I’ve been to Sibling Rivalry a couple of times in the past but not recent enough to truly remember my experience. What I do recall is enjoying the atmosphere and the food, and tonight was no different.

place setting

Bread: A small variety of breads were served in a silver bowl with a side of softened butter in a square red dish. Of the three breads I tried – white, raisin scone-type breakfast bread, garlic & herb focaccia – my favorite was the latter.

bread

Menu: If you’re familiar with Sibling Rivalry you already know that the menu is divided into 2 sides/chefs, each trying their hand at a chosen ingredient (similar to Iron Chef). For the first course, Chef David and Chef Bob each presented a dish in a Curry, Pasta, Salad, Melted Cheese, and Seafood category. The main course offered Tomato, Fowl, Beef, and Fin Fish options. A unique menu set up which is the restaurant’s staple.

menu cover

Food/Presentation:
Pumpkin Ravioli with sage and brown butter sauce
We started with the appetizer special which was really delicious but overpriced for the amount we received ($14). The solid “pasta-wings” were cooked al dente but the actual pumpkin filling was minimal.

pumpkin ravioli

Mustard-Glazed Atlantic Salmon with Lump Crab Meat, Tomato Butter and Spinach
Matt, Dad, and I all ordered this entree and everyone’s plates were squeaky clean at the end of the meal. The salmon – prepared to your liking (cooked all the way through please) – was sitting between 2 small mounds of spinach and surrounded by a few chunks of red bliss potato, crab meat, and diced tomatoes. The fish was excellent and the tomato butter kept the dish moist without drowning any of the accompaniments.

salmon

Bathroom: Bright red-tiled walls, with 1 regular and 1 handicapped stall. Only 1 sink but I always appreciate the full length mirror. I also used a single stall by the bar which had electric purple tiled walls. I love that the bold colors are consistent throughout the restaurant, seen again in the plate chargers and dining room walls.

Service: Matt & I sat at the bar for a drink while waiting for my parents and the bar tender was nice enough to add a cinnamon sugar rim to the pumpkin beer I ordered 🙂 Our waitress was charming and engaging. My mother trusted her enough to order the side of bone marrow with her braised short ribs.

Overall: Every bit of food we tasted was excellent. The staff was professional and welcoming. The menu is unique and has a little bit of everything to please most diners. The starter prices are a bit steep ranging $10-$14, but the entrees fall within $22-$32 which is typical for a higher end South End hot spot. Check out Fight Night Mondays (chef’s battle with a 3 course pre-fixed menu), Show & Taste Tuesdays (cooking & food demo), and their soon to be announced Wednesday Wine Night.

open kitchen

The Perfect Bite: The actual pumpkin filling in those ravioli were incredibly smooth & creamy without being overwhelming. Too bad the small appetizer only allowed for ½ a ravioli each!

http://www.siblingrivalryboston.com

I’ve been to Beehive a couple times in the past and knew it’d be a great spot to take my parents when mom asked to go to a “fun and different” restaurant for our Valentine’s Day date. This South End hot spot has 2 floors: the 1^st level consisting of a bar with seating and a small dining area, the basement level with another bar and larger dining space. The band of the night plays downstairs in front of a few small tables, but worry not, they can be heard throughout the restaurant and are actually projected onto a brick wall on the 1^st floor for the upstairs patrons… neat!

Bread: Served in an actual basket, the bread itself was wrapped in paper next to a container of soft butter. Not sure why it was covered up; it certainly wasn’t to keep it warm. Not that the bread was served cold, but we were disappointed in the small loaf/pieces. I think it took about 4 minutes for us to consume it and then ask for another basket.

bread

Menu: Plates (consisting of apps and flatbread pizzas), Raw Bar, Mains, Sandwiches & Dinner Salads, Sides. It may not sound like there are a lot of sections/categories, but each one had intriguing and unique dishes. Before we were seated Matt & I had a drink at the bar while waiting for my parents – the bar tender encouraged us to order the Shortrib Sandwich as an app as that was one of the few things (including himself and the GM) that “have been here since day one”. Sold.  

