Work It: Boston Labor Day Planner 2009

by Christine Liu - Citysearch Editor - 69 Reviews - 104 Lists

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Updated: September 03, 2009

We’re bittersweet about Labor Day, a holiday that calls an end to the carefree days of summer while also giving a wicked excuse to grill, goof off and juice the last moments of sunshine. Here’s a useful guide on where in Boston to score the tastiest party fare and where to dip into one of the last long weekends you’ll see in a while. September’s first Monday may well be the day of rest, but we know you’ll put in just enough elbow grease to ensure a ridiculously rewarding time.

On this page:Get Out of Town, A Cookout You Can Count On.

Get Out of Town

  1. 1 4 Star Rating: Recommended Chatham Bars Inn
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    297 Shore Road, Chatham, MA 02633 (map)

    Whether you’ve been to the Cape a zillion or zero times this summer, there’s no reason not to give it one last luxurious heave-ho to complement the graceful exit of beach season. This Chatham stopover makes for a glorious getaway, with New England seafood-centric specialties, private beach villas, outdoor spa cabanas and a seemingly endless stretch of pristine, yet rugged, Massachusetts sand. Flip-flops, a good book and flowing Champagne? Check.

  2. 2 Duck Fat
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    43 Middle St, Portland, ME 04101 (map)

    There’s a generous glut of good restaurants spread among our neighbors up north, but Duck Fat might be the most appropriate for the transitional Labor Day season. The tiny eatery doles farm-fresh comfort food, pairing the sunniess of homemade sodas and a sumptuous “five-dollar milkshake” with the rib-sticking cold-weather tuck-ins of duck confit, homemade meatloaf and the signature poutine dripping local cheese curds and housemade duck gravy over Belgian fries.

  3. 3 Soco Creamery
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    5 Railroad St, Great Barrington, MA 01230 (map)

    Far-flung dairy connoisseurs and cone-totin’ locals alike make pilgrimages to this micro ice creamery lodged in the heart of the Berkshire mountains, where each taste triggers the dessert version of le petit mort. SoCo (short for “South County”) sources the freshest ingredients from local farms and bakeries to comprise an intense array of tastebud-transporting flavors--from a deliriously potent rum raisin to everything-but-the-kitchen-sink “Dirty Little Secret.” New England’s embarrassingly obsessed with ice cream … your point being?

A Cookout You Can Count On

  1. 4 4 Star Rating: Recommended Savenor's Market
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    160 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114 (map)

    Why would you just slap any ol’ hunk of meat on the grill when you could sizzle a lovely dry-aged prime rib, barbecue a tidy pheasant or toss up varieties of Canadian, duck and smoked boar bacon? No one on the block will be keeping up with your Joneses if you shop at Boston’s beloved specialty butcher, purveying perfect cuts since 1939. Snag a tub of rendered duck fat for slathering on corn on the cob, if you dare.

  2. 5 4 Star Rating: Recommended The Games People Play
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    1100 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138 (map)

    Labor Day is such a gimme holiday that all bets are off when it comes to falling into cheesy game mode. And rather than digging up a bedraggled Frisbee or dealing an umpteenth round of Texas Hold ‘Em, toss out a curious bevy of diversions from this quirky game store. From old-school Othello to Skybridge (the 3-D strategic lovechild of Jenga and Go), there’s a game to keep every party going. Proven in our books: a bracing marathon of Apples to Apples.