Try walking along the Charles River or strolling through the Public Garden without noticing oodles of young professionals sprawled out on blankets, fancy cheese plates in-hand. What was once known as a typical family-oriented outing – the picnic – has evolved into an all-day yuppified trend here in Boston.
And with more and more local restaurants offering pre-packaged picnic baskets (hello convenience), it’s easy to understand why.
Chef-Owner Steve DiFillippo of one such restaurant, Davio’s, tells us that his new picnic basket offering is particularly popular with young professionals and couples who work in the city. “It’s a great presentation for the summer months since we don’t have patio dining at Davio’s Boston,” DiFillippo adds.
Peter Rait, owner of Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro – another restaurant that offers a pre-packaged picnic special – tells BostInno that about 90 percent of folks requesting picnic baskets are between the ages of 20 and 35. “It’s the overwhelming majority,” he adds. “We have several requests every week and when we have great stretches of weather we get multiple per day.”
Rait tells BostInno that the Beacon Hill Bistro is now in its sixth year of offering the picnic basket. “Each year it gets more and more popular. We’ll absolutely offer this next year.”
The Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro isn’t the only Boston-area hotel offering a picnic basket option to its guests and customers this summer. The Loews Boston Hotel restaurant, Precinct Kitchen + Bar, has also jumped on the bandwagon. “We originally decided to launch this as part of the hotel’s ‘Summer Like A Local’ promotion offered to hotel guests only,” Matt Sentas, GM of Precinct tells BostInno. “When it became popular we realized it might be something locals would enjoy as well. The picnic feature has only been live for about a week to locals but we have had numerous orders come in for the coming weeks.”
And you can be sure that this summer restaurant trend is here to stay – at least through 2016 anyway. DiFillippo of Davio’s says “we’ll bring it back next year due to the response and novelty.”
Here’s where you can find pre-packaged fancy picnics around Boston:
Beacon Hill Bistro
This summer, the Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro is offering its “Picnic in the Park” option once again. Guests and customers can place their order “Picnic Style” and upon arrival their items will be nicely tucked away in a rustic basket along with a blanket. The picnic lunch includes items like grilled sirloin burger, roast chicken BLT, seared salmon and more. The Picnic Style dinner will be the Bistro’s seasonal dinner menu, which can be seen here.
Davio’s Boston
Davio’s Boston is rolling out their new picnic basket this summer. Guests can call up to an hour ahead, place their order and they will be given a special Davio’s’ Picnic Basket with their favorite items placed inside along with a complimentary blanket. Guests can bring this basket to the nearby Boston Common or another preferred destination while indulging in a delectable three-course meal. The picnic basket for two costs $95 and features a selection of fresh salads, sandwiches and signature desserts, along with the choice of sparkling or still water. When the basket is returned, guests will be refunded $50.00.
Precinct Kitchen & Bar
Precinct Kitchen & Bar, located in the Loews Boston Hotel in Back Bay, is now offering picnic baskets to-go for $75. The offer is happening now through the end of the summer. The Precinct picnic basket includes a Charcuterie board, a bottle of wine (Red: Robert Mondavi/White: William Hill 2012) and a Boston Creme Pie for dessert. To order a basket, call 617-532-3827.
Stir
Once a month during summer, Stir will be offering a limited number of ready-to-go carefully prepared picnic baskets, each packed with delicious food and beverages following a specific theme. Each basket is $125 and is for 2 people. The picnic baskets include: utensils, solid birch picnic basket, house-made crackers, spreads, charcuterie by The Butcher Shop, salads and/or pickles, sandwiches, tarts or a baked dessert made by No. 9 Park’s pastry guru, Chef Mary Edinger, along with a non-alcoholic beverage such as Elderflower Lemonade. All food items will be made utilizing the summer’s bounty from Siena Farms. To order and schedule your basket pick-up, either email info@stirboston.com or call 617-423-7847.
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