The Fens
Boston Alphabet Dining Letter E brings us to Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks, an American style restaurant and lounge in the Fenway/ Kenmore Square area. It’s walking distance from the Fens, a gorgeous park filled with community gardens and a rose garden right in the middle of Boston. The Fens isn’t the safest park at night but it’s just fine in the afternoon.
Eastern Standard
But back to our meal: Eastern Standard is a large restaurant, with both indoor and outdoor seating. When we went it was a bit chilly outside, so we were seated indoors. The service seemed a bit slower than I’m used to, perhaps because it was such a large venue. It took a while for us to get seated, and even longer for our waitress to reach our table.
However, I was made happy by the warm, fresh bread that finally came out. What’s more, it was accompanied by delicious pickled vegetables!
Bread & Pickled Veggies
Whiskey Sour, which came out very weak. Even I couldn’t taste any whiskey when I took a sip, and I’m sensitive to whiskey since it’s not my favorite.
We ordered calamari as a starter. It was solid, with light breading that didn’t fall off as soon as you picked it up. Quick Tip: This is a starter that I wouldn’t get to split with just two people. The large fried portions would be better for a group so you could have more room for your entree.
Seared Salmon, with asparagus, grain mustard and flageolet beans. It was good – not mind-blowing, but a solid meal.
I ordered the Standard Burger with brioche bun. The blurry picture doesn’t do this patty justice. The burger was very good – juicy and full of flavor.
I only wish the fries were normal sized rather than these little things. You have to eat so many of them! That said, the brioche bun was the cherry on top of a great burger. Soft and sweet, perfection!
The Fens
Here’s another shot of the pretty Fens nearby.
There’s a lot of hype around the Eastern Standard. It’s one of those places everyone has to go at least once. Maybe the hype created the let-down. All in all, my experience at Eastern Standard was just that – standard. It wasn’t life-changing, but it wasn’t bad either.
It’s all in the name. Good meal, good venue, if not overpriced for what you get. For $40+, I would expect a magical burger and calamari. But that’s just me! It was still a good experience, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a special night.
