Sonsie Boston

A couple weekends ago, I went to Boston to attend a wedding (my first!) I arrived in Boston late Friday night and walked around Newbury Street to find something to eat. The only restaurants open were Capital Grill (nothing new or interesting and definitely available in NYC) and Sonsie:

The hotel concierge recommended Sonsie because it was one of the only restaurants open past 10pm on a Friday night (where are we, Champaign, Illinois?!) Sonsie is part bar, part restaurant (especially after 10pm). The restaurant area was pretty empty, except for a few parties that were finishing up. We started off with some white bean puree and a bread basket:

The white bean puree was flavorless and could’ve used a lot more salt and pepper, but the bread kept us occupied while we waited for our main courses to arrive. I ordered the Wagyu beef burger, cheddar cheese, brioche, cornichons, pommes frites:

My medium rare burger:

The burger was actually fantastic; juicy and well seasoned meat, a perfectly bouncy brioche bun (not too dense and not too airy), and very tasty cheese. The fries were too greasy, but I was very pleased (and surprised) with the good quality of the burger.

Lou ordered the short ribs with Irish colcannon and parsnips:

The short ribs were not that great (very stringy and tough) but I was plesantly surprised with the colcannon. Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish (made with potatoes, kale or cabbage) with leeks, milk, cream, or bacon (kind of like a spruced up mashed potatoes). The colcannon was slightly chunky and very flavorful – much more satisfying than the short ribs.

The biggest problem I had with the restaurant was the waiter; he was so chipper and in your face about the meal that I felt like I was at TGI Fridays, counting his mandatory flair. When Lou and I switched plates halfway through the meal, the waiter felt that it was necessary to come over to comment (‘the ole switch-a-roo – it’s the ONLY way to eat’) but when my water glass AND Lou’s water glass were empty, it was okay for him to play tag with his coworkers (okay, I’ve never been a waiter and I’m sure it’s hard work, but shouldn’t you be professional, even if it is the end of the night?)

After dinner, we tried walking around Newbury Street, but the area we were (downtown) is definitely better suited for driving!