Rowes Wharf Sea Grille

Rowes Wharf Sea Grille - 70 Rowes Wharf, Waterfront (Aquarium)

For the Winter 2010 Boston Restaurant Week finale, I went to Rowes Wharf Sea Grille with Ann, Kyle and Melissa. It is located in the very posh Boston Harbor Hotel. The decor was maritime themed and very refined. As I feared, it was a little too staid and lacked the energy of a hipper, more accessible restaurant. This may have had something to do with being tucked away in a hotel, which I feel always removes a certain authenticity from restaurants.

I had heard about the place in the Globe when they described it as the first truly great seafood restaurant in the city actually located on the waterfront. And what a picturesque waterfront location it is. We were seated next to the window, which was nice even though it was night. The view looks out over the middle of the harbor and just off to the right you can see the glass-enclosed back side of the Moakley Courthouse.

Let's get to the food. Surprisingly they had chosen to put their most expensive entree, the Filet, on the Restaurant Week menu so three of us chose to get it. Knowing this, I decided to go seafood for my appetizer and ordered the New England clam chowder. I'm not going to claim to be a chowder expert, but this was real good. The steak was exceptional as well, although we all ordered ours medium rare and they came out a range of medium to medium well. This was really the only disappointment of the night. My Cheesecake with Blueberry compote was delicious as well. On top of that, our server was extremely attentive so it is no surprise that the Sea Grille ranks at the top of OpenTable's list for service.

It was another great Restaurant Week experience. I would recommend it for a more formal celebration or possibly a date if you're looking for something romantic with a harbor view.