Redbones Making Boston a Barbecue Town!

Redbones Barbecue

55 Chester St.

Sommerville, MA 02144

When one thinks of barbecue, the city of Boston probably is not the first city you think of. Dallas, Kansas City, and Raleigh are probably most peoples go-to spots for BBQ, but when I was doing research on where to eat in Boston, there was one place that kept popping up, and that place was Redbones.

Redbones opened in 1987 and soon gained praise from locals and tourists alike. Located in Davis Square, just steps away from Tufts University, Redbones has won many awards for its down-home Southern-style food. They just recently won the readers pick for the best barbecue in Boston. They also stay open late and serve their full menu past midnight. This was a key, as we were coming from the Bruins game, and wanted to see if the food could match the hype.

We got to Redbones at about 10:30 on a Saturday night. The place was half packed, but there were definitely more people on the bar side of the restaurant. The vibe here is definitely southern with a laid back, comfortable feel to the place. The wait staff, including our waitress, had a hip, cool look to them. This is the kind of staff I could envision working at Tower Records when it was still open. I have never been to the deep south, but this is what I would expect a barbecue joint in Nashville to be like. Hopefully, the food would be just as good.

I always like when restaurants serve drinks in large glasses. Here they did just that but added a twist by serving drinks in large mason jars. The Corn Bread came with the meal and was just okay. I felt it was a little on the dry side, but I am not much of a cornbread guy.

To start our Redbones food adventure we chose the Fried Okra, which was served with salsa. The breading on this was the star of the show for me. Tasted great, and really enhanced the flavor of the okra. The okra was fine, but I was a little confused as to why they served this with salsa. It seemed odd, but I asked for and got some ranch dressing, and was much happier.

We will go over Katie's meal first. She went with the Pulled Chicken Sandwich. Chopped chicken, brown sugar, mustard, and spices, topped with pickles, onions, and slaw, combined to make a very flavorful sandwich. She really liked the contradiction of the sweetness of the sauce along with the tang of the pickles. The meat was tender and plentiful, and maybe because of the late hour or the fried okra, she did have trouble finishing this sandwich. This also came with beans and potato salad. The beans were pretty hearty. The potato salad was a hybrid between mashed potatoes and potato salad. Very unusual, but a good-tasting side dish.

I did what I usually do in a barbecue restaurant, order a combo plate of food, so I can sample as much as I can. This heap of meat is the Barbecue Belt. Consisting of Arkansas Pork Ribs, Texas Beef Ribs, Memphis Pork Spareribs, and Smoked Beef Brisket. Overall this carnivore's dream team was good, but some meats were better than others. The brisket was okay, but the pork ribs really were the best here. Very flavorful on their own, but when dipped in the sauces, they were made even better. They have four barbecue sauces here, sweet, mild, hot, and vinegar. The only one that we were not a fan of was the vinegar. I alternated between the rest, and the hot was definitely the best. The beef ribs had a great smokiness to them but lacked a lot of meat.

We came away from Redbones completely stuffed and satisfied. It was not the best barbecue we have had, but it was definitely above average, and unexpected in Boston. The service was very good, even at this late hour. We also felt the prices here were a great value. My half-ton of meat only set me back $20, and Katie's sandwich was $9. I wish we could have tried their pecan pie for dessert, but there was no way. The servings here were way too big. After eating at Redbones, we might have to add Boston to the list of great barbecue cities.

Out of five elephants, (because the mascot of nearby Tuft's University is Jumbo, an African elephant), five being best to zero being worst, Redbones Barbecue gets 3.5 elephants.

For more information on Redbones, click here: https://redbones.com/

Classic Diner Faire at Mike's

Mike's City Diner

1714 Washington

Boston, MA 02118

Sometimes when you are planning a trip you see places on a map, and think they are pretty close. Then you get to the city, and you find out that they are not as close as they seem. Once I got the lay of the land, I knew it was going to be a little bit of a journey to get from Cambridge to the South End, but I also had a feeling it was going to be worth the trip, and it was.

