Restaurants, New American Restaurants, French Restaurants
$$$$, Breakfast, Brunch, Business Dining, Dine At The Bar, Hotel Restaurants, Online Reservations, People Watching, Romantic Dining, Special Occasion Dining
Beautiful but lacking
by JSenkier
Had heard tons of things about this restaurant...and the chef. Beautiful presentation of the dishes but my dish-the salmon-was sincerely lacking, and my friend's skate fish was ok, not great. The restaurant itself is nice but small. We were very crowded, with other diners right next to us. And the bathroom is in the basement-very far away from the dining area. Wierd setup. Overall, not worth it.
Posted 10/28/08
One of the finest in Boston
by misterlyle
I was a little nervous about the quality since it is a hotel restaurant, but I learned quickly there was nothing to worry about. Our service was a little slow at first, but became quite attentive after I politely requested to put in our order. The waiter made some good recommendations and was well versed on the menu.
The food was incredible! To start, I had the Lacquered Foie Gras which was nothing short of amazing. I would have this every night if possible.
My main dish was the Butter Basted Lobster which again was a decadent and delicious choice, much enjoyed. I had been previously told the portions were small, but I saw nothing to convince me of that and was feeling very full from these two dishes and was contemplating not ordering dessert. I would have totally missed out! I had the crunchy salty Chocolate mousse with coconut sorbet and was again very impressed. The meal overall was extremely good, well worth the hefty price tag.
Also, I should mention the wine list was several pages long with a wide selection that was impressive. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone and consider it one of my new favorites in Boston.
Other restaurants I like are Excelsior, L'Espalier and Locke-Ober, in that order. Excelsior is still my favorite(sorry Clio) but Clio is an excellent place to dine!
Posted 02/12/08
Product has no taste; beautiful plate presentation
by alainm
Like too many French gastronomic restaurants in the US, Clio focuses solely on the presentation of the plate and the quality of the service? missing the essential which is the quality of the raw material.
The beautiful colors and the elegant cuisine modern type of presentation can?t hide the fact that the product has no taste.
The terrine de foie gras was flabby with not only the texture of a pate but also its taste? same atmosphere unfortunately for the entree and the dessert.
What I find sad reading the critics here is that not many seem to care that less and less gastronomic restaurants focus on finding a great product and emphasizing its flavor as opposed to trying to hide it. This is the reason why I have decided to write a message, my first-time message ever on a website.
Posted 01/12/08
Save your money
by gmsbell
It's incredible how a mediocre restaurant like Clio can gain such a wonderful reputation. Maybe their technique of piling small amounts of food vertically on your plate makes diners think they are having a gourmet experience. Or maybe it's the trendy crowd, all dressed in black, making you think you're dining with the beautiful people. In any case, you can wait months for a reservation, spend a king's ransom, consume a completely unmemorable meal (except that it looks terrific) and then stop at Wendy's on the way home so that you don't go to bed hungry.
Pros: fashionable dining experience
Cons: worst value for the money in Boston
Posted 07/01/07
One of the 5 best meals of my life...
by cyberdoggie
Every so often a dinner becomes enchanted. Clio won me over with incredible food and stunning service. I am reluctant to expound on the virtues of the 14 tasting menu courses since I don't want to ruin the surprise for people. There's no detailed menu they are willing to show you describing the tasting menu -- just a smile and a promise that you'll be delighted. At $125 w/o wine, you've got to trust the restaurant. The 'liquid ravioli' is to die for. The olive oil poached salmon melts in your mouth. My advice. Trust them! Everyone at the restaurant, from the moment you walk in and are greeted by the lovely Brooke, the bartender who mixes an amazing kalamansi martini topped with a dash of cayenne (A MUST TRY), to the impeccible (and wry) waitstaff, everyone is sharp and on. Dine here.
