Victoria B.
Yelp
I went to the Parrot because I know The Galley in Scituate, Bia Bistro in Cohasset, and Trident in the Hingham Shipyard. I expected way, way more and left not just disappointed but puzzled. How could the same group that does those do this??
This is one of those places where the menu is a minefield. You're never sure what you'll be getting, or if it's gonna be good. We'd been moving stuff all afternoon and were hungry. We'd been to the Red Parrot back in the day and so decided to pop in to sate our hunger. The place wasn't slammed but they had a generous crowd. Because it was cold (Mass in May, doncha know), we chose the main level inside: the room with the view. And it is quite a view. If you're on the bubble and not sure if you want to eat here, come for the view. Figure out the rest later.
The rest. Lots of fried food and such on the menu. It's hard to parse what is what. I got the tacos in large part because the rice and beans sounded good. I was thinking tacos=mexican ergo I'll get a side of mexican rice and black mexican beans -- two separate but often paired foods. Nope. I got a lukewarm serving of gummy old white rice with a handful of old beans strewn throughout. I can't remember the last time I've been served a dish this bland and unappealing. The tacos were better but oh so ordinary. The entire dish came with one lime as the only seasoning but the lime was dry.
My companion got the Portuguese stew, which was very flavorful and filled to overflowing with seafood. A few shrimp and small clams (littlenecks?), a couple of cubes of salmon, and four or five huge mussels (the biggest I've ever seen served), all topped with toast. A tasty if rustic dish. He was happy.
But it was as if the two meals came out of two separate kitchens. How could one chef conceive of these two disparate dishes much less send them both out to the same table??? It was like those rice parables to demonstrate the inequities of the universe. You get one grain and the guy across gets a banquet.
And while the stew at $27 was priced the to reflect what was served (regardless of quality), the tacos ($15 with a $3 upcharge because... fish?) are wildly out of line with what is served, both the quantity AND the quality. In Boston, where prices are generally higher, you can easily get three foodie gourmet frou-frou tacos for the same price as these two tortilla slugs. And I promise you, the Boston tacos are far superior in every way.
Service was decent and cheerful. The view was great. The ambiance relaxed and clean. They have a roofdeck that's great in sunny weather (depending on where they seat you -- don't let them put you in the back under the loudspeaker) and a bar on the lowerlevel with TVs where you can watch the game. But we came to eat.
When the food is uneven or bad or both, people will remember. I will remember.
