Restaurant & Bar Reviews

I find this a great spot to take the lunch crowd. They can turn around a table in under an hour complete with drinks, appetizers and main course. The restaurant’s decor will ooze onto you an atmosphere much more sophisticated than Joes’ American Bar and Grill or Parrish (both in opposite directions of MET) just remind yourself you are going here for a wide option of lunch choices that will all satisfy!

Our lunch started with a Oskar Blues Mama Yella Pils

and a glass of the Girard Petite Syrah (very fruity!)

We followed this with the Octopus Salad appetizer, it had great coconut flavor (not to overpowering) I love avocado, so that is always a hit, however the octopus, was tasting very much like octopus, something I do not look for in a cold appetizer.

I followed this with the Tuna Nicoise salad, as always this was a great choice, light enough and filling enough for lunch.

My friend had the Micro Chopped salad, I’ve also had this and as she found it is a little to much to fit in for lunch, especially when you start with an appetizer!

Stop into MET Back Bay for a corporate lunch or dinner party, their service will be sure to please!

This Ritz is located on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta.

This ritz is actually very modern inside but the Atlanta Grill is very traditional both inside and out.

The place to eat is this outside balcony right on peachtree street. It is very amusing as some of the locals are very colorful .

Inside the atmosphere is what you would expect at the Ritz.

The Irish coffee was excellent.

The beer menu was quite extensive.

I plumped for the beer tasting menu. Very good.

We visited mid afternoon so the menu was a bit limited.

Steak frites was very basic but excellent.
So nothing out of the ordinary but everything that you would expect from the Ritz brand.
to make a reservation

We stopped in here for Sunday brunch, and thanks to Daren’s help we started out with a glass of the 2010 Kunin Pape Star and bottle of the Digfish ale.

This spot had been open as ‘Kitchen’ since June of 2011, previously it went under the name Pop’s, which I still remember the mouth watering pulled pork sandwich I had!

We had the omelette, bibb salad and hamburger Yorkshire style.

we then followed this with a Singapore Sling:

followed this with a Moscow Mule (forgot to take a picture) and then a ‘Sparkling Cloister’ (champagne cocktail)

while listening to Ray Charles on LP!

and following all of this with a ‘Hemingway Daiquiri’ a little to tart for Chris…but I loved it.

As you can see this place had a vibe that kept us there all afternoon, Daren was an equally entertaining bartender and turned us onto a new must have App for the local cocktail scene lover, checkout GetOnTheBar and you’ll see what I mean. Not to mention the fun loving crew that inhabited the rest of the kitchen (you see here chef finding a way to insert some brandy into his meals) asking politely of course as to make sure this would not hinder the bar that evening.

We finished the afternoon up with a tall cup of black coffee, I highly recommend stopping in for a bite to eat or an entertaining drink and conversation with the bar men at Kitchen Restaurant in Boston’s South End it’s at 560 Tremont Street (Previously ‘Pop’s’ restaurant was situated here.)

The salty and sweet nibbles that are put out at the bar are some of the best in Boston, you could consider coming in for a drink just for this deluxe selection. I started the night with a glass of Sankity Light, a local beer that hits the spot, when you don’t want something to heavy or to light.

I always start with the Tuna Tartar (one that I consider to be the best in Boston)

The Sea Bass is presented in a light sauce that lingers in your mouth, urging you to ask for more!

Market has a happening lounge and restaurant scene, I highly recommend making a reservation at Market in Boston for any occasion!

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

If you are looking for a lunch spot, in the sun, next to the bay, look no further than 100 Atlantic Avenue and Joe’s American Bar and Grill. They have a great family friendly menu that also caters to the Gluten intolerant. The wine selection is fantastic for the diverse crowd this restaurant services. They even have a few unexpected gems on the menu like the Asian Tuna Salad (barley seared with a wonderfully light sauce on the side) this is a must have when I stop in for a bite.

A must go for the Boston tourist, with friends in town from Liverpool, we ended up stopping by Mike’s Pastry in the North End of Boston for as they put it ‘an unforgettable cannoli’

The line at Mike’s on a Saturday or Sunday will be out the door and to the end of the block, we went on a Thursday around 11AM, walked right in and grabbed a table.

OREO Cannoli…need I say more? Although it’s not my type of treat, they were 100% satisfied with this creation!

A latte to top it all off, which was just what I was needing!

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.

If you have a chance you should stop by the second oldest building in Houston a renovated old building turned hotspot and awesome gastro lounge in the Houston Downtown area known as Hearsay at their first location 218 Travis Street, Houston, TX

Hearsay Gastro Lounge is in the W. L. Foley Building, the second building on the block designed by prolific Texas courthouse architect Eugene T. Heiner buit in 1889. Much of the credit for the current state of the great building goes to former owner and artist Lee Benner and his six year renovation that started in 1993.

I suggest you book in advance if you plan to have dinner at Hearsay Gastro Lounge we had to book the day of and were squeezed in for a 6PM reservation.

I started with the ‘Whitney’ a fabulous blackberry + vodka + champagne cocktail, had to stop at one as it was soooo good!

The Caprese salad was wonderful even with the under ripe tomatoes.