Mare
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: (617) 723-6273
- Hours:
- Sat-Sun 5pm-11pm
Message from Mare
98% Organic, coastal Italian - For those who care about their health
- 98% Organic Coastal Italian
- Chef Tastings and Wine Pairing
- Best Seafood Restaurant 2006
Paid advertisement by Mare.
Editorial Review for Mare – by Citysearch Staff
In Short
Fans of Bricco and Umbria head to the edge of the North End to try those restaurants' sister establishment, Mare. The dining room's modernly nautical atmosphere leaves patrons feeling as if they're on display in a fish tank (albeit one with colorful light installations, $30 entrees and views of the Custom House). The kitchen maintains a focus on organic ingredients; popular menu items include swordfish carpaccio and a potato creme brulee topped with crayfish.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
User Reviews for Mare
05/12/2008 Posted by t1willia
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
03/29/2008 Posted by bettygurl2008
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
