Monthly Archives: February 2012

Regal Beagle

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Sister restaurant to Church in the Fenway area (which wasn’t a favorite), Regal Beagle does everything right that Church neglects: good service, fantastic food, tasty cocktails. Located in the busy & popular Coolidge Corner of Brookline, this neighborhood eatery is a must try.

Bread: A sliced white loaf and bread sticks were served with scallion butter. I’m not a huge bread stick fan but the slices weren’t bad.

Menu: Bar Bites, Appetizers, Entrees, and Sides. There were items from each section that I couldn’t resist but wasn’t able to order or consume all of them! We settled on the Dates to share (my mother has been craving them since they were featured on The Phantom Gourmet), and I went with a couple apps as my meal.

Food/Presentation:
Dates: stuffed with gorgonzola cheese and wrapped in bacon
Four warm  dates came stick side up, drizzled with a balsamic reduction. I’m not a bacon fan but I forced myself to try a bite without undressing the date. Fortunately the strong bacon flavor wasn’t as prominent as the sweetness of the date and pungent gorgonzola. The Phantom did not steer us wrong!

Duck Confit Soft Tacos: foie gras cider vinaigrette, Brussels sprout slaw and tarragon aioli
Two soft tacos came piled with green apple/carrot/Brussels sprout slaw next to a drizzle of tarragon aioli. The slaw was a bit overwhelming (I couldn’t fit it into my mouth for 1 big bite!), but the app was so good that I literally almost choked as I inhaled it.

Mixed Greens: molten goat cheese, roasted beets, candied almonds, pomegranate seeds, and Zinfandel vinaigrette
It’s hard for a salad with these ingredients to be bad; I loved the addition of pomegranate seeds to this classic combination. A refreshingly light & delicious app, just as I was expecting!

The Girl Next Door: Absolut Ruby Red, orange liqueur, fresh squeezed grapefruit, and sparkling wine
This is their signature cocktail for a reason! Fruity without being too sweet – a perfect “girly” drink.

Bathroom: The restroom was small but cute; the wallpaper is felt silhouettes of different breeds of pooches, like a children’s touch & feel book!


Service: Our waitress was friendly, engaging, and was able to make suggestions when we were having trouble deciding between certain entrees and specials. The GM stopped by to make sure we were enjoying our meal and he revealed that their Executive Chef Laura Henry-Zoubir recently appeared on the Food Network’s Chopped… impressive!

Overall: I recommend this comfortable neighborhood gem for brunch, dinner, or for a couple of cocktails at the bar. The menu is always changing and providing plenty of appetizing options. Prices won’t hurt your wallet either, with Bites/Apps under $12 (except for the $14 cheese plate) and entrees topping out at $25. I suggest stopping by Regal Beagle on your next visit Coolidge Corner!

The Perfect Bite: Even though I unwrapped my date so it was bacon-free, it was still so delicious!

gorgonzola inside the dates!

gorgonzola inside the dates!

www.thebeaglebrookline.com

Church

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I had heard mixed reviews for Church but wanted to try it out for myself before writing it off. Being a sister restaurant of Coolidge Corner’s Regal Beagle in Brookline I was expecting a strong culinary showing, but instead experienced a slightly disappointing meal and spotty service.

Bread: None. At least we didn’t receive any. I should have realized then that what was to come was nothing impressive.

Menu: Sliders, From the Garden, Grilled Flatbread, From the Sea, From the Farm, Dessert. There were a good amount of options, and part of certain dishes stood out but there wasn’t one that I was immediately drawn to (besides the rosemary duck fat fries, which I didn’t even order). I also need to mention the cocktail menu; it was broken down into two categories, “Seven Deadly Sins” and “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. I commend Church for being creative with their descriptions, but when they omit any mention of the alcohol involved it’s hard to determine what to order!

Food/Presentation:
Margherita Grilled Flatbread: slow roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil
The four of us started with this flatbread as an appetizer. It wasn’t bad but there wasn’t anything particularly memorable about it either. I love any kind of tomato (except maybe sundried) but I didn’t like the way these were prepared.

Warm Baby Spinach Salad: cranberry-thyme vinaigrette, toasted walnuts, molten gorgonzola, and beets
My salad came in a warm skillet, with the ‘molten cheese’ crisped to the bottom of the cast iron pan. It was a little strange that the lettuce was so warm, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The salad was lightly dressed, and a good combination of sweet & savory.

Buffalo Chicken Sliders: buttermilk-blue cheese dressing and celery slaw
Two sliders came topped with slaw; sandwiched between was a pile of fries. Before ordering I assumed the chicken would have been pulled or grilled, so I was pretty disappointed to learn that in between the buns was cubed, slightly fried chicken. The slaw was decent and I liked the sauce, but the square pieces of poultry really threw me off.

