Pairings

Just stopped in for a drink. Tonic was flat. Bartender couldn’t get it changed as no one else on duty. He was nice but honestly couldn’t you not charge me full price for a bad drink? Won’t be returning and yet well be here for 3 days for a convention.

4 star for food, but service is POOR. Having read other reviews, we expected service to be slow. We were still surprised at how slow it was. It was a good 40 mins after we finished entrees for anyone to come check on us. The bread and oil still sat there through dessert. 2 hours and 15 mins to finish a 3 course meal is pretty unacceptable. It took away any positive feeling towards the food.

Went to Pairings last night on a Travel Zoo voucher. HOLY SLOW SERVICE — the reviews were not kidding. Had I read them, I dont know if I would have purchased a voucher before I went.
We had a reservation for 7:45, and were seated quickly. It took 15 minutes for the waiter to come over to our table and acknowledge us. The thing is, the place wasn’t even full. A table next to us that was seated well after us got their drinks first. Overall not impressed and would not recommend this restaurant. My guess is, because they cater to the hotel guests, people who come here must be business travelers who don’t feel like venturing out. Honestly, with so many great restaurants in Back Bay, I am not sure how this place will survive unless the hotel absorbs their losses.
Waiter made a comment like «don’t forget the gratuity» (which we almost did because I didn’t realize we had a waiter). Took us about 2 hours to eat appetizers, two entrees, and a dessert.
Food was B– and expensive without a voucher. Consider going elsewhere in Back Bay unless you are staying at the hotel and it is really really cold outside. For a better experience, go to basically any other place in the city.

Went in for a quick breakfast.
Nice staff. Good menu with prices they are very proud of. I had the Eggs Benedict ($ 14). It was presented well and was delicious.
They do serve a simple breakfast buffet of scrambled eggs, Bacon, sausage, etc., for an astounding (outrageous) $ 24. Best to stick to the menu items.
It was okay, but other places for breakfast elsewhere in this great town.

Two things to say up front– we had a gift certificate so our meal was free, and we sat at the bar.
I can see how people at tables might not have had a good experience– service there seemed pretty sparse. But at the bar our server was attentive and great.
Wine was excellent. Food was good not great. We tried the cheese plate, mac n cheese, lamb chop, scallops, pork belly and sliders. Cheese plate was standard and good.
Solid place to go to if you don’t mind it being empty, you’re ok sitting at the bar, and someone else is paying! Don’t know if we’ll go back but we really enjoyed it.

We enjoyed Pairings so much that we went twice in a three-​day weekend.
The Peanut Butter stuffed French Toast, OMG!
We had the skirt steak for dinner and thought it was terrific.
The breakfast service was really good. The dinner wait staff were working and respectful.
Beautiful décor also.

I feel bad that Pairings is getting panned so harshly, or maybe the owners have been making changes. We went to have dinner before heading off to see a show and as soon as we walked in told them we were on a time constraint.
They were Very polite and said they would take our orders quickly and fire the food to make our time. Our waiter and runner were both very nice and pleasant.
We started with Octopus, and it was awesome. Perfectly cooked, soft, flavorful. One of the best I have had.
For the main course we ordered a Steak and a Moroccan stew. Both were very nice, the stew was more of a pappardelle base than a stew with pappardelle, not bad, just not what I expected. a bit more vegetable would have been nice, carrots, potatos, but that is must me.
The wine suggestion was great, I was leaning towards a Shiraz, and the waiter said the Malbec was better selection, he was right.
The place was empty, and that did detract from the ambiance, and the prices are not cheap, but you don’t expect a Kobe burger at McDonald’s for 99 cents.
Maybe we just lucked out, but I would go back.

