by Christine Liu - 156 Reviews - 111 List
The classic salty-sweet combo of peanut butter and jelly comforts us dearly, propelling taste-memory straight back to freewheeling childhood. Whether you're adamant about crunchy versus creamy--or a staunch strawberry believer staging a mutiny against the blameless grape--you'll be sure to get stuck on these PB&J picks in Boston.
(Photo: bensonkua on flickr)
Updated: April 12, 2010
South End Buttery's version is la creme de la creme of PB&J. The housemade peanut butter (extra-chunky) and housemade jelly (strawberry with raspberry in the mix) come on a freshly baked croissant by local boulangerie Sel de la Terre. Sub Nutella in for jelly if feeling diabolical.
You could very well get fancy with the chocolate orgasm brownie or New York-style cherry cheesecake, but sometimes it pays to get back to basics. The peanut butter and jelly sandwich on reassuring white bread hits the salty-sweet-soft spot--perfect while ogling miles of fudgey flourishes.
Last we checked, there wasn't yet a peanut butter and jelly stew on this spot's endless roster of 150-plus soups. However, the bakery pumps out a solid PB&J cookie, in which a dollop of grape jelly sits snugly within a peanut butter disc.
Italian dessert purists, turn your heads. The rest of you, venture forward to the reality that is the peanut butter and jelly cannoli: peanut butter ricotta (reminiscent of a Reese's cup) and raspberry jelly filling piped inside a plain shell dipped in chocolate. Nonna--eat your heart out.
PB&J meets Cali-Tex-Mex at the Purple Cactus, JP's haven for healthful burritos, salads and soups. If you've got sweet on the mind, you can get Teddy's (local!) natural peanut butter and grape jelly schmeared on a flour tortilla and wrapped. Don't be shy ordering it from the kids section of the menu.
