Opening Day at Fenway, Where do I eat?
Posted on Tue, Apr 07, 2009 @ 09:41 AM
The great thing about Opening Day being cancelled yesterday is that it gave me sometime to think about the best mid-level places to eat in the Fenway area. In addition to some tips on where to eat, I will also be providing some tips on what not to do and what not to eat upon visiting the Fenway area.
Opening Day Fenway 2009! The Tampa Bay Double A's are in town vs the hometown team. Please don't get me started on how the season ended last year. Blood still boiling.... Fists still pounding. ...Yes, I am still bitter!
Ok, so you come out of the T, get off the bus or just finish overpaying for parking in some shady lot around Fenway. Next question, where do we eat???!!!! or in some extreme cases, Where do we drink?
Here are some tips: First off do not show up 1hr or less than 1hr before first pitch. Rookie mistake. Secondly, plan to meet your friends at a time that is not on the hour or the 1/2 hour. In my freetime I study crowds and wait times and I have found it is best to show up at say 2:45 as opposed to 3pm for example. The reason being is that everyone meets up on the hour or 1/2 hour. Another rookie mistake!
Places to avoid prior to the game: Cask and Flagon, Boston Beerworks, Game On, and pretty much anything on Lansdowne street.
Places to frequent before the big game:
Audubon, http://www.auduboncircle.us/
Hidden Gem in my opinion, because it is located somewhat off the beaten path for most. They have a great draft beer selection and serve pitchers. For an appetizer, start with the pot stickers. For your main course, stick with the burger or if they ever bring back the jerky turkey sandwich, get that.
Lower Depths, http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-lower-depths-boston
Another somewhat hidden gem although right in Kenmore Sq. This place is owned by the same people that brought you Bukowski's. They have fenway franks for a buck that you can dress up with pretty much anything. Great draft beer and bottle selection. Try any of the sandwiches or the quesadillas. Be sure to bring cash as they are cash only.
Cambridge One, http://cambridge1.us/about.html
Another great place to hang out before the game. They have personal size pizzas that are very creative and are cooked up in minutes. Similar to their sister, Audobon, they have pitchers of beer. They also have a nice selection of TV's behind the bar so you can catch the pre-game show and the bartenders typically have their ipods hooked up to some good tunes. Bonus pts: my sister works here!
The Pour House, http://www.pourhouseboston.com/
This is probably my favorite place to frequent before a game due to the lack of crowds, large food portions coupled with low prices and "big beers"(may I suggest a Blue Moon?) I love their wings and also tend to stick with anything mexican with favorites being the chicken tacos and quesadillas. The steak tip combo is also very good if your are super hungry and want to get your fill on before sucking down multiple $8 beers at Fenway.
The Kenmore Square area has really come a long since the days of the Rathskellar aka "The Rat"(Aerosmith used to play there) and there are now some great trendy places to go when not attending to the Sox game. May I suggest Great Bay or Eastern Standard?
Enjoy the game and more importantly enjoy the food!
LETS GO RED SOX!
-Brian aka The Boston Food Critic