Re: Frozen Four - Where to Eat? Drink? Must See Stuff
That is gone I believe. The area by the Garden has vastly changed.
I wouldn't say "vastly". The Harp has been there for at least 20 years (my wife and I hosted the Hockey L dinner there in 1998). Half Time Pizza, the Penalty Box, Sully's have been around since I was a kid. Yup, there are some newer places the Grand Canal, Hurricane O'Reilly's, etc., but the place really hasn't had a big upgrade. I blame this on Jeremy Jacobs, the owner of the Garden and the Bruins. He has owned the Garden since the mid-70's and has bypassed several opportunites in good economies to upgrade the area. Compare what Red Sox ownership has spawned around Fenway to what Jacobs has not done around the Garden and he should be embarassed.
Enough rant, one newer place, on the corner of Causeway and the Rose Kennedy Greenway is Tavern on the Square. Had not been there until we needed a pit stop before the Hockey East final. The place was mobbed on a Saturday afternoon (most not going to the game) but I was taken aback by the beer selection on tap. Not as dark and dingy as some of the other Garden are spots. Since we're talking about beer, I would also suggest the Sunset Grille and Sunset Cantina in Allston. Both can be reached by the Green Line, Commonwealth Avenue branch. The Grille is the original place and, I think, the first establishment in Boston to serve Anchor Steam and Sierra Nevada on tap.Get off at Harvard St., walk west down Harvard, turn right on Brighton Ave. and it's right there (next the laundromat I used to use 40 years ago). The Cantina's beer choices are as good, the food is decent (ribs especially) and it has the added perk of being right across from Agganis Arena. Not sure if Agganis is open for tours or if you can just walk in but BU did a pretty good job with arena, good sight lines, wide concourses, and a great display of the rich BU hockey history. Parenthetically I will mention that the arena is named after Harry Agganis, the greatest athlete ever to come out of my high school Lynn (MA) Classical. At BU Harry was an All-American in football and good enough in baseball to start for the Red Sox in the mid-50's before dying at the age of 25. Ironically, the two sports that he excelled in are no longer played BU.
One thing about the North End. It will be very, very crowded and I would suggest that those who wander into a restaurant next weekend around 5-6 PM will, at most places, have at least an hour wait. Almost all the restaurants down there have seating capacities of 50-150 tops. I highly recommend just about any place in the North End, the service and food is, for the most part, excellent. And the neighborhood is like no other in Boston. But don't expect a quick entry and exit, sit back, relax, enjoy the food and the atmosphere. You're on sabattical!