Sam LaGrassa's

One of the things we had planned to do while in Boston was the popular Freedom Trail.  It consists of significant historical sights and spots along a 2.5 mile stretch of Downtown Boston.  It is marked by a narrow brick line along the sidewalks it snakes down.  So it was only natural to eat lunch somewhere along the trail right?  That brought us to Sam LaGrassa's (self-proclaimed world's #1 sandwiches).  Featured on the Food Network, the place sports fresh made-to-order sammies with house-made ingredients.

With that in mind, Viv decided to try their Pastrami Corned Beef Combo as an unofficial comparison to the one we had at Carnegie Deli (yes, different city, we know).  Well, the one here won hands down.  The meats were better prepared in our opinion as the corned beef was buttery soft and well-spiced while the pastrami was even more flavourful.  The addition of Swiss Cheese, Russian dressing and tangy coleslaw added extra layers of Earthiness, salt, creaminess and zip.  On the other hand, the whole thing was wet which made the bottom slice of light rye disintegrate.  My son opted for the Chicken Parmigiana with marinara sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil.  This was decent with a soft chicken breast (a little too soft and the coating was mushy) smothered in a tangy sauce.  I would've liked to see more basil though.

For Costanza, he had the Triple Club featuring turkey, ham and Black Angus roast beef with bacon, Russian dressing, provolone, lettuce and tomato.  This was a massive offering which featured tender and meaty turkey, sweet and salty ham and tender buttery medium-rare roast beef.  Again, this ate a bit wet, but was good nonetheless.  For myself, I went for the Cuban with herb-crusted roast pork and honey glazed ham with chipotle mayo, monterey jack cheese and dill pickles grilled on an Italian Sesame Roll.  This was very substantial as the amount of meat was impressive.  I found the pork super tender and well-spiced and the amount of pickles really made them impactful.  The whole thing was not an actual Cubano, but was pretty good still.

Costanza's son tried to finish the Roast Beef Blues with horse radish, caramelized onions and crumbled blue cheese dressing.  He thought there was a touch too many onions as to which I completely agreed.  However, the onions were appealingly sweet while the blue cheese added a nice sharp creaminess.  Again, the roast beef was on point being medium-rare and tender.  So we were not sure that these were necessarily the best sammies we've ever had, but they were still very good.  Considering the price point and the massive portions, Sam LaGrassa's would be on my list of Freedom Trail lunch break options.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Large portions
- Tasty

The Bad:
- Some sandwiches were too wet
- Gets busy, may have a hard time finding a seat  

Bao Bao Bakery

Being located close to Boston's Chinatown while we were staying at the Hyatt Regency, it meant cheap breakfast!  For those who know, I'm referring to Chinese Bakery staples such as BBQ Pork Buns, Pineapple Buns and the sort.  Rather than spending $3.00 at McD's for a breakfast sammie or splurging on a gourmet one at Mike & Patty's for $4.50+, one can dine for $1.00.  Sure, it really isn't a one-to-one comparison, but hey, it does the job!  Hence, Costanza and I took the short stroll down to Bao Bao Bakery for some cheap eats.

We didn't have high expectations since we hail from Vancouver, which boasts some of the best Chinese eats around.  However, the buns from Bao Bao were actually quite serviceable.  Starting with the BBQ Pork Bun, it was substantial in size and the bun itself was not dry, yet a little dense.  It did have a touch of rebound to it though.  There was very little in the way of filling which was lean and more savory than sweet.  I ended up getting the Dried Pork Floss Bun which was actually quite good.  I got the crispy version which was the case on the outside.  The same dense bun was somewhat softened up by the sweet mayo concoction while the amount of pork floss added a balanced saltiness.

