Who's Your Audience

Thus ensues Part 2 of our trip to Beantown.

Hubby and I decided to not worry about our waistlines and just eat whatever tickled our fancy this anniversary. We ate at quite a few establishments. There were a few notables, however, and these will be given their fair due.

Union Oyster House--A Definite YES!



If you don't go anywhere else to eat in Boston, at the very least make an effort to dine at the Union Oyster House. It's one of the oldest landmarks in Boston, having stood on Union Street for about 250 years. At my parents' suggestion, we made reservations for 7:00 p.m. on Friday evening. This was to be our official out of town anniversary dinner. We announced our arrival them went up to the bar to have a drink. About 15 minutes into the drink, our name was called. We were taken up to the second floor and sat in a room that looked like Red Lobster on steroids. Historical paintings lined the wall and the decor was in period.

The menu choices consisted of oysters, oysters, oysters...oh, and did I mention oysters? There was also lobster, shrimp, scallops, salmon, swordfish, haddock, and more! As we had decided no holds barred on diet for this trip, Hubby and I started with the house sampler, which consisted of shrimp scampi, clams, and oysters served with cold horseradish. This whet our whistle but we had worked up an appetite! It was difficult to choose from the vast amount of items but after discussion with our waitress, Tegan, we both settled on lobster. I chose the Union Special Lobster, a medium baked lobster lined with seafood stuffing. Hubby selected the American Bouillabaisse with lobster, steamers, mussels, shrimp, fish, littlenecks and scallops poached in a seasoned broth, served with garlic bread. So Tegan forgot the garlic bread. We really didn't miss it. As you can see from the picture below, we ate the whole darned meal!



After dinner, I ordered another glass of shiraz and Hubby ordered the cheesecake with strawberries. We were quite stuffed but that didn't deter us from heading to the bar for a nice glass of sambuca to finish off the evening. It was quite a hedonistic display but we walked it off the next day in Salem.

In a Pig's Eye--Quaintly Delivers

This little find is right on the main drag of Salem within a half mile of the Salem Ferry drop-off point. The menu touted Mexican fare, quiche, and other niceties but we both zeroed in on the fish cakes. They were delightful! Each plate contained two five-inch fish patties with so many french fries there's no way you could eat them all if you're a girl! Well, I did. But I gave half of a fish cake to Hubby. The Grateful Dead quietly played in the background and voices of the locals carried over from the bar. It was a relaxing time with friendly staff and the kind of food you would expect from a local mom and pop establishment.

Capts. Waterfront Grill & Club--Don't Even Bother!

At the end of our day trip to Salem, Hubby and I were quite famished. We had planned on eating at Finz, however, the wait was over an hour. We tried another establishment...same deal. When we entered Capts. Waterfront Grill & Club, we were ushered right in. That is, after we stood behind a family of five and watched the manager have a melt down about how he was going to get everyone seated and fed.

We made our way to the table and actually took a breath of relief as the view was lovely and the atmosphere was seemingly relaxed and upscale. I ordered a glass of wine and Hubby, of course, ordered a Guinness. When our waiter came to the table, I asked him what he would recommend. He immediately touted the tuna, stating it had been caught fresh and would be best rare. I took his recommendation and added a salad.

The salad came with no consequence. The bleu cheese was creamy and flavorful. The salad itself had a nice presentation. The tuna, however, was another story. I am an afficianado of rare tuna. In fact, rare is the only way to eat tuna. This tuna was not rare. It had a greyish appearance. The rice was a sticky hard lump and the mixed vegetables looked like they were leftovers from the day before. I took a couple of bites of the tuna and pushed it away. The waiter showed up and asked me how I liked the tuna. I told him "not so much." He promptly took it away and asked if I would like a bowl of chowder. Satisfied that my hunger would be satiated, I agreed. He immediately brought the chowder but, upon tasting it, found it no different than a can of Campbell's. Although I was aggravated, I didn't mind so much knowing that it wasn't the waiter's fault and he did make amends. That is, until we got the bill. We were indeed charged for the tuna. Now, normally I would complain but I decided not to for some strange unknown reason. I wish I had.

That evening, I had to run to the bathroom at least twice with stomach cramps. The next day—which was our last in Boston—was spent walking from bathroom to bathroom so I could relieve the pain in my colon. I believe the waiter's name was Sam and the diarrhea I bought from him cost a cool $100.