The waterfront in South Boston has exploded over the past five years. In the last two even more so. Being a resident of Southie this makes me very happy. We now have so much more than Irish bars and beer gardens, and while I do like to have a beer every now and again, or even breakfast/brunch at these places, they are not my first choice in dining.
On Friday I dined at Sam’s with my friends, Marcella and Kristen. Kristen accepted a challenge of finding a restaurant in Boston that I had not dined at and she won that challenge with Sam’s. Sam’s is located in the new location of Louis, an uber high-end clothing store that used to be located in Back Bay.
The second you walk in the door you feel very cool. The restaurant is located upstairs from the clothing store. As one enters there are floor to ceiling chalkboard walls where you can make notes that say “Usher was here” – as he was from the photo, or have your friends unashamedly promote their friend’s website. I swear I did not tell them to do it!
We did call during the day and was informed we could only get a reservation at 5pm or 10pm – don’t you love it when restaurants say that to you? We took our chances anyway and were lucky enough to get a seat at the bar. The evening was still early so being able to see the view of the water and the city from the three-sided walls of glass was breathtaking. The decor inside is clean and retro cool. The ceiling is exposed metal where you can see all the wires hanging down and the restaurant itself has diner’esq tables with metal and white seating. The lighting is fun with large balls of white hard shades that reflect stunningly in the windows as the sun goes down. It all seems to work very well.
Both Marcella and I started with bubbles. It was Friday, that is a good enough reason to celebrate for me.
Once Kristen arrived we looked at the menu. It seemed to be very Asian inspired to me with lots of spiced dishes. We started with the Asparagus spears with shredded egg, candied bacon and tarragon and Steamed Edamame with a citrus salt sprinkle to share. The asparagus is crisp and fresh with a nice mix of egg and bacon that give it a lovely salty taste and the edamame is simple and tasty but no different from any other good edamame anywhere else. That doesn’t meant to say is wasn’t good.
For my entree I was at a loss. The bartender recommended the Pan seared swordfish, with asparagus and preserved lemon-bacon tartar sauce. I am not normally a fan of swordfish but the way the bartender described the dish I decided to give it a try. I sometimes find swordfish tasteless, this dish, however, is far from tasteless. At first the flavor is a little overwhelmingly fishy and I know this sounds strange, a little gamey, but after the second bite my palate adjusted to the flavor and I found it delicious and interesting. I loved the lemon-bacon tartar sauce. My friends’ opted for the Pan roasted PEI Mussels with fingerling-fennel salad and fennel butter and the Pistachio crusted leg of lamb with cucumber haricot verts salad, cool yogurt mint dressing and a pomegranate molasses. I must admit I tasted the lamb and had total food envy. It is amazing. Superb flavors that worked in harmony with each other to bring you a perfect summer entrée. The mussels are also yummy. I am always a fan of mussels but tend to order them a little too much, hence the reason for me picking the swordfish.
At about 9.30pm a guitarist set up in the corner of the restaurant and serenaded the restaurant guests with solos of Lady Gaga’s, Poker Face amongst other pop hits! It was amusing and very entertaining.
Sam’s at Louis is an enjoyable experience that I will definitely go back to, especially over the summer as they have a super deck with outside seating.
If you want to feel cool go to Sam’s!
