Eastern Standard [Boston, MA]

Regional Dining Discussions Boston, New England
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After a leisurely stroll through the Public Gardens, we had a very nice dinner at Eastern Standard this past Saturday. DH was able to snag an early table for 2 at 5:00, which is the first seating. However the bar is open at 4:30 and it was full by the time we arrived.

It is a very impressive space, classy but comfortable and the music was not too loud, which I appreciate more as I get older. We were seated in a banquette for 2, which was very fun, although at 5 ft +, I was a little lower than I like.

We started with wine and a mocktail, bread service which included a small serving of pickled veggies, like a giardiniera and nicely salted butter, along with 6 shrimp cocktail. The sauce had the right amount of horseradish without overpowering the shrimp, which were large and very tasty.

Dinner was the halibut over buttered leeks and potato fondue. This was the best meal of the night. The leeks were just perfect, still a little bite to them but not too strong, complemented the halibut nicely. We also had the prime rib, which is the Saturday special. It was a little underwhelming, unfortunately. Two slices of beef, one overcooked (for me) and the other rather undercooked. Both slices were badly carved, no au jus served, 2 popovers on the plate, and horseradish cream. Everything tasted fine as a meal but the presentation was just not there compared to the rest of the service.

We closed out with the creme brulee which was perfect to share and quite delicious.

Overall, definitely more positives than negatives and we are already thinking about the next time. Service was spot on, not overbearing but always available.

Although we may try their sister restaurant in the same plaza, All That Fish & Oyster.

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We’ve been to All That Fish + Oyster multiple times and loved every visit, but have yet to successfully score a rez at Eastern Standard. ATF+O hasn’t yet attracted the following of ESK, but it has all the hallmarks of a Harker project.

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The menu looks very good, and we hope to try it next week. ES is worth the trip but would think about getting there at 4:30 for seats at the bar. Always our preference.

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We’ve now eaten at Eastern Standard three times since the re-open. Twice sitting at the bar, and a week ago Saturday at a high top table. All three times the drinks and food has been very, very good, and the service is slowly improving, though not quite at the pinnacle it was at it’s height in Kenmore (I always felt that it had the best non-fine dining service of any restaurant in Boston). I’ve eaten some of my favorites from the menu, and almost everything has been great. The artichoke agnolotti is absolutely amazing, and my only regret is that we didn’t order it on our first trip in. It’s a spectacular dish. The burger I had on our last trip was only OK, as the grease/juices had soaked the lower bun completely, but the fries were as excellent as they always were. Never got to All That Fish & Oyster before it closed, but Equal Measure is every bit the vibe that the Hawthorne had on it’s opening with top notch cocktails, and interesting looking snacks. We stopped in on our second ES trip for a night cap, and will be making an effort to go there for drinks and snacks (there are enough to put together a meal from them) in the near future.

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I’m so happy to read this!!

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