40:55):
Buddy Roll, Paul mod Dixon's Dona, the best fried Chicken,
the best Chittling's, the best hog Marks was the best
of all. Dad and Bob the chef.
Speaker 2 (41:07):
Yeah, I remember Bob the chef. Absolutely. Hey, Melvin, you've
never called me? Yeah, go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 6 (41:14):
I'm gonna here. Bob the Chef used to work for
Mob Dixon's at Shamattabb which he owned the place down
there and he stole all her recipes and he opened
up Bob the Chef at six oh four Columbus alf
At the True Story.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
Hey, Melvin, is this your first call the night side. Yes,
we got to give you a quick round of applause
our digital studio audience. Melvin, thank you so much for listening.
Thank you for calling. Talk again. Okay, thank you, right
back at you Melvin's thanks and Mark, this was a
fun hour. I really we we got to talk about
a lot of different locations. I really enjoyed the hour.
(41:50):
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did
and love to have you back at some point, you know,
maybe as we talk about summer dining.
Speaker 4 (41:56):
Okay, that was great. Yeah, definitely, summer dining would be
te rific with doutor patios. I would love to come
back and talk about that.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
Mark, I appreciate very much Friday Night. You have a
great guest. We had some great calls. This hour far
exceeded my expectations. Thank you, my friend. We got a
grab mine. Okay, thanks Mar and it's on me. Talk
to you later. Okay, here comes the eleven o'clock news.
It is the twentieth hour and We're going to change
the focus just a little bit. Okay, gonna give you
(42:26):
a chance to tell me what retail chain store do
you miss. I don't miss many, but there's a whole
bunch of them that have gone the way of all
good things. And let's talk about that in the next hour.
We will be back on Night's side right after this
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com