Boston, this one's for you

A lot of people want to know what I ate while in Boston recently. Here is a short list.

Boston:

Pizzeria Regina - old brick oven pizza, thin crust, in the North End. We found it on accident by following our noses off the Freedom Trail, but you should find it on purpose. Beers on tap. Homemade meatballs and sausage. Every waitress is Carla.

Ristorante Toscano - Beacon Hill. Higher-end Tuscan joint. I had a wood-grilled pork chop you could eat with a spoon. Watch out for the unpriced wines by the glass. Tuscan bread does not seem to have salt in it.

King & I - Beacon Hill. This is where you go to get the watery Thai curries and rotten fish you've been craving.

Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market - the greatest mall food court in the world, with about fifty different stalls serving regional cuisines. There's a guy shucking oysters and clams, there is a sullen man behind a pizza, there is a Pho place. I think they even have Portuguese food. I had a lobster roll the size of a spray-paint can. It's an historical tourist/school field trip destination, but don't let that dissuade you.

Cambridge:

Greenhouse Coffee Shop in Harvard Square - This is like a Denny's, but it is a fine place for a meal. They have those round, thick waffle-cut deep-fried cottage fries. Come and watch as families eat next to greasy pre-law students. You get the sense that Kurt Vonnegut has been there.

Allston:

Spike's Junkyard Dogs - a magnificent hot dog restaurant. On the side you can get either fries or "nachos," which are round chips with melted mozzarella and Hormel bean chili. There is a sink inside the actual restaurant by the tables, so you can wash your hands. I had the original "junkyard dog" with tomato, pepperoncini, scallions, ketchup, mustard, onion, relish (I think). It was on a soft roll, and way better than the nachos, which had softened into an unapproachable mass.

Redneck's - a cafeteria of deep-fried and sauced foods for the drinking times. I had the "bbq" chicken tenders which reminded me of chinese food.

Sunset Cantina - they had Hoegaarden on tap, Mako shark skewers, sweet potato fries with raspberry dipping sauce, and a lot of other Tex-Mex specialities that you can only find in New England.