Union Street

Decent draft selection. Friendly waiters. Nice outdoor seating area-patio. Easy access from the T station. Fun place to grab a quick drink anytime of the week

The restaurant has received a facelift, both in the dining room and in the kitchen, but the experience is not better.  Overall, the appearance is much more upscale than before - much lighter in color.   In fact, the place really does have a nice vibe.   The beer selection has definitely changed - many more to choose from.  This was the biggest plus of our visit.   However, the dining experience has not improved.  We tried the Margherita Pizza and Diane's Meatloaf.  The sauteed greens that come with the meatloaf were so salty they were impossible to eat.  Far too much seasoning.  The whipped potatoes lacked any seasoning.  My suggestion would be to pull back a bit on the sauteed greens seasoning, and use what you pull back to season the potatoes.  As for the Margherita Pizza, it was very odd to see pieces of corn on the pizza.  The house made sauce did not taste house made - reminded me of something canned like a Hunt's tomato sauce.  The crust of the pizza had the consistency of a traditional scallion pancake that you would order at a Chinese restaurant - sans scallions, of course. Buffalo mozzarella was not used on the pizza.  The cheese was more like slices of cheap mozzarella.  It was not the good high quality bright white buffalo mozzarella.  The only redeeming quality about this pizza was the fresh basil.  They helped make it edible, but this pizza was not good.  I would not order the pizza again unless they modified this pizza.  Not sure we would return based on the poor quality and flavor of the food alone.

A group of us went to Union Street for dinner based on a friend's recommendation. She had suggested we sit on the patio if it was a nice night. When I called the make the reservation, I was told I could make it for indoor seating, not the patio, but if it was nice and the patio was fairly empty, we could be seated there.

Unfortunately, it was a pretty hot night and the restaurant had lost power the day before (resulting in no AC), so I requested the patio. Luckily, we got a nice table in the back corner (which the hostess said was her favorite spot). Although the heat lamp was in the way, it was a great spot.

I was torn between 2 completely different options: the Southwest Salad (warm grilled chicken served over a bed of house greens, red bell peppers, jalapeños, corn, black beans, Monterey jack and cheddar cheese with tortilla strips. Served with a side of chipotle lime vinaigrette) and the Black Jack Burger ( 1/2 lb Cajun seasoned Angus burger with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and ancho aioli).

I saw the Southwest Salad and it looked great, but I had burgers on the brain, so I settled on the Black Jack, with the tater tots... It was great and I devoured the entire thing (and was then RIDICULOUSLY full). The tots stuck together and then fell apart, but they were pretty tasty.

I saw another table get the Big Dig Fries (A giant stack of our waffle fries topped with melted Monterey Jack & cheddar cheese, bacon, scallions & cilantro sour cream) and they looked AMAZING. As did the Mac & Cheese that table ordered.

I will definitely have to come back in cooler weather to try the Pistachio Chicken with Butternut Squash Ravioli (Pistachio encrusted chicken filets served over butternut squash ravioli tossed in a garlic & sage cream saucewith apricots & balsamic reduction), which the waitress said was her favorite dish. And, of course, the Mac & Cheese and Big Dig Fries!

For 6 people, our bill was relatively low (we didn't get drinks) and the patio is fantastic.