Grezzo

 

0

7

shannon w.

Boston, MA

Tonight I made love to Vanilla Parsnip and Tart Green Apple Soup while the waitstaff looked on approvingly.

This beautiful little place represents the gourmet raw movement in such a lovely way -- Boston needed this slice of the raw pie -- the weekly changing menu is gorgeous, thoughtful, brilliant, caring. Go!

As for digestive issues, chew your food well, much longer and better than you would anything else. Especially with dehydrated foods.

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1

17

Renee B.

Boston, MA

Such a unique find! I read about this place in the Improper Bostonian and added to the top of my "To Try" list. Finally made it out last night and was utterly impressed. The restaurant is tiny, but has a great atmosphere that is well suited for living food theme.

My friend and I shared the Native Tomato Ravioli. They were good, but I feel they could have had an ounce more of kick. I then had the papaya steak. It was exquisite. The papaya had star anise/teriyake glaze. It was served with squash "vermicelli" and a radish salad. Such good contrasts. My friend had the land and sea dish which consisted of all sorts of mushrooms and a nut based ricotta. Also amazing.

We had a dessert split consisting of a rich brownie sundae and cheesecake. The dessert is what truly won me over. It's amazing what people can create from fruit and nuts!

The wait staff was very friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend Grezzo to anyone who appreciates a unique culinary experience.

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3

41

Holly S.

Waltham, MA

Every bite of my meal was absolutely divine! If only I had my own vegan or raw food chef, I could eat like this every day.

If you're curious what all the fuss is about regarding raw foods, I highly recommend the tasting menu--because it allows you to try a ton of the food on that week's menu. For me, this past Saturday night, that included:

* A sweet potato and pink grapefruit soup with a little spicy kick
* A sweet corn and coconut soup with a little bit of avocado (outstanding!)
* Gnocci with a rawmesan sauce and english peas and watercress (yum!)
* A sprouted-seed slider with blue cheese and pickle on an heirloom tomato slice/bun with dehydrated potato chips dressed in vinegar and sea salt
* The house salad (which was the most amazing salad I've ever eaten)
* Vegetable lasagne (tasty, but not my favorite of all the dishes)
* Brownie sundae with coconut/cacao brownie crumbles and strawberry and mango sauces

My belly was stuffed afterward--and it was more food than I needed. But every bite of it was so delicious--and so clean tasting.

However, I am holding back on the coveted fifth star because this place is sooooo incredibly tiny and they sat me and my two girlfriends at their food bar. (I was forewarned that it was "intimate." We all agreed that "intrusive would be a better word.) The area was so small that my friend couldn't sit with her legs in front of her. And in order for us to be able to engage in conversation over dinner, we all had to sit in a funky and cramped manner. I think the bar would be fine for two people (supposedly their customers love it!) but for three people, it was uncomfortable.

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13

65

Dave L.

Wayland, MA

Me and my vegetarian girlfriend went here last night to celebrate 1 year together.

Pros:  Location-  I really liked the spot on Prince st.  The atmosphere was great, and the paintings of produce on the wall were quite nice.  Grezzo proved to be nice cozy spot with food that is very different from that of surrounding North End eateries. Service- Really nice well informed serves, who seemed interested by what we thought of the food.  The kitchen staff was also quite friendly (this made cutting through the kitchen to get to the bathroom not seem TOO weird).  Food-  "Inventive". Is the first word that comes to mind.  This was my first foray into raw food, and I was fascinated by how they used nuts to replicate dairy, and used a dehydrator to attain certain textures.  The brownie dessert blew me away.  I have no idea how they made this "gelato", but I want more.  All the ingredients tasted fresh and of high quality.

Cons:  I felts like some of the dishes were trying to do too much. There were so many sharp contrasts in flavor that it got to be a bit overwhelming at times.  Some of the dishes seemed to be more about "look at all this cool stuff we can do with raw food" than about making a cohesive meal. The "pasta" and cucumber salad type sides I got with my star anise/teriyaki papaya didn't quite go together, and the "sliders" were a bit overwhelmed by the vinegar of the pickles on them.  I did end up waking up at 3am with a bit of a stomach ache, but it was nothing terrible. I'm fairly sure someone at a table near us with a specific nut allergy may have been served food with that nut in it. I don't want to speculate further, but it had me a bit concerned while eating.

Conclusion:  Worth trying to see if it's your kind of thing. For me it was not, but it was still a relatively cool experience.

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Elite '08

103

210

Erica S.

Somerville, MA

Birthday extravaganza: PART II

It hurts me to say this. It really REALLY does. I have been dying to try this place since the second I heard it was coming soon. I've had it bookmarked for months. I love tons of vegan food, love the idea of raw food, and had a very open mind about this... but I just didn't love Grezzo. Or even really like it. So sad!

First of all, we had a reservation for 4 well in advance for 8:00pm on a Wednesday, and we weren't seated until past 9:00! I think this is unacceptable, especially since I was the birthday girl and would have appreciated them being a bit nicer about it. They never apologized, explained, or tried to compensate us at all. And sadly for them and this review, one of the best things I consumed that night was the bottle of wine we threw back at a bar down the street while we waited for our table.

So finally we sat down in one of the most cramped, uncomfortable seating arrangements I've attempted to squeeze into in a while, and were then handed absolutely ridiculous, laughably cumbersome, and frankly cheap and stupid looking plastic block menus. Sorry, but you guys need to change your menus. They are not innovative-- they are idiotic, and they look like you bought them from the framing section of Michael's for $2.99 each.

