For a great meal, head downtown. That's downtown Lynn.
Downtown Bistro & Wine Bar
191 Oxford St., Lynn
Telephone: 781-593-3111
downtownlynnbistro.com
Reservations accepted
Credit cards accepted
Handicapped accessible
There are plenty of places on the North Shore to go for a good meal. But if you want to get a great meal the list is small. Fortunately, we can now add another name to that select list: the Downtown Bistro & Wine Bar.
Residents who have lived here for less than 20 years might be puzzled when word gets out that one of the area's best new bistros in years is in downtown Lynn. For those who haven't ventured downtown, let it be known that the area is now officially a scene. More than 200 condos have been sold over the last three years, and although real estate has slumped in recent months, a group of restaurant owners is betting that downtown Lynn will follow in the footsteps of Boston's South End.
Enter John Moore, who opened the Downtown Bistro & Wine Bar last month at the site of the former Oxford Street Grill, an upscale bistro that featured German cuisine and had lasted less than two years.
The Nahant native, who also owns the Navy Yard Bistro in Charlestown, has created a menu that is more diverse than the Grill's offerings, and with lower prices.
Last Saturday night, we drove over to Oxford Street, once anchored by the late and great Anthony's Hawthorne. There was plenty of on-street parking, and the upscale German and Japanese cars that were parked there belonged to the diners inside the new bistro.
Upon entering, we noticed that the place was nearly packed and had to convince the maitre d' to squeeze us in at the last empty table. The room still has the feel of the old Oxford Street Grill: people sit at the same black tables and chairs, and the long burnished bar still offers up any drink you can think of. While the walls are bare, Moore is planning to hang pictures of downtown Lynn from the 1930s.
Our appetizers were brought to our table minutes after we arrived, and we were not disappointed. The presentation of the house-smoked salmon pizette ($8) was pleasing; the thin strips of salmon were delicious, and were placed on grilled pita bread, and topped with citrus crema.
The Caesar "Planter" salad ($7) was a unique offering: the romaine was served vertically, and stuck into a homemade French baguette. The dressing was made without eggs, and consisted mostly of mascarpone.
We settled on two entrees and were satisfied with both. The roasted Chilean sea bass ($21) proved to be a fatty, white-flaked fish, covered with a chipotle honey glaze and topped with a mix of grilled onion, avocado, mango and a tomatillo puree. The fish was fresh and filling and sat atop several black bean floutas.
We were also impressed with the vegetarian delight ($14). The grilled jumbo asparagus was outstanding, along with the accompanying mushroom risotto.
Special desserts are homemade here, and we were delighted by the freshness of the creme brulee ($7) and the three scoops of vanilla ice cream ($5).
Moore is counting on local condo owners and residents of nearby Nahant and Swampscott to be regular customers. He's also planning to open for lunch soon.
Restaurants live and die by the quality of their food, and so far, this place has done all the right things. My bet is that the Downtown Bistro will survive the real estate dip and be around for years.
STEVEN ROSENBERG 