I was visiting my parents in Massachusetts this weekend, and on Saturday night I drove up to Boston to hang out with my brothers. (yeah, that’s the Boston skyline in the background as seen from their apartment in Allston).
My brother Josh works at the brand new House of Blues on Lansdowne Street behind Fenway’s green monstah, and as a special treat, he was told he could treat us to a comped meal in the HoB Foundation Room. When Jordan, Josh, and I sat down we were the only ones in the place. We had no idea what was about to happen.
Our waiter asked us if we’d be cool with letting the chef choose our menu, and we were, so we were treated to the best he had to offer. Before I go any further, let me clarify that this is upscale dining with a capital U. This isn’t eating at a bar. The Foundation Room is like a country club of sorts in that you need to purchase a membership just to be able to get in (10% of membership proceeds go to bringing the arts into schools) . This was the real deal. In fact, here’s a picture of the room I found online (pretty sure that booth on the left was where we were sitting):
(side note: you can read more about the International House of Blues Foundation here. It’s a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the arts to schools and communities with programs that promote cultural understanding and creative expression.)
Over the next 2 hours, we ate like kings. Fat kings with big bellies and no idea when to say when. Here’s the final tally of what we consumed:
Appetizers:
- Clam fritter – small but delicious, with a dollop of bacon mayonnise.
- Oyster – my first time ever eating an oyster. sucked it right down.
- Steak tartar – first time ever eating this. Was delicious.
Salad:
- We had a 3-salad sampler – Beet salad, Proscuitto salad, and a mixed greens. all 3 were delicious.
Entrees (these were all slightly smaller portions than your typical entree):
- Prawn and vermont cheddar grits – vermont cheddar, mmmmm.
- Salmon and quinoa with mixed vegetables in a lemon sauce – probably my favorite of all the courses. so stinking good.
- Cape Cod sea bass over lobster mashed potatoes – unreal.
- Roast Duck w/ cranberry glaze and fingerling potatoes – probably my second favorite of all the courses. First time eating duck and i loved it.
- Colorado rack of lamb w/ Minnesota wild rice cake and pomegranate demi-glaze – (so good I’m shaking my head right now)
Dessert:
- Ice cream, berries, and chocolate cheesecake – there was no room, but we ate anyway.
And that, ladies and gents, was the best meal I’ve ever eaten.
I’m curious, what was the best meal you’ve ever had?
Was it at home or at a restaurant? Was it free or super expensive? As a party of 2 of a party of 12?
Go ahead, make us hungry and give us the details of your best meal ever and why it was memorable.