Monthly Archives: June 2011

Island Creek Oyster Bar

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Being a sister restaurant of Eastern Standard (a couple of doors down in Kenmore Sq) and Lineage (on Harvard St. in Brookline) I had high hopes for Island Creek Oyster Bar. I’m not necessarily a fan of raw bars, which Island Creek does well, but I do love seafood (and food in general). Perfect place to try for a Father’s Day dinner before heading to a Sox game 🙂

Bread: We received a small wooden basket with 5 slices of bread. Soft, fresh and delicious, but the real star was the butter which was mixed with honey, cayenne pepper, and sea salt!

bread & butter

bread & butter

Menu: The menu is changed and printed daily which I love because you’ll always be presented with different options. Unfold the menu once to find the Raw Bar options complete with names of the fishermen who caught the goods, unfold once more to find the apps, salads, fish, meat and more. I originally wanted the lobster roll, and this would probably be a great place to try one, but my game time decision led me to an app and a salad.

Food/Presentation:
Yellowfin Tuna Tartar: cucumber, sesame, chive
The tuna was served in the middle of a large plate sprinkled with chives, accompanied by a bowl of homemade crispy chips; an old recycled menu acted as a doily. Some of the chips I placed on the plate to show how decorative they were! In terms of presentation I wish this all came on one appropriately sized plate (the table just wasn’t big spacious enough), but taste wise I have no complaints. The tuna was in chunks which I like, and the portion was a respectable appetizer size.

tuna tartar

tuna tartar

WestportGreens: marinated avocado, radish, spiced corn vinaigrette
The greens were tossed with the dressing and radishes, covering the sliced avocado. A simple salad in ingredients and light and refreshing in taste.

salad

salad

Bathroom: It’s not really fair to judge this bathroom as it was located outside of the actual restaurant in the Hotel Commonwealth. But, it was clean with earth toned hues, and had 2 of those cool hand dryers where you slowly draw your hands in and out…

bathroom

bathroom

Service: From the server who poured our water, to our waitress, to the guy that cleared our plates, everyone was pleasant and friendly. Our waitress allowed me to try the wine before actually ordering (which I’m seeing a trend of lately – is that fueled by my indecisivness or their hospitality?), and while my dad was in the restroom the plate clearer chatted me up about the Sox since we were on our way to a game. It’s nice when you can have a real conversation with the staff.

Overall: Not only did they have a regular bar but also a separate actual raw bar where you could sit overlooking the raw food items. I wasn’t too adventurous with my dinner selections but I enjoyed both plates. My dad really liked his raw bar choices and the skate entrée. Next time I’m craving a lobster roll I’ll be sure to stop by!

The Perfect Bite: The bread & butter was one of the best combos I’ve recently had, but the tuna tartar and homemade chips were my bite of choice.

http://www.islandcreekoysterbar.com

G’Vanni’s

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 Thank you to Groupon, BuyWithMe, Eversave etc  for enticing me with discounted offers that I have no business buying but convince myself I need to purchase b/c it’s “such a great deal!”. I try to only buy the coupons that I “need” but often splurge on restaurant or massage offers. G’Vanni’s popped up in the email one day and since it was a restaurant I had never been to, I figured I’d give it a shot.

Bread: Served in a basket were two baguettes each sliced into at least 4 pieces. The bread was warm, doughy, and was delicious dipped in EVOO.

bread

bread

Menu: Antipasti, Entrees, Chicken, Veal, Seafood, Pizza, Hearty Healthy & Wholesome. The options were endless but I was pretty set on ordering pasta and hadn’t had a winning Bolognese in a while.

Food/Presentation:
Mozzarella Salad: fresh mozzarella, tomato, red onion, greens
Three thick pieces of mozzarella topped three slices of tomato over a mixed greens salad. I had to drizzle on EVOO and balsamic as the salad was dry. Not bad overall, but I was hoping basil would be involved somehow.

mozzarella salad

mozzarella salad

Tuscan Fusilli Bolognese: tenderloin, carrots, celery, onions, homemade fusilli with our Boston Red Sauce
I’ve found that no two Bolognese pastas are alike and I have yet to come across a Bolognese that I didn’t like… until now. This is ½ my fault, ½ the waiter’s. When I saw “tenderloin” in the description I was skeptical but when I asked how this “Tuscan Bolognese” differed from the “Rigatoni Bolognese” all the waiter said was that the Tuscan Bolognese consisted of a homemade pasta. I decided to go for it and was extremely disappointed. Typically a Bolognese has ground up meat, not chunks of steak. Very strange. The pasta itself was good, as was the red sauce, but the big pieces of tenderloin were inappropriate and upsetting.

