Dining Out Boston

It's funny how after seven years of eating out in Boston, I still am often completely stumped as to where to have dinner. My general distaste of chain restaurants readily eliminates places like Rock Bottom, Chili's, and Applebees even when I really am just in the mood for straight-up generic American cuisine.

Last night I had planned to meet up with Dusty, David, and Bunches after work to see Building 13 at the Loews Boston Common and found little sense in going home in between to make myself pasta and sauce. Bunches agreed that a burger pre-movie would hit the spot. And, of course, since I'm the "foodie" in the relationship, I was in charge of picking the restaurant. "You know tons of good places," Bunches encouraged. Well, kind of.

I gambled and chose The Intermission Tavern for its proximity to the theater, inexpensive menu, and cute brick facade. As we stepped into the narrow dark green dining room I felt as if I had wandered into one of the better touristy restaurants surrounding the broadway theaters in Times Square. Framed posters of musicals and plays as well as some 1920s risque sketches lined the walls and a long bar stretched from the restaurant's entrance to the kitchen. The crowd, however, wasn't exactly the touristy or theater-going type; on our right sat two construction workers with thick Australian accents and on the left were natives discussing a previous weekend's club adventure.

A burger was what I wanted, and a burger was what I had. The Intermission Tavern allows your to make your own, so I chose a 10 oz. patty cooked medium rare with American cheese and carmelized onions ($8.50). The choice of sides included fries, onion rings, or home-made potato chips. Bunches opted for one the signature burgers, The Red, White, and Blue ($8.95), with roasted red peppers and crumbled bleu cheese. We ordered a Caesar Salad ($7) to split on the side, the scattered (but very apologetic) waitress forgot to bring it.

The thick burgers and the generous serving of french fries were quite sufficient, so I hardly cared about the salad mishap. The fleshy, pink meat inside was nicely blanced with the well-cooked exterior and the sturdy bulky roll kept the juices and sloppy onions in check. Everyone and their dog has some opinion on what constitutes the perfect french fry. For me, it's pretty much Intermission's version, a thicky, potato stuffed fry, lightly salted and only slightly browned. The dusting of shaved parsley that coated the entire plate was an appreciated gesture that added color and cut nice against the saltiness of the meat and french fries.

In addition to serving great burgers, The Intermission Tavern also offers a reasonably priced selection of pub grub like calamari and potstickers as well as build-your-own deli sandwiches and entrees like pork tenderloin and mac 'n' cheese. By straddling the cinema and the theater district, it offers an incredibly convenient location for grabbing a pre- or post-show bite that won't cost more than your tickets.

The Info
Intermission Tavern
228 Tremont St., Boston
www.intermissiontavern.com