Mercury Bar Becomes Pravda 116: A Star is Born!
Written: Mar 24 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great location, food, wine list and atmosphere.
Cons: Pricey.
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| vickie's Full Review: Mercury Bar |
My husband and I always enjoyed going to Mercury Bar for tapas and wine before the theater. Recently, we were surprised to find that Mercury Bar "is" no longer and Pravda 116 has replaced it! I'm happy to say that we like Pravda 116 as much or even more than we liked Mercury Bar. The menu has been transformed in to fully gourmet (matches the clientele and the décor) and it really works! Much of everything else is the same with the possible exception of some cosmetic "refresh" of the attached night club and smallish dining room in the rear.
THE PLACE:
Pravda 116 is a great place for people watching! It is a cavernous space that my husband describes as "Deco-Lux" and I describe as "Retro-Deco!" As you enter this rectangular-shaped space, you immediately notice the 14 foot ceilings; retro, overstuffed furniture and paintings in the entryway; the massive burl-wood, black and mirrored bar on the left with the row of velour banquets for seating down the right; and frosted, red panel neon lighting behind the banquets. This place is huge! I mean there is seating for about 35 along the banquets in the bar area and stools and standing for easily twice that many at the bar. There are half a dozen HUGE translucent globe lights suspended from the ceiling. Each must be 3 feet in diameter, white with gold banding. They look like huge Christmas ornaments hanging from the ceiling. The kitchen is way down at the end, and partially open to view. Across from the kitchen is a walk-through dining room with seating for 24 and through it is a beautiful, plush private bar-again with massive proportions and a beautiful deco style and feel. The nightclub is separated from the private bar area by massive, velvet curtains and it is also open onto a long hall that runs from the bar area before the entry to the dining room. The nightclub is large and continues the deco look and feel. It also has the 14 foot ceilings, a huge mirrored bar area and banquets along the sides for small parties of guest seating. Bouncers start to arrive as the pre-theater crowd starts to leave. I haven't had a chance to go to the "new" nightclub yet, so a review of the club will need to wait for a later epinion.
THE FOOD:
The menu is expensive but the food was excellent and, given the proximity to the theater district (it's right in the heart of the area), we thought it was worth it. First Course selections range from $8 (Field Greens with Chardonnay Vinaigrette) to $12 (Corn Crusted Moonstone Oysters or Wood Grilled Vermont Quail). We had Yellowfin Tuna Tartare and the Oysters. The Tuna Tartare was plated with American Sturgeon Caviar, Chioggia Beets, some "wisps" of an Herb Salad and a Stolichnaya Vinaigrette. It was to die for! The oysters were also excellent-light and flavorful . They were served with an unusual and totally wonderful Celery Root Remoulade, Bosc Pear, Mache.
In addition to the regular First Course menu items, there is a wonderful selection of caviar available! It is Caspian Sturgeon Caviar served with Yukon Gold Blinis and Crème Fraiche. Available is Beluga ($75/oz), Osetra ($49/oz) and Sevruga ($39/oz). I'm not a caviar fan so I can't honestly tell you that I tried it! However, my husband believes that this is a pretty good value for Boston and pointed out that there are a couple of inexpensive champagnes on the wine list that could make this combo an interesting treat for a post-theater stop. More about the wine list later.
The Second Course selections included fish, chicken, beef and lamb and ranged in price from $18 (Roasted Amish Chicken served with Yellowfoot Mushrooms, Parmesan Risotto, Aroche and Fennel Juice) to $29 (Cape Cod Clam Bake; Maine Lobster, Wellfleet Littleneck Clams, Butter Clams, Breakfast Sausage, Baby Corn and Marble Potatoes). My husband and I shared the chicken and it was out of this world! It was a huge roasted breast that was so moist that the clear juices ran right out of it. Seriously, it was some of the best chicken I have ever had. We also shared the Colorado Lamb, which was 3 loin chops served with baby mushrooms, hedgehog mushrooms and potato gnocchi. It was very good. It was not one of the best pieces of lamb that I have ever eaten. Clearly, the Roasted Amish Chicken was the better value! While I was not TRYING to eavesdrop (I swear I was trying to avoid it!), the people at the table next to us had the Cape Cod Clam Bake and their excitement with it was unavoidable! It looked and smelled fabulous and they were (loudly) making comments like "I really feel like I'm at a clambake" and "no muss-no fuss."
For desert we had Banana Beniets, the chef's specialty. These were superb. The bananas were incredibly fresh, still white and firm after cooking. The richness of the beniet melted right into my mouth. I'm not a "desert person" but I highly recommend this one!
THE WINE:
I really like this wine list! It has lots of variety, lots of choice, but isn't "overwhelming." The real strength of this wine menu is the large number of excellent choices which are priced very modestly to inexpensively. There are 10 choices of reds and white "by the glass" ranging in price from $7 to $9. There were 22 whites "by the bottle." Of these, nine were priced at $30 or less, including a couple of Pino Grigio's from Trentino, Italy; a Sauvingnon Blanc from New Zealand and the requisite Chardonnay from Beaulieu Vineyards. There were 23 choices of reds "by the bottle." Of these, six were priced at $30 or less, including a wonderful Merlot from Trentino (our choice for the evening-and a very good one!), and the requisite Cabernet Sauvignon from Beaulieu Vineyards. The champagne selection was a delight! There were 16 choices and nine of these were $60 or less, including Perrier Jouet, Grand Brut; 3 different Moet & Chandons and 2 different Roederers ( the Estate L'Hermitage and the "Brut Premier").
THE SERVICE:
The table service is decent, but nothing to brag about. The host was personable and responsive when we arrived. We did not have a reservation and did not know about the restaurant name change and the host made us feel welcome and relaxed and seated us quickly at a lovely banquet, across from the bar.
The wait personnel are personable but service was "leisurely" to "slow"-and it was not overly busy when we were there! I'm a "slow eater" and the bus boy repeatedly tried to remove my plate too quickly. The waitress failed to offer fresh cracked pepper with the Tuna Tartare and I had to ask a couple of times (without results) before "snagging" another passing employee who eventually brought me a pepper shaker (nothing very "gourmet" about that shaker either!).
Well, Pravda 116 is very pricey, but I think that it is worth it! When you're here, you definitely feel like you are where things "are happening!" There are a lot of well-dressed, good-looking people of all ages and you can spend a long time people-watching. It's not often that you find a place with this much style, in a wonderful area like Boston's theater district, with convenient parking, which enables you to be totally decadent without taking out a home equity loan-you don't need that loan here, but the fun doesn't come cheap!
I think that this place is great for a pre-theater dinner or an intimate stop for champagne and caviar after the show. The "intimate environment" might be too noisy once the nightclub starts hoppin'-but you could do some serious "eye gazing" without trouble.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
vickie
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Location: Waltham, MA
Reviews written: 75
Trusted by: 113 members
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