Top of the Hub is at the Prudential Center in Boston. Last I checked, their website was down, otherwise I would post a link. Here's how our night went.
We had a reservation for 9:00pm. We arrived at 9, checked our coats, and were seated within 5 minutes of arriving. The coat check is next to the bar, which was packed. The entire restaurant was packed. Reservation are a must, as well as some other helpful hints. First, this is a very nice (and expensive) restaurant. Business attire and a stacked wallet are necessary, so basically no hats, sneakers, flip flops, jeans, especially in the dining room. If you want a window seat, it's a $25 minimum. To eat in the dining room, you must order an entree (we found that out when some of our party wanted to get soup/appetizers and a salad...apparently those things that amount to the same price as an entree are not acceptable, you must order an entree). Drinks were around $10-$15 dollars, but they also had a "luxury" drink menu with a Manhattan that costs $90. Seriously???
Now, when you go to a place like this you are paying for the experience. The quality of food is usually good, but it's the name, the reputation, you are paying for. At the Top of the Hub, the views are astounding. You are on the 52nd floor with panoramic views of Boston.
We all started with ordering our drinks. We waited almost 20 minutes for them to come, later learning they ran out of glassware behind the bar. Really? You service a full restaurant 7 days a week and you haven't learned to keep up with the glassware...
Then, as we ordered, we learned about the entree exception in the dining room. Once everyone had decided on an entree, we waited 30-40 minutes for those to come out. I didn't mind the wait for dinner, as that was a little more acceptable. It was a packed restaurant and we were a table of 9. They also had a server for each dish deliver it to the table. While we were waiting we did have a lot of bread to snack on.
I ordered the Spicy Lobster soup, which I had heard had many great reviews. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the soup. It was delicious, and a good serving of it too. It had a few small chunks of lobster in it. I wish it had more, or even one big claw in it would have been good.
Then, for my entree, I got the fillet. I ordered it medium rare, and it was cooked perfectly. It was served with potatoes in a fondue-like cheese sauce, a tomato roasted with blue cheese on top and the fillet was topped with red-wine braised onions. It certainly was delicious, but not the best fillet I've had. The Foundation Room at the House of Blues in Los Angeles still holds that title.
Overall, I'd have to say that the Top of the Hub is overrated. I guess to experience it once is okay. I went when I was a junior in high school, but that was well before I had an appreciation of food. I remember ordering the lobster bisque back then, and I most likely ordered a pasta dish, since I rarely ate meat back then. The views are exceptional, but the food and drinks, I feel, were only alright, I feel I could find their meals at a nice restaurant, with prices not nearly as high. I understand how they got their reputation, but there's plenty of other restaurants to check out if you're looking for the best quality food, which I of course, always am.
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