First official post! And since I decided to create this blog as a kind of personal supplement to Our Restaurant Club Blog, I thought I should begin with a quick recap of the establishments with which we've graced our profound presence.
First up: Union Bar & Grille
This restaurant is consistently named "The Best (insert accolades here) of Boston", and they probably deserve it every time. But honestly? The only thing I really remember about that meal was the Vermont Maple Bread Pudding, made with Walnut Praline and served with Vanilla Bean ice cream. It was amazingly out of this world. Yes, the decor was classy and clean - light walls with white table cloths and black leather boothes, they servied oysters on the half-shell and it was all very old-school Back Bay... but there was french toast in dessert form! It's obvious that everything else would pale in comparison.
Next, is Eastern Standard
To start, Eastern Standard is a very large, very open space. The ceilings are extraordinarily high, the bar is ridiculously long, and by the end of the evening the entire place was buzzing with 9 to 5ers celebrating their Friday. We were seated at a large round table by the windows, not too far from the enterance. Maybe the place has amazing acoustics, I don't know - but with all of those people and all that activity around us, I had no problem holding a conversation with the person across the table from me - and that's saying a lot when at some places you can barely hear the person next to you.
An odd but interesting thing about Eastern Standard's cocktail menu, is that instead of listing the ingredients put into most of their drinks, the cocktails are given a kind of whimsical description. Their Blueberry Thrill is described as "Summer Lust & Gale Force", the Absynthe & Old Lace as a "Flapper's Delight", and the Pegu Club (which a little Googling found to be an NYC jazz club) is a "Pillar of Pax Britannica". We had heard through the grapevine that the bartenders were incredibly talented and could figure out which cocktail would suit you best just by asking what type of spirit you preferred, and it was later revealed that our waiter had the exact same talent! Much to our delighted surprise, he went around the table asking us what we liked and giving us his informed recommendations. I ended up ordering a Belle de Jour - an "Elixir of Lemon, Benedictine & Grenadine". It tasted like a mimosa (light on the orange) with a splash of pomegranite, and it was phenominal. Club member Kerri ordered a margarita on the rocks, but it was too strong on the homemade mix and too light on the tequila - but that was the only drink mishap of the night.
As for the food - I'd never had pureed fish before, but I discovered that it's pretty damn delicious. Especially when deep-fried and served with spicy ketchup, as is Eastern Standard's Salt Cod Fritters appetizer. They were even presented in a small wooden crate stamped with "Cape Cod Fritters" that I wanted to put in my purse and take home with me. They also had a Butterscotch Bread Pudding that rivaled the greatness of Union's. It may have been served with Cinnamon ice cream, but I can't be sure.
Obviously there were some great things about Eastern Standard, unfortunately none of them had anything to do with my main course. I ordered the Glazed Salmon, which was served with a few fingerling potatoes and green beans, and while the dish did have an interesting cilantro-type pesto drizzled on the bottom, the amount of salt bordered on overwhelming. It seemed to be a common theme around the table.
At the end of the evening, we came to the consensus that for you to enjoy a night out at the Standard, alls you need to order are cocktails and desserts - and maybe an app or two if you're hungry. And really, wouldn't you rather your meals consisted of just those courses anyway?
UNION BAR AND GRILLE
1357 Washington Street, Boston, 617-423-0555
EASTERN STANDARD
528 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, 617-532-9100
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