The Sol Compass

by Caitlin Hummer

Tag Archives: restaurants


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Boston Concert Guide

To say that I love concerts is a bit of an understatement.  Ever since I turned 18, I’ve gone to (on average) one concert a month.  It’s sort of weird now, since I tend to be one of the oldest people at the concert (save for a few parental chaperones), but I truly believe that live music can heal in a way most things can’t.

Something that I get asked a lot by my friends is where they should eat before a concert.  While food is my top priority, proximity is a close second.  I always try to keep the food bill (before beverages, taxes, and tip) under $20, so the recommendations you’ll see here are all in that ballpark (though, rarely, slightly over).  Every single restaurant here is someplace I would willingly go to again, and not just mentioned out of sheer convenience.  Music may rival my love for food, but it certainly won’t encourage me to eat whatever garbage chicken fingers are being served inside.

After visiting every venue on this list, I have pretty strong opinions as to which is the best/worst.

Venue: House of Blues.
Restaurant: Sweet Cheeks BBQ.
The House of Blues is far and away my favorite venue in Boston.  The acoustics are great, the bars and aisles around the sides are distinct enough to allow a constant flow, and they keep prices for their tickets consistently affordable (I generally expect to spend less than $40).  It also has the added bonus of being widely accessible from anywhere, whether you are looking for affordable parking (good luck finding a $10 parking spot near the Garden the night of your concert) or just take the green line into the Kenmore Station.

To sweeten the deal, a quick walk away from the House of Blues is my favorite barbecue spot in New England, Sweet Cheeks!  B and I will usually split a tray (one meat choice, one hot side and one cold side) and then get a big bucket of the biscuits – they are absolutely to die for!

Venue: The Sinclair
Restaurant: Cambridge, 1
The Sinclair sneaks in barely behind House of Blues for my favorite venue.  I’ve seen some amazing shows here, but while the intimacy of The Sinclair is hard to match, I think truly great artists can shine a bit more at the House of Blues.  Harvard Square may be evolving away from its former quirky glory that I remember it most fondly by, but The Sinclair is thriving as always.  An obvious choice is to eat at the kitchen at The Sinclair, but it can get pretty busy during the pre-show rush, so I prefer to walk down Church Street to Cambridge, 1. They have a great wooden interior, clean but sultry vibes when the sun goes down, and really great, innovative pizza pies.

Venue: The Red Room at Cafe 939
Restaurant: Trident Booksellers & Cafe

Cafe 939 is a totally unique venue in that it’s actually run by students at Berklee College of Music.  The business students are tasked with booking artists for the venue, and seniors have their performance recitals here as well.  I saw Rachel Platten and A Great Big World here back in 2011 before either of them had made it big, and it was such a great experience.  It’s a small and cozy venue, with great acoustics and a friendly, engaging atmosphere.  Pop over to Newbury Street before hand to grab a bite to eat at Trident, which is totally different than my old go-to for Cafe 939, the since closed Cactus Club.  Trident is a favorite shop of mine, thanks to their friendly and helpful environment, plus being one of the only independent bookstores left.  If you can find your way out of the shelves, they serve breakfast and sandwiches all day long.

Venue: Agganis Arena
Restaurant: Otto

Agganis is my favorite arena sized concert venue.  It’s more intimate than the Garden, and with better acoustics.  I saw Macklemore and Halsey within two months of each other there, and they were my two favorite concerts of that summer.  Comm Ave is full of places you could eat at, but I’d recommend going to Otto for their thin crust pizza.  Right across the street and on the same block as Agganis, the location can’t be beat.  The interior of this one is my favorite of all their locations – bright white walls, wooden tables and bar, an outdoor patio, and a wall of basil right as you walk in.  They do pizza by the slice or whole pies, and they also have gluten free crust available!  It’s also important to note that they have an extensive craft beer and wine selection available, in case you want to get the party started a little early.

Venue: Great Scott
Restaurant: Roxy’s Grilled Cheese

My sister and I saw Matt Hires (one of my all-time favorite musicians) and Alex Dezen play the coolest joint set here, and they mingled around the audience before and after the show. Since Great Scott has a very laid back vibe, I like to kick off the night with some equally low key (but delicious) grilled cheese over at Roxy’s brick and mortar destination (the food truck can frequently be found at the Greenway, Downtown, or Harvard Square!)

