Indulge Inspire Imbibe: Radius

The highly anticipated, James Beard Award winner for best chef Northeast, Food & Wine best new restaurant, best chef in Boston as voted by Improper Bostonian & Boston Magazine: Michael Schlow's Radius

That's a lot of awards to live up to. The above and many, many more have been given out in various years since Schlow opened the doors in 1999. Radius is somewhere you dine on a very special occasion. It's expensive. It's fancy. It's modern French American cuisine. It is the place you are still hearing buzz about 11 years after its been opened. It is the type of restaurant you want to pull up to in a limo for your best friends bachelorette party. The ladies and I entered into a vastly large and oh-so-fitting round dining room. To my surprise, Radius was fairly empty for a Friday night at 8:30 pm.

The hostess took our coats and we were seated right away. At this point I did notice a few large parties, but they seemed so far away from our table. It was nice to feel like we had the place to ourselves. The special touch at our table did not go unnoticed.

We ordered drinks, a wide variety at that. I split a bottle of Baudry Chinon Les Granges ($45) (It was the least expensive red on the menu) with two other ladies. Some of the girls kept it simple with the UFO White Ale ($5.75). Others chose to indulge off the cocktail menu with a Radius Cosmo ($12) a Rosemary Pear Martini ($14) and a Mint Julep ($12).

I had the pleasure of sampling the latter two and half of me wished I opted for the Rosemary Pear. But the other half was pleased I had a supple velvety red to wash down my hearty seafood entrée. First we were served an Amuse Bouche, it was the perfect bite to enhance our appetites. The perfect two bites actually - the bridesmaid to my left does not eat seafood. It was shrimp cocktail over a grape sphere with some other fancy ingredients I would have remembered had this dinner not occurred back in December.

I shared the Sautéed Calamari ($17) appetizer with my half of the table. We devoured every last bite of the dish short of licking the plate.

Yes, this calamari is sautéed, not fried all battered and crispy as is your standard calamari. Not sure if the "sauté" didn't give it away or what, but none of us expected what we were actually served. It was a pleasant surprise and we all learned something new. The calamari was served in white beans, black olive and tomato with crispy bread. My fellow bridesmaids were captivated by the presentation masterpieces served to us. My Seared Scallops ($35) golden browned to perfection sat a top a white bean and truffle puree with pancetta and candy roaster squash.

The Herb Basted Organic Chicken ($34) looks mouth watering with mustard spatzle, bacon, salsify, cavalo nero (kale) & pomegranate sauce.

Some of the gals ordered the prix fix menu ($65) which had an entrée choice of Monkfish, Duck or Latkes. Pictured is the duck.

Radius focuses on sophisticated cooking techniques while incorporating seasonal ingredients into their dishes. The sauces, purees and emulsions present both bold flavors and visually stunning plates.

We were a tad rushed towards the end (no fault of Radius) but due to our limo driver being 20 minutes late picking us up at the hotel. The bill was settled quickly, thanks to our understanding server. The prix fix desserts were inhaled. Ladies were already out the door, probably mixing drinks in the limo, but two of us would not let the creamy vanilla ice cream coated with a rich cherry sauce and topped with sweet candied pistachio go to waste. We still talk about the dessert till this day, how darn good it was, and how badly we wished we took a picture. Radius has clearly stood the test of time, delivering top notch French American fare in a sophisticated atmosphere with polished service to match. The girls and I were highly impressed!

Then it was off to Jaques Cabaret for the 10 pm show which I highly recommend if you are planning a bachelorette party in Boston.

The show is only an $11 cover and beers are moderately priced.

The drag queens give the bride-to-be a night to remember for sure. The show as a whole went above and beyond my expectations.

After Jaques the limo dropped us off at Revolution Rock Bar, the final destination of the evening. Rev Rock is a solid choice for a bachelorette party if you choose one of the VIP packages offered. The "Like a Virgin Package" was a great deal which included cover charge, line privileges, reserved seating, 2 bottles of champagne, a round of shots, and one drink ticket each (but I'm pretty sure our waitress hooked us up with a few extra!)