The Challenge

A couple of weekends ago, Jason and I were on our way to Union for brunch (one of our old standards), and we popped into the Buttery for coffee on the way.

A little note on the South End Buttery. It is a place I always mean to go to more often. Nestled cozily on the corner of Shawmut and gorgeous Union Park, entering the Buttery is like walking into the middle of one of their delicious cupcakes. Walls are painted cake batter yellow and the ceiling detail is both ornate and whimsical, as if it was piped from a pastry bag. Everything about its aesthetic is warm and inviting, from the decor to its business cards. And so is the menu. The pastry case overflows with various cakes, tarts, muffins and its spectacular cupcakes. They also serve breakfast and sandwiches. And their espresso is arguably the best in the city. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Anyway, Jason and I were on one of our all too rare sojourns to the Buttery. As I was ordering a non-fat vanilla latte, I noticed a book on display by the register. It was the eat.shop guide for Boston. I had never heard of this series, but I was immediately drawn to its clean design and "luscious" (their word, but so true!) photography. The eat.shop guides feature 90 locally owned restaurants and retail stores (45 of each) located in the heart of the city. So of course I had to buy it. We drank our Buttery coffee and ate our Union brunch and then I headed home to immerse myself in the guide (both restaurants receive mentions, by the way).

Reading any sort of restaurant guide or review makes me crave its contents, but this one was different. Each entry gets a two page spread, the left page with the the vitals (name, address, hours, type of cuisine, price bracket, etc) and the right page with a paragraph or two of description, crisp photography and what you've got to try. It's extremely accessible and gives the reader everything she needs. And with only 45 restaurants and 45 shops, it's hardly daunting.

After having devoured the guide cover to cover, I decided to give myself a challenge. I am going to eat my way through eat.shop Boston. So by New Year's Eve 2007, I will have experienced all 45 restaurants of the eat.shop guide. I will post weekly reviews of the restaurants I visit on the Challenge.

For a list of restaurants I will be visiting, click here. If you'd like to accompany me to any of them, let me know. I'm always looking for accomplices.

For a copy of eat.shop Boston, visit The South End Buttery or click here.