To get to the hungry i, you need to step down and into a small brick covered alley way. Once inside, you find yourself in a very small, romantic setting. The bill is written by hand(even though this seems charming, check the addition, we found a $20 mistake once). And there's no rush to get you out the door once you are inside.
You never know exactly what will be on the menu because that depends on what ingredients the chef thought were the best that particular day and what the chef is inspired to do with them. You can usually bet that there will be venison, lapin (rabbit), pheasant, chicken, beef and some kind of pasta on the menu. I go there quite a lot.
Once, we had brunch in the upstairs dining room and were placed in front of a fireplace. We had wonderful mimosas, french toast and omelets, and good company. The waitstaff was very solicitous. Our only complaint (which was really minor) is that our coffee was poured into cold cups and didn't stay hot very long. We said something to the waiter and our cups were whisked away. Next thing we knew we had hot coffee in hot cups and we were back to our chatty brunch.
Every May, Beacon Hill has a one-day event sponsored by the Beacon Hill Garden Club called "Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill". This event collects money so that various public areas in Beacon Hill can remain beautified. On this day, several homes and their back gardens are open to the public so that people can view all types of creative city gardens. The hungry i has a hidden garden too. When we stopped there for lunch, we were escorted out back to a beautifully decorated garden completely hidden from view. I had a wonderful omelet with brie complimented by a glass of white wine that I partook before heading out for more hidden garden viewing.
For dinner in February we entered a magical place. We were seated right next to a fire place. We ordered a bottle of wine for the table, listened to our waiter go through the specials and just enjoyed the evening. We went with all of the chefs recommendations for our meal from appetizers through desserts. It was perfect from beginning bto end.
If you are looking for an unforgettable place to go for atmosphere and food and you're not worried about your pocketbook, this is the place to go. Make it a special event and don't forget to call ahead for reservations.
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