Boston is Cool

The Driver and Mrs. Driver recently returned from Boston. We don't know whether they still say "wicked awesome" in Boston, but for the sake of this post, we'll assume that they do. Because Boston is wicked awesome.

Allow us to show you one of the most wicked awesome dining experiences in Boston's North End.

Go to this place:

This is Giacomo's. It's good for at least three reasons:

1. Rachel Ray says it's good. Normally, this would be an instant disqualification for The Drivers, who typically steer clear of overly-hyped restaurants (tourist trap potential). The Drivers also have a love-hate relationship with Ms. Ray, but that's another post.

2. The above photo shows the line at 4:35pm. If there's one thing The Driver hates, it's waiting to eat -- especially at someplace that someone else says is cool. But if there's one thing The Driver loves more than dinner, it's an early dinner. Good food enjoyed early beats a 30-minute wait.

3. This is the entire restaurant:

If you're a party of two, you might be seated at "the bar," which is to say that you'll get the two bar stools located in the back corner of the restaurant -- at the end of the serving line. From these two seats, you'll have a commanding (and slightly elevated, thanks to the bar stools) view of the kitchen, the line, the chalkboard / menu, the entrance, the front windows and... well... that's it.

Incidentally, the food is really nice. Nothing too generic, nothing overly "artsy." The fried calamari, for example, was accented with jalapeños. We shared butternut squash ravioli with proscuitto in a light cream sauce. And we watched the whole meal being prepared and delivered steaming hot from the line.

We spent 30 minutes waiting outside, and 35 minutes in the restaurant. That might make it sound like the experience at Giacomo's is rushed. We prefer to think of it as "efficient." We had plenty of time to enjoy our appetizer before our entree arrived. And when we were finished eating, we paid the check (cash only) and left. Done and done. Back to the hotel just in time for The Driver's 7:30 bedtime. That's the way (uh-huh, uh-huh) The Driver likes it.

The Drivers have plenty more to share from Boston. But we still don't fully understand the Web 2.0 culture -- namely one that believes the world desperately wants to see said culture's vacation slides. So bear with us. We'll post when we feel there's some context. Do really good meals count?