"tuscan" bolognese

"tuscan" bolognese

Bathroom: So small I couldn’t even take a picture inside b/c I would inevitably be seen as there is a mirror above the sink and a full length on the back on the door. Good thing I’m a small person…

bathroom door

bathroom door

Service: We arrived for our 7pm reservation around 7:05pm and were told it would be a wait. “Even though we have a reservation?” I say. “Oh yes” says the frantic manager. There were 4 other parties waiting outside in the rain (who also had reservations) b/c the interior is too small to hold anyone that’s not seated at a table. The manager apologized and promised we’d eventually be seated so I played it cool and didn’t give him a hard time. His excuse was something about all of the “BuyWithMe coupons” and whoever took the reservations “didn’t space them out appropriately”, blahblah. Shouldn’t you know how to regulate and manage the reservations?
We were seated around 7:30pm, not a terrible wait considering the panic the manager was in. Our appetizers were served in a timely manner but I think we waited about an hour between the apps and the entrees. The only apology we received was from the waiter, saying “I’m sorry, our chef is really slow tonight, your meals should be out soon”, and then we proceeded to wait a ½ an hour after that comment. Completely unacceptable.

Overall: Mike and Sophie enjoyed their meals, but Matt & I were both disappointed. His tortelloni with salmon was too salty and I don’t ever want to think about that Bolognese again. The service was horrific and b/c of that alone I would urge you to think twice about G’Vanni’s. Perhaps it’s better during a calmer time period, but they need to learn how to handle their mistakes professionally.

The Perfect Bite: I’d eat that whole basket of warm bread dipped in EVOO.

http://www.gvannis.com

5 Napkin Burger

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view from the bar

view from the bar

I adore burgers and haven’t been blown away by one in quite some time. I’ve been told I need to visit R.F O’Sullivan’s in Somerville as well as Mr. Bartley’s in Cambridge, but I live in Brighton and don’t cross the river too often. So thank goodness for 5 Napkin Burger, a must-eat for burger lovers, located on Huntington Ave (with access via the street and the Prudential Center).

Bread: We were not served bread, which at a burger place is fine by me. I had plenty of other delicious options to fill my stomach with.

Menu: Starters (ranging from soup to salads to wings to deep-fried pickles!), Sushi Maki Rolls, Burgers, Salads, Entrees, Sides, Shakes. I had a burger mentality coming into dinner so my eyes went right to the beef.

Food/Presentation:
Stack of Cornmeal Crusted Onion Rings: blue cheese dressing & 5N sauce
I’m not one to order onion rings (I was eating with 3 boys) but I’m glad I got to taste them! Really fantastic, especially in the 5N sauce (which I believe is a chipotle aioli).

onion rings

onion rings

Sushi Special: spicy tuna, avocado, king crab salad, torched scallop, sriracha chili sauce, eel sauce, cilantro
Burgers and sushi? Why not! 2 of my favorite things come together and I was very pleased. This special was excellent, so light and fresh. There are a couple other sushi options I would like to try (Southwest Roll), although it is a tad pricey, ranging from $10.95-$15.95. If they all come with 8 pieces it’s perfect to split with a friend!

sushi special

sushi special

Original 5 Napkin Burger: 10 oz. fresh ground chuck, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, rosemary aioli, soft white roll
Simple and scrumptious. The cheese melting technique was ideal, covering the top as well as the sides of the burger. I spread a bit of the rosemary aioli on the top bun then discarded the rest (it’s really just flavored mayo, let’s be honest). We all ordered the burgers to be done differently (well done, medium, medium rare) and each came out cooked perfection. Definitely a success.

5 Napkin Burger

5 Napkin Burger

Espresso Brownie Sunday: vanilla ice cream, espresso caramel, whipped cream & salted peanut
I could have had a giant bowl of the whipped cream, espresso caramel & salted peanuts and I would have been a happy girl. Vanilla ice cream is a waste of my time, and brownie sundaes aren’t my first choice, but this was really good.

i deleted the good pic by accident..

i deleted the good pic by accident..

Banana Bread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This was the dessert special and I wasn’t super impressed mainly b/c it was too rich. I do love banana bread but the frosting was unnecessary for me.