Posted 02/21/06
Past Due
by atlanticart
Shortly after opening, I went to Clio and had THE MOST amazing meal and experience; however, my opinion has changed. The food was still very good but the service -- not the wait staff -- but the kitchen was egrious. There were VERY long gaps between courses of 45 minutes to an hour. When we complained to the manager, he was extremely arrogant and told us our opinion was not that of their other patrons. I will credit them for offering a gift certificate to use on a return visit. A year later, we haven't bothered.
Pros: Food
Cons: SLOW service
Posted 01/11/06
expensive; not sure it's worth it
by yk8746
the food is excellent, but i don't know if the entrees merit the $35+ price tag. the staff is very courteous and informative, the ambience is romantic, the noise level can get a little high at times (it was 7 pm saturday night when i went) but it's bearable, and the prices are steep steep steeeeeep. i enjoyed the appetizers more than i did the entrees (the foie gras is a must). if your focus is on experiencing culinary ingenuity and quality, then clio is your place. if you want a satisfying dinner, then look elsewhere.
Posted 11/05/05
Hype
by terry6665
I try to eat at the best in every city I visit, but many times the over all results are not what I expect. Many times it seems that resturants go "past prime" and live by their history. So it is with this place. My biggest complaint was with the total lack of privacy at our table, very high cost and small and not to good of food(for the price). I'm not cheap, but expect value. Try the Asian place next door. Better.
Posted 11/02/05
One of my best meals
by thomasb
Ken Oringer is absolutely a genius. I agree with Zagat calling him a God. The food combinations, presentations, and flavors were so unique, they reminded me of a mixture of restaurants in Spain, Paris and New York. It is nice to see that someone is willing to break away from the pack and serve such exciting food. The service was friendly and efficient. I highly recommend Clio. Don't forget to check out Uni the sashimi bar. A great place to go on a Sunday evening for a plate of raw fish and drink their famous cocktail Enter the Dragon.
Pros: delicious, creative, friendly
Posted 04/16/05
Didn't even make it in the door...
by nikkijac
My boss was on a business trip to Boston and I made a reservation at Clio. Credit card was taken and reservation confirmed, only to be called the next day and told that I needed to reduce the number in my party. They had booked two big parties and apparently my the size of my bosses party was not something that would work for them any more. I arrange many entertainment / business dinners and when people from our company are in Boston Clio's will be the last place I try.
Posted 03/14/05
Beyond Over rated
by kennykernick
Clio offers over priced food that doesn't quite live up any standards. Service was posititely awful and cemented our pledge never to return. Despite having a reservation, we were seated 45 minutes late. We had to stand to finally flag down a server to even get beverages. Our meals were lukewarm when finally delivered and not quite what we had ordered. The filet was mediocre in quality and the fish seemed as if it had smelled better days. Save your money, save your time, save your effort and head elsewhere if you want a decent meal or beter.
Pros: other choices nearby
Cons: Bad Food, Poor Service, Obnoxious prices
Posted 03/09/05
Pompous
by rumbles401
Never have I felt insulted by a waiter before. The restaurant goes above and beyond obnoxious.
Posted 01/26/05
Rip-Off
by rdrd123
Clio is a complete rip-off. I have no issue paying top-dollar for fine cusinie and service, but when both elements of dining are lacking I have a problem. The food was improperly seasoned and poor quality. The menu descriptions were very vague and not accurate as to the flavors in each dish. The server had limited knowledge of the menu as well. Overall, the service was non-existent. After the first glass of wine and water, we poured the entire bottles. I had to find my way to the kitchen to inquire why our entrees took over 40 minutes to appear after we had finished our appetizers. To top it, there was no one in the dining room to be found when we wanted our check. I had to approach the bartender in order to pay. I strongly recommend eating elsewhere; this was a terrible restaurant experience.
Cons: , Expensive, Over-Rated
Posted 09/03/04
Dissapointing
by nycrestie
This restaurant is unfortunatley all hype. The food was very expensive and served in very small portions. The food was also not very impressive for a chef who attempts to be innovative. Even the quality of the food was noticeably poor. There was also an extreme lack of service, and no management presence on the floor whatsoever. I strongly urge fellow diners to spend their money else where.
