Restaurant Review – Sip Wine Bar (Boston, MA)

I’ve found an upside to the hell that is moving—the lack of time to cook means that I get to try new restaurants!!! I recently visited Sip Wine Bar with a few fellow bloggers, and Sip got a unanimous two thumbs up!

Sandwiched between Chinatown and the Theatre District on the corner of Washington & Avery, Sip boasts a perfect patio for people watching—enough foot traffic to keep it interesting, not so much that it’s overwhelming. There are plenty of tables inside the restaurant, including a good-sized bar and a small, slightly private booth area that would be great for a small celebratory gathering.

Sip’s concept is great—you can try “sips,” which are 2-oz. pours, of most of the wines on the menu. What’s nice about this is that unlike a wine tasting, you can leisurely decide which wines to try, you can base your choices around your food orders, and if you find one you really like, you can order more without having to commit to an entire bottle (they pour most of their wines by the glass as well). This is perfect for anyone who, like me, believes that variety is the spice of life.

Sip’s menu, like its wine list, certainly offers something for everybody. The chef pulls off eclectic variety without appearing schizophrenic and all of the small plates and sushi rolls are perfectly portioned for sharing with a small group.

We tried the following dishes:

• Crispy Stuffed Olives (sweet Italian sausage, panko crust, crushed red pepper)
• Skillet Roasted Mussels (shallot oil, Italian parsley, grilled ciabatta)
• Blackened Dayboat Scallops (horseradish marmalade)
• Tempura Green Beans (chipotle barbecue dipping sauce)
• Mini Arancini (warm mozzarella centers, oven roasted tomato sauce, truffle essence)
• Ahi Tuna Poke (minced #1 tuna, ginger, sesame, chili oil, sushi rice cake)

The two dishes that stood out most were the Ahi Tuna Poke—spicy and gingery but not overwhelmed by the seasonings; there was no question that the tuna was the star of this dish—and the Tempura Green Beans. Wow! Barbecue sauce with fried green beans? I wouldn’t have thought to combine those two things, and it worked fabulously!

Those six dishes took us through our first bottle of wine, the Clean Slate Riesling, recommended because it is dry and pairs well with seafood. I usually don’t drink Riesling, but this was not sweet, so I enjoyed it.

Next, we grabbed two of Sip’s sushi options, the Firecracker Yellowtail sashimi and the Sip Scallop Roll. Along with our sushi, we ordered a bottle of Sokol Blosser Winery’s Evolution White, a blended white wine that had been recommended to us from the time we were seated. We couldn’t turn down such a highly recommended wine, and this bottle exceeded my expectations. It paired perfectly well with the sushi, and while drinking it on its own, I picked up new notes with each sip. Its balanced, nuanced flavors make it very versatile.

The sushi itself was phenomenal. The Sip Scallop roll featured tempura scallops rolled inside salmon belly, which was wrapped around the scallops and torched, serving in place of what would typically be nori in a maki roll. The Firecracker Yellowtail was a beautifully presented sashimi with a spicy ponzu sauce, and it was presented so artfully that it almost felt wrong to eat it, like I was using chopsticks to destroy the Mona Lisa.

Finally, we topped off the night with dessert—each dessert on the menu! I was born without a sweet tooth and my body exacts its revenge on me via nasty headaches, so I did not partake in all the offerings. However, the apple crisp and chocolate cake were pretty stellar! I’d even order the apple crisp on my own, and I next to never order dessert!

Sip is one of those restaurants where I have trouble deciding what to order because everything sounds amazing. That is a good thing. Luckily, the fun wine list, the great location, and the vibrant atmosphere give me great reasons to go back and try more—who’s coming with?!?

Crispy Stuffed Olives


 

Skillet Roasted Mussels
 

Blackened DayboatScallops
 

Mini Arancini
 

Ahi Tuna Poke
 

Firecracker Yellowtail
 

Sip Scallop Roll

 

Apple Crisp

 

Chocolate Cake