Mantra

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Overall Rating: Failure (58 out of 100)

52 Temple Place
Boston, MA 02111
View Map
Phone: 617-542-8111

Overpriced and sterile, Mantra makes a mockery out of fine dining. Want to go clubbing in the Ladder District? Mantra is a potential destination. Looking for sick meals? Don't go here. Mantra represents the antithesis of sick meals.



Our History at Mantra
Previously, we only visited Mantra to go dancing. For dinner, we recently tossed a bunch of money in the garbage on a Saturday night at 7:30pm.

Appetizers
Mantra fuses French and Indian flavors with seafood, poultry, meats, and produce. Our party sampled several appetizers that illustrated this fusion style of cooking, including spiced scallops and tandoori stuffed quail.

Spiced seared diver scallops were served with mango, cumin, black pepper relish, and red pepper coulis. This rub delicately complemented the large, tender scallops. The tandoori stuffed quail was served with balchao sauce and a tiny portion of mustard mashed potatoes. We liked both appetizers, but four scallops for $19 and unspectacular quail for $17 is highway robbery.

Other appetizers include a tasting of oysters, saffron tandoori shrimp, and "menage a foie". For $23, the cleverly-named menage a foie gives you a variety of miniature delicacies: torchon of foie gras with winter fruit compote, pate with black truffle and brioche toast, seared foie gras with lobster, morel and goat cheese dumpling, and sour cherry Chambord gastrique. If you like foie gras, do yourself a favor: forget Mantra and go to The Butcher Shop.

Mantra peddles a bottomless supply of naan while you await your meal.

Rating: 7.5

Main Dishes
Overpriced to the extreme, Mantra's dinner menu includes pork tenderloin roulades, grilled rack of lamb, veal tenderloin, deconstructed tasting of game hens, fresh coconut herb crusted halibut, and steamed marinated gulf prawns.

Our party tried the veal tenderloin for $32, the deconstructed tasting of game hens for $39, and the fresh coconut herb crusted halibut for $39.

The veal tenderloin, served with garlic spinach, herb Idaho potatoes, and port glazed madras onions, was undercooked. The deconstructed tasting of game hens - quail, squab, and duck breast - was served cold with broccoli raab and mediocre yogurt, mustard, chili, and fig dipping sauces. Mantra's "fresh" coconut herb crusted halibut tasted like a dry, bland slab of fish with a few breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. We detected no coconut in the crust. Accompanying curry leaf coconut sauce resembled a pool of mayonnaise.

The halibut dish was supposed to include grilled asparagus, bean sprouts, and peppers. Adding insult to injury, we received three asparagus, a few red pepper slices, and bean sprouts - all "barely steamed" more than grilled.

To put it lightly, the menu over-promises and under-delivers.

Rating: 4

Drinks
Cocktails, sometimes carelessly mixed, go for about $10. Like everything else, much of the wine list is stratospherically priced. On the other hand, Mantra made several mean martinis, helping us forget the calamitous cuisine.

Rating: 7.6

Service
The staff wandered around like zombies and seemed bored as they awaited the main event - the transition of Mantra from a restaurant to a club. Our waitress took forever to deliver drinks, and it was no wonder: we watched as she took our drink orders and then went behind the bar to mix the drinks. Bartenders were missing in action. Sid Vicious cleared our plates.

Rating: 5

Ambiance
Cold, airy, and empty, Mantra has no heart. We felt as though we were intruding on preparations for the evening's clubbing activities. Signs of the previous night's clubbing showed up on dirty curtains. Men relieve themselves on ice; a few hours into a visit, the bathroom becomes downright raunchy.

Rating: 5

Et Cetera

Trivia: Mantra makes a better nightclub than a restaurant. Slip in before 10:00PM to avoid a $20 cover and sip a drink in the smoke-free hookah den.

Menu: Check out the menu here

Reservations: Mantra is on OpenTable

Transportation: Park in several nearby garages or valet for $15.

Dress: There is no reason to go here unless you want to go dancing. With this in mind, dress for a night of clubbing, or go elsewhere.

Hours: Dinner is served Monday through Saturday from 5:30PM to 10:30PM.

Labels: Downtown-Crossing, Failure, French, Fusion, Indian, Mantra

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 6:45 PM 2 comments 

Pops Restaurant

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Overall Rating: Sick Potential (78 out of 100)

560 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02118
View Map
Phone: 617-695-1250

A brand new addition to Restaurant Row in the South End, Pops Restaurant is located in the space formerly occupied by Perdix. Pops features affordable, creative comfort food and an interesting lineup of cocktails. However, Pops needs a bit of refinement before reaching Sick Meals status.




Our History at Pops
Our first visit to Pops was on a Friday night at 7:30pm.

Appetizers
Pops' appetizers include cobb salad, lobster & cod croquettes, crispy pea ravioli, chicken wings, Rhode Island clam "stuffies", crispy oysters, and spinach salad. Prices range from $7.50 to $12. We tried the lobster & cod croquettes for $10 and the Rhode Island clam stuffies for $9.

Three lobster & cod croquettes were filled with healthy portions of lobster and cod and topped with aioli. The Rhode Island clam stuffies consisted of two oversized clam shells brimming with a corn, linguica, and clam-based stuffing. Both dishes shined in creativity and taste.

Rating: 8.5

Main Dishes
The dinner menu features osso bucco, putanesca eggplant pave, salmon, skirt steak, pork tenderloin, and a crispy confit of 1/2 duck. Prices range from $16-$20. In addition, Pops offers a few sandwiches, including a burger, for $12.

