I wanted to surprise Mr. Rabbit with a weekend in Boston to celebrate his 40th. I was in full planning mode, but because I am bad at holding out on surprises, he eventually got in on the restaurant choosing game. We finally opted for dinner at Locke-Ober. Part of the rationale was that we wanted an old-school “establishment” that would be around for re-visiting in years to come. And a recent Boston Magazine article on their chef celebre, Lydia Shire, also intrigued.

Locke-Ober is a Boston institution. The place been around since the late 1800s, but underwent an ambitious restoration in 2001. The results are stunning… heavy wood, a beautiful bar, and a slightly Parisian feel contribute to the room’s charm. We started with cocktails in their gorgeous barspace (plush and dark… très romantique) — two well executed sidecars. Seated quite quickly, we were originally shown to the upstairs dining room, which is still a pretty space, but has the slight feel of being shunted off to the kids’ table. Staff were very accommodating of our request to move downstairs table (I would recommend requesting space in the downstairs room to avoid this problem).

We ordered appetizers from the raw bar (shrimp and oysters), all of which were good specimen and nicely presented with three varieties of good but unremarkable bread. Mr. Rabbit ordered the lamb, and was very impressed by his meal (so much so that I got only a very small bite). My dinner was less impressive. I had the “ladies’” sirloin and the polenta fries (the waiter’s recommended side). The sirloin was not a great cut, and it was definitely not presented black and blue, as ordered (it was overcooked). The polenta fries were mushy and bland - a dish that really needs re-considering. A Paulliac we ordered with dinner tasted a little young, and not as good as the one we’d had chez nous earlier this week. Desserts were also one very good and one disappoint. My dark chocolate cake was absolutely wonderful - rich, intense chocolate with vanilla ice cream - quite perfect. Mr. Rabbit’s Indian pudding (a New England tradition) seemed like pumpkin coloured cream of wheat in comparison, and he “stole” much of my dessert.

Service was perhaps not quite as polished or attentive as I would have imagined, but it was friendly and pleasant. Despite the uneven-ness of our experience, we would go back to L-O for cocktails and perhaps a bar snack — mostly because we did love the feel of the old-school atmosphere, and occasionally we like to appropriate that kind of stuffy vibe.

www.locke-ober.com

Note: We stayed at the Ritz/Taj, and had access to their club floor, which is a notable foodie find because it offers five different food “spreads” each day (in a pleasantly snooty oasis with a fantastic view overlooking the Common). The food offerings are quite tasty (we sampled from the afternoon tea and the 6:00 h’ds) — plus the constant access to a complementary bar is… convenient. Would definitely recommend the upgrade if Boston-ing for leisure.

Posted on January 28th, 2007 by rabbit
Filed under: Boston, Restaurant Reviews