The object of our quest was Mike's City Diner. I had of course seen this place on the show Diner's, Drive Ins, and Dives. From the show I learned that this place is known for big servings and turkey dishes. Unfortunately, we were here on Saturday, and they only serve breakfast on weekends. So, no turkey dinner was coming my way, so I had to adjust my order.

We made it to Mike's at about noon. There was a line almost out the door. A very good sign that there was good food ahead.. This diner is run by a guy named Jay, who we had the pleasure of meeting while we were here. What a great guy, and he is very passionate about food. I knew his passion for food would lead to great things on our plates. Let's check out what they cooked up for us.

This picture does not do this Turkey Hash with 2 Eggs justice. The hash which was located under the eggs was great. Kind of had a stuffing feel to it, but without the bread. Very comforting taste, and when combined with the runny egg, it was made even better. Katie was very happy with this excellent comfort food.

I saw Emergency Room Breakfast on the menu, and of course I leaned toward it. With the ER breakfast you get two eggs, three bacon, home fries, and toast. All of these were cooked well, but were over shadowed by the pancakes above. At Mike's you can add fruit or chocolate to any pancakes for an extra $2. In my case I added both chocolate and bananas. The result was delicious. One of the best pancakes I have ever had. They tasted more like banana chocolate chip bread than pancakes. I was very happy with this breakfast.

Not only was I happy with the breakfast, but I was also very happy with Mike's Diner. The food was priced well here. My emergency room plate was just over $8, and Katie's hash and eggs was a steal at $7.50. Not only was the food great, but the service was great as well. Our waitress Victoria, was the ultimate diner waitress. She was bubbly, without being way over the top. Both her and Jay really made us feel like friends when we were leaving the diner. Well worth the trip, even from Cambridge.

Out of five saxophones, (because Bill Clinton has eaten here before, and he famously played the sax), five being best to zero being worst, Mike's City Diner gets 4 saxophones.

For more information on Mike's City Diner, click here: http://www.mikescitydiner.com/

Hitting the Target at the Red Arrow

Red Arrow Diner

61 Lowell St.

Manchester, NH 03101

When we were heading to Boston for a week's vacation, I knew that I had to find time to make a side trip to Manchester. Like leap year or the Olympics, the eyes of the US fall on the Granite state every four years. The New Hampshire primary starts the long race for the White House, and almost all of the presidential hopefuls eat at the Red Arrow Diner.

I had seen the Red Arrow on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. It has been around since 1922. At one time there were five Red Arrow Diners throughout Manchester, but now there are only two, (the other is located in Milford). In 1998, they were named one of the top ten diners in America, by USA Today. So needless to say I was pretty pumped to make the hour drive from Boston to this Manchester landmark.

We got to the Red Arrow at about two on a Friday afternoon. The diner was busy, but we took two seats at the counter. The Red Arrow is not a big place by any means. It is hard imagining camera crews, presidential nominees, and others all being in the small space at the same time. After a very warm welcome and a long perusing of the menu, this is what we ordered.

On the show Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives, this was one of the items that were featured, the American Chop Suey. This New England staple dish contains ground beef, tomatoes, seasoning, and elbow noodles. This was a very comforting and hearty meal. Katie really enjoyed this a lot. It was also served with a decent garlic toast.

I also wanted to try a classic, homey meal, so I went with the Meatloaf Dinner, served with real mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. The meatloaf here was really good. Very moist, and the brown gravy on top added flavor as well. Eating the mac and cheese made me feel like being wrapped in a warm blanket. The cheese sauce was rich and coated the noodles well. The real mashed potatoes were excellent, just like Mom makes. This was a very solid plate of food. Just like I was expecting here.

Also featured on the show was this Dina Finger. This homemade Twinkie is made on the premises and was sweeter than it's Hostess cousin. The cake part of this was very good. I was happy that we split this because it was very sweet.

Red Arrow Diner is what all other diners should strive to be. The menu is extensive, and I wish I could have had more time to explore the rest of it. The prices were not bad at all. My meatloaf was under $9, and the American chop suey was a steal at $7. We both left very stuffed and satisfied. Now we know why there are so many people running in the New Hampshire primary. My new theory is because all the candidates like eating at the Red Arrow.

