A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

New to the Seaport  is Mastro’s Ocean Club, a steakhouse chain with locations in AZ, CA, FL, IL, NV, NY, and TX. We decided to go out with two other couples that I have known since high school. Just a fun excuse to get a little dressed up and out of the house with no kids! We arrive a bit early and wait at their enormous bar in the front of the restaurant. The tables are beautifully set and the room is one open floor plan with a separate private dining space in the back. I like steak as much as the next person, but feel like steak houses are where you might go if you wanted to impress a client for work. For the money, I think I could get a better meal elsewhere – but again, just my opinion. Appetizers are in the $20 range, while steaks will run anywhere from $45-$62. Sides are in the $12 range with a few more expensive options such as the lobster mashed potatoes and the Alaskan King Crab black truffle gnocchi.

We started with a half dozen oysters – lovely presentation, but a bit too sandy for our taste and for the price.  Other appetizer options on the menu include: shrimp cocktail,  lobster cocktail, king crab claws, caviar, smoked salmon, fried calamari and sautéed sea scallops. They also have a sushi selection – we ordered the jalapeño tuna sashimi, beautifully presented – almost like a layer cake.

Service was definitely attentive, we had one head server and a handful of others that were always close by for anything we might need. We had a good laugh at a the table when my friend was asking about the steaks. Our server mentioned that it was grass fed beef and she thought he had said it was breast fed beef (she couldn’t imagine how that worked…) – guess you had to be there 😉

I ordered the huge 22oz bone in rib eye which was cooked perfectly. The steaks were brought to the table and the servers helped serve the sides. I just feel like for over $50 for my entree, my plate should be wiped before it comes out – it just looked sloppy for the restaurant.  For sides we ordered the gnocchi, the Brussels sprouts, and the sugar snap peas. The gnocchi was rich and carbs were definitely needed for this meal. My favorite were the sugar snap peas, crisp as can be!

Even though I felt stuffed from the enormous amount of meat we just consumed (I even brought some home), of course we had to get some dessert. Mastro’s is known for their signature warm butter cake – and let me tell you, it’s magical. I found this recipe online for a copycat recipe from Savvy in the Kitchen and can’t wait to see how it compares! Let me tell you, with one bite you can just tell that there is a ton of butter in this cake – it is so rich in flavor!

We also ordered the key lime pie – an enormous slice with that delicious crumb crust – tart and sweet, perfectly balanced and a great way to end the meal.

We had a reservation at 6pm and stayed until about 8 – our waiter asked us politely if he could help us with our valet tickets (hint, hint). The restaurant at 8pm was definitely bustling – if you want a peak time reservation, it would be in your best interest to make reservations in advance.

Mastro’s Ocean Club

25 Fan Pier Boulevard, at 22 Liberty Boston, Boston, MA

www.mastrosrestaurants.com

Tags: dinner, fine dining, steakhouse