Grotto

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Overall Rating: Sick Potential (71 out of 100)

37 Bowdoin Street
Boston, MA 02114
View Map
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

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 10:43 PM 0 comments 

Sel de la Terre

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Overall Rating: Sick Potential (72 out of 100)

255 State Street
Boston, MA 02109
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Phone: 617-720-1300

Located in the downtown waterfront right next to the New England Aquarium, Sel de la Terre specializes in southern French cuisine. We entered Sel de la Terre with sick meal expectations. Unfortunately, lukewarm cuisine, subpar service, and uninspiring ambiance left us unfulfilled.



Our History at Sel de la Terre
Our first visit was on a Friday night at 8:00pm.

Appetizers
$11 first courses include baked aged goat cheese salad, a braised bacon tart, flatbread pizza with smoked chicken, sauteed Maine crab cakes, and crispy fried Rhode Island style squid. Smaller plates such as french olives and eggplant-goat cheese puree are available for $5.

The flatbread pizza with smoked chicken was a highlight. Caramelized onions, green olives, feta cheese, and sage packed a compendium of flavor and texture into the cracker-thin pizza. We also ordered the selection of French olives, which were nothing special; mostly, we received tough, green olives.

Rating: 8.3

Main Dishes
Sel de la Terre's $26 main courses include grilled pork tenderloin, barbecued salmon, roasted chicken breast, pistachio and avocado crusted haddock, and roasted swordfish. Black olive rubbed rack of lamb goes for $33.

We tried the haddock as well as the swordfish. The haddock's pistachio and avocado "crust" (it was more of a "smattering") was sick, but the dish was served at a cool temperature, taking much of the air out of what could have been a splendid dish. Included with the haddock were sparse fingerling potatoes, roasted red onion, and a single cherry tomato. The swordfish was lukewarm and chewy, but it was somewhat saved by the accompanying mix of string beans, shell beans, roasted red pepper, and grilled corn nage.

Rosemary pommes frites, sauteed spinach with parmesan, and chickpea frites with spicy aioli are available as side dishes for $6.50.

Rating: 7.1

Drinks
Featured cocktails go for $10 - $13. A bottle of wine starts at $32.

Rating: 7

Service
Our waitress was hard-to-find when we needed her. Meanwhile, staff inappropriately buzzed around our table, eager to clear unfinished appetizers. Then, after concluding our entrees, the table sat in slop.

Rating: 6.6

Ambiance
Sel de la Terre looked like a private study turned into a restaurant, but the atmosphere felt cold, and the Sel de la Terre team seemed lifeless.

Rating: 7

Et Cetera

Trivia: Prior to opening Sel de la Terre in 2000, Chef/Partner Geoff Gardner spent eight years as the sous chef at L'Espalier.

Menu: View the menu on Sel de la Terre's web site

Reservations: Sel de la Terre is on OpenTable

Transportation: Valet is available for $16. The nearest T stop is Aquarium.

Dress: Casual

Hours: Dinner is served daily from 5:00pm until 10:00pm. A late night menu is available Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00pm until 12:30am.

Labels: French, Sel-de-la-Terre-Boston, Sick-Potential, Waterfront

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 9:23 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 

Eclano

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Overall Rating: Sick Potential (70 out of 100)

54 Salem Street
Boston, MA 02113
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Phone: 617-720-6001

A relative newcomer to the North End, Eclano focuses on modern interpretations of regional Italian cooking. Unfortunately, sick homemade pasta dishes did not make up for disastrous clams and a barren dining scene.



Our History at Eclano
Our first visit to Eclano was on a Friday night at 8:00pm.

Appetizers
Eclano's appetizers range from $7 to $14 and include sauteed calamari, seared scallops, baked littleneck clams, grilled sweetbreads, and crispy duck leg confit. We went with the littleneck clams as well as the scallops.

The baked littleneck clams were served with lemon, oregano, and crispy prosciutto. At first bite, we tasted mostly prosciutto, crisp just like bacon. A few moments later, we nearly spit out the sour-tasting clam. Throughout the years, we've eaten many clams served many ways at many temperatures. We'll give Eclano the benefit of the doubt; they insisted that the clams were fresh. Regardless, we would not have fed these clams to our worst enemy.

In terms of cuisine, the clams were an anomaly. We enjoyed the scallops with grilled radicchio, chive, and warm pancetta dressing. Homemade focaccia was served with delicious pureed eggplant and fresh basil with olive oil.

Rating: 6

Main Dishes
When it comes to entrees, Eclano shines. Six housemade pasta dishes, blended with fresh produce, seafood, and meat, range from $17 to $27. Five meat dishes range from $24 to $34. Pasta dishes include tagliatelli, pappardelle, risotto, and potato ravioli with braised veal brisket. Meat dishes include grilled hangar steak, grilled rack of lamb, pan roasted chicken breast, and a grilled veal chop. We opted for the tagliatelli and pappardelle dishes.

Wide, flowing pappardelle, king oyster mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and caramelized onion were served with tender, braised rabbit and juicy rabbit meatballs. Hand-cut saffron tagliatelli was served with shrimp, rabe, and oven roasted tomatoes in a spicy seafood broth. The homemade pastas and creative combinations made for a decidedly sick meal. Portions were ample.

