The Boston Celtics stand as a stalwart franchise in professional basketball. The team carries an indelible brand built from the fires of competitive championship battles and revered NBA legends. Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Kelly Olynyk … the list goes on and on.
The Celtics enter this new season as the prominent frontrunners after an impressive NBA championship victory. Every game carries extra gravitas as the rest of the NBA world devises schematics to overcome the C’s all-star roster. I am not an ardent NBA fan, but I could not resist the allure of seeing this revered team step on the court.
It would be impossible for a Boston odyssey to embrace the city’s vibrant food scene. Boston features quintessential dining staples, like hearty clam chowder and rustic baked beans, and a deep roster of intriguing food fusions. There are so many enticing options that settling on a single location becomes an impossible task.
Teddy’s on the Hill, 9 Bowdoin St., Boston
I ventured to Teddy’s on the Hill, formally known as The Red Hat. The latter venture opened in 1907, serving as a welcoming sailor destination during industrialization. After 115 years of feeding locals and tourists, The Red Hat closed its doors to make way for Teddy’s on the Hill.
Teddy’s may be a new venture, but the restaurant retains a charming old-fashioned aesthetic. The bar is tucked into a cozy nook that looks sleight at first glance. Once inside, patrons enter a low-key yet inviting atmosphere featuring ambient lighting and kitsch furniture around every corner.
Teddy’s does not only look the part. I ordered the chicken panini, a crisp and compact sandwich stacked high with fried chicken, bacon, provolone cheese and an aromatic chipotle aioli drizzle. This panini formulates a well-caliber sandwich equation, combining salty bacon, rich cheese and crispy chicken for the perfect textural balancing act.
Even the panini shell features an elevated makeover. The photogenic grill marks and pillowy breading left me salivating for my next bite. I washed down each mouthful with handfuls of Teddy’s classic crinkle-cut french fries. Both items exemplified bar food at its absolute peak, and unlike most Boston restaurants, it did not cost an arm and a leg to eat there. Teddy’s on the Hill is the ideal destination for any wandering tourists looking for a quaint slice of comfort.
I devoured my robust meal yet still craved some stadium junk food. TD Garden, unfortunately, does not score a slam dunk in this regard. I’ve never understood why the Boston Celtics, a team embedded in rich culture, do not feature a single inspired food option once fans reach the stands. I settled on a pizza slice that hoodwinked me following a tantalizing first glance. The glistening slice served as a cruel trojan horse for sufficient pizza. The generic sauce, artificial cheese and excess grease left me shamefully yearning for gas station pizza.
Thankfully, the basketball showcase did not airball like the food. This game versus the Atlanta Hawks marked the first venture in the NBA’s mid-season tournament. This new addition is just a cheap gimmick to inject a false sense of importance in the early basketball season, but hey, at least it means the Celtics debut a new home court to celebrate. I should be more careful about what I wish for as the alternate court was a garish eyesore. The blinding neon green emanated a distracting glare that looked like the toxic waste the Incredible Hulk slipped into.
Entering the game as 16-point favorites, the Celtics roared onto the court with a championship mindset. Jaylen Brown delivered high-flying dunks with emphatic authority. Derek White smoothly slid into open crevices on the court, splashing high-arching shots every time he touched the ball. Even old-school favorites made their mark. Al Horford, who debuted in the NBA when I was in third grade, still carries poise and an unstoppable standing jump shot.
Basketball, though, is a game of two halves. The Hawks never backed down, leaning on the talents of unheralded upcoming players to carry the on-court responsibilities. The talent difference was stark, but an insatiable desire for rebounds, second-chance points and energetic effort players set the course for a nail-bitter finish. Ultimately, the Hawks came out victorious in what will go down as one of the biggest upsets in NBA regular season history.
Win or lose, the Celtics still deliver a fantastic night of entertainment for ardent sports fans and casual observers alike.
