There are only four real entrées, and at least three are excellent. Pan-roasted cod ($17) is a vertical plate of scalloped red potatoes, topped with perfectly cooked meaty codfish, and that in turn is topped with stewed tomatoes. Pollo bella Napoli ($17) is a variant on the popular dish of pork and peppers, typically served with oven-roasted potatoes. Here, the chicken is in boneless chunks with green bell peppers, and the potatoes are in a vinegary sauce that I liked enough to ask for more bread with which to sop it up.
Florentine steak (market price; recently $24) would be, in Florence, a thick Porterhouse served blood-rare. I requested medium-rare, and the steak (cooked to order) was one of those trapezoidal cuts that are hard to place: top sirloin? Tip steak? Club steak? Whatever it was, it had a good balance of tenderness and beefiness, with a bit of sauce (or seasoned jus) that made it special. The smashed potatoes, skin-on with some herbal mix-ins, were superb.
The wine policy at Ivy is to maintain a long list, mostly Italian, but with others from around the world to fill in, all at the same price: $26 per bottle, $10 for a six-ounce glass, $18 for a 12-ounce “Quartino.” The stemware is large, so the wines will show well. Given that many restaurants these days have few bottles under $30, this will be a 60-choice boon to the drinker of moderate-price restaurant wine.
Ivy does not have desserts. This is a reasonable policy for a restaurant whose dinner business may prove to be mostly pre-theater, and which wants lounge and small-plate customers for most of the evening. Wine lovers could use that cheese plate for dessert. The restaurant, however, will offer you a complimentary little dish of ice cream, with a tiny cone as garnish. We inhaled ours.
Service at Ivy was quite good. We asked for our dishes as they came from the kitchen, and our server didn’t seem to mind the extra trips involved. The atmosphere is still somewhat in limbo, as one feels odd eating a full-course meal in a lounge, even when seated at a table with a tablecloth (or one marble-topped larger table in back). The music is some kind of background electronica — a sample CD was sent as part of the promotion for the opening of the restaurant. The crowd looks young and bar-friendly, but not crowded or trendy. The division into small rooms keeps down some of the noise.
The décor is rather darker than Limbo’s was, with an interesting new motif of black-iron fences on the walls — the kind of fences that surrounded Victorian homes. There is still some bare brick, red lights, fun and mismatched lamps and chandeliers, and a variety of seating situations.
Ivy Restaurant, 49 Temple Place, Boston | Open Mon–Fri, 11:30 am–3 Pm and 5–11 pm; and Sat & Sun, 5–11 pm | AE, DC, DI, MC, VI | Full bar | Valet parking, $15 | Sidewalk-level access to some seating | 617.451.1416
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Robert Nadeau: RobtNadeau@aol.com
