Boston Highlights Part II~Union Oyster House, Parish Cafe

Mike wanted his seafood fix again, so we checked out America's oldest restaurant, the "Union Oyster House."

We arrived at 5:30pm and tried to get a table in the restaurant for dinner, but since we were there on Memorial Day weekend, we would have to wait for at least two hours for dinner. We then decided to eat in the bar for quicker service. 
Mike ordered a cold seafood platter ($13.95) that included shrimp, raw oysters, and raw cherrystone clams.  He loves all kinds of seafood, so enjoyed the whole plate of fresh seafood to himself. 

I, on the other hand, like my seafood cooked. I opted for a bowl of clam chowder. 

Union Oyster House
41 Union Street
Boston, MA 02108-2494
(617) 227-2750

We finished off one of our days with lunch at the Parish Cafe, which is known for sandwich creations from many chefs from popular restaurants in Boston. This restaurant was also recommended by my friend.

We were really full from all the eating that we had been doing, so we shared a sandwich. Mike let me order the sandwich and I chose the "The Schlesinger" ($12.50) which was created by Chris Schlesinger from the East Coast Grille in Cambridge, MA. On our flight over to Boston, the guy sitting next to us recommended the "East Coast Grille" for it's eclectic menu. Since we didn't have a chance to make it to the original restaurant, I settled for a sandwich created by the owner.

The Schlesinger was eclectic indeed! It was composed of monterey jack cheese and smoked ham on top of a warm banana nut bread and served with mango chutney and pickled ginger red cabbage. When I first took a bite of this sandwich, my mouth and tongue were a bit confused. There was the salty taste from the ham and cheese, the sweet and sour taste of the chutney, the acidic/pickled taste of the slaw, and then the sweetness of the banana. Tack on this sensory overload to the assortment of textures that accompanied this dish (viscous chutney, gooey cheese, crunchy slaw, crumbly slightly dense bread). The sandwich was quite quirky, but the funny thing was that all these tastes and textures actually combined to make a sandwich that worked. I thought it was pretty good, but did not like it enough to order it again. It was one of those sandwiches that you like after the first few bites, and then after a while you realize you cannot stomach down the whole thing.
Parish Cafe
361 Boylston Ave.
Boston, MA 02116
(614) 247-4777