Stephanie's on Newbury

10/16/09

Amazing seared swordfish!

by Jason Weid at Citysearch

The new menu at Stephanie's is simply AMAZING! I would recommend the Seared Swordfish to anyone that is looking for a satisfying meal where you are full, but not over full. The portions are perfect and the whipped parsnip's sweet taste compliment the fish very well. I even had room to have the pumpkin cheesecake for dessert! The cheesecake was perfectly whipped with just the right amount of hot caramel on the plate. Kudos to the chef on a superb dish!

• Pros: Everything about it!
• Cons: Nothing

09/06/09

Great Newbury St. dining experience

by hsmom21 at Citysearch

Stephanie's is an experience unique to Boston and a must do for tourists and natives alike. I took visiting relatives here and we all enjoyed it immensely. The food was actually very good with a remarkable variety on the menu. My softshell crab was ever so slightly oily and a little flavorless, but they must have put an entire avocado in my salad and the dressing was delicious. My daughter was very happy with her chicken sandwich as was my sister with her crab cake. We found the service helpful, friendly and prompt. But of course the best part was the wonderfully fun sidewalk dining on Newbury St. itself.

• Pros: fun people watching, good comfort food
• Cons: can be long wait

08/01/09

Nice simple food; slow & thoughtless service

by natezp at Citysearch

It is sad the after so long in the business this restaurant continues to have such ineffective service. The food is good when you are in the mood for simple comfort food. The service and price kills the deal.

Each time I eat at this place I am reminded that I am paying for location & nothing more. Here is how the usual visit goes: Though there are many open tables you wait 3-10 min at the door. You are seated and wait 3-5 min for your sever to get to you. Once he or she does arrive, you place an order for drinks and apps and wait 10 min for something to drink. It is not what you ordered, but bread and water are at least on the table now. Then, knowing that you will have to wait for more drinks, you walk to the bar and pay $25-30 for two good drinks. By the time you get back, the first drinks you ordered are still not at your table. In short, you wait and wait and wait. Finally, you will have some simple nice warm feeling comfort food. Then, you will wait and wait and wait for the bill.

Conclusion, this is an over priced and over rated experience for food I could have had at home in about the same amount of time.

• Pros: good and simple foods
• Cons: slow & thoughtless service.

07/28/09

totally overrated

by KP22 at Citysearch

they got best of boston for salads and their salads arent even that good.

this place is filled with snobs and everyone there is so waspy.

the staff is not attentive at all. the bathrooms are gross. and their are fruit flies all over the bar. nasty......

there are a million other places to go on that end of newbury that are way better.

• Cons: everythiing

06/28/09

Great place for Brunch

by connoisseur69 at Citysearch

We went in for brunch on a Sunday. We had to wait about 15 minutes to be seated and opted to sit at the bar for a couple of drinks. The cocktails were very good and strong but quite expensive, 2 for $27.50. We were seated and it took a while for the waitress to attend to us. They have a ton of wait staff but service was still slow and the staff seemed very disorganized. We were served a huge bread basket with a variety of breads including scones, raisin bread, crackers and more, I've never seen anything quite like this. Though it turned out to be a good distraction, as it took a very long time for the entrees to come out. We ordered a couple of sandwiches, the tuna melt and the grilled chicken. The tuna melt was superior, but the chicken was still quite good. However, this was all overshadowed by the warm caramel apple bread pudding dessert served with ice cream ( we had another dessert it was blueberry peach something). The bread pudding was mouth-gasmic to the pallet. Apparently it had won the top five desserts in Boston and totally deserves this honor. We definitely recommend Stephanie's on Newbury.

• Pros: Desserts
• Cons: service a bit slow

06/23/09

Looked good, but really terrible

by randomgurn at Citysearch

We visited as a group of 10 on a Saturday night.

They were slow to get our order - we had to ask several times for them to come over. Whilst taking our order, the waiter decided to go and deal with a request from another table.

The food was then slow to arrive. My clam chowder was far too thick and flavourless. Several of us ordered steaks; everybody was given the wrong one in terms of cooking, and let's just say that my version of rare involves the meat still being pink. My steak was also so oily that I couldn't finish it.

Surprisingly, we decided not to take dessert.

Group consensus: the worst meal we have had in a long time.

• Pros: Nice decor
• Cons: Too many cons for this box

08/26/08

Nice Brunch

by Devyn28 at Citysearch

Stefanies is a great place to have a leisurely brunch with friends or significant other...the food is tasty and they have enough of a variety for everyone...they make a great bloody mary and if its after noon - Id recommend their lemonade cocktail...its so refreshing! I especially love the outdoor seating to people watch...the restaurant is perfectly located on Newbury street so after eating and people watching you can shop til you drop!

• Pros: Great locale
• Cons: Expensive

08/01/08

Warm indoor expansion adds extra layer of comfort to Boston's queen of sidewalk dining.

by Eric Grossman at Citysearch

The Scene
This longtime summer favorite--for its sprawl of outdoor tables--also offers a warming fireplace for cold-weather dinners, situated between the richly appointed dining room and the smoky bar. Chef-owner Stephanie Siddell presides over this all-occasion spot with a sense of ceremony (music ranges from La Boheme to Gypsy Kings) and a menu where nothing needs translation. Everyone's here but the foodies.

The Food
Comfort food never goes out of style because it has something for everyone--a baseball-sized tenderloin for carnivores, cornucopia-sized salads for weight watchers, an unpretentious chicken potpie for, well, comfort. Appetizers are pricey, but as huge as the entrees: Artichoke-spinach dip with smoked Gouda could serve three as a starter. Seared scallops artfully arranged around a potato galette (a frequent special) are light but substantive. Retro desserts are big and gooey: Pineapple upside-down cake with fresh pineapple comes delightfully smothered in caramel.

07/27/08

Atrocious Food

by japhen1 at Citysearch

After reading restaurant reviews for years, I finally felt compelled to write after receiving such a terrible meal last night at Stephanie's. Quite simply, the food was awful. My fiance's New England Clam Chowder was as thick as wallpaper paste, and my Summer House Salad was nothing more than a half a head of iceberg lettuce drenched in balsamic dressing. Moving on to the main course, I ordered the "special", which was Mahi Mahi over "Spanish Rice". The fish was overcooked, and there was nothing "Spanish" about the rice; it was simply white rice mixed with peas and corn. Although served with a lime sauce, it was flavorless. Speaking of flavorless, my fiance's Cavatappi Chicken was a disaster. No taste, and quite frankly, disgusting looking chicken. All in all, a terrible meal. Much, much better options available in Boston.

• Cons: The perfect combination of terrible food and high prices

05/15/08

I absolutly love this place.

by membernameinuse at Citysearch

I am surprised to read anything negative about this restaurant. I eat here very often; business lunches, family gatherings, dates, or food and drinks in the bar to watch games. It is always fantastic. The food is delicious- way better than most of the other restaurants in the city that I frequent (and definitely the best in the Back Bay.) The service is always stellar. Everyone there is always friendly and accomodating, and goes out of their way to make the experience enjoyable. They have a great wine list, fun drink menu, and awesome patio. Anyway after reading the negatives I had to share my opinion. Sure, there is often a very long wait but it is worth it. I suggest going on a week night so you don't have to fight with the amateurs that try to get in on weekends.

• Pros: Great food, friendly service, fair prices, killer patio, nice tvs in the bar.
• Cons: very busy place so there is often a wait.