My roommate, Sanjay, and I went here on a Tuesday night to meet up with my friend, Laura (it's one of her favorite Back Bay spots) and it was packed. They have a large outdoor patio on Boylston and people were out enjoying the weather. Inside was equally full but we were able to find seats at the bar. I hoped this would be an indication of good things to come and I was not disappointed.
Compared to a lot of the Back Bay, Parish is a good, affordable option. They serve a refreshing variety of entree size salads and sandwiches for around $12 per plate (the $32 double lobster roll is an outlier). I went there with all intentions of eating healthy but when I saw 'The Coppa', I knew I was done for. The menu describes it as
"A slow roasted pork belly sandwich on a sesame seeded bun topped with American cheese, Hellman's mayonaisse, carmelized onions-red jalapeno peppers. Sided with your choice of homemade potato salad or cole slaw."They had me at pork belly. If there's one thing I have come to realize, it is that I am becoming a big fan of the fatty, flavorful, less conventional parts of the animal. Perhaps this is the best thing that Anthony Bourdain has taught me. It started with bone marrow. Now it's pork belly. I first had pork belly at People, a tapas restaurant in Chicago about a month ago. It was shredded inside a small slider, but the flavor was phenomenal! This time they did not disguise the texture of the cut. My sandwich was literally packed with gooey pieces of essentially pig fat packing an overwhelming flavor of pork goodness. By the end of meal was hands were so greasy I felt like I had washed them in olive oil. If this disturbs you, I apologize. If it does not, you need to try it! Parish has definitely gotten my attention and I'm sure I'll be going back. I might not order the 'The Coppa' every time, but it definitely made me appreciate what they have to offer.
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