Amar

Overall, average dinner, but we wouldn't come back. Service was mediocre--after the first of three courses we didn't see our waiter again until we flagged him down for the check. No one came by to ask if we wanted another cocktail, so we didn't have any drinks with our meal.Bread and scallops were great, the rest of the food was good but nothing impressive, which is the expectation for a restaurant trying to be "fine dining". Atmosphere was the best part.

Spectacular meal in a very nice building.We had the tasting menus and wow it was fantastic.Each course amazing. Service friendly and efficient. Drinks great too. If you don't mind splurging try the place out near Back Bay station.

The dinner was nothing short of spectacular! We had a great experience, our primary server Michael was attentive, he gave great recommendations and made the experience a fantastic one.We shared the scallops and the Jamon Iberico. Both were superb. For our appetizer course she had the shellfish custard while I tried the quail. Again, both were outstanding dishes. For our entrees I had the cod "Gomes de sa " and she had the Pekin Duck. The cod was perfectly seasoned and cooked to the exact right temperature. My only issue was I would have liked more of the potato as it was beautifully prepared. Liz loved the Duck asWell. We had a bottle of Portuguese red which was reccomended by the Somelier. I can't recall the name but it was in the $160 range. One of the best places I've been to lately!!!!

New Portuguese fusion restaurant inside the Raffles hotel, on the 17th floor. Ambiance of the restaurant is wonderful- it's clean, modern, and fancy. The space feels big (despite minimal tables), and the floor to ceiling windows give you a great view of the city. Service was friendly and welcoming, gave us great recommendations, and made us laugh several times. Service was the best part of this restaurant, 10/10. I did the Chef's tasting menu ($175), along with the wine pairing. I felt none of the 5 items "wowed" me. The chef used very traditional ingredients from Portugal, very CHEAP ingredients, that he definitely elevated; but at the end of the day, I didn't feel the meal was worth the price. Portion sizes were small, seasonings were lacking, and some of the textures and/or ingredients just felt off. Again though, the service with dinner was again phenomenal- keeping the table clean and switching out utensils between each course.We went during Christmastime too, so the restaurant, as well as the hotel, were beautifully decorated!! Everything felt very festive. The experience itself was nice (despite the food being overpriced and small portions), we enjoyed going to the Long Bar after, and the new speakeasy is finally open upstairs. Not sure why or how it took SO long to get a reservation.

This place is gorgeous!! It has a rly nice view of the prudential and the vibes inside are so fancy! The service is also so crazy, they wipe the table for you, clear utensils and plates in between every dish and refill water often. I said thank u so many times haha. For the food: The bread - it was actually so filling. The butter was so creamy, the olive oil was a nice cut against the savory flavors, and the salt felt tangier than usual salt. The bread itself was so soft inside and warm and yummy! It was a bit salty too. Despite the saltiness, this was prob the most fun and tastiest part of the meal for me! The octopus - it came with some rly yummy greens and vinegar-y firm beans. I actually rly liked both of those. The octopus itself wasn't as tender as expected, it was a bit rubbery chewy but still tasty. Also very savory dish Arroz con mariscos - like a soupy rice w seafood in it! It was very flavorful and the seafood was fresh and tender. There were plenty of mussels, clams, and shrimp - as well as one lobster claw. All the seafood tasted high quality and juicy! Finally pastel de nata - Portuguese egg tarts, disappointed that they didn't come out warm haha but they had nice chewy crust, w a really milky creamy rich egg filling. The filling was very sweet but balanced by a sprinkle of salt from the crust. Very nice dessert Takeaway - a beautiful place to dine for a special occasion! The food isn't super impressive in taste (in plating it's beautiful tho) but maybe we ordered wrong. And also for the experience and the vibes maybe worth a shot to try it out!

Why is it hard to get a reservation? I made a reservation 30 days in advance on Thursday at 5:30 when they had just opened. By the time we finished dinner after 7 pm, there were still tables empty.We ordered:Uni toast (It is better to use California uni than Maine uni; it is sweeter and has a creamy taste)Scallop (it replaced the Portuguese carabinero shrimp; I was a little disappointed) Maitake mushrooms (it was a little salty, adding the kombu broth)Shellfish custard (it is better to eat it without the broth; it makes the custard too watery)Arroz De mariscos (similar to risottos but too broth in it)Pao de lo (sponge cake was soft and fluffy, not too sweet; their sorbet with honey taste) - recommendPasties de nata (custard tart with cinnamon added on top; I wish it served hot or warm; not too sweet) - recommendThe services are excellent, and I highly recommend their desserts.

