Spring is Here

The weather is warming up and tourists are anxious for the summer. Monday was Patriot’s Day and it brought a plethora of Boston boys to town for the long weekend, fleeing the crowds of The Boston Marathon. When I drove down Commercial Street on Saturday I thought that it was summer. The street was packed with straight, gay and lesbian shoppers. Some of the boys even had their shirts open showcasing their springtime abs that they probably worked all winter to get.

This week, I’ll be writing about my visit to three local restaurants over the weekend. I’ve decided to create a rating system for local eateries. Some of the seasonal restaurants have raised their prices. I have nothing against a business owner balancing out the rising price of gas and supplies and making a profit, however, it better be worth it. I’m pretty easy as a judge too. Just so you know I’m not a persnickety, picky queen. So, on a scale of 1-5 monuments, 5 being the best, I’ve developed this rating system based on price, quality of food and service.

Now that pre-season is here, most of the restaurants are open in town. Besides the local establishments that provide great service and food over the winter- Bayside Betsy’s, Fanizzi’s, The Mews and Michael Shays, summer favorites like The Lobster Pot, The Post Office Café, Ross’ Grill and The Red Inn opened this weekend. Bubula’s opening is delayed due to the visa issue facing local business owners and seasonal employees.

Friday night Rich and I ate at The Central House. This is the restaurant in The Crown and Anchor. They had just re-done the patio and it looks lovely. We sat outside and enjoyed watching Commercial Street. The server was prompt and friendly and knew her menu. The appetizer, a two beet salad was savory and the bread was pretty good. About 10 minutes after we finished our appetizers, the manager came to our table with a free lobster appetizer due to a pending delay in our food. I appreciated the gesture. Fried lobster has never been a choice for me so I can’t rave about it but it was good. Then twenty five minutes later the food arrived. However, it was so late that we had to get it to go due to my plans. There were apologies but the damage was done. I really wanted to enjoy a good meal and didn’t get the chance. My assessment is that the food is probably good if I could have eaten it. The server was excellent but the kitchen needs to get it together considering the restaurant was not even half full. I’ll have to give The Central House 3 monuments and I hope they improve before summer. 

Saturday night, Rich, John and I ate at Ross’ Grill. Extraordinary service, delicious, well prepared food and excellent atmosphere were ingredients for a flawless dining experience. Rich did gripe because the prices have increased. But at Ross’s you get what you pay for and there are no complaints from me about pricing. We started off with an appetizer of sweet turkey sausage and pate. The presentation was wonderful. Tasty too. My meal, Salmon over rice, was served in a prompt timeframe. It was seared, practically raw, just as I like it, just as I ordered. Ross’ Grill gets 5 monuments and maybe another just for kicks. This year they take reservations so plan ahead.

Sunday Rich, John and I went to Jimmy’s Hideaway. The frenzied atmosphere is pub like and casual and the food is exquisitely prepared. We started with the whole belly clams and spring rolls. Both were really good. The bread was awesome, best yet. I ordered the pan seared Halibut over black rice. It was prepared perfectly and was absolutely delicious. The service was good and even the host, not server, kept checking in. Unfortunately, the ball was dropped at the end. We ordered desert and coffee. The coffee was served timely but it took almost 15 minutes to get the desert. A neighboring table had ordered and recommended it to us (they did not wait 15 minutes). When the desert finally arrived, it was delicious. I understand the craze of the restaurant biz (I worked as a bus boy and room service waiter years ago) but the crowd had thinned and the least the server could have done was kept our coffee hot. She literally disappeared. The service lacked at the end putting a damper on an otherwise good dining experience. Jimmy’s Hideaway gets 4 monuments and I’ll be back to make sure they do better

I’ll be trying different places throughout the summer and letting you know how they are. Once again, I’m pretty easygoing so if a place screws up, you should know that it is major. Let me know if you have a local favorite you’d like me to eat at.

Have a good week!