Schlow me the Money!:
Visiting the Boston Restauranteur's Three Establishments, One Dish at A Time...
- Scott Kearnan
This time... the inner circle of RADIUS!
When chef Michael Schlow opened Radius in 1999, he may not have known that his high-end restaurant – nestled rather discreetly by South Station – would be the first in a triad of Boston establishments. Amid much pomp and circumstance, Radius, the Italian eatery Via Matta and Kenmore Square’s seafood haven Great Bay have become something of a divine trinity for local food snobs: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Halibut.
Given his moderate level of local fame, I was curious whether Schlow’s establishments truly live up to the hype. Eager to put things to the taste test, I’ve visited each dining destination to recount the results with amazing alliteration to you, my ravenous reader. Herewith, the first in three courses of epicurean education:
At first, entering Radius is a heady experience. Red hues and dark woods exude a confident poshness that makes a great first impression. There’s some cleverness: The host escorts patrons through a Dutch door, into a main dining area that is shaped like a half-circle (entering the radius, get it?). Corinthian pillars and bronzed leaves are nice touches that lightly reference the history of Greek mathematics without suggesting “Tonight’s Special: Gyros!” Closer inspection, though, implies a lack of attention to detail (our booth area had a rushed paint job that was ten layers too thick and a few runs too many) and some garish, tacky choices of decor. What can only be described as a shower curtain cordons off a separate dining room, making the entrance look like a car wash. And is there any excuse for drop ceiling over a $40 entrée? Though no No. 2 pencils were around, I was tempted to toss my steak knife into the spongy overhead tiling and relive those days of nasty, kindergarten tricks. It is, after all, pretty juvenile.
Service was top notch. Our waitress could not have been more attentive, better informed or more pleasant. It was among the best service I have had, though great things are expected when your night’s cumulative tips exceed the national budget of several small nations.
First courses were adequate: My own potato gnocchi was quite good, if unspectacular. But “unspectacular” seemed to be the watchword of the evening… something that is simply unacceptable for this price level and level of expectation. My companion’s Virginia Black Bass was only “okay,” and my own Herb-Basted Giannone Chicken was quite disappointing… cold and boring. Crème Brulee was a nice finish to the evening, though to be quite honest you could put burnt sugar on top of just about anything and I’d be happy as the clam imbibed earlier that evening. Which is a comment on my immense love of Crème Brulee, not my level of sophistication. Swear it.
According to his biography on starchefs.com, Schlow’s 92-mph fastball garnered him a baseball scholarship back in his home of New York City… but given the atrocious décor and bland, disappointing food that was unable to live up to the hype and price point, this first of three innings ends with a big, fat…
STRIKE – OUT!
Next time… Will there be great things at Great Bay?
