One Great Experience, Frozen In Time
I'm all about the now. I love technology and all things contemporary. Yes, I admit, I'm of the generation that needs the next best and better thing to have happened yesterday. However, I have one exception, and that's for a classic and cozy neighborhood that seems to be frozen in time. I know that the further we advance in technology, the farther we get from ever having a chance at building a place like Beacon Hill in Boston, Mass.
Beacon Hill is a small-town neighborhood oasis in an urban desert. Characterized by 19th-century colonial architecture, with charming brick facades, uneven cobble stones, gas-lit streets, and narrow sidewalks that have more charm than any I've seen anywhere else. Even after living there for two years, I'd find new gardens, pathways, or whole streets leading to some new and quirky place. One of those streets leads to a restaurant that embodies all of these things — 75 Chestnut.
You might walk by 75 Chestnut if it weren't for the awning, because the homey eatery is tucked between a row of brownstones. It has a bistro-like atmosphere and it seems as though it's trying to mimic the colors of the comfort food they serve in its décor — warm yellow walls and a cherry wood bar seem inspired by the rich and familiar dishes on the menu.
75 Chestnut is the spot to go if you're looking for seasonal comfort food, and looking to get away from the tours of people following a guide dressed like Paul Revere. As the chilly weather starts to take hold, the restaurant offers dishes like braised short ribs, char-grilled wild coho salmon, linguini bolognese, and herb-crusted rack of lamb. Pairing a wine with these dishes won't be hard due to their extensive wine list, providing selections from Italy, France, Africa, and California, to name a few. An added bonus is that a number of these wines are organic and/or made in a sustainable fashion.
Fitting in with its theme of take-you-back-to-mom's-kitchen-only-better, it is apparent that someone at 75 Chestnut has a sweet tooth. The desserts, like the warm chocolate bread pudding, Swiss chocolate and almond soup, and Tahitian vanilla crème brûlée, all take you back to that moment when you realized getting in trouble was so worth the finger swipe of cake frosting you snuck as a kid.
75 Chestnut is an escape. It's for the person on the go who needs a break, the tech-savvy person with tired eyes, and for the person who needs the next best thing to happen yesterday, but is glad to be brought back to the simple pleasures of good indulgent food, today.