Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Breakfast & Sunday Brunch
Several top hotels serve Sunday brunch buffets of monstrous proportions—
outrageous displays that are outrageously expensive. They're worth the
investment for a special occasion, but you can have a less incapacitating
experience for considerably less money.
My top choice is in Cambridge: the
S&S Restaurant
(p. 138), a family-run
operation that never sends anyone away hungry. In Boston,
Charlie's Sand-
wich Shoppe,
429 Columbus Ave. (
&
617/536-7669
), is a longtime South End
favorite not far from the Back Bay—just the right distance to walk off some
blueberry-waffle calories—that's closed Sunday and doesn't accept credit
cards. The
Paramount,
44 Charles St., Beacon Hill (
&
617/720-1152;
www.
paramountboston.com), is a classic destination for eggs and a glimpse of the
real community behind the neighborhood's red-brick facade. At the
Centre
Street Café,
669 Centre St., Jamaica Plain (
&
617/524-9217;
www.centrest
cafe.com), locals tough out long weekend waits for strong coffee and deli-
cious specials made (when possible) with local and organic ingredients.
My favorite hotel buffet brunch is the manageable spread at
Intrigue,
in
the Boston Harbor Hotel, Rowes Wharf (
&
617/856-7744
), served on week-
ends from 7 to 11:30am. It costs $25 for adults, $13 for children—a steal
compared to the big boys. For them, make reservations (especially on holi-
days) but do
not
make elaborate dinner plans.
Aujourd'hui
(p. 125), in the
Four Seasons Hotel, 200 Boylston St. (
&
617/351-2037
), charges $65 for
adults, $32.50 for children; at
Café Fleuri,
in the Langham Hotel Boston, 250
Franklin St. (
&
617/956-8751
), adults pay $50, children $18.
Pizzeria Regina
PIZZA Regina's looks almost like a movie set, but look a lit-
tle closer—this local legend is the place the movie sets are trying to re-create. It's been
in business since 1926, and the only thing that's changed recently is the end of the
cash-only policy in 2008. As it has for decades, the line stretches up the street on busy
nights, but even at off hours, business is seldom slow. Locals often call for take-out; if
you borrow that tactic, though, you'll miss the full experience. Busy waitresses who
might call you “dear” weave through the boisterous dining room, shouting orders and
questions as they deliver peerless pizza steaming hot from the brick oven. (You can also
drop in for a slice, weekdays at lunch only.) Let it cool a little before you dig in. Nou-
veau ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes appear on the list of toppings, but that's
not authentic. House-made sausage, maybe some pepperoni, and a couple of beers—
now,
that's
authentic.
11
1
⁄
2
Thacher St.
&
617/227-0765.
www.pizzeriaregina.com. Reservations not accepted. Pizza $10-$17. AE, MC, V.
Mon-Thurs 11am-11:30pm; Fri-Sat 11am-midnight; Sun noon-11pm. T: Green or Orange Line to Haymarket.
5 Faneuil Hall Marketplace & the Financial District
EXPENSIVE
The national chain
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant
has a branch at
Faneuil Hall Marketplace in the North Market Building (
&
617/720-5522
).
