"Help! I'm Trapped In..." is a semi-regular feature where we tell you how to make the most of being stuck in areas that are (fairly or not) regarded as culinary wastelands. You're welcome.

We are absolutely nuts for punctuality. We believe that "on time" means "five minutes early" and that a profuse apology is necessary atonement for arriving ten minutes late. We also have somehow never quite gotten the knack of knowing how long it takes to get from one place to the other. These character traits combined mean that we regularly show up at the airport hours before our flight is scheduled to depart. The good news is that Logan is much nicer than it used to be back in the day when Au Bon Pain was the best dining option. The bad news is that it's still an airport. If you're stuck at Logan, however, don't worry! You won't starve. Logan may not be a dining destination, but things are not nearly as glum as they seem.

•If you're in Terminal A, you've won the food sweepstakes....at least, as long as you like fish. There's a LTK outpost, but we prefer the quaint and tasty Summer Shack branch (there's also a Summer Shack Express if you're a little more pressed for time). A lobster and a pint sounds good enough that you won't even be annoyed when your plane sits on the runway for an hour. Okay. You'll be less annoyed.
•Your best bet in Terminal B is also seafood-centric. Avoid the Fox Sports Sky Box and head for the relative calm of Legal Sea Foods. As you're enjoying a bowl of lobster bisque and a glass of wine, you'd be forgiven for forgetting that you're in an airport at all.
•We're usually all about eating a full meal before flying, but dude. DUDE. There's a Dale & Thomas Popcorn in Terminal C. They only serve their popcorns in giant-sized portions, so get the white chocolate and peanut butter popcorn and settle down at your gate with a copy of Us Weekly. Trust us, you'll be happy as a clam.
•Why is there no Terminal D?
•Logan is really coming up in the airport world, but there are certain immutable facts about this universe and one is that the food options in Terminal E will always be appalling. Unless you feel like taking this opportunity to indulge your fast food cravings, your best option is to try to make a run for it. Santarpio's Pizza, our vote for best in Boston, is less than a ten minute walk away. Settle in for a plain pie and a plate of their unbelievable sausage. You might even have leftovers to take on the plane. Mmm. Leftovers.

[Photo: The Airchive]

"Help! I'm Trapped In..." is a semi-regular feature where we tell you how to make the most of being stuck in areas that are (fairly or not) regarded as culinary wastelands. You're welcome.

True story: one summer, we had a temp job at a Downtown Crossing company that shall remain nameless. All day, we opened envelopes, took the letters out of the envelopes, stapled the letters to the envelopes, and put the envelopes in boxes. As you might imagine, we had a lot of time to think. As you might further imagine, the absolute highlight of our day was when we got to leave the office for a blessed hour and get some lunch. Due to these conditions, we spent most of our mornings seriously pondering the question of where to get lunch and every morning, it was a little bit depressing because there is really not too much in the way of decent food in Downtown Crossing. Or is there? Once we did a little bit more research, we learned that Downtown Crossing has more to offer the epicure than that delicious, delicious tourist lemonade outside of the Park Street T station. Because we're all about the giving, here's a week's worth of lunchtime suggestions for all you Downtown Crossing office workers.

Monday: It's the beginning of the week and you could already use a little pick-me-up. Head over to Viga and check out the lunchtime crowds. Bypass the meh pizza and pastas and go for one of their sandwiches (we suggest the basilcata with prosciutto, tomato, mozzarella and pesto. Authentic? Eh, not really. Delicious? Oh, hell yes.). Seating is very limited, so take your sandwich to the Common and sun yourself a little.

Tuesday: Here's what few people realize about Downtown Crossing: it's actually right next to Chinatown. Indulge in a sit-down lunch (the service is super speedy) at Chau Chow City. We're creatures of routine, so we always go for peking ravioli followed by ginger and scallion lo mein, but seriously: everything here is good.

Wednesday: Suffering from the mid-week blues? Time to remind yourself that life isn't so awful. What better place to do so than at The Good Life? As long as you're discreet, it's likely that no one at the office will notice that you sneaked half a beer with your Sardinian tuna salad.

Thursday: People call Wednesday "hump day", but we've always found Thursdays to be much crueler. The weekend is so close you can taste it, but far enough that it seems like it may well never come. Thursdays require a hearty, soul-nourishing lunch, so go to The Ivy for a plate of sweet potato gnocchi in a parmesan cream sauce. Mmm.

Friday: You've been a good worker bee all week, so treat yourself to a luxe lunch at the Ritz-Carlton's Jer-Ne. It's certainly not cheap, but we promise you'll feel a lot better after consuming the "Taste of Jer-Ne": club sandwich, Caesar salad, clam chowder, mushroom salad, and a creme brulee. Welcome to the weekend.

Viga [Official Site]
Chau Chow City [MenuPages]
The Good Life [Official Site]
The Ivy [Official Site]
Jer-Ne [Official Site]

[Photo: Celebrate Boston]

"Help! I'm Trapped In..." is a semi-regular feature where we tell you how to make the most of being stuck in areas that are (fairly or not) regarded as culinary wastelands. You're welcome.

Maybe you allowed a little too much time to wait for the orange line and arrived at South Station a full hour before your bus is supposed to depart or maybe there's just an unfortunate two hour gap between the time the commuter rail arrives and the time your train to New York departs. Whatever happened, now you're at South Station with plenty of time to kill and a growling stomach. What to do?

If you're at South Station for long enough to grab a quick bite before boarding the train but not quite long enough to leave or have a sit-down meal, it's time to learn your new mantra. Are you ready? Great. Repeat after us: "I am not too cool for the food court." We understand the perfectly well-founded disdain for fast food, but the food court options in the Commuter Rail section of South Station are actually pretty good. It might not be a meal to post on Chowhound about, but if you choose wisely, it can be filling, tasty, and cheap. Local chain Pizzeria Regina is your best bet. The pizza is a pretty good approximation of that offered at North End legends like Galleria Umberto. If it's available, go for a slice of the Melanzane. Cosi is also a consistently safe bet. Go for the T.B.M. (tomato, basil and mozzarella). The mustard vinaigrette is obsession-worthy.

If you've got enough time for a sit-down meal and don't mind a brief walk, leave South Station and walk the five or so minutes to Kneeland Street which offers two great dining options. If you're on a budget, get thee to the South Street Diner, where one can obtain a near-perfect BLT and chocolate frappe for under $15. If money isn't an object, walk a few doors further down to News, whose menu boasts that their burger is "known as the best in town." Not too shabby for a bus layover, no?

South Station [Official Site]
Pizzeria Regina [Official Site]
Cosi [Official Site]
South Street Diner [Official Site]
News [Official Site]

[Photo: A View on Cities]