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Boston Public - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Steakhouses Restaurants Asian Fusion Steakhouses, Asian Fusion [Edit]
234 Berkeley St(between Boylston St & Newbury St)
Boston, MA 02116
Neighborhood: Back Bay
(617) 266-4680
- Nearest Transit:
-
Boylston St @ Berkeley St (55, 9)
Arlington Station - Outbound (Green Line)
Arlington Station - Inbound (Green Line)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
9 reviews for Boston Public
9 reviews in English
-
Review from K J.
Brookline, MA
3/12/2008
Went here as part of the Restaurant week. Ordered a steak and a potato soup. Absolutely awesome. I am a guy is simple taste, and as long as people let me eat my food peacefully I have no problems with anyone. But I had to take 2 stars away because of
the service, especially the waitress who served us and
telling us right before our desserts were to arrive, that the ones we ordered are over. But the panna cotta(thanks Mihir, stole it from your review) was really good so I am giving back one star for them. -
Review from Bill K.
New York, NY
9/14/2007
I was looking forward to the new tenant in the Restaurant L space since I really enjoyed the vibe and the fact that it's located within the best men's clothing store I've found in Boston.
This restaurant, whatever the name, is in a great location. It's like an oasis from the throngs on Newbury and Boylston. I visited at 6 PM on a Saturday and it was fairly empty, which makes me wonder if this one will go the way of Restaurant L.
Both of us found the appetizers to be fantastic. I had a steak entree, which was very good. The service was slightly slow, but not too annoying.
As an aside, a family came in for dinner as well. The parents berated the waiter because they didn't offer pasta for children. I'm all about family-friendly, but does it really seem like the kind of place that is intended for kids? Anyway, after that little episode, they hung out for a little bit, then determined that they were late for the airport and canceled the proceedings. Amazing.
Definitely recommended, great food and a unique feel in Boston. -
Review from Mihir S.
Chicago, IL
3/12/2008
Holy hairy chest Batman! The manager had his top four top buttons unbuttoned with his steel wool hanging out.
Let me start from the beginning. I walked in and was immediately greeted by the sweet, hot, and demeuro hostess (Demure + European = demeuro). I believe she was French. And whenever I meet a kind French person I get a tad shocked. I was meeting Karthik and was politely asked by the hostess if I wished to sit at my table while I waited.
I am not sure how to describe the decor. Minimal, upscale, a tad of Asian-colonial, and a lot of browns but not your typical mahoganies. I wonder how much the windows cost. At the bar, I've never seen brown and blue go so well together.
The food was truly excellent. I had the short rib potstickers, striped bass and panna cotta for dessert (but ordered the blueberry shortcake). Oh yes, and the haricots verts.
So why the two stars (OK 2.5 stars)? The service sucked. Our waitress looked like a young version of Bebe Neuwirth - you know, Dr Frasier Crane's girlfriend on Cheers. Her personality wasn't far off either. Her speech was monotone and she had no eye contact. The service was rushed and impersonal. She kept trying to upsell which I expect at Pizzeria Uno's and other crappy chains. Fine, I'll have the damn haricot verts. She took a LONG time between visits to the table and even though we were done with certain dishes, she didn't clear them. When it came time for dessert, she said they only had panna cotta left - no apology or attempt to be light-hearted.
So we are about to pay the bill and we noticed that we were charged for one of the items she was trying to upsell but failed. No apology, just an "OK, it's off the bill. Goodnight.
I really have respect for Louis Boston and its style but Boston Public Meat doesn't come close to measuring up in the service department. -
Review from David H.
Boston College, MA
3/5/2008
Boston Pubic Meat is part of Louis (Boston's very high end Men's clothing store) The restaurant has it's own entrance opposite to main entrance to Louis on Berkeley Street. The restaurant is a small boutique style with thirty to forty seat dining room with a very small bar and lounge area as you enter.
The menu consists of Asian Fusion and Steaks all done very well. I have had almost everything on the menu. Of note the items that I enjoyed the most are the Potato Spring Rolls with Smoked Salmon, The Rib appetizer, The Beet Salad, Kobe Beef Burger, Sirloin Steak, Rib Eye Steak, The French Fries, Salmon Entree, the Boston Cheesecake.
The wine list is good and has good selections for a small restaurant in addition to a full bar.
I have eaten here about six time and have enjoyed it every time. It is definitely different from most Steakhouses but the meat is equally as good as any Steakhouse in Boston but very consistent I believe because of small number of tables.
Parking is available in Louis's private lot or on street parking. I am giving Boston Public Meat five (5) stars because of the consistently good food and friendly service. -
Review from Deepa C.
Somerville, MA
11/9/2007
Came here for drinks with a friend at the bar. The place opened at 6, and we met a bit before then, so we enjoyed our drinks and watched them set up the bar. They were friendly and accommodating.
The good:
The bartender was awesome, Chatty but not overbearing, made a fantastic wine recommendation, always had a smile on his face - basically was an all around good bartender.
The menu looked fairly diverse. We just wanted to split one small something and went for the scallion pancake in the "Chinatown" section of the menu (we ignored the "Boston Sea Port" section and the "Boston Meat Market" section due to dietary restrictions and we didn't want an entree). Until we saw the onion rings. Crisp with a tempura like batter which was lightly crunchy. If I had to choose though, Match's onion rings would win the High End Onion Rings contest.
The decor was nice. I came through a side door by accident so walked through the dining room. It had a calming bamboo-y feeling. I could see me and my girlfriends out for dinner here, but my nonmetro husband would feel out of place.
