Dining at My Namesake

We went to Stephanie's on Newbury ages ago for brunch. While the food was great we left there feeling like we overpaid for what we got. This was before we realized what kind of business brunch was in Boston and a few months later we realized that Stephanie's prices were right on par with all the other local restaurants serving brunch. We never went back to Stephanie's because we felt that it was a trendy restaurant where people mostly went to be seen (yes, I am referring to those people who eat at night with sunglasses on). But one night some weekend ago we had no restaurant plans and Alex thought it would be great to stay local and give Stephanie's another shot. I am happy to say that it was worth going back and that our dinner was amazing. While it seemed like a good chunk of people went to Stephanie's for the trend factor, there was still another chunk of people who went there because they actually liked the food.

They start out by bringing you crackers and Irish Soda Bread. The bread is incredibly addictive because it is a sweet and soft bread that goes perfect with butter. The best part was that they brought out a little piece of paper with the recipe to the bread.

We ordered the Warm Vermont Goat Cheese appetizer and wow. One word can describe this appetizer: amazing. This is definitely the appetizer to order if you are a cheese lover. The cheese had such a crisp, clean, intense flavor that went well with the toasted bread it came out with. Alex and I were literally fighting over who got to scrape the plate last.

For the entree I ordered the Mac & Cheese. This dish is colossal. What they served me is typically what I make for the two of us at home. I was barely able to get through a third of the dish. The mac and cheese was topped with buttery bread crumbs that did a perfect job at hiding the gooey cheesy goodness underneath. This was the perfect mac and cheese because there was a great ratio of cheese sauce to pasta. I don't know what three cheeses were used in the sauce because they blended perfectly together, but I'd assume that parmesan was probably one of them.

Alex was in the mood for a burger so he ordered the Oversized Stephi Burger. This is the most appropriate name for a burger because the thing was not a burger; it was a baby cow on your plate. This burger was a burger lover's dream because the burger was huge and moist and topped with cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, and sauteed mushrooms. Alex loved the burger and his only regret was not being able to eat it all.

For dessert we attempted to share the Belgian Waffle Sundae. It was such a poor showing because we barely ate half of it. The dessert was vanilla ice cream, banana brown sugar sauce, sliced strawberries, fudge, whipped cream, and wam waffles. This dessert was incredibly delicious.

Stephanie's is a great place to eat and the servings are perfect for sharing. I don't have a bad thing to say about our experience or the quality of food we had. You should definitely check them out!