On to the food!

We decided to share a soup, a salad, 2 appetizers, 3 entrees, and 1 dessert between the 4 of us. This was the best decision of the night, as this is the kind of food you think is interesting for about two bites and then you are completely over it. I can't imagine eating a whole plate of just one of these things by myself.

We started off with the sweet potato, pink grapefruit, and thai basil soup. It was okay, almost more like juice in a bowl because it was cold (of course) and citrusy. Then we shared a capreze salad (heirloom tomatoes, basil, and nut cheese) which was the highlight of the night. Not only is nut cheese a freakin BLAST to say (we were laughing like 10 year olds throughout dinner) but it was really wonderful and surprisingly cheesy stuff.

As appetizers, we tried the gnocchi carbonara (made with pea shoots, eggplant, and rawmesean) and the spinach ravioli. Both were pretty good, but neither was amazing. In particular the gnocchi was good for what it was, but absolutely should not have been called gnocchi. It didn't even attempt to imitate real gnocchi, which should be soft, chewy, and hearty, but rather was served as hard and crunchy clusters-- and therefore I felt it was very misleading.

As entrees, we tried all 3 highly disappointing menu options. The vegetable lasagna was more like a layered salad of tomatoes, zucchini, and more of that yummy nut cheese. It was probably the best of the entrees, but was still boring and didn't strike me as particularly innovative. The "land and sea" was a variety of mushrooms served with raw ricotta, kelp, and truffle. I'll admit my fellow diners liked this one a lot, but I didn't like it at all. The truffle came off as a cover for the bland flavors, and the kelp didn't work at all, in my opinion. Then lastly we had the green papaya pappardelle, with the green papaya shaved into "pasta" and some garbanzos, currants, and spices mixed in. The papaya had a nice texture, and the dish wasn't bad. But again, I never could have eaten more than a portion of it myself without getting bored.

We finished the dinner off with a slice of cheesecake, which was very good and tasted kind of like banana bread. It was topped with fresh fruit, and was a nice light way to end the meal.

Overall, I was left wishing that they had abandoned the "Italian" theme and branched out a bit. They simply should not call crunchy clusters "gnocchi" or a pile of zucchini "lasagna." It is trying too hard to put recognizable dishes onto the menu, only to disappoint the person ordering it. I felt that they should have been more true to their genre and more innovative in their recipes. It's a great concept, but they just didn't nail it.

Possibly most annoying was the fact that the waitresses, granted a very happy, smiley bunch, didn't bother to ask us how our meals were, but rather literally just said "I'm so glad you LOVED everything, I'll be sure to tell the chef." Get your heads out of the clouds, ladies, and ask us how we really feel!

So yeah, I didn't want to have to write this kind of review, but there it is. The truth. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be going back.

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Elite '08

195

846

Allix T.

Allston, MA

Fabulous Biba and I stopped in on a quiet Wednesday night around 8pm for a leisurely dinner of raw vegan delicacies.  The restaurant was almost full with one or two empty chairs - the servers were incredibly friendly and the head chef/owner was walking around answering questions about the menu and chatting with customers.

Now, for those of you who have never enjoyed raw food before, a quick word of advice - raw food is slow food and therefore meant to be enjoyed as such. You'll feel incredibly full, in a different sort of way, as you eat your meal so it's important to really eat slowly. Since the food is not overly processed your body will do a bit more digesting.

Biba and I opted to each order a tasting menu as this would let us try almost every dish on the menu (we skipped the land and sea, a dish chock full of mushrooms). While I'm glad we had the opportunity to take a tour of the menu I was thoroughly defeated (we had a lot to take home afterwards). Were I to go back I think I would skip the entrees entirely (though they were beautiful) in favor of the house salad (which was HUGE even for a tasting portion) and one of the appetizers. And of course the brownie sundae.

Greatest hits from the menu include:

Both soups. We sampled the regular soup offering - a sweet potato, chili and grapefruit melange along with the newest soup - a white corn/avocado mix with an almond milk base and a garnish of fresh cilantro. The almond milk was made richly thick by the smattering of avocado and the cilantro added a perfect cool compliment to the hot pepper sprinkled over the top. Thoroughly satiating.

Of the appetizers we tried I'd heard people praise the gnocchi and while it was very nice I was blown away by the Grezzo sliders - patties of sunflower seeds layered with avocado, fresh tomatoes, and sprinkled with a "blue" nut cheese. These came accompanied by salt and applecider vinegar dehydrated potato crisps (note to all friends, loved ones and crazy stalkers - I want a dehydrater now - my birthday's in June). The sliders were perfectly amazing. As a vegan the one item that I occasionally miss (why I don't know b/c the real version is sort of gross) is bleu cheese - the grezzo confection did a perfect job of conveying a lighter version of the flavor with all of the richness that I miss.

The house salad was also impressive - Biba and I were fascinated by the beautiful nut -feta sprinkled throughout. I won't comment much further b/c after all, Grezzo is a raw restaurant - I'd consider it heresy if they didn't do salad well.

When it came time for dessert we ordered the cheesecake and the brownie sundae. At this point we were too full to do much more than look at our food but one bit of the brownie sundae with the accompanying strawberry puree and we were able to power through. The cheesecake was a bit 'meh,' so I would skip it in the future - the texture was a bit odd and the flavor was very bland in comparison with the other food on the menu.

Other than the cheesecake the only other item I found slightly disappointing was my carrot cake shooter (the beverage I chose to start the meal with) but it struck me as the type of thing that would appeal to certain palates. Biba ordered a mohito and commented that it was very nice. When she was finished our server filled the glass with icewater to create a mint-lime infusion.

