Allston Yacht Club

An ex girlfriend of mine always spoke very highly of the food at Allston so when I saw they were on Living Social I pounced on the deal.  Owned by two bean town ex-pats, Allston is named after a Boston neighborhood near Harvard.  The east coast vibe ends at the name.  The motif inside is defiantly LA casual with one wall decorated with large crashing waves.  The small plates and great wine selection are defiantly the draw here.  Sundays and Wednesdays Allston has a smaller 5 & 10 dollar menu, these are defiantly great days to go and check out what their serving.  I treated a few friends to dinner and we were not disappointed.  We started the meal with a handful of appetizers, chicken wings, fried calamari, grilled cheese and jalapeno corn fritters.  The chicken wings are Korean style(whatever that means) covered in a hot & sweet sauce with a few sesame seeds sprinkled on top for good measure.  The double frying gives the wings a good crunch, while the sauce burned my taste buds leaving a sweet after taste.  My African American friend Mark loved the wings and pointed out that due to his heritage he knows good wings when he has them.  I've never thought calamari tasted like much of anything so for me it's all about the dipping sauce that comes along with it.  In this case it's an amazing Nuoc Cham(fish sauce, chili, lime) that elevated the little fried rings. The petite brioche grilled cheese is stuffed with Cabot Vermont Cheddar and then dusted with powdered sugar.  The interesting flavor combo made this fluffy sandwich disappear very quickly.  The final appetizer to arrive was by far the best, 3 corn & jalapeno fritters plated on top of a tomatillo salsa.  The crunchy exterior gave way to a spongy corn meal with just a hint of burn.  The tomatillo reminded me more of a green chutney then a salsa.  For the first time since I was a kid I felt the urge to lick the plate, I didn't though(I might have to order some to go so I can be a pig at home). For the main course we ordered the lobster roll and Elysian burger.  The lobster roll was my only complaint of the evening.  The fresh baked roll reminded me more of a generic hot dog bun and the only flavor that came thru were the bits of celery.  The burger on the other hand was a great way to end the meal.  Niman Ranch Chuck & Wild Boar make this small and basic (topped with cheddar and special sauce only)burger a competitor for best in the city.  My friend Hero who had recently tried  the dry aged burger Nancy Silverton is turning out at Short Order, said Allston's was by far the best he has had in recent memory.  The service at Allston is good considering they only have one waitress.  I will defiantly be heading back to Echo Park soon for another helping.


http://allstonyachtclub.com/site/




I do not own any of these pictures, thanks to who ever took them