Dalí Restaurant & Tapas Bar

Because of the holidays my free time for dinning has been limited. This week Big D and I decided to stick more local and go where we would be sure of a good thing. This of course meant feasting at Dali’s.

Dalí Restaurant & Tapas Bar
415 Washington Street
Somerville, MA 02143
Phone: 617-661-3254
Fax: 617-661-2813

Dali’s is a standard of excellence in this town. The atmosphere is eccentrically charming, the staff beyond accommodating and the lighting dark enough to bring the romance back into anyone’s heart. The only down fall that can happen in this place is not getting reservations (must be in by 5pm) and not getting one of the best seats. As Big D and I are experienced reservation makers, neither of these problems applied to us. I will admit the host attempted to sit is in one of the basic good seats. Then the look on my face told him he could do better and he parked us in their BEST seat instead, the one featured on their web site no less.

Diner breakdown:

Drinks: Sangria all round, when in Rome and all that. It also doesn’t hurt that Dali’s sangria is worth the trip alone.

Tapas: We started with the Queso Rebozado con Miel (Fried Spanish Cheese w/Honey & Sweet Onion), Butifarras Con Brevas (Pork Sausage w/Figs), Solomillo en Tostada (Beef Tenderloin w/Pimento on Toast), Vieiras al Azafrán (Scallops in Saffron Cream), A Beef Ribs in Wine sauce dish, and the Ravioles de Mariscos (Lobster/Crabmeat Ravioli w/Langostino Sauce)


What was left of our first round.


The Fried cheese blew us both away. Big D even went as far as to order it again later just so I’d let him have a 2nd piece. It was so soft and so light on the tongue, I would be perfectly happy eating it everyday.

Big D was also delighted by the beef tenderloin. I was worried when I first brought him to Dali that there would not be enough for a steak man, but this dish is enough to keep him coming back.

As for me, the scallops in cream are a central part of the dinner spread in my dreams. My only complaint is there is too much sauce and not enough bread for me to soak it all up in.

With all this tantalizing food in front of us, we oddly enough ordered more. Must have been the sangria!

Tapas part 2: Gambas con Gabardina (Saffron-Batter Fried Shrimp w/Mojo Sauce), Caldereta Genoveva (Braised Lamb w/Almonds & Mint Essence) and of course another Queso Rebozado con Miel.


At this point I’ll admit I had bigger eyes then my stomach. We never even got to taste the lamb even though it smelled worth a nibble.

I like Dali. I will always come back. It is the hidden restaurant you tell your friends about because the lines are already long. The secret is out so you might as well go in early and enjoy. If you are trying to impress your parents, your new sweetie or just someone who has doubted your good taste, take them hear and they will sing your praise for years to come.

Excelsior - Boston Common

I picked this restaurant based on the online reviews at Phantom Gourmet. It got an over 90 rating, so I assumed it was just as good as the other 5 star places we’ve eaten. I could not be more wrong.

Excelsior
272 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
p: 617 426-7878

Big D and I show up and should have know by how long the took to valet his car when there was no one ahead of us what was in store. Since it was freezing I waited inside. The hostess wouldn’t even speak to me. I stood there staring at her waiting for some kind of response form her, but nope not a word. Then Big D comes in and she is all smiles and helpfulness. Flirting Big D and offering to take my jacket as an after thought. Already I dislike this place.

Then we are placed into an elevator that was the highlight of the night. It reminded me of a smaller sparklier version on the one found at the ICA.

Once at the top we meet a male host. I was hoping for better then the ditz downstairs, but nope. We tell him we want dark, private and out of the way. He then just belittles me saying the window seat can see the park, is the best seat in the house, blah blah blah, you don’t know what your talking about with seating. “Fine”, I say, “we’ll sit where you want us too sit”. I am then led to a table by a window right next to the only other people in the whole joint. Immediately I am freezing from being next to the window and of course there is a big tree blocking any view. This host was a jerk. I would like to see him working at McDs.

The waiter was fine, but he was no good at selling his restaurants food. We ask for his suggestions and he basically puts down the top 2 dishes Excelsior is famous for. Wow, now I really want to eat here. He spends way to much time on water selection when I have already made it clear that as long as it’s followed quickly by a cozmo martini I don’t care what he gives us. Of course the water comes ASAP while I wait a full 20min for my cozmo…

Food breakdown:

Drinks: Cozmo and Amstel. Perfectly drinkable.

