REVIEWS

Hot Cocktail Trend – Muddling
Made by mushing fresh fruit with liquor and popularized by the mojito, muddled drinks have smashed (pun intended) their competitors and become the thing to sip in fashionable bars and restaurants around town. We’ve tried mangos mashed with rum and lime at Excelsior.
STUFF@NIGHT: The Hot 100, 2006

Hot Secret Ingredient – Lobster
Lobster is usually the sumptuous showpiece of any dish it appears in. But suddenly chefs are harnessing the shellfish like a workhorse, putting it to hidden use in all kinds of humble-seeming dishes.  And Excelsior makes the home-style Viennese classic that is schnitzel with the stuff—butterflying the tail in panko crumbs and pan-frying it in butter, then sweetening the pot with butter-poached claws.
STUFF@NIGHT: The Hot 100, 2006

Boston’s Best – Best 30-Something Bar
A Moneyed and fashionably dressed clientele flocks to this soignée lounge, with its view of the Public Garden and impressive 40-page wine list.  (Bottles are stylishly showcased in a climate-controlled, three-story glass wine tower.)  As for cocktails, an extensive drink menu includes a variety of creative variations on the martini theme and slightly tweaked classics like a basil Mojito.  Snacks are appropriately upscale, with options like smoked duck quesadillas, chicken tempura, homemade sausages and, of course, the signature lobster pizza, the dish that’s launched 1,000 diets. 
The Improper Bostonian, 2006

There are 7,000 bottled reasons why Boston’s power elite frequent Excelsior.  With its hovering waiters, clubby décor, and spectacular view of the Public Garden, this is the place to broker a deal.  Executive chef Eric Brennan’s unobtrusive luxurious cuisine—Pan-seared striped bass with summer succotash and Finnan Haddie carpaccio; Long Island duck Breast with Marsala fig sauce—is detailed but never fussy.  In the mood for something more playful?  Check out the new raw bar, featuring jazzy combinations of seafood and spices.
Gourmet Magazine, 2005

“Executive chef Eric Brennan’s unobtrusive luxurious cuisine—Pan-seared striped bass with summer succotash and Finnan Haddie carpaccio; Long Island duck Breast with Marsala fig sauce—is detailed but never fussy.”
Gourmet Magazine, September 2005

Excelsior moves onward, upward, Three Stars
"...the new raw bar delivers, with its fresh clams and oysters and dramatic shellfish towers.  Brennan certainly knows how to put the 'special' in special occasion.  Many dishes are dressed up with tiny, labor-intensive touches...Lemony gremolata is sprinkled over porcini-crusted sea scallops, as perfectly seared as I've ever had them.  The lamb itself is so flavorful it doesn't need anything else on the plate–not that you won't eat every last bite of accompanying potato-goat cheese gratin. 

"...with Eric Brennan in the kitchen you're guaranteed a refined and rewarding dining experience."
Excerpts from review by Mat Schaffer, Boston Herald, 2005

"Gourmet Greatness, Score of 91…As its name implies, Excelsior rises high above expectations with startlingly fresh ideas for food, atmosphere, and service. The glass wine tower, outrageously successful cuisine, and wild color patches transform the dining experience."
Phantom Gourmet, 2004

“From the start, when the hostess escorts you to the elevator for your ride up to the dining room, you know that this is no ordinary restaurant.”
Craig Lambert, Harvard Magazine, 2004


AWARDS

2007–2005 Best of—Award of Excellence  The Wine Spectator
2007–2005 Award of Ultimate Distinction  Wine Enthusiast Magazine
2006–2005 Boston’s Best 30-Something's Bar  The Improper Bostonian
2006 New England's Best Cocktails  New England Travel and Life
2005 Boston’s Best Martini  The Improper Bostonian
2005 Gourmet Greatness  The Phantom Gourmet
2004 Top 10 New Wine Lists In America  Food & Wine Magazine
2004 Best of Boston, Wine List  Boston Magazine