I'll also mention the crazy bathroom situation - yes, it's located in the (immaculately spotless) kitchen. Honestly, it's worth "faking" a trip just so that you can see the chefs at work prepping and plating the food.

Overall not a bad way to pass three hours (yes, slow food) on a quiet and chilly Wednesday night. I'll be back for sure - I find Grezzo to be a good spot for a soothing one on one dinner - a good place to relax, indulge, and really treat one's self.

One final note, since no one has outright said it, Grezzo is a very "intimate" space (read the restaurant is tiny - some of the reviews had mentioned feeling crammed but we didn't expect the space to be quite so small). The warm terracotta walls and vibrant artwork keep the space from feeling claustrophobic.

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Elite '08

1457

581

Ligaya T.

Cambridge, MA

When I was 12, my father was hopelessly obsessed with Ann Wigmore, the pioneer of whole, raw foods, and forced our entire family to convert. My childhood was filled with dehydrated roll-ups, sprouted legumes and mysterious, odd-colored "smoothies." My epicurean sensibilities have been skeptical ever since. Until now.

Enter Grezzo: bright and tiny, ambitious and interesting. And completely transformed my entire experience and perception of raw foods as bland and one-dimensional into that of vitality, complexity and utter deliciousness.

The key to enjoyment is not to dine comparing the meal to traditional tastes, but to appreciate the real flavors of the organic ingredients in their own right. Because the menu changes every week depending on available ingredients, I'd suggest opting for the tasting menu. To Vanessa's point about making the cuisine less nut heavy, sprouted beans can often do the trick without the dense lipid content.

Cure cancer and disease? Perhaps.
Add to culinary diversity ? Most definitely.

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6

37

JohnnyFoodface ..

Boston, MA

The Place:
Chairs are very comfy, and not oversized for me (6' tall) and my smaller lady liked them as well. The problem is not the chairs, it is the place itself. It's about 10' wide (-). This was a shock until I remembered that I was in the North End. I think this place would be better off in the Back Bay or South End, more accessible to folks, and more spacious. The lighting, paintings and staff were great (+). Our waiter Nikki was glowing with energy, explained everything we could have wanted, and just seemed like a genuine nice and friendly woman (++). The tables were coated in a coppery sheet metal, which made it cold for our arms and hands to lie upon them (-).

The Beginning:
The menus are not 'hideous' but are magnetically held between two one-centimeter plexiglass slabs, so they are very heavy and unwieldy. They really need to go away (--). The tasting menu seemed even more expensive and added things I didn't necessarily want, like dessert and soup, but I suppose it is an easy way to try everything. But the menu is so small it seems illogical.

The food:
We ordered two appetizers and two entrees. I liked the gniocchi for its non-vegetable substance and tasty creamy sauce, and the dehydrated eggplant chips were a well chosen sweetness that took the texture in a different direction. My lady enjoyed the tomato ravioli, but I was perturbed that there were only three of them (+).

Food 2:
The entrees were something completely different. I got the 'lasagne' which was essentially a small mountain stack of interesting fruits, vegetables and nut sauces. I was considering how to attack such a well presented display, and just ended up cutting it like a pizza from the top. That served well. The dehydrated butternut squash was a bit chewy, as expected, but still tasty enough. I liked it all except the pico de gallo at the base, which was like a very cold salsa. There was also a flax-wheat-stuff breadstick, that was very very good, but I definitely was left wanting more of this bready-substantial food that wasn't wet and leafy. About half way through (lot of food here) I even remarked that I wished I had a slice of bread. One can only eat wet veggies for so long (+-).

My lady had the papaya 'noodles' (long thin-but-wide strips of papaya in a bowl with other stuff) and I tried it, but it was kinda slimy from whatever sauce was in there, and it had a more fishy look due to its orange. Looked like orange eels. But she loved it, so that made me happy (+).

Dessert:
The dessert was very good. My lady had a slice of cheesecake, which was actually bananas and nuts with a fruit and syrup topping. It had a nice gritty texture, and the crust was well done. They offered some take-home "ice cream" pints that you can also buy, but I don't go to these places to eat what I consider "fake junk food" like so many of the women seem to do. Just an observation (++).

Other comments:
I don't really like things cold in general. It is why I never liked sushi - I kept thinking they were giving me a meal that was half-made and twice-priced. To me, things should at least be luke-warm. So the raw food experience was a battle against one of my core food preferences, but I attempted to place that aside in consideration of this context. But I kept feeling like everything would've been better (not necessarily good) if it was cooked (-).

The dehydrated onions and other things in the lasagne were good; I felt like I could get used to the style of dehydration, but I still like things warm and crispy.

Even with my salads, when I have a dressing, I find myself more satisfied if I let the dressing sit out of the fridge for some time to become warmer.

I do buy into the science, but didn't care for the laminated propaganda at the table, which had among other things "40 reasons to go raw" but most of them were fluffy junk like "because you will feel better" I feel fine thank you very much. Tell me more about some science behind enzymes and their benefits - everything else is BS infomercial.

We did end up buying the owner's book, which had recipes for lots of interesting things, like how to use a dehydrator and make good meals, how to make the fake cheese, etc. which I support because cheese is expensive, usually harms animals, and regardless of organic goodness, leads to their harvesting for dairy or meat.

The gniocchi and cheesecake were great, the lasagne was good for a try, but at the end we were over $100.

