Last night I had dinner at the Woodward in the Ames Hotel in downtown Boston. One of my best girlfriends works at Woodward and had been begging me to come in and experience the restaurant.
As you approach Woodward, the first thing you notice is the outdoor patio. Bright red umbrellas punctuate the lush green plants lining the edge of the patio. Its a true urban oasis.
Inside the decor is a bit hodge podge. While the bar is sleek and modern, the dining room is a mixed bag. The perimeter of the restaurant is lined with a dark, leather banquette while the tables and chairs in the center of the restaurant looked like they came from a yard sale. Just like the furniture, the crowd was also diverse. There were young, post-work peeps grabbing drinks and an older crowd having an early dinner.
Thanks to our Woodward friend, we were seated in a comfortable, corner banquette with a great view of the street outside as well as all the happenings inside the bar and the restaurant. We started with a round of cocktails. They were bright, punchy colors and tasted sweet and refreshing.
We were also delivered a small bowl of pickled fruits and vegetables (in lieu of the traditional bread basket). Not really my taste, but my dining companion gobbled them right up!
At Woodward, the food comes out when its ready, so you order a few different plates and they arrive when they arrive. Our first plate was a flatbread pizza with squash, spicy peppers and ricotta. It was absolutely delicious! One of the best pizzas I have ever tasted. I would go back just to order that again.
Our second plate was the mushroom toasts. They were baked crostini topped with a variety of fragrant mushrooms and covered with cheese. If you like mushrooms, you can't skip these!
We also ordered the corn risotto which was described as creamy risotto with corn and heirloom tomatoes. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it wound up being a bowl of corn with a little risotto and a tomato garnish on top. I took three bites and pushed it away. Thankfully, my dining companion loves corn and was happy to dive in and take home the leftovers.
We were feeling especially indulgent, so we also ordered a side of french fries. These fries were as good as any McDonalds fries I have ever tasted. An excellent choice for noshing on the side.
Of course we had to sample a dessert (my favorite part of any meal). We ordered the brownie sundae which arrived in a large bowl with a warm brownie base, a heaping scoop of peanutbutter ice cream, hot fudge, almond slivers and whipped cream. The sundae was fantastic. If you're a chocolate lover, the brownie sundae is an absolute must.
As we were wrapping up our meal we had a celebrity sighting! C.T. from MTV's the Real World (who I was later told by a friend lives in Boston's North End) came into the restaurant with two friends. They sat on the patio and ordered french fries. He was incredibly gorgeous in person and we melted into our booth.
As we were getting ready to head out, the staff started clearing the tables and chairs nearest to the bar to make room for a dance floor. A DJ was coming to spin at 10:00pm.
Woodward is a definite "see and be seen" spot. The cocktails and the food are fantastic, the service is exceptional and the chance of a celeb sighting is high (the Counting Crows are also staying at the hotel this weekend). Woodward is perfect for a date, a girls night out, or a bachelorette dinner.
An extra special thank you to our amazing friend and server who made the Woodward experience flawless. We love you!