Food/Presentation:
Shortrib, Farmhouse Cheddar & Fontina Grilled Cheese:
Served as an app, sliced into 4 pieces to share, the sandwich came with coleslaw and homemade pickles. This would have been overwhelming (for me) to have as an entrée; the bread was thick and doughy with the cheese melted on either side of the tender meat. Incredible as an appetizer!

shortrib sandwich

Moroccan Cigars, lamb-filled phyllo spring rolls:
Two ‘cigars’ came side by side on a wooden cutting/serving board, with a sweet pepper sauce condiment. The phyllo was perfectly flakey, so good! Sometimes spring rolls can be greasy but that was not the case here.

moroccan cigars

Beet Salad, goat cheese crostini:
This was a special on the V-Day menu. Topped with the goat cheese crostini, the greens were tossed with a light lemon vinaigrette mixed with pine nuts, fennel, & peach colored beets. I’ve never seen beets that color (I thought they were grapefruit at first) and they were delicious as ever, although I wish there were a few more. The salad was light and refreshing.

beet salad

Honey Ice Cream:
Straight from Christina’s (www.christinasicecream.com) in Cambridge’s Inman Square, famous for its incredible ice cream and 50 flavors. We ordered 2 for the table – each came with 2 scoops topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and was almost ½ melted! The ice cream was soft which is fine, but definitely too soupy. I can’t deny that it was delicious though.

honey ice cream

Bathroom: Yay! Something bright, fun, and eccentric! The waitress informed us that her friend actually painted the bathroom, which is impressive since every stall and almost every wall is covered in intricate flower designs (perhaps she used stencils?). There were 3 old fashion mirrors hanging on a brick wall above the trough of a sink. Very impressed!

bathroom stalls

bathroom mirrors

Wait Staff: Jodi was a blast. She was fun, positive, and full of energy. And thankfully was not offended after my dad asked how she created and maintains her dread locks (good grief old man!). She was able to educate us on the menu and it seemed like she genuinely enjoyed her job, which made me genuinely enjoy her.

Overall: I highly suggest you try Beehive, not only for the great food and service, but it’s a great change of pace and provides live music almost every night of the week. It’s perfect for a night out with your girlfriends, a casual dinner date, or grabbing a drink and enjoying a live show.

The Perfect Bite: This is really tough, but I think I’ll go with the Moroccan Cigar topped with sweet pepper sauce.

www.beehiveboston.com

This was my second time visiting Giacomo’s on Columbus Ave in the South End and yet again it did not disappoint. I feel I should have given their North End location a shot instead of trying the South End spot for a second time, but they don’t take reservations. There have been many times (mainly in the warmer months) where I’ve seen a line out the door spilling onto Hanover Street of people waiting to get a table. Luckily the South End restaurant does take reservations (I get cranky if I’m waiting too long for my food!)

Bread: A ¼ piece of a fresh Italian loaf was left for us to tear apart with our hands (which I always have trouble with). No butter, but small EVOO bottles were on the table which was all I needed.

Italian bread

Menu: Appetizers, Salads, Pasta, Vegetarian, Entrees, Sides … their House Seafood Specialty section offered linguini with your choice of sauce and type of seafood. Too many options to choose from! I’ve previously ordered their Butternut Squash Ravioli which was amazing; this evening I tried to be different and chose the Pumpkin Tortellini. These dishes can basically be considered cousins, but I want what I want!

