Rocca

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Overall Rating: The Sickest (92 out of 100)

500 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
View Map
Phone: 617-451-5151

Rocca brings Ligurian cuisine, the cuisine of the Italian Riviera, to Boston's South End. Great food, impeccable service, and an energetic vibe make Rocca one of the sickest meals in town. And there's lots of free parking, too!




Our History at Rocca
Rocca opened in April 2007. Our first visit was on a Friday night at 8:00pm.

Appetizers
Rocca offers "tastes" as well as larger appetizers. Tastes range from $3 to $7 and include marinated olives, fritti di pesce, a meatball slider, and prosciutto and fontina pizetta. Appetizers range from $7 to $12 and include marinated sardines, crispy veal medallions, hot & sweet scampi, antipasti, and white bean minestrone. We tried the fritti di pesce for $6 and the sardines for $9.

Served with salsa verde, the lightly-breaded fritti di pesce (fish sticks) provided a light, refreshing start to our meal. Thinly-sliced mint danced off the marinated sardines. Portions were modest yet satisfying.

Rating: 9

Main Dishes
Rocca's menu includes pastas many of which are available as appetizers or entrees. Prices range from $10 to $17. Homemade pastas include hand-rolled trofie, potato gnocchi, corzetti, and spring green panzotti. We ordered the trofie for $10. The melt-in-your-mouth trofie was served with delicious pesto sauce. We shared this dish and it quickly left us longing for more.

Entrees range from $19 to $24 and include roasted whole fish, chicken Genovese, grilled leg of lamb, and veal involtini. We chose the roasted whole fish and grilled leg of lamb, both for $24. Like the trofie, the main show did not disappoint. The roasted whole fish was a large, soft burrida infused with fresh herbs and served with a flavorful mix of olives, perfectly-roasted potatoes, tomatoes, and pine nuts. Tender and mouth-watering, the medium-rare leg of lamb was served with escarole, fava bean pesto, and white beans.

Rating: 9.6

Drinks
We explored Rocca's drink menu, ordering the scandalo al sole for $11 and a Monterosso martini for $10. The scandalo al sole consisted of Patron Silver tequila, Grand Marnier, and limoncello with lime and ginger beer. The Monterosso martini was mixed with Grey Goose Orange, fresh orange juice, and mint. These drinks were creative but they did not quite hit the mark.

On the other hand, Rocca's wine menu presented good variety and was neatly divided into light, medium, and bold whites and reds. Bottles started in the mid-$20s. A glass of the house wine was $6.

Rating: 8.1

Service
Rocca rendered "Wow!" service. Our waitress presented an informative overview of the menu along with her recommendations. Pacing was perfect; we were never rushed, making for a decidedly relaxed environment. The Queen of Sick Meals accidentally broke her half-full wine glass; Rocca staff rushed to our rescue and incredibly offered a free martini of her choice.

Rating: 9.8

Ambiance
Rocca spans two floors. The first floor is a sleek lounge and bar. The dining area is on the second floor. Both floors serve up a lively, aromatic scene.

Placid patio seating transports you to a world far from gritty Harrison Avenue.

Rating: 9.3

Et Cetera

Trivia: The Rocca Rundown is a blog that documents Rocca's creation.

Menu: View the menu on Rocca's web site

Reservations: Rocca is on OpenTable

Transportation: Rocca offers ample free parking in their own lot.

Dress: Casual

Hours: Dinner is served Sunday through Thursday from 5:30pm to 10:00pm and Friday and Saturday from 5:30pm to 11:00pm.

Labels: Italian, Rocca-Boston, South-End, The-Sickest

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 6:42 PM 0 comments 

Rustic Kitchen

Friday, August 17, 2007

Overall Rating: Sick Potential (71 out of 100)

210 Stuart Street
Boston, MA 02116
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Phone: 617-423-5700

Located in Park Square, Rustic Kitchen is an Italian-Mediterranean bistro. Everything is made on premise, including breads, pastas, and desserts. The restaurant features an exposed pasta station and a wood-burning pizza oven.

Sounds great, doesn't it? The menu sounds even better. Unfortunately, the food and experience did not come close to living up to our expectations.



Our History at Rustic Kitchen
Our first visit to Rustic Kitchen was on a Saturday night at 7:00pm.

Appetizers
Appetizers range from $9 to $15 and include clam chowder, fried clams, arancini, oysters, veal meatballs, and prosciutto & homemade mozzarella. We tried the fried clams for $15 as well as the clam chowder for $9.

Rustic's clam chowder was watery and flavorless. The chowder included pancetta, garlic crostini, and hardly any clams. The crisp fried Ipswich clams with potato salad was a unique dish that yielded an interesting combination of tastes. However, $15 for fried clams felt insulting.

Four salads are also available starting at $8 for mixed greens.

Rating: 6.5

Main Dishes
Entrees include pizzas, hand crafted pastas, seafood, and butcher shop favorites. Pizza starts at $10.50. Pastas start at $16. Seafood ranges from $22 to $26. And the butcher shop favorites range from $19 to $33. We ordered veal & ricotta filled ravioli for $19 and pan seared wild striped bass for $22.

