Grill 23 & Bar – Number 30
August 4, 2019
We’re in America and it’s time for a steak at Grill 23 & Bar. Â I still believe nobody can do steak quite like the USA. Â Grill 23 & Bar is apparently an institution in the Boston restaurant scene, having been around for more than 30 years. First impressions on walking in? Â It’s big, it’s white tablecloth and the waiters are all kitted out in matching white jackets. Â This is old school fine dining and it’s busy. Â Our usual ‘drink at the bar’ is not possible as there is literally no space in the bar area; a shame as it looks like a great bar. Â Oh well, to the table for our cocktails.
We’re here with Clark’s parents. Â One an absolute lover of seafood and oysters (Clark’s Mum, Chris), and the other an absolute lover of steak (Clark’s Dad Tony, who made the request to go to a really good steak house). Â Hmm, what to order? Â Oysters to start and steak for main. Â Easy. Â The menu is a bit of a shocker on the price side, the steaks we ordered were all $50 or more, and sides need to to be ordered separately. Â Add to that a couple of cocktails and some wine. Â Ouch. Â
The oysters were fabulous, as expected. Â The steaks, however, went above and beyond. Â Cooked perfectly, succulent and full of flavour. Â Clark said it is the best steak he’s ever had, to which there was much nodding and agreement from Chris and Tony. Â I opted for the rack of lamb, which was also beautifully cooked and delicious. Â They certainly know their meat and they know how to cook it.
A lot of the restaurants we’ve been visiting have been small and quirky neighbourhood restaurants, with a personal and friendly service and food that is on the more experimental, non-traditional side. Â Grill 23 is a stark contrast. Â The food is very traditional; the service is polite and knowledgable, but somewhat lacking in personality; the music is….actually, there is no music, but I half expected there to be a man tinkering on a piano; there are no bursts of laughter or loud tables, it feels as though everyone is on their best behaviour. Â Julia Roberts’ ‘Pretty Woman’ would be feeling uncomfortable at this point (Clark even wore a jacket).
I’m so glad there were four of us. Â We created our own little family bubble where jokes and laughter and inappropriate comments about our neighbouring diners were totally allowed. Â Where it was completely OK to have a glass of wine and a beer chaser on the side, and where food was passed from plate to plate so we could all try a bit of everything. Â Fork contamination inevitable and frankly who cares, we’re family. Â As for the traditional food; when steak is this good, who wants it “messed” with? Â Although we wouldn’t go again (we have a definite preference for the smaller, more personal feeling restaurant), we had a great evening and even earned ourselves brownie points for taking Clark’s parents to such a great steak house.
