Ivy Wine Bistro

No shocker that it closed

Delicious!
Went here before going to Wicked at the Opera House. We were a group of nine without reservations, but they accommodated us without problem. Ivy offers a theater menu, which included just about any two choices off the menu, plus a glass of pino grigio or pino noir all for $ 30. Not bad at all. Although the menu says «small plates» and «tapas» style, the portions are very fair — two plates and I was incredibly full!
Mac & cheese = amazing! The most flavorful mac and cheese I’ve ever had. The consistency wasn’t too glue-​like or watered-​down — it was just right. The bread crumb/​herb topic was crunchy and spicey and peppery and just amazing. I wouldn’t normally go for mac and cheese because it’s not really one of my comfort foods and it’s usually bland, but I’m sooo glad I got it at Ivy.
Also ordered the seafood medley type dish, which was also impressive. Lots of seafood without having that nasty fishy smell or taste. With the shells still on the shrimp, lobster tail, and muscles, and having to cut the very long pasta, the meal required a little bit of work. This wasn’t too bad though, as it forced me to slow down and enjoy the food. The peas were al dente, which contrasted with the soft, chewy seafood and pasta. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but it worked.
Service: Our waiter seemed stressed. He wasn’t friendly and made us feel slightly rushed and nervous to ask for anything, but was prompt enough and didn’t really mess up our food or anything. I think if he’d taken a deep breath it would have made us enjoy our meal more. Also, half of our table did the theater menu and half didn’t. The half that did, received one of their plates first, while those who didn’t do the theater menu but also ordered two plates waited and watched us eat and then had both plates come out at the same time. This seemed weird, but I guess that’s how it works.
Great pre-​theater meal, or any time!

I noticed that Ivy’s parent group is filing for bankruptcy, so I wanted to try out this ‘Italian tapas’ place before it was too late. The space itself in the heart of downtown crossing is beautiful, with the dual level seating areas and live band in the middle. The blend of the bar, tables, booths, and intimate high-​tables make a great variety. I always want to sample as much of the menu as I can, so among the three of us we split 4 plates and 2 sides.
I enjoyed our two pasta dishes, both the orecchiette and gnocchi. Orecchiette was classically done, with broccoli rabe and sausage. Gnocchi had a little kick, but was still light and fluffy. Not a big fan of the dry flavorless meatballs.
The mussels were slightly on the salty side with the provencal broth at the bottom. However, when you mop up all the sauce with the thick bread it is delicious.
The side dish we ordered, the peach & jalapeño risotto drew looks from a nearby table. First of all, it looked and tasted like lukewarm oatmeal. Although the idea of fruit and spiciness is a good concept, it’s difficult to execute, and just did not work in a risotto. Instead of leaning towards the sweetness or spiciness, it’s as if they were too scared to veer to one side or the other and the flavors ended up straddling the middle of the fence, somewhere between boring and gruel-​like. (Props for trying something more exotic though). Our other side dish, the frites, were clearly out of a frozen bag, then extra-​salted to seem special.
Overall? Not bad for the price and location. Live band a great touch.
Would I cry if they go bankrupt and shut down? Not really.
Food (⁶⁄₁₀)
Plating (³⁄₅)
Décor (⁴⁄₅)
Service (³⁄₅) — Ok, but a little pushy.

I really don’t give out five stars all willy-​nilly, but I just don’t have a single complaint.
We had an awesome dinner here. To take advantage of the buywithme deal, we made reservations for 10 PM on Friday night… I made them online and was impressed that they even called me during the day to confirm the reservation. When we arrived, the hostess was super-​friendly and offered us our choice of the front seating area or the back dining room.
Our server promptly came over to greet us, gave us wine recommendations and filled up our water glasses. He returned just moments later and told us his menu favorites. We chose the Malbec, ordered 4 small plates and a basket of the frites and sat back for what turned out to be a great treat for our taste buds.
What we ordered:
Arancini — SO good… the pancetta on top was perfect
Ahi tuna — seared and melted in my mouth
Scallops — oh my, these minded me how much i LOVE scallops and do not eat them nearly often enough
Trufflekopita — my favorite, there are no words but my dinner companion did say they were the best thing he’s had since «kangaroo filet» … I’m guessing that’s a big compliment
Frites — i love french fries and i thought these were some of the best i’ve had in awhile, the seasoning was great and the aioli was fantastic
Our server mentioned that there were spicy chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. SOLD. Then he returned with one lone strawberry saying that it was the last one :(I savored it… just the perfect amount of spice.
A great meal, great atmosphere and great service. I recommend highly.