We ordered the grilled skirt steak and the osso bucco - for $20 each.

The grilled skirt steak was served with shitake mushroom gravy and garlic thyme fries. We requested a medium-cooked steak, but it arrived rare, and the texture was chewy. A disappointment, the lonely steak sat half-finished.

The veal breast osso bucco was slow cooked in lemon and sage and served with escarole and orzo. While the osso bucco was an improvement over the skirt steak, it was not a particularly memorable dish.

Rating: 7

Drinks
A bottle of white starts at $27 and a bottle of red starts at $25. Cocktails are $8. Several bottled beers are available for $5.

Pops had only flavored vodka on hand. A blood orange vodka mixer proved disastrous, but we later enjoyed chocolate espresso and strawbellini cocktails. The refreshing strawbellini was made with fresh pureed strawberries.

Rating: 7.9

Service
We were seated 15 minutes late for our 7:30pm reservation.

The full menu is available at the bar, but we chose to wait for a "table". Surprisingly, when it was time to be seated, we were shuffled to what appeared to be the other end of the long bar, but what actually represented additional seating for dining. To our disappointment, we waited 15 minutes to sit at stools and eat from a counter - not much different than dining at the bar. The hostess should inform guests of these unusual seating arrangements.

Otherwise, service was average. Pops opened less than a week ago; they are still going through initial growing pains. The staff seemed frazzled at times.

Rating: 7.5

Ambiance
Located at garden level, Pops offers a warm, cozy dining environment. Black and cream tones run through the restaurant. The ceiling features decorative, old-school molding. An ultra-wide mirror hangs in the center of the room.

There are not many tables for two. A party of two would likely be seated at stools that run along a long counter that connects to the bar. These counter seats face the kitchen which is viewable through transparent glass.

Rating: 8

Et Cetera

Trivia: Chef/owner Felino Samson is the former co-owner of Bomboa.

Reservations: Call for reservations. Reservations are recommended

Transportation: On weekends, street parking can be hard to find. Valet is available at Hammersley's Bistro, located across the street, for $14.

Dress: You may dress casually at Pops.

Hours: Pops serves dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5:00 PM to 10:30 PM and Friday and Saturday from 5:00 PM until midnight.

Labels: American, POPS, Sick-Potential, South-End

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 6:46 PM 0 comments 

Union Bar and Grille

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Overall Rating: The Sickest (90 out of 100)

1357 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02118
View Map
Phone: 617-423-0555

Located in the South End's revitalized SoWa area, Union Bar and Grille serves sick American cuisine in a striking urban dining environment. Simply put, Union presents a delightful union of style and substance.



Our History at Union Bar and Grille
Our sixth visit to Union was on a Thursday at 7:30pm.

Appetizers
A varied appetizer menu includes mussels, pumpkin ravioli, risotto, and flaked cod and potato cakes. Prices range from $6 to $9 with an average price of $8.

We informed our waiter that we wanted to share the sweet corn risotto. To our surprise, we received two ample bowls of risotto, split evenly. A creamy, spicy mix, the risotto integrated chorizo sausage, fire roasted peppers, corn, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and fresh sage. Union cooked the risotto to perfection and the dish presented outstanding value for just $9.

Instead of plain old bread, Union serves freshly-baked cornbread in a hot cast iron skillet. The cornbread alone is worth a visit to Union.

Rating: 9.6

Main Dishes
Union's entree lineup includes steak, seafood, pastas, lamb, and chicken. Prices range from $16 to $34 with an average price of $24. On this evening, we went with the grilled lack of lamb and the Gloucester haddock.

The grilled lack of lamb was served with Jerusalem artichoke gratin, winter kale, and black mission figs. Tender and flavorful lamb was complemented by the creamy, slightly-crunchy gratin. At first bite, the flaky Gloucester haddock seemed plain, but quickly sprang to life when meshed with sick succotash - a medley of lima beans, corn, leeks, zucchini, and amazingly soft potatoes.

Union's pan roasted natural chicken is another can't-miss pick.

Rating: 9.3

Drinks
An all-American wine list starts at $34 for a bottle of white and $36 for a bottle red. We enjoyed a few glasses of J Lohr Bay Mist Riesling. However, Union's mixed drinks left a bit to be desired. Our first drink was mixed with too much juice. Our second drink was served with flat soda.

Rating: 7.7

Service
Service here is consistently above average. Our waiter was prompt and professional. He anticipated our needs throughout the evening.

Rating: 9.2

Ambiance
Union features a bar area and a main dining room. A steel and glass wall separates the bar from the dining room.

The bar area includes quite a bit of seating both at the long bar as well as at tables that run parallel to the bar. Union's full menu is served at the bar.

The main dining room is simple yet stunning. Plush, black-leather booths are shaped like saucers and provide luxurious seating. Candlelit tables and large candlelit chandeliers dimly light the bustling room.

Rating: 9

Et Cetera

Trivia: Union is owned by The Aquitaine Group, owners of Metropolis Cafe, Aquitaine Bar a Vin Bistrot, and Aquitaine Bis in Chestnut Hill.

Menu: Check out the menu here

Reservations: Union is on OpenTable

Transportation: Take the Silver Line to the Union Park stop or find street parking on Washington Street. Valet is available for $15.

Dress: You may dress casually at Union.

Hours: Union serves dinner Sunday through Wednesday from 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM and Thursday through Saturday from 5:30pm until midnight.

Labels: American, South-End, SoWa, The-Sickest, Union

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 6:21 PM 0 comments