The Wine Room

One of my aunts had her 50th birthday celebration this afternoon at the Wine Room at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. It's a small, private function room attached to the Oak Room. It was a really nice affair for the ~25 people who were there. It's got a classic feel to it, a certain old-school charm.

The hors d'oeuvres were superb. There were lobster nachos, with pieces of lobster atop potato chips dabbed with an aioli-type sauce. There were crab cakes with a spicy red sauce. There was kobe beef on toast triangles and a sour cream topping. There were scallops cooked in white wine and butter on garlic toast.

My favorite part of the experience was when I ordered a martini - Hendrick's dry with nothing to pollute the taste of that oh-so-delicious of gins - the waiter brought over a martini glass and a big jar of ice water with a little bottle of martini floating in it. He filled my glass and left another glassful in the ice bath to chill until I wanted it. First time I'd ever seen such a brilliant idea in action!

I chose the clam chowder over the mixed greens to start. Good - it had a very smoky, bacony flavor to it. Not the greatest, but a respectable bowl. I had the New York strip steak as an entrée - a huge piece that was excellent, the best I've had in a long time. Buttery mashed, huge stalks of asparagus and an incredible gravy accompanied the meat. For dessert was a Boston Cream Pie that wasn't in the traditional style. It was a huge custardy slice, but it wasn't as heavy and creamy as the more standard versions. I'm not a big dessert guy at all, but this thing was out of control good. Melted dark chocolate was poured all over, with shaved white chocolate on top. Decadent. I could only muster a few bites because I was absolutely stuffed.

This place was great. The wait staff was excellent as well - very polite, attentive, and cheerful for the most part. Granted, it's the Fairmont Copley, but it's refreshing to experience people in the service industry who at least act like they don't want to kill themselves. They were, to a man, foreign, which might explain the earnestness.