Went there last week to check out their Thursday evening panini & Prosecco deal and left rather disappointed. For starters, the panini isn’t like anything I had really seen before. The bread completely overwhelmed the flavors; there’s just too much of it, it’s too thick and it was also rather dry. Some of the ingredients in there were great, such as the bacon, but overall it was nothing remotely worth it. It was a sad excuse of sandwich really and really felt cheap.
But I decided to forego the $ 5 glass of Prosecco and instead check out one of their white wine cocktails. I settled for the «Riviera» which features Albarino white wine, St. Germain, and limoncello — served with club soda, on the rocks). It came in a huge glass and plenty of ice, but was imbalanced. The wine was too present and the cocktail just didn’t taste right at all. I couldn’t taste any of the other ingredients in there. Again, disappointment.
The service was decent although the waitresses and bartenders were having quite a bit of fun at the end of the bar, chatting away, texting and doing a poor job at keeping their conversations a secret. I heard them trash talk one of the customers. A tad awkward.
The décor is pretty neat but one of the major flaws I found was that the bar counter, were we sat, was way too high. It was almost uncomfortable. It’s either that or the stools are too low. Either way, it needs adjusting or something.
I have yet to go for the dinner menu and might check it out at some point, but I doubt it’ll be a priority of mine, especially after reading some of the mixed reviews.

I’ve now been here a number of times and each time I come back, i’m always pleased with my experience. I actually have been here TWICE in the past two months. Yes yes, i know — crazy but it’s true.
Ivy is convenient and the food is worth the money spent. Portions aren’t huge but there is always enough to share. Drinks at tasty and aren’t grossly overpriced as in other locations located near by.
This most recent experience was no exception — we booked a table for 11 of us girls and it was great. Sat upstairs, in a back corner — so we could be loud and have a good time. The waitress was awesome as well — i wish i remembered her name and give a shout out but she really was great.
The food — we ordered one of everything off the small plates. The best were the basil fritters, caprese salad, sausage dish with pasta (don’t remember the name) and the Trufflekopita — OH YES! LOVED IT!

I have to admit that I went to the Ivy Restaurant about 4 years ago (my friends surprised me with a big birthday dinner!) and don’t remember much about the food or the drinks. However, when I saw the recent BuyWithMe deal for Ivy Restaurant, two of my friends and I decided to give it another try.
We arrived for our 10:15 Friday reservation right on the dot. Unfortunately, they were busy, and we didn’t get seated until around 10:40. We would normally have been annoyed, but they gave us each a free glass of Prosecco to make up for the wait, and there was a comfty couch we sat on while waiting.
When we finally got seated, we ordered the Italian butcher block of meats and cheeses, arancini, basket of herb frites with truffle aioli, trufflekopita, and cheddar mac & cheese for the 3 of us to share. We decided to ignore their wine list and instead go for cocktails. I had the Bellucci’s Bellini and the Double Agent. They didn’t bring us bread, so we asked for some because we were starving, and they brought us a very small plate. We waited a little bit too long for our food, and our waitress was a bit MIA– but she said they were really busy due to the BuyWithMe special.
When our food came, everything was delicious. None of us liked one of the cheeses on the cheese plate, but other than that we enjoyed it all. The food was really interesting/​unique. All of us agreed that the trufflekopita was our favorite dish. We had trouble finishing all the food between the 3 of us.
Then our drinks… they were SO strong. I’m pretty sure this is a compliment. My double agent was basically a glass of vodka, with a little bit of flavoring. It tasted good, but it was probably the strongest drink I’ve ever had in a restaurant or bar. (Of course, once I finished it, I ordered one or two more). My friend’s drink tasted like pure tequila… which she also enjoyed. My bellini was delicious, with the cinnamon on the rim an interesting addition. Needless to say, we all got drunk and started also doing some shots, all of which were delicious.
The Ivy was a perfect start to a Friday night. The food was delicious, the waitstaff was polite, everything was moderately priced, and the drinks were STRONG. And of course, we finished the meal within walking distance of some great dance clubs :-)

