Boston Market

I'm fairly certain that I've never been to Boston Market before.  There was one in my home town for a while, and one in the town where I went to grad school, but, given that I truly loathe chicken, it just never, ever was somewhere I sought out, and KFC seemed more popular with the chicken-eating friends I had.

So, I was nearly 40 years old the first time I visited Boston Market.

And ... I wish I had discovered it sooner!  I really, truly enjoyed my meal, and I'd gladly return.

Setup

Now, don't be fooled by my glowing intro.  Boston Market is, still, fast food after all.  You order at a cashier in front, and are handed your meal ~immediately.

Serving Area.

Everything at Boston Market is prepared way in advance, and just scooped out by the staff from a steam table.  

I at least appreciated being able to see the items before selecting?

Individual Meals

Most folks choose an individual meal, which comes with two sides and cornbread, along with your choice of entree.  Family style options, or sandwiches and salads, also exist.

1/4 White Hickory-Smoked BBQ Chicken Meal. $11.59.

"Small, but mighty tasty. All-natural, never frozen white chicken marinated with the perfect blend of garlic, herbs and spices. Served with 2 homestyle sides and fresh-baked cornbread."

I got an individual meal with the 1/4 chicken (long story).  For my sides, it was no question what I was picking: mashed potatoes and mac and cheese!  

Note: the potatoes have gravy on them even in the serving area, so mashed potatoes without gravy is *not* an option, which I thought was a bit odd. 

My meal included a small individual cornbread as well.

Entree

For chicken, the signature rotisserie item at Boston Market, you can select a half chicken (all white or dark), a quarter white, or 3-piece dark.  Other entree choices are ribs or meatloaf if you don't do poultry, or roast turkey or pot pie.

Quarter White Chicken.  $11.59.

"All white rotisserie chicken, slow roasted and hand carved to order."

I opted for the quarter white, which was available in 3 styles: plain, garlic & herb, or Hickory-Smoked BBQ.  I went for the later, but asked for the bbq sauce on the side.

The chicken was ... um ... chicken.  I don't actually really eat chicken, but I had to get this (long story!), so I did try it.  I appreciated the crispy skin, and it did seem decently seasoned.  But it tasted like chicken!

Hickory Smoked BBQ & Gravy.

The hickory smoked bbq sauce was fine, a bold bbq, but not smoky in any way.  Tasted generic, but, not bad.  It had some zing.

The gravy was also fine, not remarkable in any way, but no lumps.

Sides

For me, the appeal of Boston Market was entirely in the sides.  They offer up a decent selection of items, ranging from fairly healthy to decadent.  All are available in "regular" size for $3.99, or large for $6.29, although some are considered premium (e.g. sweet potato casserole) and carry an up-charge.

For carbs, you can pick from Cilantro Lime Rice, Garlic Dill New Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, or Mac & Cheese.  If you are in the mood for cooked veggies, there is Sweet Corn, Creamed Spinach, and Fresh Steamed Vegetables (carrot-zucchini-broccoli).  To be really healthier, there are two side salad options as well.

Oh, and cornbread, always included with meals, it doesn't count as a side.

Mac & Cheese.  $3.99.

"All other mac & cheese recipes bow down. This creamy mixture of cheddar cheeses generously coating rotini pasta noodles is king. (Plus, we all know that spirals hold more cheese. And more cheese is always a good idea.)"

The mac and cheese I was pretty excited for.  I kinda adore fast food mac and cheese (from Krispy Krunchy Chicken - stay tuned for that review!) and this looked pretty great.  Plus, bonus points for using the twirly pasta!

It was basically everything I expected.  It is fast food mac and cheese.  It is not homestyle.  There is no artisan mix of cheeses, no bread crumb topping, no herbs.  But it was creamy, cheesy, and really quite satisfying.

And that pasta shape?  Awesome.  Fun to eat, and it held on to so much sauce.

A very different mac from Krispy Krunchy Chicken, but, still tasty, and I'd get it again.

***+.

Mashed Potatoes.  $3.99.

"Only the good stuff goes in here: real potatoes, milk, butter, and cracked black pepper. It’s whipped until soft, creamy, and silky smooth."

The mashed potatoes were glorious.  

While the mac and cheese tasted like fast food mac and cheese, the same can not be said for the mashed potatoes.  These tasted like *real* mashed potatoes.  Not instant.  Not gloopy.  

The consistency was basically perfect, thick, not watery, no lumps but some "bits" if that makes sense.  The mash was quite rich.  They clearly really do use real potatoes, and plenty of milk and butter.

No question the best fast food mashed potatoes I've ever had, and on par with any from a nice restaurant.  Really.

The gravy, again, already added, so my extra on the side wasn't necessary, was good - it added flavor, salty factor, etc, and was quite smooth.  

Overall, just, well, a surprise, and a pleasant one.  I'd get these again.

****.

Cornbread.  $1.79.

"The greatest thing since sliced bread is getting your own freshly-baked cornbread. The irresistible toasty, golden crust paired with the unbelievably sweet, tender center makes it absolutely to-die-for."

The cornbread I had the least hope for.  I mean, really, fast food cornbread?

But ... it too was really quite good!

It had a slight tang to it.  A nice grit.  Good crumble.  Moist.  Not dried out.  Slightly sweetened.

The mini loaf form was cute, but I think a regular slice, or muffin, would be equally nice.  

The cornbread easily rounded out my meal, and I think one would make a great breakfast muffin too.  I expected to need/want honey butter or something, but it definitely wasn't necessary.  This thing stood on its own quite fine.

****.