Great Food at Great Bay, Less Great Service

I love food and I love dining out (way to state the obvious...), but I would never, and I mean never, want to own a restaurant. What a brutal business. Endless competition, cranky customers, unreliable staff, spoiled food, surprise inspections. Who would want to deal with that? Last night I was reminded - loud and clear - of the challenges of running a restaurant. Paul's parents were in town and love to enjoy fresh fish when visiting Boston. Over the years, we've taken them to a number of seafood restaurants - with mixed success. Generally when his folks are here, Paul is in charge of setting the agenda, so he did some research and selected Great Bay. I was impressed with his choice. Having had several incredible meals at Radius over the years, I was eager to try another jewel in Michael Schlow's crown.

Arriving for a seven-thirty dinner on a Saturday night, I figured that the restaurant would be hopping... given that it was the weekend following New Year's this was probably an unfair expectation. While not empty, there were very few diners there at that hour. Not knowing that this would be the case, we had a reservation and were seated right away. The restaurant is kind of long and skinny, which is further emphasized by what must be twenty foot ceilings. The bar/lounge area in the front has modern settees and low chairs for more casual get togethers. I was struck by the small size of the dining room - only about twenty-five or thirty tables. The cool, sleek atmosphere continued in this area with long, layered sheers in the windows, dark wood tables and woven chairs, as well as this bizarre Calder-esqe mobile that looked like silver Pringles potato chips, and this decorative fan-shaped light pattern on the wall. I thought the light design was a nice touch, in that it continued the logo of the restaurant, which is a repeating fan shape.

Our waiter was a young guy who was very affable and encouraged questions on the menu. I had a few and felt that he answered them well, if not with enormous detail or enthusiasm. He was similarly helpful, if not overly-engaging, in helping my father-in-law select a wine. We ordered cocktails and they were served quickly, along with rolls. The rolls were largely unremarkable, though they were served with these long curls of butter, which were beautiful. The specialty cocktails all have humorous names and super creative ingredients. I had the Trouble Hemsley, with grapefruit rum, maraschino liqueur, and a touch of Pernod, which gave it a great anise aftertaste.

And then the food... the gorgeous, gorgeous food. My three fellow diners (Brit and producers of Brit) all ordered shrimp cocktail appetizers... triple snooze. I ordered the mussels a saucy stew of red curry and coconut milk. The curry gave the dish a vague heat which was tempered by the sweet milk. The mussels were served with three grilled triangles of flatbread that made for a great way to sop up some of the sauce. The delicate flavor of the dish was fantastic.

My appetizer was so enjoyable, I lingered on it for a long time, but once I was done, the staff came around reasonably quickly to clear our plates and our entrees were served not long after. The entrees were nothing short of pure art. Served on large white, rectangular plates, the food was arranged for optimal visual appeal, stacked beautifully, with a swirl of sauce here and there. Really, just spectacular looking. The menu is printed daily, so there is always something fresh and extraordinary to try. Paul and I both ordered very seasonally. He got the venison loin, served on a bed of winter vegetables, which included beets, baby Brussels sprouts, and parsnips. The waiter recommended having it prepared medium rare and it was outstanding... tender and flavorful, without being gamey in the slightest. The deep taste was a great match for the earthy veggies.

I selected the monkfish, served on a bed of barley, shredded short ribs, and diced dried plums. When reading the description of the dish on the menu, I couldn't help but be curious about the combination of the red meat and the fish. The effect was spectacular... the rich intensity of the monkfish was matched by the beef, along with the hearty, sauciness of the barley. The balance of flavors, the quality of the ingredients, and the perfection of the presentation was simply wonderful... I was sure that it had finally happened - I was having my first A+ meal. And then it happened.

Or, better put, it didn't happen. Once we were done with our meals - and quite clearly so - we sat there waiting for our plates to be cleared for a good ten or so minutes. I frequently saw the waiter circle around (it's worth pointing out that the restaurant, at this point, had filled out considerably and most of the tables were full - however, the number of wait staff still seemed abundant), but he never came by to check on us. Observing the actions of the staff on the floor, the system became apparent to me - there were designated bus "boys" who were supposed to clear, however, they were infrequently in the dining room and the waiters seemed to feel that the task of clearing was below them. So, we simply waited... and waited... the A+ experience slipping slowly away as the minutes ticked by. It was a strong reminder of the challenges of running a restaurant - the food can be exceptional (and Great Bay's was), but if your staff is inconsistent, the whole experience is diminished. For a truly perfect meal, all cylinders must be firing at the same level - how many places can execute on that night after night? I'm exhausted by the mere thought.

Eventually, the dishes were cleared and we moved on to our final course. I have never been so impressed with a dessert menu. Each item was more creative and delectable-looking than the last. Unfortunately, after much consideration, I settled on the butterscotch pudding, which was the one item that was no longer available. However, I was happy enough to go for my second choice - a gingerbread stout cake, served with a dried slice of pear, a sugar-pear syrup, and Maker's Mark ice cream. Did you get that last part? Ice cream made with whiskey. Holy crap. How could that go wrong? It couldn't - the dessert was excellent. The cake was spicy and moist and the ice cream was subtly flavored. The slice of pear was paper thin and gorgeous. Sadly, the clearing of our dessert plates met the same fate as our dinner plates.

I would give Great Bay at 500 Comm Ave in Boston, a (sigh) A. Be patient with the service and just go and bask in the glory of perfect food.