Parker's Restaurant — Restaurant in Boston

Pros - excellent service and truly great decor. Food was also very authentic, to the point that eating it gave you a little piece of history. Extensive wine and cocktail list Portions are large which is great for getting full. Cons - overall, food was not as enjoyable as you'd expect for the price. Large portions ended up making their more overwhelming dishes even more overwhelming.

Appetizers were the best part of the meal and by no means a disappointment. My crab cake was almost entirely crab, with a big, fresh crab flavor. The bottom was perfectly browned which tasted delicious and gave it a nice crunch. My girlfriend's cheese plate was also great, the highlights were the brie, gouda and cherry jam. The brie was super creamy and rich. The gouda had a perfectly subtle smokiness and had an addicting, warm, buttery aftertaste. The cherry jam had an intense, tart cherry flavor which, like everything else on the plate, went amazingly with the cheeses.

Entrees weren't great. The crushed cracker and white wine crust on my baked schrod was almost impercievable and very buttery. With the mound of buttery rice on the side and only a small portion of bland vegetables on the side to cut it, the butteriness became overwhelming, especially because of the huge portion. My girlfriend's venison was elegantly simple but with fairly bland sides. Because there was nothing for the strong gaminess of the meat to stand up to and because it was such a large portion, it quickly became overwhelming as well.

Deserts were not great either. My strawberry cheesecake was cloyingly sweet. The white chocolate topping made the sweetness more difficult to handle. A strawberry topping would have cut the sweetness and improved the dish, especially considering that the "strawberry" cheesecake only had a quarter of a strawberry in the dish. My girlfriend's Boston cream pie was a bit mushy and the cream filling was lacking a rich cream flavor. Instead, the filling was more like a dense vanilla pudding.

When you're paying over $70 for a full meal, all of the food has got to be great but it wasn't. Despite going against intuition, the huge portions made my meal worse in my opinion. Other than that, a good experience and I still had fun. Worth a visit if you have the money but not a...

Large communal tables, family-friendly and excellent customer service are words the Omni hotel chooses to describe this restaurant/bar. The truth is less desirable. My husband, infant and myself stopped in to try the famed Boston cream pie at 9pm on a Friday evening over Labor Day weekend. We were directed to the bar area above. Approximately 35% of the tables were occupied (this should have been a red flag, but I missed it). The space was dated, dark and dirty. We chose a table close to the entrance from the hotel, but sitting there would impede a couple watching a television mounted over the table. We immediately moved to be courteous. We selected the next closest table because we were only planning on dessert and drinks (plus it was late for the baby). We also didn't want to bother the staff with getting a high chair, so the booth seating was welcomed. We sat down and began to take the baby out of his carrier when we were approached by a member of the staff. She stated the table was for large groups and we needed to move. (So much for the communal tables advertised.) This person did not greet us, did not care the imposition of resituating an infant, did not care we had moved once already for other customers and did not care that we planned on being there for 15 minutes (we were going to purchase items with the highest profit margin and leave in a short time). If she cared about her customers she would have asked. This place is not as advertised, not family-friendly and their customer service is poor. Eat elsewhere. Editing to say, the waitstaff could have accomplished her goal in just as many words. "Good evening. Can I set-up a table for you with high chair?" As a customer, I would feel valued and appreciative of the effort. Instead, I felt unworthy, bothersome to others...

Title: Disappointing Experience at Parker House Restaurant

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Review:

I recently made an 8-hour drive with high hopes to try the renowned Boston cream pie at Parker House Restaurant. Regrettably, my experience turned out to be quite underwhelming and left a lot to be desired.

Upon arrival, I eagerly ordered their famous Boston cream pie, only to be met with disappointment. The pie was noticeably dry and lacked the moistness and flavor I had anticipated. It was quite a letdown considering the high expectations I had built up for this iconic dessert.

Furthermore, the overall quality of the food at Parker House was subpar. The dishes I tried were bland and lacked the depth of flavor one would expect from a reputable establishment. To make matters worse, the food arrived cold, which further detracted from the dining experience.

While I understand that every restaurant can have off days, I was disheartened that my long journey ended in a culinary disappointment. The lackluster experience left me feeling that the Parker House did not live up to its reputation.

I do hope that the management at Parker House takes these concerns into consideration and makes improvements to ensure that future guests have a more enjoyable dining experience. As for now, I cannot recommend Parker House Restaurant based on my own experience.

Despite this setback, I remain optimistic that there are still plenty of other exceptional dining options in Boston that can satiate one's...