Eventide Fenway

Update Review, Dec 2023

Another visit to the northeast for the holidays, another stop to Boston on my way to acclimate (both, temperature-wise and culture-wise) before heading to New Hampshire to be with my family.   This year I only stayed in Boston a single night, which meant I had just one Boston meal to enjoy, and used the opportunity to order again from one of the restaurants I discovered over the summer: Eventide Fenway.  

My first time ordering from them I had my mind fairly blown by the signature brown butter lobster roll and seasonal asparagus dish, and I hoped for a repeat performance.  I was again thrilled with my meal, and very happy with my choice.

Fried Brussels Sprouts (Seasonal). $11.55.

"Swordfish Belly Bacon, Apple Dijonaise, Dill."

The first time I had anything from Eventide, I had the incredible seasonal asparagus dish, which I rated a perfect 5 stars.  Since it was now winter, that seasonal side turned to brussels sprouts, which I also quite enjoy, and added swordfish belly bacon (!), which sounded all kinds of fascinating.  I couldn't wait to dig in, and appreciated that the apple dijonaise was served on the side without me asking.

The brussels sprouts were fairly heavy, deep fried, and with some kind of savory sauce.  Tasty, but, pretty heavy in the oil and certainly not particularly vegetable forward.  They were cooked well though, not mushy in any way. ***.

Then, the fascinating sounding swordfish belly bacon.  I'm not sure I've ever had swordfish belly in any form, let alone bacon.  But, it makes sense - what do you do with the fatty part of a pig?  Cure it, season it, and call it bacon.  The same could go for the fattier part of swordfish (the belly) too.  And ... it worked.  The bacon was in cube form, and really quite salty and savory.  Nice bite to it.  I loved the salt level these bites added to the dish, basically, sorta like a fancier version of a more classic brussels sprouts and ham / pork pairing.  The swordfish flavor was fairly strong though, so could be an issue for those who worry about things being "fishy".  ***.

Overall, high umami level, high salt level, high fried level, and definitely far from healthy, which is amusing given that "swordfish and brussels sprouts" so easily could be a nice light dish.

The apple dijonaise was a creamy dressing, and made sense with the rest of the dish, in the same way applesauce or mustard would go with classic ham dish.  I didn't taste any particular apple nor strong dijon, but the creamy dressing was tasty.  ***+.

Overall, a very interesting dish, and one I enjoyed, but, I don't think I'd get it again, as it really was heavier than I was looking for.  ***.  The portion was generous for the price, plenty of swordfish in here, really more than the brussels even, definitely not just a garnish.

Brown Butter Lobster Roll. $19.95.

"Warm Lobster Meat, Chive, Steamed Bun."

Last time I ordered the brown butter lobster roll, I was able to ask for it to have the lobster and roll separate so I could warm it up nicely at my hotel, but Eventide no longer allows modifications or custom requests, so I had to go with as is.  It arrived stone cold, as it was the middle of winter, so, that was unfortunate.   That said, I wrapped it in foil, popped it in the toaster oven with a little water to steam it, and within a few minutes I had a pretty much good as new lobster roll.

I went into this with high expectations given how much I had loved it before, and they were still easily met.  I forgot just how ridiculously good it was, truly.  Even if it doesn't look it, this thing is incredible, and unlike any other lobster roll.

The bun was soft, lightly sweet, complimented the lobster well, and as before, I really appreciated this style of bun, like an Asian bao but bigger.  Great, slightly unique, base for the roll.  ****.

And then that glorious lobster.  Well prepared (large hunks, not chewy, no shells, etc), but truly what sets it apart is the brown butter.  It is just so succulent and decadent and rather unreal.  Such depth of flavor, and just so many notches above your standard buttered lobster experience.  Unreal.  *****.

I was worried my first experience was just an exceptionally good one, and the novelty of the different style would have worn off, but, nope.  Still adored every bite of this, and can't wait to have another. ****+.

Cole Slaw. $6.30.

"Red and Green Cabbage, Celery and Mustard Seed, Mayo. "

To round out my meal, I also threw on a side of slaw to the order, as I do love cole slaw in general, and given that everything else from Eventide was on another level compared to other versions of the same item, I couldn't wait to see what they did with simple slaw.

The slaw wasn't as remarkable as the other items, but, it was very good slaw.  Well rounded mix of red and green cabbage, and carrot, and celery, all thinly sliced, nearly all the same size pieces.  Fresh and crisp.  Well dressed, with enough mayo to mostly coat the pieces, but not too much to weigh it down.  Well seasoned.  As good as any great slaw I've had, but, it didn't have any extra special magic element, like the brown butter in the lobster roll, the swordfish bacon in the brussels.  Still, I'd gladly get it again if I wanted slaw, and it was far above average. ****.   

Original Review, July 2023

My first day in Boston, I knew I wanted to get a lobster roll.  Cliche, maybe, but, actually, worth it, because it is so much fresher than what we get in San Francisco, and something restaurants in Boston pride themselves on.  And I say this as someone who generally finds lobster over rated, and would opt for local Dungeness crab anyway.  But, when in Boston ...

I had many, many options for where to get my lobster roll.  And of course, I had to make the very hard decision of warm with butter, or cold with mayo, both of which I like, but are completely different eating experiences.  During my searches for great lobster rolls in Boston, one place kept getting mentioned, but with tons of caveats, as it is a very non-traditional roll.  But, the accolades were hard to ignore.

Which lead me to Eventide Fenway, not a classic lobster shack, and definitely not in the neighborhood I'd normally gravitate towards either.  But, I couldn't get it out of my mind, particularly after seeing far too many Instagram posts of the lobster roll.

