Day 49 Dinner at Eastern Standards in Kenmore Square, Boston

yours truly drinking a  Corio Coupe (Redonukulas)

Baked Rigatoni

 bread with pickled veggies

 gnocci

Roasted Bone marrow with shallot jam, persillade

 Flat iron steak with fries 

 calamari

 Butterscotch bread pudding with caramel sauce & praline ice cream

 a gorgeous dessert cocktail 

So , i have a few different friends in my life in different parts of the U.S. whose company i enjoy ( i guess that goes without saying or they wouldn't be friends) but i get a particular kick out of the visits to Boston of my friend Cristina (spelled correctly). Besides her wonderful personality, the other reason i get such a kick out of these visits is that it usually means i get to go out to a fabulous restaurant that i had not been to before.

Well this particular visit , brought me to a neighborhood that i don;t come too that often. Kenmore square, home of Fenway Park and Dustin Pedroia (Laser Show !). Well now i know another reason to hop on the Green line and get off at Kenmore Square. Easter Standard is a restaurant i wish i had discovered several years ago.  A class act, the staff was warm and welcoming, the wait staff friendly, answered all of our questions, and made great suggestions.

The cocktail menu is quite extensive, and we all had several different drinks. It was one of those moments where everyone takes a sip of their drink and tell everyone else they MUST try theirs, and i have to say i tried 3 drinks that night and each was fabulous. The cocktail menu is very descriptive and unique. I look forward to going back and trying 3 different cocktails, ;-)

Most places will give you bread and butter (or oil) on the table before you order, and i must say as a Bread aficionado i appreciate this gesture, but at Eastern Standard they take it 1 step further. They provide a bowl of pickled veggies with the bread and butter. I say this with no sarcasm intended, i don't know how i have gone this long without eating pickled carrots, they are amazing. I could make a meal out of them on their own. 

For appetizers we had calamari, and the roasted bone marrow.  The calamari was a generous portion with a nice light breading. Very flavorful dipping sauce.  The roasted bone marrow was a unique treat, the presentation was authentic, the flavor was a beautiful blend of the marrow and the shallot jam. It was served with toast points and i have to say i don't know when i would have it again, but the next time i find myself at Eastern Standard i will make sure i order some.

The entree portions were generous, but i have to say with all sincerity i can't recall having a better steak for the price i paid. It was a good portioned, beautifully cooked, cut with a fork tender steak i have ever had ( I said ever) and it was just for $20 !! thats is an amazing prices for such an  A+ piece of beef. It came with a large portion of hand cut fries. I was told by my dining compatriots, that they thoroughly enjoyed their meals as well,  i wanted to try the gnocchi but my distaste from eggplant prohibited me from ordering it. However someone who does like eggplant said it was fabulous and ate every bite of their dinner. The rigatoni was my 2nd choice and it looked incredible.  I LOVE when a meal is served in the pan it was cooked in.

I have had a lot of desserts in my life…just look at me and you'll know i ain't fibbing(sorry for the grammar, just trying to keep it reals), this dessert ranks up there with the best of the best. Butterscotch bread pudding …excuse me, i need a moment to compose myself. This is a generous portion, with amazing flavor. The bread pudding was moist but maintained it denseness. The praline ice cream and caramel sauce was decadent and perfect companions to the bread pudding. I would go back to Easter Standard just for this dessert alone. It was sinfully amazing.

I can't wait for my next visit to Eastern Standards and i can't recommend it enough for anyone else to try.

have a great night and great meal.

Kevin B.

http://easternstandardboston.com/food/#dinner