Schlow Shows Greatness:
Great Bay lives up to the hype - Scott Kearnan

Though none of us have consistent schedules that allow us to attend on a weekly basis, my friends and I have tried to schedule somewhat regular “Thursday night drink” evenings at a rotating series of venues around town. From high-end lounges to dive bars, each spot serves as a different backdrop for us to catch up, talk about our weeks, and stave off the emotional distance that often grows between busy twenty-somethings when they no longer have the time (or money, or energy, or…) to devote themselves to regular socializing.

Except Art Bar, of course. There’s always time for Art Bar. Ahem.

Anyway, one of our most recent (and well attended) cocktail outings took place at Great Bay, the second of chef Michael Schlow’s upscale Boston eateries. (For those too lazy to scroll down, I’ll refresh your memory: My last blog entry visited Radius).

It’s always fun to meet up with my motley assemblage of local pals. I’m inclined to describe each of them, idiosyncrasies and all, in luscious detail… but I’d rather not get a martini in the face next Thursday, when I’m harangued for referring to Friend Z as “the delightfully eccentric one.” Any pair of overly sensitive XX chromosomes will undoubtedly interpret that as “you called me the crazy bitch!” So I’ll just cut this one off at the pass.

Great Bay is a great place to meet up for an informal occasion like this. Though the atmosphere is fairly upscale, the décor and service is completely unpretentious and unassuming. There is none of the hoity-toity posturing that greets you at Radius. It only strengthens my growing opinion that, at least in this city, attitude often works in inverse proportion to quality: The more self-assured the place seems to be, the less self-assured they have a right to be. Of course, there are exceptions… but often, there’s a Napoleon complex going on behind the scenes, and attempts are made to veil middling quality with a whole lot of SASS.

None of that was necessary at Great Bay. We were all able to kick back, relax, and take in the open, airy décor and high ceilings while comfortably sipping our martinis (for the record, I recommend “The Poe”). And though only a few members of our dozen-numbered party decided to add food - as well as vodka - to their palate, there was a no-pressure attitude that suggested we could stay all night and get just as schnockered as we pleased. That’s my kind of place.

Naturally, being one of the fatties of the crew, I did have something off the menu… a surprisingly delicious Olive Oil Poached Halibut… a heavenly taste of the aquatic. I say “surprisingly delicious” because I was taken completely off guard by how well the added garnishes of pumpkin and house cured bacon complemented the dish. But then, I guess that sort of thing is Schlow’s forte, not all. He cooks it up, I’ll just rub my belly, sip my drink, grin with delight, and catch up with some pals.

Like my delightfully eccentric friend (sorry, sweetie).

After a disappointing first round at Radius we can declare Great Bay a VICTORY for the Schlow trinity!