Precinct Kitchen & Bar at The Back Bay Hotel, Boston

After a trip to the movies with my friend, Stacey to see X-Men: Days of Future Past, which is beyond awesome I might add, we were in the mood for some dinner. Not quite sure of, which direction to go in or even what we wanted, I called my trusted fellow blogger friend, BosGuy. After some deliberation and generally me saying, nah to this restaurant or that one, my interest was finally peaked when BosGuy suggested Precinct.

Precinct Kitchen & Bar

Located in the old Cuff’s bar in the old Jury’s hotel, Precinct hasn’t really changed much décor wise. They have definitely brightened up the place with new clean looking furniture to make it look more whitewashed and for me, more welcoming. It was early evening on a Sunday and the place was deserted so it was difficult to get a sense of the atmosphere. We walked towards to the back and seated ourselves at the bar on brushed metal seats with what I truly think was pig or cow fur seats.

We were sat directly in front of a chalk board with a detailed drawing of a pig outlining the locations of different types of meats for the charcuterie platter. Our bartender came over and presented us with menus.

Charcuterie Board

The wine list is limited and doesn’t offer much for the more interested wine drinkers. We settled on a glass of Campanile Pinot Grigio, which served us just fine with our dishes of choice

The menu has definitely changed offering small bites of meats, cheeses, deviled eggs, oysters and olives. Entrées are limited with simple but creative choices of chicken, beef and fresh fish options. We were interested in the meat and cheese platter, however our bartender told us it was a little large if we wanted other items off the menu as well. I think it would serve them well to offer different sizes a bit like what the Oak Long Bar & Kitchen offers. I would definitely have ordered some.

We decided on some bites to share starting with deviled eggs served three different ways. We both wanted to try them all so ordered a bite of each one. Fresh eggs stuffed with seriously heavy on the mustard filling topped with caviar, prosciutto and chorizo. I loved these as I am a big fan of mustard. I especially enjoyed the one with caviar as did my friend, Stacey.

TOPPED DEVILLED EGGS $8 – Crispy Pancetta – American Caviar – Chopped Chorizo

Deviled Egg with Crispy Pancetta

For our next bite we ordered the Tuna Crudo. Delicate, oily chopped tuna mixed with green onion and citrusy lime, served on crispy bread.

Tuna Cruda – Grilled Heart of Palm, Garlic Chili Paste, Green Onion, Lime, Sea Salt – $12

For our final dish we ordered the mussels served in a Boston lager broth with a side of Parmesan Truffle Fries. The mussels are just fantastic and juicy and steamed perfectly. What did surprise us was the broth, which made these mussels so good was not as good to soak with the bread. I could taste a lot of beer and little else.

PEI Mussels – Boston Lager, Coriander, Chorizo – $12

Now the parmesan fries are something else. Just outstandingly good, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the side thick cut fries with just the right amount of parmesan.

Parmesan Truffles Fries – $6

We sat around a little longer as the place filled up, mostly with guests of the hotel arriving for a conference the next day. It made for really interesting people watching.

They have done a lovely job of the outside patio area with blue soft seating and welcoming cushions.

Outside Patio

I enjoyed the simplicity of Precinct and can imagine it will draw a nice crowd in the summer months with the doors open from the restaurant and bar into the patio.

This will definitely be a great locale for a group of friends to hang out and enjoyed some bites to share.