You can opt for a fine restaurant in Boston, but why bother when you have Bistro 44 in your backyard (for us that is). Located conveniently in Bedford, MA at the Double Tree Hotel on Middlesex Turnpike, Bistro 44 is a ""best find"". This was our second visit, first time in the lounge and this time for dinner. On our first visit we had just returned from dinner at Max Stein's in Lexington and stopped by the Bistro 44 lounge for a drink. The lounge is elegant, not crowded, and the drinks, well, as good as we've found anywhere. We met Paul the manager, who said that he would put his menu, quality of food and overall dining experience up against Max's and any other restaurant in the area. We decided to take him up on his challenge. Here it is: no reservations requred (although we did make one). We parked in the hotel private lot, no hassles and no cost. We were seated right away. Our servers were friendly, professional and attentive, there were no delays of any sort. The pre-meal drinks were well done from their full service bar. Our salad and crab cake appetizers were delicious, well prepared and flavourful. The sea bass was fresh, served with prawns, safron rice and baby bok choy, superb. I left nothing on my plate. The filet mignon, asparagus and mashed potatoes were delicious, perfectly cooked and presentation was excellent (coming from a filet expert , this is a major plus). Desert was a chocolate cake; I'm not a major chocolate cake fan, but we decided to share, and this one definitely got my attention. Here is the bonus: we were treated to 3 hours of one of the best music trios we have heard in a long time. ""The Mystics"" were excellent. We felt like we were at a concert (check the restaurant for their schedule). To top it off; after dinner, music and dancing, we lounged in the courtyard by a gas fired pit - comfortable, great place to relax and met some super people. Why did we use all of the space here for this review? Because Bistro 44 is worth it!!!
Pros: Location, free parking, excellent food, great service, live music, overall atmosphere...
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