My Favorite Boston Stretch
by Mollie Chen
Within my favorite neighborhood in one of my favorite cities, I recently found my favorite two-block radius. My epiphany came, as epiphanies often do, over breakfast. I was sitting outside the South End Buttery drinking my coffee and watching the parade of dogs and their owners: two men in skinny polos and designer jeans holding hands and walking a massive yellow lab that kept stopping to eat the flowers growing along the sidewalk; mother with her daughter and a sleepy-looking beagle; older man and his equally aged golden retriever. I could have sat there for hours. That's one of my favorite things about Boston--unlike in New York, where the canines are either small or extra small, here the dogs are normal-sized.
Beyond the dogs, this leafy two-block stretch of Shawmut Avenue, between Union and Bradford, has everything you need for happiness. To start, there's the Buttery, home of the city's best peanut butter--homemade and crunchy, with just enough honey and salt--plus great sandwiches and rich cupcakes. After a protracted bureaucratic battle, they recently took over the adjacent storefront and opened a restaurant serving high-end New American food at recession prices. Next door, Hudson stocks highly covetable home goods that always inspire me to do things like wallpaper my apartment or invest in vintage textiles.
Heading on, Michele Mercaldo Jewelry has some of the most creative window displays I've ever seen: currently there are trays of necklaces, earrings, and bracelets propped atop columns made out of oversized chalk sticks. The next stop is a dusty, signless grocer that is packed with every foodstuff you could need or want, from imported oils and vinegars and exotic preserves to Greek feta and cured meats. Next door is the South End Formaggio, which has gourmet necessities like Marcona almonds and Israeli couscous and Boston's best cheese counter. And at the corner of Bradford, the over-the-top Polka Dog Bakery caters to spoiled canines with fresh-baked doggie cookies and pizzas, designer leashes, and every toy under the sun.
Right in the middle of this stretch, the Franklin Café has been the neighborhood favorite for years now. The dimly lit space feels almost like a sports bar, but its daily changing menu is unfailingly fresh and satisfying--recently, there were seared scallops with endive, grapefruit, and pistachio; garlic grilled calamari with baby white beans; and rainbow trout with pancetta and baby spinach. And the kicker? Nothing is over $19. What more could you ask for in a neighborhood?
Further reading:
* Boston's also got the sandwich of my dreams
* Boston cocktail aficionado Lauren Clark gives us the low-down on drinking in Beantown
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