Krasi

Published July 15, 2022

After a 40-minute train ride from Concord, we arrived in Boston! I could tell from the minute we stepped onto the sidewalk that I was going to love Boston’s architecture, especially its churches.

We walked a few blocks to our accommodations, which were on Marlborough Street in Back Bay. I highly recommend staying in this neighborhood as it is beautiful, quiet, safe, and close to everything on Newbury Street.

Newbury Street Shopping

After dropping off our luggage, we decided to explore Newbury Street prior to dinner.

 

I was shocked at the number of businesses and shops on Newbury Street. Newbury had the same style buildings as we did for our accommodations in the residential section of Back Bay. The buildings were red brick, two or three stories high, with one business on the main level of the building and another business downstairs on the lower level of the building.

Many businesses hosted outdoor dining in decorative patios. I loved that they displayed their menus on the sidewalk so one could read more about their offerings prior to sitting down.

Mochi Dough: Premium Japanese Donuts

 

The sign for mochi donuts caught my eye as we were walking. My boyfriend loves donuts and recommended we try mochi donuts before, so we decided to stop into this business. I was excited to try mochi donuts for the first time.

There were only a few mochi donut flavors left in the case by this time of day. We luckily found flavors that we liked. My boyfriend picked the purple ube donut and I picked the churro donut.

The texture of the donut is what made it the most unique. It reminded me of the mochi ice cream I reviewed before. It was chewy and light. Mine, of course, tasted like churros because it was coated in cinnamon and sugar. I liked the icing on my boyfriend’s donut, but I couldn’t detect the “ube” flavor very much.

I would stop into Mochi Dough again, preferably in the morning when I could have a wider selection of flavors.

With our donuts in hand, we continued walking down Newbury Street.

Trident Booksellers & Cafe

 

Trident Booksellers was on my “to visit” list even before we arrived in Boston. Since we were already on Newbury Street and had time to kill before dinner, we decided to stop in.

We entered the bookstore near the cash registers. The staff’s favorite books lined the first set of shelves and written reviews dangled under each book.

The long cafe bar came into view as we approached tables of books. I was surprised to see the many bar seats filled with people on laptops, drinking coffee and hanging out. I thought it was an amazing idea to have a cafe among the stacks of books. Additional table seating sat in the front of the building, close to the window that looked out onto Newbury Street.

We moved back into the stacks, which was quieter. Trident offered a huge selection of books on tall shelves, sorted by genre.

Trident even sold games, small gifts like pins and socks, stickers, notebooks, and other random items that book lovers would enjoy.

There was even a second floor with book-painted stairs that led up to a large children’s section, young adult section, and what looked to be a large dining room with booth seating. I didn’t explore Trident’s menu but based on the number of customers in the cafe, they seemed like a good location to work from and have a treat.

After exploring all sections of Trident Booksellers & Cafe, we made our way to Gloucester Street for dinner.

Krasi

The main highlight for our first day in Boston was dinner at Krasi. My boyfriend’s colleague, who visited Boston a few weeks before we did, recommended we try this Greek restaurant. I’m no expert in Greek food, but after reviewing Krasi’s website, I knew it was a perfect place for us to visit to start our trip.

 

Our Krasi reservation was for 6:00pm and they were able to squeeze us in at the bar because the rest of the restaurant was booked. For a Tuesday weeknight, I took this as a good sign; the restaurant must be popular.

We arrived 10 minutes before our reservation and were seated immediately. Krasi was a long room with dramatically tall, polished ceilings. The tables and chairs were light colored wicker. Curved navy blue booth seating provided vintage vibes. The walls were a textured light gray with long exposed bulbs that hung down from the ceiling. Big uncovered windows lit the space with pockets of natural light.

We sat in the middle of a long bar, which looked onto the cutting board and grills of the open kitchen. I was excited to be able to watch the preparation of our dishes.

The tables looking out onto the street were full, as were the many seats to the left of us at the bar. A floor-to-ceiling bar with many wine bottles faced us, where a bald man with glasses took drink orders and poured drinks. Behind us, a young couple was already into their entrees and down the end of the bar, a group of friends were finishing their meal.

Krasi’s Menu

Krasi’s menu was a two page folded menu with beautiful branding, font, and white space. There was an intentional selection of dishes for each category: Breads, charcuterie, cheeses, dips, garden, seafood, and meat.

Our server recommended we order 4-6 items to share, so we selected a few to try.

Appetizers

Tiropita Rolls | $4.00

Found under the “fresh baked bread” section of the menu, we ordered 2 of the tiropita rolls.

I had no idea what to expect from this bread. It was warm when it arrived. I cut a piece; the bottom of the roll had a dense cheese-based filling.

