I was thinking about how I wanted to start this Valentine's Day post. I could either talk about how over-rated and annoying the holiday is, making people feel obligated to spend $$ on flowers and gifts. Or I could talk about how much I enjoy a day dedicated to looooooovvvvvvveeee and romance. But the truth is...I don't really have a strong opinion on the holiday. All I know is February 14th brings a dinner reservation and chocolate covered potato chips, so I am happy as a 'clam' (foreshadowing).
My dad works in Watertown and has been telling me to try "The Talk" since I moved here over a year ago. Its a nice place, so I never considered it as our typical weekend beer and burger spot (although I am pretty high class now a days with Ruth's Chris and Del Friscos under my belt). Valentines day seemed like a good opportunity to give this place a try.
We made a reservation for 7 and were seated right away. We even got a premiere booth because the owner knew my dad- finally he comes in handy for something! Our server took awhile to come over, greet us and take our drink order, which unfortunately continued throughout the night. We chalked it up to it being Valentine's day and really busy, but still, it was a little bit annoying...
They had a number of app and entree specials, which all sounded really good. We chose the Ipswich whole belly clams as a start. They came out pretty quickly and were really different than any clams I have ever had (and I order clams a lotttt, especially in the summer). They were huge and a little more thickly fried than usual, but were really good. I mean, I ate far more than my share, and was reminded of it throughout the night. You'd think he would have learned by now, I'm not good at sharing food.
When it came to ordering our meals, Jake got the broiled sea scallops, and I really struggled. The steak tips were calling my name, but I really felt pressure to order more of an Italian dish as we were in an Italian restaurant after all. I ended up choosing the Veal Piccata. I LOVE chicken Piccata, and that wasn't an option, so I went a little out of my comfort zone with the veal, but what do they say? You miss 100% of the shots you don't take? I'm not sure that applies here, but I was feeling philosophical...apparently I get like that at 9am on a Saturday morning.
We got our entrees pretty quickly, and were pretty impressed with them. Jake's scallops were really tender and flavorful, and I was really happy with my piccata. The lemon caper sauce was super yummy, AND it came with mushrooms, bada-bing bada-boom, my fav veggie. The veal was fine, I also haven't had veal in like 10 years, so I don't remember how it is supposed to taste. But it did the trick adding a protein to my entree. No dessert for us, as I had a bad of choc covered chips waiting for me at home.
Overall really great food at this place, definitely focusing more on classic Italian dishes.Its not a big place, but the tables (and fancy booths) don't feel like you are on top of each other either. The waitstaff is really nice, and knowledgeable about the menu. Definitely a nice occasion place, as the meal was a bit expensive (for us), I mean the Ipswich whole belly clams were $20, and we didn't even find out until we got the bill (our fault for not asking).
This is Watertown's "neighborhood" restaurant with a historic vault inside (which you can actually dine in as well!). I was worried it would be a little too old school/outdated, but was pleasantly surprised with its modern decor and atmosphere. I would definitely recommend this for a nice Friday or Saturday night out, but make reservations, I hear it gets pretty packed on the weekends!
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