poetry and banana bread
the place: the parish cafe, 361 boylston st, back bay
the date: saturday, 04.04.09
the plan: post-poetry lunch
in case you are unaware, april is national poetry month. (do yourself a favor and read a poem a day from this year and past years at http://april-is.tumblr.com/.) to celebrate, the boston public library holds a poetry festival featuring an all day long reading with many poets, both known and undiscovered. some were fantastic, some should perhaps have remained undiscovered (I have three words for you: bear rape fantasy. I’m sayin’) but it was definitely a nice, slightly pretentious time. and of course, the best way to match that kind of afternoon activity is to spend a ridiculous amount of money for pretentious sandwiches of varying quality at the parish cafe.
drinks, of course: I almost went for the special, some delightful concoction of kiwi and booze, but ended up being unable to resist my favorite combination of strawberry and basil. I made the right choice. I had two. it was amazing. the rest of the group experimented with pears and vodka and wiskey and honey, all classic taste sensations.
the main event: the thing about the parish is that it’s totally a cool idea. ask local chefs to create sandwiches. it means you’ll probably get some cool ideas, some unexpected flavor combinations, and a clever gimmick. it all also means you can charge unheard of amounts for a sandwich. so the only way I can go there is to commit fully to spending that crazy sandwich money and make that part of the experience. so, once I finished thrilling at the prices, I actually considered all the sandwiches. I narrowed it down to the zuni roll and the schlesinger and ultimately decided to go with the sweeter and more unusual schlesinger and I totally made the right choice. melted cheese on banana nut bread, with a pile of ham and mango chutney on the side. it was delicious and I enjoyed every bite. it came with a side of pickled cabbage, which I didn’t expecttolike, but actually did.
I definitely wish it hadn’t been a bit rainy, because sitting outside is one of the best parts of the parish, but you take what you can get and sun in april in boston is a rare treat. sort of like a visit to the parish, actually.