This may sound strange, but a lot of the 'enjoyment' that we received from eating here was psychological. The food was more than decent, and some things were very tasty, but at the same time we had in mind that we were doing something good for ourselves, and also with an element of adventure and trying something new. So there is a bit of psychological gratification that we took away from our first meal here.

Thankfully the menu changes weekly, or I would not really have a reason to go back.

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8

27

Laurie C.

Roxbury Crossing, MA

Went to Grezzo and had such mixed feelings about it that I thought I should just review it with a list of pros & cons.  Just for some background, I am a vegan but I am NOT a raw vegan.   This was my first (and maybe last) experience with raw food.   Overall, I enjoyed our time at Grezzo, and would recommend it to any raw vegans in the area.  However, I had to dock two stars because there are a lot of areas that this place could improve on.  Here goes:

PROS
+ Friendly and attentive wait staff
+ Creative and beautifully presented dishes
+ Fantastic organic vegan wines
+ Dessert was absolutely fantastic (Rich Brownie Sundae)
+ I felt fine afterwards.  No indigestion here.
+ Their mozzarella cheese substitute was great with the tomato.

CONS
- Tables are WAY too close together; it's a claustrophobic's nightmare
- The bathroom is in the kitchen which grossed me out... a lot.
- A little pretentious in the sense that people had no idea what some of the menu items even were, and recognizable things like 'lasagna' were not lasagna at all.
- Soups were the weakest part of the menu.
- Too expensive for the portion sizes and atmosphere
- Menus were encased in a huge chunk of glass/plastic - not practical.
- Long wait for our food.
- Gotta be honest, I was craving a piece of bread bread or a potato or something by the end....  it just wasn't satisfying the way I'm used to a meal being.

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7

16

Ken P.

Arlington, MA

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars, and as a gourmet, vegan, raw restaurant I would loved to have given it 5. The food was really quite interesting and I enjoyed a lot of it. Some of it, though, was over-seasoned... I took one bite on one particular plate and almost gagged on the salt (and I love salt). It was almost like tipping the last of a bag of pretzels into your mouth.

And, I love intimate, but the place has one or two tables too many. I like the intimacy of the North End, but if I'm paying more than $100 for two people to eat, I usually don't like to rub elbows with anyone.

The wait was a little extreme, even for a tasting menu. We were there for about 2 hours all told. It was romantic, but I can only make so much conversation with my fiance. Man, I hope she doesn't read this review, but it's true. 2 hours in any restaurant can be an ordeal, especially in one as cramped as this one.

Anyway, I'll probably give it another shot and hope they work out some of the kinks since I went there opening weekend. There aren't enough vegan places in the city (and I have mostly a vegan diet), so my options are usually limited anyway, especially in the 'gourmet' category. But, I have eaten at far superior vegan raw places in NYC (check out Pure Food and Wine, but expect to spend $100 pp), so I set the bar high for a place like this.

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Elite '08

47

131

Kelly Z.

Somerville, MA

Meal was great-- the nut 'cheeses' turned out to be much better than any fake cheese I've ever had-- really a different category altogether-- and the vegetables were varied, fresh, and very tasty. The food was presented beautifully. The staff was eerily cheerful.

As one of my dining companions pointed out, by not heating the food the flavors don't mix, so the only thing you taste is what is in your mouth. With the exception of the nut cheeses, this renders everything to be just an interesting salad.

Delicious food, but uncomfortable seating. I was freezing the entire time.

The Kambucha virgin mojito is fabulous. The cheesecake pie crust was to die for, and the cheesecake itself was pretty darn good. My favorite dishes (there were three of us, we shared 2 different appetizers, 3 entrees, and 2 desserts) were any that involved one of the nut cheeses. An un-warmed soup is less satisfying in the winter/early spring.

Would probably be amazing for summertime meals!
I'll return when my vegan sister/friends visit.

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3

43

Josh G.

Somerville, MA

Caveat: Grezzo is aimed at a demographic I neither belong to, nor particularly like.

I love food, and my curious nature led me to join some of my crunchier friends at this North End eatery. The place is tiny, with ridiculous oversized chairs that make it seem even smaller. But the colors are beautiful. Everything is bright and airy and yet soothingly rich. Paintings of fruits and vegetables adorn the walls. I think every person in my party commented on how well chosen the colors and shapes were. Get some more appropriate chairs in, and people won't be distracted from your wonderful space by the gymnastics needed to get to their table.

A word on the menus. Before going to Grezzo, I thought other reviewers seemed a bit irrational in their loathing. I was wrong, and I apologize. The clunky plastic things are hideous and annoying. What makes it worse is that the chef has kindly put small laminated brochures of raw foodist propaganda on your table. It's 90% bullshit. Put your pseudo-science on the polystyrene tablets, raw Moses, and give me a menu without pretensions to cuneiform.

Water came, served with a slice of cucumber floating in the glass. The pamphlets had me over-critical, so this development made my eyes roll a bit. But really, it makes perfect sense and adds a bit of soothing coolness. Nice to get something other than a lemon slice every once in a while.

The soup was another matter. On paper, a sweet potato, grapefruit, chilli and basil soup sounds quite interesting. But, whether food is cooked, dehydrated, or left completely raw, finessing flavors is key. The whole thing just seemed coarse and vulgar. All the flavors came to play, but they didn't work together. Instead, like a 10 yr-old soccer team, they all just chased the ball, or in this case, my spoon...Gack! There's the chili. Hmph. Grapefruit. Bleh. Yam.

