North End 2

While staying in Bedford, I took a roadie to Boston on the sole quest of trying the Italian Food at the North End. I parked at the Quincy Market parking lot ($20 -- ouch) and hoofed about a quarter mile (while dodging reckless Boston drivers) to the Little Italy section of the North End. Not knowing where to go, I settled in an Italian Eatery. There were lots to choose from. I chose poorly. For starters, the calimari was overbreaded and the marinara dipping sauce was loaded with onions -- wayyyy too many onions. Then my ravioli and meatballs comes. The meatballs were huge -- almost as big as a baseball. But the meat was not particularly flavorful and there were onions in the meat. And the ravioli was Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee quality with a sauce so inundated with onions, it was almost like a tomato and onion stew.

Other than portions that were abudannza, I was not impressed with the quality of Boston's Little Italy cuisine. I was so stuffed, I tried drinking a beer after dinner and nearly threw up. Philadelphia's Italian restaurants are better than Boston's.