Last October, it looked like the waterfront restaurant might survive "several years" until developers broke ground on the impending Pier 4 living and retail complex, but time's almost up for the restaurant that has fed politicians, celebrities, tourists, and locals for decades. Opened by Albanian immigrant Anthony Athanas in , Anthony's Pier 4 occupied the Seaport District long before it bore that name not to mention that supposedly swankier "Innovation District" name.
He always knew the area would be developed, his sons tell the Globe. The menu reads like a snapshot of classic New England cuisine: baked stuffed filet of sole, broiled scrod, lobster Newberg, clam chowder.
There's prime rib and grilled veal chops for those who don't want seafood, a pair of souffles for dessert, and a wine program that has been winning awards for years. And of course, there's the warm popovers that start every meal. Athanas died in , and his four sons own the restaurant now, along with Hawthorne by the Sea Tavern in Swampscott and Anthony's Cummaquid Inn in Yarmouth.
Anthony's Pier 4 might return as a smaller version of itself in the new development being built, the Athanas sons say. The border was blurry, up there in the Balkans. The border was blurry in Pier 4, too. Two Greeks could toast their American daughter in a restaurant owned by an Albanian man who had become one of the most important figures in a tightly knit New England city.
Anthony's offered a shared American experience. And with every bite of popover, we ate it up. During the heyday of Pier 4, Boston was a parochial, narrow-minded place.
Editor's Note : What about it readers? Do you remember a special night at Anthony's Pier 4? What do you think about where the restaurant scene in Boston has been, and where it's going? Leave your thoughts in the comments section. This program aired on July 30, The audio for this program is not available. But he lost much of the land in a legal battle with his onetime development partner, the Pritzker family of Chicago, and in the late s he sold the development rights to Pier 4 to New England Development CEO Stephen Karp.
New England Development in turn sold some of the property to the Houston-based Hanover Company, which is building the apartment and retail tower. Meanwhile, longtime customers will soon be left with only the memories of the storied original. Meloski seemed stricken as he wandered back to the car with his daughter. The Athanas brothers say there is a possibility Pier 4 will reopen as a smaller version of itself.
Boston Globe video.
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