The pan seared wild striped bass sat in an overwhelming pool of oil. Included tomato-fennel jam and arugula were barely present. We had high expectations for the homemade ravioli in Parmesan broth with wild mushrooms. Unfortunately, we were again disappointed. The ravioli was very oily and the veal & ricotta filling was bland. It did not taste homemade.

Rating: 6

Drinks
We enjoyed an affordable bottle of Riesling for $24. Drinks were mixed well.

Rating: 8.4

Service
Service was OK, but pacing was poor. Entrees were served right on top of our appetizers. Our waiter was difficult to track down once the entrees arrived.

Rating: 7

Ambiance
A 250 seat bistro and bar spans two rooms. In addition, there are two private dining rooms, a garden lounge, and a live broadcast studio kitchen. We scored a prime seat in the middle of the action - a good-sized booth for two. However, with 250 seats, the place seems hard to fill. The bar was busy, but there were many open tables. The wood-burning pizza oven is impressive.

Rating: 7.6

Et Cetera

Trivia: Rustic Kitchen hosts Friday evening cooking shows. Learn more

Menu: View the menu on Rustic Kitchen's web site

Reservations: Rustic Kitchen is on OpenTable

Transportation: There is valet as well as two parking garages on site.

Dress: Casual

Hours: Dinner is served Sunday through Wednesday from 4pm to 10pm and Thursday through Saturday from 4pm to 11pm.

Labels: Italian, Rustic-Kitchen-Boston, Sick-Potential, Theater-District

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 4:15 PM 0 comments 

Match

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Overall Rating: Sick Meals (80 out of 100)

94 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
View Map
Phone: 617-247-9922

Match Burgers and Martinis is a modern restaurant and lounge that is located near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Newbury Street. Befitting its name, Match serves up delicious gourmet burgers and sick martinis.




Our History at Match
Our third visit to Match was on a Saturday night at 6:30pm.

Appetizers
Match's apps include gingery chicken satay with peanut sauce, steamed mussels in a ginger and lemon grass broth, spicy shrimp and chorizo skewers, and grilled Margherita pizza with roasted plum tomato and basil. Prices range from $8.75 to $10.50. The menu also includes lobster bisque soup as well as salads such as tomato & cucumber with feta cheese and spinach and goat cheese salad with sliced apples and caramelized pecans.

We tried the spicy shrimp and chorizo skewers for $9.50. Match served five skewers, each including a small slice of sausage and an average-sized shrimp with mildly-spicy sauce. Overall, this dish was decent, but nothing special.

Rating: 7

Main Dishes
Match offers four entrees ranging from $12 for spaghettini to $22 for a 10oz fillet mignon. However, the main event is Match's mini burgers. The burger lineup includes a classic cheese burger, a lamb burger, a veggie burger, a tuna steak burger, a sausage burger, and a lobster burger. Each mini burger is approximately three ounces and served on a miniature bun. Prices range from $4.75 for the veggie burger to $8 for the lobster burger.

We ordered the spicy lamb burger with coriander, tomato, and yogurt relish, the soy and ginger marinated tuna steak burger with wasabi aioli, and the New England lobster burger with roasted red pepper aioli. All three of these burgers left us salivating for more, but we particularly enjoyed the tuna and lobster burgers. The wasabi aioli danced off the exquisite tuna steak.

These little burgers are expensive but truly sick. We recommend ordering a minimum of three burgers per person in your party.

Sides include onion rings, fries, and grilled asparagus with prosciutto. We tried the grilled asparagus with prosciutto for $3.75. We received a single slice of substandard prosciutto wrapped around several overcooked asparagus. You are better off ordering onion rings or fries to complement the mini burgers.

Rating: 8.3

Drinks
Match mixes sick martinis. At first glance, the $10+ martinis seem pricey, but the prices include enough alcohol to make almost two martinis. The waitress pours your first martini and leaves behind a mini-shaker for you to pour a generous second helping. We particularly enjoyed the Bubbletini, a mix of vodka, peach schnapps, lemon juice, and champagne.

Rating: 9

Service
Waitresses are best-known for tight-fitting uniforms, but service was satisfactory. Our waitress was friendly and mostly attentive.

Rating: 7.9

Ambiance
Divided equally into a sleek bar area and a main dining area, Match exudes an early-evening lounge feel. The dimly-lit dining area features a glass wine room and a unique fire display that nearly runs the length of the room.

At any hour, the volume always seems a tad bit too high, and the acoustics don't seem quite right. The beat and volume pick up as the night progresses. If you plan to chat at dinner, get there early.

Rating: 7.9

Et Cetera

Trivia: Match is located at the former home of the Blue Cat Cafe.

Menu: View the menu on Match's web site

Reservations: Match is on OpenTable

Transportation: Valet is available for $15. The nearest T station is Hynes Convention Center on the Green Line.

Dress: Casual Elegant

Hours: Dinner is served Sunday through Wednesday from 5pm to 10pm and Thursday through Saturday from 5pm to 11pm.

Labels: American, Back-Bay, Match-Burgers-and-Martinis-Boston, Sick-Meals

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 8:59 PM 0 comments