Back Bay Bistro

Back Bay Bistro is permanently closed. I wished someone would have posted it here on Yelp. Their website still allow you to make rsvp.

This place is a hidden gem. If I would of know this place was here, I would of been here for most of my meals while staying at the Newport Dunes camping area. Great food amazing friendly staff. Beautiful view. As seen on my pictures. Not to mention the view in the evening. For some strange reason not many customers. This place should be full. It's great for us that is not so full. Quick service. Just amazing. Great brunch buffet. All you can eat. I would definitely recommend this place to friends and family.

The host, the invitation, and the gathering of more than 40 people mostly not acquainted to each other were so lovely that the brunch event could have been just about anywhere. But the Back Bay Bistro was a great choice. It's open, bright and high-ceiling interior with view onto the water and some boats was beautiful and offered a feeling of vacation (notably after only 2 hours sleep due to an emergency the night before). Some yelpers had criticiszed the food, but there were plenty of choices for all tastes and preferences, and what I chose was invariably fresh, cold if it had to be cold, warm if it was supposed to be warm, and without any limits ... Better coffee choices would be desirable.

When it came time to plan a birthday meal for the wife, I wanted to do a brunch and sent the better half several options, but I already knew which restaurant she would pick since Back Bay Bistro was the only one offering a chocolate fountain. Choco-holics are so predictable! We arrived on time for our 10:00am reservation, took a ticket at the gate (the bistro validates) and proceeded to the complimentary Valet parking. Once the valet gave us our ticket, we were able to take in the great view of the Back Bay ( https://bit.ly/2Yf6DSz ) before heading inside to eat. The hostess confirmed our reservation, seated us and offered unlimited mimosas to go with our breakfast. The restaurant wasn't crowded when we arrived and didn't start getting busy until we were ready to be wheeled out. I am sure the better half wanted to make a beeline for the desserts ( https://bit.ly/2OixMiK ) since the fountains were stationed in the main dining area, but she showed great restraint in walking past them and into the room which contained the buffet. The better half and I like to start buffets with the cold items which meant visits to: Pastries and Fruit Station ( https://bit.ly/2FuITCr ) Bagels and Seafood Station ( https://bit.ly/2OhZTi8 ) Salad and Cold Pasta Station ( https://bit.ly/2Yf79jt ) Laina loves bagels, cream cheese, red onion and lox. The bagel left in the basket was hard, so we had to wait some time while a new basket was toasted. I would recommend not toasting the bagels because these mini bagels will lose heat and get hard quickly which defeats the point of toasting them in the first place. The cream cheese and onion were standard, but the wife mentioned the lox being slightly inferior quality. The shrimp and cocktail sauce were decent, but some of the shrimp were limp and therefore lower quality. One of the highlights of the cold selections was the Orzo pasta. The Orzo had an excellent balance of ingredients and the pasta was al dente. What really elevated the item was the ability to add olives and cubes of feta to the Orzo. This is one of the few times I didn't complain about not having enough cheese. I was equally impressed with the freshness of the pastries. I had a raspberry and blackberry Danish and both were soft, flaky and the fillings were sweet without being sickeningly sweet. After we had carbed up, our second run was through the warm side of the buffet which included: Omelet Station ( https://bit.ly/2FsBcwE ) Carving Station ( https://bit.ly/2FjegyG ) French Toast Station ( https://bit.ly/2UNP4GV ) Sausage and Bacon and Benedict Station ( https://bit.ly/2JwOHj0 ) We hit the omelet bar and carving stations first while the lines were nonexistent. This could also be said for the personality of the chef running the stations... nonexistent. Most restaurants put the most outgoing chefs at this station because this is an opportunity to interact with the guests. This guy reminded me of Joe Btfsplk without the rain cloud and I kept expecting something ill to befall me while I was waiting for my omelet. Rohlinism: Better to have a lousy personality than none at all! I will admit my personality is a bit of an acquired taste, but this guy made me look like "Mr. Dynamic!" He did function as an adequate chef however and omelets were cooked properly and the station had a good amount of ingredient options. The carving station had NY strip and turkey with the typical accompaniments for both items. Laina tried the turkey and I grabbed a couple of slices of NY strip with a mixture of the creamy and raw horseradish. The turkey was dry, but the better half reported it to be very nicely seasoned. I had just the right balance with combination of creamy and raw horseradish which did a good job elevated an ordinary strip. The standout was the French Toast which was hot both times we visited the station and this was by far the best carb I can ever remember at any breakfast buffet I have patronized. It had balanced seasoning, the syrup was real maple, the butter was whipped enough to garner second degree assault charges against the prep cook, the whipped cream was house made and I loved the mixed berry sauce. The sausage was not your typical link sausage and Laina even liked the seasoning, especially when she dipped in some leftover maple syrup. Our final stop was the dessert station and Laina's Utopia... the chocolate fountain! There were skewers for the dippable items, but my choco-holic made me retrieve a soup bowl which she dunked in the fountain and grabbed a plate of strawberries. I thought the chocolate was a little granular, but I don't think the Choco-Queen minded. The cannoli were of note with cinnamon added to the shell and a good amount of chips with the mascarpone. The rest of the desserts were the typical fare. Buffets are about hits over misses (there will be both) and this had enough hits to warrant a visit in the future!

You cannot beat this location. Although it is a bit tough to locate, the view is beautiful and serene. To get here, you have to go through a gate entrance for the boat parking lot. There is a parking fee. After you enter, you drive all the way to the end of the parking lot. There are some signs, but they are small and easy to miss. If you get to the Science Center, you have gone too far. The dining area is nice and open with high ceilings. They also have several side rooms for private events. The bay side has large open windows that give you a nice view of Back Bay. I highly recommend sitting along the windows or the patio. The bar is along the windows, so you can enjoy nice drinks while looking out at the beautiful bay. The yachts at the Science Center are also within view, so it's not a completely pristine and clear view of nature. The food is decent. It wasn't anything special. We did love the sweet potato waffle fries. I think brunch is one of its highlights.

Came here for their Sunday Brunch. Their brunch style is buffet and of course there is unlimited mimosas. The pricing is a bit over $30, which includes the mimosas. Our server made sure to refill it whenever we finish them. I'm not a breakfast person and was hoping the buffet would have more lunch selections, which they did! They had a person making tacos, burritos or a quesadilla for you! All of their items were yummy for a brunch buffet. I would probably try to go again on a Saturday, due to them having crab legs.