While I was excited when we bought and moved into our house in West Roxbury, I was also sad about leaving our old neighborhood in Inman Square, where we had lots of great restaurants right in walking distance (and more keep opening up). But then I started to embrace our new neighborhood, where we have some good restaurants, cute shops like the Boston Cheese Cellar, and the Roslindale Village farmers market in walking distance; Legacy Place and the largest Whole Foods in New England a little ways down the road; and now The Street, a redevelopment of the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center, (not to mention the soon-to-open Wegmans) just a short drive away.
The Street is a 406,000-square-foot property located along Rt. 9, and it's quickly filling up with shops and restaurants, from Pottery Barn to Polkadog Bakery to Shake Shack to Del Frisco's Grille.
Last Saturday night, we had a reservation at Del Frisco's Grille and went over to The Street a little early so we could wander around some shops first (any excuse to visit Pottery Barn and The Container Store). When it was time for our reservation, we headed over to the restaurant. I had been to Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House at the Seaport and was looking forward to seeing how the grille would compare. When we got in and up the stairs, the hostess brought us over to our table, walking us by the bar area on the way.
We both noticed the sort of industrial design of the restaurant, with lots of wood beams running across the ceiling and small spotlights illuminating the tables. Red lighting and some sheer red curtains added to the ambiance.
From our table we had a nice view of Hammond Pond at sunset (so nice you could forget you'll see the parking lot if you look straight down instead of out) and could turn to see the chefs hard at work in the open kitchen if we wanted.
We picked up on a casual vibe in the restaurant. Jeff even noticed the rock tunes playing in the background. Rush, Aerosmith, and Pearl Jam, among others, kept us entertained through the meal.
We started with cocktails and appetizers. Our waitress told us all about the VIP, the grille's signature cocktail, and Jeff ordered one of those. The drink is made with sweet Hawaiian pineapple-infused Svedka clementine vodka. It's one of those drinks that's so good you don't even realize there's alcohol in it. It goes down a little too easy! I went with the Kilt Lifter, which has Hendrick's Gin, St-Germain, a splash of Tabasco, and a squeeze of lemon. I asked the waitress if the bartender could go easy on the Tabasco, and I didn't find the drink spicy at all--just the sweetness of the St-Germain seemed a little mellowed. It was definitely my kind of cocktail.
We got an assortment of appetizers to try. The pimento cheese fritters, made with cream cheese, cheddar, and pepper Jack, were crunchy on the outside and filled with melty, gooey cheese. I think I expected the consistency of a mozzarella stick, so I was excited to see the puddly cheese inside. They were served in a warm dish, which I think helped keep them hot and melty, and some chipotle ranch sauce.
The general manager actually brought us out the ahi tacos soon after we were seated. It was like he read my mind, because this was the appetizer I was definitely planning on ordering. The crunchy tacos were filled with guacamole and ahi tuna and topped with a spicy citrus mayo and cilantro. They were so bright and fresh-tasting. Even Jeff, who is a little new to eating raw fish and definitely never eats avocado tried one and enjoyed it.
And I don't know that I'll ever be able to go to a Del Frisco's and not get the cheesesteak egg rolls. These were just as good, maybe better, than the ones I remembered having at the steak house. The crispy, fried egg roll wrappers came filled with tender, cheesy steak, drizzled with honey mustard, and sitting on sweet and spicy chili sauce. They're so good! I don't know what else to say. The first time I had them, I was inspired to re-create them at home. They're
While Del Frisco's Grille aims to be casual and fun, a lighter take on the steak house, it's still known for steak and there are a handful on the menu to choose from. Jeff opted to try the 16-ounce prime rib eye. He likes his steak medium, and when our waitress brought it out, she asked him to cut into it to make sure it was cooked to his liking; it was. The rib eye comes with a loaded potato cake, basically a mashed potato and bacon patty topped with sour cream.
The potato cake was okay, but I was glad Jeff ordered a side of garlic mashed potatoes because we both thought those were amazing. They had this sort of sweet, garlicky paste on top that really made the dish.
While he enjoyed his steak, Jeff switched to a different cocktail, a paloma (which is one of my favorite drinks; I may have convinced him to order one). It's a grapefruit and tequila drink, and at Del Frisco's they make it with Milagro Silver Tequila, Ruby Red grapefruit juice, and a splash of Sprite. (He liked it but preferred the VIP cocktail.)
While I'm usually all about steak, there were a lot of other things on the menu that jumped out at me, from the brussels sprouts flatbread to the short rib stroganoff (and I knew Jeff would share his steak), so I went in a different direction. When I finally made up my mind, I ordered the steamed brown bag fish, which came with farmers market vegetables (baby zucchini, pattypan squash, and tomatoes) and steamed fingerlings and was cooked with white wine and topped with a basil pesto. I really enjoyed the fish and vegetables. Everything was perfectly cooked, and the pesto and wine added nice, bright flavors.
While we were eating our entrees, the chef came out and brought us a few complementary sauces to try. Adding the lemon beurre blanc to my fish gave it a bit of richness that made me enjoy it even more. Stealing a bite of Jeff's steak, I sampled the foie gras butter with shrimp. It was ridiculous--and I mean that in a good way. And Jeff tried a mushroom bordelaise with his steak, which was also very tasty.
At this point we were really full but still wanted a little something sweet to end the meal, so we decided to share the adult milkshake--vanilla ice cream with Nocello walnut liqueur and Creme de Cacao chocolate liqueur. It's just the right mix of boozy and sweet.
We both had a really great experience at Del Frisco's Grille and are excited that we have a new casual spot down the road. While the steak house is a great place to go for a special night out, the grille felt like the kind of place you could go on a random weekend just to go out to dinner or somewhere to grab a bite post shopping or seeing a movie. We know we'll be heading back soon and plan to round up some friends to join us.
Have you been over to The Street or to Del Frisco's Grille yet?
This dinner was complimentary, but as always, all opinions are my own.
