It’s been a long time since the Pizza Pad and the HooDoo Barbeque were amongst Kenmore Square’s pre or postgame grub choices, but is that any excuse for a well paid member of the Boston Red Sox to feign ignorance over the city’s myriad fine dining choices? The Globe’s Peter Abraham claims reliever Hideki Okajima “has yet to partake in any of the city™s charms, outside of Fenway Park…he is there to throw strikes, not see the sights.”
“I haven™t really looked around that much. I came to Boston to play baseball, not to be a tourist,™™ Okajima said this week during one of the extended interviews he has granted since coming from Japan in 2007. œWhen there™s a day off this year, maybe I™ll go out some more than I have. I have heard the city is nice.™™
Okajima couldn™t even come up with the name of a favorite restaurant, tilting his head and thinking while interpreter Ryo Shinkawa waited for a response.
œI usually eat at home, my wife™s cooking is the best,™™ Okajima finally said. œThat is my answer. But I have had some good Italian dinners in Boston.™™
Pete’s new to the Boston beat, so I’ll cut him some slack in not knowing Okajima — a noted gourmet — originally signed with the Red Sox after reading an incorrect CSTB item claiming Buzzy’s Roast Beef would be opening a new Charles St. superstore after an extended absence. Buzzy’s is legendary through the Far East and Okajima, being a man of principal, refuses to tear up his Red Sox contract (accurately described by Abraham as a huge bargain for the club), despite the almost crippling disappointment he must feel everytime he checks Urban Spoon for news of Buzzy’s’ revival.