Appetizers: I had the Maine Crab Bisque “Parmentier” while Big D had his Cesar salad. It was ok. I though the new take on a bisque would be refreshing after all the lobster ones, but not really. The broth was a bit to runny, but the fresh crab was very very good at least.

Big D did not like his Cesar salad. “Why did I even bother?” – Big D.

We shared the Foie Gras Torchon, even after the waiter gave us the questioning eye about it. This was the best thing I had in the evening honestly. The foie gras was served cold, which is not my favorite way, but with the accompaniments of marmalade and cured tongue it was heavenly. This dish is exactly what I would want to serve at parties at home, right next to the salsa and chips.
Main Dish:

Maine Lobster Tail “Schnitzel” was my choice after the waiter bashed the duck. It had lobster and is the signature dish, so it might as well be good enough for me. Then I had it in front of me. These people have taken the fabulousness that is lobster tail and over cooked it to the point it taste like a corn dog. I love corn dogs luckily, but it was too heavy for the sides of non deep fried lobster and Brioche Charlotte. I took it home and will eat it in front of the TV.

Big D had the 8-ounce Brandt Farm Beef Filet Mignon. It was good as he said, but not great. Much like the salad he didn’t really feel it was worth the hype.

Desert: Skipped it. Nothing even looked vaguely tempting.


Now I can go back to ranting about the horrible service of the Excelsior.
We gave the waiter our valet ticket 20 minutes before we got our check. We then went downstairs, to hangout with my new favorite tramp the hostess, only to wait another 40 minutes for our car. I have never seen Big D so… upset. It took us an hour to get out of that place! They didn’t seem to want us there; they gave us half ass food and yet they seemed unable to just let us go home.

I do not recommend this place & Big D will only go back if forced to by clients. We give it a double blah all around.

Locke-Ober - Downtown Crossing

This place has been a childhood favorite of mine since I can first remember fine dinning. I’ve been trying to get Big D there with me for some time and today was finally the day.

Locke-Ober
3 Winter Place
Boston, MA 02108

It took some time trying to find parking because the restaurant is hidden down an alley off a street that doesn’t allow cars. I love my valet, but I’m willing to give it up this time for the adventure of a 3 block walk. If I hadn’t been to this place before there is no way Big D would have found it. Good for our ability to get reservations, bad for everyone else.

Once in I was welcomed back into the comfortable hosting that is expected with an establishment like Locke-Ober. Coats taken immediately, seats promptly available, all attendants alert and ready to serve: take note, this is how it’s done people. I did not have to worry about a thing until I realized that they had sat us next to a group of church ladies and their priest. Neither Big D or I are particularly fowl mouthed, but it did cause our conversations to be rather dull.

The decor was very old school, like being in a secret club of the royal Tananbuams. Chiseled molding and what looks like original ceiling art work draped all around us. Again the only thing that put me off was the fact that the antique bar was covered in dishes and their cleaning racks. It looked like the mess hall tables at summer camp with the mugs still in their plastic cleaning carrier. Odd I say. Odd.

Food breakdown:

Drinks: My cozmo was fine and they gave Big D his amstel in a cup. No complaints. The cozmo was nothing to write home about, but it sure didn’t suck either.

Bread: I was not particularly stunned by the bread available. They gave us some nice rolls with very good butter. Woo hoo.

Appetizers

Foie Gras steak: To die for. After our dinner last week I had to give this dish another go with Locke-Obers take on it. Blew my mind. Less savory and more sweet and served with waffle. My only complaint is I ran out of waffle before I ran out of foie gras. Even Big D ate some.

Crab Cake: Big D ate this and didn’t say a word about it. He was happy and cleaned his plate, but I didn’t hear anything out of him that gave me the impression he would order it again.

Lobster Bisque: Very creamy, very delish, very worth the expense. As far as I’m a concerned, all good lobster bisque is trying to be like Locke-Obers.



Main Course

I had an amazing steak (not sure which one) that the waiter recommended I try with the wine sauce. I’m learning to be more open to the waiter’s suggestions and am ever so glad I did. The cut was so full of flavor I almost felt I didn’t need any extra accompaniment, but when it finally hit my mouth I melted on the spot. Such a savory experience, I could not get enough. After going through all the steakhouses in Boston, how could we have over looked this flawless diamond?

