I've reviewed Brunch @ Eastern Standard in the past: http://www.travelingfoodie2006.com/2012/01/brunch-eastern-standard-kitchen-drinks.html
This is a review of their Dinner Menu (March-April 2012).
If on the rare occasion, your opentable.com reservation cannot be honored/accommodated at the time of your arrival, the host(ess) staff directs you to The Hawthorne Bar & Cocktail Lounge located near the main entrance to The Commonwealth Hotel. Because ESK has a bustling bar scene most evenings,I find this alternative to be ideal for patrons in pursuit of more still surroundings. The Hawthorne has a cozy allure. Its decor is uber modern and swanky. We were seated in the sunken lounge to await ESK's summons when I table became available. In the meantime, I ordered a glass of red wine. Their wine-by-the-glass selection was decent. We were served curried popcorn to hold us over.
The crowd at The Hawthorne was relatively mature, despite the student-saturated immediate neighborhood. I had the pleasure of meeting head mixologist Nicole Lebedevitch at the "Cooking for a Cause" event (Seaport Hotel) earlier in the month. I am anticipating sampling a few of her creations on another occasion.
On to dinner...
The Service at ESK is always superb! Thanks Nick, Lauren, Kevin (Bar mgr.), and hostess staff!
The crusty bread was served with butter and a crisp cucumber salad tossed in an Italian-style "dressing".
Being the cauliflower fanatic I am, I couldn't resist sampling the cauliflower velouté. I enjoyed the light, creamy velouté. Bits of croutons were afloat the foamy head of the soup. Steamed cauliflower florets were placed in the center of the dish. Overall, it was a good dish.
The Roasted Bone Marrow was spectacular!
The bone marrow is served with a perfectly balanced gremolata and sea salt for taste. It is decadent, uber rich and served with crusty bread. A must try!
The pan-seared foie gras was superb. I loved the dollop of roasted tomato jam. My dining companion, who had never tried the dish before, really enjoyed it as well!
The skillet mac and cheese with bacon is amazing! It's one of the best I've had at an establishment.
The Bouillabaisse (Wednesday Special) was simple and classic with a thin tomato saffron base which I found to be a bit salty, but the fresh, generous amount of seafood (haddock, mussels, clams, and tender calamari rings) more than made up for it.
The roasted chick was tender, juicy, and well-seasoned.
The monstrous grilled ribeye was one of the sexiest presentations I've ever seen. A friend ordered the dish previously and it was all I could think of for weeks! It was cooked perfectly as ordered (medium rare), though a bit fatty (even for a ribeye). Served over mashed potatoes and sauteed wilted greens, the dish was simple, brilliant, and well worth the wait!
No one in my group was impressed with the flourless chocolate cake with chili spice, though we all found the chili interesting.
As always with remarkable restaurants...I cannot wait to try more!
www.easternstandardboston.com/
