Eastern Standard

09/30/09

Average, that's all......

by burner1 at Citysearch

The only thing that stood out to me at Eastern Standard was the atmosphere. For a wednesday evening it was filled with a young professional crowd, but not to over crowded. I had no wait for a table for two on the patio. Greeted by our server within a minute of being seated, informed of the nights specials and drink order was taken, expected but not taken for granted anymore. The food was well prepared, tasty but not something that I will remember. The prices are a little high but should be expected as the Kenmore Square area clientle is BU students and young professionals living of trust funds and their parents money, not all but the majority. In my experience, the food was average but over priced. The service was above average, but in reading other reviews it appears that I was lucky. I would visit again but would probably choose to try somewhere else first.

• Pros: Patio, atmosphere
• Cons: mediocre food, pricey

08/23/09

Horrible Food

by blackadder at Citysearch

The food at this place is overpriced and not that good. about the only thing they know how to cook well is a burger and fries. the pasta sauce tastes like ragu and the pasta is undercooked. there is nothing special about this place. next time I will go to bertucci's or uno's and save a few dollars.

• Pros: near fenway
• Cons: the food

05/03/09

Great water!

by BuddyJ at Citysearch

Been raised in a restaurant family and have paid my dos in the industry. Anniversary late night desert & drinks "Didn't Happen", cocktail waitress' took 15 minutes on water, and then another 15 minutes on bringing the desert menu. So after a half an hour we left.

at expensive prices it shouldn't be that much of a pain to get served.

The dumb minded service you get in this town is incredible.

Note to all that work in the service industry.

"YOU WAIT ON THE CUSTOMER THE CUSTOMER DOESN'T WAIT ON YOU"

"IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG TRY TO MAKE IT UP TO YOUR CUSTOMER"

"IF YOU HATE YOUR JOB .......QUIT"

• Pros: atmosphere
• Cons: service ONLY EXSIST IN A TIME MACHINE !

12/03/08

Eastern standard

by AnnaM11 at Citysearch

I think eastern standard is going to be one of my new spots. The best time to go is during the day, for some late afternoon drinks. The bar staff was very nice and welcoming. The bloody marys are to die for, ask for tomolives and the spicy habenero blend that they home make(but only if you like spicy because its hot. ). I asked one of the bar tenders their trick to bloody marys and he told me that they marinate veggies in the mix before it is made. The bloody marys go great with a dozen oysters. The only think i found wrong was with the calamari-way to salt(and i have ordered it more than once). All in all, it is a wonderful place to lounge with a group of people and i would certainly reccomend anyone to go there for drinks and appetizers.

• Pros: great ambiance
• Cons: more food selections needed

08/01/08

The Hotel Commonwealth's surprisingly adventurous in-house bistro provides Kenmore Square with an all-hours spot for a relaxed meal.

by Eric Grossman at Citysearch

Like a bistro on steroids, Eastern Standard provides its patrons, many of whom are well-heeled out-of-towners, with a bevy of seating options. While there's an exceptionally lengthy marble bar and a stylish private room, most diners stick to the high-ceilinged dining room's red leather booths or seating on Kenmore Square's largest sidewalk patio. Courteous servers patrol all corners, and given the restaurant's mammoth size, it guarantees a quiet, relaxing spot for a business breakfast or lunch. In short, the menu leans towards straightforward comfort fare and fresh seafood, with several eye-catching oddities thrown into the mix. Standout items include stellar mussels (in tomato, fennel and white wine broth), salt cod fritters, roasted bone marrow, sage-roasted chicken, and juicy bistro burgers. Homemade sorbet and authentic cinammon sugar zeppole prove popular among desserts.

05/24/08

Mediocre food, mediocre service, high price

by marinaka228 at Citysearch

The food here is just not that good. The waiters were unprofessional and unfriendly. The service is was slow. But the physical space of the restaurant is pretty nice.

Not worth going if you ask me.

