Apart from the recent clam chowder and lobster roll I haven't actually been to any place that focuses on serving "American" cuisine. So I figured it is about time to step out of my comfort zone and try some American food. We hopped over and had brunch at Eastern Standard Kitchen located at Kenmore square. Ok so this wasn't dinner and a full course meal but...baby steps.
Well maybe not baby steps with regards to the size. I ordered the roast beef sandwich but changed the fried onions for fries...and it came with a giant pile of fries and a sandwich with the layer of meat thicker than the bun. Now if this was Man vs Food I would rave about the portion size, but quantity is not always a plus for me and this was definitely case in point. After removing half of the beef, the sandwich was a bit more manageable but not enough to redeem it. The meat was cold thin slices and rather tasteless with no real hint of the aromatic roast I expected.
Mr Z. ordered a slightly better fare of the ES Cuban - smoked pork and ham with spicy mustard. The combination of the smoked pork and ham was complementing and was not over used. But Mr Z. is an expert at the homemade ham and cheese panini and this was well a little bit like a dressed up ham and cheese panini without the jazz.
Not entirely satisfied with either of our choices I ordered the Butterscotch bread pudding which has been raved about by other foodies on Yelp. This is a cube of warm bread pudding drenched in salted sweet caramel and topped with ice cream separated by a sliver of crunchy praline. This definitely had to be the highlight of the meal. A little bit sweet but balances well with a cup of tea or espresso.
I must also give kudos to our wonderful waiter. Even though hot chocolate is not on the menu he had one made and it was better than most that I have tried including places where hot chocolate is on the menu. Notably we didn't try that much on the menu but based on this visit my recommendations? Great for afternoon snack where you can get a drink and share a butterscotch bread pudding but not so great for a main meal.
Sidebar
Food: American cuisine.
Must try: Butterscotch bread pudding.
Setting: Cool cafe crossed with lounge. All you need is a cigar bar and it would be like the prohibition era again.
Service: Excellent service - attentive and accommodating
Damage: $15-20 per person so pretty reasonable for brunch but value for money is still up for debate.
Kenmore Square
528 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02115
Labels: American, Brunch, Eastern Standard Kitchen, Eat, Lunch, Sandwich, USA