I wanted to like this place so badly. I like Tapas, I like Italian food. This place just didn’t really deliver.
We ordered a boatload of food. Started with the house salad, which looked pretty impressive, though I didn’t try anything. From there, we had two kinds of arancini which were pretty tasty. Both of the pasta dishes (gnocchi with meatballs and some flat-​noodle with veal) were forgettable, and the mac and cheese tasted a whole lot like what my mom used to make. The tuna was easily overpowered by the avocado and tortilla. Just the opposite for the mussels, which tasted like a fennel bulb. Just squishy. The fried basil tasted like greasy fried something, but nothing substantive. We’d also ordered the braised short rib, but I didn’t get a chance to try that.
We also picked up a couple of entrees to split (well, one guy kind of neglected the whole sharing thing, but that’s not the point). Two guys got the steak tips and they both had the same reaction: tastes exactly like Chinese takeout spareribs. And the chicken, well, I expect crispy skin when I order roast chicken as a rule, and when they describe the item as having crispy skin, there you go. But the skin was just rubbery, and we had to take most of it off.
The $ 26 bottles of wine? I’m okay with that.
It was nice to get together with friends and try a bunch of different foods, but I don’t think I’ll be back. If the prices were lower, I’d give this place a solid three, but I just can’t justify it based on the experience we’d had.

I have been to Ivy several times now, and while I love the lobster mac and cheese and the $ 26 wine list (more places should do this!), the service has always been kind of meh. On my most recent trip, the waiter made a big deal over bringing out a second wine glass so that we could try two different types of wine. I am not a prima donna, we asked politely and he made some kind of quip about it being a huge hassle. My dining companion gave him the eye and he went and got our extra glasses.
The food is great — especially for the price. And I don’t really think they are small plates — the portions are just fine thanks. As I mentioned, the lobster mac and cheese is awesome and is something that they seem to run out of. I also like the Caesar salad and steak frites.
All in all a solid 3 star place made all the more enjoyable due to the incredibly affordable wine list.

I went here for lunch with some coworkers. I was expecting it to be amazing and I was a wee bit disappointed.
I ordered the chicken panini which was delish as I was expecting, however our service was pretty wack. Our waiter was like sweating and on edge, like he either just ran a mile or snorted a few lines. He very quickly went through the menu nervously and then we just ended up ordering what we originally wanted anyway.
The food took suspiciously long to make, and our waiter was not personable at all– he stopped at our table literally 3 times– once to take our orders, once to bring our food, and once to bring our check.
I finished my iced tea pretty early on and he never asked if I wanted a refill even though he saw the empty glass many times. He basically threw the check down at us, and he seemed really rushed the entire time.
I suppose I could understand the weird behavior and stressed attitude if it were super busy, but it was nearly dead as this was Friday at lunch time.
What an odd experience.

