Friday night I had dinner at STIX on Stanhope Street in Back Bay to celebrate a coworker's birthday. I had been to STIX once before, last August, for Boston's Restaurant Week (we decided to check it out after reading a review in the Improper Bostonian).
I feel in love with the decor, the fun concept, the great food, the exciting cocktail list (they carbonate their own drinks!) and the supremely accommodating Chef who made me an extra plate of food, when he thought his Restaurant Week menu might not be vegetarian friendly (and yes, the 2nd plate was on the house!).
This time around I was thrilled to see the decor hadn't changed. The restaurant still feels sexy and chic with its black, chrome and wood furniture, and bar with back lighting that changes from red to orange to yellow to green to blue to purple and back again. Its slightly hypnotic if you watch for too long.
We started by perusing the drink menu, which was six pages long, including a special list of cocktails called the 007s. Each drink was named after a different James Bond movie. Next time I plan to order the "Casino Royale" - vodka, champagne, sugar and mint. This time I decided to be adventurous and order the strawberry kiwi caiphirinia. Sadly, it was too tart, but I still have my memory of last summer's delicious mojito.
We started the meal with two appetizers. The shittake mushroom potstickers and the chicken satay STIX. The restaurant is based around the concept of food served on sticks, but really only about 30% of the menu meets that criteria.
The potstickers were delicious! Light, perfectly cooked, garnished with scallions and had a strong mushroom flavor (I can't get enough mushroom!). The dish came with a soy sauce for dipping that was a perfect addition to the plate. The chicken satay came with three large sticks of chicken, grilled and lightly seasoned. The sticks were served with a thick sauce (a mayo like consistency) for dipping. The girls said it was a great pick.
For dinner, the birthday girl ordered scallops served over a black bean puree and topped with onion rings. She raved about the dish, and I can vouch those onion rings were perfect!
Our fellow dinner date ordered the lobster wanton tacos. We weren't sure what that would entail, but all agreed anything that involves guacamole is a must try. The tacos arrived and were the smallest tacos I have ever seen! They looked like they were stolen off of a table inside of a dollhouse. Despite their tiny size, they tasted great.
I ordered the vegetarian trio (big props to any restaurant that even has such a dish on the menu) which was a veggie taco, a papaya salad, and a zucchini falafel. The taco was awesome, the falafel was a little dry, but still yum, but the papaya salad was far too curious. It tasted like mint, but not in a good way.
I insisted that we ordered the STIX signature dessert which is called the lollipop tree. It is chocolate covered: carrot cake, flourless chocolate torte and cheesecake, all served on sticks, of course. All three ladies agreed, it was a home run!
STIX is a great, fairly priced restaurant in a swanky part of town. Its perfect for a celebration with a small group, a girls night out, or dinner with someone visiting from out of town. Don't be afraid of the sticks concept, there are other great options if you prefer your food unskewered. The presentation of the food is beautiful. The decor makes the restaurant gorgeous, and the staff is very attentive. This spot is also vegetarian friendly, which gets an A+ from me!
STIX is located next door to the well known 33 Restaurant & Lounge.
