In November, a friend and I took a 6 day trip to New England. I didn't have a bad meal the entirety of my trip but wanted to share three of the highlights of the week. What Massachusetts lacked in sweet tea they quickly made up for with delicious foods! This was my first trip to New England and I wanted to make sure I saw all the main attractions and hit some of the main local eats while in the area. We had 2.5 days in Boston, 1 day in Salem, and 1 day in Lexington and Concord. While I don't see myself moving from the land of fruit tea anytime soon, I can definitely imagine myself living in New England. What a beautiful area!
Spot #1:
As a historian, I wanted to make sure I saw some of what New England had to offer in regards to historic restaurants. The best meal of the week was hands down the Baked Lobster Mac and Cheese from Bell in Hand Tavern in Boston (https://thebellinhand.com/). I've had lots of mac and cheese in my day but this topped the cake. Not only was I able to enjoy it in America's oldest tavern, but the dish was loaded in the best cheese sauce I've ever had, which I enjoyed under the watchful eyes of Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin, whose portraits were observing me from across the room. I highly recommend stopping at this historic location if you're in the Boston area.
Spot #2:
If you're a foodie like me, you've probably seen the show The Best Thing I've Ever Ate on the Cooking Channel. If I ever got the opportunity to be on that show, I will have to discuss Red's Sandwich Shop in Salem, MA (https://www.redskitchenandtavern.com/sandwich-home). I must say, the best time to go is right after Halloween. We were there the first week of November, which allowed us to walk right in and avoid the long lines that you'll find in October. They have a special menu that they bring out in the fall which included the Sanderson Sisters B&B. This was the best breakfast I've ever ate. It consisted of pumpkin bread French toast with a graham cracker crumble. I joined several Salem group pages on Facebook before visiting and everyone said that we had to try their hot chocolate. It did not disappoint! Its rich chocolate flavor and homemade whipped cream was just what I needed to start the day off on the perfect foot.
Spot #3:
Last but certainly not least would have to be our lunch stop in Concord. This was probably the restaurant I was most excited to visit. The photos I'd seen online of Concord's Colonial Inn (https://www.concordscolonialinn.com/) were stunning. It's still a working inn where visitors can stay the night and I was so excited to see the inside of this historic place. What a beautiful piece of history with so much life! Every room we passed on the way to our table had some sort of event taking place: birthday parties, wedding showers, etc. They seated us in a large room with beautiful bay windows and large leather chairs to sit in. I am a huge Thanksgiving fan, so I knew immediately what I wanted to order: the Alcott sandwich. It consisted of turkey breast, brie cheese spread, arugula, and apple mustard on cranberry ciabatta bread. Every bite tasted like my favorite holiday. To top it off, their seasonal menu included delicious pumpkin cheesecake!
If you get the opportunity to visit any of these three places, you will not be disappointed.