Before going, I read that overdoing the food at Grezzo can give you tummyaches, so I only ordered the soup and an entree. I settled on the "lasagna," which is interesting. I thought it was great as I began lowering the giant layered stack of vegetables and sauce. Then I started to tire of it. Everything had the same texture, with that raw al dente crisp to it. Not only did I not finish, I actually resented the food still left on my plate. But the first third was lovely.

Half our table got the tasting menu. Extra points for allowing this (most places it's an all or nothing thing), but I didn't notice any sort of rhyme or reason to the courses. I realize it's not a true coursed meal, but watching my friends rebound from one appetizer to another made me realize how monotonous the food was. The textures of the actual vegetables were all the same, and were being poorly hidden with nut cream "cheese" and "bechamel sauce". Once you get past the spices in the sauce for your particular dish, you discover the thing drenched in it is actually quite similar to the last thing you ate. I know a ton of things I can make raw that don't have that texture. I just made some good guac and salsa, for example. Plop that on some veggie chips to break up the soups, at least. Or simply utilize more fruits. By adding other textures, you can allow people to appreciate the freshness of the ingredients without getting bored by the textures.

Instead, everyone felt kind of sick. And poor. For a restaurant that doesn't have meat, poultry, or fish (not to mention gas stoves!), Grezzo ain't cheap. My small bowl of horrid soup was $8. Think of the ingredients involved, and this won't seem so reasonable. It was essentially yam and grapefruit juice with some spices.

The best part of the night was the nachos I had with friends at Flat Top Johnnys after Grezzo. We each took about 2 trips to the bathroom before our table even came up, but we felt much better after getting the bar food into us. I don't think we'll be back at Grezzo anytime soon.

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Elite '08

59

71

Vanessa C.

Jamaica Plain, MA

I came here last night & for such an unusual new restaurant, I think Grezzo is off to a great start!

my dinner companion and I each got the chef's sampler and ordered different things, so we practically sampled the entire menu between the two of us.

first and most importantly I feel I need to address comments of people feeling "sick" after eating here. this was definitely NOT the case for either of us. we felt great, full but not too full. everything was immaculate (you have to walk through the kitchen into the restroom). maybe some people are not used to much raw foods but I practically live off salads these days. so I felt great after eating here.

my favorite parts of the meal were the ravioli appetizer that used shaved celeriac in place of pasta. the land and sea & buddha bowl entrees were both delicious and the desserts were both fantastic. the rosemary tea infusions is a must-try and I loved all the non-alcoholic beverage choices. kombucha mojito? yes please!

the meal did have its low points: I was not a fan of the soups and I felt the overall menu to be too nut-heavy for my liking.

I would like to see more diversity in the menu and ingredients, but overall, it was a great and interesting meal. I will definitely be coming back in the summer to try what will hopefully be a more well-rounded menu.

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0

7

Brian V.

Harvard Square, MA

My first trip to Grezzo (and def.not my last!)

Went out with a beautiful young lady to Grezzo, and obviously, my review could be biased based on that fact alone, but ultimately, pretty great stuff here. Great location, easy to get to, fun area, very unique place to have a raw vegan restaurant, considering that it's surrounded by some pretty authentic italian spots.

started with the velute, good flavor, texture (smooooooth), i just wish that it could have been hot. I know, raw, no heat past 112 degrees (ithink!), but still, it was a cold cold night. whatevs.

also tried the ravioli w/ romesco. delicious, decent portions, nice plating. pretty impressed.
for entrees, we split the land and sea (tons of wild mushrooms) and the veggie lasagna, both quality picks. it's such an incredible thing for grezzo to have put together such a decent menu and still having been so new.

dessert was the cheesecake, and it was the perfect finish. not too heavy or intense, but a nice way to conclude a nice evening. the wine choices were more of an afterthought, i can't even tell you what i had. i wish they did full bottles instead of just by the glass.

great interior, romantic, beautiful,, great lighting.

the service was on point, very quick, attentive, and helpful. The price was a bit more than i like  to spend, but i believe worth it.(and we DID get 2 apps, 2 mains, 3 glasses of wine, and a dessert)
Fun place, great location, great service, and really good food.

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50

83

Katherine I.

Boston, MA

--Opening Night--

The meal began with 2 complementary glasses of pino grigio (wonderful)

A complementary dish of green olives in olive oil with live peppercorns and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary were brought to the table.  It was my first experience tasting live peppercorns.  This little experience excited me because Grezzo offered something familiar in a way I'd never eaten it.  It was like tasting freshly ground peppercorns after years of shaking the pre-ground stuff out of a can.

Soups:
Vanilla parsnips & tart, green apple soup
shaved, black trumpets, truffle and chervil $8

(Smooth consistency but too sweet.  It tasted closer to a dessert.  I would have appreciated this at the end of the meal in place of a cheese plate or sorbet.)  

Vine-ripened, red, tomato soup $8  (wonderful)

Entrees:
Gnocchi carbonara of house made dumplings, creamy rawmesan & fresh English peas ~$21

(creative and delicious.  live peas were fantastic.  If mom had served me these growing up, I would have eaten them.)

Lobster, yellow oyster, & hedgehog mushroom lasagna with smooth ricotta $23

(Beautiful presentation.  Though boyfriend thought some fungi/sea weed? was too chewy.  The one bite I had was very good.)

Spicy, filled Anaheim peppers w/ Spanish rice, guac & mole
sweet mango salad ~$21

(I did not appreciate this dish at all.  It was dull and unmememorable, lacking any of the familiar Spanish flavors: saffron, garlic, pepper, onion, chiles, etc.  I was expecting el sabor del Latinos.  What I got was the taste of the gringos.  The plate did not come as described on the menu.  It was not spicy.  Guac & mole...&... sweet mango salad, came as  avocado and mango salad.  I like them both, but not together.)  

