Cocktails and Bistro Fare at Kingston Station

Last week, my co-worker, Sara, and I braved the rain for dinner at Kingston Station. Nestled away on Kingston Street in the Financial District, Kingston Station offers bistro fare at EE-friendly prices.

While reviewing the menu and taking in the bustling bar crowd, Sara and I started with a few of their creatively-named cocktails. I went for the Moscow Mule ($7), made with Rokk Citrus Vodka, lemon and ginger beer.

Sara had the Flying Dutchman ($7), made with Ketel One, Sloe Gin, grapefruit, and ginger ale.

Both drinks were incredibly refreshing and dangerously delicious (you could barely taste the alcohol). I would definitely love to enjoy either of these beverages outside on a sunny summer day. 

While we sipped our drinks, we were also brought some complimentary bread with what tasted like sweet butter. The bread was nothing special, but it was nice to have something to munch on while perusing the menu. 

Kingston Station's menu had a nice variety of sandwiches, burgers, salads, appetizers and entrees. There was a good selection of innovative vegetarian dishes, as well as some great-looking seafood items. The menu reminded me of upscale bar fare with incredibly reasonable price tags (for downtown Boston, at least). 

For our appetizers, Sara and I decided to split the Beet Salad ($10), made with roasted beets, fresh goat cheese, candied walnuts and house balsamic vinaigrette. 

I have to say, I was really surprised at how fresh and flavorful everything on this plate was - the beets and cheese both tasted like they were fresh from the farm, and the vinaigrette tasted like it should cost $20 all by itself.

The second appetizer we split was the Spicy Tuna Tartare ($14), which was sashimi grade tuna, sesame, sriracha wasabi mayonnaise and house-made potato chips. 

I rarely eat fish anymore, but this dish was worth every bite (and dollar). The fish packed a fantastic punch of heat, and the salty, crunchy potato chips meshed beautifully with the fish. My only gripe is that I wish the fish was a little colder than room temperature - I think that would have made this dish even more flavorful. 

For my entree, I ordered the Pan Seared Veggie Burger ($14), which is a house blend of white beans, roasted red pepper, portabello mushrooms, roasted tomato seasoned with herbs and lemon, and aioli. The burger came with my choice of fries or a side salad, but since I heard so many good things about Kingston Station's fries, I knew I had to try them. 

The burger itself was perfectly crispy on the outside, and intensely "meaty" and well-seasoned throughout. I also loved the mustard it was served with - the aioli was tasty, too, but I just wasn't in the mood for a mayonnaise-based condiment. The fries were also delicious and well-seasoned, and the portion size was ginormous. 

For her entree, Sara ordered the Seared Scallops ($23), which were served over spring vegetables, fingerling potatoes, and celeriac puree. The dish was finished with lemon beurre blanc. At this point, I was pretty full, but I did try a bite of the carrots with the celeriac puree, which was good. Sara enjoyed the dish as a whole, and I think the puree really helped to round out the dish.

At this point, we were ready for another cocktail. I ordered the Partly Cloudy ($7), which is Kingston Station's version of a Dark and Stormy, made with rum, ginger beer and fresh ginger. 

Sara's second and final cocktail was the Arnold Bomber ($7), made with Sweet Tea vodka and lemon juice. 

Both drinks, again, were innovative, refreshing and perfect for summertime sipping. I'm not normally a fan of strong ginger, so I was glad to discover that the Partly Cloudy possessed a smooth, slightly subtle ginger flavor throughout, without being overly harsh. 

Our waitress didn't come back to our table for a while after we ordered these drinks, so by the time we saw her again, we had decided to order dessert. Based on our waitress's suggestion, we went for a few scoops of Kingston Station's homemade ice cream: the White Chocolate Chip and Passionfruit flavors ($7).

I feel like the difference between homemade ice cream and non-homemade is always obvious, and Kingston Station's creamy, sweet concoctions were no different. I loved the white chocolate chip flavor for it's consistent flakes of chocolate throughout, but the passionfruit flavor was also vibrant on the tongue and unique. (Quick note: Their ice cream flavors change daily).

Overall, our dinner at Kingston Station was a successful one. I loved the innovative cocktails, diverse menu, and reasonable prices - and we even found street parking right around the corner. Although our waitress was a little slow at times to get back to us, she was knowledgeable about the menu, and was helpful with our decision-making. I would definitely go back to Kingston Station for another meal, or for some after work cocktails and appetizers.

Side note: Kingston Station now offers a Less Than $6 Late Night Menu, which is complete with Truffle Fries, Buffalo Wings, Mussels, Hummus, Stuffed Brie and more. This economical menu is available from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. They're also open for brunch on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Have you ever dined at Kingston Station? What's your review?

Disclaimer: A portion of our meal was paid for by the generous folks at Kingston Station. Despite their generosity, the opinions expressed in this blog post are honest and 100 percent my own. 

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