"A Beantown reimagining of Eventide Oyster Co., Eventide Fenway offers the tried and true classics made popular at the Portland restaurant. Whether you're grabbing lunch on the go or looking to crush a few dozen oysters and a half bottle of grand cru champagne, we’re here seven days a week! "

Eventide Fenway is the outpost of a Portland, ME based restaurant (Eventide), which gives them a bit of extra lobster cred.  Their menu however features far more than just lobster, or even seafood, and it is definitely all slightly fusion and a touch unexpected.  For example, the simple green salad has a nori vinaigrette, the burger has gochujang-talow mayo, and so on.  So while the menu may look standard at a high level, salads, crudos, hot apps like wings and chowders, burgers and sandwiches, a couple seasonal specials, the menu is actualy quite interesting once you look deeper, and, swoon, some of the specials sound amazing (skate wing tandoori, grilled black cod collar, things like that!.  They also have a kids menu, serve brunch on weekends (lobster benedict, crab on croissants, you get the deal), and have a few signature desserts, including housemade whoopie pies (or oatmeal cream pie).  

One feature of the menu is use of brown butter.  For dessert, this means brown butter soft serve ice cream, topped with maple candied pecans and bourbon caramel, that people absolutely rave about (they also have a sweet cream soft serve with chocolate shell and cracker jacks!).  But alas, I ordered delivery, and the ice cream was not available for delivery.  But back to that brown butter.  It is also used in their signature lobster roll, and is *the* reason people go nuts for this item.  It sounded potentially too trendy, too hype-worthy, but, I still gave it a try.

I ordered my delivery on DoorDash, which was quite easy.  I put in special instructions for the packaging, which were followed.  Food delivered still warm, and overall, a good experience.

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Spoiler:  this place was crazypants good.  So good, that I was tempted to order from them again the next day, but alas, only in Boston a few days, only so many things I could try.  I still have a touch of regret though, as both dishes I had from Eventide were highlights of my Boston visit.  I can't wait to return.

Grilled Asparagus. $13.

"Caesar Hollandaise, Nori, Fried Garlic."

Ok, I had to laugh when I opened my takeout bag, and found the side of asparagus.  It was in a large bowl, necessary since the asparagus spears were served whole and long, but also, mostly entirely empty, besides the space occupied by the 6 spears.  I also thought, "wow, um, $13 for 6 spears of asparagus?"

And then I took a bite.  I didn't care that the price was high for the quantity.  This was worth $2.25 per spear, no question.  

The asparagus was nicely grilled, char marks, lightly smoky flavor.  Just the quality execution on the asparagus alone made it a very good dish.  ****+ for the asparagus itself.  But then, the sauce and toppings really took it to another level.

The sauce was a "caesar hollandaise", and although I didn't necessarily taste Caesar, I certainly tasted delicious buttery hollandaise.  Asparagus and hollandaise are a classic pairing for a reason, and this worked quite well.  Add on some nori for a bit of umami, and fried garlic for a touch of crunch, and, zomg, this was just fantastic, and devoured in moments.  

There is nothing I'd change about this, beside of course that I wanted more.  *****.

The Eventide Brown Butter Lobster Roll. $19.95.
(Deconstructed, per my request).

"Warm Lobster Meat, Chive, Steamed Bun."

For my lobster roll, I went with their signature dish, the only item on the menu with their restaurant name in the dish name.  THE Eventide Brown Butter Lobster Roll.  This is what people go crazy over.  I generally prefer cold with mayo but ... I followed the advice of the masses, and I'm oh so glad I did.  Since I was getting delivery, I asked to have it deconstructed, just in case I needed to reheat it a bit, and wanted it to stand the best chance of heating up without destroying it.  The restaurant easily accommodated this.

So, the lobster roll.  The first thing to note is the use of a very non-traditional bun.  This is no split top hot dog bun.  It is not buttered, it is not grilled.  Instead, it is a steamed bun, light and fluffy, much like a super sized bao.  I know, I was skeptical too.  But it worked remarkably well.  The bun was very fresh, soft, and lightly warm.  It was almost a little sweet?  It was plain, yes, but that was needed given the richness of the brown butter with the lobster.  You can also opt for a gluten-free bun if you need.

And then there was the lobster.  Traditional rolls have drawn butter with the lobster.  Butter and lobster go together great.  But do you know what goes even better?   It turns out, brown butter.  Perhaps not a surprise, as brown butter is generally delicious, but, wow.  This lobster was absolutely smothered in brown butter.   It was crazy rich.  Intensely flavorful.  Did I mention, crazy rich?  The soft simple steamed bun complimented it well.  The lobster was cooked nicely, and it was a decent assortment of pieces.

The menu mentioned chives, but I didn't find any.  In fact, there was no filler of any kind.  Just, lobster, brown butter, and bun.  Simple, non-traditional, and a hit.  The best lobster roll I've ever had, no question.  I can't think of a way to make it any more amazing, although perhaps those chives would be a bit of a boost?  Still, truly perfection.  *****.

One thing to note is that it is on the smaller size.  The bun is probably the size of 3 Chinese bao, so, slightly smaller than a hot dog bun, and it wasn't over stuffed like many lobster rolls.  That said, the price was also on the smaller side, at only $19.95 it is considerably cheaper than most, and given the richness of that brown butter, I don't think you'd actually want a whole lot more in one sitting.

During the summer, Eventide also serves a chilled version, with mayo/lemon/dill, with the same bun, but, griddled.  I'd like to try that next.