Restaurant & Bar Reviews

At the time of our dining Zagat rating for this restaurant was 26 (out of 30) we arrived in between meals and had access to the bar menu which did not disappoint.

We took up two seats at the end of the bar and quickly made friends with the bar tender, who used to be a wine distributer. We started with an Irish Coffee and a nice Pinot Noir (I forget the name, started with an S and was fantastic!)

For our meals we had the Turkey BLT with delicious fresh chips (image above) and the Watermelon Salad with Greek Yogurt Sorbet, Feta, Mint, Olive Oil, accompanied by the Tuna Taco which was Chili Marinated Ahi, Guacamole, Pickled Jicama. I was certainly full by the end of it. Important to note the taco’s are very small. Also I found it charming that they offer many gluten free options as well as gluten free bread to start!

This restaurant is somewhat of an establishment in Boston, great service, excellent food and a fantastically comfortable atmosphere. Stop into Boston Four Seasons Bristol Lounge at any hour and you won’t be disappointed.

We actually started the evening with a few drinks at ‘The Lobby Bar’ in the atrium of the Liberty Hotel. This building was previously “Boston’s Charles Street Jail which had been opened in 1851 as an experiment in prison reformation and closed more than a century later after a judge ruled conditions there were inhumane.” (NPR article)

The building re-opened in September of 2007 after a five-year, $150 million renovation, as the Liberty Hotel. Our night started with a ‘Harvest Margarita’ pictured below and a Besame, both were delicious.

We then moved into CLINK. to commence our dinner.

I was very happy to see they offered gluten free bread to start our dinner (along with normal bread)

We also found an exquisite bottle of wine to take us through the evening, it’s called Darioush (neither of us had it previously and it pleasantly surprised us.)

In regard to food, we started with the Beef Tartar (a little too pureed for our preference) though the ice cream on top was a unique pairing that went well with the overall dish.

When asked between the Tuna Sashimi and the Octopus with Yucca, the waiter said, hands down if you like Octopus this is the best in Boston. While it was good especially when compared with others I’ve had in Boston, I have had better in Argentina.

Our main dishes were another beef dish, and the scallops, both were good, but nothing off the chart. My scallops were especially interesting as they were accompanied by a mix of raw mushrooms and carrots, thankfully I like raw, for those who don’t this may be a little to overpowering to be bearable.

Overall, dinner was nice, the atmosphere entertaining and the wine and cocktails even better. We arrived for a 6pm reservation, the place was packed (Saturday night) by the time we left which was around 9PM. I recommend booking a reservation for CLINK. and heading over early to get a drink at the Lobby Bar and take the architecture and crowd in at your leisure.

Woodward is a happening spot for tasty food with an old feel, it is named for a tavern once housed in the Ames family home, Woodward is a modern-day tavern that incorporates local fresh foods and a dynamic beverage selection.

“Located at 1 Court Street and Washington Mall in downtown Boston, the Ames Building was designed by the architectural firm of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge in Richardsonian Romanesque and paid for by Frederick L. Ames. It is the second tallest masonry load bearing-wall structure in the world, exceeded only by the Monadnock Building in Chicago, completed that same year.” (Quoted from Wikipedia)

I started with the Steak Tartar (topped with an egg, not a usual choice for me but the dish was delicious none the less)

The Simple greens salad was topped with pumpkin seeds, cucumber, dill yogurt and a cider vinaigrette, fantastic!

Also at the table we tried the Steamed mussels, pork belly, fennel, garlic and Woodward Ale! Unforgettable!

This is a common stop for us when we have people in town and want to show them a comfortable setting with deluxe food and as dressy as you want to make it. I highly recommend stopping into Woodward at the Ames hotel if you are in Boston.

A fantastic find for the vegetarian organic food lover!!! The taste of freshness in this food will stay with you for at least a week after you’ve eaten here. I went on a late Sunday afternoon and the place was pack with a line nearly out the door! The vegetarian menu of deluxe organic options is also supported with a robust smoothie menu.

I started with ‘The Innocent’ a flaxy Nutri-Nama sauce seasoning sweet corn, shredded carrots, broccoli, kelpy yeast & tamari almonds over quinoa.

My friend also had the Flourish Alive smoothie, a blend of berry kombucha, blueberries, mango, lemon, avocado and maca, it was DELICIOUS!

While you can’t make a reservation as it’s similar to walking into a Starbuck’s, putting in your order and having it rrive at your table in 10 minutes, you can order takeout!!!

They have locations in Lowell, Salem and Cambridge MA, I’ve only been to the Cambridge location:

Life Alive – CAMBRIDGE, MA:
765 Mass Ave
617-354-5433

New spot in Boston, big lunch time and after work crowds. Outside seating area is sometimes tough to get into because of privately booked events. With this being the most windy area in Boston I’d prefer to sit inside anyway.

I had the fish of the day which was excellent, a nice piece of Grouper on sautéed vegetables with a chorizo sauce

We also had the shrimp salad which unfortunately had far to much salt to be enjoyable.

I had a glass of the El Coto ‘Crianza’, Tempranillo (Rioja) and loved it!

Overall the service was a tad bit slow and we had a few issues with our order, they kindly comped us for these which made up for the distress. I’ll probably be going back but this spot is not on the top of my list, if you want to stop in make a reservation at TICO restaurant before showing up as it can get crowded fast with the work crowd.

Towne is the latest addition to the Lyons group of restaurants in Boston . It is located in Back Bay in the Hynes Convention centre.

The restaurant has not one but 2 of Boston’s celeb chefs, Lydia Shire and Jasper White.

There are 3 bars located on 2 floors and a great outside dining area.

I had the salmon which was excellent.

Deffo worth a visit.
To make a reservation

Sonsie is a Boston institution. Located at the funky end of Newbury Street this hip watering hole was very much the epicenter of Supershag,s formative years.

This was deffo the place to be scene

The restaurant became the place for the beautiful people of Boston to hang out but it also had really good food.

As I had not been there for about 5 years I was very interested to see if anything had changed.

So the menu has changed a bit but the peppercorn steak is still there.this was their classic dish and is really good.

I had the tuna sashimi which really is tuna tartar. It was fantastic.

The chicken was also very good.
Sonsie has free Wi-fi and it is great fun to sit in the front of the reatauant and watch Newbury Street go about it’s business.
To make a reservation

The flag ship of the Todd English empire has reopened in Charlestown . Not too different from the original but I wonder if anyone else has noticed how the new layout has increased the noise levels. Time for some sound proofing me thinks.

So even though the place is loud the food was great. Very rich a la Todd English but really good . In fact I forgot to photograph the food so it must have good. Please make do with the menu.

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This place is not cheap but Definately worth a visit.
To make a reservation

The Bistro quite possibly the best restaurant in the world .

Veal pork chop magnificent.

Scallops really good.

Hanger steak superb .

Salmon simply breathtaking.

Peeper Ale from Maine a classic.

Chimay the Daddy of them all.
Great food ,prices and friendly atmosphere .
3 thumbs of from me.
To make a reservation

Scampo is located in the funky Liberty Hotel in Boston. It is one of the homes of Boston celebrity chef Lydia Shire.

I visited on a Sunday afternoon the the place was nice and quiet.. The restaurant is situated in the West End of Boston right beside Mass General Hospital.

There was a bit of confusion regarding the free Wi-fi but I was very impressed by the staffs help in getting it to work.

Nothing outstanding about the food but it was very good.

I even had pizza.(no cheese of course)

The Irish coffee was very good and finished off a very pleasant afternoon.
To make a reservation