Tag Archives: bar

Island Creek Oyster Bar, Kenmore Square, Boston Revisited Cocktails

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We were itching for some crab cakes (BMH’s crab cakes) and lobster (BMH’s lobster roll) so we headed over to Island Creek Oyster Bar. After an unbelievable brunch at Island Creek Oyster Bar, we knew we would be back to try the late night menu, when the popular bar and restaurant was less busy.

The two design elements I enjoy about Island Creek is the lighting fixtures and the back wall of oyster shells.

There were several oysters that were out that evening and the bartender crossed them off for us. We chose our favorites, the Duxbury based Island Creek ($2.25 each), Misty Point, Sunken Meadow and Riptide (all $2.50 each).

We enjoyed Anchor Liberty Ale, a San Francisco based pale ale. The hops and champagne-like bubbles was a nice counterpoint for all our seafood items ($6).

While waiting, our server provided us with some in-house baked honey wheat bread. The tender bread had a nice crust and was even more enjoyable with the soft butter.

My favorite was the Misty Point oyster and my dining companions loved the Island Creeks. They both had a nice ocean flavor and were super fresh. All of the oysters had a nice chilled temperature and were perfect with a twist of bright lemon.

We were pleasantly surprised that ICOB had Sriracha originates from Thailand, but was popularized in the States by a Vietnamese businessman. We love Rooster sauce on practically everything (NPR’s Ode to Sriracha). For a touch of heat, we added  a dot of sriracha to one of our oysters. ICOB also has Sriracha fries ($4), which we will definitely try next time.

We shared a bite of the lobster slider ($5) and crab cake slider ($4). we had a choice of sauces and our friendly bartender suggested the lime and chili aïoli versus the other sauces (tartar sauce, horseradish mayo or meyer lemon aïoli). I loved the butteriness of the fresh Brioche roll. The lime & chili aïoli had a nice zesty flavor and really went well with the warm crab cake and fresh lobster meat.

We will have to return to ICOB finally for dinner. The service, kitchen and bar have executed in every facet every time and we know it will continue to deliver.

Island Creek Oyster Bar on Urbanspoon

Forum, Back Bay, Boston Revisited

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On our first visit to Forum the bar area was packed with people. Our second visit the bar area had a stead stream of customers, but was not too full. The dining area seemed quite sparse and it doesn’t seem like many people visit Forum for snacks or dinner. We can distinctly recall how busy both the ground floor and upstairs area of Vox once was.

Forum’s design is clean and the bar area is spacious. The back bar area would be perfect for a semi-private birthday party or cocktail hour.

The Suffolk County Smash Eagle rare 10 year old bourbon, blueberry mint purèe, lime, shaken and strained over crushed ice was refreshing.

I enjoyed a Red Square ($10) with hammer & sickle vodka, ginger basil syrup, ginger beer, fresh lime, candied ginger garnish $10. The vodka and ginger beer combination was enhanced by intensified layers of ginger, with ginger basil and candied ginger. It was fantastic.

I will have to try Forum for brunch. They do serve my favorite French sandwich, the croque madame, and chicken and waffles with pickled vegetable and jalapeño maple syrup. Both of these  items are difficult to find in Boston. For desserts, Forum offers carrot cake and “coffee and doughnuts”, a sampler of apple, ginger, cinnamon doughnuts with coffee.

Forum on Urbanspoon

Lolita Cucina and Tequila Bar, Back Bay, Boston Revisited

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From burritos, tacos, ceviche to tapas, we have enjoyed Latin and Mexican cuisine at El Pelon, La Verdad, Temazcal, Toro, Ole Mexican, Zocalo, as well as Rick Bayless’s Xoco. Despite gorging on some amazing Latin cuisine recently, the best is still directly from the source. It was well overdue that we try the Mexican restaurant and tequila bar and former Papa Razzi for dinner, especially after previously enjoying margaritas and cocktails at Lolita. Lolita Cucina and Tequila Bar is open from 5pm on and is open until 2am daily (even Sundays). Most weekend evenings there is a line out the door. Upon entrance, there is dim red lighting and a coat check at the entrance and the sconces and candelabras evoke a haunting, but romantic sensibility. We gave our name with the staff, received an estimate for an hour wait and headed to the back bar. A group of us enjoyed a pitcher of Lolita margarita ($44) Sauza ’100 years’, Patron Citronage, lime, cane syrup and grapefruit. It had the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. Very refreshing. My friend tried the red sugar rimmed Broken Heart, which I really enjoyed on my last visit, which contains St. Germain, Patron Citronage, white grapes and fresh raspberries ($13). This evening it was a bit too strong (normally we would not complain, but the drink’s balance was off).