Dinner time had rolled around and I was now no longer full from Masa’s steak and eggs. Jen L. had chosen the venue partly because the Boston Unilocalers had had an event there in the recent past, and partly because she knew I wanted lobster mac and cheese.
Walking in, I loved the dim, low key atmosphere. Our hostess verified our reservations, but sat us down at a two-​seater table that was kind of an extension of the bar, but not quite in a sit down eating area. In fact, it was at the foot of the staircase and right across from the water station. Plus, it was right up against a mirror, and as vain as I am, I did not feel like catching glimpses of myself all night. It’s a really crappy place to be sitting. I didn’t say anything at first, but finally when no waitress had come by for water in over 10 minutes, I thought the best thing to do was move.
I flagged a manager (Jen always makes me do this kind of thing, one day she needs to step up!) and I told him that it would be totally fabulous if we could have a seat in the back dining area. There were some empty seats and we did have a reservation, so it wouldn’t be that much of a problem. It wasn’t, and he had us moved to a more suitable table. Now I could relax. I felt so raw, exposed, and neglected at that other table… so it wasn’t stressful anymore.
*Ugh, and sidebar: throughout this whole time, there was this couple next to us on their (we’re guessing) third date. The girl was smoking hot, but the guy was milquetoast and you could totally snap him like a twig. They wouldn’t get a mention if they hadn’t been holding hands across the table right next to us for the whole meal. Awkward, and barf.*
Anyways, our perky and friendly waitress Amber asked us what we’d like to drink. I had been planning for a week to have that lobster mac and cheese (I always eat tons of lobster when I come to Boston), so Jen and I wanted a white wine with the meal. $ 26 bottles of wine = perfection. Amber knew the wine list well and recommended the Paul Dolan sauvignon blanc. We didn’t want too fruity, I usually accomplish that. It was exactly what we wanted and we were glad to have her guide us in the right direction.
Tragedy struck when she informed us they had run out of lobster mac and cheese. At 8:00 PM. On a Saturday. Stress.
After picking up the pieces after this horrible news, for an appetizer I had the sherried lobster bisque and a Caesar salad. For a place that specializes in the small plate style of entrees I was practically swimming in lobster bisque. It was a lot of soup. No dainty cups here, this was almost a meal in itself. I had the salad as well, because I can usually tell how good a restaurant is by their Caesar salads. This one did not disappoint. Just the right amount of dressing and cheese.
So we rolled with the punches on entrees and instead we both ordered Four cheese «Mac» and cheese with truffle salt, and I was still wolfing down my appetizers when it came. Damn, and we weren’t even in a hurry!
Needless to say I absolutely loved the mac and cheese, and the serving portion was just right. As if we didn’t have enough cheese, we decided for dessert to delve into their cheese platter. Amber looked at us like we were crazy, and said no such thing existed on the menu. I swear I was sober when I read it on the wine menu. It took her a few minutes, but she finally realized there was one. Two of the cheeses on there were delicious, one was just OK, but the fried goat cheese was the best. Even the fig and cherry compote and nuts were delicious. We both agreed this was one of the most delectable cheese platters we’ve had (and it went great with the wine!)
We left at the right time, as the table of three couples in the corner were now getting exponentially louder in their discussion of the Conan vs. Leno feud, and it was starting to get annoying. They stayed on the subject for at least a half hour. Get over it.
After having such excellent service, on the way out I wanted to let the manager know how much we enjoyed Amber as our waitress. When I asked the hostess where he was and that I wanted to see him for a second, they both got that «Oh God, these people are going to throw a shit-​fit» look in their eyes, but I assured them it was just for a compliment. I told the manager that Amber did great and really should receive credit where credit is due. He thanked us and so ended another great meal in Boston.
Epilogue: Yeah, in case you were wondering… wine, lobster bisque, Caesar dressing, four cheese mac and cheese and a fromage plate… Let’s just say I needed to walk at least a couple miles to get my equilibrium back. It was good food, but it was rich food. Once I had returned to normal, it was off to the Oak Room…

