Tourist Traps, a taboo term created by angry locals scorned out of their favorite local restaurants for one reason or another. When people from out of town come to Boston there are a many things they "must" do as a tourists and visiting the North End is definitely one of them. Unfortunately we live in a society where everyone is trying to be the cool hipster individual and conforming to the masses is despicable. I've found that recent industry standards have garnered a lot of hate from people for no reason at all whether it's (Apple vs Samsung, Xbox vs PS) people show pride on which product they choose as an individual and in turn must bash the competitor.
In the North End when a general consensus agree that one item is great there will be a good amount of naysayers ready to jump out and rain criticism on these so called sheep claiming that their opinion and product is superior. The main establishments that come to my mind in terms of these loyalty wars in the North End are Giacomos, Neptunes, Daily Catch, Mike's Pastry and Modern Pastry. I've been to all but can only fit 2 in todays review.
Daily Catch, located both in the North End and in the Allston/Brighton area near Coolidge Corner, was once a hidden gem in Boston. Offering truly amazing authentic dishes most notably their squid ink pasta and their Lobster Fra Diavolo, Daily Catch is known for it's rustic hole in the wall feel, both restaurants are tiny and offer the bare minimum in terms of ambiance and maybe even service. It's very family oriented so you're not going to get modern decor, memorized sales pitches for the menu or even air conditioner for that matter but they will offer some damn good Italian cuisine. All of their pasta entrees will be served in steel pans straight from the oven to your table, individual plates are optional but I prefer to eat straight from the pan so the food is sizzling hot. My only advice would be to skip the appetizers, the only one worth going for are the meatballs.
As mentioned in my comments beforehand, people like to compete and compare establishments not only to other restaurants but also based on location for Daily Catch, the average customer will swear by the North End location seeing as how it's the original but all of that is hearsay, the only determining factor of how good your food will be is the chef (usually one person) and the level of business at the time (more customers mean rushed orders). Surprising my best experience has been at the Allston location when the female chef (don't know her name) was working her magic. Our experience at the North End location left more to be desired, the male chef was very lazy and didn't put much care into his dishes the way the female chef had, furthermore the male server at the North End location was also mediocre in the hospitality department.
Mike's Pastry, the creme de la crem of Cannolis in Boston, what started out as a local small Cannoli shop has boomed into one of the biggest tourists spots for tourists in Boston. Some locals have shunned Mike's claiming that it is nothing more than a gimmick and a tourist trap but those same locals are the ones who used to line up every week before the popularity really set in. What I've never understood about these hipster individuals that need to differentiate themselves is why they can't just be unbiased and know that it's okay to like an item that a lot of other people like as well. To those naysayers, I ask that you not only do a blind taste test but also consider the question that if Mike's is only built on hype as a tourist trap, then why has there been a line almost everyday of the week and one that's twice as long on Sundays (and no, it's not all tourists). Their Cannolis have always been renowned for their massive size but also the perfect blend of sweetness ratio in the ricotta filling, it might not sound like much but it's something you truly have to taste to believe. I've always stuck to the regular/original but they offer over 10 different kinds with all sorts of toppings so don't be afraid to experiment.
Score: We Loved them! (9/10)
"Lobster Fra Diavolo"
"Mussels in White Wine"
"Cannolis"
