Boston gastronomics: Where to get clam chowder, cream pies, and more

Although many people come to Boston to enjoy a great steak or a good Italian meal, there are a number of foods that are truly associated with Boston, either because they were invented here or because they play such an important role in Boston’s culinary scene.


What could be more Bostonian than Boston Cream Pie? Not much. After all, it’s the official dessert of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts! It was created by French chef M. Sanzian at Boston's Parker House Hotel shortly after it opened in 1855. Of special significance, Boston Cream Pie was the first time chocolate was used as an ingredient in a recipe. So the obvious place to get the real thing is at Parker’s Restaurant at the Omni Parker House Hotel (60 School Street). And while you’re there, you can also enjoy another unique-to-Boston treat: Parker House Rolls. These buttery oval rolls with a crease through the center were invented here in 1867.


And what could go better with Parker House Rolls than New England Clam Chowder? Please don’t confuse our version with Manhattan Clam Chowder, which adds tomato. Perish the thought! As for which restaurant has the best chowder, we argue about that all the time. In fact, every summer we have a contest, Chowderfest, to determine who’s the top maker. Does that settle it? Not really, but I can tell you that last year’s winner was Ned Devine's Irish Pubin Quincy Market (part of the Faneuil Hall Marketplace).


Officially, scrod is a baby cod fillet typically served baked with a layer of bread crumbs on the top and a light butter sauce. Frequently, you’ll find the word spelled “schrod,” which changes the definition from a young cod to a young haddock, though this distinction is often lost on a non-Bostonian chef. (To us purists, it means everything!) You’ll find scrod on the menu in a lot of Boston restaurants, but the quintessential seafood eatery is Legal Sea Foods. Legal Sea Foods has various locations scattered throughout the city, though my favorite is on the waterfront at 255 State Street.


And finally, Boston Baked Beans. I get asked all the time, “Why Baked Beans?” The answer is that during the early 19th century, Boston was the biggest port city in America. Much of that trade was with the Caribbean, where we got cane sugar cane and eventually molasses plants (we can talk about the Molasses Flood in another article). The North American bean and molasses became a natural marriage and hence, the Boston Baked Bean. One of the last places left that serves real Boston Baked Beans is Durgin-Park in Quincy Market (part of the Faneuil Hall Marketplace).


- Alan Maltzman of BostonCityWalks.com


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