rob gross

Hi,

I went to Lowell to visit the Peabody-Essex Museum (I recommend the
Joseph Cornell exhibit, through the middle of August, and the origami
exhibit, through at least the end of 2007; they were so interesting
that I will have to go return to see the other exhibits). Following
recommendations of this group and others, we had dinner at the
Grapevine after the museum closed.

We walked in at 6:30 or so without a reservation on a Wednesday
evening, and got garden seats (which I highly recommend; the indoor
area had rather loud music playing, and was less pleasant than the
garden on a nice summer evening). We started by splitting the risotto
of the day, which featured 5 scallops (nicely divided so that each of
us had 2 1/2 of them). Then my friend had lamb chops with eggplant
timbale and creamed spinach in an intense sauce, and I had cod with
bacon bits and mashed potatoes and bitter greens in a broth. For
dessert, we split a portion of bread pudding that was too large for
most individuals to eat alone. Along with a half-bottle of Sancerre
(reasonably priced at $15), the total was around $100 before tip.

The food was excellent, and I would definitely return with no qualms.
A few warnings might in order, because some features of the meal might
be more annoying to others than they were to me. First, our waitress
was extremely friendly, but not all that knowledgeable about the menu.
(She was very willing to ask the chef about various ingredients, which
solved our problem, but at these prices one might hope for more
knowledgeable service.) Second, this is the first restaurant I've
been to where the drinking water on the table was truly awful. I hate
to recommend bottled still or sparkling water, but it's a necessity.

Third (this will bother some people more than me), the menu
description of some dishes seemed to vary slightly from what we were
served. The cod was described as being accompanied by toast with
garlic aioli, rather than mashed potatoes, for example. I don't
object to this in the least, as I like to see the chef alter dishes
based on the best produce available that day, but I know people who
would be incensed by any small change from the menu's description of
any dish. If you care, you should ask before ordering.

I have an amorphous category in my head of "fancy suburban
restaurants," and I put the Grapevine well ahead of 51 Lincoln in
Newton Highlands, for example. I'lll happily return.--Rob

--
Rob Gross (617) 552-3758
Department of Mathematics http://fmwww.bc.edu/gross/
Boston College gross@bc.edu
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3806

dan logcher

Ah Lowell city water in the summer time.. You can actually see the turbidity
in an unfiltered clear glass. I used to have to filter it twice thru a
Brita 2 gallon filter to make it drinkable.

--
Dan

ronnie marks

Sometime near Fri, 3 Aug 2007 00:03:14 -0400, Rob Gross <gross@bc.edu> may have


And here I thought that the PEM was in Salem all this time. Maybe that is why I
get confused by all the New England roads.
--
Truth is something you stumble into when you think you're going some place else.
- Jerry Garcia

rob gross

Hi,


Sorry; I was well aware during my trip that I was in Salem. (I was in
Lowell last weekend for the Folk Festival, and had a lovely meal at
the Southeast Asian restaurant. I guess my subconscious wanted me to
mention that trip also.)--Rob

--
Rob Gross (617) 552-3758
Department of Mathematics http://fmwww.bc.edu/gross/
Boston College gross@bc.edu
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3806