University Club, Boston, MA USA

The joy we all got from watching my 2 year old son interact with reptiles and curious creatures at the University Club in Boston on a Saturday morning was hard to compete with. I think he loved the turtle the most, although the tarantula was extremely cool (and he got a kick out of seeing mom scared of it).

I hadn’t been to the University Club in several years, but this was a fun, relaxing occasion as opposed to the business meetings that brought me here before.

The four of us – Trevor, Rachel, and my mom – popped out of the “petting zoo experience” slightly early so we could pop into the restaurant and get a head start on ordering. Of course everyone attending followed us shortly after, so we were quite content placing our orders prior to their arrival.

Our meals came out quickly! Thank goodness, because entertaining a hungry toddler at the lunch table is no one’s favorite task. Well plated and dressed to impressed, everyone’s choice looked lovely, and I was immediately excited by this club sandwich’s presentation.

Well cut and layered with great care, I loved the attention to detail the University Club gave their turkey club sandwich. A solid execution of the triple decker – which is becoming rarer and rarer to see – the ingredients blended nicely with each other, enabling them to both stand out as well as conjoin in flavor.

But what stole the show for this club sandwich was the cranberry mayonnaise. An homage to New England perhaps, one might not know why the chef chose this sweet and tangy ingredient to moisten each bite, but in the moment, no one cared why: it was a fantastic decision. In fact, I wanted more cranberry mayo in my life!! I couldn’t help but wonder if a nuttier bread would complement this sauce better, but I decided the whole wheat was a fine choice to sandwich this all together.

We literally finished all of our places and made the walk back to my mother’s condo, recounting a fun filled morning spent with family.

Wheat bread, smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, turkey, cranberry mayo