We finished with complimentary chocolate cake garnished with a slice of dehydrated pineapple and strawberry puree.  The texture and flavor were very similar to a Chocolate Larabar.  It was good but I wasn't impressed.  There was a slice of  cheesecake topped with berries, the plate was garnished with kiwi and lime coulis-ish drizzle.  This dessert  was fantastic, considering the cakes creamy consistency was made from macadamias - I think.  

Throughout the meal, we could hear every nearby table guessing the ingredients used to make their epicurean bites.    

Decor:  The room was colored with various garden hues and made warmer with low lighting, tea light candles on each table, orange paint on the walls decorated with vibrant paintings of avocados, leeks, pomegranate, and a bunch of carrots, tops in tact.  The table tops were copper.  The chairs were cushy, comfortable, and covered in a red microsuede.

Service: super-smiley, attentive staff.

Cons:  
The menus were ridiculously cumbersome.  They were sandwiched between two piecesof pIexiglass, about the width of a 600 page epic, held together by magnets.  WTH?  I considered myself dextrous until I held these in my hand.  Two of them were as thick as the glass between you and the sharks at the NE Aquarium.  Ridiculous.

Tables: One too many in the row.  We needed more leg room.    

Parking:  I realize this is the North End where parking is notoriously difficult, but Alissa, if you're reading this, I suggest you offer valet parking.  
 
Overall:  Every seat in the house was full of critics, some paid, some just adding their 3 cents.  Photograher's flash bulbs were going off like lightening.  Everyone was having a good time.      

Some of the menu items felt as though they were trying too hard to prove they could be grown up and impressive.  Dishes were surreal and Salvadore Dali-ish, like the cashews turned into gnocchi...haha.  Give me more options of the familiar (tomato soup, caprese salad) and then tempt me to experience something I've never had.  Make it your own, and serve it consistently fresher, riper, rawer, and tastier than I've never experienced it.  Then I'll be a believer and a regular patron of your art.  Because I went in wanting to love you, but I came out appreciating you.  I'll be back.  

Best,
Katie

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0

2

Melanie S.

Lynn, MA

Being a vegetarian for 17 years and moving more toward raw, unprocessed food in the last year, I was so excited for a raw food restaurant in Boston.  My fiance and I had reservations Saturday night for 7:30.  We arrived at 7:15 to find about 4 couples waiting for their 7pm reservations.  No big deal.  We met some great people also excited about raw vegan food and the wait went by quickly, despite the cold doorway.  We were seated about 8pm, but were informed along the way about the status of the wait.

The restaurant was small and the seats were a little too close together, although they were very comfortable chairs.  I felt bad for the couple beside us who had to bear with the plates of food and drinks passed over their heads to us as the wait staff couldn't squeeze in to reach us.  Plus when we needed to use the restroom the diner beside us had to get up to let us through.

Dinner was delicious and interesting.  It was fun to guess the flavors and try to figure out how I could duplicate some of the dishes at home.  
For me, the prices were pretty high, but I saw the menu before hand and knew what to expect.  The bill came to about $110 for two drinks, two soups, one appetizer, two entrees and a dessert.  When you think of the higher price of fresh organic ingredients, it doesn't seem so bad.
For the small size of the plates, we were very full.  I find that raw food does fill you up faster because you're actually eating more nutrients.

I was satisfied after, until a few hours later on the ride home when I started feeling extremely nauseous.  I knew I had to make it home quickly.  Needless to say I haven't had a night like that since last year in Mexico.My fiance felt a little sick, but luckily not as bad a me.  
I noticed someone mentioned that the owner said nausea is not uncommon for first time raw foodies, but I have been on a mostly raw food diet for the past 6 weeks so I don't know if I would qualify as first time. Also I've eaten at Organic Garden in Beverly (still my favorite raw food restaurant) and never got sick. The restaurant hasn't returned my call about getting sick yet.

4 stars for food and presentation
4 stars for waitstaff
5 stars for friendly fellow diners
1 star because we got sick
1 star for tables being too close
Average is 3 stars

EDIT- 3/8/08  The owner of Grezzo did call me within a few days to apologize and explain some possible reasons why I may have felt sick.  Unfortunately I wasn't available to speak to her, and didn't get a chance to call her back, but I do feel that she is genuinely concerned, does know what she is doing and is making some changes to the menu to try to lighten the meals so less people feel sick.
I think the key to Grezzo is not to order too much food as you would in a regular restaurant.  I have added a star to my review because I really did like the food, and I would be willing to give it another try.

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1

6

Joshua A.

Boston, MA

I also ate at Grezzo, had a good dinner, then got nauseous and felt sick all night and the next day.  I'm vegetarian, but not a raw food person.  Perhaps there is some sort of adjustment period for raw food, but no restaurant should leave patrons feeling ill.  Something is wrong at Grezzo!

Update: Received a refund from Grezzo.  Apparently they have traced the problem to the gnocchi.

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18

23

Mary C.

Brooklyn, NY

Haven't been on in a while, but my first raw foods experience merits a write-up.

1st thought: as expected, everything is light and oh-so-healthy, just don't fall too hard for those descriptions (e.g., "sinfully delicious" cheesecake is actually not sinful, and therefore not delicious, although a pretty good effort for being made entirely of nuts?!).

