Anthem Kitchen and Bar

05/10/10

Dear Anthem, DON'T EVER LEAVE ME AGAIN!

by Allie Beau , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

Back in the olden days, when the Celtics couldn't fill the Garden and the T still took tokens, Anthem sat on the corner of Portland street and Valenti Way. Eventually, this neighborhood would be coined the West End by a marketing director somewhere. And Green condos would shoot up along Canal street like environmentally-friendly beacons of hope. Hooters would shut down and a classier dive called DJs would move in. The greenway would open. The neighborhood, itself, would finally class it up.

Unfortunately, all of these stellar changes to the West End took place after Anthem closed its swanky doors in 2006. But while it was open, and while I was slinging beers a block away on a regular basis, Anthem on Portland street was my home-away-from-home.

So, imagine my excitement, when I hear that Anthem is re-opening its doors in Faneuil Hall, four years later. And imagine my even further excitement when I somehow won tickets to the grand re-opening, through a fantastic city guide website that you may or may not be visiting right now.

The new Anthem is incredible. The menu has been updated, and of course so has the location, but the inspiration remains the same-- great food and drinks in a warm, contemporary setting. The new space is huge, which made for an awesome opening party.

Full disclosure--I drank so many amazing cocktails at this shindig that I was home and passed out by 9PM--missing an EPIC episode of Lost. So not every detail about New Anthem is clear in my mind. But I will tell you this--

1. Each tray of apps and pizzas that came out of the kitchen was more delicious than the last (mini hotdogs and lobster rolls?! You people know how to throw a PARTY)

2. While I will always have a soft spot for Old Anthem (now Johnny's on the Side), the new space in South Market building allows for a bigger dining room and more function space--both huge advantages for them.

3. The staff was friendly, attentive and sincere--despite the open bar and bulk of attendees not doling out tips (the nerve!)

4. I have to be PRETTY drunk to miss an episode of Lost, but after a few "Anthem Southsides" (Hendricks + Pom juice + Lime + Cucumber garnish = OMFG--ILY) I was lucky I found my way to my apartment, and didn't just try to move into 101 S Market St right then.

Hands down--best and most reasonably priced place for good American food in Faneuil!

• Pros: huge & beautiful space, great food
• Cons: suits galore (a con in my start-up glazed eyes)

02/16/09

Valentine's Day Nightmare

by Sharon35 at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I had a reservation at Plaza 3 in Boston for Valentine's Evening. After having our first date there 4 years ago, I guess we felt sentimental and decided to go there again. While the restaurant was not packed, as other places on this night, we got sited 30 minutes after we arrived, despite having a reservation. The appetizer - beef tartar - was all right, though, instead of mustard we got pickles on a side. No French influence in this Kansas based steak house! After that I ordered clams and shrimps over linguini for a main dish, and my my boyfriend ordered a steak. When I tried the linguini, it smelled and tasted like vinegar, or a cream that went bad long before the Valentine's Day. We sent it back asking to replace the pasta. My boyfriend's steak smelled like a piece of meat that went from unfrozen to frozen and back a few times before it ended up on my boyfriend's plate. Though, may be I am wrong, and the cow just died from natural causes and was delivered to Plaza 3 a few days later by mistake because a drunk driver confused Plaza 3 with a crematorium for cows. After dining at Capital Grill, Abe and Louise and Mortons, we certainly didn't expect anything like this. The steak was sent back too and we basically asked for a check: decided not to take any more chances with their food. At the next table there was a party of maybe 20 people, mostly lawyers, as they said. When they heard us talking about the poor quality of food, they said that their experience was as bad as ours, and 7 people at their table ended up sending their dishes back to the kitchen. When we asked our waiter what was wrong that night, he said that we were the only ones unhappy. I am wondering, are they paid for misinforming the customers? Our romantic mood was ruined along with our appetites. Sorry, Plaza 3, we are not coming back. There are other restaurant in Boston that take much better care of their customers, especially in this economy and at these prices!

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Food, service, high chance of ending up in a hospital after eating what they bring you

11/04/07

Waste of time, $$$, & calories

by jetsmania at Citysearch

The restaurant is located right in Quincy Market, so it has the location going for it. We arrived at 8pm on a Saturday night, and we were the only party-- with the exception of one guy at the bar --that should have been an indication of what was to come. The waiter was arrogant and rude from the get-go-- didn't realize we came to enjoy the food and each other's company-- not to listen to the waiter glorify himself at every opportunity he had. Appetizers & sides were marginal at best-- the filet -- which was supposed to be medium, arrived rare, tasteless and cold. The 10 minute spiel on how these steaks were the best in Boston was for naught. Wine and dessert were pretty good. Overall, the food was extremely overpriced and underprepared. Wine and dessert were alright. If you want great steak for the price you're willing to pay here-- go to Ruth's Chris, Mortons, or Abe & Louies-- basically anywhere but here.

• Pros: Location, Ambience, dessert
• Cons: FOOD, price, service

10/16/07

New York Steakhouse Prices for Supermarket Quality Steak

by sohoresident at Citysearch

There are a variety of problems with this restaurant, but the principal one is this: the meat is poor quality. I love steak and I have gotten some great cuts of meat at great steakhouses and out-of-the-way diners alike. But this place takes the cake for pricing just as high as Peter Lugar and delivering average diner quality meat. And the worst part is: they know it. You can always tell a restaurant knows their meat is low-quality when, no matter how rare you order it, it comes out medium. It's like coffee companies over-roasting their coffee to hide the fact that the beans are cheap. The same thing that the previous commentator described happened to my group: every single steak overcooked and every single steak a disappointment. If you care about the quality of the meat, avoid this place. If you don't care, then go to a diner and get the same cuts of meat for 1/4 the price. And order it medium.

• Pros: Good location and agreeable ambiance.
• Cons: Low quality meat. What else matters at a steakhouse?

04/08/07

Bad attitude, bad steak, big bill!

by hunnypot7070 at Citysearch

Wen there with 2 co workers and ordered the filet - it was overcooked to medium, not medium rare and the meat didn't even taste - the texture was off. A re-order was not an option; at these prices I don't want to eat 20 minutes after my dining companions have finished. You should get it right before it comes out. It's just steak folks, it's not hard to figure out that it's overcooked before you bring it out to the table. I knew when you put it in front of me that it was overcooked, but at that point I've waited so long for it that I'm not waiting even longer for ANOTHER one. We ate at the bar and service was AWFUL - completely inattentive, could never find him and the place was not busy. Plates were never cleaned away. Only decent thing was the scallops wrapped in bag. Final verdict? Paid over $250 for the evening, got a bad steak and a bad attitude. Next time we'll go to the Capital Grille where the steak and service are done right.

• Pros: Drinks are ok
• Cons: service, food, prices.