75 Chestnut

11/01/09

Good food, bad service

by pelosi77

Went to 75 Chestnut the other night, while the food was good, I noticed at the end of the meal that one of the side dishes that should have been served with my entree never came (I didn't notice until I saw the table next to us get the same dish). I pointed this out to our waitress and she offered a half-hearted explanation that the kitchen screws up sometimes and seemed as if she couldn't care less.

• Pros: Good food
• Cons: Bad Service

03/21/09

A fine restaurant that has clearly lost its way

by charlieu

The location, fantastic. Valet parking, flat of Beacon Hill, charming bar. 75 Chestnut has benefited from these attributes for years. I know, I lived on Beacon Hill for many years.

Unfortunately, this restaurant has lost its way. The service is terrible. You might put up with the pretentiousness of the host and wait staff if you knew you were going to get a delicious meal. Quite the contrary. The menu is unoriginal. For starters, mussels or wedge salad with blue cheese. Which restaurant doesn't have that? The entrees are just as pedestrian. Steak (mine over cooked), lamb chops, chicken.

What was original, unfortunately, was the desert. My wifge ordered a "3 chocolate" concoction. Served in small glasses, the one in the middle a luke-warm carmel liquid with sliced almonds. You eat it with a spoon. It had the consistency of toenails in bad Bailey's. Yuck.

The 75 Chestnut menu is still as expensive as premier restaurants around town, so don't waste a special evening at this establishment. If you like edgy or great cuisine and/or good value, you will surely be disappointed.

• Pros: Location, bar
• Cons: Mediocre food, horrendous service, boring menu

02/14/09

Paradise in my mouth

by johnnydlaw

Food- unreal. Atmosphere- lacking but not terrible. We started with their Bibb salad; they forgot to garnish the salad with its primary ingredient. The main entrees and dessert, however, made up for a what, in the end, became a small mistake. Mom's pot-roast reminded me of home. The steak with cream sauce was paradise in my mouth (really!). The chocolate trio is a must (ask my girlfriend). Service was incredibly friendly and helpful. The entire staff took pride in their work, as was exemplified when the chef bought us two desserts for the salad mistake. Overall, this place could easily go overlooked. The food is amazing, but this may not be the best place to propose.

01/23/07

This Beacon Hill hotspot serves excellent food in a cozy, elegant atmosphere.

by Contributor

The Scene
This charming restaurant and bar in a converted townhouse has become one of the premier dining destinations in its neighborhood. A romantic, clubby atmosphere enhances the award-winning cuisine. The well-stocked bar sports a TV and looks out onto the dining room. Waiters are wonderfully attentive without detracting from the dining experience. Wine-lovers enjoy a diverse, international wine list.

The Food
Best described as having an upscale American, bistro-style menu, 75 Chestnut succeeds in every aspect--presentation, freshness and flavor. Standout starters include the hearty crab cakes, which are drizzled with a delicious roasted red pepper coulis and served with cucumber and scallion salad.Try the grilled salmon, served with safron couscous, garden vegetables and a lime reduction. Pan-seared sesame crusted ahi tuna and grilled house-aged black angus sirloin are excellent entree choices. Desserts, including a sinful chocolate bread pudding, are equally stellar.

11/14/06

A Hidden Treasure! Go for BRUNCH

by julilovesfood

I'm so glad that I tried this place for Sunday BRUNCH! First, the live jazz was just absolutely wonderful! The musicians created a relaxing, sophisticated ambiance. The restaurant itself is very small, but quaint. The food was surprisingly delicious! I usually look for more than one raving reviews before i try a place, but I've always been a fan of Beacon Hill and never had the chance to try it... but this place was better than expected. The only odd thing about the restaurant is that the waistaff is very young and inexperienced. Our waitress was chewing gum and wasn't very attentive. They brought out a salad when we didn't ask for it. Anyway, if you don't mind the odd service, everything else is worthwhile. Plus, the price isn't so bad.

• Pros: Food, Ambiance, Live Jazz
• Cons: Parking, Waitstaff

07/24/06

All-Around Wonderful

by globegirl

This is a wonderful spot tucked away in the Beacon Hill area. Sophisticated (but not stuffy)atmosphere with a very friendly and accomodating staff. Delicious food and great selection. A restaurant of this caliber could easily manage to procure higher prices, but it is very reasonable and the food is of the highest caliber. My husband and I have travelled the globe and eaten in many fine restaurants and we consider this one a rare find. We will definitely be back!

• Pros: Great atmosphere/Food/Service
• Cons: None that we encountered.

11/19/05

What a dissapointment.

by alwallis

Nice atmosphere. Bad accoustics. Terrible -- painfully terrible service. Couldn't get the orders right so that one of the six in our party was served well after everyone else was done eating. None of the 3 steak orders came out as cooked as ordered. Despite the acknowledged service flaws (the manager somewhat reluctantly told us that the late steak was "on him" -- and it still didn't arrive for another 15 minutes!) they had the audacity to add a 20% tip to the bill! Last visit to 75 Chestnut for these 6 customers.

• Pros: appearance
• Cons: just awful service, noise level, mediocre food

11/04/05

From a winner to a loser

by happyman47

Overall I feel 75 Chestnut has become just another average place. There is nothing really special about it, or anything to make it stand out in my mind anymore. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't great and service was ok. For desert we had the Creme Brulee, I dont recommend it was like scrambled eggs and what happen to that chocloate bread pudding it was sinful. Would I return? Maybe as a last resort or out of boredom.

• Pros: Nice staff
• Cons: Boring wine list, Idenity problem, cheap glasses at bar

09/17/05

The best in the hood

by mints66

Great food! Great service! The best place on the hill.

07/16/05

Not Recommended, overall Unimpressive

by ptcollie

Ambience was stuffy, steak tips burnt to a blacked crisp (seriously) to top it off no smiles from the wait staff, not a recommended date spot for young couples. Overall not worth the value and we recommend they lighten up and make some improvements in the cuisine.

• Pros: Location, Nice Bartender
• Cons: Expensive, Pretentious Crowd, Unimpressive Food