Spring has sprung, and now summer too. Here’s how to make the most of Boston in Bloom, from art, to food, to sips to toast the lovely weather with. Elizabeth Margolis-Pineo, our East Coast Editor, shows us how it’s done.

Geraniums, Henri Matisse, 1915. French (Cateau-Cambresis, France 1869 – 1954 Nice, France). Oil on canvas.

As another endless winter slides into dreary mud season, I plan a Boston getaway in search of signs of spring. I begin my odyssey at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). First stop: Henri Matisse’s Geraniums. 

Maine’s own Neil Welliver has his own room at the MFA. I love the mossy green-blue of his forest.

Gould’s Hill, Neil Welliver (American, 1929–2005). Oil on canvas. 1972. Sophie M.
Friedman Fund. Gift of the artist with Parker Street 470 Gallery, Boston, to MFA,
Boston, 1973. © Neil Welliver, courtesy Alexandre Gallery, New York.

Boston in Bloom: Getting Hungry at the Museum of Fine Arts

My museum friend and I enjoy lunch in the New American Café. We share a few hard-won glasses of sturdy Chardonnay and a signature sandwich of grilled smoked turkey and provolone with arugula pesto and pickled red onion — smashing!

A smoked turkey sandwich at the cafe…

MFA’s signature tarts are gorgeous. This springtime one is fragrant with artichokes and goat cheese, one of my favorite combinations. Topped with a frisée salad and wild sorrel, the vegetable tarts are a spring garden on a plate.

And there is always time for a late-afternoon macchiato in the café beneath Dale Chihuly’s vertiginous tower of lime-green glass.

Boston in Bloom: Savor

A walk through the Boston Common, admiring the spring blossoms, brings me to a current dining favorite, Saltie Girl on the corner of Dartmouth and Newbury. Perch at the bar or comfy booth for Boston’s best seafood — raw, fried, smoked or grilled. Saltie Girl is found on several Best Of Boston lists, including mine.

Tinned fish is enjoying a delicious renaissance, from squid to sardines. Savor fresh sea urchin with quail egg and caviar, or smoked salmon, micro-greens and truffle honey — a perfect bite. Sip a Cape Codder with snow crab and avocado toast, a silky taste of spring.

Boston in Bloom: Sleep

In the spirit of my delicious spring getaway, I stay at the art-soaked Studio Allston Hotel. The former Days Inn on the Charles River is creatively up-cycled with individually painted rooms and public spaces by 20 local artists. Each room is unique, down to the number at the door. Combine all this freewheeling artistry with plenty of parking, robust wifi and convenient location. The Studio is comfortable and affordable—with great beds.

A room in Studio Allston.

I savor a late-night glass of Abariño at the in-house Latin-fusion bar, Casa Caña, and discover that chocolate flan is the perfect midnight snack!

Boston in Bloom: Good Morning

The Harvard Art Museums are reunited and in full bloom. The three museums’ sprawling collections were a beautiful but unwieldy problem. Enter architect Renzo Piano, who reimagined them into one soaring, light-filled space. My favorites include:

Signs of spring include John Singer Sargent’s Breakfast with shaggy pink blooms in gentle morning sunlight.

A self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh. He often painted himself with green eyes; sometimes blue or brown. I like to think his eyes were as green as the sea and soft as spring flowers. In contrast, Max Beckmann’s 1927 self-portrait with dark eyes and haughty expression. No seasonal warmth, here, just his glower. Ah, Max, how I adore you.

Monet’s sweet painting of Red Mullets reminds me that, as always, art makes me hungry.

Harvard was a refuge for Bauhaus artists, a place to work and explore ideas after the war. Herbert Bayer’s undulating Verdure is a soft green surprise in a sea of Bauhaus primary colors. Harvard’s Bauhaus archive contains some 50,000 pieces. I most enjoy the everyday objects, like this tea set, flaunting brassy curves. The glowing vessels connect to my deeply held belief in eating and drinking in style!

Wilhelm Wagenfeld, Coffee and Tea Service: 5-Piece Set, Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Hanna Lindemann, 1924-1925

Boston in Bloom: Seeking Sustenance

Another Boston’s Best is Our Fathers deli and resto-bar, close to my Allston digs. Check out the array of 130 gin varieties, monthly gin classes and “Gindustry” Nights — impressive!

Try a potato knish jazzed with turkey and bulgur. With a generous pour of Cold River gin, it’s an offbeat homage to fathers (and Jewish mothers!) everywhere. Add a tasting portion of pastrami, pink and charred, with nettle couscous.  This is Boston: Creative cuisine and distilled spirits with an edge.

A gin selection from Our Fathers.

Boston in Bloom on the South End

I love Kava in the South End, with the craggy Greek fisherman presiding over the bright and airy taverna. My favorite server, Roger, knows the menu and wine list. He recommends flinty Assyrtiko Atlantis, fragrant and delicious.

I bliss out on chewy grilled octopus with olive oil and lemon. Dolmades, cabbage leaves stuffed with beef and rice, are as tender as grandma’s. Keftedes, lamb meatballs, are served in garlicky yogurt tzatziki with cucumber and mint. The mussels in tomato and garlic with a touch of ouzo are Θαυμάσιος (marvelous).

Kava’s take on spanakopita combines locally sourced spinach, creamy feta and house-made phyllo — best I’ve had since Corfu. Try a humble pile of crunchy fried smelts, ultimate finger food. Swoon-worthy moussaka layers eggplant, potatoes, béchamel and beef in cinnamon-rich tomato. Baklava? Of course.

Boston in Bloom in Brookline

Or dive into Spanish cuisine at Barcelona Wine Bar in Brookline. We spend several convivial hours enjoying small plates of fragrant marinated olives, charcuterie boards of with cured meats, robust manchego and delicate caña di cabra, soft ripened goat cheese.

We continue with grilled broccolini, flawlessly seared scallops, blistered shishitso peppers, and grilled octopus. The seafood is out if this world. The jamon and manchego croquettes are my latest unctuous obsession.

The wine list is expansive and accessible. I drink French Viognier all evening, in honor of Toulouse Lautrec. The red and white sangrias are legendary here — next time!

Grilled squid from Barcelona in Boston.

Late night at Scullers Jazz Club, you’ll find blues, soul, and straight-up jazz with distinguished artists like Chris Botti, Jamie Cullum and Boston’s own Chick Corea. I recommend an icy martini, neat, for an affordable night with Boston’s finest.

Boston has it all.
Boston’s rich history, creative cuisine and cultural delights combine for a delicious, uplifting, art-soaked getaway. Take in the museums. Indulge in a bit of theater, opera or jazz. Hit a bookstore or two. Stroll the Boston Common, Zone 3, the Harvard and/or MIT campus. Add great seafood, Jewish deli and flinty Greek wines. Catch a sweet, warm breeze. The city’s sophisticated and welcoming vibe is hard to beat. Art is always in bloom in Boston!

— Story and photos (except where noted) by Elizabeth Margolis-Pineo

Hungry for more? Elizabeth shared a beautiful Apple Tart recipe on RealFoodTraveler.com that looks a lot like a flower in bloom. She also wrote about her home city, Portland, Maine and its award-winning restaurant scene.

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