Ah, lobster rolls. The delicious fruit of New England makes me so happy. A lobster roll is a split-top bun filled with lobster meat soaked in butter. Some contain celery, scallions or mayo. Neptune Oyster is known for having one of the best lobster rolls around.

The oyster bar is very small, so we had a bit of a wait. We walked down the street and hung out for a bit before coming back. When our name was called, we were seated at the bar in very, very tight quarters.

Neptune Oyster focuses on its raw bar, but it also serves up crudo, cioppino, scallops, clambake and, of course, that lobster roll. The Maine lobster roll comes with a toasted roll available hot with butter or cold with mayo.

I ordered the hot with butter lobster roll, which comes in at $30! Much pricier than the average lobster roll. Dear god, it is delicious. It has huge chunks of lobster meat soaked in butter and this toasted bun is the vehicle to heaven.


Yes, it's pricey. But would I pay that much for it again? Yes.



Grade: A

Aeronaut Brewing Company was opened by three MIT graduate students (and one Yale student), who are working with others in the same building space to make a really cool "food incubator." This includes food trucks, bands and other social events that make this place a central gathering spot.

The space has an industrial hipster feel, with lawn chairs and balloons hanging from the ceiling, and a game system projected onto the wall. When I was here, a band was playing loudly - so loudly it made conversation difficult. We were having a mini WVU reunion, so I was hoping to talk with my friends a bit more.

I ordered a Saison of the Western Ghats - a French-style farmhouse ale. Light and spicy. Pretty good.

A nice place with a pretty cool environment. I think next time, though, I may choose a different night.



Grade: B

I read a list of the bucket list items to try in Boston, and near the top of the list was Oleana's Baked Alaska ($14). This stuck out to me for a few reasons: Oleana wasn't too far away, and what the hell is baked Alaska?

The dessert is made with six ingredients: ice cream, sponge cake, egg whites, sugar, vanilla, and salt. A scoop of ice cream on a bed of cake is smothered in a generous layer of meringue and baked in an ultra-hot oven. A few minutes later, out comes an irresistible confection, one with a piping hot exterior, like that of a toasted marshmallow, encapsulating the ice cream, which remains frozen. It’s an ice cream dessert that is actually baked.

We didn't care to eat inside since we only wanted dessert, so we had to convince them to get this dish to go. You can see why this could be problematic. You need to eat it almost as soon as it's served. As soon as it was served to us, we hopped in the car, headed home and raced up the stairs.

Oleana's Baked Alaska is built upon a chewy coconut macaron base. Atop that is a housemade coconut ice cream, and it's all wrapped in a torched meringue. I loved the chewy macaron, which gave some nice texture. The odd part is a tangy, bitter passionfruit sauce. It definitely tones down the sweetness, but it also made me pucker a bit.

It's a pricey dessert, and I could do without the passionfruit sauce, but the macaron, ice cream and meringue were a unique flavor combination I've never had before. I think it's definitely something to try!

Grade: B

I think the first Harpoon beer I ever tried was their pumpkin cider years ago at Apothecary Ale House. I was, of course, a fan. And while most of my visits in Boston were to smaller breweries, I figured it couldn't hurt to throw a larger one in there, too.


Harpoon is clearly on a different level, just judging from the sheer space. There is a huge dining area with tables lined up, brick walls, and neat lighting fixtures. On the flip side, it also makes it a little more impersonal.

I ordered the UFO sampler, which came with the UFO Hefeweizen, UFO R-A-Z, UFO White and UFO Pumpkin. The Hefeweizen was light, crisp. The R-A-Z is a raspberry wheat, so yes, that is delicious. The white was a bit spicy. And the pumpkin was an OK pumpkin.

There was beer everywhere. I don't know if they spilled when they were carried over or what the situation was, but the attention to service here was just not what I had been used to. The beer, though, tasty.

Grade: B

I first heard of Somerville Brewing Company when I was at Kaitlynn's friend's apartment, and he had some local Slumbrew beers that we drank while playing board games. I made a quick decision to visit the brewery when I got the chance. It's another brewery that was a little ways away - after my T stop, I walked a little over a mile to get here.

I ventured to the 15 Ward Street location (the brewery and taproom), as opposed to the beer garden because I wanted to check out the actual brewery. They had just opened (I was trying to be efficient and cram as much into this day as I could), so I was the only one there.

I ordered a flight of their flagship beers - Happy Sol Blood Orange Hef, Porter Square Porter, Trekker Trippel, and Flagraiser IPA.

The Happy Sol was tasty and a bit sour. And citrusy. The porter was a stark contrast - deeper, roasty. The trippel was pretty tasty - a little spice there and a bit hoppier. Then the flagraiser was much hoppier - a bit too much for my palate.

I also ordered the housemade meatball sandwich, which is "Jeff's Favorite." This was just OK. The meatballs could've been hotter and more moist. The bread was too hard, making it tough to really eat. Maybe more sauce could've helped? The macaroni and cheese was tasty, as was the pickle, though!

Overall, a bit of a hike to get here, but decent beer and OK food.


Grade: B