Posted in Boston
January 24, 2018
The Haunted Restaurant In Boston That Invented The Boston Cream Pie
The Omni Parker House Hotel is renowned for many reasons. This establishment is the longest continuously operating hotel in the nation. So, it’s not altogether surprising that it’s also been dubbed the most haunted hotel in New England. While these are both compelling reasons to visit, for me, the hotel’s biggest draw is dessert!
This was the invention of Chef Sanzian, who hailed from France. At first, the dish was named "chocolate cream pie" or "Parker House chocolate cream pie." However, despite the variations in branding, the restaurant’s actual dessert remained unchanged over the years. Boston cream pie can be individually portioned or made on a larger scale.
In the mid-19th century, chocolate was typically something you drank rather than ate —head over to the North End to Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate Shop to see what I mean. So, when Sanzian used chocolate as icing on top of his signature dessert, it was a pretty bold move. He finished off his creation by adding a delicate webbed pattern on top of the chocolate icing.
Well, when this dessert was invented, people often made cakes in pie tins or vice versa, depending on what they had on hand. The boundaries between cake and pie were less established.
Nowadays, you can find this dessert all over the city, but you should try it at Parker’s Restaurant at least once. In addition to being the dessert’s birthplace, Parker’s is a destination in its own right — after all, this is also where the slightly sweet, light as air Parker House rolls were first created.
Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton have been customers. So too have baseball’s biggest names like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and David Ortiz.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ben Affleck, Stephen King… the list of famous folks who’ve supposedly frequented the hotel is endless. However, it’s the people who checked in and never left that are the most intriguing of all!
The ghost of Charles Dickens, who was a customer in life, is also believed to roam the hotel. Some daring souls who peer into the mirror on the mezzanine level swear they’ve seen the author looking back at them.
This may have nothing to do with Dickens. Actress Charlotte Cushman died in a room on the hotel's third floor of pneumonia.
The smell of whisky and sounds of laughter emanating from Room 303 so unsettled the hotel’s employees that the space is now used as a closet.
The smell of whisky and sounds of laughter emanating from Room 303 so unsettled the hotel’s employees that the space is now used as a closet.
So, there we have it. This hotel and restaurant offer spirits (of all kinds), the original Boston cream pie, and history galore. Have you visited this storied spot yet? The Omni Parker House Hotel is located at 60 School Street, Boston, MA 02108.
Learn more about Boston’s haunted buildings here and then check out the specific dishes in our city that deserve a place on your dining bucket list.