Out of five ballots, (for obvious reasons), five being best to zero being worst, the Red Arrow Diner gets 4 ballots.

For more information on the Red Arrow Diner, click here: https://www.redarrowdiner.com/

Downing Donuts at Kane's

Kane's Donuts

120 Lincoln Avenue

Saugus, MA 01906

On our last trip to the east coast, we found the best doughnut I have had to date. That was at Doughnut Plant in New York City. On this trip, I was hoping to have similar success with another east coast donut favorite, Kane's. We rented a car, and on our way to New Hampshire, we stopped by to see what all the fuss was about, at this local favorite.

Kane's has been in business since 1955. In that time they have made quite a reputation for themselves. Bon Appetit has named them one of the top ten donut shops in the US. The show, "Donut Paradise", featured them as one of their top donut destinations. With all of this praise, I was getting very excited to see what they had to offer.

We arrived at about eleven on a Friday morning. There was not much around Kane's. They are located in a neighborhood, in what could have been a converted house. The crowd was dominated by seniors sipping coffee, gossiping, and eating donuts. The selection of donuts was pretty impressive, so it took us some time to decide what we wanted. The counter girl was very patient with us, and this is what we came up with.

One of my favorite donuts is a Cinnamon Crumb, and that was the case here as well. This donut was not greasy like the ones I am used to. It had more of a cake texture without being dry. The cinnamon was subdued, but still noticeable. I also enjoyed the size of this as well. Much bigger than the ones at home.

Chocolate Honey Dipped was the next one that we tried. This one was good as well. Not too heavy, but still flavorful, this was baked perfectly.

The donut parade rolls on with the Frosted Donut. This was like a Krispy Kreme, but better. It was lighter than most glazed donuts I have had. The donuts here really impressed me with their lightness, and the lack of grease, but the best one was coming up next.

This is what people come to Kane's for, the Coffee Rolls. This one was huge, as you can see compared to Katie's hand. They were out of the frosted ones when we got here, so we had to settle for the cinnamon one. I was not too upset about that. This was served to us in a cake box, and we did not even make a dent in this thing. The taste of this was very good. I can definitely see people serving this as breakfast over the holidays. It had a homey kind of feel to it. We carried it back with us on the subway and watched all of the Bostonians eyeball that thing. Well worth the trip.

Kane's Donuts was not as good as the Doughnut Plant, but it was pretty close. Next time we are there we will have to have the Boston Cream Pie donut, and the Nut Crunch looked promising as well. Who am I kidding, I will definitely just have to get a dozen assorted to sample them all. It was well worth renting the car.

Out of five Scrabble tiles, (because Saugus is home to a world record holder in the game Scrabble, holding records for highest game score and highest word score ever), five being best to zero being worst, Kane's Donuts gets 3.5 Scrabble tiles.

For more information on Kane's Donuts, click here: https://www.kanesdonuts.com/

Seafood of the Gods at Neptune Oyster?

Neptune Oyster 

63 Salem Street

Boston, MA 02113

When you are headed to New England for vacation, you definitely have to have lobster sometime during your stay. Like lots of people, I love lobster but do not have it as often as I like. One of the reasons being that I live on the west coast, and it is not readily available. The other reason, of course, is the expense. We were on vacation though, so we decided to splurge. We heard great things about Neptune Oyster, so that is where we headed.

Neptune Oyster is a very popular restaurant as we found out when we got there. It was an hour and a half wait when we got there at eight on a Thursday night. Since we had nothing else to do for the night, and I really wanted to eat here, we waited in the bar across the street. They got our phone number and gave us a call after about an hour.

Neptune is a very small restaurant, in the North End of Boston. A part of the city that is renowned for its Italian food. If you blink you are going to miss this place, it is that tiny. The tables are very close together, so it is easy to meet your neighbors. They do have an oyster bar, but we were here hunting for the crustacean known as the lobster.

