Secret Sommelier's Recent Activity
Chowhound Post
Liberty Hotel: Clink Restaurant is a CLUNK
Actually Bordeaux blend, mostly cab.
Chowhound Post
Birthday Dinner in Boston - October
Congratulations on the big 29!
A few recommendations:
Hamersley's Bistro (consistent food, decent wine list, nice atmosphere [not stuffy], wait staff is excellent...
Mistral -- let them know in advance you don't want to be rushed and its a special occassion
Sorrelina -- Been there five times, 4 our of 5 great meals. One ok meal.
There is a great steak house in Peabody now, Pellana. Wonderful steak and seafood. Nice wine list (Nick the bartender/sommelier is very knowledgable). Not stuffy, but very nice for Peabody area.
Prezza is a good choice. Not stuffy. Good food.
Try Taranta in the North End.
Bite the bullet and head to NYC. So many great restaurants there that you would enjoy. Special is Daniel!
Chowhound Post
Locke-Ober...Drinks & App's in the Bar or Dinner?
I would try something else. Locke Ober's is old and the food is not great. Overrated. Try Hamersley's at the bar. Grill 23 is nice and you can dine at the bar. Since you are at the Westin, try a number of North End haunts that are great -- Prezza has a nice bar you can dine at. Fantastic wine list at Prezza too.
Chowhound Post
Liberty Hotel: Clink Restaurant is a CLUNK
Yesterday we ventured over to the Liberty Hotel...the old Suffolk County Jail...to see how things were shaking out. They have only been opened for a week. Well, we sat at the bar and ordered a bottle of Joseph Phelps, Mistral, Cab. First wine on their list. They didn't have it. Next bottle we ordered they didn't have. Third...not a charm! Anyway, finally ventured to the reserve list and ordered a Chateauneuf du Pape, Vieux Telegraph. Spent a small fortune...we then ordered our food to go along with this lovely wine. The wine is opened. We are enjoying the wine and the waiter comes over and declares the kitchen is closed. Our order cannot be fulfilled. We placed our order at 2:50 p.m. Kitchen closes at 3. If we had known the order would be rejected, we would not have ordered the wine. Anyway, after speaking with three different managers and wasting an hour on the problem, they decide to take care of the situation. What ever happened to the "customer is always right?" The wait was not worth it. The food was not very good. We went with the tapas menu. The truffle carmelized popcorn tasted like soggy, warm Cracker Jack. The macaroni and cheese was ok. The tomatoe salsa saved it. The flat bread with duck confit came out cold. The flat bread was a syrian pocket that they put grill stripes on. The cheese course we ordered could not come through the regular kitchen route as they closed the kitchen so they made us order it off the room service list. The cheese was awful and they served it with too little bread and Welch's grape jelly (wierd). Needless to say, this foodie will not be going back to jail for awhile.
Anyone else experience the prison food and attitude?
Chowhound Post
Thanksgiving Dinner in Boston?
Go the real traditional route and have dinner at Plimoth Plantation. It is a "trip" and incredibly entertaining.
Chowhound Post
Key Lime Pie
Legal seafoods serves a great keylime pie for dessert. Also, Shubies in Marblehead has great keyline pie as does Butcher Boy in North Andover.
Chowhound Post
L'espalier - need help with a few questions
Best place to sit is on the second or third floors in the room toward the back of the brownstone. Any place along the back wall or to the right as your enter is fine. Avoid the waiters' stations.
They should (and generally are) flexible on substitutions -- you are paying a fortune so they should be accomodating.
I always like to go with bottles separately. A nice touch is to get a bottle of Champagne when you first are seated -- don't drink all of it before the meal. Have them keep it on ice and pressurized-corked until dessert. Champagne and chocolate go great. They have wonderful wines by the bottle. Even 1/2 bottles to share. They French white burgundys are wonderful. Let me know if you need recommedations.
My opinion is the 4 course will make you happy. Save room for the cheese.
Congraulations on the anniversary.
