Boston’s North End, ‘Little Italy’ - An Enjoyable Fall Dinner
Italian food is one of our absolute favorite types of cuisine. Boston’s North End was our go-to destination, when we lived in Boston. We moved away about two decades ago and only recently had the chance to return to the North End. This time, we were there with our boys who had never been and had only heard my husband and I reminisce. After our amazing time at the Laver Cup Tennis Tournament at TD Garden (future post to come), we headed to the North End for dinner. We could not have asked for a more perfect fall weather day. The walk along the man-made park (the ‘big dig’ was in full force when we moved away from Boston) was pretty with greenery. Seeing people sitting and enjoying the outdoors in the middle of the city was lovely.
Other folks had similar ideas, as the North End was packed with visitors when we got there. Besides the crowds, we noticed immediately how the city did a great job allowing restaurants and cafes to create patio seating by carving out parts of the streets in response to the pandemic. It took us some time to decide on the restaurant, since there was a line to get in anywhere. As we walked from one restaurant to the next, I remembered how I had enjoyed delicious meals in some of our old favorite places such as Giacomo’s, Trattoria Il Panino, and Pomodoro. While indoor seating was readily available, we waited an hour for an outdoor table at Cantina Italiana as we just missed the first seating during the prime dinner hour. With the extra time to spare, I was able to pop into a boutique shop a few doors down from the restaurant and bought myself a gorgeous grey leopard print scarf which came in handy. The warm fall day became a chilly fall evening and the scarf I had just purchased provided me warmth by the time we sat down at our table. Three of us ordered pasta dishes (and a glass of white wine for me) and each pasta dish was served in a beautiful skillet. One of our boys had gluten-free pasta with a salmon filet and sautéed spinach. With limited time, we chose not to get appetizers or desserts, which was a bummer. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our simple and delicious pasta meal, as well as people watching. We were hoping to grab some desserts to-go at another favorite spot, Mike’s Pastry, which was beloved by various past U.S. presidents. Sadly, there was a line wrapped around the street to get in and we had to forgo our plan. We look forward to another return to the North End and this time we won’t wait another twenty years!
