The Exchange
If you appreciate fine dining but don't like being treated like dirt, Phantom recommends The Exchange in Boston.
Atmosphere(8.5)
Subtle, simple, and elegant. The bar is a good place to stop after a long white collar work day. But the romantic mood was screwed up by inappropriate disco music.
Menu(8)
About a dozen and a half dinner entrees with plenty of variety and a pasta of the day. Appetizer list heavy on the seafood.
Portions(8)
You won't be strapping on the feed bag, but there's a lot more food here than most trendy restaurants.
Appetizers(8.5)
Crab cakes are good, although Phantom's crab cake expectations are almost as high as his Peking ravioli standards. He enjoyed the chilled jumbo shrimp with a delicious cocktail sauce.
Food and Drink(9)
Beautiful plate presentation, but they haven't forgotten to serve great food. Grilled black Angus steak is delicious; chicken old fashioned style is also excellent.
Desserts(9)
Several tempting choices; chocolate cake kahlua and raspberry anglaise was as tasty as it was pretty.
Service(8)
Staff was very nice about giving directions and faxing a copy of the menu.
Cleanliness(10)
You could eat off the floor, which is important to Phantom because he's been known to do just that after having a few too many cocktails.
Parking(7)
You'll feel like Indiana Jones trying to drive here. Near Faneuill Hall and Government Center. Valet parking is a stiff nine bucks.
Value(8)
Lunches from $8 to $17. Dinners $18 to $31. You can easily drop a hundred dollars here with tax, tip, and the pesky five percent Massachusetts meals tax.
