Sibling Rivalry

This is a final recap of our past three experiences at Sibling Rivalry as the restaurant announced that as of April 4^th 2013, it is closed.
We first went to the restaurant about four years ago during Restaurant Week. We found it to be a delightful experience, even after the novelty of the dueling chefs wore off. We returned about a year later to try the regular menu. My recollection was that the portions were small although well prepared. The desserts were unremarkable. We decided to return in what would be our final visit for a pre-​theatre dinner this past January. The restaurant had taken a decided turn toward mediocrity. Small portions, uninspired selections. We couldn’t even find anything to order from the «other brother’s» menu. Unmemorable desserts. A big check. Whenever I remember the check and not the food, that spells trouble.
So it is with sadness that Sibling Rivalry meets so inglorious and end to what was an inspiring concept. Perhaps sibling rivalries endure but alas not Sibling Rivalry.

It’s a shame that all I can give is a 3 stars — «A-​OK».
Because I was expecting a lot more from them.
Service. When we arrived the restaurant. The front desk guy had us and another arrived early party standing for 5 minutes while the dinning room is 90% empty. Later, I was told that they were under staffed that night because a few staff were out because of some sickness. Okay, so you are understaff, but can you at least offer people to sit down instead of standing? Very simple detail but way overlooked.
Other than that, service wasn’t that bad and was decent given the fact that they are understaff and try to be reasonable.
Food. The food was really just A-​OK.
My wife had the Roasted Chatham Cod and I had the Pork with black beans. The cod was fresh, nice done, not over cooked. The pork dish is however, overcooked, dry and glad that the dish come with the black beans and sauces. Otherwise, there is no way I can finish the dishes. We also order the chick pea fires. It was okay. Maybe it’s just me, but I think the chick pea fires texture isn’t that great and the truck is bit too big.
Oh well. At least we tried. This place really isn’t bad. But really don’t offer enough for me to visit again.

Sibling Rivalry is one of those «Good…but…» places. You can have a great time, or a frustrating one. Some nights the service is fine, some nights it’s slow. Some menus (since it changes so frequently) will intrigue and excite you, sometimes you’ll be bored.
I’ve never had a bad meal here. But on the multiple occasions I’ve gone I’ve had a five star, a three star and a few four star meals. Last night I had seared scallops with chorizo, black beans and a tomatillo salsa. The salsa was the only thing on the plate with any flavor (beans with no flavor is one thing… but how do you make chorizo with no discernable flavor what so ever?). On the other hand, the last time I was there I had an amazing Chinese roast duck breast with a memorable little scallion pancake/​dumpling thing!
This is a restaurant that definitely deserves to be tried. It’s expensive, but right along the lines of its neighborhood. It’s got a nice décor/​setting and can be romantic and intimate. But if it’s a night when you want reliable, when the food has to be the star and has to be perfect, this is probably not the safest choice.

We heard great reviews, so when there was a living social deal we bought it immediately.
The service was excellent. The server had good wine recommendations. The actual drinks were okay, but certainly not memorable. I had the Ginger Manhattan (did not taste the ginger) and some Pomegranate drink.
The Apps were pretty good. We had the Tuna tartar (best dish of the night) and the beat salad (also pretty good).
For Entrees we had the prime rib, and the duck. Both were okay, but did not have much flavor. Since we had higher expectations and Sibling Rivalry had such good reviews, it get’s 2 stars.
Since the staff was great and the concept is cool, we will try it again. Since we heard such great things, it may have just been an off night.

I took a Bites of Boston food tour last fall around the south end and this place was mentioned along the route as having an interesting concept. Two brothers who are chefs have each created their own menus and you can see which chef created which dish. I loved the concept and finally got around to making plans with my brother and sister to come check it out.
We made reservations for a Friday night and showed up on time, they had a table waiting for us and all seemed to be going well. It was busy and loud, being Friday night we expected that. The menu is cool, being able to choose dishes from two different chefs is a concept I think is fun. We placed our orders and waited… and waited… and waited. We watched the tables for 2 turn over twice before our food came.
The food was good but the wait sucked… It was busy and our server kept apologizing to us and I know it’s not their fault. I’d probably only go back if someone else really wanted to check it out.

