"This long-running hotel restaurant—part of an early 19th-century Boston hotel—claims origin of the Boston cream pie, which debuted there in 1856 as “chocolate cream pie,” created by a French-inspired chef named Sanzian. The dessert is essentially sponge cake layered with pastry cream, finished with chocolate and white icing and a ring of toasted walnuts, and remains available at the property (including in the gift shop and via the hotel’s room service and third-party sellers). The kitchen also invented the iconic Parker House roll in the 1870s, a buttery folded roll notable for its fluffy interior and exterior. Historically the hotel’s dining room was regarded as a high-end, gourmet establishment and helped launch the careers of several prominent chefs; today the restaurant itself serves breakfast and lunch only (typically closing at 2 p.m.), while the hotel’s bar and other on-site outlets offer the rolls and pie later in the day. The property reports selling roughly 550 orders of the pie per week." - Tanya Edwards