The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
Features  |  On The Cheap  |  Restaurant Reviews
Best2011Vote-1000x50

East Side Bar and Grille

What's old is new again — and still in style
By ROBERT NADEAU  |  April 29, 2009
2.0 2.0 Stars

The real standard for a restaurant of this type is pork chops with vinegar green-cherry peppers and oven-fried potatoes ($17.95). The potatoes could have more crust, but this is a dish so savory you pretty much inhale it. "Grilled Wild Swordfish" ($18.95) is a menu description that makes me giggle. It's hard to imagine farming swordfish. How would you get the prize one to the county fair? What would the other kids in the 4-H club think? And for tame swordfish, you would need an awfully long leash. So, with no possible comparison, I would say that the steak at East Side Bar and Grille had that delightful, wild swordfish taste, and was a fresh, well-handled piece of seafood.

The wine list is not amazing, though the wines we had were pleasant with food. Pepperwood merlot ($6 glass/$24 bottle) is not from Argentina, as the list says, but it is a full-bodied California merlot with enough fruit and spice to drink with pizza. Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells riesling ($8; $28) is even better, an off-dry German-style riesling loaded with aroma. It tastes sweeter than it is because of all the fruit. I think Pacific Northwest whites are undervalued, and suggest ordering lots of them before the vineyards tear out the vines to plant pinot noir and make awkward, expensive reds.

Decaf coffee and tea ($2.50) are okay. But you'll want them anyway, since you don't want to miss out on dessert. East Side Bar and Grille is only a few blocks from the major wholesale cannoli shells baker of the region, Golden Cannoli. They deliver to East Side on Thursday, though we enjoyed a superb cannolo ($5) on a Tuesday night, so they hold up. The filling is homemade, quite sweet, and smooth. We also had a chocolate mousse cake ($6.95) that was lighter than it looked and very enjoyable.

The atmosphere is cozy enough that the hospitable staff will know your name and preferences soon enough. And if you must have sports, the bar has two nice sets tuned to the game in progress. That will sort out the serious boyfriends from the guys who can be distracted.

Robert Nadeau can be reached at robtnadeau@aol.com.

Editor's Note: In a previous version of this article, it was incorrectly stated that the East Side Bar and Grille serves only beer and wine. In fact, it has a full liquor license. We have updated the review above to reflect this change and apologize for the error.

< prev  1  |  2  | 
  Topics: Restaurant Reviews , Frank Sinatra, Culture and Lifestyle, Beverages,  More more >
| More
Add Comment
HTML Prohibited

 Friends' Activity   Popular   Most Viewed 
[ 03/02 ]   Dum Dum Girls + Minks + Dirty Beaches  @ Brighton Music Hall
[ 03/02 ]   Eugene Mirman & Pretty Good Friends  @ The Met
[ 03/02 ]   "JewishFilm.2011 Festival"  @ Museum of Fine Arts
ARTICLES BY ROBERT NADEAU
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   REVIEW: DELUXE STATION DINER  |  February 23, 2011
    Despite breakfast all day, comfort food, the over-abundant choices of a deli menu, and the Jules Verne decorative contraptions of artist Mark Fisher — the most remarkable items at Deluxe Station Diner are things to drink.
  •   REVIEW: 28 DEGREES  |  February 16, 2011
    This handsome lounge/restaurant has been living more on its drinks than its food, but that turns out to be wrong.
  •   REVIEW: COGNAC BISTRO  |  February 02, 2011
    This is the column's second visit to this former gas station, the previous loving restoration having been a b.good burger stand.
  •   REVIEW: BON CHON  |  January 26, 2011
    Bon Chon is a nine-year-old Korean fried-chicken franchise with a few dozen outlets in Korea and a few less than that in the United States.
  •   ISTANBUL'LU  |  January 19, 2011
    On one side of the scales, Nadeau's Law: "Never eat anything famous." On the other side, chef-owner Huseyin Akgun, who really ought to be famous for his cooking at the original Beacon Hill Istanbul Cafe, the bigger one in Allston, and some other spots in between.  

 See all articles by: ROBERT NADEAU

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2011 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group