Of course, man does not live by lobster alone, and up until this point of our trip, I had not had any Clam Chowder. I rectified that here. This is your classic New England chowder. It was really good and flavorful, but I would have liked this a little more on the creamy side. They were very plentiful with the clams here.

This classy looking appetizer was Katie's choice, a Buttermilk Johnnycake. I was a little shocked that Katie would order this, but it was really tasty. It is a buttermilk cake, with honey butter, smoked trout tartare on top of that, and then topped with Little Pearl caviar. We could have easily eaten three of these. The elements of this all combined in an unexpected way and the result was delicious. The smokiness of the trout, along with the sweet from the cake, and the saltiness of the caviar enlightened our senses. One of Katie's best choices on our trip.

Now on to what we came here for, lobster. We had lobster in the form of a Maine Lobster Roll. They serve two kinds of lobster rolls here. You will see mine next. Katie opted for the roll served hot, with just butter added. This sandwich definitely did not need to be dressed up more than that. This rich sandwich was overflowing with lobster. I actually liked this one better than mine.

My Maine Lobster Roll was not bad by any means, just different. I went with a cold roll and had the lobster dressed up with some mayo. This was another rich sandwich. It had a tuna fish sandwich feel to it, but with the buttery taste of the lobster. I liked the warmed lobster better, but by just a little bit.

Neptune Oyster was well worth the hour wait. Both Katie and I were glad that we chose to have our traditional New England seafood here. The service was nice and polite, the prices were very good for the amount of food we got. The lobster rolls were $25, but they really fill you up on the lobster. I am guessing there was a half a pound of meat or more on these sandwiches. Plus you get the bonus of not having to crack open the shells by getting the lobster this way. Glad we got our lobster fix here.

Out of five tridents, (because Neptune, the Roman god of water and the sea, held a trident), five being best to zero being worst, Neptune Oyster gets 4 tridents.

For more information on Neptune Oyster, click here: http://www.neptuneoyster.com/7cg19egpgi4o214bldvm8hyuc9icbe

Sandwich Heaven in Boston

Sam Lagrassa's

44 Province St. 

Boston, MA 02108

The west coast may have weather on its side, but the east coast definitely has sandwiches in its favor. Just as plastic surgeons dominate in LA, east coast cities have an equally good number of great delis.  So when we made the trek across country, I knew we would have the opportunity to have some excellent sandwiches on our journey. One stop I had planned out was Sam Lagrassa's.

Sam Lagrassa's has been around since 1968, and in that time they have gained quite a reputation as a great sandwich shop. They have changed names numerous times, but have had their current name since the mid 90's. I heard of them on-line, and also on Diners, Drive In's and Dives. I have had some good experiences with restaurants that have been on this show, and some real disappointments with others. I was really hoping this would be a great experience.

We got to Sam's at the odd time of 2 pm on a Thursday. Lucky for us we made it an hour before they closed, and as a bonus we missed the lunch rush, so there was plenty of seating. I can imagine this place getting packed for the lunch time. Ordering is done at the counter, kind of assembly line style. After getting through the line, this is what we came up with.

Starting us off was Katie's choice, the Jumbo Reuben. This is your classic Reuben sandwich with, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and corned beef, all on a pumpernickel. Katie felt the corned beef was great, and the condiments on this sandwich complimented the meat well. The meat was velvety smooth, and was definitely the star of this sandwich. She also liked the bread, because it was good tasting and held the sandwich together well. Very solid sandwich here.

When I was watching Diner's, Drive Ins and Dives, I saw them make this sandwich, and I knew I had to have one. The Chipotle Pastrami sandwich combined Cole slaw, pastrami, chipotle mustard, and Swiss cheese. Like the corned beef in the Reuben, the meat here was front and center. Spiced well, and sliced thin it really was great pastrami. I did not get as much flavor from the chipotle mustard as I would have liked, but it did not detract from my enjoyment of this sandwich too much. The Italian bread was very sturdy, and fresh, while the Cole slaw added a great texture to the sandwich. One of the best sandwiches I have had in a long while.


So, Guy Fieri did not steer me wrong this time. Sam Lagrassa's was every bit as good as it appeared on the show. The prices were not out of control crazy either. True, the sandwiches will run you $10 to $11, but they are on the big size, and the quality ingredients really make this a decent value. The restaurant was clean, and well run. They got the sandwiches out in a timely manner. If I lived in the area I would be very excited to explore their menu more. They have some great sounding sandwiches. Glad we made the trip across country, now I only wish Sam would open a franchise on the west coast.

Out of five cobblestones, (because some streets in this Beacon Hill area are paved with cobblestones), five being best to zero being worst, Sam Lagrassa's gets 3.5 cobblestones.

For more information on Sam Lagrassa's, click here:http://www.samlagrassas.com/index.php

Bakery + Sticky Buns = Deliciousness?

Flour Bakery + Cafe

190 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02139

When we are visiting a city, I do a lot of research on where to eat. I look up places on Yelp, Urbanspoon, and lots of web sites. I also always want to eat at places that have been on TV. That is how we came to find this place, Flour Bakery + Cafe.

Flour Bakery has been featured on the shows, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and Throwdown with Bobby Flay. In both shows they were touted for their Sticky Buns. In fact, in Throwdown, the sticky buns at Flour actually beat Bobby Flay's sticky buns. Owner/Pastry Chef Joanne Chang opened her first bakery in South Boston in 2000, and has since then added two more locations.

We arrived at the Cambridge location, just after nine on a Thursday morning . The cafe was full of people leisurely eating all assortments of baked goods and drinking coffee. The cafe definitely has a sleek and modern feel to it. This location is located right next to MIT, and the staff fit into the surroundings because they were all young, and college age. After approaching the large bakery case, it was a no-brainer what we would be ordering, so we sat down with our two sticky buns.

My first impressions of the Sticky Buns were that they looked good, but on TV they were drenched in the caramel sauce. These had a decent amount on them, but were not over the top like I had seen. These also could have been served warmer. These were lukewarm at best, and I wanted to try it so bad, I did not want to have them reheat it. The sticky bun was not overly sweet, had plenty of pecans and the bread was not as heavy as I was expecting. They were soft and delicious. Even without all of the caramel sauce on top, and the temperature issue, this was one of the best sticky buns we have had.

Glad we had seen this bakery on TV, but wish we had more time to explore more of the baked goods and sandwiches here. That is the problem when traveling, you only have such a limited time to find the best places to eat, and you only have one shot to order the right thing. Glad we got it right here.

Out of five beavers, (because Flour Bakery is located next to MIT, and their mascot is a beaver, also known as nature's engineers), five being best to zero being worst, Flour Bakery + Cafe gets 3 beavers.

For more information on Flour Bakery + Cafe, click here: http://www.flourbakery.com/index.php

Taking a Trip to Bartley's Burger Cottage

Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage

1246 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02138

I finally made it to Harvard! Okay, I am definitely not Ivy League material, but I just felt smarter even being around the 375-year-old school. The air around Harvard just exudes intelligence. So I knew I would make the right choice when it came to food around here. That is why I picked Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage.

Mr. B's has been around for 51 years. Their goal when they opened their doors was to serve the perfect burger to Harvard students. Soon after opening, they gained attention from the national and local press, and celebrities picked up on the great burgers here. Jackie Onassis, Bob Dylan, Katie Couric, and Adam Sandler have all swung by to eat here. Even now customers wait outside to grab a seat at this Cambridge Institution, so we wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

We got to Mr. Bartley's at about 8 on a Wednesday night. The place was jammed pack, but we grabbed a seat at the counter. Of course, being across the street from the college, this place had a very young feel to it, at a very rushed pace. The young servers were running around, picking up drink orders, ice cream orders, and of course plates of hamburgers. Sitting at the counter we had a front-row seat to all of this organized chaos. Let's see how our burgers came out.

We will start with my Viagra Burger. This burger was erected with blue cheese dressing, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. I really enjoyed this burger, but there could have been more dressing on this for my taste. Also, all of the bacon was clumped together, so it was not spread evenly throughout the burger. The meat was definitely the star of the show here. They use chuck, and it does make a flavorful burger. I opted to get the onion rings instead of the fries. I like a thicker cut of onion ring than these. They are a very simple onion ring, nothing I was wowed by.