We stopped in here last night for a post «Christmas light viewing stroll around the Commons and Public Garden» drink. We did not pre plan this, but after trying to get seats at the Bristol Lounge, Davio’s and Bistro Du Midi (packed), we were able to score seats at Pairings bar with no difficulties. The restaurant was pretty empty for a Sat night. Our bartender was very nice, and their wine list/​drink list was decent. We were a bit peckish so we looked at the menu. Hmmm… Burger $ 19, Lobster roll $ 22, Turkey Club $ 18? Are you kidding me? I thought the reason they closed Bonfire was to offer a more affordable restaurant? But I remember Bonfire as always being crowded? And what is up with all the beige? Why is the new rage in décor – beige?

Ok, let me start by saying maybe I’m a little high maintenance, MAYBE. But even if you aren’t, for the prices you pay here you should expect better service.
Was service terrible, no… just disappointing. Saturday night, prime dinner hour, downtown Boston, and the place was pretty empty. That made us worried right off the bat. We waited for awhile for the server to come over and when he does he said that he would take our drink and food order. So this is where the high maintenance part kicks in. Unless I’m bellying up to the counter at McDonald’s I don’t want to give you my drink and food order at the same time. Sorry. Call me old fashioned.
I order a whiskey sour to start and as I prepare myself for the ‘what type of whiskey’ question, instead I get ‘on the rocks?’. Really? Really? When in the history of Western Civilization has a whiskey sour not been served on the rocks? Apparently the waiter was a mind reader beyond that point because he obviously knew what kind of whiskey I wanted since he never bothered to ask. The waiter then started to take the wine glasses off the table then asked if we were going to drink wine, when we said that we were with dinner the promptly put the glasses back. My momma always told me, once it leaves the table it doesn’t go back. If he was so eager to clear the space why not just bring back new glasses when we ordered the wine?
Another thing that annoyed me was that the generic bread basket was served with olive oil for dipping, but each and every table setting in the place had a bread plate and butter knife laid out. Yet, no butter was brought out with the bread or anywhere to be seen for that matter. Small detail yes, but it made no sense and with 10 000 000 000 000 restaurants in Boston, isn’t it the small details that matter?
The one saving grace was that the food was actually very good, though the dessert menu was pretty sparse. Having Finale a few doors down probably makes dessert here a non-​issue anyway, but we did take a peak at the menu. Another ‘small’ detail that make me chuckle was the fact that it’s the first week of November and they have a dessert featuring ‘summer berries’. Doesn’t exactly sound fresh to me.
Anyway, I’m sure I sound like a total, nitpicking bitch… but just remember I warned you that maybe I’m a little high maintenance.

The restaurant was empty…7 people including my wife, myself and 5 others… bizzarre as there are 34 bar stools alone! Not to mention it is in the Park Plaza Hotel and in one of the moet densely populated areas of Boston.
The waiting was good, as we were the only people in there. We ordered a bottle of wine (got 2 different glasses, but who cares), a few drinks and our water glasses were always full.
The food was good… shrimp cocktail was hearty, meatloaf and mac and cheese were tasty as well.
It was a good time… if I didn’t have a gift certifcate would I go back — probably not.

I wanted to like Pairings, but was let down.
We had a reservation for 8pm for 4. The restaurant was pretty much empty other than our table.
When our waiter finally came over to the table to take our food order, he made several mistakes. My friend asked if the loin was pork, and the waiter said yes, even though it was actually lamb. My other friends both ordered the mac and cheese. Only one was brought out (after 15 minutes or so), my other friend received a shrimp cocktail, which was nowhere near the mac and cheese that she ordered. She then had to wait another ten minutes for her actual meal.
I ordered a turkey club that was stacked so high, no amount of pressing down could make that sandwich eatable. It was just way too big. I took one half apart and ate it with a knife and fork, and left the other. I told the waiter why I didn’t eat it and why I wouldn’t take it home, and he just shrugged.
When we we sorting out the bill, the waiter came over to take our cards, and I asked him if we could have another minute. He had a confused look on his face and still tried to take the cards from us.
For almost no one being in the restaurant, the service was slow and far below par. The mac and cheese was actually very tasty, as well as the small plates we had as starters.

