The Fireplace

Monday, January 29, 2007

Overall Rating: Sick Meals (88 out of 100)

1634 Beacon Street
Brookline, MA 02446
View Map
Phone: 617-975-1900

Perched atop Washington Square in Brookline, The Fireplace serves up high-end comfort food in a homey dining environment. A roaring fire creates a seductive scene for sick meals on the coldest of New England nights.



Our History at The Fireplace
Our second visit to The Fireplace was on a Friday night at 7:00pm.

Appetizers
Appetizers include mussels, calamari, Johnny Cake, a chilled seafood platter, and a pumpkin and white cheddar tart. The Fireplace also offers a variety of soups and salads. Prices range from $9 to $12 with an average price of $10. We opted for the tart, the calamari, and a bowl of butternut squash bisque.

Fried Rhode Island style calamari was breaded just right and served without a trace of grease. Tomato gravy and lemon aioli provided tempting dipping options. If you've tried Rhode Island style calamari at Legal Sea Foods, try it at The Fireplace. Our verdict: The Fireplace by unanimous decision.

The pumpkin and white cheddar tart with toasted walnuts and maple glaze was served atop mixed greens. Although the tart included more pastry than anticipated, its sweetness was deliciously complemented by the bed of greens.

Butternut squash bisque with crispy sage and sweet chestnut cream delighted the senses - a perfect choice for a frigid evening.

Rating: 8.7

Main Dishes
The Fireplace focuses on wood-smoked and rotisserie dishes. Twelve alluring entrees include pan-seared duck, turkey & chicken pot pie, scallops, Samuel Adams-marinated pork porterhouse, and a spit-roasted half chicken. Many dishes are served with unique mashed potato concoctions that integrate ingredients such as carrots, parsnip, and honeyed cornmeal.

We decided to go with the pan-seared scallops as well as The Fireplace's signature dish, the spit-roasted half chicken.

The spit-roasted half chicken was served on top of soft mashed potatoes and warm sage brown butter. A light-crispy covering encompassed tender, delectable chicken, delivering a filling and satisfying meal.

Six pan-seared scallops with orange-honey sauce circled sick parsnip mash. Shredded beets topped the dish. Scallops are difficult to cook, but The Fireplace came up aces - soft on the inside and a little crispy on the outside.

Entrees range from $18 to $28 with an average price of $23.

Rating: 9.1

Drinks
A selection of martinis and cocktails are available for $9 to $10. An American wine list starts at $29 for a bottle. Many wines are available by the glass. In addition, The Fireplace facilitates affordable sampling by offering "tastes" of wine for $2.50 to $5.00. Spirits and bottled & draft beer are also available.

With dinner, we downed a bottle of Salmon Creek Riesling, for $34. The Riesling danced on our tongues and tasted like a sparking wine, but without the fizz. After dinner, we imbibed in a few mixers at the bar. The quality of these mixers relied heavily on who was making them. Bartender number one served up a too-strong caipirinha. Bartender number two mixed a perfect vodka with club soda and a splash of cranberry juice.

If you get a drink at the bar, look for the bartender with tattooed forearms.

Rating: 8.3

Service
We arrived 30 minutes late for our reservation. During this period, we stayed in touch with the restaurant, and when 15 minutes late turned into 25 minutes, the restaurant called our cell phone to make sure that we were still coming. Upon arrival, we were cheerfully and immediately seated. We proceeded to enjoy sick meals - without rush - and we were done in plenty of time for the next reservation to be seated on time. The Fireplace handled our late arrival flawlessly. And clearly, they scheduled ample time between reservations.

Our waiter was all business - no fluff and to-the-point - but his service and demeanor matched the high-end comfort food dining environment.

Rating: 9

Ambiance
The Fireplace is divided into four areas. As you walk into the Fireplace, you are greeted by a bar that seats 12. The bar serves either as a destination or as a comfortable place to grab a drink before or after your meal. To your left is a small dining area that faces Beacon Street. Straight ahead is a roaring, wood-burning fireplace. Five tables are assembled in this area. Finally, there is a main dining room with a view of the kitchen, located on the upper level.

Golds, oranges, and reds mesh with a maroon ceiling and long curtains to create a warm, homey feel throughout the restaurant.

The main dining area on the upper level is dimly lit. The lower level - where the bar and fireplace are located - is dark.

The table closest to the fireplace is a great venue for a romantic dinner.

Rating: 8.7

Et Cetera

Trivia: Chef/owner Jim Solomon is a native of Brookline. Read more

Menu: Check out the menu here

Reservations: The Fireplace is on OpenTable

Transportation: Take the Green Line (C branch) to Washington Square or scour for street parking on Beacon Street or Washington Street.

Dress: You may dress casually at The Fireplace.

Hours: The Fireplace serves dinner Sunday through Wednesday from 5:00pm to 10:00pm and Thursday through Saturday from 5:00pm to 11:00pm.