Venue: Brighton Music Hall
Restaurant: Lone Star Taco Bar

Brighton Music Hall to me is a better version of Paradise Rock Club.  It’s less than a mile down the street, has no poles blocking your view (see below) and has a set up that makes it very easy to get to the bathroom, bar, or merch table.  Lone Star Taco Bar is the perfect place to get your Mexican fix beforehand, with $4 tacos every day of the week, not just on Taco Tuesday!  Their servers are amazing, and all the ingredients are fresh.  For the price you just cannot beat it, but it is very small and pretty popular, so try to get here as early as you can.

Venue: TD Garden
Restaurant: Finch
As far as concerts go, the Garden is a 0 on the -5 to 5 scale.  That energy I felt when Paul Pierce returned for his last game and played under Larry Bird’s number, the eery feeling of history being made in front of your eyes just doesn’t translate to concert performances.  The acoustics aren’t great, and the upper deck can be hard to dance around without feeling like you’re going to fall off.  That being said, bigger acts aren’t going to stop at the smaller venues, and some concerts I’ve seen here have been truly great in spite of the circumstances.
Around the corner from the Garden, inside of the Boxer Hotel, is Finch, where American fares on the lighter side are paired with specialty cocktails.  The interior falls somewhere between vintage and farmhouse, which strikes a much more elegant balance than one might expect.  Finding a meal at a nice restaurant in the West or North End can seem budget breaking, but Finch really slides in at a palatable price point.

Venue: Gillette Stadium
Restaurant: Tavolino
I don’t personally love going to concerts at Gillette, if only because the traffic on Route One after an event is my own personal kind of hell.  I would absolutely make an exception to go back if The Boss decided to do another stadium tour (…please?!)  At any rate, the other 66,000 people attending are also trying to get food in Patriot Place before the concert, which can make it frustrating, if not impossible, to fuel up.  Tavolino has done a great job capitalizing on the lack of restaurant seats available, and set up a “To Go” station on the sidewalk outside for pizza.  You’ll still have a wait, but it will be tremendously shorter than waiting for a table and sit down service, guaranteed.  (Celiac friends: since they didn’t have any gluten free pizzas ready outside, they walked my sister inside and let her order a GF pizza at the bar to go!)

Venue: Paradise Rock Club
Restaurant: Mei Mei
I decidedly do not love going to shows at Paradise, which garners a lot of scorn from my fellow concert lovers (and boyfriend, for that matter).  The low ceilings can induce a bit of claustrophobia, and the unsightly poles block the line of sight for the entire back half of the theater. They also hosted U2 one time back before I was born and they will never let anyone forget it.  B loves the intimacy of the small venue and its location, being right off the T and near plenty of food and bar options.  It’s also a sort of institution in Boston, the kind of place that you grow up going to.  Some artists I love, including but not limited to Wrabel and Cigarettes After Sex, have made stops on tour to Paradise though, so I will continue going back for worthwhile performances.  Luckily, Mei Mei– my food spot of choice- is also a very enticing reason to head to Paradise. Another food truck that amassed a huge following, Mei Mei’s small, but open restaurant serves up the most drool-worthy dumplings, amongst other Asian Fusion choices.

Venue: Fenway Park
Restaurant: Tiger Mama
There, I said it.  Fenway Park is the worst concert venue in Boston.  It’s great for baseball games, but absolutely terrible for concerts (which is good, since it was actually built for baseball games…)  I’d really only go for people I desperately wanted to see (i.e. Lady Gaga, who had been on my list for years).  It’s also a great reason to go to Tiger Mama.  Right down the street from its sister restaurant Sweet Cheeks, Tiffany Faison’s Southeast Asian outpost never disappoints.  They did an amazing job on the interior, and it feels as authentic and transporting as you could ever dream.  I love going family style here, and sharing a bunch of items because they are all way too good to pass up.

Bonus: some concert venues around New England!

Venue: Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
Restaurant: Red Fez
Now named the Strand Ballroom, I guess I’m a little old fashioned because I love all the history that the name Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel holds.  They’ve held court for my beloved Colony House, among many others.  My friend Erick never steers me wrong for recommendations in Providence, so hats off to him for introducing me to the nearby Red Fez.  If you aren’t in the mood for something too heavy, its perfect for bar snacks or tacos before the show.

Venue: Maine State Pier
Restaurant: Flatbread Company
B and I really love Portland, so I frequently check in on their concert lineups just in case there’s a great show that we could take a night away to go see.  The Maine State Pier is home to many waterfront shows during the summer months, and is about everything you might expect from an outdoor venue.  Just steps away is a location of Flatbread, which I will gladly go to any time, any place, for their (wait for it…) flatbread pizzas.

