March 13–26, 2017 THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO BOSTON PANORAMAEVENTS | SIGHTS | SHOPPING | MAPS | DINING | NIGHTLIFE | CULTURE Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Boston’s Most Irish Neighborhood +300 MORE THINGS TO DO IN BOSTON RIGHT NOW! bostonguide.com OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST 36 rolex oyster perpetual and datejust are ® trademarks. March 13–26, 2017 THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO BOSTON Volume 66 • No. 22 contents Feature PANO’s Guide 8 to Classic Boston Dining Ten Hub restaurants that have stood the test of time Departments 5 A Peek at the Past South Boston 6 6 Hubbub The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, Boston Ballet’s Kylián/Wings of Wax, the Boston Flower & Garden Show, Finish Line at the Shubert Theatre and The Parable of the Sower at the Paramount Center 10 Boston’s Official Guide 10 Multilingual 15 Current Events 21 On Exhibit 25 Shopping 29 Cambridge 32 Maps 8 38 Neighborhoods 42 Sightseeing 47 Beyond Boston 49 Freedom Trail 51 Dining 21 62 Boston Accent Author/journalist Dave Wedge ON THE COVER: South Boston hoodie courtesy of Southie Apparel/College Hype, Inc., 617-282-8883, Southieapparel.com. Find this and many other Boston and Irish designs at College Hype’s retail store, 540 Gallivan Blvd., Dorchester, Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturdays ’til 3 p.m. PHOTOS (TOP TO BOTTOM): ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE BY JORDAN JENNINGS; THE HUNGRY I BY DEREK KOUYOUMJIAN; GIACINTO MELILLO, BROOCH WITH EROTES ON A DOVE, ABOUT 1870–80 BOSTONGUIDE.COM 3 THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO BOSTON bostonguide.com March 13–26, 2017 Volume 66 • Number 22 Tim Montgomery • Publisher Scott Roberto • Art Director/Acting Editor Laura Jarvis • Assistant Art Director Andrea Renaud • Senior Account Executive Olivia J. Kiers • Editorial Assistant Tim Montgomery • President & CEO Tyler J. Montgomery • Vice President, Operations Rita A. Fucillo • Vice President, Publishing Jacolyn Ann Firestone • Vice President, Advertising Melissa J. O’Reilly • Business Manager Lenard B. Zide, Butters Brazilian LLP • Corporate Counsel PANORAMA is published bi-weekly by New Venture Media Group LLC. Editorial and advertising offices at 560 Harrison Ave., Suite 412, Boston, MA 02118. Telephone (617) 423-3400. Printed in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. No part of this publica- tion may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission of the publisher. NEW ENGLAND’S PANORAMA is a member of the Massachusetts Lodging Association, The Back Bay Association, The Greater Boston BEST VIEW Convention and Visitors Bureau, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Boston Concierge Association, the BOSTON’S MOST ROMANTIC Harvard Square Business Association, the Newbury Street League, the South End Business Alliance, the Downtown FINE DINING EXPERIENCE Crossing Association, the Kendall Square Association and the Central Square Business Association. BRUNCH / LUNCH a magazine affiliate COCKTAILS / DINNER FOLLOW US! 52ND FLOOR OF PRUDENTIAL TOWER Facebook.com/PanoramaBoston TOPOFTHEHUB.NET Twitter.com/PanoramaBoston CALL: (617) 536-1775 Instagram.com/PanoramaBoston Pinterest.com/PanoramaBoston 4 PANORAMA A PEEK AT THE PAST Taking the Mystery Out of Boston History SOUTH BOSTON hat was once a series of hills connected to It was after the colonial period that South Wneighboring Dorchester by a peninsula and Boston, due to the aforementioned landfill proj- now famed as the Hub’s bastion of Irish-ness, South ects, truly began to take shape. Dorchester Neck Boston—or Southie, as most locals affectionately was annexed to Boston in 1804, and Dorchester call it—has rightfully earned a place in the cultural Heights was partially excavated to provide raw consciousness. The evolution of this neighborhood material to expand the city. The 19th century nestled between the South End, Downtown and the was also when masses of Irish immigrants made Atlantic Ocean, however, is a truly remarkable story. Boston their home, a phenomenon which laid the Like many Boston neighborhoods, a great deal foundation of South Boston’s Irish character. of what we know today as South Boston was built In recent decades, the image of South Boston on landfill. Back in the colonial days, however, there has been shaped by many positive and negative was simply Dorchester Neck, which connected the forces. In the 1970s, the area was at the epicenter hills known as Dorchester Heights to Dorchester, of the turmoil over efforts to desegregate Boston another Boston neighborhood that, like South Bos- schools by busing children outside of their neigh- ton, was once a separate community. Dorchester borhoods, which many South Boston residents Heights was a strategic location during the Siege of opposed. South Boston was also the stomping Boston, a key moment of the American Revolu- grounds of the now-jailed gangster