The opening of a new restaurant is not something I count days for, much less the opening of a restaurant that belongs to a chain. However, this time around, not only was I counting the days, I almost had a heart attack when one day on the way to work I glanced over to check out the progress of Boston Chicken, and saw instead big red letters that said "Boston Market." No Boston Chicken?

I was crushed. For months after I moved to eastern Pennsylvania, and largely prompted by the boredom of always having lunch at the same places, I had wished Boston Chicken would open up around here. My friends and co-workers, some of whom also moved from Boston not long ago, pointed out that the big friendly sign still said "Opening Aug. 14 -- Boston Chicken." I think they were counting the days too. I was so relieved when, during a recent trip to Boston, I noticed the new sign at the Boston Chicken I used to go to -- it said "Boston Market." I had a grin on my face for longer than I should have.

So why, you ask, were we so overjoyed about a new Boston Chicken in Allentown? Well, I don't know. The variety factor is definitely a plus, but the opening of the Taco Bell up the street was not an event around here. (Not that it should be, no matter how desperate you are -- but that's another review.) Maybe it's a nostalgia thing. I don't miss the parking wars or the lack of trees in Boston, but I do miss having lots of lunch choices, and being able to walk to them all. Boston Chicken is one of the places I used to walk to often. It is a large step above traditional fast food, and it was always good for fast lunches on work days. Often, however, I went there not because it was there, but because the food is good. The aroma of rotisserie chicken is just one of those good things in life; mounds of mashed potatoes with gravy are heavenly, and at Boston Market (OK, I'll give in), the list goes on and on.

There are a few of these restaurants in Boston, and they all look pretty much the same: clean, simple, functional. The first thing that struck me when I walked into the new Boston Market, right before I got totally distracted by the prospect of having Boston Chicken corn bread, was the decor. The shelves full of jars and cans are not functional here, they are decorative items, and everything is perfectly coordinated. Yep, it's now a chain, not just a few shops in one city. But it was still oh, so familiar. I was actually excited.

It being opening day, the staff looked confused and the manager scared, and no one seemed really sure what was going on, but they were covering it up pretty well. That is, until we, a couple of Boston veterans, walked up to the counter, only looked at the board long enough to notice that the chicken is now measured in quarters and halves, white or dark, and ordered our favorites: creamed spinach, Boston baked beans and chicken salad (the waiter had to look at his list for that one -- no one had asked for it before) for Eric, and mashed potatoes, corn and the best roasted chicken anywhere for me. And corn bread, of course. Mmmmm. That's it, that's the best comment I can give you.

Okay, okay, I'll try harder. The chicken was juicy and moist inside -- not crispy enough on the outside, but hey, it was their first day. The corn and mashed potatoes were great, but the gravy tasted a little different. Scott, who was probably a little weary, being a vegetarian, of a place we kept calling Boston Chicken -- and maybe of people who count days 'til it opens -- had this look on his face... "Different from what?" it seemed to say, but I think he decided not to ask when I offered some to Eric and he concurred: "Yes, it's a little different."

The menu at Boston Market is varied, and it's all very, very good. Vegetable side dishes abound, and the chicken breast sandwiches are the best. Pasta salads and chicken-based dishes are numerous, and even the macaroni and cheese is good here. This is the kind of place I'd pick up food from on the way home, even if I had company -- something I could not say of any other chain-type restaurant. And on cold, grey, rainy days, those mashed potatoes are comfort food for me.

Boston Market is near me on Grape Street, Whitehall, on the outer edges of the Whitehall Mall, and, from what I hear, in lots of other cities besides Boston.

Here it is, folks -- the moment you've all been waiting for... one more meat-food eatery! It's getting to be like going out to South Dakota, where if you don't like meat (they tell you) you can always eat dirt.

Suffice to say, I didn't catch the buzz. I didn't even particularly appreciate the buzz. Sometimes I even hid from it. I tend to avoid frenzied carnivores whenever I can.

Now, let me make something clear: I'm no soapbox vegetarian. I'm not even a real vegetarian; I eat seafood. And I have no problem whatsoever sitting down to a meal with people who are eating meat. I don't harangue them, or pantomime vomiting, or make mooing noises.

But this was a pretty scary place on Boston Market's opening day. I had to wear galoshes to get through the puddles of saliva to my office. And just so I would know what I was "missing," I went along to the gala opening.

And y'know, I can see why they changed the name. For a restaurant that used to have meat right up there on the signboard, Boston Market has a really great vegetarian selection. And they have some of the best (albeit some of the only) creamed spinach I've ever had. It's not something I could ever get really juiced up about, like I could if, say, a Des Moines Rutabaga restaurant opened in the next office suite. But I might very well go back.

Heaven knows I won't have trouble getting a ride.