At first, I was not too anxious to pick up the Wiener Bun with corn, but it turned out to be okay.  The dough density was actually lighter due to the shape of the bun.  Each petal on the design featured a large section of meaty wiener (which seemed to be beef).  In the middle, there was a mayo corn mix that made things a bit wet and sweet.  On the topic of sweet, the Pineapple Custard Bun was as heavy as a brick.  This was due in part to the same bun density as well as a sweet custard filling and substantial sugary topping.  This was a sweet bun for sure and was rather cumbersome to eat.

Lastly, I decided to add a Deep Fried Glutinous Dumpling for kicks.  Costanza wanted to avoid it since it tends to be pretty greasy.  Yep and so it was as the napkin I was using to hold it became soaked with oil.  I still enjoyed it though as the exterior was crispy while the layer of glutinous rice flour was somewhat thick.  At the same time, it didn't eat heavy where the filling was a combination of ground pork and water-chestnuts. Okay, there were some shortcomings especially with the bun density, but for the price, these were some pretty solid buns (sorry for the pun).

The Good:
- Cheap
- I like big buns and cannot lie (and these were)

The Bad:
- A little dense   

Luke's Lobster

When we looked at the options for our journey from NYC to Boston, there were the usual forms including: rental car, bus and airplane.  However, the last and least likely in our minds was Amtrak.  After comparing time, comfort and price, we settled on taking the Northeast Regional up to Boston.  It was particularly even more attractive since our hotel in NYC was a block away from Penn Station and our hotel in Boston was a short 8-minute walk from South Station.  Arriving relaxed and refreshed, we quickly made our way for some lobster rolls at Luke's Lobster.

Yes, we were aware than they have locations everywhere including NYC (where we just arrived from).  However, we saved our visit to the one in Boston on Exeter Street.  Viv and I had only one thing on our minds and yes, it was kid-friendly...  with Noah's Ark consisting one each of a Shrimp Roll, Crab Roll and Lobster Roll (split in half to share).  Within the soft and nicely toasted buttered roll, the ingredients were plentiful and well-prepared.  I found the crab to be fluffy and full of moisture (not wet though) which meant there were no dry pieces.  There was a natural sweetness as well as an appealing brininess.  As for the lobster, I got big chunks of meat that had a firm rebound while still buttery.  Again, the meat was flavorful with a bounty of sweetness and a balancing amount of saltiness.  We also got 4 Jonah Crab Claws which were sweet and bouncy in texture.

My son had the Shrimp Roll and it was bursting with filling.  Unlike the version that contains mayo and some form of veg such as celery, this was all shrimp that was buttery and fresh.  I liked natural sweetness aided by the sprinkle of seasoning on top.  My daughter had to try the Clam Chowder and it was fantastic.  Briny and full of clam juice, the broth was flavorful and sweet.  It wasn't overly creamy, yet not light either.  There was a tonne of ingredients including tender potatoes and tender clams.

I had the Lobster Bisque which was more like a chowder due to the thickness and lack of smooth texture.  It was definitely lobster-tasting while trending towards the sweeter side.  I was shocked at the amount of large lobster pieces in the bisque.  They were buttery and nicely texture despite sitting in a broth.  Okay, I realize that Luke's is a "chain" but like I've said before, chain restaurants aren't necessarily bad.  This is the perfect example.  I would have no problem visiting it over and over again in different cities.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- On point seafood
- Casual and accessible

The Bad:
- Prices are definitely cheaper than others, but the rolls are a bit small (even the full-sized ones)

Lady M Confections

The backup plan.  The 2nd option.  How about the "if it is convenient only" we will visit spot?  Yes, Lady M Confections was definitely on our radar during our visit to NYC.  However, it wasn't anything that we had a pressing need to try, even though many have said so.  However, there we were at Rockerfeller Centre heading up to the Top of the Rock.  Low and behold, there was a location of Lady M staring right at us.  Costanza looked at me and I gave a return gaze.  A quick simultaneous nod meant we were gonna get some cake!

