College Reunion

Each Christmas, my college friends and I try to get together.  Last year we did a staycation at the Ritz.  This year, everyone's schedules were super crazy but we were able to secure a Friday night that we were all free.  I was in charge of picking a spot since my friends regard me as the expert in dining in the city.  (While I love this distinction I always feel a little pressure to deliver the perfect experience.)  We needed a place close to the Red Line, with parking near by, that we could have a leisurely meal at, and most importantly somewhere where we could actually hear each other talk. Oh, and they needed to have a reservation for four available on a Friday night in December 😉  No biggie!

I wracked my brain.  I love Teatro but it's not a lingering kind of place.  I love Marliave but it could skew a bit fancy for our group.  I love Sulmona, but I know my friends love going out in Cambridge.  I was really stuck and then I remembered Serafina's, that great new place JO and I had tried just a few weeks ago.  It had been pretty quite when we went, they had a great menu with great prices, and I definitely got the idea that you could linger there so Serafina's it was. 

I arrived first and I started to panic just a bit.  Gone was my quiet cozy restaurant and here was a crowded, somewhat loud restaurant with the bar overflowing a bit into the dining room.  I was a little nervous that this wouldn't work out but about 20 minutes into dinner the bar settled down and everything got a bit quieter.  It actually was never a huge problem but it definitely wasn't the way I remembered it (and that's totally fine.) 

My friends really enjoyed the food and drinks.  We each had a main meal and at least one glass of wine and our bill was under $35 per person.  I think that's pretty reasonable for the quality of food and service that we got.  Even though it was crowded the waitress never once rushed us, even when we didn't have any drinks or food left in front of us.

After dinner we continued the evening at the Back Deck in Downtown Crossing.  I hadn't thought through the after dinner portion of the evening and was pleasantly surprised when I realized how close South Station and Downtown Crossing really are (I always get confused in this part of the city.  I associate South Station with the Seaport when it really is much closer to the rest of the city.  The bar at Back Deck was perfect for hanging out, reminiscing about college, and talking shop (we are all teachers.) It was a really fun night out in the city, and my restaurant picks continue to win high praises!  Phew!!!