Critic Finds ‘Tremendous Consistency’ in a ‘Breathtaking’ Downtown Steakhouse

“Tremendous Consistency” in a “Breathtaking” Space

MC Slim JB reviews the new Downtown Crossing location of Boston Chops for the Improper Bostonian. The space is wow-inducing and worthy of celebrations, date nights, or work dinners. The atmosphere has a mystique that “the waitstaff embodies,” Slim writes, noting they’re “mostly invisible, magically appearing when you need them.”

The food is executed with “tremendous consistency,” according to Slim, including a 14-ounce prime New York strip and a bone-in rib-eye, which is just-charred with garlic and herbs. Slim also oohs and aahs over the poutine-style baked potato and the pork belly mac and cheese, while also recommending the tomato and burrata salad and the pineapple gelee cheesecake.

For those not looking to shell out $50 for steak, Boston Chops has steak frites options in the $25 range, along with “a meltingly soft” braised cheek dish.

“So Much Care” at Talulla in Cambridge

Devra First reviews Talulla in the Boston Globe this week. The 12-table restaurant “is sweet, built around kindness and generosity and good intentions.” Owners Conor Dennehy and Danielle Ayer named it for their daughter, and as such, First writes, the restaurant “is also, like parenthood, a risk: a white-tablecloth neighborhood restaurant without so much as a burger on the menu.”

First dubs the three-course prix fixe for $60 a good deal; it comes with “precision and prettiness” and a roasted pork loin that’s a “stunner...full of memorable, well-synthesized flavors.” The wine selection is precise, and the atmosphere is friendly, with families and strangers meeting and exchanging notes on the meal.

Overall, First writes that “there is so much care on the plate.” The food is “gentle” and “nice” — maybe lacking “a little tension, a little spontaneity and wildness.” She rates the restaurant two-and-a-half stars out of four, between “good” and “excellent.”

• Off the Chain [IB]
• The Art and the Deal at Talulla [BG]