Jury Room gets a favorable verdict
The Jury Room, 39 Cottage Ave. Quincy. 617-328-7234.
From just-a-beer to a very nice dinner, this new restaurant near the Quincy District Courthouse has it all. In keeping with the courthouse theme, it's got martinis with names like nolo contendre and caveat emptor and sandwiches and flatbreads with equally judicious appellations. Try the variety of grilled flatbreads, particularly the Court House Ham, loaded with salty shredded taso ham. The crabmeat flatbread is excellent, and the Petit Juror sliders are a fiery buffalo-chicken trio of mini-sandwiches tamed - a bit - with blue cheese dressing. The Parmesan-crusted salmon has a salty, crispy skin and velvety flesh. Save room for homemade desserts, especially luscious ginger mascarpone cake, Key Lime pie, orange creme brulee, and Heathbar bread pudding. The verdict: a very good meal with friendly service. (Bella English, 06/25/08)
On a recent Friday night, a rowdy party is going on in the bar half of the Jury Room: some postal workers are raising beers to a friend headed to Iraq. On all of the myriad televisions, the Red Sox are winning.
When we go to the dining room, it's like a different restaurant entirely: a quiet buzz of diners sitting under lazy ceiling fans, poring over menus while sipping martinis.
The Jury Room has been open only a month, and it's already attracting attention. Just down the street from the Quincy District Courthouse, this spot capitalizes on the justice theme. Stenciled in paint in the foyer are the famous words of Johnnie Cochran from the OJ trial: "If the glove don't fit, you must acquit."
The martinis ($9) have names like Nolo contendre, In terrorem, and Caveat emptor. Likewise the food, such as flatbreads ($7.50 to $9.50) named Court Appearance, Guilty as Charged, and Class Action. Sandwiches ($5.75 to $8.95) include Double Jeopardy, Beyond Reasonable Doubt Tuna Melt, and Power of Attorney. You get the idea.
The chief justice behind all of this is Clint Smith, who has been in the restaurant business for years. He owns the 100-year-old Cellar Tavern in Abington, and was partner in several California restaurants, including the legendary Cadillac Bar in San Francisco, which was razed to make way for the Moscone Center.
For the Jury Room, he brought in chef Eileen O'Donoghue, formerly of - I'm not kidding - Jury's. O'Donoghue, who attended culinary school in her native Ireland, as well as Johnson & Wales, spent six years working with executive chef Daniel Bruce of the Boston Harbor Hotel, and it shows in her attention to detail, down to the geometric white plates and the presentation. She's also responsible for the chewy warm foccacia that starts the meal and the scrumptious desserts at the end.
Here's the thing about the Jury Room: You can eat on the cheap or you can splurge on a steak that will cost you $27. You can order off the restaurant menu if you're in the bar, and the bar menu if you're in the restaurant.
Since we're Cheap Eaters both by occupation and preference, we order several things from the bar menu and some from the regular one. We start with steak cigars ($8), lean strips of beef wrapped in crispy phyllo pastry, and served with smoked Gouda sauce, reminiscent of a fancy Velveeta dip. The crunch, the smoke, the creamy finish offer a smorgasbord of sensations.
Courthouse Ham ($8.50), flatbread heaped with shredded Taso ham, has a definite kick to it, thanks to a dose of paprika. The heat is cut by a tomato relish, some gooey mozzarella, and a touch of pesto. It's a delicious mix of salty, sweet, and hot.
A favorite is crabmeat flatbread ($9.50), a grilled saltine-type crust with a respectable helping of fresh crabmeat and melted goat cheese, accompanied by a caper aioli with bite. The Guilty as Charged ($9) flatbread is a tasty blend of chorizo, caramelized onions, and mozzarella, but not quite as interesting as its sister Courthouse Ham.
Petit Jury Sliders ($7.50) will make you sit bolt upright. Three mini buffalo chicken sandwiches are five-alarm. Though they're drizzled with blue cheese sauce, a small bowl of additional sauce would be welcome. The guy at our table who is stuffed up with allergies downs a slider and declares himself "completely cleared up."
Parmesan-crusted salmon ($18) is cooked perfectly, the salty crust revealing velvety flesh. It's served with a mustardy warm potato salad, ideal for a summer evening. Strawberry pecan salad ($5.50) is very fresh, but would have been better with candied pecans - and more of them.
The only ordinary note is chicken tagliatelle diavolo ($15); the pasta lacks pizzazz and is a tad overdone.
Desserts (all $6.50) are made on the premises and a delight. My friend George declares Heath bar bread pudding (with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream) the best bread pudding he's ever had. Ginger mascarpone cake is a light, creamy alternative to standard cheesecake and comes with crumbled ginger snaps and mango coulis. An orange creme brulee is delicious on its own; doubly so with a chocolate-dipped madeleine on the side.
Smith, who goes from table to table asking diners, "What's the verdict?" apologizes for the fact that the Key lime pie is warm, just recently baked. It's true that the flavor would have been more intense cool, but you know what? It's also wonderful just the way it is.
