Boston Market -- 50's Food

Boston Market would be one of the places at which The Man Who Considers All Herbs “Funky” should be able to eat happily. A 50's sort of place. A Macaroni and Cheese, Meatloaf, Green Bean Casserole sort of place.

The way it works it that you choose an entre and then, right in the compartments of your divided plastic plate are plopped two side dishes of your choice, plus cornbread. The main dish selection is not huge: chicken, sirloin, turkey, meatloaf, and chicken pot pie, ranging in price from $5 to $11, depending on the size of the portion you order. There are 14 side dishes to choose from. The clientele, which included many families with small children, are taking advantage of the children’s portions of the entres for $3.49.

The Man Who Married Me To Be Closer To My Mother’s Meatloaf ordered – tada! -- meatloaf, with sweet potatoes and green bean casserole ($6.49). I ordered 5 oz. of Roast Turkey with sweet potatoes and creamed spinach ($7.29). These items are all on display in a chrome steam table, at which the waiters scoop up your choices and slap them on your plate. It reminded me of lunches at Liz Waters dormitory when I was in college. Same food, even.

The first thing The Man said after taking a bite of his sweet potatoes was, “Well, we won’t have to order dessert.” There was as much sugar in those sweet potatoes as there would be in sweet potato pie. The next thing he said was, “Whoa. This meat isn’t warm.” “Is it cold?” I asked. “No, it’s just slightly above room temperature.” I tasted my turkey with gravy. It was the same tepid temperature. YIKES! This is the scarey part about eating in restaurants of all kinds every night. Somewhere there could be food poisoning or some bacteria lurking in your salad or gravy. I ate a small amount of my main dish and left the rest. We did not get sick – praise be to the gods of cafeterias everywhere. I ate all of the spinach, which was hot and rich and delicious. Did your mother make creamed vegetables, like creamed peas and creamed broccoli? Mine did. This creamed spinach started with onions sauteed in butter – lots of it. That butter was the main ingredient in the white sauce that smothered the chopped spinach. I consumed ample fats and calories just eating the creamed spinach. The cornbread was a disappointment -- a dry concoction of too much flour and not enough cornmeal.

A final note: the bathroom was clean, but they could wash the outside of the waste container sometime.

If Boston Market would be more careful of the temperature at which their food is served (and his parents would allow it), our 4-year-old grandson would love this food. His tastes tend to run in line with his grandpa’s, though the little one is far more adventurous. He’ll even eat scallops, praise be!

Kitchenless in Brookfield