My Boston Trip--Chapter 3: Dinner at Daily Grill

After Chris and I finished our naps and watching Spongebob, it was getting to be almost 9. Chris suggested dinner at The Cheesecake Factory down the street in the Shops at Prudential Center. When we arrived, the place was packed, with what was easily dozens of people waiting to be seated. We were told that the wait was about 20 minutes, but we were too hungry for that, and the shops were closing down, so we couldn't really bide time there. We opted to look elsewhere, and that was smart; as we walked down the sidewalk and looked in the windows, we saw every table in each dining room was taken. Even on a Tuesday night in a lousy economy, The Cheesecake Factory will be busy...


We turned the corner and walked into the next restaurant we came to, the Daily Grill, also in the Prudential, which was operating at a mellower pace. It was after 9 by then, so the lights were low and only a handful of people were there. We were seated immediately and enjoyed our dinner in quiet with a flickering candle between us. The decor was dark wood and leather, polished but relaxed. The TV in the bar was set to the Red Sox game. The windows onto Huntington Avenue let in the native ambiance of cosmopolitan Back Bay.


I selected my dinner from the special three-course prix fixe menu, while Chris opted for an ample caesar salad. I began with a mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, which included shredded carrots, tomatoes, radishes, and mushrooms.
For the main course, I had the sea scallops in orange fennel beurre blanc (butter) sauce with asparagus. I was impressed. The pan seared scallops were juicy and since the technique of pan-searing meat or fish leaves an "underdone" center, the inside texture was slippery, and the taste was a little like salmon sushi, but nothing like the butter-and-ritz-cracker-crumb smothered baked scallop casseroles. (I've had too many rubbery scallops in my life; maybe since scallops look like marshmallows some people might get the impression that they should have the same texture.) The sauce struck a perfect balance of the flavors of sweet/tart orange, subtle notes of the licorice-like fennel, and the creamy sweet butter. I would definitely get this dish again. In fact, I am craving it right now.
For dessert, I split the creme brulee with Chris. The oval ramekin was garnished with two halves of a strawberry, one for each of us as we leaned over the table to dig into the dessert positioned between us. I was sharing to be nice. It was so good, I wanted it all to myself, but Chris had been very nice to indulge me on this trip, so I owed him at least that much. Oh yeah, and it was romantic. Right.

The tab came to less than $50 for two of us (both drinking water). On our next Boston trip, we'll skip the Cheesecake Factory and go right to The Daily Grill.



The Daily Grill is actually a chain, but the nearest one is in the D.C. area. The restaurant originated in Beverly Hills, but now has 24 locations in upscale locales, like Boston's Back Bay and D.C.'s Georgetown.
The Boston location's hours are Mon-Thur, 11:30am-10pm; Fri - Sat, 11am-11pm; Sun, 11am-10pm.