Pairings is a hidden gem of the Park Plaza Hotel. The ambiance is warm and inviting, yet sophisticated.
Heather is just a treat and pleasure to have as your bartender. She turned me on to the cheese plate and converted me from a blue cheese hater to lover. Her wine recommendations were also spot on.
Joe is also a treat and pleasure to have as your bartender. He makes the most kickass Cosmo’s I’ve ever had (top shelf of course).
If you ask me whom do I prefer over the other I will simply tell you you can’t compare the two. They are both supberb!
Executive Chef Stuart Race provided a sweet smoothie demonstration to my NextStep Group, and it was a pleasure to meet him too.

Let me just say that any place that has a page of food and two pages worth of wine & cocktails is fine by me.
Came here with a large group after my graduation. Everyone was accommodating and friendly. There was a good variety of differently priced wines, so I could go for a $ 31/​bottle riesling and not feel bad. I had the lobster grilled cheese with tomato soup and a little salad. OH so yum. Other party members got burgers, chowder, and salads. As far as I could tell, everyone was very satisfied.
If I am in the area again, I would go. I recommend!

This place got a bad rep out of the opening gates, but it’s actually pretty good and worth checking out.
The good stuff:
The small plates are excellent. The short ribs, grilled brussel sprouts and cheese plate rocked. The shrimp plate can be skipped. The wait staff is friendly and the ability to order 3 oz wine allows you to try different varieties you would typically skip.
The bad stuff:
They play terrible terrible music… This place isn’t very popular b/​c they have Steve Erkel working the stereo. I guarantee you that if they throw some massive attack, radiohead, etc. they will get more folks to try it out and talk it up.

Not sure why Bonfire is gone and Pairings has taken over, but the quality has dropped dramatically. Forgettable service, poor execution and scattershot menu combine to make Pairings a must-​miss.
Booked a table for 7:15pm on Valentine’s Day and arrived to a nearly empty restaurant and a missing hostess — she also had to work coat check and was running back and forth.
The menu was all over the place, Italian firsts, Asian and Continental mains and French deserts, none executed well.
The Ravioli Carbonara was a single ravioli in a bowl of extremely salty, thin, non-​creamy sauce. The texture pushed the limit of al-​dente, a bit too hard.
Berkshire pork looked nice but execution was off. The sausage accompaniement was overcooked to dryness. Broccoli sauce was underseasoned with awful flavor and texture.
Crème Brulee was paper thin and so warm it became runny.
Service was slow. Server was not knowledgeable about the menu or the wine list, took nearly 20 minutes to get a check after final dishes were cleared.
Wine list was neither extensive nor impressive. Absolutely no vintage bottles listed, their best was a 5 year old bottle of Chianti. Pathetic for a restaurant called Pairings.
A big disappointment overall, especially at $ 60 per person. Based on the lack of turnout for Valentine’s I guess the word has gotten out. Hopefully when Pairings shuts their doors they can bring Bonfire back.

Drinks/​Dessert review.
Walk in a Saturday night 10pm, the place is empty, sit at the bar with my boyfriend.
Bartender: Hey, whats up my man…
Us: Hi, do you have dessert still?
Bartender: Uhh yeah hold on. I will ask the chef.
Chef from open kitchen: Shouts only 1 crème brûlée left.
Us: Look at dessert menu, see only 3 options, crème brûlée looks best, settle on the last one! We then order a glass of wine and a B+B cordial neat.
Bartender: Presents wine then the B+B in a glass.
Boyfriend: Do you have a snifter for this?
Bartender: Uhh hold on not sure… comes back, says «your in luck my man, one more snifter» and changes to the proper glass.
We observe kitchen staff goofing off in the back stuffing food in their mouths, one is sitting on the line table. The kitchen is open and we can clearly observe all this a few feet away from where we are.
Crème brûlée: presented very thin. must of been a 10^th of an inch of custard. It was like mostly eating fired sugar. I wonder if cause this was the «last one», we got a generic one.
Me: Bartender, is this supposed to be so thin?
Bartender: Yes, traditional ones are that thin.
I’m thinking. Hmmm I don’t think so.
Why was this place so dead on Valentines day weekend, its fairly new? Several red flags here for me. Bartender’s greetings should of been more place appropriate instead of the «my man, my bro stuff» and proper glasses given. Kitchen people, we can all see you, I don’t want to see you sneaking in food or hanging on the tables you cook on!

