Locke-Ober

[glauer]

Last night I had my first full dinner at Locke-Ober. I have to admit that I might not have gone had i not received a gift certificate for it. Nevertheless, I was happy to go as it seems to be one of the few places in Boston that one needs to experience at least once.

Upon arrival I was rather happy to find the place buzzing, not at all the subdued and stiff atmosphere I had expected. Once we were seated I found it actually a bit too happening, the table of six next to us behaved more like they were in a sports bar watching Superbowl. Middle aged business men lacking even the most basic manners is something I have observed a few times recently, making me glad that I usually don't go to places they typically prefer. Despite this, I really liked the room and the overall atmosphere a lot. Just for saving this original establishment Lydia Shire deserves a lot of credit.

Service was quite friendly and reasonably competent. What i did not like was how they tried to pace the meal. The moment the first course was taken away we got the next dishes. But they responded to my request to slow it done after that. To my surprise there is no Sommelier and one is left alone with the quite large list. Credit to our server who at least admitted that he did not know anything about the majority of the wines. Also their wine glasses are barely acceptable at that level and for the expensive wines they serve (though it must be said that the wine list also contains surprisingly many very reasonably priced good wines). They should ask their very inexpensive neighbor Silvertone Bar for advice on how to get the glasses right.

But now to the most important thing. How was the food? We started with Clams Casino and the smoked salmon. The clams were a surprise for me. Exactly how I would envision a contemporary but also exact version of a classic dish. The filling was light and not too much of it added, so the clams were not overpowered. Even the big pieces of bacon had just the right amount of salt and smokiness. This was delicious and surprisingly light. The salmon was also good, though the garnishes did nothing to move it beyond just a plate of smoked salmon.

Then we had soups, JFK's lobster stew and a game consomme with dumplings and roasted quail. Both of them were quite good. The lobster stew expectedly rich, but not overly so with a very fine lobster flavor. The lobster meat was the least interesting part of it. The consomme was flavorful and a bit peppery, which I liked but my dining companion found too strong. The fluffy dumplings and the tender quail meet added nicely to it.

The main courses were less successful. Huge portions of high quality meat (we had grilled duck and a lamb rumpsteak), but overly intense sauces and sides. These dishes seemed all about quantity and power with zero finesse, just too much of everything. Maybe we should have stuck to one of the basic grilled meats as the quality of the ingredients was flawless.

Desserts were OK but nothing to write home about.

So overall we had a fine meal in a very special ambiance, and the competently executed classic appetizers and soups were very enjoyable. On the other hand, nothing was truly exciting so at that price point I personally would prefer restaurants with a more inspiring cuisine. But I guess Locke-Ober is not really meant to be a dining destination for "eaters" but seems rather geared towards people who usually find their happiness in upscale steak houses. Nothing is wrong with that apart from the fact that I wish we had a few more exciting restaurants in Boston.