08/01/08

Romantic setting and a clear focus on all things sweet make this the area's premier dessert destination.

by Eric Grossman

The Scene
Finale's handsome, softly-lit dining room provides an ideal pre- or post-show spot for couples on a date to the nearby Theater District. An overhead demonstration mirror affords a view of the pastry chefs that construct Finale's signature desserts. Young, friendly waiters are pleased to recommend selections from the epic drink list.

The Food
Dessert is the focus, but there's also a respectable light dinner menu that allows patrons to enjoy a well-rounded meal without getting too full before the sweet stuff. Smart options include the rosemary-rubbed chicken Caesar salad and a Mediterranean pizza. Most diners skip the savory items and dive straight into desserts, like a divine, baked-to-order molten-chocolate gateau or the caramel carnivale (caramel mousse layered between puff pastry and served with fresh fruit in raspberry puree). Advanced sweet tooths should opt for the Temptation for Two, an assortment plate of cakes, gelato and mousse.

07/11/08

Great desserts, fun place!!!

by beantown101

I had a great experience at Finale's with a group of friends. The desserts were very enjoyable and it was a fun place to finish off a long day of trekking through the town. I recommend going on a weekday when it is not too busy, as the space does fill up quick.

Good stuff!!!

• Pros: Dessert, Wide variety of dessert choices on menu
• Cons: Gets busy quick, prices

05/08/08

Waste of Money!

by FoodieLePue

It's strange that for a dessert restaurant, the only decent thing about this place is the lunch menu. The dessert menu is far too overpriced for what you get. Sure, they have tasty sweets, but you can get the same thing at the grocery or a regular pastry shop. The ambiance hardly justifies the price: there was a piece of gum stuck under my table, a large stain on the chair fabric (gross!) and my table was wet from being wiped - pretty disgusting experience after having to wait 40 minutes to be seated. These are things you don't expect to happen when you are paying $20 dollars for miniature cookies, berry sauce and a scoop of ice cream.

Our waiter took forever, the ice cream was melting, but he insisted on explaining what all the things on the plate were. I wanted to tell him I already knew what was on the plate, I have the ability to read menu's!!! I felt like I was at the Olive Garden or something when he was giving his little rehearsed speaches - yuck.

• Pros: Feeling superior
• Cons: Feeling cheated

04/12/08

no longer thrilled

by freewilly7

once you get into the restaurant, you're basically engulfed in the aroma. don't go there hoping to eat a full meal, though; it's a DESSERT place serving small dishes and wines.

of the food ("prelude") menu, the cheese plate for 2 is, indeed, very cheesy (not worth it). however, the mediterranean pizza is simple but delectable (love the balsamic).

signature dessert, molten cake--the ultimate finale--is a complete death by chocolate. you can't possibly resist the aroma of quality valrhona, but half a cake is enough to stuff your belly for the next 2 years. i was getting nauseously overwhelmed and couldn't possibly finish that small piece of cake even though i was actually HUNGRY. the coffee ice-cream that accompanies it is in actuality a mouth cleanser! and my personal suggested beverage pairing: pure water.

i had a creme brulee before, it was ok but i've had better. their creme brulee is actually more pudding-like and less custard-like. so don't be taken aback by their less "sturdy" consistency.

forgot what cake i got for my parents' anniversary last year (don't find it on menu at the moment); it was some sort of really rich chocolate cake w/passion fruit creme inside. everybody agreed that though it was good, it was way too sweet.

went a few more times after that, was getting less thrilled each time. ambiance is perfect for a date, but i stopped caring much for their desserts, which somehow appear less and less "special." service is polite at best, if a bit haughty.

:)

• Pros: hotel quality decor, good ambiance
• Cons: long wait at peak times, difficult parking

02/25/08

way too average for its reputation and pricing

by stylcec

I went there for a dessert and according to others reviews they are the best . The place is so old ...very depressing for such a place !!! Old furniture , dark colors ....please it 's a place for sugar !!!! Then came the menu and the choice is not that large . I tried the tiramisu which was good .My husband and my son had their "award" desserts : the creme brulee is too huge to be delicate the way it supposed to be and the chocolate cake has nothing to die for ( not dark enought). The hot chocolate was average .

At the end the bill adds more than your stomach can take ! Too expensive for desserts who need inspiration and new ideas . The place lives on its reputation and needs to be shake !!!