Katie probably made her parents shutter when she ordered the Democrat Burger. This Reuben type burger came with grilled sauerkraut, Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese. Katie could not be more pleased with her burger. Eating this made her wonder why this is not on the menu at other burger places around the country. The bite that I had was very good. The condiments worked very well with the meat. It really was like eating a Reuben sandwich. We both liked the fries here better than the rings. The fries were salted and fried crisp.

Mr. Bartley's was all it was cracked up to be. I may have gotten the wrong burger, but there are so many more to choose from, that I am sure I could have no trouble finding one that I liked better. The restaurant itself was very cramped, and you will be eating very close to people that you do not know, but that is part of the charm of this place. The service was great. All of the servers were very focused and got the food out quick. Even as we were leaving close to nine o'clock, people were still coming in the door. I guess being this close to Harvard not only made me smarter but made them smart enough to eat here too.

Out of five Crimson, (the nickname of the 41 sports teams of Harvard), five being best to zero being worst, Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage gets 3.5 Crimson.

For more information on Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage, click here:https://www.mrbartley.com/

Stopping By Boston's Legendary Regina's

Pizzeria Regina

11.5 Thacher St.

Boston, MA 02113

After walking the Freedom Trail all day, we decided to treat ourselves to an early dinner. There was not really much doubt where we would be eating. I had wanted to try Pizzeria Regina ever since I saw them win a pizza battle on Food Network's, Food Feuds. On that show they beat Santarpio's Pizza. So needless to say I was very excited to give them a try.

Walking into Regina's was like stepping back in time. This is definitely an old school pizza joint. I half expected the Fonz, Laverne or Shirley to come around the corner at any minute. We hit Regina's at a good time. I have heard the stories of hour long waits, but we were eating at an odd time, 4 PM on a Wednesday, so we were sat right away.

Regina's has been around a long time. 85 years to be exact. Now on its third generation of owners, the Polcari family, they are still going strong. They now have 21 locations spread out across New England. Some of these locations are quick service establishments located in malls, some are full service Italian sit down restaurants, appropriately named Polcari's. We, however came to the original restaurant in the North End. After looking at the menu, this is what we came up with.

Katie went a little unconventional with her choice of pie, the Formagio Bianco. This white pizza combined four cheeses, mozzarella, pecorino Romano, ricotta, and Parmesan, along with a garlic sauce. Katie loved this pizza for a lot of reasons. She liked how the cheeses complimented the basil. She also was very fond of the thin crust here. The pizza was a little too mild for my taste, but we both agreed that the garlic sauce was good, but not too rich.

Not exactly the most flattering picture of the pizza from Regina's, but I really was rushed because I was so excited to try a slice. I should have waited though, because this pizza was served piping hot, and I almost burned all of my taste buds off. Luckily I had a few left over to taste the pizza. The crust here is really good. It held the toppings well, and let the cheese and toppings be the star of the show. I guess the brick oven is the way to cook pizza. The cheese was good and flavorful. The toppings were good, but not the best I have had. Combined though, this could be one of my top pizzas I have had in awhile.

I really enjoyed my time at Pizzeria Regina. The service was a little gruff, but mellowed while we were here. Even though the restaurant was old school, it really seemed clean and well run. Prices were not too bad for the pizzas we got. Glad we hit them at an off time, so we did not have to wait an hour or two to eat. The pizza gave us enough energy to finish off the Freedom Trail.

Out of five silversmith's, (because Paul Revere, was a famous silversmith, and from the North End of Boston where Regina's is located), five being best to zero being worst, Pizzeria Regina gets 3.5 silversmiths.

For more information on Pizzeria Regina, click here: http://www.pizzeriaregina.com/

Detouring Off the Freedom Trail to Mike's Pastry

Mike's Pastry

300 Hanover St. 

Boston, MA 02113

What better way to spend our very first full day in Boston, than walking the Freedom Trail and making a quick stop at Mike's Pastry. Before we left for Boston, everyone told me that I had to stop at the venerable pastry shop in the North End. I heard over and over, "best cannoli in the US". With all this praise, it definitely had a lot to live up to.

We got to Mike's at about 3 on a Wednesday afternoon, and the place had a constant stream of customers throughout our stay. The long lines that I expected never materialized, we ordered and had our cannoli's within three minutes of walking in the place. The bakery case was a little overwhelming because I wanted to try almost everything. But, I knew we would be eating again soon, so I limited myself to the thing I came here for a cannoli.

Katie wanted the signature item at Mike's and went with a Hazelnut Cannoli. She called this the best cannoli she has ever had. The hazelnut flavor was a little subdued, but present. The flaky outer shell had a great texture and could be cut with our plastic forks.

The Chocolate Chip Cannoli was my choice. I will admit to not being a cannoli connoisseur, but this was really good. The filling was smooth, while the crispy outer shell added texture and a nice crunch. The chocolate chips were a good addition to help vary the taste of the filing. I agree with Katie, this is the best cannoli I have ever had, although I have not had too many.

Mike's Pastry was all it was said to be. I did want to try one of their Boston cream pies, but they were not selling them by the slice that afternoon. I did not learn about Mike's rival, (Modern Pastry),  in the cannoli wars until I got back from our trip, but I will have to give them a try on our next trip. Also, on our next trip, I will have to save more room for other treats at this upscale east coast bakery.

Out of five bricks, (because this place was steps from the Freedom Trail, which is paved with red bricks), five being best to zero being worst, Mike's Pastry gets 3 bricks.

For more information on Mike's Pastry, click here: https://www.mikespastry.com/

Warning, Icy Conditions Ahead!

Christina's Homemade Ice Cream

1255 Cambridge St. 

Cambridge, MA 02139

Sometimes you just get lucky. Like when you are running out of gas, and they just happen to be a gas station where you can fill up. Or maybe you are late for class, and when you get there you find out that the class was canceled anyways. Finding Christina's Ice Cream was just like these examples. After eating at the All-Star Sandwich Bar next door, we really needed something to cool down our taste buds, and lucky for us we were steered right to Christina's.  

Christina's has been around since 1983. We arrived at 9 on a Tuesday night and were met by a line that almost reached the door. Thankfully this gave us enough time to decide on what flavors we were going to get. The list of flavors was almost as long as the line. They feature fifty flavors at a time. Take that Baskin-Robbins! Flavors range from the mundane Chocolate and Vanilla to the crazy, Avocado, Lavender, or Liquorice. Not wanting to get that crazy, this is what we got when it was our turn in line.

Katie tried the Malted Chocolate and the Butter Almond. She called the malted chocolate, "delicious and very creamy". The butter almond was not as rich as she expected, and she was also happy they did not overload the ice cream with almonds. The ice cream should really be the star of the show, and the extra bits supporting players. That was the case here. 

I did not get really crazy with my picks either. Peanut Butter Chocolate and Carrot Cake. My favorite flavor of ice cream is peanut butter and chocolate, and this one was good, but it was missing something, hunks of peanut butter. I definitely got the peanut butter flavor, but it was too subtle for me. The carrot cake ice cream, on the other hand, was fantastic. Both Katie and I felt this was the best of the bunch. The flavor was dead on, all it needed was some cream cheese icing and it would have been exactly like a carrot cake. Good stuff.

Christina's is a good ice cream spot. They rotate flavors in and out, so you could never get bored. The line, even though it was long, went really quick. The guys working behind the counter got to everyone real fast. While eating our ice cream here, we noticed that they have a local artist wall. I imagine this place getting packed in the summer, especially since they only have four tables. It was lucky we stumbled upon this place, but we felt even luckier after eating here. 

Out of five squares, (because the city of Cambridge has lots of intersections called squares, and not because the people there are boring), five being best to zero being worst, Christina's Homemade Ice Cream gets 3 squares.  

For more information on Christina's, click here: http://christinasicecream.com/