Merry f-‘in Christmas, or Never Eat at Ivy
As I sit at my desk anticipating an ass-​kissing call from Ivy’s owner, I realize it may never come and it’s time for review 300… so better make it a good and bitchy one!
My roommate and I have a four years long tradition of dining out on Christmas Eve; since neither of our families are big into doing anything, we spend it going somewhere nice and indulging our fabulous selves. After narrowing down our dining wish list to establishments that were actually open, we selected Ivy, which we’d visited for the toga Unilocal elite event and had been meaning to try ever since.
I made a reservation for two at 8 pm using open table. Parking near Temple Place was impossible (duh), and we parked at the Common garage. Since the clocks were striking 8, I called the restaurant to let them know we’d be a little late. I was placed on hold before I could give the host my name, and lost service. I called right back and said I’d be five minutes late to my reservation.
We arrive after a brisk walk in the ass cold to find a man standing maybe 3 inches from the glass of the front window staring intently into space. I make awkward eye contact and then open the door. This creep is the host/​manager, who I tell I have an 8 pm reservation. He asks my name, which is hilarious because there is no one else in the restaurant! Literally. He says the kitchen closed at 8, but if we get our orders in right away, we can be served.
Restaurant red flag #1…we should have known better and left.
Instead, I say we should sit away from the doors and move toward the back of the restaurant.
Our waitress is okay, and arrives instantly with bread and a pitcher of water. Considering how quickly they want us to order she gives us a decent amount of time to go over the menu and choose a bottle of wine and food.
In fairness, I thought having all bottles be $ 26 was great, and the prices for the small plate food were also reasonable.
Anywho, we settle on a charcuterie, duck confit pasta dish, and the pork tenderloin. We’re advised that the pork will be served medium rare.
I tried my best to ignore the passive aggressive tactics in play as our dining experience went from possibly bad to worse; the main plates were served too soon after the appetizer, our waitress constantly topped off our wine glasses, and the house lights were raised significantly upon delivery of the main course. The food was all fine, except for the pork, so we just kind of eat and drink in awkwardness.
Now, here’s what really sucked and set us over the edge. Have you ever been asked by waitstaff how your food is cooked? Me too. I usually say everything is good. Even if something is slightly off (i.e. my beef is medium and not super medium rare and bloody), I don’t say anything. Our pork was super well-​done, though, and tough to chew. So, when our waitress inquired how the food was, my roommate said matter-​of-​factly that the meat was overdone, but everything else was decent. Our award-​winning waitress proceeded to top off his wine glass and walk away. Now, we’re sure she’s not mute, since she was able to ask how we were doing and then carry on a joking conversation with other employees sitting by the bar.
We promptly threw our napkins on the table and waited with angry crossed arms for another employee to check on us. Now I understand the phrase «lose your appetite.» I was literally disgusted and lost all interest in the food in front of me. It was a fight or flight moment of panic and I wished I could just walk out but somehow didn’t have the balls.
Soon after, this host creepster came by, we asked to see a manager, and low and behold, it was him!
Gross. We basically had an embarrassing confrontation where his two –year old maturity level showed through and we were scolded for being late, told to chill because it was christmas, and told «Just tell me what you guys want and I’ll do it.» I wanted to punch him in the face and get a free meal, but since I felt sort of guilty and awkward about the whole thing, instead we asked for the meat to be taken off the check and for him to ask his waitress not to ignore her customers.
Upon exiting, we were asked for the second or third time if we wanted to take our food and wine, to which I responded that i wanted to have no recollection of this night ever happening. His response was a spiteful «Merry Christmas».
I wrote a scathing email to the owner (thanks, Open Table, for curtailing my online stalking by providing his email address) which elicited an apology email on Christmas Day and promises to talk Monday to ‘make this right.’ So far, no call.
I’m not sure which I want more: my money back from this atrocious evening or to let it go so I can forget the whole thing ever happened.
This was the start to a lame christmas that I’d rather forget and move on. Thanks a fuckload, Ivy. I could care less what you think or what you offer me to ‘make this right.‘
I. will. never. be. back.

Friday night «date night» needed a new restaurant experience, so the bf and I decided to head into Ivy Restaurant. I love the darkened interior and exposed brick walls… it makes for a very intimate setting. We were seated at a high top table near the front of the restaurant (which seemed like it was far more enjoyable than sitting at the rear with the low ceilings and booths).
The $ 26 wine list was a big hit and the bf picked out an exceptional bottle of chardonnay. We started with the butcher block of cheeses. There was a spicy pepper jack/​cheddar cheese, figs and glazed almonds, two types of meat (I think salami and ham)…foccacia with honey dipping sauce… and the most delicious breaded and fried goat cheese thingy that I’ve ever tasted.
We had the «macaroni» and cheese (it’s actually made with fusilli) and the pork tenderloin for the main meals (small plates so we could share). The pork tenderloins were cooked medium… though the middle piece was defintely on the medium rare side. Very yum. The whipped potatoes that came with were garlicky and delicious. The macaroni and cheese was very disappointing. It was cheese soup. Not only was it watery, but it lacked taste. There was no salt… no pepper… it didn’t even taste cheesy.
We had great service by a knowledgable waitress who kept coming over to repour our wine (even after it was gone — whoops). She was nice and the right amount of attentive.
All in all — great experience — just wish we had skipped the mac’n’cheese and gone with something else instead!

