Eastern Standard Sets It High

My mom finally decided to take advantage of the spectacular birthday present I gave her. She was coming into Boston for her first of four free appointments, this time to get her hands and feet done (I think there's another name for that). Regardless, she got a few recommendations for good eateries in Kenmore Square. The pub we looked at was closed, so we headed over to option number two, Eastern Standard.

Located at 528 Commonwealth Ave (617-933-5000), Eastern Standard sports a fairly petite menu but high quality atmosphere and cuisine. The restaurant itself is very clean and elegant (above). The seating included a beautiful looking bar, which I will likely attend after August 2, and the booths were extremely comfortable.

We were served bread to start, which had a very tough crust but was warm and soft on the inside. For our main courses, my mom and I decided to split the daily special, a rabbit pot pie, and mussels. The rabbit was overshadowed by the heavy dose of potatoes - and your typical pot pie ingredients. The rabbit I did find within the pot pie was tender and delicious. The mussels were good but not worth much talk time. It was pretty much your typical bowl of mussels. The sauce in the bottom of the bowl was a nice addition. It was sweet and tasted similar to a honey mustard sauce. I actually speculated that the sauce served with the mussels was the same dipping sauce served with the french fries.

My mom, who tends to not order dessert and just pick at everyone elses, chose the Chocolate Torte for dessert. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the chocolate was as thick as fudge and just as good. A small scoop of pistachio was served on the aside, but it was not plentiful enough to down the triangular block of thick fudge. Still, we marched on and managed to finish, using water instead of ice cream to get the fudge down.

For $45 before the tip, Eastern Standard was definately worth checking out, and I plan to go back for another meal. At the very least, I will go back for the beautiful bar in August. If there was any downfall, it would have to be the size of the menu. Additional choices would definately go a long way. Our waitress was also a little off, but she got us our food just fine. One last comment: it was getting cold when we got there, but the outdoor arrangement appeared to be ideal for summer dining in Kenmore Square.