We have been going to this restaurant since they opened. This time the menu was very creative and food was divine. We tried 4 appetizers, 2 main course and 3 deserts. It was outstanding!!! Congratulations to the chef.
Kevin
It has been 2 years since we were here last. New chef, new “concept” “representing the chef's vision”. In our collective judgement the chef needs to get his/her vision checked. It clearly is not focused on the customer. Mostly small plates; salted radishes with a quarter inch thick inedible pulp on the outside which once removed revealed tasty but unsalted radishes since the salt came off when the pulp was removed. Grilled Asparagus under cooked but edible. Duck Liver Mouse was good but pickles that accompanied it were not. Boudin Blanc with parsnips were good. Two orders of the Hake (main course)were left half eaten due to the drastically over salted nature of the preparation. Hake can be a very good fish if treated properly. This was not. Finally, this evening out was to celebrate my wife's birthday with our grown son who is also a very good cook and well experienced in the restaurant world. My wife's favorite desert is Crème Caramel which was listed in 80 Thoreau's on line menu and one of the primary reasons we chose to go there. Upon ordering it we were informed that it had been off the menu for some time but the on line menu had not been changed. My message to all restaurants is to treat your customers with respect. You will never when know when customers will have made a booking at your establishment because of single dish they saw on your posted menu which was taken off the rotation but never changed on line. But they will remember their disappointment, and research shows they will tell others of their disappointment 4 to 5 times within a year. Make someone in your business responsible for checking daily that your online menu is accurate. It is worth the effort.
mjet
Disappointed in the small bites, limited menu. Not enough choices. This was a great place to bring a group for a nice dinner, but there is nothing on the menu for a picky eater anymore. The old burger was excellent. Cauliflower and Hake were my favorite dishes. Beef cheek was a big disappointment.
Elaina
Very nice ambiance and our service was amazing! Bar drinks were outstanding. We enjoyed most of the small dishes we ordered but a couple were underwhelming.
Peter
The new menu is exquisite. I experienced a bit of a learning curve, having expected to come for a plate of something, but the three small plates--wow. Each more surprising and gratifying than the one before.
Oded Benyo
Wow! Excellent food, delightful service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seared Duck Breast
Scott Thompson
You can tell the difference when you savor home-made pasta with flavors that transport you to another space and time... Like writing a novel, the dishes are arranged and delicately cooked to inspire us - perhaps nearly as much as Thoreau does?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
charles deleuze
It was our place to go… becoming very pricey with not much food in the plate. Do not recommend the lamb Which taste like sheep.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seared Duck Breast
Rachel Susan E.
Cocktails surprisingly small glasses and not filled up. Hamachi crudo appetizer pretty tasteless. Halibut entree very tasty.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Danielle
Nice selection of uniquely prepared dishes. Nothing was overly salted so you could truly taste the freshness of the ingredients. Wonderful cocktails and wine selection. Basque cheesecake out of this world! First place I have found that I want to go back to.
Really great food in an intimate environment with great service. Went during the corn and tomato event they do,.and has the chef's tasting menu - great swordfish dish with perfectly prepared main and great garnish. Desert was particularly good with a novel peach and tomato tart which was well done. Our server was super attentive and great at his "be there without being seen" focus, and bartender made great wine and cocktail recommendations. Overall excellent meal!
Dietary restrictions: GF friendly!
Parking: Entrance is not lit well
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Swordfish
Adam
The food was amazing. It was so well done. However, the service was awful. It took almost 30 minutes for a drink order. Just to take an order. We weren't in a rush but the pace was so just ridiculous. Just to get bread took 45 minutes and three requests. We also got a random champagne from the house for our anniversary but it came 20 minutes after our drinks finally came. Nice gesture but it didn't go with anything. Fortunately, the food was outstanding from the flavor side but mine was cold. No one came to check on us once while eating. Overall, we will be back because we so enjoyed the food. Hoping the service is better next time.
80 Thoreau is one of those gems that always has excellent food, atmosphere & service that is as good or better than many places in Boston. The menu is just the right size so there are choices, but still seasonal & fresh. It's not as noisy as many restaurants so you can have a relaxed, non rushed evening catching up with friends. In our last visit our party tried the Sea Bass, duck and steak. All were done perfectly. Portions were also in the Goldilock zone, not too big or small. If you partake try their cocktails, I always find they are truly crafted with ingredients they make there. Just had an olive oil gin drink that was not at all what I expected and just perfect.
Barbara
Most of what we ordered was very good, but we were a bit unhappy with our service. It took forever to get our drink order, and the rest of the service was only slightly more timely.
Anthony
We started with an acorn squash salad which was very unique and tasty. For entrees my wife had the Black Bass and I ordered the Petite Filet. Both dishes were wonderful. My filet was a medium rare cooked perfectly with a delightful fennel side dish. For dessert we shared a CHOUX CRACKLIN' a pastry with Smoked Chocolate, Marshmallow, and Caramel. It was quite good.