2nd thought: very friendly, smiley service...i felt slightly bad for snobbishly pointing out that the bottled water from italy was at odds with the spirit of the place.

3rd thought: do not come here after drinking. there is just not enough fatty grease to soak up the alcohol (unless you're planning a late night trip to the neighborhood pizzeria for fried, fried food). in fact if you're the type who craves your fried meal in a bag, consider yourself warned: your body may rebel against the shock of such natural, raw goodness.

i plan to do some more experimenting in ny, but this was a fun intro to the wonderful world of raw vegan food, especially more so since it was in the north end, of all places...

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Elite '08

36

208

Erin M.

Redwood City, CA

I was visiting Boston with my boyfriend and two girlfriends. We stopped by Grezzo because one of the girls loves to eat at raw food restaurants. I had no idea what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Grezzo is an upscale restaurant, meaning overly-priced dishes with barely-there quantities. We decided to share everything, as to sample as many of the raw concoctions as we could. We had:

Tomato Basil Soup- this was delicious, and I would definitely eat this on a regular basis. It was cool, creamy, and had a hint of spice.

Gnocci- This was my favorite dish, I have no idea what it was made of, but it was so great. It didn't taste like pasta, but it had an excellent pine nut-inspred sauce and raw peas. I highly recommend this dish.

Mushroom Lasagna- This was decent, and they did a great job of re-creating a sort of goat cheese. They also served it with a delicious basil pesto.

Mojito's- I was dissappointed to find that these were alcohol free, but they were created with kombucha, sparkling mineral water, and mint. They were actually really tasty, despite the lack of alky.

Cheesecake- This is the best non-cheesecake I've had. It was really, really, really good. It was made mostly of nuts, with fresh fruit. I loved it, despite it tasting nothing like real cheesecake.

I'm sorry I don't remember the exact prices of every item, but the total was around $100. It was a fun experience, the wait staff was kind and attentive, and the owner even stopped by to check up on us.

One thing that was strange to me was that the bathroom is in the kitchen. I think it i neat to go back and see all the items being prepared, but at the same time it seems a bit unclean. I was also dissappointed at the lack of space. Despite having reservations, we were shoved up against the walkway.

Being a new restaurant, I have faith they will sort all of these things out and will be a success.

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3

2

Roberto L.

Somerville, MA

Wow, pure, raw food in Boston. Menu rotates but everything delish. Brownie dessert was amazing.

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0

3

anna k.

Cambridge, MA

To tell the truth, eating at Grezzo was nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster. Why? Well, we loved the warm, cozy space, friendly servers, and comfy chairs; we hated the hard plastic-encased menus and the undersized servings of organic wine. We swooned over the "gnocchi" with pea shoots and some kind of nut sauce, which were odd but deeply tasty--yet we were confused by the veggie lasagna with its bizarre flavor pile-up of sharp, crunchy, bitter, spicy, salsa, tomato, fake cheese, etc. We loved the creamy, dense, nutty texture of the  "cheesecake", but had mixed feelings about the lavender-agave sauce used to sweeten it (was it deliciously creative, or, as my boyfriend insisted, deeply craptastic?). We were a bit shocked by the bathroom in the kitchen, but pleasantly surprised to see that it and the kitchen were both immaculate. In general, we loved the idea of Grezzo and of doing something different with the staid Italian scene of the North End, but we felt like it was the same old thing when we saw the overly pricy tab at the end of the night. And we read with interest the pamphlet they gave us about the health benefits of raw food; but we felt frankly betrayed, when, following our dinner, we spent a romantic evening suffering from severe indigestion.

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1

James M.

Jamaica Plain, MA

I stopped in and spoke with Grezzo's owner, Alissa, about the menu.  Some of last week's dishes seemed nut heavy and rich, but Alissa told me that lighter fare, but bigger portions, will be available, along with bigger green salads.   She's also eliminating kombucha since it doesn't work well with some of the dishes on the menu.  I lucked out and got to try a new dish coming for next week - a spinach and cheese ravioli and it was delicious!  I'm amazed at how they create this food!  I asked her where her produce comes from, and she said she gets much of her food from specialty distributors and growers who have their own greenhouses.  I'm looking forward to coming back and trying the new menu items!  I told Alissa that when I return I wanted the front seat by the window since there's more space there.  But I guess they've removed a couple tables, so there is more space now, anyway.  Grezzo serves wonderful food and I can't wait to try it again!

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0

1

Elizabeth C.

Cambridge, MA

I did the raw vegan thing for a summer, and so I feel some real empathy for how much work it takes to make this stuff taste good, and well, like prepared food rather than salad after salad.  
Given the workload involved in eating in this way, I was excited to find a place in NYC that served only raw vegan food: pure food and wine.  This place is the uber-glam, holier and prettier than thou, tragically hip big sister to Grezzo.  To be honest, I was comforted by the imperfect photos of the food on the website, the slightly cute presentation and the far more Boston lack of polish I expected to the place.  And that's what I got.

I loved the food, I took my dad who is only moderately easily impressed by vegan food, and he fell in love with it.  Rather than invest in entrees, we decided to share several appetizers tapas style, which I would recommend.

We had the caprese salad (perfectly done), the gnocchi - slightly sweet but delicious, the ravioli - divine, sublime, etc. and the green creation salad- as good as salads get.  We also had the chocolate cake for dessert which was on the dry side and too coconut-y for my tastes.  I had been expecting something akin to the molten chocolate cake I'd had at pure food and wine and it fell short, way short.