Food/Presentation: My tortellini was spread across an oblong dish, covered with a fresh sage mascarpone cream sauce. Flagrant in flavor with a creamy rich sauce. I certainly wasn’t watching my calories this evening. I couldn’t not finish this dish – each bite was unbelievable!

pumpkin tortellini

Bathroom: The restaurant is small so I expected the bathroom to be the same. Spacious enough, with dark red walls, a large framed mirror, and a few old photographs of the neighborhood/Columbus Street back in the day.

bathroom

Wait Staff: The first time I ate at Giacomo’s was during restaurant week a year or two ago and the waiter was quick with his words, barely made eye contact, and service was speedy. This is not the type of restaurant where the wait staff coddles you. The menu is pretty much self explanatory and they are not there to entertain you. Usually I enjoy a waiter who chats you up, but in this type of environment there’s no need for small talk. This visit we had a nice waiter who refilled our water glasses when necessary and attentively poured my wine when my glass was running low. He was pleasant, and we didn’t feel like we were being rushed out.

Overall: A small, casual Italian restaurant without the bells & whistles city restaurants usually flaunt. The tables are back to back with each other, and the noise can be overwhelming if there’s a large/loud party. Very reasonable prices, with entrée and pasta dishes $20 and under! This is a MUST-eat-at. I doubt you can go wrong with any dish you order.

The Perfect Bite: The pumpkin tortellini was honestly to die for.

http://giacomosblog-boston.blogspot.com/

Rocca’s dishes are inspired by “New England’s bounty [and] driven by Italian sensibility”. This South End spot is a bit off the beaten path, a couple streets away from the more popular Washington and Tremont, but Chef Tiffany Faison does not disappoint!

Bread: An oblong shaped loaf was served in the middle of the table on a ‘brown paper bag’ sheet of paper, left for us to rip apart with our hands. The EVOO was dramatically poured at the table into a square dish; I must say, watching the long perfect stream of olive oil flow from the spout to the dish was kind of mesmerizing.

Menu: Divided into 5 sections – Pesce Crudo (raw fish), Pesce Cotto (cooked fish), Vegetables Leaves & Grains, Housemade Pastas, Mostly From The Sea With A Little Farm. I could have chosen 1 item from each part of the menu (crispy artichokes, yellowfin tuna tartare, smoked & braised pork)! I was hoping for the Spicy Tomato “Lasagne”, but it was made with tripe and once I found out that tripe is the lining of a cow’s stomach I went with the following:

Spicy Squash Soup: roasted pistachios / black pepper / foie gras whipped ricotta / anise hyssop
Ricotta Cavatelli: foie gras vinegrette / chopped walnuts / cherry mosto

ricotta cavatelli

Presentation/Food: All of our apps (crispy artichokes, soup, little gem salad) were served on a mini wooden cutting board.

grilled little gem

 Spicy Squash Soup: The soup bowl came empty except for the foie gras whipped ricotta and pistachios. Next to the bowl was a small Mason-type jar filled with the squash soup, ½ of which was poured into my bowl by the server. The soup was incredibly smooth and rich in flavor. There were enough pistachios to go with each spoonful which was a plus.

spicy squash soup

Ricotta Cavatelli: Some may have seen this dinner as a small serving, but it was truly the perfect size for me. The pasta, mixed with chopped walnuts, covered the cherries & the dollop of ricotta. The cherries were halved and strong in flavor-a different accessory used in a pasta dish-but mixed well with the ricotta cheese creating a light but rich sauce. Really interesting dish!

Bathroom: The stalls have a backsplash of tiny earth toned tiles. The same can be found near the brass bowl sinks… very pretty. And the full length mirror was a plus!

stall

sinks

Wait Staff: Our waiter did a great job – he knew which red wine was the driest (and actually steered me towards my favorite Tuscan red!), he anticipated their lack of the Tuna Tartare (based on a private party that ordered it all 😦 ), and he was able to describe all the rare menu items (tripe, anise hyssop, etc).

Overall: I thought for sure they’d have a “flatbreads” section on the menu, but overall a successful dining experience! Great food and even better wine (’07 Rosso di Montepeluciano Poliziano). The prices aren’t outrageous, with the pasta dishes running in the $teens and the main courses topping out at $29 (for the lobster). Beware of the smaller portions… unless you eat like me!

