The Weekend Gourmet Dines Out for April...Featuring Boston's Bostonia Public House

This month's featured restaurant for The Weekend Gourmet Dines Out is Boston's Bostonia Public House. During our visit to Boston this Winter, Michael and I enjoyed a great dinner at this upscale casual Contemporary American restaurant. We found Bostonia's location to be ideal -- it's located in a lovely historical building in Boston's Financial District that was originally built in 1902. Bostonia Public House was an easy 10-minute from the Omni Parker House, where we were staying that evening. When we walked in on that Saturday evening, we immediately heard some really great live music playing in the first floor courtesy of a group of student musicians from nearby Berklee College of Music. We were warmly greeted by the hostess and shown to our table in the restaurant's second floor. We looked over the dinner menu and decided to start with cocktails and a shared appetizer. The restaurant's manager stopped by our table to say hello -- and to recommended we try the warm Lump Crab Dip. 

This decadent seafood-based appetizer features a creamy base flavored with sweet lump crab meat and is topped with melted cheese. The dip is served with addictive house-made salt and pepper potato chips. While we enjoyed this yummy dip, we sipped on a pair of expertly prepared cocktails from the bar. After we enjoyed our appetizer, we shared two quintessential Boston foods that we can't get here in Texas: a bowl of clam chowder and a lobster roll.

BPH Clam Chowder features smoky bacon, leeks, celery, and marble potatoes in a creamy clam-filled base. The bacon provided a nice smokiness and depth of flavor to this rich clam chowder. It was truly exceptional chowder! We paired the creamy chowder with an amazing Hot Lobster Roll. This sandwich contained plenty of sweet lobster tossed in warm clarified butter and piled into a toasted bun. This decadent lobster roll featured only a few ingredients -- but it packed a true flavor explosion! We were smiling ear to ear as we sampled these two menu items. 

From the Entree portion of the Bostonia Public House menu, we selected George's Bank Scallops. This dish featured seared scallops paired with fluffy house-made ricotta gnudi (similar to gnocchi), Beech mushrooms, parmesan cream, and a truffle-infused pistou. This amazing dish featured a wide range of flavors and textures, starting with the expertly seared scallops. They were caramelized outside, and sweet and juicy inside. This was a winner of a dish!

We were starting to get very full, but the manager stopped by our table to check on us -- and to tell us that Bostonia Public House's signature Berkshire Bourbon Glazed Sweet Potato Doughnuts were a must-try dessert item. We readily agreed to share an order of these tasty treats, which were indeed amazing! Each two-bite doughnut hole was perfectly fried -- not the least bit greasy -- and lightly spiced.

The doughnuts were covered in a sweet bourbon-infused glaze that paired perfectly with the sweet potatoes and spices in the doughnut batter. This comforting dessert was the perfect ending to a fantastic meal. Open in 2014, Bostonia Public House is exactly the kind of restaurant that Michael and I enjoy dining at the most. Comforting food is expertly prepared, and the atmosphere is upscale without being the least bit stuffy. The restaurant's decor is modern and colorful, with lots of natural light during the day. Bostonia Public House is the kind of restaurant that we would return to again and again! If you find yourself visiting Boston, the restaurant is very easy to find -- it's located at the corner of State and Broad streets, next to Faneuil Hall -- a popular Boston attraction.

Disclosure: Bostonia Public House provided us with a complimentary dinner tasting to facilitate this feature. All opinions expressed are solely my own. All photographs are copyrighted by Michael K. Garcia and may not be copied or otherwise used without prior permission.