Phantom Gourmet: Strip By Strega In Boston's Back Bay
BOSTON - If you're looking for a more luxurious and 'sexy' steakhouse experience, this is the place for you to try. One of the top restaurateurs in Boston has gone all-in in the Back Bay.
After opening the original Strega in the North End, Strega Waterfront in the Seaport, and Strega Prime in Woburn, Nick Varano's latest and greatest creation is Strip by Strega at the Park Plaza. It offers a dining experience you won't find anywhere else in Boston - or all of New England, for that matter.
"I wanted to bring a little bit of Las Vegas, a little bit of Miami to Boston," Nick explained. "When you come in here, the vibe and the feeling you're going to get is unlike anything else that this city's ever seen."
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Though Strip isn't named after the Las Vegas Strip, it has enough glitz and glamour to put Sin City to shame. It's been that way since opening night, when Nick treated over 2,000 guests to outrageous acrobatic stunts and live performances by Mary J. Blige and Jamie Foxx. The celebration was so big in fact, it took up the hotel's entire ballroom.
Inside the restaurant, there's still plenty to look at every night, from elaborate fiberglass ceilings to plush white booths fit for the Rat Pack themselves.
We know what you're thinking - Does the food live up to the atmosphere? And the answer to that question is a resounding yes, yes and yes. Nick is as over-the-top about his flavors as he is about everything else at Strip.
"The food has to be amazing. Everything from when you start, from your drink, your cocktail, to your appetizer, to your steak, to all your sides, to word-famous desserts," Nick listed. "You're gonna be like, 'Oh my god. Where has this place been all our life?"
For starters, there's gnocchi capped with heaps of fresh lobster, and creamy buratta served with a thin slice of prosciutto. You can also try the tuna tartare served with avocado, soy sesame aioli and lotus chips; or the steak tartare finished with a quail egg.
"The steak tartare and the tuna tartare, I'll put them up against anyone in the industry. It is really fabulous," Nick boasted. "The sauces, the little quail egg, it's just something unlike anywhere else."
The main menu, of course, includes steak - lots of steak, available in just about any cut you can imagine. A house favorite is the 16 ounce K.C. Prime, Dry-Aged Sirloin that's cooked to order. For a plate that's guaranteed to get a big reaction, try Strip's massive 28 ounce bone-in prime Delmonico.
If steak isn't your thing, this menu offers plenty of top-notch seafood dishes to sink your teeth into, like the Chilean sea bass served with potato dumplings and English peas, or the 3-pound lobster drenched in butter and layered over truffle cauliflower puree.
"Three pound lobster is just something that I think belongs in a steakhouse. You know, the bigger the better," said Nick. "You put that with a little piece of steak, and it's heaven on earth."
While the menu also includes plenty of hearty side dishes - everything from duck fat marble potatoes to roasted Brussel sprouts with crispy pancetta - you may want to skip them in favor of Strip's incredible desserts. You can finish your meal with some Deconstructed S'mores or a classic Bananas Roster.
"Bananas Foster, what can you say right? It's actually one of my all-time favorite desserts," Nick stated. "It's just to-die-for. It really is. Mouthwatering."
So while you may not be as famous as the photos on the wall - Justin Bieber, Sofia Vergara and P. Diddy to name a few - everything about your meal at Strip will make you feel like a star.
"We're going to greet you; we're going to kiss and hug you, and we're gonna make you feel special. That's what makes me the happiest."
You can find Strip inside the Boston Park Plaza and online at stripbystregaboston.com.
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