My only complaints are really generated out of comparison to pure food and wine which is unfair because this place is meant to be different, but nonetheless:
- The Cutlery.  Ikea logos all over it.  Tacky, By some used from a restaurant going out of business or something, but Ikea?  Lame.  Of course I am obsessed with Ikea for many reasons, I just don't think they added anything to the setting.
-Drinks.  Fresh raw juice and smoothies are such a big part of the raw diet.  I love the sake cocktails and juice menu at the pace in NYC, I'd love to see more creative offerings than just the kombucha mocktails.
-Wine.  Being a Sicilian girl, I have to say I miss the simplicity of wine choices in Europe - red or white.  no varietals, no grape choices, no regional selections, just house red or house white, which is all Grezzo offered.  I appreciate that, but I think it would irk a lot of customers who are more accustomed to the american shmorgasboard of overwhelming options.

Overall I'd say it was fantastic, the food was flavorful, original, and beautifully presented.  The space is typically North End, small, intimate, warm, and quiet.  The servers were attentive and informed.  I was nervous that Boston wasn't ready to go raw but the place filled up on a Wednesday a week after opening, so I think my fears are unfounded.  In a nutshell they have some small kinks to work out - ie-the cutlery -but I think that it will be flawless soon enough.

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0

4

kim r.

Boston, MA

Grezzo is a raw food restaurant that opened 2/13/08 in the North End. Definitely worth a try! Creative experimental menu. Finally, Boston has a unique option for Vegetarians!! The space is VERY small and a bit claustrophobic, but if you can get past that, you might just love it!

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0

12

Jasmine S.

Boston, MA

I'm sorry to be writing this review.  As a strict vegetarian, I was thrilled that a gourmet vegan restaurant had opened in Boston.  My boyfriend and I were excited to have reservations for Saturday night of the opening week.  The dining room is lovely; the service was friendly; and the food was creative and artfully presented.  However, we both got terrible nausea immediately after the meal.  I won't go into details here, but consider yourself forewarned.  

Edited to add: We talked to the restaurant owner today, and she was very concerned, and said that nausea and headaches are not an uncommon experience for first-time raw foodies.  She suggested that the first time eaters of a raw food diet should perhaps try to limit the intake of too much nut cream, and perhaps avoid mixing alcohol with the food.  (We had shared a glass of their delicious 11 fruit sangria, so in no way was our alcohol consumption excessive, but perhaps these things shouldn't be mixed even in moderation (?).)  She said she is considering ways of annotating the menu to inform people about these risks and considerations.  Anyway, I thought this information might be helpful for people who are new to raw food and interested in trying this restaurant.  I would recommend keeping the first meal light, even if you don't generally have a sensitive stomach.  The kitchen and dining areas were very clean, and the food tasted extremely fresh, so it is possible that the nausea was caused by our unfamiliarity with raw food.

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0

31

Joey M.

Boston, MA

I had pretty high expectations for this place.  I had just had dinner at Pure in New York the previous weekend which I thought was amazing.  I went on valentines day night and it was packed, way too packed for its own good.  The tables were way too close but im guessing this will change as the madness dies down.  The vanilla parsnips and apple soup wasn't bad but like the last reviewer said, it was a little too sweet.  I also wasn't a huge fan of the beet ravioli.  It was extremely overpriced for the portion you get.  The gnoccis, though, were really great.  I was impressed by their texture because they were very similar to cooked gnoccis.  The whole dish was very rich though and it could've been better balanced off with a red sauce or pesto.  The chocolate fudge cake was decent for a raw cake but yeah it was kind of like a chocolate larabar.  The strawberry sauce around it went well with it though.  The cheesecake was definately better and had a really nice flavor and texture.  I started to feel really weighed down with all of the dates and nuts though and felt a little nautious.  For me, all the nuts are a major drawback to raw food.  I like them but only in controlled portions.  Overall, though, I did enjoy the restaurant and will definately check up on the changing menu and come back.  I hope Alissa serves some of the tasty things from her books and tv appearances like enchiladas, pizza, etc.

Second visit:
I went again about a month later and had a much better experience overall.  Do the tasting menu!  And go hungry.

The sweet potato and pink grapefruit soup had a strange taste and I could've done with just the other, which was a purple carrot soup.  This had a great flavor good amount of "creamyness"

The house salad was of course great, I really love their version of nut cheese.  I felt like the nut cheese at Grezzo is more convincing than any soy version.

The sliders had a very distinctive raw/dehydrated taste but they were still enjoyable.  They were cute and fun to eat.  I wasn't crazy about the "frites" though, a little dry.  I think the gnocci has run its course, it wasn't that enjoyed by our table.

The silken spinach ravioli was a lot better than the beet ravioli they were serving when they opened.  I would definately like to order a full portion of these in the future.  Celeriac works great as a ravioli.

The vegetable lasagna was definately the best of the night (besides desert)  The pomodora was delicious and although it wasn't exactly like lasagna it had great flavor.

The brownie sundae, YUM, any raw food hater (like one of the people I went with) would still enjoy this.  Lots of good chocolateyness in this dish.  The ice cream was the more impressive.

Now my 3rd visit:
The sweet corn soup was the best soup i've had there so far, loved the avacado.
The tomato ravioli was also delicious, the "boursin" was tasty.
Seaweed salad had a great ginger dressing.
The land and sea wasn't as amazing as i expected but i loved the truffle oil and sweet pesto.  The ricotta wasn't bad and the marinated mushrooms had a lot of flavor and went well with the sea vegetables.
The apple pave was a little bit of a letdown but the clove infused ice cream was great.

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