Hollywood East

A street sign warning Bostonians not to "pahk the cah."

In each of the past two years over thirty films have been shot on location in Massachusetts. In fact, there are currently seven films in production here and serious talk of building the largest studio production facility in the world on the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station base. Leonardo DiCaprio, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Willis (who is holed up in a luxury hotel that was a former prison, hint-hint)and Matthew McGonaghey are all in town. And Martin Scorsese is on his way back. Again! This prompts the question: where are all of these movie stars eating? And why the hell haven't we bumped into them yet?


A bewigged Matthew McConaughey on location in Boston.

Since many of these productions, for some unknown reason, seem to take place in and around the Seaport/Fort Point Channel area, a burgeoning area in and of itself, we thought we'd review some of the dining options in this locale. Most of these place are new within the past few years and all have received great reviews. TBF reviews are on the way. So, as we become Hollywood East, here are the five selected.


Matthew McConaughey (sans hair) on location in Boston.

Gaslight
560 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
Gaslight is a new French Brasserie with seasonal outdoor seating, a full bar, French wine list, and free parking nightly and on weekends.
Dining Style: Casual Dining
Cuisine: French, European
Neighborhood: South End
Cross Street: Waltham St.
Price: $30 and under
Email: manager@gaslight560.com
Phone: (617) 422-0224
Link: Gaslight

The unmistakable zinc bar at Gaslight.

Persephone
Boston 283 Summer St.
Boston, MA 0211
Persephone is a casually elegant, neighborhood bistro featuring local organic sustainable cuisine.
Dining Style: Casual Elegant
Cuisine: Mediterranean, French
Neighborhood: Fort Point Channel
Cross Street: Melcher St.
Price: $30 and under
Email: Persephone@Achilles-Project.com
Phone: (617) 695-2257
Link: Persephone

Persephone at The Achilles Project combines shopping and dining.

Legal Sea Foods - LTK
Park Lane 225 Northern Ave.
Boston, MA 02210
What does dining in the 21st century look like for the city of Boston? It includes a high-tech atmosphere with digital menus, WiFi access, and an array of menu selections. In a nutshell, the new LTK restaurant on South Boston's waterfront. The state-of-the-art Legal Test Kitchen offers a glimpse into some of the restaurant industry's most innovative technology. The POS stations are WiFi, IPODs can be docked at the table, mood lighting system changes through the day, and the menu offers multi-cultural cuisine. This innovative concept which incorporates a wide array of cuisine and state-of -the -art technology all done with stylish flair. LTK is a prime location to showcase the evolution of dining trends in the restaurant industry.
Dining Style: Casual Elegant
Cuisine: Seafood, American
Neighborhood: Seaport
Price: $30 and under
Phone: (617) 330-7430
Link: LTK

Legal Test Kitchens, the hi tech Seaport eatery.

Myers and Chang
1145 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02118
(617) 542-5200
T stop: Silver Line/Washington St & E Berkeley St.
Price: $4-$15 (plus a market-price lobster dish, recently $42).
Chinese restaurants have given us so much flavor and value that it seems almost rude to point out that Boston hasn’t had a lot of luck with making them upscale. It’s even more daring for a Chinese restaurant to try to go higher-end within a few blocks of Chinatown. As evidenced by Peking Tom’s, to cite a recent attempt, it’s hard to capture the slight campiness of Chinese-American restaurants with enough affection to avoid satire or borderline racism. It’s also surprisingly tricky to fuse Chinese food, even with other Asian cuisines. And when you get to working in European ingredients and techniques, well, there’s Ming Tsai, and there’s everybody else. Myers+Chang is a far surer effort than Peking Tom’s, both in the kitchen (which also draws from other Asian cuisines) and in the design, which is modernized, more spacious, and louder. But it retains enough of the traditional signifiers to make your mouth water for spring rolls, spareribs, and Peking ravioli.
Link: Myers & Change

Myers and Chang new Seaport restaurant.

Flour Bakery
12 Farnsworth St
Boston, MA 02210
(617) 338-4333
Owned by the fantastic baker (and Harvard grad) Joanne Chang this fashionable bakery is an outpost of the original South End spot and already THE place to grab your morning java in the Seaport area. Great lunches and coffee house atmosphere. Be prepared for lines out the door on weekend mornings.
Link: Flour


Goodies at Flour Bakery in the Seaport.