Labels: American, Brookline, Romantic, Sick-Meals, The-Fireplace

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 8:24 PM 0 comments 

The Wine Cellar

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Overall Rating: The Sickest (90 out of 100)

30 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
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Phone: 617-236-0080

The Wine Cellar is Boston's only Fondue restaurant. Offering a cozy, romantic atmosphere, a wide variety of fine wines, and great-tasting fondue, The Wine Cellar is an ideal venue for sick meals and good conversation.



Our History at The Wine Cellar
This was our second visit to The Wine Cellar. This review is based on a Saturday night dining experience at 8:30pm.

Appetizers
The Wine Cellar's appetizer menu includes six cheese-based fondues. The fondues are served with potato wedges and cubed bread. We went with the classic fondue which consists of Gruyere and Emmental cheeses melted with cracked black pepper in white wine and brandy. During a previous visit, we tried the Brittany fondue - artichoke hearts and shallots blended into cheese. The fondue appetizers are delicious. A regular serving for 1-2 people is $18. A large serving for 3-4 people is $32. So far, our favorite is the Brittany.

You may also choose from non-fondue appetizers such as the soup of the day ($5), escargots casserole ($12), and frog legs a la Provencal (market price).

Rating: 9

Main Dishes
For Entree fondues, you can choose from seven meat-based selections, and three cooking styles. Each meat is paired with dipping sauces. Meats include beef, chicken, pork loin, lamb, kangaroo, ostrich, rabbit loin, tiger shrimp, and sausage. The kangaroo, ostrich, and rabbit loin are served together with olive oil as part of the "Crazy French" offering which is $42 for a small portion or $80 for a large portion. The other fondue entrees range from $17-26 for a small portion or $31-47 for a large portion.

Cooking styles include Latin, French, and Courbouillion. Most guests opt for the French style (broth with Chablis wine, garlic, and cracked black pepper), but we enjoyed the Latin selection - broth with garlic and citrus flavors.

Deciding on one meat selection was difficult, so we opted for "Indulgence for Two". This $88 prix fixe offering lets you choose a cheese fondue appetizer, four items from the entree menu (excluding the Crazy French entree), and a chocolate fondue for dessert. In addition to the four entree items, you are served a side of vegetables and a sampling of dipping sauces, including balsamic glaze, mushroom red wine, lime dill, dijon mustard, horseradish sauce, brown sugar balsamic glaze, chili sauce, and teriyaki sauce.

If you are visiting The Wine Cellar for the first time, we suggest the Indulgence for Two. It offers a fair value and gives you flexibility in sampling the menu. We enjoyed the variety of the meats - we chose beef, lamb, shrimp and sausage - and the array of flavors offered by the dipping sauces.

We offer two suggestions for improvement: 1) The raw meats are served on the same plate as the vegetables and dipping sauces. It would enhance the dining experience to place the raw meats on a separate plate. 2) The vegetables, cooked string beans, were plain and not very exciting. A variety of dip-able vegetables would be preferred.

Several non-fondue entrees are available including paella and rack of lamb.

Rating: 9

Drinks
The Wine Cellar's wine list is expansive and notable. The Wine Spectator bestowed The Wine Cellar with its Best Of Award of Excellence. We enjoyed a flavorful bottle of Konrad Sauvignon Blanc (2005, New Zealand).

The Wine Cellar also serves beer, but no hard booze.

Note: The wine list is subject to change. If you have a favorite that is no longer available, The Wine Cellar will normally suggest a delightful alternative.

Rating: 9.1

Service
When we arrived at 8:30pm, a party from 5:30pm had not yet finished their meal, and we were forced to wait. How a restaurant reacts at these times can make or break the dining experience. In this case, The Wine Cellar came up aces. The owner plied our party with what likely represented $100 in complimentary wine and apologized profusely on a number of occasions. The Wine Cellar proved that it takes reservations very seriously.

Once we sat down for dinner, our waitress was knowledgeable and generally provided good service. However, her brusque demeanor did not quite match the otherwise-intimate experience.

Rating: 8.8

Ambiance
The Wine Cellar is literally located in a cellar. As soon as you walk in, you notice the intimate ambiance - dim lighting, flame-lit tables, and an exposed brick wall with a mural. Fondue lends itself to conversation. You cannot race through your meal as you must take time to individually dip and cook your meats. The Wine Cellar is an ideal setting for a romantic night on the town.

Rating: 9.3

Et Cetera

Trivia: Fondue traditionally refers to cheese fondue. Broth-based fondue for meat may also be referred to as Fondue Chinoise or Hot Pot.

Menu: Check out the menu here

Dessert: The Wine Cellar's dessert menu includes four chocolate fondues that are served with marshmallows, cookies, and fresh fruits. Dessert is $12 for a regular portion that serves 1-2 and $24 for a large portion that serves 3-4.

Reservations: The Wine Cellar is on OpenTable. There is limited seating; do not show up without a reservation.

Parking: Valet is available on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for $16.

Dress: You may dress casually at The Wine Cellar, but given the elegant dining environment, you might consider getting a bit dressed up.

Labels: Back-Bay, Fondue, Romantic, The-Sickest, The-Wine-Cellar

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 10:35 PM 0 comments