Why I'll go back: One of the best service experiences I've had in Boston...everYou HAVE to order: the warm pole bean salad with peaches and sweet cornTony's Tip: across the 17th floor lobby is the elegant Long Bar and Terrace. Arrive a half hour early (walk-in seating only) and enjoy a cocktail before dinnerI have to admit I was not familiar with the venerable Raffles hotel brand, which dates back to the 19th century. It's having a bit of a renaissance, with recently opened locations in London and Boston. Convenient for us, as we live about a 20-minute walk from the Boston Back Bay location. On the advice of friends, we booked dinner for four at Amar, the new Portuguese-influenced restaurant from Michelin-star chef George Mendes (NY-based Aldea, also Portuguese cuisine). It did not disappoint.From the moment you enter the hotel, you are warmly greeted and then made to feel like someone special, even if you're there to just literally poke around. As the elevator opens after a quick trip to the 17th floor, another welcome awaits, followed by sensory overload as you exit into full view of the elegant winding staircase, a tranquil reading room to its left, and the swanky Long Bar, which has an outdoor lounge area with expansive views of the South End and beyond. It's worth arriving early to start your evening there.As for Amar, it is an intimate space, even with the high ceilings and large windows. About twenty tables, many with partial booth seating, were artistically situated throughout the dining room, and they accommodated various party sizes. The noise level is modest (thank you high ceilings) and spacing between tables provides plenty of privacy.Our service from beginning to end was nothing short of spectacular. The greeting, drink orders and turnaround, detailed walk-through of the menu, wine suggestions, spacing of courses, and idle chit-chat in between - all spot on and enhancing the meal at every turn.Speaking of which, the dishes themselves were absolutely delicious! Starters at our table were varied: carabinero shrimp, warm pole bean and sweet corn salad with peaches, salt cod croquettes. All were rich in flavor and reasonable in portion size. Two of us had the duck (accompanied by risotto mixed with braised duck leg and chorizo) while lobster and monkfish with littleneck clams rounded out the entrees. None of us could find fault with any of the mains, and this includes the prices, which I thought were refreshingly reasonable, especially after the sticker shock I've experienced elsewhere in my travels this year. My wife noted that it is very easy to screw up fish by overcooking it. At Amar, everything hit the mark.With bread to start and 1-2 drinks each, we got out of there for about $220 a couple, including tip. You'll be hard-pressed to experience a more affordable meal from a legit Michelin-star chef anywhere in the U.S. We will absolutely be back, and I'll take my own advice by arriving early enough to get the evening started right with a drink across the lobby.

The restaurant is absolutely stunning with great view out the window. There's about 20 tables and plenty waitstaff. I like the appetizers better than the main dishes. And food is definitely overpriced. Diver scallops and uni toast are pretty good, although not something that you couldn't get at other restaurants. The duck rice recommended by our waitress was a huge disappointment. The codfish was also very bland, nothing wrong with the taste but didn't taste good either. The bread (Pao) is a total scam. It's just normal bread that you get for free at other places. Food wise, nothing is special here, don't expect too much. Service was great except that our waitress spilled wine on the floor as she walked towards us.

Decor was gorgeous and the staff was exceptional. They checked up on us a lot, were very professional but also warm and friendly. Dirty martini and Pao cocktail were delicious. However for the price, the food was also just ok. The sourdough bread was probably the best thing we got. The sea bass was just ok, as was the bluefin tuna. For an upscale place with high prices for small portions, I expected a much more flavorful and complex dish. The asparagus was also quite bland. Again, the ambiance was excellent and the staff definitely improved the experience but overall the food was disappointing and not worth the price.

Summary: Atmosphere (and crowd) was old, but relaxed; food was a hit or miss; service was good but completely ignored my requests, send considered only my make counterpart's.Details: We were HIGHLY recommended to order the bread because the dishes are small (wtf!)..Food we ordered -- 2 uni toasts (delicious)- the scallops (good but not exciting, salt was very much missing. And also wasn't in the table)- blue fin tuna (tuna was good. Tomatoes were okay. weird, large chuncks of flavorless jello were a big turn off)- mushrooms (chantarel and oyster were served with a weird sauce that was flavorless. A huge disappointment as the mushrooms themselves were very good but were not served with the broth they were cooked in and likely had their amazing flavor. Also, for an unknown reason, someone thought I'd be a good idea to stick there 2 pieces of butternut squash.. very strange and not a well constructed dish) - seafood custard (absolutely perfect! So much great flavor, amazing texture, and the right temperature) - duck (what a disappointment! The rice was good, yet too salty. The duck itself lacked any flavor - again served with a sauce that added nothing to the dish. It was also cold, gamy/chewy, and was simply not interesting. We didn't even finish it).- cake for 2 (which was fun. No more) Bill before tip: $410Worst part of the evening - my partner ordered rosé, and I asked for more time to think. The server (who was very nice, but turned to be quite mysogenistic) seemed surprised when he brought the wine with 2 glasses and I asked to hold off. Then I ordered my wine, and my partner wanted the same as well. The server brought a new glass for him and then topped me off with another full glass. I didn't ask for it nor wanted more wine. How weird!!