I came here with my kids on a Sunday for brunch. We were across town but was told the food here was very good, so we decided to call and see if they still had brunch available, which they were serving until 4p. No one was at the podium when we first walked in. There was a man in a suit carrying food, who seemed annoyed because we were in the way of him walking out of the front entrance. There's not much clearance for people checking in for a table, and staff having to enter and exit with trays of food/drinks. If he was the manager, it would have been nice to get acknowledgement and a, "someone will be with you shortly", but that didn't happen. We just earned a perturbed look.
Angel arrived and I told her I had called earlier. After asking where we'd like to sit, she mentioned that the dress code is smart casual and it might be a problem since my son had on a sleeveless shirt. I was a little annoyed by this because that was not explained when I called but she did take accountability and apologized for not informing me earlier.
She left to speak to the manager, mentioning that they have shirts to lend out, asking my son his size. When she came back, she said the manager would allow us to eat outside but reminded it was not something they usually allow. Again, I was a little annoyed by this because of the finger wag, despite the fact that the information was not relayed previously.
We sat and made the most of it. Melody, our server, was very nice. I did notice that some of the other staff gave my son weird looks because of my his attire which I found odd.
They have a kids menu, so make sure to ask. I don't believe they have it printed out. The brunch is $45 and consists of your choice of appetizer, main and dessert. My son and I ordered items we could share so we could try more of the menu.
Appetizers:
Potato Croquette - this was amazing and very rich. It's a thick and cheesy, crispy potato croquette topped with a thick pancetta round, grilled asparagus, a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. My only gripe is that they did not give a sharper knife to eat with. It was difficult to cut into the pancetta.
Calamari Fritti - the breading was good and they were cooked well but they needed a sprinkle of flake salt or something, because they were bland. They tasted ok with the sauce but without it, they were meh and there was a fishy, not super fresh, flavor to them.
Mains:
Lobster Ravioli - tasted very good but such a small portion. One more ravioli would have been nice, or if they were slightly bigger. Compared to my son's main, this was scant. It was also served with a poached egg, caviar and hollandaise on top.
Potato Gnocchi - this was OK. The dish was extremely watery. The dish description said nothing of a sauce so I'm assuming it was the liquid from the spinach. The dish overall was slightly salty but the gnocchi was nicely made.
Kid's Margherita Pizza - nicely made, good portion, and my kiddo ate almost all of it.
Desserts:
L'Affogato - this was a nice version made with pistachio ice cream and espresso.
Bread Pudding - this was nice. It was served warm but was a small portion.
The brunch has a 90-minute "continuous pour" option for mimosas, prosecco, bellinis, or bloody Mary, for only $20 additional per guest. My son had ordered a bellini and ended up wanting another so we were able to just add on the continuous pour option instead of paying a la carte. I wish they had unsweetened iced tea but was able to get hot tea for myself instead.
Again, that man in the suit just seemed like we were an eyesore. He visited every table to inquire how they were doing, except for ours. We were the last people sitting outside and eventually a gentleman and young lady arrived and opted to sit outside. They sat at an empty table next to us and after ordering and receiving their drinks, that same guy in a suit came out and greeted them, welcomed them to the restaurant, and proceeded to move them to a table that was further away from us. The entire vibe from this guy as well as his demeanor towards us was weird from the start and when I get that feeling, I'll dine elsewhere.
I also ordered a hot honey pie to go, for hubby. He ate half before I could even take a picture so it's safe to say that he liked it a lot.
As I said, the staff with whom we had direct interaction, were great. I did not feel like we were treated any differently by them. I appreciate trying to bring fine dining to Tremont Ave and I hope they do well in this location. I think there are definitely some things in which they could improve. I probably won't be back unless I'm attending an event or something but I have been telling others about the restaurant because it is different from the other restaurants in the area and definitely worth a visit. read more