Laurel Grill and Bar
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Overall Rating: Sick Potential (76 out of 100)
142 Berkeley St.
Boston, MA 02116
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Phone: 617-424-6711
Laurel Grill and Bar is an American restaurant located conveniently on Berkeley Street, near Columbus Avenue. Laurel sports a small, bustling bar that seems like a nice spot for after-work drinks. The restaurant exudes a vibrant, conversational environment. And the prices are reasonable. While our overall dining experience was mixed, we plan to return in the future. Read on!
Our Laurel History
This was our second visit to Laurel. We've also ordered from Laurel via Dining In. This review is based on a recent visit on a Saturday night at 8:00pm.
Appetizers
Laurel offers an array of appetizers and salads. Something on the menu is bound to appeal to any member of your party. We chose to go with the grilled kielbasa sausage plate and the crispy fried calamari. The kielbasa was tasty, rubbed with honey mustard vinaigrette and served with pickled cabbage. The calamari was so-so; it seemed "mushy" more than crispy. During a previous visit, we sampled the lobster-artichoke dip, and it was outstanding. The apps are very reasonably priced, ranging from $4.59 for the soup of the day to $8.99 for jerk crusted seared rare tuna. The salads range from $5.99 for mesclun greens, beefsteak tomatoes, and red onion with balsamic vinaigrette to $13.99 for the grilled cilantro marinated flank steak salad.
Rating: 8.7
Main Dishes
The entree lineup includes various fowl, seafood, and meat selections. Lobster risotto and tender veal meatloaf caught our eye. So did the braised lamb shank and gorgonzola & bacon stuffed maple brined boneless pork loin. On this evening, we went with the lamb shank and pork loin. The lamb shank was good but it was in the middle-of-the-pack compared to other lamb shanks we've tasted. The pork loin was disappointing. We would not expect gorgonzola and bacon to overwhelm the pork loin, but these ingredients were seemingly present only in trace elements; if "gorgonzola" and "bacon" were not printed on the menu, we'd never have guessed that they were a part of the dish. What dampened our experience the most, however, was that both plates were served at luke-warm temperatures. Luke-warm lamb shank falling off the bone does not compare to fresh-from-the-oven lamb shank falling from the bone. In short, the entrees sounded better than they tasted.
Rating: 6.7
Drinks
Laurel offers a nice selection of accessible and reasonably-priced wine. A glass of wine starts at $6. Full bottles start at $18. There is a drink menu that includes a variety of martinis and other mixed drinks. The advertised martini specials for the evening - blueberry and cran-apple - were pretty good, but not spectacular. The martinis range from $7 to $10.50. The quality of the other vodka-based mixed drinks we had were pretty good, but inconsistent. We ordered the same drink twice: we were charged two different prices and the relative composition of the mixers was clearly different.
Rating: 8
Service
We sat immediately upon arriving for our 8:00pm reservation. Other than that, the service was friendly, but slow. The waitress was slow to take and deliver drink orders. The entrees arrived at luke-warm temperatures.
Rating: 6
Ambiance
With raised ceilings, a nifty bar, and an open layout, Laurel is inviting, and as soon as you walk in, it seems like a perfect place for a sick time. During this visit, we were seated in an area that was a bit detached from the main dining area and bar. Although this location suited us fine, it could limit one's immersion in the energy that one normally feels at this restaurant.
Rating: 8.5
Et Cetera
Trivia: The restaurant is owned by the husband and wife team of executive chef Russ Berger and executive pastry chef Sherry Berger. The Bergers also own Firefly at 130 Dartmouth Street, next to Copley Place.
Menu: Check out the dinner menu here
Reservations: Laurel is on OpenTable
Parking: There is no valet, but there are nearby parking lots and garages. Street parking can be difficult to find on weekends.
Dress: You can dress casually at Laurel.
Labels: American, Back-Bay, Laurel, Sick-Potential
