Bova's Bakery

Bova's Bakery
134 Salem Street
Boston MA 02113

Bova's Bakery holds a special place in my heart. It's unexplainable, but I just love this place. It reminds me of old school Italian bakeries where you can smell the bread and cookies, and the owners know you by name. (not me, but i'm sure the people who live around there).

My family could easily spend $50 every time we go to Bova's, that's how much we love it. I always get cannolis (their floerntine is amazing). I love their cannoli filling, I could probably eat a whole bowl of it if allowed. My dad does as well, and normally gets a few other desserts..I can't remember the names, but they are so so so good!

Their tiramisu is fantastic, along with their lobster tails, cream puffs (Logan's fave), coconut macaroons (mom's weakness), and oreo cake (also loved by mom).

Their calzone's, sandwiches, and bread is also extremely good, my dad has tried it all and loves it.

Bova's isn't as well known as Modern Pastry or Mike's, but it should be! It is extremely good, and has a great atmosphere. Whenever I'm in the North End, we always finish the trip with a stop at Bova's, it's the perfect way to end our time in my favorite part of Boston.

Mike's Pastry

Mike's Pastry
300 Hanover Street
Boston MA 02113

Mike's Pastry...if you've ever been to Boston you will have seen the iconic boxes everywhere and no doubt have heard of it. It beats out Modern Pastry by a landslide...people will wait out in line outside for 30 minutes just to get a Mike's cannoli. And honestly, they aren't crazy for doing so. The cannoli's are fantastic, and I've been getting them ever since I first started coming down to Boston.

my mint chocolate chip cannolis...is my stomach growling?

I started out getting the chocolate chip or the chocolate covered, but since my cannoli beginning days, I've become more adventurous. I've tried the cappucino, Florentine (one of my favorites), and my ultimate favorite, the Mint Chocolate Chip Cannoli. (and of course the powedered sugar).

The cannolis are great, and they also have the rainbow cookies my mom loves, they really have something for everyone. Prices are very reasonable... $3.50-5 for a cannoli, and it's worth it.

I'm a huge fan of Mike's, and the best is when it's not too crowded...like around 1 o'clock on a weekday, and you can go right up to the counter and get your stuff.

I'm pretty sure its cash only, but not positive. Anyway, I highly recommend!

Maurizios

Maurizio's

Our View outside..getting this picture was very tricky!

364 Hanover Street
Boston MA 02113

October 18, 2014

Another visit from dad, another trip to the North End. We decided to go to Maurizio's because my dad saw on Yelp there was a gift card, a deal where you spend $10 for a $25 gift card..or something like that. Anyway, it looked like a good menu, and I was excited.

Funny story, as I looked out the window, I saw my best friend, Ms. Emily Schwartz, and her parents walking by to go to another North End restuarant..she said it was really good so I'll have to check it out.

The Bruschetta...beautiful presentation

Anyway, we were seated right away and ordered Bruschetta Alla Mediterranea for an app. It was slices of toasty crusty bread topped with black olives, capers, plum tomatoes, fresh basil, and EVOO. It was super good, and only $9.

My dish!

For the main meal I ordered from the Carne, Limone. ($21) It was chicken with sauteed mushrooms in a lemon, white wine, caper sauce with penne pasta. It was very good and a great portion.

I believe my dad ordered Veal Cacciatora, but I honestly forget. What I do remember is that we were both very pleased with our meal, and happy that we had gotten the great deal from Yelp for the gift card!

The atmosphere was great, out of the window I could see a glimpse of the harbor, and the restaurant was also great. Service was fanstastic as well, and the presentation of the food was amazing.

Rating:
Food:4
Price: $$
Atmosphere:3.5
Service:4
Overall: 3.75

Emily and I later that night

Benevento's

Finishing off February at Faneuil (check my instagram :) )

Benevento's
111 Salem Street
Boston MA 02113

Febuary 26, 2015

Man, I missed my mom and sister! (mostly mom though) So, I convinced them to give me a visit in good old Bahstan.

I took them on the T (which I am now a master of), and we walked to the North End (surprise, surprise) Benevento's had been on my list of places to go to for a while. And while I normally go with my dad, I figured I would give Logan and my mom a chance to shine in the lime light. LOL, its not like I have many viewers anyway. Okay, so Benevento's.

I was craving pizza like it was my job, and Benevento's is rated like one of the best brick oven pizzas in the north end..so no brainer, thats where I decided we were going. ( I didn't care what their opinions were).