• Pros: maybe the take out
• Cons: poor ambience , the prices

11/11/07

The Worst!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by ksherm

Last Visit:

November 2007

We made special plans to go here for one of my girlfriends Birthday. Thirteen of us. First of all they DO NOT take reservations. So good luck if you have a large party. It's a first come first serve basis. We got there on a Saturday night at 9:30 we didn't sit down for an hour and a half after them telling us it would only be an hour! There is absolutely NO place to sit. The bar has 4 chairs!! They pack you into this tiny corner of the restaurant to wait with about 40 other people with 6 chairs for 40 people. FINALLY, we get out table for thirteen. We get to the table it's set for 10!!! Mind you they knew it was for 13 and "WE" had to pull another table together and chairs. They told us "well as long as you have enough silverware, that's all that matters." So we wait about 15 minutes...No server ever came over, we never even got menus!! Someone in our party got up and got a menu for all of us. We had to grab a waiter at another table to ask for water. We finally got a waiter and ordered (we all just had desserts) no food. The desserts were absolutely horrible!! The WORST desserts I have ever tasted in my life. We ordered a plate called "Chocolate Paradise". The only good thing on it was a little version of a chocolate Molten cake. Every single person at our table did not like their desserts. Over priced, the staff is rude, they could have cared less about our table..PERIOD..(their tip was already included in the check.) I suggest you don't go here and go somewhere else. I WILL NEVER GO BACK HERE AND EITHER WILL THE OTHER 12 PEOPLE I WAS WITH..JUST HORRIBLE!! We also complained and the manager said "Well, I can't please everybody."

• Pros: There aren't any
• Cons: The Chocolate Lava cake..is the only con.

09/28/07

Not too crazy about Finale's

by mageel

Maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of sweets, but I didn't think Finale was as great and wonderful as all my friends made it out to be. The price seems ridiculous for such small portions, but then again I can't deny the presentations were very nice and the service was great as well. I didn't like the atmosphere much, I like places where we can dress down and be loud, but Finale is definitely a dress up and speak softly kind of place.

09/10/07

A nice place to end the night.

by mymy_

This is a smart place to end the night if you're out doing something special for someone. I can't really think of anything bad about this place other than the size of the restaurant and indoor temperature. It's a small restaurant; you could see the whole thing in a glance. Maybe because it's a small and popular place, it was hot in there. The desserts are excellent. I was happy with all my orders. By the way, they are Chocolate Paradise and Creme Brulee. Good stuff. If you are a chocolate-lover like me, you should try Chocolate Paradise. It has five different samples of their 'top listed' chocolate desserts. It's a sharable dish, so don't worry about having too much chocolate at once.

02/10/07

you won't be disappointed! awesome desserts and great service!

by chicdining

my friends typically call me a food snob, so i had high expectations before coming to finale. all i have to say is that it's my new favorite spot for desserts! we had just finished eating at tapeo on newbury st., and my husband and friends brought me to finale to celebrate my birthday with a medley of desserts. our waitress suggested "the whole nine yards" (sharable dessert platter with 9 samplers) and their famed chocolate molten cake, and it was not only breathtaking in presentation, but absolutely delicious! the "whole nine yards" features their most popular desserts and we were definitely happy with our waitress' suggestion. the champagne is a bit overpriced ($9 for a glass or kir royale), but given the ambience of the restaurant, you can't complain. finale got huge bonus points with us when the manager brought us a complimentary sampler of the chef's pick of gelato with a birthday candle! my girlfriend had only casually mentioned that we were there for my birthday, and sure enough, he had ensured the waitress took care of us - a very pleasant surprise which speaks volumes of their service.

as for the wait, we scored prime seats (booth right by the window in a quiet corner) within 5 minutes - which is unheard of for 9pm on a friday night. however, as we were leaving around 10pm, the waiting area was packed and the wait time was pretty bad. i'd recommend getting in before the theater lets out! i will definitely be back there again!!

• Pros: presentation, ambience, service
• Cons: no reservations taken on fridays and saturdays

02/06/07

Unfortunately dissapointed

by northendsmyhome

I really wanted to like Finale. I'm a baker myself, really in to presentation, and had been interested in checking out what they do for some time. My boyfriend and I finally got there while we were waiting for a movie at the Coolidge Corner theater, and we were SO dissapointed! We are dessert lovers, unique taste combinations or well-done versions of classics will get us going, but sadly, Finale had neither. He got the Boston Cream Pie, which came out beautifully (although I do agree with the person that said it looked a little too perfect...it doesn't look delicious so much as beautiful). The taste was practically absent, the cake was dry and crumbly, and the custard wasn't boston-creamy. I got the molten lava cake--I never get it because its hard to do BOTH the cake and the lava well, but I trusted Finale because the servers kept telling us "Thats what we do best" when we told them we were there for dessert. The cake was also tasteless and a little cardboardy in texture, and the lava was overpoweringly sweet, almost like premade icing that had been melted down. I love the idea of Finale, and I would love for there to be a place like this that lived up to the hype.

As a side note, we got confused with the wines--there was only one price on the wine we ordered and we figured it was for the bottle...turns out it was for the glass. Just the heads up if you don't want to accidentally spend $100 on dessert, ask your server what the prices are for.

• Pros: Presentation
• Cons: Taste, ambiance