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Boston Restaurant Blog -- March, 2006

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Sunday, March 19, 2006

St. Patrick's Day Weekend Restaurants and Pubs

Well, Saint Patrick's Day has come and gone here in Boston, and I actually broke my promise not to go to a pub on March 17. After a decent meal at the Inn at Bay Pointe in Quincy, I met up with some people at Spirit near Porter Square in Cambridge. Spirit just went through some renovations, and what was once a somewhat appealing, though slightly trendy bar, has become a cozy Irish pub, complete with red and black walls, comfortable seating, and, on St. Patrick's Day at least, some great traditional Irish music piped through the speakers. It's amazing what a few renovations can do to a place. I've always felt that Spirit was a decent bar worth going to, but now I like it enough to consider it a regular hangout from this point on.

On Saturday, we headed down to Walpole to have a really good lunch at Jimmy's Pizzeria in the eastern part of town near Bird Park. Jimmy's looks a bit like a typical sub shop from the outside, but the small dining room inside is a lot nicer than what you would find in your average sub shop (the lack of fluorescent lights really helps the atmosphere), and the Greek pizza is about the best in the Walpole area. In addition, Jimmy's has some great lunch and dinner entrees on its menu, including an outstanding chicken parm and some delicious sandwiches.

On Saturday night, we went over to North Cambridge for a very good meal at Ristorante Marino near the Arlington border. Marino's has been around for a long time, and it still gets the crowds. Much of their food is organic (they bring it in from Lookout Farms in Natick, which they own), and everything at Marino's is fresh and wholesome. My cannelloni dish was not quite as good as the one I always get at Al Dente in the North End of Boston, but it was still very, very good.

The South Boston parade is over, the green beer is all gone, and the traditional Irish bands are probably taking a few days off to rest. It was indeed a great weekend of food, pints, and music. And just think: Next year, St. Patrick's Day is on a.....Saturday. Now THAT will be an interesting night. We have about 360 days to prepare for it; my guess is, I'll probably be back at Spirit, breaking another promise not to go out on St. Patrick's Day.

Related Blog Entries: Irish pubs

Posted by MH, Boston's Hidden Restaurants, on March 19, 2006.
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1 COMMENT:
MH said:
Sad to say that Marino's in North Cambridge closed around the first of the year (2007). I had some great meals and some forgettable meals at Marino's, but overall it was a pretty decent place that I will definitely miss.
Posted on 1/11/07

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