Cons: , Poor Food Quality, Over-Rated
Posted 02/22/04
Very nice
by beardusmc
I took my wife here for her birthday, she was very impressed with the service, food and decor. They served a yellow fin tuna appetizer that was very impressive. I don't rave about many things but that was something to rave about. The waite staff was very attentive but allowed for our private time while eating, talking and her opening her presents.
The dining room is fairly large and sits a lot of people so be prepare for a some noise later in the evening, after 7:30pm.
Pros: food variety, attentive staff, location
Cons: Parking
Posted 01/18/04
Down Hill
by carina1414
There was a time when this was certainley one of the better restaurants in Boston, however that time is past. To begin our evening, we waited over 45 minutes for our table. When we were finally seated our server ignored us for an additional 15 minutes. When she finally approached the table she explained that the kitchen was "a bit busy" and we should take our time deciding on what we would like to eat. The meal itself continued to disappoint us. The fish items we ordered for both our appetizers and entrees were covered in oil and had limited flavor. For the prices we paid and the reputation we expected better food and better service. I don't reccomend this restaurant if one is looking for an enjoyable evening.
Cons: Poor Service, Very Expensive, Poor Food Quality
Posted 01/17/04
good food but expensive
by thomaszli
We went there and had the $125/person tasting menu. The 15 small courses that came with it was excellent. Although extremely expensive, we came away very satisfied.
The sashimi bar (Uni) was less satisfying. We went there another time and found that the sashimi preparation did not at all make up for the lack of quantity of fish that it included (see my review under "Uni").
Pros: excellent food, attentive waitstaff
Cons: Very expensive
Posted 08/29/03
Clio's Sashimi Bar ROCKS!
by citizenoftheworld
Hands down - Bar none. THE BEST Sashimi and sushi we've had in Boston. When it comes to sushi we are hard to please - having been spoiled by the west coast - San Francisco sushi is the best in the world - and New York - some of the best. This is RIGHT UP THERE with the best we've had. The service was GREAT! The staff was attentive, nice, and cool... We LOVED it.
Posted 01/30/03
Magnificent
by PhantomGary
Excellent. Simply put. Every dish is extraordinary. The new sushi bar is excellent. Best restaurant in boston, by far.
Posted 11/19/02
Simply the best food in town!
by mskauer
The creativity of Ken Orringer is unmatched. The new sashimi bar adds another dimension to an already great culinaric experience. Simply the best
Pros: Food, Creativity, Sashimi Bar
Cons: Wait, Crowded
Posted 11/16/02
Best restaurant in Boston
by m_newell
Though I know that many respectable reviewers have complained of spottiness at Clio, my wife and I have been extraordinarily satisfied with it every time we've felt flush enough to dine there. The detail on every dish is astonoshing, and Oringer's mastery of his ingredients is always evident. A rare gastronomic experience, almost unrivalled in Boston.
Posted 08/25/02
superb food, sloppy service
by jennywoj
Our lamb entrees were delicious (as was everything else), though due to the waiter's clumsiness, my boyfriend's ended up on his tie and only missed his pants due to an amazing save on his part. To their credit, Clio is footing the bill for the cleaning and/or replacement of the tie and gave us complimentary after dinner drinks.
Pros: taste, noise-level, romantic
Cons: expensive, service
Posted 08/12/02
Best tasting menu in the city
by BostonMichael
Best tasting menu in the city (for a price). The chef serves the most delightful creations under the sun. I've never had a bad morsel of food in this place!
Posted 08/04/02
Wow.
by Gourmaid
Damn...I had to call the manager over to my table not to complain, but to let her know how GREAT everything was. From the moment we stepped in till we walked out, everything was fantastic. One of the best waiters I've EVER had. I only wish I could remember his name...
Posted 07/13/02
