51 Lincoln | Newton Highlands

51 Lincoln is a cozy little restaurant and bar tucked into the trendy suburban neighborhood of Newton Highlands. Here, thoughtfully prepared dishes are comforting and artfully plated. Its proximity to the Green (D line) made it a convenient choice for our holiday girls dinner. 

We toasted to the holidays with intriguing cocktails like the Walk in Walden ($13) made with bourbon, a grape + cinnamon shrub, xocolat mole bitters and lemon zest, and the Quince Essential ($11) with white rum, lime, rosemary infused vermouth, cassis and sparkling hard cider. The bread dish of all things was unequivocally the groups favorite of our shared starters. Served warm and charred to a delicate crisp on the edges, the honey wheat boule ($5) plated over whipped maple butter, crumbled sage and fleur de sel is not to be missed.

On the contrary, the Pan Seared Watermelon Steak ($12) left us feeling perplexed based on its hyped demand. Apparently when the chef took this off the menu his regulars were outraged and he brought it back to appease them. The watermelon takes on a peculiar texture similar to that of a rare tuna steak, but, is served nice and warm, complimented by a brown sugar balsamic glaze and highlighted with a feta and arugula salad. It was good, but we weren't blown away. 

Other lovely dishes we shared included: Potato + Leek soup ($10) with truffle crema and nora spice, Cambodian Style Napa Cabbage Salad ($10) with almonds, fresno, thai basil, sweet chili vinaigrette (not pictured), and the Porcini Mushroom Terrine ($10) special with a frisee salad. They offer a few cheese and charcuterie, we chose salva cremasco ($7) served with dried cranberries, walnuts, honey and golden brown toasts.

A couple of the gals enjoyed the Pan Seared Ribeye Steak ($36) with potato gratin, broccolini, shallot red wine sauce, horseradish and parsley butter. I was delighted with my Herb Roasted Chicken Under a Brick ($27) served over a sugar pumpkin puree with pan seared brussels sprouts, cippolini onion and a thick yet delicately sweet au poivre.

I moved to Newton in August, so it was nice to discover a new-to-me neighborhood spot and of course to catch up with these sweet ladies!

51 Lincoln
51 Lincoln Street
Newton Highlands, MA 02461