We have been going to this restaurant since they opened. This time the menu was very creative and food was divine. We tried 4 appetizers, 2 main course and 3 deserts. It was outstanding!!! Congratulations to the chef.
It has been 2 years since we were here last. New chef, new “concept” “representing the chef's vision”. In our collective judgement the chef needs to get his/her vision checked. It clearly is not focused on the customer. Mostly small plates; salted radishes with a quarter inch thick inedible pulp on the outside which once removed revealed tasty but unsalted radishes since the salt came off when the pulp was removed. Grilled Asparagus under cooked but edible. Duck Liver Mouse was good but pickles that accompanied it were not. Boudin Blanc with parsnips were good. Two orders of the Hake (main course)were left half eaten due to the drastically over salted nature of the preparation. Hake can be a very good fish if treated properly. This was not. Finally, this evening out was to celebrate my wife's birthday with our grown son who is also a very good cook and well experienced in the restaurant world. My wife's favorite desert is Crème Caramel which was listed in 80 Thoreau's on line menu and one of the primary reasons we chose to go there. Upon ordering it we were informed that it had been off the menu for some time but the on line menu had not been changed. My message to all restaurants is to treat your customers with respect. You will never when know when customers will have made a booking at your establishment because of single dish they saw on your posted menu which was taken off the rotation but never changed on line. But they will remember their disappointment, and research shows they will tell others of their disappointment 4 to 5 times within a year. Make someone in your business responsible for checking daily that your online menu is accurate. It is worth the effort.
Disappointed in the small bites, limited menu. Not enough choices. This was a great place to bring a group for a nice dinner, but there is nothing on the menu for a picky eater anymore. The old burger was excellent. Cauliflower and Hake were my favorite dishes. Beef cheek was a big disappointment.
Very nice ambiance and our service was amazing! Bar drinks were outstanding. We enjoyed most of the small dishes we ordered but a couple were underwhelming.
The new menu is exquisite. I experienced a bit of a learning curve, having expected to come for a plate of something, but the three small plates--wow. Each more surprising and gratifying than the one before.
Wow! Excellent food, delightful service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seared Duck Breast
You can tell the difference when you savor home-made pasta with flavors that transport you to another space and time... Like writing a novel, the dishes are arranged and delicately cooked to inspire us - perhaps nearly as much as Thoreau does?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It was our place to go… becoming very pricey with not much food in the plate. Do not recommend the lamb Which taste like sheep.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seared Duck Breast
Cocktails surprisingly small glasses and not filled up. Hamachi crudo appetizer pretty tasteless. Halibut entree very tasty.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Nice selection of uniquely prepared dishes. Nothing was overly salted so you could truly taste the freshness of the ingredients. Wonderful cocktails and wine selection. Basque cheesecake out of this world! First place I have found that I want to go back to.
Restaurantji Recommends
Really great food in an intimate environment with great service. Went during the corn and tomato event they do,.and has the chef's tasting menu - great swordfish dish with perfectly prepared main and great garnish. Desert was particularly good with a novel peach and tomato tart which was well done. Our server was super attentive and great at his "be there without being seen" focus, and bartender made great wine and cocktail recommendations. Overall excellent meal!
Dietary restrictions: GF friendly!
Parking: Entrance is not lit well
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Swordfish
The food was amazing. It was so well done. However, the service was awful. It took almost 30 minutes for a drink order. Just to take an order. We weren't in a rush but the pace was so just ridiculous. Just to get bread took 45 minutes and three requests. We also got a random champagne from the house for our anniversary but it came 20 minutes after our drinks finally came. Nice gesture but it didn't go with anything. Fortunately, the food was outstanding from the flavor side but mine was cold. No one came to check on us once while eating. Overall, we will be back because we so enjoyed the food. Hoping the service is better next time.
80 Thoreau is one of those gems that always has excellent food, atmosphere & service that is as good or better than many places in Boston. The menu is just the right size so there are choices, but still seasonal & fresh. It's not as noisy as many restaurants so you can have a relaxed, non rushed evening catching up with friends. In our last visit our party tried the Sea Bass, duck and steak. All were done perfectly. Portions were also in the Goldilock zone, not too big or small. If you partake try their cocktails, I always find they are truly crafted with ingredients they make there. Just had an olive oil gin drink that was not at all what I expected and just perfect.
Most of what we ordered was very good, but we were a bit unhappy with our service. It took forever to get our drink order, and the rest of the service was only slightly more timely.
We started with an acorn squash salad which was very unique and tasty. For entrees my wife had the Black Bass and I ordered the Petite Filet. Both dishes were wonderful. My filet was a medium rare cooked perfectly with a delightful fennel side dish. For dessert we shared a CHOUX CRACKLIN' a pastry with Smoked Chocolate, Marshmallow, and Caramel. It was quite good.
Loading...