This weekend my cousin is getting married at the Liberty Hotel in Beacon Hill. This afternoon she and her fiance arrived in Boston from Manhattan as did his parents, who flew up from Charleston, SC. The bride arranged a dinner for the four of them and the local, immediate family at Caffe Graffiti in the North End.
I had never heard of Caffe Graffiti and when I asked a few of my friends who live downtown if they had ever eaten there they said "no, but I've walked past it a million times." Hmm, not exactly a response that inspires confidence.
I arrived a few minutes after 7:00pm and we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. The dining room has plain decor, but a nice view of the street. In the warm weather they also have an outdoor patio right at the corner of Hanover Street and Cross Street.
Our waiter, Frank, was high energy and dealt extremely well with the large group and my nearly deaf grandmother.
We started with Italian bread and olive oil and a few Caesar salads for the table. The bread was fresh and the Caesar was a good balance of lettuce, croutons, cheese and creamy dressing.
For dinner I ordered the mushroom ravioli. It came topped with a type of mushroom that resembled slices of chicken or pork. I took a small bite and the texture was alarmingly similar to meat, so I pushed them to the side. I've had a lot of mushroom ravioli in my vegetarian life and this one was lackluster.
The bride ordered chicken parmesan which looked delicious, was a generous portion size and came with a plate full of ziti with marinara.
The groom chose the chicken cacciatore which was the best looking meal on the table. He gobbled it up immediately after I took this picture.
Across from me, the groom's cousin picked clams and mussels which smelled fantastic and reminded me of the summer weather that seems to be swiftly disappearing.
While we weren't interested in dessert, a few people ordered cappuccinos and my uncle ordered an iced cappuccino. It came in a Bud Light beer glass which I found utterly hilarious and quintessentially Boston.
I have been spoiled by some incredible meals in the North End (my favorites are Bacco and Dolce Vita) and unfortunately, for me, Caffe Graffiti didn't quite measure up.
