Kevin L.
Yelp
I'm hovering between 3 and 4 stars for this place. Mostly I really like the staff and the drinks, but I've had a few occassions where the food was not up to snuff.
I'd say Batifol is one of the better places in Kendall to visit. The bartenders are all really knowledgable and it's one of the few places I've seen with such a wide array of French aperitifs and liqueurs, such as Suze, Green and Yellow chartreuse, Pastis, etc. They also carry a ton of Italian stuff, like Cocchi Americano if you want a proper Vesper. Pierre's one of the most approachable and friendly bartenders I've met, and makes an excellent cocktail.
I just wish that they would incorporate more of these unique liqueurs into their main menu. They do have a clientele to cater to, but something like a classic french cocktail menu would be nice as a reference. I can only memorize so many without it being my day job.
Then there's the food, which is why it's dinged about 1 star. The bread is great, dollar oysters are a great way to get people out, but some of the mains are disappointing. Granted the prices are quite fair, but the portions are rather small..... if you walk across the bridge to Beacon Hill, Ma Maison would blow the beouf bourguignon out of the water. The duck confit was also truly awful. It was anemic... all of the life in that duck leg was gone, and left was a crispy, shell of what could have been a nice dish. It was super dry, which I have no idea how the heck you do that with duck confit. The other dishes I've had, the moules frites were okay, and the salad nicoise was fine as well.
For now, I'd say it's a nice place for casual drinks, but I'd skip it for any mains. Still would be a staple and go-to place for me around Kendall though.