Grill 23 & Bar

Address: 161 Berkeley Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Phone: (617) 542-2255

Web Page: http://www.Grill23.com

Type of restaurant: American

Entree price range: $21 to $56

Handicapped accessible: Yes

Review date: August 18, 2006

Review: Grill 23 & Bar in Boston, MA offers a very pleasant dining experience with an extensive wine selection. Located in the historic Salada Tea Building, Grill 23 has a beautiful and romantic second floor dining room that overlooks the main dining room’s turn-of-the-century sculpted ceilings and historic charm. There is a spectacular grand staircase that joins the two dining rooms.

We each enjoyed a very good glass of wine at the bar before we sat down to our delicious meal. Ken chose a glass of the 2005 O’Reilly’s Pino Noir, Oregon ($12/glass) and I had the 2004 Cambria "Katherine’s Vineyard" Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley, CA ($12/glass). Grill 23 was awarded The Wine Spectator Best of – Award of Excellence 2002-2006, while Wine Enthusiast Magazine gave Grill 23 its Award of Ultimate Distinction, America’s Best Wine Driven Restaurants, 2005-2006.

To start off, I chose the Maine Crab Cake with corndog crust and roasted tomato-cumin vinaigrette ($15), served with a tangy potato salad. The crab cake was outstanding; to say I loved it is an understatement. Living in New England we are treated to crab cakes on occasion, but these were to die for! Ken had the Nantucket Clam Chowder ($10) with hardwood smoked bacon and fresh thyme. He liked it very much. To accompany our delicious appetizers we each enjoyed a glass of the 2005 Gemella Viognier from Napa Valley, CA ($95/bottle).

For the main entrée I had Nantucket Sound Striped Bass ($34) with smoked shrimp, creamed corn, and crispy soft polenta. I savored every delicious bite of the fresh bass. The smoked shrimp complemented the fish well, as did the creamed corn. The polenta was very tasty, too. The 2005 Gemella Viognier went very well with my entree. Ken had the Scotch Tenderloin ($33), cooked medium with mashed potatoes and port-stilton jus. Ken really enjoyed this steak, which was complemented by the excellent 2002 Sean Thackrey "Orion" Rossi Vineyard Syrah.

To top off this wonderful dinner, for dessert I chose S’more de Crème ($9). It was similar to a chocolate mousse topped with ganache and was accompanied by light and airy graham crackers. Slightly torched marshmallows created the ultimate campfire effect. It was a summer treat for sure! Ken skipped dessert, as he was full.

We would definitely recommend Grill 23 & Bar for food and wine lovers alike and hope to go back soon. Worth noting, Grill 23 is handicap accessible. The minimum entree price was $21 for the Organic Chicken. The maximum entree price was $56 for the Kobe Cap Steak.

Theresa