Chow Down in Boston Harbor
After surviving the high seas on the whale watching expedition out of Boston Harbor I was ready to eat dinner. I never cook while I am on vacation, I try to have three meals a day, and I do not let price deter me from trying something new or unique. I also like to go to local spots. If it is good for the locals, it is good for my consumption. It helps me to immerse myself in vacation mode. Knowing where to go to eat and what dishes to try can prove to be a very stressful experience when on vacation.
Use the tools around you to your advantage. Inquire at the front desk or with your concierge about places to go for breakfast, lunch or dinner. When you speak to a hotel representative, be as specific as possible. Do not ask “Do you know any good places to eat around here?” or “So what is good around here”? The concierge will plug places that have a relationship with the hotel or hot tourist attractions where the concierge sends all of their guests. Your request should include atmosphere, type of cuisine, and distance from the hotel. On this particular night I was in the mood for seafood. I am not sure if this was in response to whale watching earlier in the day but I wanted reasonably priced seafood, in close proximity to the hotel, and I did not want to wait for a table. So when I approached the concierge desk I said “Hi, I am looking for a seafood restaurant for dinner tonight that is not far from the hotel with an upbeat and comfortable vibe. Without hesitation the concierge said “Legal Seafood”.
At first I was discouraged by the concierge’s answer because I always thought of Legal Seafood as a rich man’s Red Lobster. Despite being a chain the food is delicious, fast and worth the price. What made the place even more attractive to me was the proximity to the hotel (Boston Harbor Hotel). I got the Fisherman’s Platter which had all of my favorites: shrimp, scallops, calamari, clams, and white fish. Karen boldly ordered the lobster. She has ordered lobster before but she has never broken one down before on her own. I never order lobster in restaurants because I do not want to deal with extracting all of the meat. Getting all the meat out of a lobster is like a part time job and afterwards my hands are filthy and I am exhausted. However, I am a nice guy and we were on vacation so I broke down her lobster for her and taught her how to do it moving forward.
When breaking down a lobster you should make precise attacks with grace never damaging the meat. I began by separating the tale from the body by holding the head, grabbing the take and twisting it off. Then I used my thumbs to crack the middle of the tail and pushed/pulled all of the meat out. Next I worked on the claw which is my favorite part of the lobster because how easily I can extract the meat and the quality of the meat. The key to getting all the meat out of the claw is to break the knuckle off and then snapping off the small thumb. Next, I moved on to the heart of the claw. I used the claw cracker on the center of the claw and then broke it in half dumping the meat in the middle of the plate. Now it was time for Karen to take over. I gave her the knuckles and instructed her to crack them with the crackers and then use a knife to push the meat out. It was a lot of work but worth but worth every second. After dinner we went back to the hotel, had some cocktails at the hotel bar and then went to bed.
Use the concierge desk to your advantage. When you are in need of places to go or things to do check with the hotel staff first because they will help you identify what the city has to offer you. If you visit Amsterdam, smoke weed and drink absinthe. If you go to New Orleans, drink the Bourbon Street Kool-Aid and eat crawfish. When you are in Boston deep dive into lobster, shrimp, clams and oysters. Most establishments get their products right out of the harbor so the seafood is delicious and well worth the price. Even franchises like Legal Seafood can over deliver.