James “Whit- tion. It was here that George Washington and his ey” Bulger. Southie became even more famous, army positioned a battery of cannons, thus forcing however, as the setting of such films as Good Will the British from Boston Harbor on March 17, 1776. Hunting. Over the last 10 years, the gentrifica- Today the site is marked by a monument (pictured) tion of South Boston’s residential areas—as well and that date is celebrated citywide as the holiday as the rapid development of the Seaport District Evacuation Day. Another colonial era site is Castle and Fort Point neighborhoods—has dramatically Island. Now connected to the mainland, it was the changed the makeup of Southie, which is now spot where Castle William, a fort housing British home to some of the hottest eateries in the city, troops, once stood. That military structure was as well as marquee attractions like the Institute of eventually replaced by Fort Independence, the Contemporary Art and the Boston Convention & historic remnants of which can still be visited today. Exhibition Center. —Scott Roberto PHOTO: COURTESY OF BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY BOSTONGUIDE.COM 5 SOUTHIE ON PARADE One of the biggest celebrations of Irish-American pride in the country returns once again when the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade (refer to listing, page 18) takes over the streets of South Boston on March 19. Hundreds of thousands of green-clad revelers line the streets to celebrate Ireland’s patron saint, as well as Evacuation Day, a local holiday marking the driving of the British from Boston on St. Patrick’s Day in 1776. Floats, marching bands, local celebrities, politicians and more depart from the starting point near the MBTA’s Broadway stop on the Red Line around 1 p.m. and proceed down West Broadway to East Broadway before turning back and winding through the neighborhood before ending in Andrew Square. And the best part is that you don’t even have to be Irish to enjoy this grand spectacle that has been an annual tradition since 1901. WHAT BOSTON’S BUZZING ABOUT 3.13.17 WINGING IT The spring season heats up with Boston Ballet’s latest production, Kylián/Wings of Wax (refer to listing, page 16), which comes to the Boston Opera House March 23–April 2. Centered around the title work (pictured)—a sensual piece set to the music of Heinrich von Biber, John Cage, Philip Glass and Bach that is danced underneath an upside-down tree—by acclaimed Czech choreographer Jíři Kylián, the program also boasts the 1960 classic Donizetti Variations from ballet giant George Balanchine and the playful Cacti from young Swedish phenom Alexander Ekman, which is punctuated by music from such famed composers as Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Mahler. 6 PANORAMA HUBBUB BOTTOM PHOTO: ROSALIE O’CONNOR SPRING INTO THE SEASON Landscapers and gardeners might never be mistaken for Superman, Spider-Man or Wonder Woman, yet those with green thumbs get their rightful due at the Boston Flower & Garden Show (refer to listing, page 18), which returns to the Seaport World Trade Center March 22–26 with the dynamic theme “Superheroes of the Garden.” The largest show if its kind in New England, this year’s gathering showcases dozens of horticultural displays by both amateurs and professionals, many of which vie for garden bragging rights. Also check out a cornucopia of vendors selling everything from seeds to the latest gardening accessories, as well as an overgrowth of experts who can answer all of your questions about making your home garden pop. And don’t miss the preview party on March 21 at 6:30 p.m., which features food, beer, wine and live music, all to benefit The Genesis Foundation for Children. FINISHING STRONG After a slate of preview performances last spring, Finish Line: A Documentary Play About the 2013 Boston Marathon (refer to listing, page 20) finally makes its official world premiere March 15–26 at the Shubert Theatre. Crafted from dozens of interviews conducted by co-creators Joey Frangieh and Lisa Rafferty of the Boston Theater Company, the show—courtesy of a cast of 11 of the Hub’s finest actors—brings to life the stories of the runners, spectators, journalists, city officials, doctors, first responders and family members of the victims who were directly affected by the act of terror that shook the city nearly four years ago. Ultimately a story of resiliency and triumph, Finish Line is sure to be a powerful and moving experience for both audience and performers alike. SOWING THE SEEDS Inspired by a world not unrecognizable from our own, Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower (refer to listing, page 20) is a lively blend of music and theater based on Butler’s classic—and prescient—1993 novel. The book, set in the not-too-distant future, tells the story of teenager Lauren Olamina, who, after losing her family, ventures from her gated community in Los Angeles into an America wracked by environmental degradation and economic inequality.