With Wellesley’s recent loss of businesses offering relatively affordable food — Star Market, College Pizza (and possibly Tian Fu) etc — we got to wondering about what the most expensive dish in town might be (excluding specials and offerings “priced daily”).
Our search of Wellesley’s restaurants naturally started at Blue Ginger, known for its tasty though pricey offerings. Sure enough, I think we found our answer here: Garlic-Black Pepper Lobster with Lemongrass Fried Rice (plus Pea Tendril Salad with Soy-Ginger Vinaigrette) for $41. That’s a full $5 more than runner-up Sake-Miso Marinated Alaskan Butterfish, also from Blue Ginger, which has a handful of other $30-plus dishes as well. If you’d rather make your own Garlic-Black Pepper Lobster, Blue Ginger’s Ming Tsai does share the recipe.
We’re not sure China Sky’s $49.45 Loveboat, with 18 pieces of sashimi, 8 pieces of sushi and 2 rolls quite counts as an entree, though the restaurant does offer a $35.45 peking duck dish (crispy skin of a whole duck served on crepes accompanied with a hoisin sauce, tender scallion brushed and shredded cucumbers).
Alta Strada crosses the $30 line with its Prime Sirloin with Grilled Vegetables, Gorgonzola and Pancetta Vinaigrette, all for $31. Cafe Mangal also tops $30 for an Aged Prime New York Sirloin with Sauteed Onions ($33.25), Australian Rack of Lamb with Poached Turkish Figs ($33.75) and Baked Halibut in Pine Nut Crust with Dill ($32.75).
Bobby’s Grille comes close to $30 with its $29 12 oz. veal chop and filet mignon entrees. Marketing whizzes at The Cottage (New York Sirloin for $29.95 with all natural brandt 10 oz center cut, grilled with our spice rub & zinfandel butter, with hand formed truffled tater tots, broccolini) and Papa Razzi (Lombatina Di Vitello, a bone-in center cut 14 oz. veal chop grilled with wild mushrooms, marsala and fresh vegetables for $29.99) barely keep their top prices under $30.
You can easily find lower priced dishes at all of these establishments and others in town, and of course even the most expensive dish in Wellesley can pale in comparison to those at Boston restaurants. Just picked Top of the Hub in Boston for starters, and immediately spotted a $48 12. oz. Prime Sirloin.
Thanks for this great article about the most expensive entree’s around Wellelsey.
I think it gives a clue to the “bring your A game to the Table” curiosity.
Recently, at Jins, I ordered the more expensive entrees, two turned out to be worth it and one hinted at the skill and taste of the owner…Beef and Pea shoots…it was like eating in a “really good”( not Hong Kong, just a mere whiff of the possibilities in a
restaurant,that I dream about, since traveling to Boston or even New York, is a thing of the past for the super senior ones. The food Channels are wonderful and you can see how delicious eating out can be.