Mark and Lynn visit Paul, Mark and Donnie's place in Hingham....

There is a part of us (mainly me) that really has a weakness for quality commercial restaurants and products that really deliver good value, minimum pretension and good quality and variety in their food, wine and/or spirits.  This impulse led us (mainly me) to seek out Wahlburgers the high end burger outpost in Hingham owned by Chef Paul Wahlberg and his brothers  Hollywood superstar Mark Wahlberg and  Donnie who has had a noteworthy career as a music, film and television performer.   The restaurant has also generated a reality show of the same name on A & E featuring the behind the scenes operations of the Hingham restaurant.

Lynn likes excitement and novelty which the crowded, bustling restaurant had in spades.  What was unexpected was the high quality and general variety of the food.  Lynn had a Haddock sandwich which she said had great flavor and was lightly fried with panko.  Our grand kids enjoyed the Chicken Fingers and "Alma's Macaroni" (Alma is Mother Wahlberg).   The restaurant had some great offbeat offerings for vegetarians such as the Portabello Capped Mushroom Burger which I had and found juicy and savory.  If you are watching your carbs you can get the burgers with lettuce wraps instead of the bread.

An artful homage to the Wahlberg's film and television work hovers overhead

It is also worthy of note that the staff is friendly and unflappable.  The manner in which they handled the bustling lunch crowd with wait lines going out into the street was impressive.  Despite the long lines  we were seated in a surprisingly timely fashion and managed to get our food quickly and with a minimum of fuss.  The place has a family friendly vibe but there is a separate part of the restaurant with a bar section which makes it a good place to go and watch "the game."  (The Red Sox were playing an afternoon game which generated a lot of interest during our time there).

Jackson at Wahlburgers

The drive from South Boston to Hingham is about an hour but the trip was well worth it and though we love Boston the parking can be kind of a headache if you are not up for it.  The area where Wahlburgers was busy but parking was not a hassle.