Stoddard's

Warning, stay away!\r \r I went there last night with my friend. We were having a nice evening got a glass of wine, ordered a cheese plate (horrible presentation but good cheese), until my friend's iphone got stolen. She went to the bathroom, I stayed at the table, things were bused, and the iphone was missing. Not only was the waitstaff completely unhelpful in looking for the iphone, they kicked us out of our table (our wine wasn't finished) so ""real"" customers could sit there. When we complained the manager yelled at us.\r \r In sum, if you would like to have a nice meal without getting hassled and your electronics stolen, do not go to Stoddard's. more

How can I explain this? Stoddard’s is the type of place that would make Ron Burgundy proud- plenty of rich mahogany, scotch, and cask ales. Go ahead and get the Anchorman soundboard app, it’s a worthwhile use of time. All kidding aside, Stoddard’s has wonderful interior décor; the bar is something to look at, and evenly spacing the taps down its full length is a nice detail. The place has a bit of a “speak easy” feel with bustier framed on the wall as art and old-fashioned street lamps lighting the room. The food is quality, if a little on the stuffy side. With that being said, you go there for the beer. Everything is done A+ including the correct glasses with every pour and wait staff that know the selections. The cask ales were not only delicious but were also a great change of pace from your average pub. The server, unprompted, brought us tasting glasses of the two we had not yet tried. The oatmeal stout is a good option for a Guinness drinker, and I would get it again; the Chimay Triple in the goblet glass, again aces. The beer selection and execution is top shelf and can be appreciated by someone who is not even a huge lover of beer. To eat we had a beef tartare, which was excellent, the shoestring fries cooked just right, which can be tough with the thin cut fries, and the lamb sausage, which was okay but still worth trying for its uniqueness. Altogether the food was good despite being a bit pretentious. But fellas, go there for the beer and atmosphere; the only thing you’ll be missing is a nice cigar! to read the entire post visit www.bostonguru.blogspot Enjoy, TG more

Well we all know it took forever to open and it was a series of issues with the amazing bar which is now the centerpiece. Everywhere you look there are pieces of history taken from other buildings or derived from the past of this space (balconies from Filene's, lingerie on the walls because it used to be made here, railings, wood for the bathroom, etc. ). They have a nice list of beers, cocktails and a standard set of foods. I had a delicious burger with okay fries. I have to say that I ate there in the first few weeks and so there probably have been improvements. My biggest beef was that our waitress had no clue about beer. For a place that strives to be a beer haven, make sure your staff knows their stuff! Don't plan on having a quiet meal here, even on a quiet night I found myself yelling to be heard. When looking for the bathroom, I came across the downstairs club which will be the speakeasy, members-only space. It is nothing fancy but will be an intimate place to enjoy oneself (if you have access). I have high hopes for this place because Downtown Crossing needs more places like Stoddard's. I will return and hopefully have better service more