Bathroom: The ladies room was actually nice with earth tones, chrome faucets, and bowl sinks which I always find quite pretty.

Service: My friend Alana arrived about 15 minutes before the rest of us and said she waited at least 10 minutes before anyone came over to offer her a drink. Once we arrived and ordered cocktails it took another 15 minutes to receive those. Our waitress was either new, distracted, or just straight up not good at her job. Our salads came before we finished the flatbread, which isn’t a huge deal but I don’t like to be rushed! The rest of the evening was fine, although it did take a while to get the check.

Overall: I think Church is more of a bar / live band scene than a restaurant; I personally would never send anyone there for the food. The cocktails were just ok; I started with Vanity (a vodka & grapefruit concoction) and ended with Death (useless description is above – turned out to be a champagne cocktail). The prices were reasonable at least and the atmosphere was lively and comfortable. The location is so remote (Kilmarnock Street) that I don’t see myself returning any time soon.

Vanity

Vanity

The Perfect Bite: I guess I’ll say the warm spinach, melted gorgonzola, and beets.

 www.churchofboston.com

Tremont 647

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I’ve driven by Tremont 647 multiple times but have never had an impulse to go in and try their food. Thanks to Ben’s favorite reservation mechanism Savored.com (which charges you to make a res. but then discounts you 40% off the food bill) we opted to try the South End restaurant, a first visit for all four of us.

Bread: A bunch of mini focaccia bites were served with what the waiter called “white bean puree”, which was in fact orange and had more of a sauce-like consistency. The bread was ok and the sauce was pretty decent, with a strong curry flavor.

Menu: Appetizers, Entrees, Sides. The options weren’t fantastic and there wasn’t one particular meal that I HAD to have, but a couple of dishes seemed interesting. There was certainly a slight Asian flare to the menu with options like fried pork dumplings (Pork Momos), Tempura Soba Maki, fried rice etc.

Food/Presentation:
647’s Signature Pork Momos: soy sake, sriracha
Four fried dumplings were served with a side of sauce; they were pretty tasty and had a balanced ratio of crispy exterior and warm pork interior.

Crispy Pork Belly Tacos: yuzu aioli, red jalapeño
Two soft shell tacos came topped with aioli, pork belly, lettuce, and jalapeños that were oh so spicy! The pork was great, well cooked with a slightly crispy lining.

Roasted Beet, Squash & Pear Salad: feta, candied almonds, sherry vinaigrette
Beets, squash, and pears were assembled in a small mound topped with cheese and vinaigrette, with a few nuts (that were not almonds) off to the side. This salad was quite good and I unfortunately wolfed it down without noticing any squash.

BBQ fries with Andy’s BBQ sauce
A large bowl of fries came with a side of Andy’s BBQ Sauce. The fries were well seasoned and had great flavor without being overwhelming.

Roasted Cauliflower
The cauliflower was roasted with some peppers, onions, and an unidentifiable Middle Eastern flavor. This side dish was ok… I just didn’t love the particular spices used.

Chocolate Almond Bacon Bark
I loved chocolate and nuts but I can’t stand bacon so this wasn’t my favorite, but everyone else at the table really enjoyed it!

Pomegranate Flan: pomegranate seeds & sauce
I’m also not a fan of flan 🙂 Let’s just leave it at that…

Bathroom: This 1 room/stall unisex restroom was a bit trippy! Every inch of the wall space and door is covered with an underwater themed mural featuring fish, seahorses, and waves. I really liked the basket-weaved mirror!

Service: The service was great; the bartender steered me towards a delicious martini, our entrees were delivered after our apps had been cleared, and our waiter took our entire order, at once, without a pen/pad (3 apps, 4 entrees, 2 sides) – impressive!

Overall: I really like the space and atmosphere of Tremont 647, but the menu didn’t excite me. The food was good, and I left satisfied but I don’t have any reason to go back for that particular menu. I really enjoyed my 647 Pineapple Martini (house infused pineapple and vanilla bean vodkas, pineapple juice, simple syrup) and I know Dave loved his Harvest Sidecar (jim beam red stag, liquor 43, grapefruit, perchaud’s bitters), so perhaps I’ll stop in again for a cocktail. I wouldn’t tell you not to try Tremont 647, but my personal feeling is “been there, done that, moving on”.

Harvest Sidecar

Harvest Sidecar

The Perfect Bite: Beets, candied nuts, sherry vinaigrette.

www.tremont647.com