The deep red roses in the square glass and votive candles at our table drove home the red theme. As we contemplated what we wanted to try from the menu from guacamole, tacos, enchiladas, sopas, ceviche, quesadillas to nachos we enjoyed the eclectic mix of dance beats including Canned Heat by Jamiroquai (the Napolean Dynamite dance song), Avicii’s Levels and the brilliant collaboration between David Guetta and Sia- Titanium. I love the music here.

As we were settling into our table, our friendly server placed a complimentary “smoking” chilled grapefruit granita with a splash of tequila. It was a great palate cleanser and a nice start. We started our meal with the Fresco guacamole with tomato, serrano chili, diced onion, cilantro ($9) served with a basket of fresh tortilla chips and a trio of complimentary salsas (red salsa, tomatillo salsa and crema).The not so hot mango habanero hot sauce needed to be kicked up exponentially on the Scoville scale to meet our tastes. One of my favorite dishes was the fresh and crusted Ahi tuna tostada ($13). The Pepita crusted ahi tuna was smooth on the crisp tortilla, creamy avocado, citter watercress and chipolte aioli. The combination together was delicious and I wish I had another one all to myself. The shrimp ajillo ($24) jumbo shrimp were perfectly cooked, seared in butter, garlic, chipoltle and lime and lay next to a bed of avocado, pink onions, radish and watercress. The garlicky pink shrimp had a nice contrast with the bitter greens. The pulled pork tacos were nicely marinated and seared, then sprinkled with cheese ($12). My friend loved this dish. Several of us ordered the Rib-eye tacos ($15) which our server said was very popular and was listed on the menu as sliced grilled rib eye, tobacco onions with garlic crema. We had this impression that the steak tacos would be a freshly grilled steak (fajita style) with light grilled peppers and super light. However, this was a heavier dish. A man’s dish maybe if you’re looking for something more hearty. The rib-eye tacos were filled with steak and slathered in a thick garlicky cream cause. Then they were completely covered in the equivalent of an entire Blooming Onion. The onion pieces were nice and crispy, but all the components of tacos combined enabled me to only eat one. My friend said it was too salty for her taste and it was too heavy for mine. I gave the two remaining tacos to a friend who appreciates a nice steak and fried onion rings. They devoured it and loved it. The Zocalo corn ($6) was nicely charred and covered in the cotija cheese. Despite this, there are much better, more flavorful corn to be eaten elsewhere, including La Verdad and Toro. As we wrapped up the bill, we received complimentary green apple cotton candy and a plate of Lolita temporary tattoos with a wet towel. The cotton candy was pastel green, super fluffy and a whimsical touch. The only downside was it was overly sweet and not many of us touched it after a little sampling. Perhaps a different flavor or use less sugar? Either way we had a great time placing the temporary tattoos on and reflecting on when we last used temp tattoos. Junior high for me. It took several failed attempts and reading the instructions (30 seconds of wait time to properly moisten the tattoo) to get the tattoo on, but we had fun. Lolita has fantastic ambiance, margaritas and all the staff from bartenders, bus boys, our server and the manager are expert at execution and making sure their guests were taken care of. Everyone in our party noted that Lolita’s service is impeccable and they would grab a few snacks and definitely enjoy the drinks again. Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar on Urbanspoon

Russell House Tavern, Harvard Square, Cambridge- Revisited

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Russell House Tavern is a mid-priced dark-wood and leather decorated gastropub, located directly off the T-stop in Harvard Square. It is a popular location with locals and visitors alike. We previously had brunch at Russell House Tavern last fall and we have been looking forward to dinner since.

The food here is good and fills a definite food void for me in Harvard Square. There are cheap eats and higher-end fare to be found but nothing as well-rounded with delicious, quality fare in the mid-price range. It’s modern, clean and the menu has something for everyone. The focus is on creative casual American food that is locally sourced and seasonally grown.

Chef Michael Schlefo gives a nod to offal in quite a few dishes on the menu as well. Although portion sizes can be a bit tinier than expected for the price, I find that Russell House Tavern provides unique and comforting food and drinks that I will be returning for, again and again. I’ve certainly got my eye on the crispy soft poached egg and the grass-fed burger next time around. Please note that Russell House Tavern is owned by the Grafton Group which also runs Temple Bar, Grafton Street and opening in Fall 2012, Park at the former Redline location.

