Most people look towards Spring Break with the intent of losing weight to fit into bathing suits, oiling up, and basking in the warm sun on endless beaches. However, I took a different route this Spring Break: I went to Boston, one of the coldest and windiest places in the month of March, and ate my way through the city, one restaurant at a time. Big bulky sweaters were invented for a reason.

Boston has much to offer in the food department. A city famed for its seafood, baked beans, and "chowdah", Boston has a variety of places to eat, in all different price ranges. Whatever you desire, chances are, you can find it in this city.

My friend Kelly and I began our eating journey at a small pizza place near Chandler Street. Emilio's Pizza offers traditional Italian pizza, subs, calzones, and also gyros. The Greek owners make a light and thin pie, with a thicker crust. Relatively inexpensive, the quaint atmosphere of white Christmas lights and fake ivy add to the relaxed dining experience. One can enjoy their delicious pizza while people watch out the front windows on a main drag.

One of the most popular places in Boston is the seafood chain, Legal Seafoods. Opened in 1950 by George Berkowitz in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Legal gained popularity and now has 26 restaurants in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Florida.

Legal offers a variety of seafood: Cajun style, mussels, lobster, and their famous New England clam chowder (served at some of the presidential inaugural balls). It's a bit pricey, but a bowl of the New England clam chowder and an appetizer of calamari were sufficient enough to satisfy myself and my wallet. The chowder is famous for a reason.

Our journey continued the next day at the Hard Rock Café for lunch. There's a lot to see at the Hard Rock Café. Rock memorabilia is scattered throughout the restaurant, such as Stevie Nick's dresses, Janis Joplin's feather boa, and lyrics to an unreleased Jimi Hendrix song. The cuisine is mostly American food: nachos, burgers, chicken sandwiches, and huge desserts, like chocolate cake and banana splits. Kelly swears by the homemade chicken soup, chock full of chicken and carrots, while I recommend the Cajun Chicken sandwich, or a juicy cheeseburger.

A small health food/organic diner supplied our dinner. The Other Side Cosmic Café offers healthy food, as well as diner food. Tuna melts, boursin cheese and roast beef sandwiches, and tofu salads are only a few of the menu items. The chocolate cake is moist and rich, while the pesto pasta salad was a little oily, but still delectable. The two floor café offers specialty beers and alcoholic drinks, while playing Indie rock and rap - very cool and cutting edge atmosphere, with artwork scattered throughout.

Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market not only are home to many little shops, but also to more eateries than a shopping mall's food court. Variety is the key here, with places offering seafood, specialty breads, and Italian food, just to name a few. Outside of Quincy Market, restaurants are scattered throughout the small kiosks and stores. Durgin Park, a family-style restaurant, offers American cuisine, and fresh baked cornbread with every meal. Opened in 1827, Durgin Park retains many traditional dishes, such as fish cakes, baked beans, and apple pie. We found the proportions to be quite large and satisfying.

To indulge in a guilty pleasure of mine, Kelly and I decided to look for a take out Chinese restaurant for dinner. We settled on the cleverly named Yum Mee Restaurant, on Boylston Street. We were disappointed in the selection and pricing. The meals were overly priced, as compared to take out in New Jersey, and white rice had to be ordered separately. The food itself was nothing spectacular.

Our last day in Boston, we ate lunch at a chain called The Wrap. It offers specialty wrap sandwiches, ranging from a teriyaki wrap, with broccoli, chicken, carrots, caramelized onions, and rice in teriyaki sauce, to a "Late November" wrap, with turkey, stuffing, cranberry chutney, and ginger slaw. The Wrap also offers smoothies and salads. An innovative take on the wrap sandwich, we found The Wrap to be delicious and well priced: around $5 for a 10 inch wrap. The wrap itself was filling enough, and you could customize and make your own fresh wrap.

We also traveled to the Italian section of Boston, called Little Italy, to partake in some fresh Italian cannolis. We found delicious cannoli and Italian pastries at Mike's Pastries, located on Hanover Street. Minutes from "the Big Dig", Mike's usually has lines that wrap around the bakery and out the door. The cannolis were huge and well filled.

There are many more eateries that are notable to visit that we had missed. Sablone's Vealn' Vintage on Porter Street is popular. The staff is friendly and the decorations consist of clown pictures all over the place. Sablone's has 18 different ways to prepare their veal.

The Bull and Finch pub is the bar that the television show Cheers was modeled after. The atmosphere is pleasant. The food is good, but not overly exciting: typical bar menu, consisting of burgers and sandwiches. Most go for the scene of being in a place that resembles Cheers.

Fire & Ice allows the customer to pick and choose their own ingredients to be grilled right before their eyes. The customer's meal is cooked hibachi style on a 25 foot grill.

Irish pubs are found all over Boston. M.J. O' Connor's Irish Pub offers typical Irish cuisine, like shepherd's pie and fish and chips. It also provides Irish bands and entertainment Monday through Wednesdays.

Upon leaving the city, we were a few pounds heavier, but quite satisfied with our journey of "fooding through the city". Time to grab my bulky sweatshirt and sweatpants and hit the gym to shed off those "Spring Break" pounds!

Discuss this Story in our Forum!