Before game or after work, Burton's fare is in ballpark

The Trilogy apartment complex near Fenway Park is now open for business, which means professionals who don't mind sleek interiors, central air conditioning, unbelievable views, and almost $2,000 a month for a studio have moved in.

These new residents need a place for basic American fare -- an upscale Bennigan's, if you will. And it seems they have one. It's called Burton's Grill.

Burton's already exists in Hingham and North Andover. This new, urban location opened in March, just in time for baseball season.

On a recent Sunday night, Burton's was packed by 6. This was due to the action down the street, the second Police show at Fenway Park. Groups of casually dressed yuppies, mostly in their 30s, snacked on preconcert appetizers at the bar. The roomy dining area, which looks like a furniture showroom, was populated by slightly older patrons (many of them male and in Hawaiian shirts) taking their time with pricier entrees.

Based on the fact that the place cleared out by 7:30, it's safe to say that the Fenway Park crowd is providing Burton's with much of its business. Trilogy types visit the place, but it's at its liveliest when folks are on their way to the ballpark.

On this night, we were among the high-maintenance Police ticket holders who demanded quick service. We asked the waitress to wait for our entire party to arrive before taking our order, but then demanded that she rush our meal so we could get to the show on time. She served our needs well and was assisted by at least two other staffers who were in charge of rushing drinks and dishes to patrons with similar "hurry-up-I'm-going-to-be-late" requests.

We started with two appetizers, the cheesesteak spring rolls and the pan-seared scallops. Both plates were big enough for a group. The scallops were plump and peppered. The rolls were greasy crusts packed with gooey, white cheese and steak nuggets. Two members of our group said the filling reminded them of dog food, but the dish was a guilty pleasure and a pleasant alternative to the similarly priced Fenway Frank that would greet us within the hour at the ballpark.

For entrees, we shared an oversize Cobb salad that proved to be an ample meal, a breaded-but-light baked haddock, a basic salmon and vegetable plate, and ribs that were described on the menu as "slathered" in sauce but didn't come out that way -- we didn't even need extra napkins.

All of the plates were serviceable. Nothing disappointed, but nothing surprised.

Our many servers managed to forget to bring a third appetizer that we ordered at the last minute (the sesame-crusted tuna), but they did honor our request for dessert to be served with dinner so that we could pay our check fast and scoot to the show. The flourless chocolate cake came out looking like something we might get at Bennigan's. What we assumed would be a dainty slice of torte was an oversize death-by-chocolate-style wedge covered in drippy icing. We didn't complain. At least it was easy to share.

The only big letdown was the special blueberry martini, which was an aqua drink that looked powerful enough to clean a toilet bowl. It tasted that way, too.

Overall, Burton's did what we needed it to do. It fed us. It got us to our show on time. It had a menu with all of the staples -- meat, cheese, pasta, fish, and veggies. It was clean and had a grown-up atmosphere.

There are places in the neighborhood (Audubon Circle, La Verdad, etc.) that could have provided us with more eclectic options and better ambiance, but Burton's was a safe bet -- something like Legal Sea Foods. And that reliability and predictability may be exactly what the people in the Trilogy complex and the folks on their way to Fenway Park are looking for.

Burton's Grill , 1363 Boylston St., 617-236-2236. burtonsgrill .com. Appetizers: $7 to $13; entrees: $10 to $32; wines by the bottle: $30 to $200; wines by the glass: $6 to $14.