The Perfect Bite: Cavatelli. Walnuts. Cherry. I’ve never seen or tasted a pasta dish like it!

http://www.roccaboston.com

Our friends just moved to the South End this past weekend and suggested we all go to the South End Buttery – you don’t have to twist my arm! Originating as a bakery & café, the Buttery quickly grew into an all around restaurant serving brunch, dinner, and gourmet take out lunch. We walked through the bakery to the hostess stand (I averted my eyes) and were led downstairs to our table. I was immediately impressed with the décor and couldn’t wait to check out the American/English comfort food menu.

decor

Bread: Served in a small silver bowl were 4 pieces of herb focaccia, with EVOO on the side. A great way to start the meal, and I would have eaten another piece had we not ordered parmesan-garlic fries for the table 😉

bread

Menu: Starters, Mains, and Sides – should be a pretty simple decision, but the side dishes that came with the entrees were controlling me! The turkey burger was topped with guacamole & chipotle aioli, the salmon had a side of tabbouleh, and the hake came with lobster mac & cheese! I realized that lobster mac & cheese is a rarity and went with the Silver Hake. The Spicy Butternut Squash Soup to start was no brainer.

parmesan-garlic fries

Presentation/Taste:
Parmesan-Garlic Fries with truffle aioli: Our friend Sophia asked if we wanted to share the regular fries or the parm-garlic fries – another no brainer! Piping hot and the perfect cut (I don’t like big, beefsteak type fries). Came with chipotle or truffle aioli, we had the latter and was not disappointed.
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup – hazelnut brown butter / ginger crema / crispy parsley: Served in a deep bowl, topped with beautiful swirls of ginger crema and what I believe was sunflower seeds, which was a great addition of texture. I’m not positive what the ‘spicy’ ingredient(s) were, but it added a small kick & distinctive taste.
Chatham Silver Hake – lobster mac & cheese / parsley-lemon bread crumbs / braised leeks: So I discovered that I don’t like hake. I thought I’d be safe with choosing a white fish, but let’s be honest, I really just wanted that lobster mac & cheese! I pushed the fish aside and focused on the main attraction – large fusilli pasta with a light cheese sauce and large chunks of lobster. The portion was so large I couldn’t even finish it, which was a shame b/c it was so delicious.

hake w lobsert mac & cheese

Bathroom: Simple & plain, but I will give them props for the super Dyson airblade hand dryer!

bathroom

Wait Staff: Our drinks took a little longer to be delivered then normal, but otherwise we had a pleasant evening with our waiter.

Overall: Small & cozy, which completely worked for this establishment. I felt like we were in someone’s basement with the leather booths (complete with pillows!) and large photographs of dogs decorating the stone walls. All we needed to do was light a fire & I would have felt right at home. Dinner portions were generous & the prices were reasonable with barely any entrees hitting the $20 mark. I can’t wait to go back for a latte & a cupcake!

 The Perfect Bite: I may sound like a broken record but I have to go with the Spicy Butternut Squash Soup.

spicy butternut squash soup

http://www.southendbuttery.com/site/

Matt & I choose Noche for our joint-birthday dinner, not b/c we heard great things about the food or b/c I’ve been dying to try it… no, we choose Noche b/c of the 1,000 OpenTable point value it provided. We’re up to 6,800 points which means we’re 3,200 away from a $100 gift card to any OpenTable participating restaurant of our choice. On Appleton Street in the South End, Noche is a hot spot for late night diners (the kitchen is open til 1:30am) looking for a lounge/restaurant atmosphere.

