Neptune Oyster - A Pearl in Boston's North End!

I spent the weekend with RRR in Boston. We met up late Friday evening and after some deliberation, we wound up at Neptune Oyster, a tiny restaurant in Boston's North End that RRR has been to quite a few times (w/Mitch and Mr. RRR).

We wedged ourselves into the tiny waiting area with my duffel bag in tow. The other patrons were very patient and accommodating, perhaps because they all knew what a treat we'd be in for!

RRR and I were seated after a short wait and agonized over the menu and wine list. Since neither of us are raw bar aficionados, we passed on the raw bar offerings. We did share the luscious lump crab scampi appetizer with green garlic omelet crepe, fingerling crema and (my personal favorite) speck ham. The saltiness of the ham with the smooth texture of the creme and fresh tender crab was such a beautiful combination of ingredients and so imaginative! WOW!

I was initially a bit disappointed to find they were out of the roast monkfish and clams with charred broccoli, green olives, white cornmeal and black beans entree and from some other reviews I've read, Neptune has a tendency to run out of a lot of their entrees.

I decided on the filet of red snapper with sweetbread butter, artichokes, mortadella, green beans and pistachio artichoke lace. I was a bit concerned that the sweetbread butter was going to overpower the fish but it was so subtle and added an enticing level of flavor and texture to the dish without going overboard. I am also not a sweetbread kind of gal, but it was so tasty and so flavorful that if they didn't tell me, I wouldn't have known! RRR is also not Mrs. Sweetbread but equally enjoyed this fantastic entree.

As demonstrated by my dish, Chef David Nevins has a penchant for combining "surf" and "turf" but not in the traditional sense of filet mignon and lobster tail. This was certainly evident in RRR's vitello tonnato sandwich which is composed of tuna tartare, roasted thinly shaved veal, cucumber salad and a spicy mustard. The sandwich looked so inviting I couldn't help myself but to have a bite. (NOTE: You may remember I am neither a fan of tuna OR veal)

It was absolutely delicious! The spicy mustard really brought together the flavors of the fresh well-seasoned tuna and the thinly shaved veal, which was more like the roast pork you would find in a Cuban restaurant. Once RRR picked herself up off the floor (she couldn't believe that I even took a nibble!), she then had to pick her jaw up off the table when I helped myself to another bite!

The fries that accompanied the sandwich were a bit soggy but if this is the worst thing I could say about my dining experience, so be it.

Even though it is hugely popular, I must admit I was a bit hesitant to even write about this restaurant out of pure selfishness; I'd like to keep this little gem to myself!

In the shadow of the Boston Garden...

Now the Fleet Center (it will always be the Garden to me)...

Some of the RRR's Bryant College gals got together to celebrate their collective March birthdays. Mitch chose Anthem, a "modern American bistro" for our gathering.

We started with a few appetizers for the group: the hummus platter, pulled pork dumplings and chickadee chick Chinese chicken. The hummus had a decent consistency and a nice hint of orange zest; a welcome change from the lemony standard. Crisp pita chips and assorted olives rounded out the platter. It was a fine take on hummus, nothing special but I've definitely have had worse.

The pulled pork dumplings were lager-lime battered and came over an avocado mousse and a green apple-tomatillo relish. I found the relish a bit too tart for the pork and while I certainly appreciate deviating from the culinary norm, this appetizer didn't quite hit the mark for me (and you know how much I love all things swine!).

The chickadee chick Chinese chicken however, really hit the mark. The menu said it was "sweet & spicy soy marinated wings" but in reality, they were meaty drumsticks. The soy and I'm sure sugar gave the chicken a nice crunchy outside and the soy added just enough salty goodness to balance out the sweet. The chicken was juicy and it was hard not to overindulge - but there more to come.

Here's how the entrees rounded out:
RRR: Cubano Sandwich - Anthem added salami to the usual roasted pork, ham and Swiss cheese standard and some chipotle mayo for a bit of heat. Not bad, but once you've had the real deal...

SeeSaw: sirloin burger with applewood smoked bacon, mushrooms, onions, blue cheese and fries. SeeSaw's Orange Julius cocktail was delightful reminding me of one of my favorites a 007 (Stoli O, orange juice and 7-up) - the touch of whipped cream on top was simply adorable! Sorry kiddies, this drink's for Mom!

Rhodey: pepper crusted rare seared tuna salad - Rhodey really enjoyed this dish which she ordered on the recommendation of our server. The sesame-soy dressing added some Asian flair while the mesclun greens, avocado and egg "American-ized" the dish.

O.E: grilled vegetable baguette - this came with a goat cheese spread and some great shoestring sweet potato fries. Oh the sweet potato, so underrated and overshadowed by its less than stellar tuber relatives!

Mr. RRR & Mitch: grilled flat iron steak with mushroom risotto. I told you my bro-in-law was a meat & potatoes man! I had a piece of Mitch's (cause boys don't always share) and it was a nice cut of meat!

Foodie: mighty meatloaf with beef, chorizo & Italian sausage over grilled Texas toast. I wasn't quite sure what Texas toast was but they had me at chorizo. The panko bread crumbs that coated the top of the mashed potatoes were an extra special crunchy treat. And such a great spice to the meat; I will certainly be trying chorizo in my next meatloaf!

For dessert we were intrigued by the fried Twinkie and the molten chocolate cake. The Twinkie was my first in at least twenty years but one bite brought me back to the spongy cake that I loved as a child. The batter was lighter than most I've had and didn't overwhelm the cake which was surrounded with a garnish of assorted berries.

The chocolate was really nice with a molten center and creamy peanut butter ice cream. I believe there was some sort of bourbon sauce but honestly, I'm not quite sure since I was busy concentrating on commandeering as much dessert as possible.

While we are not talking about haute cuisine at this restaurant but if you are looking for a nice, casual, reasonably priced restaurant with a decent menu (before a Bruins game perhaps?) then why not give Anthem a shot?

NOTE: As the over 30 set were walking out, there was a growing college crowd in the bar area so probably not a bad singles scene either!