Boston's: The Gourmet Pizza Offers Solid Menu and Festive Atmosphere

For a casual lunch or dinner, head to Boston's: The Gourmet Pizza. The slick, brightly-colored façade suggests that this is yet another sports-grille style dining establishment; while the restaurant's concept is uquestionably casual, sports-grille-esque , Boston's food is pleasantly fresh and varied.

Don't let the name fool you. Although Boston's has locations nationwide, the chain, originally a pizzeria, got its start in Alberta, Canada. Once the original founders expanded the menu into a well-rounded source of nourishment, the chain migrated south. The particular Boston's location that I visited was in Tempe, Arizona.

The interior offers secluded standard and bar seating; whatever your position, chances are high that you'll have a good view of one of many televisions angling out from the walls. The bar area merges with the main dining area to create what likely becomes an indoor tailgate party during football season.

The menu, featuring a smattering of greasy gut-busters and high-brow fish dishes, offers universal appeal. The focus on pizzas and appetizers is conducive to sharing among diners. Appetizers include sports bar staples: quesadillas, chicken fingers, garlic bread, nachos, wings, and potato skins.

The main dinner/lunch menu is slightly more inventive. The pizza selection includes the usual suspects - pepperoni, sausage, mushroom - but also lures more daring appetites with "Boston's Masterpieces." These unique pizzas include: the Florentine, with chicken and artichokes, and the Tropical chicken, with bacon, cheddar, pineapple, and, yes, Alfredo sauce, too. And finally there's the Mamma Meata, which should be pretty self-explanatory. Individual sized pizzas (8") are sufficient, and arrive attractively topped and piping hot.

Sandwiches - cheese steaks, burgers, tuna melts, wraps, and calzones - round out the selection. Salads are ample and fresh. I tried the Boston's grilled chicken salad - it was just too early in the day for something heavier - and could not finish it. The iceberg lettuce was as it should be, icy and refreshing. Chicken, bacon, hard-boiled egg, and some of the ripest tomatoes I've had in a while completed the dish. Another diner ordered the Taco salad, which consisted of grilled chicken, beans, cheese, and olives mounted high in a crunchy taco bowl.

The only really peculiar aspect of the Boston's dining experience? The chairs. Seating, at least at the Tempe location, was a bit awkward. Plush, wheeled, cup-like office chairs fit snugly around the tables. It is as if these seats subconsciously remind the leisurely diner that, sadly, it's back to the office tomorrow. And the ghastly fabric pattern covering said chairs alludes, in texture and aesthetic, to vintage airplane seats. For those not seated at a table's end, eating comfortably is a challenge; reaching the food will test your flexibility. Despite the odd seating, Boston's still offers a solid meal. For around ten dollars, you can expect a filling, fresh, and festive time.