Big D had the Locke-Ober Sirloin Steak au Poivre. They flamed it up at the table for him and he only shared one bite for me (heavenly). When Big D won’t share, you know he’s happy. In fact he said he would be recommending our new favor spot to all his colleagues when they have VIPs to impress.



Dessert: After such a winning meal I had to try the dessert. I got the crème brulee. Nothing that knocked me out of my seat like the foie gras, bisque and steak, but I manage to eat the whole thing anyways. It was a struggle I know…

All in all Big D and I were very pleased. Locke-ober is not for the loud or cheap crowd, but if you want the best damn hidden gem in Boston, you’ve found it.

Mistral - Back bay

Big D and I went out on a limb tonight and tried the suggestion of one of his colleague’s recommendations. I’ve been to Mistrals before, but it had been so long I saw no reason to hold back so off we went.

Mistrel
223 Columbus Avenue
Boston, MA 02116
Phone 617-867-9300
Fax 617-351-2601


We had reservations, but came early by maybe 15 minutes. This seemed like a shock to the hostess, and she put us by the bar to wait. There seemed nothing wrong with this, I was looking forward to checking out the cocktail list anyways. So we read the list and waited. And waited and waited. After about 20min I asked one of the lovely waitresses standing around doing nothing if she could get me a drink. She smiled, said yes and then told me to wait till someone helps me. I smiled back and decided I did not like this cocktail waitress.

We did finally get our drinks, our seat and my good humor back. We had a booth seat in the back with just the right amount of light and more then enough distance from the seats near us. Big win for Mistral!!! Our waiter was friendly, helpful and knew exactly how far to push what he new was right and our need to order whatever we darn well pleased. Of the many wait staff people I have had, this man, this above and beyond, server was my favorite.

Food breakdown:

Drinks: Ginger & Pear martini. Very good start, but by half way through I was sucking down sugar sludge. Big D had his amstel and it was even server in a glass. Shocking.

Appetizers: The Maine Crab Ravioli made me swoon at the table. The flavor still lingers in my mind. So light on the pallet, but such a heavy hitter on the taste buds. I have no idea why this is not a main dish yet. I could have ordered 3 or 4 of these and been in heaven. I will even quote Big D here as saying this dish was the best he has ever had while out with me.

I also tried the seared Foie Gras with confit of duck because I am a sucker for a foie gras. Thankfully the Mistral did not let me down. My facial reactions were of such delight that Big D even had to try some. Luck for him he managed to snag a bit or 2 before I wolfed it all down. The Foie Gras was so tender, the duck perfectly seasoned, but the brioche seemed just a tad too tough.

Pizza: I had to try the Fig and Prosciutto pizza. My fabulous server tried to persuade me otherwise, but I was stagnating about it. It sounded so tasty! After that build up I don’t want to say it wasn’t, because it was. It was just that after such amazing starts as the crab raviolis and foie gras, it stung my tastes. I could barley eat 2 bites before I stopped and conceded that my server was right and I should not have mixed the flavors.

Main dish: I had the Dover Sole. It sucked. All I had in my mouth was fish. I’m not sure why I bothered. I should have just asked for more crab raviolis. Big D has the duck. I ate a bunch of his and was significantly jealous. Mistral might not know anything about fish, but they do one hella good duck.

Skipped desert this time, but from what I saw on other people’s plate nothing demanded my attention. I’m picky with my treats, if I’m going to cheat on my diet I better be doing it with something well worth the fat thighs.

All in all I enjoyed this restaurant. They knew how to treat their customers, once they got passed the useless cocktail waitresses and the dishes they do well are done so well I will always come back again and again. Big D gives it 2 thumbs up for stuffing me so delightfully and for the inspiration that created the crab raviolis.

Morton's Steakhouse - Seaport

I can not start this review without immediately expressing my dissatisfaction with the new Morton’s Steakhouse on the pier. Big D and I had always enjoyed our time at the Boylston St. Morton’s; we did not assume this one would be any different.

Morton's Steakhouse
World Trade Center East
Two Seaport Lane
Boston, MA 02210
Phone: 617-526-0410
Fax: 617-526-0411

It all started out well enough. They let our reservation slide ½ hour by phone, but once there we were expected to wait in line anyways. Not even a “May I take your coat?” while I stood there with my winter garb waiting to hand it off like the people before me. This is the start of my grumblings… Big D is just happy to be there as always.