Bread: Instead of bread the waitress brought over a tall basket of dried plantains with an aioli dipping sauce. It’s always refreshing to see something new and different to start off the meal.  The aioli was a delicious compliment to the thin & crispy banana imposter.

plantains 'bread' basket

Menu: My menu book was missing 1 of the 2 pages it contained – those types of things should be checked. And I guess I need to stop over analyzing online menus b/c sometimes they don’t match the in-house menus… frustrating! The salad and pasta I was originally interested in weren’t offered, so I improvised. 

beefsteak tomatoes

Presentation/Taste:
Roasted Beefsteak Tomato, with creamed spinach, chipotle cheddar gratin – I knew we wouldn’t be getting dessert so I had to get an app (I can’t blog about just one course 😉 ). I love (fresh) tomatoes dearly and this sounded like an interesting dish. It wasn’t bad, and I can’t quite put my finger on what I didn’t like about it – I think the creamed spinach on top of the cheese but a bit much for me/my stomach.
Veal Cheek Bolognese, with pancetta & goat cheese – I’ve never been disappointed by a bolognese until today. I think I rushed into this decision; this dish wasn’t on the online menu so once I saw ‘bolognese’ I got overly excited and just went for it. I should have stopped to think about the ‘veal cheek’ that was involved, b/c I did not care for the soggy, chewy meat. I ate every bit of the pappardelle pasta, but apparently veal cheek is not for me.

veal cheek bolognese

Bathroom: It was clean, had a nice wicker basket, and the full length mirror was a major plus. My goal is to find a restroom that provides hand lotion; it’s getting colder & dryer out and my hands need to be moisturized!

bathroom

Wait Staff: Our waitress was nice & friendly; turned out she was a wine pourer at the Wine Riot that Matt & I attended on Saturday night. My water glass was never empty and our food was delivered quickly.

Overall: Meh. Food was just ok and it felt weird being the only people in the place (unless you count the few at the bar). But I can’t completely use that against them as it was 6pm on a Monday night. The décor and comfy seating was a plus; I can see how this would be a draw for late night drinks or bar bites.

The Perfect Bite: Plantains & aioli sauce. Can’t say much about the 2 courses I had but Matt did love his stuffed chicken.

http://www.noche-boston.com/

Metropolis Cafe, overlooking the South End’s busy Tremont Street, serves Mediterranean cuisine at a very reasonable price in a small but charming atmosphere. Now typically I tend to pick the most expensive restaurants to visit for Restaurant Week, but this line at the top of the online menu caught my eye and I never looked back: “A glass of house red or white wine is included”. $33.10 for 3 courses AND a glass of wine? I’M IN!

Bread: Five individual pieces , hearty & crunchy, served with a small dish of garlic cloves (nice touch) soaked in EVOO. I approve.

bread

 Menu: Of course I went right for the 3 course menu, but I did notice the great prices on their day-to-day menu. And they serve brunch on the weekends! Tonight however, I had the following:

• Watermelon & Arugula Salad with feta cheese and pine nuts
• Grilled Seabass with spinach & tomato confit
• Strawberry “Parfait” with a Kahlua Cream

seabass

strawberry "parfait"

Bathroom: Similar to the restaurant in that it’s small, but it provided all the necessities one would need in a restroom.

 

Wait Staff: Because of the size it seemed as though the bar tender and the waiters were one in the same. My boyfriend & I arrived before the rest of our party so we sat at the bar for a drink; the man who poured our wine/beer ended up being our waiter as well. He was friendly and immediately struck up a conversation when we sat down, commenting on his desire to end his shift and have a drink with us 😉

 

Overall: There was not one food item on this menu over $20 which is extremely hard to find in the city, especially in the South End. The space was limited but the food was good and the atmosphere was comfortable. I wouldn’t rush back (there’s just too many places to try!) but I highly recommend Metropolis if you’re looking for a tasty meal that won’t break the bank.

The Perfect Bite: This wasn’t on the Rest. Week menu, nor did I order it, but I think I have to say my friend’s Banana Bread Pudding + Caramel + ice cream = delightful!

banana bread pudding

www.metropolisboston.com