Houston’s and Dirty Dancing

Hanging out with my mom and sister is always such a nice time, especially when it comes to food. Both of them are open to trying new foods and restaurants, so when it comes to planning, they usually leave the restaurant selection up to me!

Last Saturday, I had originally planned to take my mom and sister to 6B Lounge for lunch before the show, but sadly, it was closed. Fortunately, however, it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, so we took our time wandering around downtown and chatting before deciding on a personal favorite: Houston’s. (Mal and I went to Houston’s for our first “official” date, so it holds a special place in my heart. I still remember the table where we sat!)

Even though Houston’s is part of a chain of restaurants, it doesn’t feel that way at all. The lounge-y atmosphere is relaxing and comfy, and the restaurant sits somewhat below the ground level of the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, which gives it a club-y, den-like feel. The restaurant’s architecture is quite interesting and not at all like your typical “chain” restaurant– polished dark wood, over-sized seating, and modern accents pervade the space.

My family and I ate lunch in one of the large, crescent-shaped booths.

For lunch, I ordered the Firehouse Chili with shredded cheddar and onions on top and tortilla chips on the side. I was in the mood for chili, and this batch totally hit the spot!

After finishing our meals, we debated ordering something sweet, but none of the dessert options sounded that incredible. Instead, we ordered a round of cappuccinos. I added a packet of sugar to mine.

Mom and me:

Sister and me:

After lunch, we walked over to the Opera House to see Dirty Dancing, the musical.

The inside of the Opera House is gorgeous!

Love this ceiling!

My review of Dirty Dancing:

If you love the movie, you will love the musical. The musical is basically an identical remake of the movie, but with semi-weird special effects instead of actual movie scenes. For example, the lake scene where Baby and Johnny practice the lifts is quite interesting. The main characters closely resemble Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, but, while they sure can dance, they never sing. Instead, tracks from the Dirty Dancing movie soundtrack are played during the corresponding scenes. The show’s dancing, however, is absolutely amazing! The woman who plays “Penny” is an especially impressive and talented dancer. In fact, at times, I was completely memorized watching her dance!

So, in my honest opinion, the musical was a tad on the cheesy side, but if you want to be entertained and recapture the memories from the Dirty Dancing movie, you will love this musical.