The Bluebird Bar — Restaurant in Newton

I highly commend, and recommend Bluebird Bar. Ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you that one of my favorite pastimes is eating delicious food at awesome restaurants. A friend and I tried Bluebird for the first time last evening, and plowed, (chowed) thru the first half of the menu like a couple of tractor trailers. There really was something on the menu for everyone, be it carnivore or vegetarian. We intended to order entrees' too, but were fully satisfied after having eaten Roasted Oysters, Curried Eggplant, Roasted Tomato and Burrata Dip, Broccoli Rabe, Cauliflower, , Kafta Skewer Shrimp Fritters, Turnips, Arctic Char Skewer, and the Arugula Tabouli salad. Everything was incredible, and flavorful. Regardless of how full we were, we did save room for desert, the Espresso Cinnamon Brownie, and the Gelato. We are definitely coming back to try everything that we didn't have the room for this go round. Eating for me is like a sport, so it's game on! This place is easily going to be a favorite of mine, and is definitely a foodie's dream. We were welcomed, and warmly greeted by the smiling faces of the owners, David, and Patrick, and the lovely host, Jada. After enjoying a glass of Txomin Etxaniz with the Roasted Oysters to start, my friend asked Bar Manager, Jordan about a clear chocolate martini that he crafted with Tequila, and it was off the charts delicious. We had never had it with Tequila before. Jordan was highly knowledgeable about the menu, wine, and cocktails list, and made recommendations that paired incredibly well with everything we had. Larry, also behind the bar, kept our water glasses full and checked on us, as well as recommended the Espresso Brownie for desert. The staff was attentive, checking to see if we needed anything, and to ensure we were satisfied. Bluebird far exceeded our expectations. The quaint 88 seat dining room/bar is breathtakingly beautiful from the deep blue color on the wall , the gold painted ceiling, the centered platform displaying all the beautiful spirits under soft lighting The ambiance of Bluebird is perfect for a well deserved evening of whatever you want it to be, be it winding down after a long day at work, a dinner date, or just meeting up with friends to catch up. It's inviting, it's warm, and it's cozy. As a music lover of all genres it was also a treat to hear some of my favorite tunes on vinyl. Oh, and one more thing.... the wood fire grill is pretty fascinating too. Now, I'm not a restaurant critic, but I do dine out in many cities across the US often, in addition to some international. Bluebird, in one evening alone has become one of my favorites. I’m psyched to know that they have gift cards too. A gift card from Bluebird would make the perfect gift for a couple who enjoys dining out. Thank you Bluebird Staff, for an incredible dining experience....the best I've had in quite some...

To those who have long lamented the closing of the B-Side, you're in for a real treat. Walking in we immediately felt "at home". Everything from the huge center bar, the uplit pressed tin ceiling, the tables/booth arrangement, right down to the cocktail glasses is reminiscent/recognizable. It's the B-Side reincarnated and we're so glad it's back! The cocktail menu has an interesting/diverse selection, the largest cocktail menu of any restaurant we've been able to find in the suburbs. We tried the Tangier, Tom Collins, Whiskey Smash, and a tall gin cocktail with grapefruit notes off the brunch menu. Each was excellent. The food menu also has an interesting/diverse selection with a lot of small plate options perfect for sharing. My husband and I had the chicken wings to start, then split four of the meat skewers (steak, lamb kofta, shrimp and arctic char), and three accompaniments (beets, chickory salad, mushrooms). Everything was cooked perfectly and the high quality of the ingredients came shining through (like the excellent EVOO drizzled over the beets). We wanted to try more but were completely stuffed. We went on a Friday evening and the place was jamming. We were glad to have a reservation since seats at the bar didn't turn over until closer to the time we left, around 10 pm. The food came out quickly, perhaps a little too quickly for those who want to linger a while and make the most of their babysitting dollars. Patrick, one of the owners was there, and he hasn't skipped a beat. He was checking in on customers, chatting with them and making everyone feel welcome and at home. Bluebird is a welcome addition to the dearth of quality restaurant establishments in the suburbs. I'd call it a hidden gem, but I think the word is already out. We'll definitely be...

Eat at the bar if you must (which I'm guessing you would when all of the other restaurants in West Newton have a wait and this is the only one with open tables).

The waitresses stand by the food runner/expedite area and ignore you to the point where we had to flag down our waitress on multiple occasions (our drink glasses were empty for more than half of our meal). At one point we flagged down the manager because we were given the wrong check (a $332 check for the table of 6 sitting next to us and we were a party of 2) and he didn't even bring the check back to us (our missing waitress did, which is when I noticed the $2 bread up charge).

Long story to say if you order the burrata appetizer, which costs $15 and has 4 small pieces of thinly sliced "Iggy" toast, check your bill for the $2 extra charge for extra bread (they are more than happy to offer more bread, but don't tell you about this charge and will tell you it's listed on the menu under sides as a recent change).

The steak frites were overly charred to the point of tasting like charcoal and had our waitress even checked on us after the food was delivered I would have been able to send it back! I was hungry and ate around it by cutting the top/bottom.

Service is horrible and I would normally overlook that, but the waitress brought the check to me confidently with attitude saying she had to charge me the $2 for extra bread when she did not tell me about this charge, ignored us the entire time, and clearly didn't know what was going on at any of her tables. I...