Last week we made our first visit to the new Eventide location in the Fenway.
First and foremost let us say that the food was fabulous. We had the brown butter lobster roll, the burger, and the lobster stew along with some well-matched wine.
The brown butter lobster roll on a steamed bun is the dish that had the most pre-opening excitement. It adds one more option to our Boston lobster roll scene. It's smaller than some local options and doesn't include any sides, but that's fine because we knew it was a serving that would enable us to taste some other items like …
… the fabulous Maine lobster stew with coconut, carrots, curry, maitake mushrooms, and of course lobster! This was the absolute hit of the day. Penny says she can see herself walking over there just to get a bowl of this flavor bomb. It was served with some pieces of crisp, crunchy flatbread which we used as a palate cleanser to keep our taste buds ready for the next sip of that delicious broth.
Ed's order of the burger was a surprise. He's a fussy burger eater and seldom orders one in all but his favorite spots around town. Let's say he took one for the team! That said, he ate every bite and was impressed that, like many thin patties, it was not cooked to death. It had good beef flavor and he liked the roll. He might not order it again, but if we have a friend who is not a fish lover, we're very happy that this option is available.
Adult beverages here are wine and beer. The wine selection is well matched to the food and shows that some serious thought was put into it. Penny ordered a Manzanilla Sherry that we both agreed paired well with both the lobster roll and the lobster stew. Ed had a rosé with his burger. And while the servingware was not glass, these Govino flutes
were interesting enough for us to look them up and consider buying them in quantity for an upcoming Irish whiskey tasting.
Oddly we never took a single photo of the place, probably because it didn't appeal to us at all. This food is so good it deserves a much warmer and more hospitable atmosphere. Our hope is that should this team decide to open a second Boston location, it'll be designed for those who would like to enjoy a comfortable sit down meal with friends.
We don't mind the counter service set up. If we had a comfortable table where our group could sit and spend time savoring the flavors that this food offers, we'd be back often. We would gladly go to the counter for second or third rounds of oysters, drinks, more lobster stew, or to add dessert, but we'd like to feel we're in a restaurant, not a cold, hard, clamorous, unwelcoming, fast food joint.
Our plan for a second visit is to order the food to go, (if they do take out) and walk down Jersey Street to the Fens and enjoy it as a picnic.
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino