Excelsior: Style over Substance
Written: Feb 07 '04 (Updated Oct 29 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Food and Presentation: |
 |
|
| Ambiance and Decor: |
 |
|
| Quality of Service: |
|
|
|
Pros: Style, style, style: my food has never looked so good, perfect service, nice views.
Cons: The food looked far better than it tasted.
The Bottom Line: Excelsior is expensive and stylish. The food does not live up to the chef's reputation.
|
|
|
| modernmarvel's Full Review: Excelsior Restaurant |
The Excelsior restaurant is run by one of Boston's most famous chefs: Lydia Shire. While style is high at this restaurant on every level: decor, service, location, wine list, the food falls far short of the chef's reputation. In short, Excelsior was great until I put that first bite of food in my mouth.
THE DECOR
The decor defies any normal catagorization except to say it is high-style without being trendy. The first floor is dominated by the bar which appears to hold almost every liquor known to man. A couple of tvs were broadcasting a football game on Saturday night. Expensive glass lighting hovered over the bar. The bar service was fast and friendly. A few other tables filled out this section of the restaurant.
The dining room is upstairs. It can be reached by stairs or by a large glass elevator that carries you past the well-stocked wine cellar. There are thousands of bottles of wine on display. The dining room itself is understated and elegant with wood, beige and orange tones. The tables are spaced well apart and there were a few booths.
AMBIANCE
Excelsior is elegant and refined. Diners consisted of business associates and people out for a romantic evening. Jackets for men were common although I don't know if they are required. Women were also in semi-formal attire.
LOCATION - GETTING THERE
Excelsior has a great location for views: right across from Boston's Public Garden. Excelsior is also walking distance from the Boston theater district. Getting there can be a hassle as there is no public transportation nearby. For those willing to drive, the restaurant is located on a one-way street and can be easy to miss. Parking is difficult - there is very little street parking nearby and it is always full. There are some expensive ($20 and up) lots within a few blocks. When we visited on a Saturday night - there was complimentary valet parking but I am not sure if this is always an option.
THE FOOD
This was my biggest disappointment at Excelsior. I thought the food was very high on style - every dish was a piece of art. However, I found the flavor of my dishes to be very disappointing. The complimentary bread basket contained a variety of breads but there was no plain bread to be found. One piece was pumpernickel so dark it appeared to be black. Another piece resembled a deep-fried Indian-style spicy cracker. Another piece came already toasted with butter. I would have liked at least one plain option as I didn't care for the buttery or deep-fried pieces.
I ordered halibut for my entree. It came in a sauce so buttery and rich, the fish was almost lost in it. Alongside the fish were small, white balls resembling bay scallops. They turned out to be flavorless dough balls so disgusting I had to spit one into my napkin. There was a vegetable mix piled on top of the fish that had a beefy flavor contrary to the other components of the entree and would have better suited to a piece of steak. All in all, the dish was a total failure.
A dining companion ordered a steak that he reported tasted very good. The odd thing is that it came with a side of bone marrow - still in the bone. I am pretty sure, until bone marrow became gourmet-trendy, this was the kind of thing you would give a dog.
Another dining companion ordered the lobster pizza and loved it. We shared an order of yucca fries that he loved and I found flavorless and greasy.
My dessert was an apple torte with rum raisin ice cream. The liquor flavor in the ice cream was too strong for me and dominated the other flavors of the dish too strongly. The apple torte was cold and lacked a warm, apple taste.
THE WINE
Excelsior has one of the most extensive wine selections I have ever seen. Our waiter brought one $60 bottle of wine we all shares and it was a perfect recommendation. If you love wine, this is definitely a restaurant to try.
SERVICE
As you would expect in this price range, the service was perfect. There was a lag between courses although I assume that was be design. The waitstaff was not there to rush us. The waiters were attentive without hovering. All special requests were honored.
PRICES
Brace yourself: Entrees start around $28. Desserts start around $15.
KID FRIENDLINESS
Unless you are in the habit of buying your children $30 entrees, this is not a place for children. There were no children, or even teens, visible when we ate at Excelsior. I didn't see any accomodations for children.
VEGETARIANS
Beef dominates the menu at Excelsior. There was one vegetarian option offered on the menu which consisted of vegetable lasagna and mixed vegetables.
HANDICAPPED ACCESS
Although Excelsior is on two levels, there is a large glass elevator. The downstairs was a bit crowded but the tables upstairs were well-spaced.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
I thought Excelsior had a lot of style and the pleasant decor and attentive service made for a nice evening. I really didn't like either dish I ordered - a first for me in a restaurant at this price level. My husband and other dining companions liked their dishes better than I did although no one felt that the food was worthy of the reputation or prices at Excelsior. Based on that, I am giving Excelsior three stars but I can't recommend it.
BOSTON: Radius; Caffe Vitoria; Jacob Wirth; Cottonwood Cafe; Imperial Seafood House; Sibling Rivalry; Fleming’s.
BROOKLINE: Mr. Sushi; Fugakyu; Takeshima; Tsunami; Anna's Taqueria; Zaftigs Delicatessen; Bangkok Bistro; Golden Temple.
NEWTON: Appetito; India Paradise; Blue Ribbon Barbeque; Ice Cream Works; Baker's Best; Bill’s Pizzeria; Cafe Nicolas; Union Street; O’Hara’s; Yeradi’s; Johnny’s Luchonette.
CAMBRIDGE: S&S Restaurant; The Japanese Mall; Jasper White’s Summer Shack.
WEST ROXBURY: Cafe Misono.
BRIGHTON: Tasca.
ESSEX: Woodman’s.
SAUGUS: Kowloon.
CHAIN RESTAURANTS: Not Your Average Joe’s; Bertucci’s; Legal Sea Foods; Cheesecake Factory; Rainforest Cafe; Fire & Ice; Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse; Friendly’s.
COFFEE, BAGELS AND DONUTS: Bruegger’s Bagels; Finagle a Bagel; Dunkin Donuts; >; Peet’s Coffee and Tea.
Recommended:
No
Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Lobster pizza and steak seemed to get the best reviews at our table. My fish dish was a huge disappointment.
Best Suited For: Romantic Evening
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
modernmarvel
|
 - Top 50 |
|
Location: Basking in the Sun
Reviews written: 504
Trusted by: 340 members
About Me:
Can anyone recommend a western family dude ranch for a vacation this summer?
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.