9lives

Here's my photoset. I thought it was a great pizza. I like mine well done..little char on the crust. http://flickr.com/photos/61246842@N00/sets...57605061314317/

Restaurants..all the above are good choices..especially like Khao Sarn and Bok Bua..a close second with BYO..few more: Beacon Hill..lunch or dinner..Grotto (Italian)and Pierrot. (French)..nicer sit down..mid priced Artu...good roast pork or lamb w eggplant, rotisserie chicken. I like Figs for pizza..but a lot of peole will disagree Splurge meal...#9 Park St..Clio/Uni..back bay North End..Neptune Oyster is a favorite..don't miss the hot, buttered lobster rol; also Daily Catch for Sicilian seafood Szechuan Garden in Brookline Villlage is very good. Anise in Cambridge...Szechuan Mulan in Cambridge..Taiwanese Tamarind Bay..Harvard Sq..Indian Vietnamese..Xinh Xinh or Dong Khan in Chinatown..Anh Hong in Dorchester Pizzeria Regina..North End original only..best traditional pizza in Boston proper(Santarpios in East Boston is right up there too) Enjoy!

In Newton, think it's De Pasquale's...great sausages Here are some of my other favorite shopping places.. North End..I like Sulmona or Susi for a butcher..Alba for produce, Salumeria Italiana for cold cuts, cheese,bread Charles St..Savenors..great butcher..pricy Newton Ctr..Dewar's great butcher but also pricy James Hook downtown for seafood..or Wulf's in Brookline (slipped a little lately, Capt Marden's Fromaggio..South End or Cambridge..cheese and cold cuts, bread. That should be a good start

Teatro is a lively Italian place right near your hotel. It's run by the same group as the Fed and Mistral. Can get crowded and noisy, but very good food.

Lee's? ← Holly? 9lives? Anyone? ← yeah, i think it is lee's. i'll try to take a ride up there this week to confirm ← I was in Gloucester last week...It's Lee's.

Pizzeria North End is great..and might be the best bet. Be sure to go to the original in the North End. I also love Santarpio's but it's a Blue Line ride away. I don't care for Ernesto's though others like it...not much seating for 8. Another option is Antico Forno. They do good wood grilled pizzas..as well as a varied menu. Fairly reasonable and everything is good; particularly things cooked in the wood oven. Reasonably priced red sauce, I like Artu. They also make a sliced lamb or pork / eggplant sandwich that's great. Not sure if they're doing pizza.

"Sulmona or Abruzzi (and argued over who was better), bought their fish from Frank Guiffre, and their two-fer Italian red wines at Martinietti. All of these fantastic shops and restaurants (except Umberto's and Polcari) are tiny but vibrant and all are on about a three block circuit." You'll be glaad to know these places are all still thriving. Dom is still at Sulmona and his son is there too. Frank occassionally shows up at Guiffre's but it's run by his son John. Ralph and John are still at Umberto's...and I think live above the original Umberto's on Parmenter. Alba and Polcari's have changed hands but I think they were sold to former employees and retain the charm and service they've had for years. Salumeria Italiana is still in the Martignetti family..and son Guy has basically taken over..though the elders are often there. The fancy new gelato place is owned by Frank DePasquale. He started with Il Panino..maybe early 80's..which was basically a sub shop on the ground floor...and table service in the basement. It was remarkably good. He now has a mini empire which includes Bricco and Mare...2 high end places, Umbra..a high end place in the financial district..I think all of his restaurants are very good but I still go the original Il Panino more than any of the others.

Made it over today..suan la show, chicken with dun dun noodles and yo siang pork. All great. A dish I didn't order but I remember as liking was "bon bon chicken"..a cold spicy dish. Dessert was at Toscanini's Ice Cream..across the street and a few doors south..perfect way to end a Mary Chungs lunch. Their burnt caramel is a real highlight.

Anything "yu shiang" is great too.. shrimp, pork, eggplant. I may to run over there this later this week. Neptune tomorrow

The Brookline DC has been closed for at least a few months. I feel like the Daily Catch historian

That's the same as my rec re Union. The only Summer Shack I've been to is at the new terminal A..Logan/Delta, and I thoroughly enjoyed it...good, fresh raw bar and well prepared fried clams. I sometimes make travel plans around being able to stop there. Better than the Legal's in A or B...which aren't bad options either

While Daily Catch is known as an Italian seafood place, they also do very good plain broiled or fried fish..posted about below The North End is the original, a little cramped but fun..he could wander the North End after. The Courthouse branch has better parking and a nice harbor view. I personally prefer the original; but if your father is elderly, he might be more comfortable at the courthouse. For a pub type spot, Sail Loft on Atlantic has good fresh seafood..casual, bar atmosphere with harbor view. I don't recommend Union Oyster House...except for the downstairs raw bar. I still enjoy No Name; but I think I'm in the minority. A lot of people feel it's slipped; so maybe I'm just lucky. The fishermen used to go there and still may; but it draws a lot of tourists now..no frills...fresh fish and shellfish broiled or fried. I always order the same thing, fish chowder...milk based and even detractors of No Name like this. then the fried clam roll or plate and Ms 9 gets the broiled haddock. I like Barking Crab...especially for an out of towner. Unfortunately the food is not always as good as some of the others..but the spot is great.

The original on Hanover is unchanged from 1981..and still great. Not to nit pick, but just an FYI, the Court House branch is only a few years old. The Court House itself is only about 5 years old. Daily Catch did have a branch in the area since 1985..across from Jimmy's Harborside in the block that is now the seaport Hotel.It was quite a bit larger than the NE branch and had easy parking...unlike Hanover. It was great spot to bring larger groups. Great pics! I'm long overdue for another visit.

Tacqueria Cancun in East Boston is good. There are quite a few places in E Boston... Columbian, Salvadorean, Mexican and Peruvian. E Boston is a real treasure chest of Latino cuisines. In downtown Boston, I really like Burrito Express..It was owned by Tacqueria Cancun but is now independent. I had a chorizo and pork taco the other day. Both were superb. It's mostly takeout..few tables..on a side street between Macy's and Chinatown..86 Bedford St..breakfast/lunch only

The new operators at Straight Wharf are Gabriel Frasca...formerly of Spire in the 90 Hotel in Boston and his SO (maybe wife?..not sure) Amanda Lydon..who was previously at Hasty Pudding and has worked at a number of high end restaurants..Radius, Truc and Chez Henri. I've eaten their food at a couple of places and I'd say Straight Wharf is in good hands. They're both excellent chefs.