The Met Bar & Grill at Legacy Place, Dedham

When Legacy Place in Dedham opened, the first restaurant we tried was The Met Bar & Grill. Mostly b/c I had always wanted to try the one in Chestnut Hill, but also b/c we’d been to an Aquitaine, Legal Seafood’s AND P.F. Chang’s before, so it only made sense to try someplace new.

Since then, we’ve been back multiple times… in fact, at least four or five. Is the food that phenomenal? No. BUT… the Met Fries — served with Parmesan, fried sage and truffle mayo are TO. DIE. FOR.

I am addicted to them. I crave them. I want them. I need them. Now, even the 5-yo is addicted to the earthy truffle mayo (that I could eat with a spoon)… causing us to sometimes require two orders. In fact, when I tell the boy something has mayonnaise in it he’ll ask, “is it truffle mayo?” If I say no, he won’t eat it.

These crispy fries are covered in (sometimes too much) Parmesan cheese, dotted with fried sage and come with the infamous truffle mayo. YUM.

As is the case with most restaurants, I prefer the appetizer menu at the Met Bar over the dinner menu. The few dinners I’ve had have been okay. Like I said earlier, the food is not phenomenal, but the bar has a fun atmosphere, they have a cool burgers-only bar in the back of the restaurant and the decor is about as close as you can get to a “city restaurant” without huffing it into the city.

My only complaint about the menu is that it never changes. It’s always the same… at both restaurants. Kind of annoying. Of the items I’ve tried from the Appetizer menu, the Salmon and Tuna Tartare — served with taro chips ($15) is really good, probably my favorite on the menu. The Buffalo Shrimp — served with ranch peppercorn dressing, shaved asparagus, buffalo sauce, avocado and blue cheese ($13.5) is also quite good, but on the spicy side.

The last time we went (a few weeks ago), I decided to try something new… the Met Crispy Mozzarella — with Cajun spices and a pink marinara sauce ($7.5). This is what arrived:

The mozzarella sticks were HUGE and very crunchy… bordering on being overdone. They were way too big. The sauce was awful… it tasted exactly like the sauce from the Chef Boyardee raviolis I used to love as a kid. D (my husband) tasted it too and agreed. Gross. Yes, I liked this flavor as a kid… but a sauce served in a semi-high end restaurant? No thanks. Very disappointing. I barely choked down ONE of the sticks.

D got a burger this last time and has tried various burgers there (sort of what they are famous for). He’s liked the burgers he’s gotten there, though I think they’re a little pricey for the size. I think this one was the Manhatten – The Works — Swiss cheese, bacon, sauteed onions & mushrooms on a sesame seed bun.

He has also gotten the Vermont – The Farm — Bacon, cheddar & a fried egg… though, I think he got it without the bacon. At least it looks that way:

The cocktails at the Met Bar have always been pretty good. I generally get the Caipirinha, which is sort of my signature drink. Mmmmm…

I’ve even tried their coconut Caipirinha, made with the addition of coconut milk. I wasn’t a big fan — it didn’t really blend well with the flavor of the Cachaca. Also, this past time I was there, they used some cheap-ass Cachaca to make my Caipirinha and it was AWFUL. I swear, it tasted like bandaids smell. Of course I choked it down (I’m nnot one to waste booze), but it was gross.

D has gotten other drinks here as well, including red wine once (which wasn’t very good). We were kind of surprised by the glass they put it in:

That’s just plain weird.

During one other visit I tried one of the dinners… The Cedar Miso Salmon — made with green tea, cucumbers and pickled vegetables. I can’t remember what it cost, and they don’t post prices on their online menu (SOOO annoying)… but it wasn’t uber cheap. And, it wasn’t very good.I love salmon and could barely eat it. I’m not sure if you can tell by the photo, but they put WAAAY too much miso paste on it…  it was sickeningly salty. Inedible. I scraped off what I could and picked around it. The slaw was good… and I see I had a Caipirinha that night too!

Overall, I like this place… but for drinks and apps only. I’m not sold on dinner… I’m always VERY suspicious of a restaurant that never changes their menu. Plus, my bad experience with the mozzarella sticks and the salmon have left me cautious.  Also, now that my last Caipirinha sucked… I’ll be sure to ask what kind of Cachaca they have next time and request a better label.

If you do go, just make sure you definitely get those truffle fries!