Bathroom: Spacious, sleek, clean, 5 stalls, with a full length mirror. I like how the stalls were somewhat separate from the sinks.

bathroom

bathroom

Wait Staff: I forget her name but the (single) boys were smitten. She was super cute and friendly, and totally sold us on the sushi and dessert special. She did a great job, however we ordered the sushi and onion rings as an app and our burgers were brought by food runners directly after the rings, before we even saw the sushi. Not a huge deal – we had the sushi with our burgers which actually was a nice balance – but apps should be delivered before the entrée, always.

decor

decor

 Overall: I consider myself a burger fanatic and I highly suggest 5 Napkin Burger, for burgers or sushi! Everything was honestly superb; my only issue is I wish there were more options. They have a great burger variety (beef, veggie, ‘inside out’, turkey, tuna, lamb) but I wish there were more interesting toppings, for instance: spicy mustard, avocado, relish, hummus etc. The Special Burger had a salsa topping which they should take inspiration from.
The bar was spacious with enough TVs to catch a game. The walls were adorned with over-sized chalk boards and bottles that looked like they should hold some kind of magic potion.

chalk board

chalk board

The Perfect Bite: 5 Napkin Burger smeared with a little bit of ketchup. The rosemary aioli was decent, but I would have preferred the 5N sauce.

http://www.5napkinburger.com

Umbria Prime

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umbria

umbria

Umbria Prime is a high-end steak house located in the heart of the Financial District on Franklin Street, blocks away from Post Office Square. Not only does it offer corn and grass-fed certified Angus beef, but the menu also features seafood, salads, and artisan pastas. Show up late night and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors transform into a night club for the 25+ crowd. I don’t know that I’m ready for that just yet, but I was looking forward to a good meal.

Bread: I guess I’ll call these popovers? Reminds me of a pastry you’d receive at brunch. The bottom was quite thin and useless, but the top was soft and doughy, great with a bit of butter spread.

bread

bread

Menu: Signature Appetizers, Soups & Salads, Umbria’s Artisanal Pasta, Dry-Aged Prime Steaks and Chops, From the Sea, On the Side, Sauces. I originally wanted to order steak (hello, I’m at a steakhouse!) but the prices threw me for a loop, with the cheapest steak being $36. I was do for a ragu anyways…

Food/Presentation:
Imported Buffalo Mozzarella: tomatoes and basil
Slices of fresh tomato alternated with slices of buffalo mozzarella to create a Caprese tower. Basil leaves were off to the side and a basil pesto was drizzled for dipping. Honestly one of the best Caprese salads I’ve had, mainly because of the soft, fresh mozzarella.

caprese

caprese

Pappardelle: braised wild boar ragu
I’m still confused… The above description is exactly what I read off the menu, yet I received a pasta dish covered in mushrooms! I thought at first ‘maybe I was served the Tagliatelle’ which comes with “exotic wild mushrooms and fresh truffle shavings”, but then overheard our waitress describing that entrée to the table next to us and she mentioned it came with a red tomato sauce. There were no tomatoes in sight on my plate so I assume I received the correct meal. Unfortunately I’m not a big mushroom fan but have recently developed a tolerance for the fungi, so I was able to somewhat enjoy it. A ‘shroom lover would have been in heaven – it’s a shame I was deceived by the menu!

pappardelle

pappardelle

Tiramisu
When I made the reservation via OpenTable.com I mentioned Matt & I were celebrating our 4 year anniversary, hence the note in raspberry sauce. The lady fingers were perfectly soaked in espresso, my favorite part! Matt’s a tough critic when it comes to tiramisu and he fully enjoyed the few bites I allowed him 🙂

tiramisu

tiramisu

Bathroom: Located outside of the main restaurant in the foyer of the back entrance. Nothing special; for an upscale restaurant I would have expected something more stylized/fancy. Not a fan of the rolls of toilet paper on display.

bathroom

bathroom

Wait Staff: Our waitress was great and offered to let me try a couple of wines when I couldn’t make up my mind. She was attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly!

Overall: Definitely more of a fancier/upscale restaurant with its white linens and wait staff suited in crisp, white button downs and ties. Being in the financial district I can only assume it attracts a lot of business executives, but as it was the Friday before Memorial Day weekend there were only 3 other tables occupied. The portions are large – Matt’s tuna steak was double anything we’ve ever seen – but so are the prices. We chose Umbria strictly because we had a $100 gift card 🙂  Thanks mom!

The Perfect Bite: Mozzarella, tomato, basil – hands down! I’d say it was solely the mozz, but this Italian girl adores her Caprese salads.

http://www.umbriaprime.com