Patriot Place Foxboro Restaurant Reviews

As a resident of a nearby town, I couldn’t help but get excited when I saw the plan for Patriot Place in Foxboro. From the start it seemed focused on restaurants and entertainment venues. I’ve now been to most of them, and thought I’d put my opinions out there. I’ve left places at the bottom for future restaurants reviews.

Davios

One of the better meals I’ve had outside of a major city. Davios is known for their mix of Steak and Italian food. It’s a nice combination that lots of restaurants attempt, and fail miserably. Davios on the other hand does a great job at both, and makes the menu fun with appetizers like the Philly Cheese Steak Spring Rolls, a decadent choice that tastes great. The hand-rolled gnocchi was also great, but be sure to save space for an aged ribeye or sirloin! That’s why you spend the money to go to Davios.

Skipjacks

Every time I go to a Skipjacks (other regular location for me is in Newton, and in Brookline Village before it closed) I think, why do people go to Legal Seafood? The fish is of better quality at Skipjacks, and the chefs keep it simple so the natural flavor of the fish comes through. My one complaint about this location is that we ate there on a cold Winter night, and the whole restaurant was freezing. My wife wore her coat the entire time. Hopefully, by their second winter season, they’ll figure out that they need one of those canvas entry ways out front to shield the wind from entering.

Red Robin

It’s exactly as advertised. Big, lively, fun. The experience was fine, but I hate it when restaurants feel the need to hide mayonaise on the bottom bun to make the burger taste more juicy. It’s cheating. And disgusting. And they never say it on the menu for fear of offending health concious diners. You know how not to offend us? Don’t put that crap on the burger unless I ask for it! I’m willing to eat unhealthy food (see Philly Cheese Steak note in Davios review), but I want to know it before the first bite. Red Robin is always packed with families and teenages who love the environment. I think I’ll leave this place for them. I must also mention on a positive note that they get a huge thumbs up for customer service. While waiting outside for our table, the host staff passed out free baskets of french fries. Very smart.

Tavolino

I love their sister restaurant, Siena in Mashpee Commons on the The Cape. [look for Cape Cod Restaurant Reviews soon] I really wanted Tavolino to be better than it was, but they butchered our first experience there. They sat us in the bar area when the whole restaurant was empty. When we asked to move they let us know that all of the tables were reserved. The restaurant was brand new and was still empty when we left. It made us feel very small. We also had to leave before our entrees were delivered. We ordered and ate a tasty, crunchy flatbread pizza as an appetizer. After 20 minutes of waiting for our dinners to arrive we asked the waitress and she let us know that they’d be right out. 10 minutes later… nothing. So we asked again, and then watched two waitresses trying to figure out why our meals hadn’t come, and then finally enter our order into the computer. One of them then came back and blamed the kitchen. I called BS, told them to keep the dinners and left without tipping.

N.B. We’ve been back since and had a wonderful experience the night of the Elton John / Billy Joel concert in July. They have figured out some of their new restaurant issues, and our waitress was very good. I should also note that the Prosciutto Fig pizza was excellent, and we will surely order it every time we go.

CBS Scene

If you’re a guy, you have to go. The food is too fancy to be called bar food, and priced accordingly. It’s not great, but that’s not why you go to CBS Scene. It starts with the idea of an ESPN Zone, but goes so much further. The perfect location allows you to see into the stadium, which alone is quite cool. But inside if there’s a game on TV you won’t miss it regardless of where you’re sitting. Each table has a personal audio / video jukebox with some live TV and some old CBS shows. There’s also a multi-level spiral staircase with games projected on metal mesh walls as you walk down to your table. It’s just a cool place to see.

Bar Louie

I like Bar Louie for the drinks and not the food. It’s great to have a huge, well designed bar in the suburbs. I find myself staring at the menu and wishing I had eaten before I came out. That’s not a good sign. I don’t want to be too down on this place, since it’s a great bar scene. It gets packed Thurs - Sat, which is a good thing for those looking for a scene.

BR Cafe (Baskin Robbins)

A concept store from the Dunkin Folks. The ice cream is fine and they sell some fancy, overpriced cakes. But it’s a fun place for the kids. They also have a topping bar that makes this my wife’s favorite place to get ice cream. We can’t go to Patriot Place without stopping here.