I think I could see the tumbleweed blowing by me as I walked into the restaurant.
We walked in thinking it was still Bonfire. Maybe get a glass of wine, a little nosh before the official dinner later that night. We got to Pairings at about 8pm, and the place was so quiet. There was only one other couple in the whole restaurant there.
We did not get any food. Service was slow to get our drinks and we figured it was probably to our benefit to cut down on our indulgences.
The one truly positive thing about the bar was that they served 3 oz pours. It was so exciting. You could try a few wines with out getting sloshed in the process. And as a wine bar goes there very limited selection was still quite good.
I think Troquet, a block away, is a much better wine bar bet.

My visit to Pairings was while visiting Boston on holiday. I was there for Thanksgiving and staying at the Park Plaza Hotel, so Pairings was a ideally located.
The menu was diverse and the wine list reasonable (although I’d have liked to see a few more Australian reds on the list). I was able to find a suitable wine to match each course. I was pleasantly suprised to find a lot of wines available by the glass (or half glass). This is very much appreciated if dining alone.
Service was friendly, attentive but not intrusive, and efficient, and the atmosphere sophisticated and relaxed (although having he football on the screens over the bar was a bit tacky and drew from the overall ambiance. Thank heavens for mute!).
The food was superb (see photos); homemade fettucine with cherry capsicum, crispy pork and herbs, followed by Spring lamb, butternut squash, black garlic, idiazabai cheese and baby leeks, and finished off with pumpkin pie with vanilla and crushed pumpkin seed icecream.
Pairings put on a fine show and comes recommended. I will return.

We went on a Saturday night, the 8 PM reservations weren’t available, so we went at 8:30. The place was pretty empty at 8:30, which makes me think that the online reservation system had some false scarcity to make the place look more popular than it is. As a new restaurant, it seems to be struggling.
The menu isn’t what we would have expected from a place called «Pairings.» Wine flights, ever heard of them? Not at Pairings. A menu that lists what wines go with what food? Not at Pairings.
Our waiter’s English was very hard to understand, which made for a number of odd moments. He, like many waiters, insisted on not writing our order down, which then meant he had to come back to ask us about which wine we wanted.
The roasted beet salad was very nice, a good start. The small plates were a mixed bag — the Spanish meatballs were very undercooked and were red in the middle. We sent them back and the manager took care of things, but that led to another odd encounter with the waiter, where we couldn’t understand what he was saying.
The whole concept of the restaurant seems confused, like they aren’t sure what they want it to be. Maybe it will improve, but maybe it’s just a bad concept.

Sharing is caring, or so you’re told at this new contemporary restaurant that took over Todd English’s Bonfire inside the Park Plaza hotel. The wine list was alluring, so many choices that you’re bound to find your favorite.
It’s a tad brighter than Bonfire used to be but it has this «new clean» image. Service was smart and friendly as we took our seat to sample some of their very appealing tapas style new american dishes.
Executive chef Robert Bean still take the lead in the kitchen as he did with Bonfire, and what a marvelous job he did with this new domain. His baby octopus was succulent with tidbits of flavorful chimuchurri sauce as was his short ribs with fried bone marrow. Bone Marrow is sinfully divine so you can imagine my giggle of delight when it came out fried.
Hudson Valley Foie Gras was truly flavorful with fig jam and pear drippings. Pork Belly was like eating mouthful of bacon (I wasn’t a fan but my companion sigh in utter rapture at the texture and taste). Duck ragout was a tad on the dried side but burst with plenty of zing.
Dessert was short since there were only 3 options. We settled for the caramel milkshake with cookies, simple and sweet. Simple and sweet is what I would call Pairings.
Sharing is indeed caring when you’re dining at Pairings.