Clever concept for the food, although this review is for the bar only. Very attractive restaurant (lots of deep mahogany, nice lighting, gorgeous bar, great ‘curb appeal’ with a courtyard outside). Interesting «hours» policy is apparently «we serve food until it’s too dead to keep the kitchen open. Then we serve drinks until it’s too dead to keep the bar open.»
But OH, the drinks! Gah. I’m no LUPEC lady and don’t know a manhattan from a martini (ok, fine, don’t think a manhattan has olive juice…), but I do know what tasty tastes like, and what a good bartender is, and Zoe (I think?) poured some beautiful and luscious combinations while remaining awesomely personable despite (I’m sure) wanting to go home since we were some of the very last patrons. I don’t know who invents the cocktails, but they are smaHt. Frigging delicious. I’m drooling. Pricey for my Cambridge palate, but that didn’t stop me at one!

I went for a fun date night with my sweetie. We split an appetizer («pristine sushi-​grade tuna») and each got an entrée (crispy duck and lemon sole). Needing to drive after the meal, we opted for a glass of wine each instead of a bottle.
The sushi-​grade tuna appetizer was really good, I wish I had ordered, like, 3 of them. Somewhat weirdly, it came with a handful of (probably housemade) waffle-​cut potato chips. It wasn’t bad, it was just slightly unexpected since I don’t usually associate fried potato with raw fish.
We both had half of each of the entrees, because that’s how we roll. The duck was good, but nothing amazing. The sole was bland, but really crispy!
Overall, I don’t have much to say about the food because there isn’t much to say about it. It was good. It wasn’t amazing.
I would go back for drinks at the bar and the tuna appetizer, but the entrees didn’t feel worth it to me.
(We also had a livingsocial deal, and we decided that eating there at full price wasn’t really something appealing, but maaaaybe with a generous deal, it could be fine.)

I must say my first time here went pretty well. The concept of this restaurant is great: two brothers with two different menus that change with the season. My date and I dined here Friday night before heading out to an event. To start off we ordered a side of chickpea fries which came with an aioli. They tasted pretty good with the right amount of crunch outside and softness inside. For entrees, my date ordered the duck and I got the braised short rib. Each came with seasonal vegetables, sauce, & parsnip/​celery root purée. They were both amazingly good we ended up sharing both dishes. It was my first time trying duck and I have to say I loved it. The short rib was just ad good and had a lot of great flavor to it. The portions are a decent size and you will definitely be full afterwards.
I have such a huge sweet tooth with anywhere I go I have to try something. This is where I’ve taken a star off because I was totally let down by the chocolate crème brûlée. Lets just say for the very shallow dish it was brulee’d way to much where I was struggling to break it open. But the few spots I could crack open the chocolate was oozing out and tasted great. I just wish they they didn’t torch it as long as they did. The saving grace to this were the 2 sandwich cookies that came along with it. The vanilla cookies were the right amount of sweetness I needed to end the meal, but the frosting in between was too sweet.
The one last downside was our waitress failed to mention the specials to us and my date didn’t realize till we were in the middle of our meal and she was talking to a table close by. He really wish he had the chance to try the duck spring rolls, if he knew about it.
All in all, this was a fantastic meal for date night. With a few minor hiccups, the waitress was really nice, food was amazing (not brulee), and service wad fast and prompt.

Awful service, awful food! We waited about 45 minutes from our appetizer to get our 2 entrees. My friends salmon was dry and just okay, my duck was grossly overcooked into dried out, uncuttable cardboard, plus it was bland to the point that I even questioned the presence of salt and pepper; i would have thought any chef would be embarrassed to serve that to someone. I sent it back, but the waiter made no apologies, other than admitting, «yeah, that definitely looks pretty dry.» He removed it from the bill, but tried to charge us for different, more expensive wine. Our total still came to $ 95 for 3 $ 8 glasses of wine, 2 sides, 1 appetizer and an entrée. For such an overpriced place I expected to be wowed by something or at least get decent service, but left disappointed and determined not to go back. Will head to one of the exponentially better restaurants on the South End next time!

