We decided to dine at Waterman Grille on Valentine's Day. Located on the bank of the Seekonk River, Waterman Grille weaves European and American flavor in their bistro-style menu. The restaurant, separated into two floors with bars and plentiful dining space,literally sits on the edge of the river. Our seats, located in the downstairs Riverview Room, were located right against the floor-to-ceiling windows.
It was pitch black though by dinner time in the winter, so we were not able to absorb the full Waterman Grille experience. This place is best known for their seafood. They had a Valentine's Day menu that was reasonably priced, but we weren't interested in the options so chose from their regular menu.
http://www.watermangrille.com/
the menus are on these wood boards and were really bulky. they are cute, but take up a lot of the table.
the bread was was really soft and had some sea salt on the top giving it a nice salty touch.
one of our appetizers was calamari. the portion was huge! the pieces were also big - we couldn't finish the whole plate. the batter was really light unlike most fried food. it came with some banana peppers making it spicy and a thick, sweet tarter sauce.
our other appetizer was their award winning "'chowdah." it was a creamy soup with crab, jalapeno peppers, potatoes, and breadcrumbs. full of rustic flavors, this soup was very chunky with pieces of onion and celery. to top it all off, it was served in this cute mini cauldron.
nicki's entree was grilled scallops with spinach and cheese risotto, a pancetta crisp, and a balsamic vinegar reduction. the scallops were cooked perfectly, but were all different sizes making the dish look not as pretty. the risotto was delicious and the spinach really lightened up the creaminess. the pancetta crisp added a different texture, but was just too salty. nom nom nom.
tim's entree was the waterman steak. it came with garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, and a red chili sauce. we asked the steak to be cooked medium-rare, but it ended up being much more rare than expected. the mashed potatoes were yummy. the onions were way to sweet and the red chili had an off-putting color and taste. the combination sounded compatible, but the execution was anything but that.
our desserts were a chocolate bread pudding (top) and apple foster (bottom). the chocolate bread pudding was delicious - first time we've ever tried a chocolate breading pudding so we were very excited. it was sweeter and richer than a standard bread pudding. the apple foster was flambeed apples with a sea salt caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. the softened apples with the vanilla ice cream was very sweet, but very well balanced with the sea salt in the caramel sauce. both desserts were delicious.
nicki excited for her chocolate bread pudding.
where's my food!
Although it was Valentine's Day and they were packed, the rooms were very spacious. We were far away enough from other people that we felt like it was our own restaurant. Definitely a plus. There weren't any decorations since they had full length windows to show off their waterfront. It would probably be a beautiful dining experience in the summer since the set would be setting right around dinner time.
ServiceThe service was professional, but not attentive. Our waiter was particularly more casual than the hosts. He was wearing jeans and did not even remember our dessert orders.
FoodThe seafood really excelled. Both appetizers and the scallops were delicious, but the appetizers were a bit heavy leaving little room for the rest of the food. The desserts paired nicely with each other and were never too sweet or artificial tasting.
Rating: 
In two weeks, Boston's own restaurants will open its doors to crowds of new, sophisticated, and cheap restaurateurs for its semi-annual 
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