Rating: 8.8

Drinks
Beer, wine, and cordials are available. A bottle of red starts at $38 and a bottle of white starts at $30. Wine is available by the glass, poured generously. There is a small bar near the entrance. Hard booze is not served.

Rating: 8.4

Service
Our waiter was jovial albeit annoying. He grew defensive about the clams, intimating that our palates were to blame. With few guests and little to do, he talked our ears off and re-filled our wine glasses at an alarming pace.

Rating: 6

Ambiance
Eclano was stunningly barren. There was only one other party. The restaurant seemed like a model room at Crate and Barrel - lots of new, dark wood, crystal clean, and no soul. Vacant walls underscored Eclano's emptiness.

Rating: 6

Et Cetera

Trivia: Eclano is owned by Caterina DiPrisco, former co-owner of Trattoria a Scalinatella. Eclano is named for DiPrisco's hometown outside of Naples.

Menu: Check out Eclano's web site for more information

Reservations: Eclano is on OpenTable

Transportation: Park in one of several nearby parking garages or take the Green Line or Orange Line to Haymarket.

Dress: Casual

Hours: Dinner is served every day from 5pm until 11pm.

Labels: Eclano, Italian, North-End, Sick-Potential

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 3:44 PM 0 comments 

Anthony's Pier 4

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Overall Rating: Sick Potential (75 out of 100)

140 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA 02210
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Phone: 617-482-6262

Legend has it that Pier 4's late owner, Anthony Athanas, once caught a cab at Logan Airport, and asked his cabdriver to transport him to the best restaurant in Boston. Reportedly, without any knowledge of Mr. Athanas' personage, the cabdriver brought Mr. Athanas to Anthony's Pier 4. Mr. Athanas slipped the cabdriver a cool $1,000 to keep up the good work.

Fast-forward to 2007: your cabdriver is not likely to bring you to Pier 4. You can't beat the harborside location, but it's no longer the sickest meal in town.



Our History at Anthony's Pier 4
Our third visit to Anthony's Pier 4 was on a Saturday night at 7:30pm.

Appetizers
Appetizers include oysters, clams, smoked salmon, and shrimp cocktail as well as soups and chowders such as lobster bisque and clam chowder. Prices range from $7.95 to $18.95. We tried Pier 4's apple and maple cured smoked salmon as well as fresh, delicious Norwalk Bluepointe oysters. The smoked salmon was served was onions, capers, crab meat and wheat bread.

While awaiting our appetizers, Pier 4 paraded a strange mix of complimentary dinners rolls, raisin bread, pre-packaged breadsticks, and house-marinated mushrooms. It felt like a full meal, and then a server plopped two oversized popovers onto our plate. Imbibe conservatively on the pre-meal fixings or you may require a wheelchair by the end of the evening.

Rating: 8.5

Main Dishes
Seafood dishes range from $21.95 for broiled Boston scrod to $37.95 for whole dover sole. Steaks and chops range from $34.95 for a Black Angus New York Sirloin to $49.95 for a specially aged prime 18 ounce New York Sirloin. Lobsters are also available, including whopping 3 to 4.5 pound behemoths.

We decided to order broiled Georges Bank sea scallops as well as fresh sauteed halibut. The taste of flour was palpable as we tucked in to the sea scallops. While the fresh sauteed halibut, served with raspberry vinegar sauce, met our expectations, the accompanying rice was unspectacular.

Rating: 6.8

Drinks
Pier 4 features an extensive, famed wine list, but there are very few reasonably-priced options. Small, shot-sized martinis disappointed.

Rating: 7.5

Service
In making our reservation, we asked for a window seat. Pier 4 could not guarantee window seating, but we were told to remind the hostess when we arrived. We informed the hostess of our preference, and without further discussion, we were immediately seated - not near a window, even though window seats were clearly opening up in minutes. Within five minutes of sitting down, we asked to be re-seated near a window.

Our waiter lacked enthusiasm and buzzed around our table like a bee.

The service at Pier 4 is usually better.

Rating: 6.5

Ambiance
Overlooking Boston Harbor, the large, open room exudes a distinct old-New England feel. Framed, autographed photos fill the wooden walls as you enter the restaurant; name a famous politician or celebrity from the past 40 years, and there's a fair chance they've dined at Pier 4. Unfortunately, the sparsely-filled room gives one the impression that Pier 4's best days have passed.

Rating: 8.4

Et Cetera

Trivia: Anthony Athanas immigrated to the United States from Albania at the age of 5. He went on to turn abandoned landfill on Boston's waterfront into one of the most successful restaurants in the country. Anthony's four sons now own and operate the Anthony's Pier 4 family of restaurants.

Menu: Check out the dinner menu

Reservations: Anthony's Pier 4 is on OpenTable

Transportation: Park for free in Pier 4's obscenely-sized parking lot.

Dress: Casual

Hours: Dinner is served Monday through Thursday from 4pm to 10pm, Friday & Saturday from 4pm to 11pm, and Sunday from 4pm to 10pm.

Labels: Pier-4, Seafood, Sick-Potential, South-Boston

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 7:28 PM 0 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 

Laurel Grill and Bar

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Overall Rating: Sick Potential (76 out of 100)

142 Berkeley St.
Boston, MA 02116
View Map
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

posted by The King of Sick Meals @ 8:41 PM 0 comments