All we wanted was wine and cheese.
Ivy started off rough. It was the calm before the dinner rush, and there were plenty of open tables and no one was waiting up at the front. We stood there for at least five minutes, and no one came to greet us. The waitstaff weren’t paying any attention to us and looked crazed even with the minimum crowd and the bartenders just kept grilling us with a kind of «And who are you?» air about them. When the host/​man in charge (?) finally came over, he was also kind of condescending. Ivy, you’re a nice place, but not too nice for two girls dressed up in heels and work clothes. kthnx.
We were squeezed into a small table, one of many squished together in a row in the back, basically stacked one on top of the other. When it started getting packed, I could barely hear my friend speaking and found myself eavesdropping into every single conversation happening around me (on the left was an awkward first date, on the right was an adorable older couple). But it gets worse.
Let me bring you back to our wine and cheese goals (oh, and arancini stuffed with fontina and black truffle, delicious). So we ordered the wine (half-​bottle for $ 15, holler) and the cheese plate.
First sign of trouble was that we got the food first.
Then we waited. And we waited. All around us, table after table were receiving their wine (before the food, lucky bastards). So we asked the waiter about it, and he blamed it on the bartender. Minutes dragged by.
Soon we had to start eating the cheese plate (so good), because dammit, we were hungry. The waiter continued to ignore us. FINALLY we asked the host/​guy in charge what the eff was going on, and he finally got us our small bottle of vino. This was after we had eaten our ENTIRE MEAL. Thus defeating the purpose of consuming wine and cheese.
Sorry Ivy. It’s not me, it’s you. I will not be going back here anytime soon.

Ok, it’s official. I freaking love Ivy. My first experience wasn’t that great. I came on a Friday night with my boyfriend looking for a cheap glass of wine. The place was PACKED and it was nearly impossible to get a drink, so we promptly left.
I’ve been back twice since then, both on weeknights, and both experiences have been awesome. I got a huge pour of red wine for a great price, and the small plates have all been absolutely delicious. The mac and cheese is some of the best I’ve had at a restaurant, and the bar menu is very cheap on weeknights, so it’s a spectacular deal. I’ve also sampled the cheese platter (fairly big and delish, but pricey at $ 16) and the bruschetta, which is pretty good.
The atmosphere is beautiful. Dark, romantic, with beautiful wine glasses on every table encouraging you to drink. The fact that the wine is so affordable with so many by the glass choices is unheard of in Boston.
I’ll be back, either for a nice dinner after work or with the significant other.

My first trip to Ivy was in a toga for an Elite event (free food and booze — hey, when in Rome, right… eerr no… hmm just when in toga), my second trip to Ivy was for food — gift card in hand for my toga skills… man, did I luck out!
Amazing — amazing… aaaahhh-​mazing.
Our server gave us a very good rundown on the menu — the regular menu, the restaurant week menu, and the daily specials. Both my guest and I have food allergies, so we tend to put servers on the spot, but she rose to the occasion and was awesome… she knew the ingredients, the prep method, you name it — I have to say, it was impressive! I got a good vibe from her so I defaulted to her on both my drink and food choice.
The red sangria, while good — was not the best I had ever had. Next time, I am looking forward to trying the white.
The chicken was great though. I know, I know, people say chicken is boring and it is hard to screw up chicken, but that is SO not true. It can be dry, flavorless, small, etc. Chicken is like a guy (hey get your mind out of the gutter — just because of the previously listed things doesn’t mean I meant THAT). What I mean is, when it is bad, it is really bad. But when it is good, it seems perfect — it is exactly what you wanted, what you needed — even if you didn’t quite know it.
My friend had the duck and gnocchi, which he let me try — and I must say, the gnocchi is EPIC. So good! Often, gnocchi is heavy and almost dense, Ivy does a perfect job of capturing the savory flavor while having the light pillow-​esc texture dance across your tongue. They should be teaching every restaurant in Boston how to prepare gnocchi!
Want the short version of this:
Go to Ivy, it’s good stuff.

