Last month Test Subject Bill and I traveled to Boston to catch a cruise ship to Bermuda. We spent the day before the cruise departed getting to know a little piece of Boston. We took water taxis from our hotel to various spots around the harbor, which was a lot more fun and about the same price as a taxi. We toured around the city a bit, visiting famous spots like Faneuil Hall and I got my picture taken with the Cheers Indian. The Contemporary Art Institute (CIA) was a pleasant surprise, as we are more traditional art lovers but found the exhibits to be beautiful and fascinating. There are some very creative minds out there. And the museum is free after 5pm on Thursdays!
For our dining that night we chose Anthony’s Pier 4. I’d investigated the local eats before we ever left Atlanta; I wanted a memorable dinner and Bill wanted seafood. Anthony’s was also very close to our hotel and I was excited to learn that this restaurant has earned the Wine Spectator magazine’s “Best of Award of Excellence” for their extensive wine list.
The atmosphere at Anthony’s was pleasant, nice but not too dressy. It was a little too open for me, I prefer the nooks and crannies style of seating. However, we did have a window seat with great views of the harbor. One nice feature is that they have their proteins and desserts out on display so when you enter the dining area you can see the catch of the day (as well as the turf options, all raw).
The menu is primarily seafood, but it did have good options for non-fish eaters. The staff take food allergies very seriously and will double or triple check on anything to make sure they aren’t serving you something you’re allergic to. The wine list does not disappoint, although it can be very overwhelming if you’re not used to navigating a wine list the size of the King James Bible. The sommelier was very helpful in narrowing things down for us and we selected a white Burgundy.
The bread served initially was standard fare, but then came the popovers. They are complimentary, and served piping hot at your table. They were delicious!
Our menu choices for the evening were clam chowder ($7.95) and broiled scallops ($27.95) for Bill and lobster bisque ($11.95) and crab cakes ($29.95) for me. Bill enjoyed his clam chowder but was quite impressed with the scallops. They have become a bar for him to judge other scallops against. I thought the crab cakes were good enough, but not anything special. The lobster bisque, however, was the highlight of my meal. I could have sat there with the bisque and the popovers and been completely satisfied with my meal. I love a rich, velvety, almost chocolaty bisque and this is now tops on my list since the previous #1 lobster bisque spot holder, Isis in Las Vegas, is no longer open.
We didn’t have dessert, but the coffee was good.
Regarding the service, initially it was very good and attentive, however as the meal neared its end we saw less and less of our server and we always had to pour our own wine. That is ok, but a bit of a disappointment since the restaurant wasn’t so busy that we could understand a server not having time for that. We began to wonder if we had overstayed our welcome.
I would like to learn more about the founder of Anthony’s. There are photos of him with famous people, presidents and movie stars alike, plastered all over the walls. Therefore we dubbed this restaurant the Dante’s Down the Hatch of the Boston, since Dante has the same thing in his fondue jazz joint in Atlanta.
Bottom line: KKF approved. We would go back. Try the bisque.
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