On to the food: we were served bread with oil...and mom had it with butter. (I'm a little embarrassed to be honest, but I still love her) and we ordered. I ordered the Ben Cotto Pizza ($12), which was a

pizza with tomato sauce, oregano, Pecorino Romano cheese, garlic,  and extra virgin olive oil cooked in their brick oven pizza. They promise it will be cooked to perfection, and man do they ever! I ordered the personal pizza size, and ate about half and took the rest home.

My mom ordered the Margherita pizza ($12), which was also fantastic. It was with diced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, garlic, basil and EVOO. I tried a slice and it was great, and she loved it as well. She also got the personal size and was nice enough to give me her leftovers. (YUM!)

Logan didn't stick with the pizza theme. Instead, she got Linguine ala Vongole. It was fresh whole clam necks, chopped clams and garlic simmered in a red sauce over linguine. She loved it, and as usual, picked a seafood dishy that was the priciest on the menu. (Watch out boys)

The atmosphere: very modern, and kind of dark ( almost a little too dark?)
I loved seeing the ovens, and when they brought out the pizza, they were put on the recycled tomato sauce cans. It was very cool, and I loved it!
Very pretty inside.

exploring Boston at night

Faneuil Hall

Faneuil Hall

Bacco

Outside Bacco, still in my uniform

Bacco
107 Salem St
Boston MA 02113

September 13, 2014 (Michael Katz's 45th Birthday...Happy Bday to my North End Partner in Crime) This post is dedicated to you old man!

After kicking Suffolk's butt in a game of soccer (yeah ECWS beat them 2-0) we went over the Tobin, and you guessed it...headed to the North End. (maybe I should stop saying this every time..oh well)

The one and only Dogie and I in the North End... (twins?)

I had done my research (when don't I), and decided Bacco for my dad's special birthday dinner (even though seeing my beautiful face should be enough). Okay, jokes aside, the menu looked incredible, and since we were going with my mom and sister, I decided we needed a place with a plethora of options that they could find. Logan just needs a seafood dish but my mom is a little picky...(still love you though <3)

If you don't look at the menus before you go, then good for you, but I always like to have a game plan..ya know, 1st, 2nd, 3rd options just in case.

So I had it all planned out, and then our waiter comes over and lists the specials. He listed the dish I ended up getting, it was a dish with lobster, clams, shrimp, and scallops with linguine in a pesto cream sauce. My oh my was it de-lick your lips-lic-ious!I forget the price for mine...I'm guessing it was $18-24 range.

Logan got Seafood Fra Diavolo with shrimp, scallops, calamari, little neck clams, basil, and fettuccine in a spicy marinara sauce. I'm quite sure it is the most expensive item on the menu ($25), but it was worth it. and Yes, to Logan's future boyfriends/dates...she isn't a cheap one! Side note: to this day Logan begs to go back to Bacco just for this dish...hint hint...she loved it.

My mom got the Jumbo Shrimp Scampi (she's not too adventurous), but was in love. She said it was fantastic and would definitely go to Bacco again if given the chance. Too bad our quest only allows for us to eat at a restaurant once (besides La Galleria 33 which my mom and sister always want to go to...boring people). Oh, and her dish was $21


Finally, the birthday boy...
The man who was finally 45 years old got Chicken Cacciatore with sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms over linguine in a red sauce. The man was blown away, and loved his birthday dinner.

inside, not a ton of seating, but very pretty!

outside the window!

more outside the window view!

Atmosphere: We went in mid-September and got to sit upstairs, next to the open windows. It was absolutely beautiful--we got to see Salem St and hear the noise of the city (which I am so used to now). I loved it, and it was decorated like a nice homey Italian restaurant.

Ratings:
Food: 5
Atmosphere:4.5
Service:4
Price:$$$
Overall: 4.5

 

and a BIG HAPPY 45TH BIRTHDAY TO MY OLD MAN OF A DAD, MY PARTNER IN CRIME, THE PERSON WHO I ALWAYS WANT TO TRY NEW THINGS WITH. Love you always dad xoxo kenz

Panza

Panza
326 Hanover Street
Boston, MA 02113

February 13, 2015

I decided to go home for the weekend to watch Logan's swim state meet, which was actually postponed to the next weekend...and they won again (Go Dover!)

Anyway, my dad picked me up, and so of course we had to go to the North End (why else would he come down to Boston?!)

So after researching, we decided on Panza, and weren't dissapointed.

We started off with the Italian Chop Salad for two, which had Imported Italian meats and cheeses, pepperoncini, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, crispy pancetta, and chopped romaine. It was very,

very good, and I would recommend getting it if you go!