Of course we had to go for the standard, hence we picked up the classic Mille Crepe. It which featured tender layers that were discernible from each other.  Therefore, the cake ate as a whole, but not at the same time (if that makes any sense).  In between, the cream was light and sweet with an aromatic floral quality.  We thought the Passionfruit Mille Crepe was even better since the flavors were more impactful.  Furthermore, the tangy sweetness added a nice zing to the mild-tasting cake.  I'm not a big sweets guy, but I could've eaten a couple of these easy since they were pretty light.

The most surprising one was the Checkered Cake as it looked more novelty than actual function.  However, it was fluffy, light and only purposefully sweet with a gorgeous silky chocolate ganache on the outside.  Once again, this was ate a lot lighter than most cakes we've had. On the other hand, we didn't like the Cheesecake as much as it was dense (not the problem, I love dense cheesecake and it is NYC!) and a bit dry.  Hence, it was crumbly and stuck to the roof of my mouth.  It was also too mildly flavored as it was more floral than cheesy. Okay, it turns out that Lady M should've been elevated to a destination rather than merely an afterthought.  I need to put this on my list whenever I'm in a city that has a location.

The Good:
- Light and airy
- Sweet, but not terribly so
- Finely crafted

The Bad:
- Well, of course it ain't cheap
- Didn't like the texture of the cheesecake  

Chez Christophe

I'll get this out-of-the-way first - I have a personal bias when it comes to Christophe Bozon.  His passion and dedication in crafting quality products is unquestioned in my mind.  I got to know him before he opened his store in North Burnaby with his wife Jess, so I had confidence it was going to be a success.  Lo and behold, a few years afterwards, he moved across the street into a newer and bigger space that now sports actual tables so one can enjoy his wares right there comfortably.  Nora, Diana, Amy and myself recently visited Chez Christophe for some treats, but also to get a sneak peak at his holiday creations (which are available now).

Rather than going for the basic butter croissant, we had the Hazelnut Pain au Chocolate.  This featured a crispy exterior that produced plenty of shattering pieces.  Inside, there was a decent amount of buttery layers encasing a sweet and nutty filling.  The aromatic hazelnut added a more complex flavour than a regular pain au chocolate.  We also sampled their version of a Creme Salee made with brioche dough.  I found the bread portion of the tart to be on the denser side, but the creamy filling was sweet and silky.

Onto some patisserie, we were presented with the Paris-Brest featuring choux pastry with almond hazelnut praline buttercream and kalamansi gel.  This was light and airy with an equally light cream (relatively as it was buttercream).  It was aromatic and only purposefully sweet.  The tart gel provided a nice brightness.  Continuing with the same tartness, the Kalamansi Chocolate Tart sported a sweet zingy curd on 70% dark chocolate ganache all encased in a chocolate crust.  Again, there was a nice balance between tart, sweet and a light bitterness.

Moving onto some savoury items, we had the Croissant Sandwich with Irish ham, provolone, arugula and aioli.  Now this may not seem like anything mind-blowing, but it was a good croissanwich nonetheless.  This was mostly due to the crispy and buttery croissant itself.  That was good, but the Beef Brisket Multigrain Croissant was even better!  Slightly smoky, the tender and moist brisket was on point.  The garlic aioli was aromatic while the caramelized onions added a rich sweetness.  This was so good, I bought an extra one to take home for Viv to try!

Of course, we also sampled his wonderful Chocolates (that is really what he is known for) and Macarons.  I didn't actually eat any of these this time around since I was pretty full.  But from my many past experiences, these truly represent what Chez Christophe is all about.  Furthermore, his whimsical Christmas chocolate creations are available now for order.  But if those aren't your fancy, I'm confident you'll find something you'll like there.  In fact, I was truly surprised I enjoyed the sandwiches as much as I did.  Usually, these are available "just because" and are generally afterthoughts.  Not here, as I'm still thinking about my next brisket sandwich.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Quality crafted treats
- Surprisingly good sanwiches
- Now with actual tables for your eating pleasure

The Bad:
- On the higher end for North Burnaby, but well worth it