A Great New Restaurant in Littleton

Since last summer, my boyfriend and I have been doing some occasional grocery shopping at the Market Basket in Littleton. It's fairly new and the closest MB to where he lives in Acton. We knew that they were developing that area more with some shops and restaurants. So when Chris asked me if I wanted to try one of them last night for dinner, I was thrilled. We hadn't been over there in sometime so when we pulled up, we were impressed with the progress they made. Chris suggested Great Road Kitchen: Oyster Bar and Grill which sounded perfect to me!

We park and start walking towards the restaurant. It looks fairly small from the outside but they have a great outdoor dining space (which was packed because it was such a nice day yesterday). We walk in and it is a lot bigger than I anticipated. High ceilings with exposed pipes and support beams gave it a modern/industrial feel but the décor was a little rustic yet upscale. My favorite part was their refurbished church pew booths. The front of the house staff wore white button-downs whereas the back of the house staff wore New England sports teams' t-shirts. I loved the combination of traditional and playful uniforms. You still got the feel of being at a finer-dining establishment with the comfort you would get at a little whole-in-the-wall joint in your neighborhood.

So we're seated and start looking over the menu. Everything looks great! Glasses of wine are priced a little high (pinot noirs were $12 and $13). I tried the Kaiken Malbec for $9 which was pretty good! Chris got the Skyfall Cab which was also really tasty. I ended up with two glasses of wine because my drink order got mixed up the first time. Our server was really great about the whole situation. We really enjoyed chatting with her! Chris and I started with a Caesar salad of course.

 

It was beautifully presented. The Chef had laid out pieces of romaine from smallest to largest, giving it a cascading look. It was delicious! For entrees, I ordered the seared rare tuna (I'd been craving tuna all week) and Chris ordered the Baja fish tacos. My dish consisted of a wasabi pea crusted seared tuna, crispy shitake mushroom strings, and a soy sesame sticky rice roll with spicy mayo. It was ah-maz-ing. I could've eaten two platefuls. It really satisfied my craving!

Visually stunning, it was also beautifully plated. Their chefs obviously have great technique! Chris's Baja fish tacos consisted of pieces of lightly fried cod, cole slaw, micro-greens, and a hardy helping of guac on a grilled corn tortilla with a side of grilled Mexican street corn. Yummm. Just thinking about it right now makes me hungry!

And just so you can get a better angle of the street corn and its buttery-cotija cheese goodness...

So now that I've given a little recap of our experience, here's a little more about Great Road Kitchen. Great Road Kitchen is definitely more than just an Oyster Bar. Acclaimed Chef Chris Frothingham brings approachable yet sophisticated American Cuisine to Littleton with his menu offerings. Hand made pasta, local catch, quality meats and chops, options for everyone. Similar to his highly reviewed menu at sister restaurant Vine Brook Tavern, GRK has more of a concentration on fresh local sea food. And they deliver on this promise!

They have a great bar area, a tournament shuffle board table, several TV’s to watch big games on and did I mention that they have a serious beer, wine and mixology program? Marcus Palmer, house mixologist, offers one of the best wine by the glass programs anywhere in the state along with an affordable wine list (sorry that I thought the pinot noirs were a little high)! He pairs that with a large selection of craft beers and inventive cocktails, making an urban bar scene come to life in a suburban setting!

Great Road Kitchen offers space in their private dining room or wine room that can be used for dinner or your next cocktail party! As I mentioned, they have an outdoor patio and bar with its own TV, adjacent to the outdoor fire pits and they are the only restaurant to have a view of the outdoor movie screen (apparently that is something offered in the development)! Overall, Great Road Kitchen: Oyster Bar and Grill is a must try if you're ever in the area. We loved it!

Kudos to Chef Chris Frothingham, House Mixologist Marcus Palmer, and the rest of the GRK staff for devouring the details of a great new restaurant in Littleton, MA. We can't wait to go back!