A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

I used to come here a lot when I was in college, and then somehow I became obsessed with trying new places…and Abe and Louie’s fell by the wayside. I am a creature of habit by nature, so this is odd behavior on my part! So, I returned to an old favorite (and having a gift card was a nice incentive).

We sat outside on the patio. Maybe it’s just me but I am beginning to think that outdoor dining is over-rated. And I’m not talking about Abe and Louie’s specifically, I’m talking about restaurants in general. There can be wind, it can be cold, there can be bugs, there are people walking by leering at you (even if you think you’re the ones people watching) and why do you want to sit out on a street where cars whirring by and honking?? After saying that, we did sit outside-it was such a beautiful day out! We sat at the far end of the patio at a two top. Some places have so many tables packed on to the patio you can hardly maneuver around to get to said table. Abe and Louie’s had space around the tables so you didn’t feel like you were sitting on top of another table.

So we sit down an immediately a bus boy comes over and serves us water and a bread basket. And those who know me know that I love a good bread basket. Abe and Louie’s has one. The items inside were good enough to eat without any butter! They had mini blueberry muffins, mini carrot muffins, cinnamon scones and a croissant. The scones were delicious! I usually hate scones because they are dry by nature, but this one was super moist with a little crunch on the outside…yum! The croissant was passable, it was good and fresh but they weren’t buttery smooth. Oddly enough, some of the best croissants I’ve had are at BJ’s. Weird. I know.

Chris is our server. Really nice. Efficient. I like how the waiters here have to wear jackets, it just gives it a nice touch. So we order a fruit bowl ($7), the steak and eggs ($27) and the lobster and shrimp omelette ($19). I get a soda ($3) and it comes out in a bottle, so be aware that you pay for every drink you order.

So this is what a $7 fruit bowl looks like. Cantaloupe, honey dew, green grapes, one red grape and one strawberry cut into quarters.

Here is the steak: an aged prime sirloin, three eggs over easy, an English muffin, and brunch potatoes. (Don’t worry the muffin didn’t come with a bite taken out of it!) The steak was a good size and the meal was quite filling. The steak was perfectly cooked-medium-had a nice crust on the outside and was juicy on the inside.

All I will say is this: Do you see how much shell fish meat there is on this plate?? Yum. The omelette has Maine lobster, cheddar cheese aged 9-12months, fine herbs and hollandaise sauce. Let me just discuss how much I love hollandaise sauce, and if you don’t, you’re crazy! I could swim in a pool of hollandaise sauce (but wouldn’t-don’t worry). Egg yolks and butter-a heart attack waiting to happen!! So I am good and order it on the side…and use sparingly. It is so rich and creamy-it’s wonderful. As I said before, there is so much shellfish meat in this omelette (in addition to the large piece on top). The potatoes aren’t really my speed. They are a mix of shredded pieces and chunks-a little oozy…and it’s been cooked on the grill so it’s crispy on the outside. So here’s the bad news. I take two bites of the potatoes and look down to find a hair in them. Ick. A little grossed out, but hey, it happens. It’s happened to me many times. This is where the good restaurants are separated from the not so good ones: how you deal with the situation. At Post 390, there was a small bone in my dinner-nothing. At Market they made us wait for 60 minutes for our entrees-nothing. So here, the hostess came over when she saw me make a face, within 30 seconds the waiter was at the table offering me a new plate of food ( I declined and just had them re-plate the rest of the omelette) and within a minute the manager was out at the table apologizing, thanking me for being so nice about the situation, asking what she could do for me. I order another soda, and we finish our meal. When we get the check, not only has the second soda been left off the bill but I also did not have to pay for my omelette. Nice work Abe and Louie’s. You now have a faithful customer! I will be back again, and I will tell all my friends (and maybe some strangers) and what good service I received! We walk away with full bellies and a need to walk a few miles to work some of it off…

A bonus was that while we were dining, Chelsea Handler was also out enjoying some brunch on the patio!!

And here’s another fun fact: Most places only allow you to charge food/drink on your gift card. At Abe and Louie’s, you can tip on the gift card too-you don’t have to have extra cash!

Abe and Louie’s

793 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116 Tel (617) 536-6300

www.abeandlouies.com

Hours of Operation:

Lunch: Monday – Friday 11:30 am – 4:00 pm

Dinner: Sunday – Thursday 4:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Friday – Saturday 4:00 pm – 12:00 am

Brunch: Saturday – Sunday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Ammenities:

• Private Dining
• Valet Parking
• Major Credit Cards Accepted
• Outdoor Dining

Tags: back bay, restaurant, steakhouse