Mare

07/15/10

Probably my favorite restaurant in Boston

by Bostontransplant at Citysearch

I love Mare but have only been two times. The restaurant itself is clean, hip and intimate. There is this cool light fixture that fills the dining area with an assortment of warm colors that changes every so often, creating a unique ambiance. The first time I went, I ordered the stuffed Maine lobster. It was absolutely delicious and I recommend it to everyone who goes. You will not be disappointed. The second time I went there, I wanted to try something different and ordered the wild boar pappardelle. This dish was also extremely good. I love pappardelle and this was possibly the best pappardelle dish that I have ever tasted. I also tried their bone marrow which was very good. I had never tried bone marrow before but I was pleasantly surprised. Mare is probably my most favorite Italian or seafood restaurant in the city. It is that good.

• Pros: Ambiance, Stuffed Maine Lobster is amazing
• Cons: Don't expect to find parking on the street

08/18/09

Would not recommend

by Jsol18 at Citysearch

We tried Mare for Restaurant Week, to which the meal was OK but would never pay what they are actually charging for these dishes. In addition, the alchol was outrageously overpriced including a house bottle of wine for $55 (I have never paid that for house wine at any restaurant in the North End). Also, it was extremely hot inside as if their AC was not working. People kept asking for the air to be turned up but they said it was at it's max so we all just used our napkins to blot sweat instead...ridiculous.

• Cons: Overpriced

06/12/08

Surprised at high rating

by unavaham at Citysearch

The food was just ok. The same food at a place with an Entree' half the price would have earned a great review.

As others have suggested here, just the grilled octupus is worth the visit.

• Pros: Supposed to be organic
• Cons: Not worth the price

05/12/08

Very good seafood

by t1willia at Citysearch

I would like to start off by rebutting a few statements made by other reviewers. First of all, any time you see a restaurant with $30+ entrees, it should be small. Beware of any restaurant that can seat 150, and/or one which you don't need a weekend reservation for. Generally speaking, you can be sure your food is prepared with less care, probably by some first year sous chef or lower. Secondly, these restaurants are only in it for the money. Finally, if you have ever been to Italy, you will know that the majority of Italian restaurants are small and family owned, not corporately franchised. As for the bar scene, obviously you don't go to an Italian seafood restaurant for the bar. As for the food, we stuck to the seafood, because it is a seafood restaurant. I started with the grilled octopus, which was good. It came with a pesto sauce and a potato foam. My girlfriend ordered the chef's grilled fish sampler for her entree (a nice idea, more places should do this). It came with six fish, all great accept for the monk fish, which was dry (way overcooked). I ordered the whole sea bass, which was fantastic. If you have never ordered whole fish before, just beware of small bones than can stick or choke you. The service was on par for a restaurant of this caliber. My only complaint was that the waiter charged us twice for alcohol. I quickly noticed the price discrepancy and pointed it out to him. He immediately apologized and recalculated the bill for us. So just look over your bill before paying. But after all, you won't find any mathematicians who wait tables on the weekend. So in conclusion, very good seafood, good service, wine was fine, nice atmosphere, don't go to propose or to get trashed at the bar.

• Pros: Good seafood
• Cons: Check your bill twice

03/29/08

Best Bread Pudding Ever!

by bettygurl2008 at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I went to Mare for the first time & when we got there we saw that the place is really small. There is virtually no bar, so you can't sit and have a drink before dinner. The waiter arrived and was on top of us and pushed us to order when he arrived, took our drink order, delivered our drinks.... you get the idea. Anyway- we ordered the Bufala Mozz and it was insanely yummy. The mozz just melts in your mouth and the heirloom tomatoes and mushrooms with it are a great addition. Just before the apps came out a woman came over and said that our waiter went home so she would be taking care of us. She was wonderful, kept up with us without being in our faces. Our main dishes were not impressive at all. The Wild Boar was so salty that I couldn't eat more than half and my throat was on fire from it. His spaghettoni was good but being at 6'5" he was upset with the small portion. The dessert however was DIVINE. the vanilla bread pudding with caramel and Amaretto Gelato was the best I have ever tasted. I was fine, but he left hungry and ate again when we got home. End Result: go for Mozz and bread pudding. Eat dinner elsewhere

• Pros: great service(2nd time) and dessert
• Cons: Main Courses not worth it