Boston Market – Holland

• 638 E. 16th Street
• Holland, MI 49423
• (616) 395-9535
• Website
• Menu

So, this was a weird one.  A co-worker and I were on our way to Holland for an assignment when she got all excited about dinner.  I’ve written about this C.W. in the past.  She’s the one who loves Mancino’s and we actively seek them out when we work together.  Now, there is a Mancino’s in Holland, but that’s not what she was excited about.  No.  She was excited about a different restaurant we were going to pass.

I was totally unaware that Boston Market even still existed but this co-worker used to go to church fairly close to the corner of 16th Street and U.S. 31 near Holland.  She and her family would eat here often because it’s the only one on this side of the state.  There are several in the Detroit area and one in the Lansing area, but this Holland location is the only one on the west side.

We were sort of in a hurry when we pulled in the parking lot, so we had to take our dinners to go.  C.W. knew what she wanted, but I can’t tell you the last time I was in a Boston Market.  I had no idea even what they had.

I assumed when I started looking at the menu I was just going to order a sandwich, but then I kept walking and noticed whole chicken meals and even ribs.  Sounded yummy, but a whole chicken was too much, so I ordered the half chicken.  I got two sides with the meal so I chose the macaroni and cheese and the garlic dill potatoes.  

I was watched as another employee loaded a plate with the sides then headed down to the end of the assembly line and cut a chicken in half.  I was sort of expecting three individual pieces, but the chicken was left intact then the plate was covered with a plastic top and bagged up alongside of a slice of cornbread.  The cost for what turned out to be a lot of food was just under $9.00

I had to wait until I got back to Grand Rapids to eat, but the packaging actually kept all of the food pretty warm.  I started first with the macaroni and cheese.  The dish is made with a creamy cheddar cheese sauce and rotini noodles.  The side dish was really tasty and really cheesy.

After the macaroni and cheese I dug in to the other side.  The Garlic Dill New Potatoes were red potato wedges covered in a garlic butter sauce and fresh dill.  The potatoes were nice and firm and the dominate flavor was the garlic.  They were good and I ate up the whole plate.  Not the best potatoes I’ve ever had, but still pretty good.

After polishing off the side, I attacked the chicken.  The meat was very juicy and very tender.  It easily pulled off.  The skin was just a little crunchy from the rotisserie cooking and held in the garlic herb flavor that penetrated the meat.  I wasn’t expecting a whole lot when we stopped at this almost forgotten chain, but this chicken exceeded my expectations.

I was a little surprised when my co-worker got all excited about us passing Boston Market in the course of our travels, but I will always give a co-worker the benefit of the doubt.  As things go, it’s a chain and the preparation of the food isn’t going to surprise you, but it is a good option where nothing comes out of a fryer.

Half Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, and Garlic New Potatoes