Met Back Bay

Nick and I have been making an effort to try all of those restaurants that you randomly think about, but rarely follow through on...such an effort in fact, we have made a list, that just keeps getting longer...not much is getting crossed off.

Last night we decided to try Met Back Bay (www.metbackbay.com), which only recently opened.  The restaurant has two other locations, one in Chestnut Hill and the other in Dedham.  This one is located where the old Joe's American Bar and Grill used to be, on the corner of Newbury and Dartmouth and, in my humble opinion, has one of the nicest outdoor eating areas in the summer time.  It seemed like they were renovating the space forever for Met, which seemed strange as it was a restaurant beforehand, how much would it really need??  The answer is A LOT, because they have completely transformed the space...where Joe's had dark wood everywhere with an older feel, Met Back Bay is light and bright with camel and orange leather accents.

Pictures of the interior from the Met Back Bay website

The space is clean and contemporary, but somehow maintains that warm feeling.  If you did not know if took over the old Joe's, you would have NO idea you were in the same building!

The Met menu had some really nice choices on it, with a fairly good price point.  Definitely on the more expensive side, but some fun cocktails and a nice range food, with lots of different appetizers you may not be able to order everywhere else.  Rather than roles, of which they have a couple of different varieties for appetizers, Met serves hard sesame breadsticks with a soft cheese spread, that really set the tone for the yummy food to come.  For a drink I got the Mayflower, which was a delicious mix of Belvedere, St. Germain, Chambord and Cranberry.  It wasn't too sweet or too tart.  Nick and I did not get any appetizers because we spied some apple cider donuts with a vanilla creme on the dessert menu that we knew we would want to try.  For the main course I got the steak tips.

Kobe Steak Tips Cipollini Onions / Jalapenos

What they do not tell you on the menu is they come with creamy mashed potatoes and mushrooms, that really make the dish feel complete.  The jalapenos, which were also in the sauce (I think), added a lot of spice to the dish, but not too much.  Really, for lack of a better phrase, the jalapenos kicked the dish up a notch.  They provided a nice flavor, different from what you normally would receive.  Since I did not think the dish came with anything other than steak, I ordered the truffle fries, because, who really can resist those.  Of course, they were great, because to be honest, I have not met a truffle fry (or anything with truffle) that I have not fully enjoyed.  Nick got the lobster pot pie, which I was a bit suspect of, because it seems like an at home meal to me...

Truffle French Fries (front) and Lobster Pot Pie (back)

But it again was amazing.  It really tasted like it was a lobster bisque soup served with a crusty top.  The number of massive chunks of lobster in the pie was impressive.  I think there were whole claws in there!  Much more than we certainly expected based on the price point ($24).  For dessert we had the apple cider donuts that were good, but both of us are used to the farm stand kind on the North Shore (Russell Orchard in Ipswich or Smolack Farm in North Andover).  The texture of the Met donuts were not as good, to us, ad the farm stand variety.  However, the vanilla creme was a lovely addition you cannot get at the farm stand!


At some point during the meal, we realized that this was really one of the better meals we have had in a long time.  The food may seem somewhat basic, but Met twists it just enough to add some surprise while maintaining that flavor you are used to.  We made reservations and sat in the main restaurant.  While there was a burger on the menu, I did notice the bar has its own burger bar menu, so I saved it...hard to believe I could!  So Met Back Bay may have to added to the burger list, because if our dinner is any indication of the burger, it should be a contender!