Venue: Port City Music Hall
Restaurant: Duck Fat
A small venue with great sound quality is pretty much a one way ticket to my heart, as far as concert halls go.  Port City strikes an amazing balance between retro vibes, and actually looking clean, somehow.  It has the nice added bonus of being within walking distance from Duck Fat, which is possibly my greatest weakness as far as greasy food goes.

Venue: Mohegan Sun
Restaurant: Frank Pepe’s

I’ve never had a bad show experience at the Mohegan Arena (if you don’t count the brutal hour that I had to listen to Colbie Caillatt open for Christina Perri three years ago…)  It’s nice to have free parking at a venue, and the casino offers endless amounts of entertainment before or after your show.  There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, but I personally am a sucker for grabbing a slice of Pepe’s red tomato pie (clearly, pizza is a very prominent part of this guide).  That, and a couple Krispy Kreme donuts after the show…

xo, C


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My Seaport

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Welcome back everyone!  Today I’m kicking off the first official segment of my My Boston series by sharing some of my favorite Seaport and Fort Point haunts.  My goal with these neighborhood guides is to facilitate any travels you may have in Boston.  Want to go to the ICA?  Now you’ll know where to grab dim sum after.  Interested in checking out Harpoon Brewery?  I can suggest the perfect place to walk off those IPAs.  The best part about this new neighborhood is its newness.  Everything is just being built and new places are still opening, so I always find something new here.

Where To Stay.

The Envoy Hotel.  There are plenty of options in the Seaport District (such as the aptly named Seaport Hotel), but my only recommendation is Marriott’s Autograph Collection.  It’s bold and yet easy going.  Rooted in the sea yet lifted up by urban development.  Outlook Kitchen and Bar provides modern food in a fun atmosphere with a world class waitstaff, and Lookout Rooftop Bar has some of the best views of the city.  Staying in the winter doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your view, though, as Lookout just recently put in these awesome igloos to keep you toasty and warm as you sip on your cocktails and admire the views.

Things To Do.

Craft beer fans rejoice as the Seaport was pretty much made for you.  Since Sam Adams was kicked out of the craft beer category, Harpoon has taken over as the biggest craft brewery in New England.  The Boston outpost (there’s also one in Vermont) is located right on the water at the far end of the Seaport.  They’re best known locally for their big outdoor festivals for Oktoberfest, Saint Patrick’s Day, and Harpoonfest.  If you aren’t traveling around those times, you can settle for an impressive brewery tour or drafts and pretzels in their big German-style beer hall and take in some impressive views.


Trillium is Harpoon’s cooler younger sibling in the Seaport.  Named #3 on the World’s Top 100 Breweries, this family owned brewery is increasingly harder to find in your local packie these days, which means it is definitely worth a stop at their Fort Point Retail Shop.

If art OR architecture is your jam, you can’t miss the Institute of Contemporary Art.  It’s arguably more famous for its sharp glass theater that hangs over the harbor than its art, but we love going for First Fridays, 21+ themed parties that happen on the First Friday of the month (don’t forget to purchase tickets ahead of time!).


Harborwalk travels along the length of the Boston Harbor, passing by many of the big attractions.  You can hop on and off the walk as you please and stop in some of the main attractions in the Seaport, including the ICA and Boston Children’s Museum.

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If you are a fan of comedy, you should definitely check out Laugh Boston, the comedy club at the Westin.  Music fans should check out Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, an outdoor amphitheater on the water.

Places To Eat.

There is no shortage of places to eat in the Seaport.  There’s even two outposts of Legal Sea Food for crying out loud (Legal Harborside and Legal Test Kitchen).  The flagship location is by far my favorite if you’re looking for a chain, but the LTK is a great option if you’re a fan of the brand looking to expand your options.  I have three celiac family members and my mom doesn’t eat seafood while my dad exclusively eats seafood, but we can all eat pleasantly (dare I say enjoyably) at Legal, so it is definitely worth noting if you have a family with a wide variety of dietary restrictions!  The flagship location has outdoor seating and a killer rooftop bar.

Flour, a local chain with a few locations throughout the city, Flour is best known for their fresh pastries and delicious sandwiches.  They also have a good amount of gluten free options!

Blue Dragon.  Ming Tsai, of Blue Ginger fame, recently opened this Asian gastropub on A Street.  It’s much more affordable than its sister restaurant, and great for snacks or Dim Sum.  The only problem is their weekend hours are frustrating at best, so make sure to check their hours before you head over!