We thought a spread of feta and olives sat on the edge of our cutting board (which was a clever and pretty way to serve these rolls), but it was actually butter!

The butter was incredibly light and airy. This butter was slightly salty and provided a savory flavor to smear on the rolls.

Lalangia | $6.00

The second bread we ordered was lalangia, which I have never had before.

It was a long narrow bread that had the exterior crunch like a funnel cake. The interior of the bread was soft and this bread was even warmer than the other one.

Though this bread was topped with salt and thyme, it was sweet. The butter on this board was flavored with honey and was a great addition to the texture and flavors of the lalangia. Of the two breads, the lalangia was my favorite.

Taramosalata | $20.00

My boyfriend was familiar with this dip, so I trusted his recommendation for ordering it as an appetizer. I figured anything topped with lobster would be enjoyable!

I loved the presentation and bowl of this dip, which reflected the colors of the restaurant’s design. The bread that came with it was dark — almost like pumpernickel bread. I learned that this is called “Carob Bread” and is made with molasses. This bread had a unique flavor — subtly sweet but also a bit smokey and rich. I loved it, especially paired with the taramosalata.

Generous cubes of chilled lobster rested on the creamy dip. It was a generous portion, so as I got fuller, I ate the lobster on the bread and wrapped the rest of the dip for later.

Graviera Cheese | $8.00

We wanted to try one of the cheeses as well. Manouri was one of our favorites, but we wanted to try a new one, so we picked the second one on the menu, which was a hard cow’s milk cheese. 

I was shocked when this board arrived. I was already full from the bread and I knew we had entrees on the way too.

The cheese was perfect, nutty and neutral, and a great vessel for the jam and bread. This board had cherries and fig jam which brought sweetness to the cheese, while the pickles and olives brought savory flavors.

I liked the addition of the rosemary bread, which I also used to dip in the taramosalata. This bread allowed you to taste more of the unique flavor of the taramosalata compared to the carob bread.

The seats on my right filled up with a young woman who ordered wine and waited for a friend. To our left, a couple shared a bottle of white wine and one of the garden dishes, where a plate of bright green produce — peas and leafy greens — waited to be eaten.

In the kitchen, two women and the lead chef moved throughout the space. One assembled dishes, one grilled, and one sautéed. Supporting staff walked up the stairs from a lower kitchen with baked goods and various cheese boards. We watched as plates were assembled and we realized they were our entrees.

Entrees

 Xtapodi Xydato | $24.00

I don’t normally select octopus for an entree, let alone a chilled dish, but I knew for a Greek restaurant that if we were going to have octopus, Krasi would be the place to order it from.

This entree was unbelievable. Fresh and light, the octopus was cooked to perfection. Disks and tentacles were tender and cold. Slices of pepper were bright and juicy, along with the small pearls of sweet onion. The whole dish sat on top of a smear of fava beans, which were silky and bright yellow. It almost reminded me of polenta! This was a perfect entree to share and we finished the whole dish.

Souvla, Lamb | $24.00

Krasi offered rotisserie chicken, pork, and lamb. Our server told us there was only one chicken left for the evening, otherwise we would have to select another protein. We picked the lamb for our last entree.

The lamb arrived on a wooden cutting board. We had 7-8 pieces lined with grill marks and topped with flaky salt.

The lamb was tender and flavorful. I’m glad we went with lamb instead of pork or chicken. Adding a spritz of lemon to the top added an extra pop of freshness.

Since we sat at the bar, we had an hour and a half for our reservation. I was originally concerned that this wouldn’t be enough time to enjoy the meal. However, Krasi has a fast, yet unrushed pace to their service. By the time we finished our lamb, it was approaching the hour mark for our reservation.

We were too full for dessert, but I imagine if we ordered dessert, we would’ve just met the time limit for our reservation.

My Recommendations

I would give our visit to Krasi a 10/10 for the following:

• Decor and Design

  • I adore everything about Krasi’s restaurant. The interior design is classy, simple, and light. From the table settings to the artwork, everything feels intentional and comes together to create a beautiful space. The menu design and branding is complementary, and even the dishes and plating carry the branding and design into the dining experience.

• Service

  • Our server was friendly and helpful. Krasi has a tag-team style to their service. Our waitress took our order, a runner from the kitchen delivered it, and our waitress checked back to clear our plates. I was impressed with the plating and timing from the kitchen with the orders. Our water was constantly refilled and we didn’t have to ask for anything.

• Food

  • Krasi was an amazing dining experience. All of the dishes were thoughtfully plated, high quality, fresh. I loved the textures, colors, and flavor combinations. I couldn’t have asked for a better meal.

Day 2 in Boston

Click here to read the breakfast review from our first morning in Boston.

If you’ve been to Krasi before, leave a comment below with your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you.