Dine-Out Dish #1- Boston Beer Works

The Spot: Boston Beer Works
The Location: Fenway
The Rating: 6/10
The Dish: I've visited BBW on many occasions and in both locations and have never left completely satisfied. I'll start off with the Beer, since that's kinda the point of the place. I will preface this with saying that I'm not a beer drinker so the following comments are based on those who I've dined with that did indulge. Considering this place is its own brewery they seem to always be out of a lot of their beers. On my latest visit, they had just debuted their Summer Menu and did not have the Watermelon or Raspberry Beers that were featured for the season. Figures, I was ACTUALLY going to try that one.

Moving on...the food. In a word, inconsistent. Some highlights of mine were dimmed on my last visit. The fried pickles (usually amazing!) were very soggy. The sweet potato fries were burnt and more like scraps than whole fries. The glimmer of hope were the Beer BBQ Steak Tips, always a favorite and lived up to usual expectations and the salads are always tasty and plentiful. However on a past visit, I ordered the Chicken and Shrimp stir-fry and when I took my first bite, it was so salty that I couldn't even eat it. The server didn't seem to notice that I took one bite of it because when he came back at the end of the meal (for the first time since he had taken our order) and saw that I didn't touch my dish, he asked if he could wrap it up for me. I then told him that it was so salty I couldn't eat it he said, "Oh wow, really? Well I'll get it out of your way then". That was it! Being a server for many years myself, I know that would not fly.

The Bottom Line: If you need somewhere to go before a game or concert (since locations are near Fenway and TD Banknorth Garden) this is a good stop. Don't look to be blown away by service but with careful selection, you'll get a good meal.