Tonight I went with two of my best girls to Grotto for Restaurant Week. Grotto is one of those spots I've been hearing about for years, but never seemed to make it to.
We arrived at 6:30pm. I was surprised by the entrance to the restaurant, which suits the name, as grotto means "cave" in Italian.
We walked down the narrow steps and pushed aside a heavy, red curtain which revealed the dining room. We were surprised by how small the dining room was. The tables were very close together.
We were seated on the far, left side of the restaurant, up against a wall of wine bottles.
I really liked the Grotto decor - the red paint, red curtains, beautiful artwork, exposed brick and the chandeliers.
We were greeted by a friendly waiter who brought cold water and gave us the run down on the menu. The Grotto Restaurant Week menu is huge! There are about ten selections for the first and second courses, and about five selections for dessert. Most places offer three choices for each course. This was incredible!
After placing our orders we were delivered a plate of doughy bread with olive oil. This olive oil was the real deal. I felt transported to Italy with every bite.
For the first course, I ordered the caprese (are you really that shocked?). The mozzarella cheese was so fresh and the tomatoes were lightly dressed and delicious. I gobbled it right up.
Both of my friends ordered the mussels which they inhaled just as quickly, praising their taste and the broth they came swimming in.
For dinner I ordered the sweet potato ravioli with brown butter and sage. The flavors were spot on, but I got full very quickly. Pasta + potato = carb overload!
One of the girls ordered the crab ravioli with asparagus, almond and saffron which she said was very yummy, but could have used more crab.
The third dish sampled was the butter poached lobster with linguine and spicy tomato sauce. This dish had a gorgeous presentation and my friend raved about the taste of the lobster. She said the sauce on the linguine was a bit too spicy for her, but if you like spicy, she'd highly recommend it.
For dessert all three of us ordered the molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. This dessert was absolutely incredible. All three of us were grinning ear to ear and we had to stop talking because our mouths were full of ooey gooey, fudgey cake.
The food at Grotto was superb, as was our waiter, but there were a few draw backs. First, during the meal the fire alarm went off and proceeded to beep loudly for nearly fifteen minutes. The manager assured everyone the alarm was from another part of the building, but it seemed to get resolved very slowly and a fire alarm is kind of hard to ignore. Also, there were several large groups dining at the same time as us, talking loudly and making it difficult for us to hear one another. In such a small space, the noise really bounces around. Lastly, the temperature in Grotto was awfully warm. I'm not sure if it's the basement location or the proximity of the tables, but we were sweating from the minute we sat down.
If you are willing to endure the cramped space and the noise, the food at Grotto is rich and authentic. Visit at 37 Bowdoin Street, off Cambridge Street in Beacon Hill.