An honest to goodness 3.5 stars. Can’t quite round up to 4 though.
A spur of the moment decision, Sibling Rivalry was the only place without a wait (ready for walk-​ins’) on a Friday night over in South end. Service was excellent throughout the night, attentive, professional and knowledgeable and food was great too! Just not sure if that price tag was quite worth it, especially since like other diners we agreed the theme just wasn’t well-​played. The whole sibling rivalry aspect of the restaurant was basically just two sides of the menu — you’re either ordering from one brother or the others dish. YAWN.
Here’s what we got (skipped appetizers since it was a late dinner):
1) Seared Jumbo Cape Scallops — Chorizo, Black Beans, Tomatillo Relish and Salsa Fresca…26
— Pros: The flamed pepper stuffed with deliciousness was absolutely a joy to eat. Taste and creativity wise, it was a winner.
— Cons: The number and size of scallops. Not jumbo dude. Or maybe not jumbo by American standards? The scallops were also a tab over-​seared, but that may be personal preference. I like my scallops melt-​in-​your-​mouth inside with a nice very light char on the outside.
2) Braised Short Rib off the bone– over Whipped Celery Root Purée, Winter Vegetables and Horseradish Cream…$ 28
— The date wanted to try the other brothers dish and although he did like his dish, wasn’t blown away. A «3 star/​average/​met expectations» sorta dish.
Asparagus — The side was very standard. Not anything unique and a little under-​seasoned.
I probably wouldn’t come back here anytime soon though the food was just fine. Just think it’s one of those been there, done that thing and food was not much to write home about. Time to spend money somewhere else. ;)

Went here with our friends with a Groupon. Overall three stars. With slightly better service and a renewal of their old menu style this could have been a 3.5. Nonetheless we would definitely go back.
We went here about 4 years ago when there was still an ingredient based dueling menu. Now the dueling menu is without any type of theme that I can discern of so it makes the concept of the restaurant a bit less interesting.
The service on this Friday night was hit and miss. The place was very busy and it was clear that the bartender was just simply overworked. Nonetheless he was super friendly and attentive to patrons in the bar area as he simultaneously ran the dishwasher at the bar and filled orders from the dining room. Kudos! The waitstaff unfortunately was not as attentive. Also clearly very busy there was a feeling of being rushed when asked for orders. Not his fault but I didn’t like it.
The food, notwithstanding the bland desert, was quite good. I had the duck breast. Simply delicious. My wife ordered the swordfish and she was very happy with the portion and preparation. The cauliflower mash was addicting. I didn’t sample our friends’ entrees but there were not complaints and many compliments to the chef! Of course the chick pea fries, ordered as an appetizer, were just as good as we remembered from 4 years ago. A bit thicker actually… The other appetizers were good, but not mind blowing.

I’ve been to Sibling Rivalry on two occasions. I have had a good experience on both occasions but I would have to say that I agree with the crowd in saying that it is only worth it when Groupon is involved.
To pay full price would really not be worth it compared to all the great dinning options in the South End and Back Bay.
The mustard salmon dish is great and the chick pea fries are a definite must but for the most part the restaurant is overpriced and overshadowed by others.

I have only been to Sibling Rivalry with Groupon type discounts or Restaurant Week, and now after giving it a few tries, I know for sure that I would never return with no discounts. It’s such a shame because the restaurant has a wonderful location, and the menu always SOUNDS so good! This past Sunday BF and I went during RW, this is what we had…
App: both had tuna tartar, which I’ve had before. This is always yummy, kind of tastes like a spicy tuna roll, but it’s REALLY small
My Entrée: it was described on the menu as «chicken breast with Parmesan flan, asparagus and caramelized onions», what I ended up getting was a decent chicken breast with ONE piece of broccoli and like…3 strands of caramelized onions and a flat potato cake. I was very disappointed, but also super tired that night, so I didn’t want to argue.
BF’s Entrée was a skirt steak, looked good, didn’t try any, but the portion, again, was TINY
Dessert we had Vanilla bread pudding and buttermilk panna cotta, both were good, dessert was probably best part of the meal.
Oh…and service, was um…, not good. Waiter was nice enough, but didn’t bring us bread until we asked, every course came out SUPER slow.
Summed up… would not go back, probably even with groupon or RW. Too many good restaurants in Boston, not worth it to go back to one that’s expensive and mediocre with SMALL portions.