• Pros: physical space of restaurant
• Cons: food, service, value

05/22/08

Fun before the game!

by GeorgeandStacey at Citysearch

My husband and I live in the Fenway but we never go to this place because it always looks so crowded! We had tickets to the game and decided to try to get an outside table by going a little early. It worked! The menu was a little confusing (a HUGE selection of cocktails not organized in any way I could figure out) but our adorable waitress, Ariel, proved to be a good and friendly guide even thought by the time we started to order drinks it was very busy. My drink was delicious so I had to have two, my husband stuck to beer and loved the draft beer she selected instead of Sam. Our food came out fast and was delcious! The burgers here are outstanding and the melted cheese appetizer is delicious. Then the sox won! What more can you ask for? We will definitely be back.

• Pros: great service, fun atmostphere, tons of cocktails
• Cons: crowded, noisy

04/05/08

Tops any Boston steakhouse, rather spend the money here than Grille 23

by shappy08 at Citysearch

I have been to Eastern Standard on 4 occasions, each visit better than the previous. Before I even mention the food, let me say that the bar is top notch-one of the best drink/beer menus in the city. I myself am a big beer fan and they have beers from all over, including the uber Delerium Tremins. As far as the food, I suggest the daily specials. Tonight I had roasted quail which is wrapped with bacon, all of which is wrapped around a perfectly cooked hard boiled egg then topped with fois gras-yes I know it sounds delicious and it is! The service is exceptional. We were greeted/served by management staff on several occurences and while the place was packed, we were told on several occasions to take our time and there was no rush. I have eaten at all the top spots in Boston including No. 9 Park, Excelsior, Prezza, The Federalist and all of the top steakhouses in the city- this remains one of my top picks for an all around excellent night out for family, friends, dates or an evening out with the guys, or the girls.

• Pros: Bar/Food/Service,Service,Service!
• Cons: Bar can get crowded

02/21/08

Off tha heezy fo sheezy

by kevinthepizzafanatic at Citysearch

Started out with the Cava Rose

Got a dozen of the duxbury oysters (sweet this time of year)

Shared a charcuterie (made in house)

Had a bottle of Cos Cerasuolo (amazing and affordable)

Rib eye medium with demi glace and leeks (perfectly cooked)

Ended with a Fig Strudel and a glass of amazing cognac (sorry i forgot the name)

Ended up staying because the bartender and other patrons were so fun

Capped the night off with a perfectly concocted Negroni (classic cocktails are done right here)

Why wouldn't you go here?

• Pros: everything
• Cons: nothing

02/18/08

Feels like an upscale chain

by kleblanc9 at Citysearch

Treated my younger sister to a Saturday night dinner out. We called ahead at 6:30 and were told the earliest available reservation was at 10pm. We took a risk anyways and showed up at 7pm. Bar was packed, but we ordered drinks and managed to snag 2 bar spots after about 15 mins. Ordered the lobster crepes- unique offering, and stuffed with mostly lobster chunks (a pleasant surprise since I was expecting lobster cream or something). We shared the tagliatele (w/ broccolini, mushrooms, and chicken)- it was delicious, and with homemade pasta. We also shared the monkfish, which neither of us enjoyed much. It had an enormous blob of butter on top of the fish (like 4 tablespoons size!) which I found really strange- since it was unsalted butter, it didn't add to the flavor at all- and most people who order fish are looking for a lighter entree. Service at the bar was good- at first glance we weren't expecting much since the bartenders all look very young and so we were expecting them to not be experienced, but ours kept up with us, had great food and wine suggestions (except for the monkfish) and was very pleasant. Atmosphere feels like an upscale chain. Decor feels manufactured, but is pleasant. It was very bustling and loud, which we enjoyed for a Sat night out. Though I wish the music could be heard, they had a good mix of background tunes, that you could only occasionally hear. For the price, I think I'd head elsewhere next time. But might go back if the parents were in town or if I had a big group and wanted a reservation (the place is big, so can accomdate big groups).