For the main course I got Linguine All Pescatore:
Shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, and calamari
in a white sauce. That was also exceptional.

My dad got the special, which I was extremely tempted to get, but allowed him the honor. It was saffron papays ele with shrimp, scallops, grape tomatoes, and baby arugula in a white wine garlic sauce. Again, sorry peeps but no pic for you. It was truly amazing though!

Here are some pictures of the restaurant itself. It was very beautfiul and great atmosphere.

The North End in the winter, quite a site!

Carmelina's

Outside Carmelina's...How do I look?

Carmelina's
307 Hanover St
Boston, MA 02113

Okay, so first semester of my FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE is over? Say what?
Well, my dad and I decided we had to say goodbye to Boston (more me, and with sadness) for a month with a bang, so what better place to go than Carmelina's? After reading the reviews from Yelp, google, and countless other blogs, I called my dad and quote "WE HAVE TO GO THERE, LOOK AT THIS MENU, WE ARE GETTING THE MEATBALLS'. Literally, I was very sad to say goodbye to my 12x20 ft dorm room and twin size bed (haha, not!), but my stomach was growling as I put the pen down and said si-a-nar-a to my first year writing teacher Stace (who by the way lives in the North End...living the dream!). So once my dad FINALLY arrived, we packed up my clothes...i brought home too many, and drove down Storrow Drive to the special place in my heart... you guessed it, the North End.

Mimo's Baked Meatball's (We split the 3rd one)

Again, as fate would have it, we found a parking spot on Hanover (the dynamic duo was back in business) and walked to Carmelina's. We sat down, already knowing what we were getting (we researched the menu like it was our job).

We got bread, with oil and parmesean--very good and fresh. And ordered Mimo's Baked Meatballs. I am completely serious when I say this...best meatballs I have EVER had without a doubt. My dad would completely agree with this, which is saying something people! If you go to Carmelina's, which i HIGHLY recommend you do if you want a place to go, you MUST AND I SAY MUST order the meatballs. You will die and go straight to heaven (JK JK LOL).

The Crazy Alfredo

I then ordered the crazy alfredo for my main dish, and my dad, after sadly hearing that the Carmelina was not on the lunch menu (tears), ordered the Palermitana, which he said was amazing. It was Rapi greens, garlic, pignoli nuts, sundried tomatoes, currannts, touch of hot, and Capellini for about $14. 
I tried a bite as well and was thoroughly pleased. Sorry peeps, but no picture of the dish, use that imagination of yours!

The Crazy Alfredo was chicken, sausage, sweet roasted red peppers, in a spicy Alfredo sauce, with fettucine. And I think around $14 for lunch, its 18 for dinner. Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of sausage so I just didn't eat those pieces, but everything about that dish was stellar. It was a tad spicy, but defintely in the best way possible. Definitely an interesting take on the typical Alfredo dish, and in the right direction. I loved the sweet roasted red peppers, they added the perfect balance for the dish. Also, perfect portion size for lunch after having some bread and meatballs...I was a happy type of stuffed.

 The atmosphere of Carmelina's is modern mixed with old world, as you can see the pictures on the wall. I loved the atmosphere...one of my favorites so far. (La Galleria 33 still is on the top for atmosphere, sorry Carmelina's!)

You can see the kitchen, and I imagine eating at the bar would be a very cool experience for two. We still enjoyed looking out the windows at the passerbys on Hanover St.

 

 

Okay, so if you couldn't tell by now, I absolutely loved this restaurant, and it's been one of my favorites!

 

Oh, and price--very reasonable for lunch, and even for dinner. Either way, its worth it!

 

Rating:

Food: 5

Price: $$ (for lunch)

Atmosphere:4.5

Service:4.5

Overall: 4.7

Lo Contes

Lo Contes
114-116 Salem St
Boston, MA 02115

A surprise visit from my dad on a Sunday afternoon, it doesn't get any better!

Somehow we found a spot on Hanover (yes we parked on Hanover...unreal) , and after researching online, I decided on Lo Conte's after reading great reviews.

I decided with the Chicken Parmesan, and wasn't disappointed! It was huge, and it looked like I barely ate any of it, but it was very good, and reminded me of my mom's fantastic chicken parm, which I missed deeply.

I believe my dad got a special of the day, of which I truly do not know what it is, but nonetheless he found it delicious (picture below).

Okay, here are my ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 2
Atmosphere:3
Overall: 3

My giant meal, Chicken Parmesan

Veal, Broccoli, and the coolest looking pasta ever?