Pops Restaurant.

One of the reasons the husband and I fell in love with our apartment was its proximity to wonderful places to eat on Tremont Street.

One place we never got a chance to eat at, because it closed before we got around to it, was a place called "Perdix." The restaurant closed up and the space sat empty and unused for many, many months.

Well the place finally turned over, and earlier this month it reopened with a new name and menu. The new place is called "Pops Restaurant," and it's in a fantastic location.

The location is what will keep the place packed with customers. Because the food certainly won't.

Don't get me wrong. The food certainly wasn't bad. It was tasty. And the place has some of the most comfiest and cool chairs you have ever sat in... But the menu was the same menu you see all across the South End. Uninspired.

It's a great date place though. Similar to Tremont 647. The lighting, music and atmosphere is comfortable. And there doesn't seem to be a bad seat in the house... Even the seats next to the door. (There's a heating fan above the door that pushes the cold air back out and keeps things "toasty" the moment you walk in.)

The drink menu and wine list were probably the most original things in the place. I tried a sparkling pinot noir. And if I could hold my "drink," I would have tried one of the yummy-sounding house cocktails. ("Coconut Mojitos!!!" I love anything coconut.)

To start my husband and I each tried different things. He started with chicken wings, which were only "okay." And if my husband (who is by no means a "foodie" says something is only "okay," then you know it's boring.) I started with garlic and bread soup. The menu read that it was supposed to include "shrimp, chorizo and bread" in it. I found quite a few shrimp (which I'm only somewhat fond of), almost no chorizo (which I LOVE) and absolutely no bread in it.

When it came to dinner, I tried my usual favorite from most other South End eateries - pasta bolgonese. (Translation: Pasta with red meat sauce... Though it does usually have a little cream in it.) I convinced my husband to try the night's special: Striped Sea Bass (sorry Chan... I know how you feel about people eating Sea Bass) and scalloped potatoes.

My bolgonese was quite good. My husband's fish was good. But the scalloped potatoes were still raw, and quite difficult to cut even with a knife.

We did try a dessert. It was "alright." We had a molten chocolate cake. However, the middle was not warm enough... Thus, there was no "molten" effect to the cake. The chocolate is supposed to ooze out when you cut into it. This did not happen.

I did order a cappuccino with my dessert. And the foam was perfection on it. (I am very particular about the foam on my cappuccinos. It should be "creamy." Not "styro-foamy" - which is how you see it most of the time.)

Overall, we give Pops Restaurant three and one half skull and crossbones! (Out of a possible five total.)






The food was average. The atmosphere and location were very good. And the drinks and coffee were excellent and unique. Service was a little slow, mostly because our server was very "chatty." And I didn't like that I saw the hostess drinking a glass of sparkly wine during her shift. (I'm old fashioned. I think if you are on "duty" in a restaurant, you shouldn't be drinking.)

Definitely a good date spot. We probably won't go back anytime soon. Maybe we will make it a "seasonal" visit, if they change the menu. If not, it will be less frequently.