Went here pre-​theatre one night and it’s a really cool spot. Tucked away on a little theatre-​district street, it feels homey and chic at the same time. Everyone was very friendly and the service was excellent.
They do small/​large plate style, where you’re meant to get a few things for the table and share. I love these kind of places, cause I always want more than one thing when I go out to eat.
I can’t speak to exactly what I had because it was a few years ago right after they opened, and their menu has definitely changed since, but I remember the portions being larger than I expected, and the pasta (and accompanying sauces) being delicioso.
A great place to check out if you’re in the mood for something a little out of the mainstream, but a guaranteed good meal.

Ivy is a funky, affordable, casual in atmosphere but certainly not so in the quality department, great (albeit a little too air-​conditioned) restaurant which is bound to meet your approval no matter what you order. The best thing about Ivy is the portion sizes: not so large that you feel overwhelmed, and not so little that you are unsatisfied. If you are someone who watches their weight or portion control, but is disappointed by the lack of restaurants in the area that actually understand the concept of normal-​sized portions, look no further than Ivy: you can feel comfortable ordering anything off the menu because the size of your meal will be perfectly portioned and you will feel satisfied; not full, not starving.
It’s trendy, but not uncomfortably so; it’s busy, but not so crowded that you find yourself waiting a long time for a table or feel untended to. You’ll be treated to super service by people who know that what they’re serving you is quality enough that you’ll be back soon. And they know you’ll likely bring friends.

What’s the best way to sample good eats from Ivy without breaking the bank? By attending Tyler B’s wondrous collegiate wine tasting session, of course!
FOOD
Six wines were matched with Ivy’s decadent food creations:
+ PEI Mussels, plump and jucified with a ridiculous
sauce of butter, almond, and reisling (to die for)
+ Scallops, big n fat and pan-​fried atop an oozing bed
of diced potatoes n cheese (holy mm)
+ Arancini, little bite sized balls of risotto-​y something
rolled in breadcrumbs and crunchified, oooh
+ Ricotta Ravioli, tasty but not worth your while
+ Sesame Crusted Tuna served rare with a side of
extra hot pepper-​infused oil for careful dipping, nice
+ Pork Tenderloin with a forgettable sauce
If for anything, I will return for the mussels on a non-​wine tasting school occasion.
ATMOSPHERE I was pleased to learn that there is this classy eating establishment near the movie theatre, which completely ups the ante from my typical pre-​movie dinner spot: Fajita’s and Rita’s. It might be a little much for a group of friends to go to before a show. It’s definitely more geared for dates with its low lighting and classiness.
Downstairs for the tasting, the atmosphere was intimate, but still had a casual air (probably because of all the yelling and big groups of tables, and food gorgins/​wine drinking). It was lit by candlelight plus some regular lights to beef up the brightness.
Upstairs is a narrow-​ish space, each side flanked with small tables, bar booths, and bar. There’s an upstairs as well, that looks over the downstairs like a loft. Definitely all dolled up. Something about the atmosphere upstairs made me feel a little weirded out though. Tall ceilings, extra space bettwen tables, maybe no music? I couldn’t actually tell ya. But, I would say head over there if you’re meeting up with your girlfriends or want a nice plate or two before heading to a movie or an Orpheum show with your other half.
And if you don’t get enough eats, grab a mac & cheese, a few dark and stormy’s, and a shot of Fernet over at the Silvertone.

I love any place that gives me free birthday shots.
After seeing Sex and the City my friend and I wanted to go for drinks. The atmosphere was nice, but we were just sitting at the bar.
The bartenders were friendly and once made an awesome strawberry/​pineapple drink (there was liquor in it but I forgot what) that was like a slushie.
It’s a great place for after dinner drinks.