Late last month the mayor's office released a statement announcing that Earl of Sandwich, a sandwich shop based in Orlando, Florida will be moving into the Boston Common. The restaurant will make its home in the Common's "Pink Palace," an old and decrepit men's restroom, built originally in 1920. The plan is to have outdoor seating.
The Palace, nestled near the tennis courts and the gazebo on the southern end of the Common is a 660 square foot structure that has been long since abandoned and has seen much better days. The city considers it a historic landmark, with its granite walls and glass ceiling. Today one can observe the front door to the Palace locked and hanging by its hinges, the floor falling through, and the ceiling broken all over. You've probably walked by this tiny building many times before without even knowing it. I know I have.
The project to allow a commercial restaurant to operate within the Common is part of the city's larger plan to help revitalize the 377 year old park, one of the nation's oldest. In addition to the Palace's face-lift, the city has begun construction of the Liberty Mall, located further up the Common, as Dan talked about in a previous post. A remodeling of the Visitor Information Center to upgrade the HVAC system and the restrooms and to allow for less wind to come through the entrance, along with a remodeling of the exterior of the Deer Park Maintenance Building on the corner of Boylston and Tremont Streets are also in the works.
Earl of Sandwich has 11 locations nationwide in Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Nevada, and Michigan. This new location will be the second for Boston, the other one is located at Logan Airport.
Restaurant Week 2011
This week and next, a plethora of fine restaurants from all over the city and its surrounding areas are participating in Boston’s Semiannual Restaurant Week, where each establishment follows a prix fixe menu for one low price. A two-course lunch goes for $15.11, a three course lunch for $20.11, and a three course dinner at only $33.11. Some notable restaurants include Top of the Hub, Toscano’s, Mooo, Aquitaine, KO Prime, and Capital Grille.
Dan and I took advantage of the low prices and hit up Market by Jean Georges at the swanky W Hotel in the heart of the Theatre District. We both had amazing three-course meals for lunch this afternoon and were extremely satisfied with what we ate. Take a look at the food:
Appetizers: Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil Pizza & Caesar Salad
Entrees: Slowly cooked salmon, sweet and sour carrot broth & steamed shrimp salad
Desserts: Cookies and confections & salted caramel ice cream sundae
Restaurant Week continues March 13th -18th so be sure to check out a full list of participating restaurants on the Restaurant Week website!
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