5 Guys Burgers and Fries

Why did it take so long for this to make it to New England? They sell two things. Burgers and Fries. I love that! What more do you need? They give out peanuts and fry in peanut oil as mentioned on exactly 857 signs. Peanut allergy fears? You bet. The burgers are tasty, juicy masterpieces and come with any toppings you want for free. The fries could be the best I’ve ever had (and as shown above, I’m a critic). They are fresh cut daily from bags of idahos and the town they were grown in is displayed proudly on the wall next to the counter. This is what I picture burgers to have been like when people ate at drive throughs. The red and white diner tiles only emphasize the classic cuisine.

Studio 3 / Showcase Cinema De Lux

This could be the true gem of Patriot Place. Not because of the food, which is fine, but because this is the most intelligently designed VIP cinema experience I’ve been to. The huge leather seats are comfortable and allow you to eat and drink without having to do contortions. The VIP seats are accessed from the second floor of the theatre, and stretch across multiple theatres. Great idea. The food is fine allowing you to combine your dinner and movie experiences.

Q’doba, BlueFin, and Olive Garden

These restaurants are not why I go to Patriot Place. I worked at Olive Garden as a teenager, and will likely never eat there again. No specific reason related to food quality, cleanliness, etc. Just a lack of interest eating somewhere I worked.

Tastings

coming soon…

Mixed Metaphors

I decided to go for a light post today. No Data Governance or Analytics allowed on the Friday of a long weekend! Enjoy, and add in others if you have them. Not all of these are original, but many are.

Hack of all trades (credit to my wife Lauren)
Green behind the ears (credit to Barack)
This isn’t rocket surgery
There’s no place like Rome
When in Rome, do as the Romanians do
I’m just talking out loud (also Lauren)
Walking on thin air
Skating on thin air
Treading on thin ice
Hit the wall running
Birds of a feather gather no moss
Burn that bridge when we come to it
Just water over the bridge
Death by a thousand paper clips
Up a tree without a paddle
Up a river without a leg to stand on
Wake up and smell the roses
Two’s a crowd and three’s company
Stop and smell the coffee
Don’t punch a gift horse in the mouth
Can’t lead a dead horse to water
It’s first and ten and we’re swinging for the fences
He took a shot in the dark and hit a grand slam
Give him enough rope to hang by a thread
They’re selling like hot potatoes
I don’t give a flying rat’s ass
A punter’s chance in hell

From therussler.tripod.com/
Pair up in threes, then line up in a circle, alphabetically by height.

From http://www.jimcarlton.com/
We could stand here and talk until the cows turn blue.
We have to get all our ducks on the same page.

Best Boston Restaurants

Where to begin. I’m a foodie. I’ve always loved going to nice restaurants and trying their signature dishes. My wife shares this passion, although she’s not as adventurous. Sometmes I have to fly solo for the more interesting foods.

I lived in Brookline for years, so you’ll see lots of local dives below. I’ve also explored most of the top restaurants in Boston. There are some I have no interest in - I’m not really into French food despite some of the restaurant names below. And others that I go back to over and over again - Grill 23, Fugakyu, Giacomos and Mare come to mind.

If you stumble upon this post, please comment. Tell me I’m wrong if that’s your thing. I’m always interested in trying other restaurants too, so please leave suggestions.

Enjoy!

Overall Favorites

Sushi: O Ya (also my favorite restaurant right now)
BBQ: Redbones
Bistro: Mistral
Bakery / Breakfast: Flour (Southie or South End)
Brunch: Tremont 647
Asian: Myers + Chang (I love Joanne)
Fish: Mare
Italian: Giacomos (recommend South End - bigger and they take reservations)
Steak: Grill 23

By ‘Hood…

Brookline: Fugakyu, Zaftigs, Matt Murphy’s, Rod Dee Too, Rami’s, Bottega Fiorentina, Tasca, Audabon (Last two may be Boston addresses, but they are in Brookline neighborhoods)
South End / Roxbury: Myers + Chang, Tremont 647, Giacomos, Mistral, Pho Republic
Back Bay: Grill 23, Casa Romero, Sonsie, Charlies, Clio/Uni, Newbury Pizza, Stephanies
North End / Waterfront: Meritage, Giacomos, Bricco, Mare, Ristorante Fiore, Sail Loft, Sel De La Terre
Cambridge: Not really my world although I love Rialto for dinner and Henriettas for brunch - both at the Charles. The Chowhound folks love Craigie on Main. It’s next up on my list to try. I’ll update once I’ve been