We finally get seated and things once again seem to be as impressive as we want to be. The seat is out of the way, if not a booth & the waiter was more then accommodating when we told him we were in a rush.

Then the food took forever to show up…
We waited over an hour…

Worst of all the steak sucked.

Our breakdown:

Drinks: My cozmo sucked. Tasted like rubbing alcohol. Big D’s Amstel was just fine, but they didn’t even put it in a glass I noticed.

Appetizers: The highlight of my evening. Scallops wrapped in bacon! My favorite! I was in utter heaven when they came.

Soup & Salad: I had the Lobster Bisque, another favorite of mine at Morton’s. It was the mix of taste cream and lobster meat. HEaVEN! Big D had a César salad and didn’t say a word about it.

Steak: This is the worst. I expected a five star fillet mignon, instead of come slap of red stuff that tasted like some kind of breakfast dough. I took two bites and knew I wouldn’t have anymore. I had to make due with eating Big D’s Porterhouse. It actually had taste, but even Big D couldn’t must the joy for it. He claimed it was “just a good steak, but by no means a great steak”. That might be the cruelest thing I have ever heard this man say about a steak.

Blah I say to the new Morton’s. Sure it was their first week open, but I was not impressed. I will go to the other Morton’s if I ever get the urge for fabulous food.

Oishii Boston

This is my attempt to document my many dinner engagements and the food they involve. Big D is my personal favorite dinner companion and we tend to eat out at least once a week. These are our tales of delight and disgust with the restaurants we find.

Oishii Boston
1166 Washington Street.
Bostono, MA 02118
P: 617 482 8868
F: 617 482 8869
Email: info@oishiiboston.com


First of all we had only heard rave reviews for Oishii, but Big D is not that into Japanese food so it's not been high on our list of places to go. Once there, however, it is now a top fav. My vote goes for the food and Big D's vote goes for the utter enjoyment I had eating there.

Ability to get into restaurant that evening = easy with on street parking
Ability to get a cool seat = no booths and too close to the table next to us, who wants to hear 20somethings talk?

Service = Great. The bartender was hot and got me a drink the moment I sat down. The waitress was funny and stayed the hell away form us through most of the meal. A major plus on both ends and it didn’t hurt that Big D liked the bartender’s ass as well.

Drinks = My cozmo sucked, no flavor to speak up and bits of crushed up ice, blah. Then I tried the Sake sampler and it knocked me off my high horse. Big D had his Amstel light in a glass. He gave them points for even serving it.

Bread = Scrumptious for both of us, 2 little roles of wrapped dough. Big D could have gone for another one, so that was the only down fall. Give us more!!!

Appetizers
Crab cake = not the best, but good and different for Big D. He thought it was a plus over all, but if he doesn’t rave about it, he won’t order it again. Sorry crap cake!

Seafood Shumai = Tasty, but too hot for too long. I was hungry and dove right it thus burning my tongue for the rest of the meal. A major no-no in my book.

Sashimi = FABULOUS. Very expansive selection, we’re talking 7 different kinds of toro/chu here people! Plus the pieces came in a solid slice, not too thick, not too thin. The sake-toro was to die for. I will go back just for the sashimi selection alone.

Main Entree = Big D had the grilled Chilean Seabass and loved it, but I don't think his pallet is as defined as mine. He would get it again, while for me it tasted like barbeque sauce slapped on a decent piece of fish.

Alligator Maki = Almost as good as maki in San Fran and NYC. For Boston I think this is saying amazing things. I ate the entire roll and would do so again in a heart beat if I do not find anything better.

Rock Shrimp Maki = $25 of Crap. I might as well have gotten popcorn shrimp for 1/5th of the price. If big D hadn’t been footing the bill I would have sent this back. I can only assume the restaurant is forced to put this junk on the menu to appease people with no taste. It did make nice leftovers, but the local tavern also has the same dish for $5.



Desert = N/A. I had stuffed myself with the appetizers and alligator maki. What I saw did not even tempt me. The best sounding item was the green tea/ read bean cre’me brulee. Very curious what that might be and will have to check it out next time.

Over it was a nice spot. It’s kind of sad to say Oishii has offered me the best maki in town with only a half hearted attempt. Still it was lot of fun and the extensive Sake and sushi menu will keep me coming back for sure.

Ciao till next week