We came on a Friday night around 9pm after a show at the A.R.T. to find an overly crowded downstairs bar. Following the usual waiting routine, we put our names in with the hostesses. Obviously while we waited, we were going to scout out the bar and sit there if we could find seating for three. Poised and ready to snatch seats, we waited. And waited. Then stared and conversed amongst our little trio. We waited some more, then positioned ourselves on opposite ends of the bar and continued to wait for leaving patrons. Finally after a fairly short thirty minute wait (it probably felt much longer because we were hungry) we snagged two seats at the bar, pushed them together and shared the impromptu banquette all together.

There were three bartenders for the large bar downstairs that night. Each one was dressed in a nice uniform of jeans, a grey suit vest, button down shirt with rolled sleeves and a tie. Given the busy hour, it was a bit tough to get their attention, but managed to do alright.

City of Eternal Spring- Rosangel Tequila, St. Germain, Meletti Amaro, Lemon, Grapefruit Bitters for $10

I really enjoyed this drink because it had one of my favorite liqueurs in it- St. Germain- an elderflower liqueur. The citrus and tequila helped to tone down the sweetness of the St. Germain and liven things up.

Pimm’s Cup- Pimm’s No. 1, ginger beer, lemon, cucumber for $10

This national, refreshing, seasonal English drink is not on the Russell House Tavern menu but any good bartender should be able to make you one. Pimm’s is a lovely fruit and herb infused gin that is a staple at most bars and restaurants. Pour some Pimm’s over ice, add seltzer or your favorite ginger beer/lemonade/ginger ale, and garnish with cucumber if you want to make it at home.

Archer Farms Beef &Tongue Meatballs- roasted tomato, melted Robiola, sage $9

You get two meatballs folks. Yup, that’s right. Why am I warning you? Because these little babies are so tender and tasty that you’ll want a whole plateful. They melt in your mouth and can easily be eaten with spoon.The roasted tomato is well seasoned with salt on the outside so make sure you chew it well to release the concentrated sweetness you get from roasting vegetables.

Archer Farms Beef Heart Ravioli, Pecorino crunchies, red wine sauce, pickled apple $9

I liked this a lot but wanted to love it. It was somehow missing something to push me in the right direction sadly. I’m definitely willing to try it again. I loved the tender, meaty beef heart inside as well as  the sweet and sour pickled apples with the au jus sauce but something about the pasta exterior was off for me. It could have been a random fluke.

Painted Hills Steak Tartare, griddled caper-brioche, chip-in farm egg yolk for $8

This was a very good tartare. The meat is clean, lightly seasoned and tasty. The egg is not on top like most traditional tartare but already mixed in. The brioche was crisp on the outside and slightly soft on the inside. The only disappointment was it was a small portion. For an additional $2, you can get a slightly larger portion size.

Warm Burrata Salad, honey roasted brussel sprouts, apple, Calabrian chili oil for $10

I really enjoy good brussel sprouts so when I saw this on the menu, I had to try it. I was glad we did. The roasted sprouts kissed with honey combined with the sweet apples and spicy oil went well with the creaminess of the cheesy burrata.

Citrus & Juniper Cured Gravlax- rye crumbs, pickled grapes, creme fraiche $8

This is a new item on the menu and it was pretty good. The housemade salmon was silky, smooth and lightly seasoned with citrus salt. When I ate it, there was only a hint of the citrus and I didn’t detect any juniper. The rye crumbs were more like mini rye croutons.The pickled grapes were something new to me. I’d never had a picked grape before. Sure, I’ve tried picked onions and beets, but grapes were a new territory in pickled foods. They added a pleasant sweet tang to the gravlax. Try it for yourself and see.

Russell House Tavern on Urbanspoon

Globe Bar and Cafe, Back Bay, Boston

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My dining companion and I were surprised that the Globe Bar and Cafe has some of the most solid 90′s female oriented music played at brunch. Dido, Sarah, Britney and other old school female artists were rocking out in the background and we rather enjoyed it.

The sunlight streamed through the window and although I have had drinks on the patio on Boylston, I have never eaten here. Most patrons sat at the bar and enjoyed the game while eating their brunch.

Our server was super sweet, friendly and was very attentive. The Globe has a limited options for tea, only bagged green (they were out) and earl grey, but they do have cute tea pots.

We initially wanted to have the mango salad, however they were out of mango. As a result, we shared the beet salad and a turkey burger. The beet salad with apples, pecans and goat cheese was run of the mill. It was overdressed and as a result we think Parish Cafe has a better beet salad. The fries were perfectly tender on the inside, crisp on the outside and the turkey pattie was moist. We omitted the bbq sauce, which would have made the burger more flavorful, but the cheddar and bacon made the turkey burger pretty tasty.

We would definitely be back for some drinks and some sliders on a nice summer night. However for lunch or brunch, we’ll reserve that slot for the South End spots.

Globe Bar and Cafe on Urbanspoon