Tonight I met a former coworker at Back Bay Social Club for Restaurant Week. I had been wanting to check out it and this seemed like the perfect occasion.
Back Bay Social Club is located on Boylston Street between Whiskey's and EMS. The restaurant has an illuminated sign over the awning, a bat signal of sorts, calling all drinkers to the bar.
Inside the restaurant, the vibe is Manhattan eatery meets quiet study. There is a large bar that runs the entire length of the left wall and the rest of the space has dark wood tables and red leather booths. There are mirrors and framed artwork on the walls and books and knick knacks on the beams across the ceiling.
We had a 7:00pm reservation and were seated immediately. Our waitress came over within in seconds to ask if we'd like to place a drink order. We each ordered a glass of red wine. Back Bay Social Club has a list of signature cocktails, but unfortunately the combination of ingredients were a bit too adventurous for us.
Though we came for Restaurant Week, I also wanted to check out the regular menu to see if I'd like to come back to try anything. There is a squash salad and a pumpkin ravioli that both sound delicious! I also saw the "Social Burger" delivered to several nearby tables and it looked incredible! Even as a vegetarian, I could still tell that burger was exceptional. It was also served with a brown paper bag full of French fries that looked and smelled just like McDonald's makes. Mmm mmm mmm!
We quickly decided on our three course selection from the Restaurant Week choices and actually chose the exact same items!
As we waited for our first course, our super attentive waitress brought over a cutting board with two warm rolls and a small dish of whipped butter. Warm bread just kicks the experience up a notch, don't you agree?
Our first course arrived and was perfect for a cold, Boston night. Tomato bisque with croutons and brie. The soup was just the right texture and had great flavor. I wish I had saved my roll to rip up and toss in!
For our entree course we had the fettuccini with spring vegetables, lemon and parmesan. To be honest, I didn't get much parmesan in my dish and the dish was cooked in butter, not a sauce, which didn't give it any real flavor. I found the dish bland overall.
For dessert we ordered the chocolate coconut cake. I was expecting a large slice of rich chocolate cake with maybe chocolate frosting and coconut flakes as a topping over the frosting. What arrived was a round brownie with a few flakes of toasted coconut on top. It was delicious, but certainly not a piece of cake.
Though our Restaurant Week menu selections were a bit lackluster, I saw several gorgeous plates being delivered to neighboring tables. I think this was a case of not ordering the right dishes! I would love to go back and test out more house specialities.
I must say, our service tonight was superb. The hostess was friendly, our waitress was kind and attentive, and both a second hostess and a manager swung by to check on how our meal was progressing. The staff is very thoughtful and I like their flannel shirt/white apron uniform combination.
Back Bay Social Club is a great spot for an after-work drink (the bar was packed) or a date. In fact, we witnessed a few dates around us and couldn't help but say, "Awww." I look forward to my next trip when I'll select more items from the regular menu.
Have you been to Back Bay Social Club? What cocktails and menu items did you love?