Row 34.  More than just a raw bar (although the raw menu certainly doesn’t disappoint), Row 34 expands into burgers, pancakes, and more in this always bustling location.  The interior is charming, and the patio is well shaded during the hot summer months.  As you can see from the pictures below, I thoroughly enjoy the mini lobster tacos.

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Committee.  Possibly my number one choice for dining in the Seaport, Committee has a trendy and global vibe to their Mediterranean Meze serving hotspot.  It’s nearly always busy by 5:30 when the bustling young professionals have broken free of the air-conditioned cubicles, and B and I absolutely love it here.  The meze style menu allows us to share many small plates, and thus get to experience more of the delicious flavors.  If you are looking for a hotspot vibe, stay inside and hover around the bar (assuming you can get close enough to it).  If you’re looking for a quieter more conversational atmosphere, take it out to the patio!

For healthy chains in the Seaport, you have byChloe and sweetgreen, for anyone seeking comfort food there is also a Shake Shack and a Ben & Jerry’s.  Pictured below is byChloe!

I hope this helps on your Seaport adventures!  Let me know what your favorite stops are in the comments below!

xo, C
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Providence

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Hey guys!  Welcome back.  Today I’m sharing a few of my favorite things in Providence, Rhode Island.  I had been going to Providence my whole childhood (let’s just say my mother gave the Roger Williams Park Zoo more than her fair share of dollars over the years ;)). but it’s always so refreshing to go back to a place you loved as a child as an adult.  From reminiscing about my days of running carefree in Roger Williams Park, to finding a newfound dorky adult appreciation to the architecture and history, New England cities always know just how to tug on my heartstrings.

 

Where to stay: The Dean Hotel.  This charming hotel had me from the moment I saw its marquee sign.  Then they added a coffee shop in lieu of a traditional lobby and a charming red elevator complete with a mini chandelier for good measure.  Add in all the quirk and character you could imagine and a prime downtown location, and there really is no comparable option for something unique during your Providence stay.

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Where to eat: The Salted Slate.  We went here for brunch and it was absolutely perfect.  From the cheddar & chive biscuits and warm donuts to the homemade granola; everything we ate was a somehow fresh take on breakfast classics.  The Salted Slate also crushed it by featuring pretty much all of my favorite interior design aspects (plants, long wooden shelves, lots of natural light, and an exposed brick wall) in just one restaurant.

Milk Money.  Milk Money was our second brunch choice for the weekend, and you can bet that pretty much anywhere that has challah french toast and cheddar grits on the menu will be a home run in my book.  And if not, there’s always a quinoa bowl for when I entertain the idea of healthy eating!  Interior design aspects captured my heart again, with more exposed brick and long wooden benches, combined with artful culinary displays on gorgeous wooden cutting boards and a basket of beignets!

Los Andes.  Recommended by a friend for our last visit, Los Andes definitely did not disappoint.  It’s Peruvian and Bolivian cuisine in a low-key environment with five star service.  The prices and atmosphere may be affordable, but the staff goes above and beyond to give you an enjoyable dining experience.  They have really cool dishes with great flavor, but make sure to make a reservation as they are seemingly always busy!

Also check out: Capriccio, Fellini, Al Forno, Massimo.

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What to do: WaterFire.  Providence’s signature event has created quite the name for itself in recent years.  The best way I can describe WaterFire is nearly 100 fires burning in the middle of the river, accompanied with Epcot-approved music and lots of street vendors.  It was a perfect activity for a slightly chilly fall evening but I imagine it would be just as breathtaking during the summer.  It’s a truly amazing experience, only enhanced by the fact that it is free.

Roger Williams Park + Zoo.  The Roger Williams Park can aptly be described as ‘elaborate’.  Well over 400 acres, the park contains everything from lakes and a boathouse to a carousel and zoo.  The landscaping is divine throughout the entire park and the zoo is sure to delight kids of all ages.  One of my favorite features as the aforementioned nerdy adult is the botanical center, but others may delight in the casino or planetarium!

Walking and Exploring.  One of the best ways to experience any city in my book is just to get out and explore it by foot.  Appreciating the architecture and people of a city can be more telling than spending your days in and out of one museum and the next.  In Providence it’s pretty hard to walk around the city and not find different buildings and historical sites and learn something while you’re there!  Check out some popular ways to walk and tour the city!

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Thanks for stopping by!  See you all tomorrow!

xo, C