Location: Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA.

The Union Oyster House claims to be the oldest restaurant operating in continuing service in the U.S. double0hilly recommended it, so when Tamara wondered where I would like to have dinner, that's what I proposed. She'd never been and was interested in trying it too so, with the security of a reservation on our side, we went.

Upstairs, there is a dark wooden room, with an exposed timber ceiling, narrow booths, yellow lighting, and a great deal of character. Service was very friendly, and accurate, but seemed a little disorganized at times. The food was all quite good - quality New England comfort food, even if in one case, I didn't order it in its most obvious shape. The bread was particularly good, the slight sweetness to the corn bread and crunchy warm rolls. They even had a tasty brand of root beer, which made me happy.

I started with a cup of the clam chowder ("a Boston classic") which was just what a chowder should be. Warm, tasty, full of clam and potato lumps - it wasn't overwhelmingly amazing, but then it's not one of those dishes which ought to be, any more than should peanut butter and jelly, or macaroni and cheese. It was tasty and just the right amount.

The first few bites of the Lobster Ravioli were amazing. The white wine, lobster, and cream sauce went together beautifully. The ravioli themselves were good, but not as good as the sauce. In retrospect, however, I should know that I prefer nibbly dinners. A main portion-sized dish of the ravioli were too much, not for my appetite so much as my attention span. I should have stopped while I was still interested, although the sauce remained delicious to the very last. It would have been a better dinner if I'd had a small portion of the ravioli and then a salad, but, as they say, hindsight is...

After a bit of digesting, we ordered dessert. Mmm. Indian Pudding with a dollop of ice cream was again a form of high-quality comfort food. It was like a liquid version of gently gingery gingerbread. Tamara ordered their gingerbread itself, which reciprocated the flavor relationship with the pudding.

All in all, it was a fine meal, but next time, I will order salad. Given how competent and comfortable the rest of their food is, I'm sure they make a very good salad indeed.