James C. O’Connell spoke about his new book, “Dining Out in Boston: A Culinary History” at a special book talk sponsored by the North End Historical Society on November 16th at the Mariner’s House in North Square.
Dining Out in Boston is a comprehensive historical overview of the development of Boston’s restaurants. The book uses an extensive array of historic menus and photos to reveal the rich and hitherto unexplored story of both Boston’s lost and contemporary restaurants. The historic menus trace the development of the city’s culinary heritage, explaining the use of foodstuffs, recipes, dining customs, restaurant types, clientele, and evolving attitudes toward dining and drinking.
The book appraises the food served at such historic restaurants as Julien’s Restorator (the city’s first restaurant), the Parker House, Durgin-Park, Union Oyster House, Locke-Ober, Café Marliave, Jacob Wirth, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Anthony’s Pier 4, Dini’s Sea Grill, Maison Robert, Bailey’s Ice Cream Shop, Longfellow’s Wayside Inn, and many long-forgotten eateries.
O’Connell gave special attention to the North End sections of the book, which reach into modern times. For info on the book: https://diningoutinboston.com/about/
Photos by Alex Goldfeld.