The bar area - it didn't look like an after thought. It is completely separate from the dining room, had a small bar and a few chairs around low tables. It's a good place to grab a cocktail before dinner.
The bad:
I asked about the wonderful wine I had that cost me $10.50 per glass. "Oh you can buy this anywhere - it's about $15 at a liquor store!" Dude, I didn't need to know that right after I signed the bill...Listed in: Dining Diva, Get me out of here!
-
Review from ann c.
Boston, KY
3/19/2008
went there for rest week and although the food was good, my gosh - the service was so so so so bad and rude!!!
the panna cotta was indeed delicious and the strawberry shortcake was good too but the panna cotta had more in depth tastes so panna cotta gets the award.
i really enjoyed my skirt steak even though i was fuming pissed so that says something.
overall, i'd like to go back and try their regular menu, but i don't know if i can cuz...
1. place feels like a sardine can! everyones all mushed in and when you see servers making that "oh shit" face trying to squeeze in between with dishes piled on their arms, you know it's trouble.
2. small can be intimate but this place is just obnoxiously loud and annoyingly small.
3. if you're going to hire new waitress', train them first and then have them work the floor. i asked for a cocktail menu and the stupid girl told me "we don't have one here." okk...fine by me if you say so, but not so much if you're going to bring one over to a table right next to me 15 minutes after. when i asked her about it, she gave me some excuses which didnt justify her lack of.
4. when a couple next to us warned us to check our bill for additional charges, we rightfully did so and low and behold- we got charged $10 for nothing....so when we asked our incompetent waitress about it, she brought the douchebag "general manager" SCOTT. he sucks. he basically tossed the receipt at us and said, we took it off as if he gave us freebies or something. WOW- why dont you go and have your pouffy hair elsewhere and shove your lipgloss up your ass.
5. when i asked the very cordial hostess about contacting management, douchebag scotts skimpers right over and tells me to either email him the "general manager" or the owners - i told him i'd probably email the owners and he said "yea, go ahead and do that." thanks douchebag scott, i will!!
this is one of the place that has so much potential but the service forbids it to.
to douchebag "im the general manager" scott, go suck a rotten one. -
Review from Evan G.
Allston, MA
8/7/2007
Just went here for Restaurant Week lunch. The food was very good. The rolls (sort of flatbread) were a fantastic start to the meal. Next, the edamame, which was a bit buttery, was still delicious. The skirt steak was great, very tender and tasty. For desert I had the cheesecake which was really good and served with a slice of fresh orange and grapefruit. The waitstaff was very attentive and friendly. The decor was very nice, with a view out to boylston street and some interesting light fixtures. I could see this place attaining a fifth star, but I'd have to go back another time and see the prices and selection on the non-restaurant week menu. Overall a great experience, though, I highly recommend giving it a try.
-
Review from kathy k.
Boston, MA
5/1/2008
The service was the worst I have ever experienced in Boston; the staff was completely inept and unapologetic. First we waited over an hour to be served our appetizer and only then because I told the manager we had been waiting a long time. The manager did not apologize, but instead proceeded to reprimand the waiter in front of us. Next we asked for a second bottle of wine and had to make no less then different five selections and each time we were told the restaurant was out of that bottle. There must have been twenty bottles on the list and even using the list our next selection was not available.
Our waiter did not bring out any of the sides we ordered. When asked where the sides were, the waiter told us they were no longer available. We stated that we didn't want any other sides he offered another potato option, we said fine and he proceeded to charge us for it. He should know to give the customers something for the many inconveniences throughout the night. He never once checked in to ask how everything was or if we needed anything!!! The manager did nothing even though he clearly knew service was bad, he never apologized and we were not the only table complaining.
I've written a letter to the chef/owner and have receive NO response, there are SOOO many better steakhouses in the city. -
Review from Ryan W.
Somerville, MA
11/6/2007
I had a feeling this place was going to be more flash than substance and I wasn't dissappointed. The space is really small and me and my buddy were practically sitting on the table next to us. Not a huge issue, but it doesn't really put you at ease. The first scumbag move the waiter did was the "what type of water would you prefer still or sparkling?" We both say still water, thinking tap water, but under his breathe the waiter says ago I bring you some still water (bottled) ( under his breath). So as he's walking away I'm not going to flag him down in this tiny room to tell him, tap water is ok. The apps were pretty good. Had the Tuna Spring Rolls. The tuna was very fresh and the spices really popped. The meat however was pretty dissappointing. The first tipoff was that they had recommended sauces for all of their steaks. I said to myself and the waiter, this is a steak house right? What do I need a sauce for? The meat should stand on it's own for a $38 top sirloin. I wish I had order the sauce. The meat was good but not prime steak house stuff. Maybe I am just spoiled by the Capital Grille. My friend has the filet which was much better, but he is also a steak aficionado and said that his meet was good but not great.
The desserts were pretty decent. I had some type of chocolate peanut ice cream with a kit kat like layer creation that was very good. My friend had some Goat Milk honey ice cream with something else. Whenever I hear goat milk, I say to myself, NO! Neither one of us was a fan of the goat milk deal.
Then after dinner, the lounge part starts bumpin. I have to say that I like going out to the occassional lounge/club (Foundation, Middlesex, the Enormous Room) and the crowd here was just too cool for school. Too many people were concerned with being seen and looking cool than having a good time. I'll pass, adios.
