Grotto
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Overall Rating: Sick Potential (71 out of 100)
37 Bowdoin Street
Boston, MA 02114
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Phone: 617-227-3434
Located in Beacon Hill, Grotto serves Italian cuisine in a casual, below-ground setting. Unfortunately, subpar cuisine detracted from a cozy dining scene.
Our History at Grotto
Our third visit to Grotto was on a Friday night at 8:30pm.
Appetizers
First courses include crab ravioli, garlic and black truffle soup, Fontina cheese fondue, pan griddled buffalo mozzarella carozza, an arugula salad, and a grilled seafood salad. Prices range from $9 to $13. We tried the grilled seafood salad as well as the arugula salad.
The seafood salad included shrimp, octopus, and calamari mixed with white beans, arugula, lemon, and salmoriglio sauce. As enticing as it sounded, this appetizer was a disappointment; the grilled seafood tasted bland and rubbery.
Grotto's arugula salad included Reggiano parmesan, prosciutto di parma, extra virgin olive oil, and lemon. Once again, the dish sounded better than it tasted. Chewy, mediocre prosciutto disappointed.
Rating: 6.7
Main Dishes
Second courses include grilled beef tenderloin, bacon-wrapped duck breast, spaghetti and meatballs, house-cut tagliatelle, crispy pan roasted chicken, pan seared tuna, potato gnocchi, and house-cut Venetian bigoli pasta. Prices range from $18.50 to $30. We tried the pan roasted chicken as well as the tuna.
We received a good cut of tuna, but it was not very flavorful, and it was served with soggy polenta. On the other hand, the pan roasted chicken was crispy, tender, and juicy. Unfortunately, accompanying wild mushroom risotto resembled sopping rice more than creamy risotto.
Rating: 7
Drinks
Grotto's wine list features over one hundred American and Italian wines. Half-bottles start at $21 and full bottles start at $30. Much of the wine list is priced stratospherically. Beer is available, but no liquor.
Rating: 7.2
Service
We were handed a menu with a missing page. In addition, the menu included typographical errors, indicative of carelessness we experienced all evening. The staff seemed bored, counting the minutes until it was time to leave.
Rating: 6.4
Ambiance
Grotto's subterranean setting - coupled with dark lighting, candlelit tables, and exposed brick walls lined with paintings and wine bottles - made for a decidedly romantic environment. Unfortunately, lifeless staff and subpar cuisine detracted from the overall experience.
Rating: 8.2
Et Cetera
Trivia: Grotto offers a three-course prix fixe menu for $35.
Menu: View the menu on Grotto's web site
Reservations: Grotto is on OpenTable
Transportation: Take the Green Line to Park Street or Government Center or park in a nearby parking garage. Valet parking is not available.
Dress: Casual
Hours: Dinner is served every day from 5pm until 10pm.
Labels: Beacon-Hill, Grotto-Boston, Italian, Sick-Potential