No wonder the restaurant accepted our reservation (party of 10) so last minute (30 mins before our arrival), especially during restaurant week. Our first choice didn’t work out… so we had to look for back up quickly around the neighborhood. We were celebrating two birthdays. We’ve been to Sibling Riv before and remembered the food being decent.
Upon our arrival, we mentioned to the hostess that we’d brought our cake for the ocassion and if they could hang onto the cake. The hostess basically rolled her eyes and took the cake with an attitude. We decided to sit at the bar for a few drinks while we wait for the rest of the party to arrive.
We ordered our drinks (martinis and beer). A little short while later, the manager came up to us to inquire what our dinner options were (restaurant week vs. regular menu). We asked why and then he went on to discuss our cake. He mentioned the restaurant week menu is 3 course meal and includes dessert (which we are aware of) and if we still decide to have our cake in lieu or addition, there would be a plating fee. We asked how much was the plating fee and he said it was $ 4 pp. Then he goes into saying how it is against the law in MA for restaurants to serve outside food or drink because they would be liable for the product. I added the comment, «no wonder we got the rude look from the hostess when we gave her the cake». The manager acknowledge and shrubbed off the comment as it was okay for the hostess to be rude.
We’ve been to many restaurants in MA and had no issues with bringing our own cake and been charge cake cutting fees in the range of $ 1 – 2 pp. But to be given a rude look, a manager telling us that it is against the law to serve outside cake but yet would do it for $ 4 pp plating fee to accomodate our request… is a joke. We told the manager we’ll decide later, whether to do the restaurant week or regular dinner menu and the cake.
Nevertheless, we decided to stick around for dinner. The only menus on the table was the restaurant week menu. So I guess the restaurant made the choice for us. Our server was friendly and attentive. Can’t say much about the food. It was not how we’d remembered it —
Appetizers:
1. the squid was extremely salty
2. mussels weren’t debearded properly
3. sweetbread risotto — was ok
4. lamb brik — was suprisingly full of flavor and tasty
note — they forgot two people’s appetizer
Entrees:
1. jumbo scallops — they were not jumbo at all and only 3 quarter size scallops
2. hanger steaks — ordered two medium. both got medium rare
3. striped bass — looks rather small (6oz portion) and was rather salty and fishy
4. chicken — was overcooked
Desserts:
all pretty decent
We decided not to have our cake at the establishment.
Definitely will not go back again.

The pre-​fixe of my last visit is unfortunately no longer. But on this visit, I decided to make a meal of appetizers, so I selected the well-​loved Lamb Brik $ 10, and added the Day’s Special Deep-​Fried Big Belly Clams $ 18, and the side of Chickpea Fries $ 7, with the intent to end on a sweet note with the apple caramel donuts $ 7.
The bread basket they started me off with consisted of 3 different options — a soft white bread, a warm square of crumbly corn bread, and something kind of nutty fruityness.
The Lamb Brik was great as always. The clams were pleasantly crispy. The chickpea fries were flavorful and creamy, but lacked an exterior crisp that would have lifted its rating with me.
The donut dessert arrived 4 decently sized warm balls tucked in a towel, and were tasty enough given that they were basically balls of dough coated in sugar. But the filling of what was basically cool applesauce (like the commercial sort found in jars) was disappointing in its non-​specialness.
For a quieter dining experience, I suspect the left side of the establishment might be better. Service was pleasant enough, but it wasn’t as prompt as I had hoped, as I ended up being late for an appointment, despite having provided my planned departure time (which was tight though, I admit) to my server.

Ambiance: 4 stars
The restaurant’s modern décor, lighting, and set up was nice. We sat at the chef’s bar looking into the kitchen.
Service: 3 stars
Our server did the minimum check-​ins (drinks, order, 2 quick check-​ins about our meal… more like a walk by), but somehow I still felt like we slightly ignored.
Food: 0 stars
Let’s start with the appetizers. We ordered the crispy sweetbreads over Ditalini pasta and creamy leeks and tomato confit. The sweetbreads were not crispy at all and the pasta, tomatoes, and leeks were just okay.
For our entrees we ordered the crispy pressed duck and mustard glazed salmon with lump crab meat. The duck was disappointingly dry and bland. I had to take quite a few sips of water to swallow my meal. The skin was suppose to be crispy, but it was rubbery and chewy. The meat was so dry and tough that I had trouble cutting through it with the serrated knife they gave me. The entrée was suppose to have turnips and bacon-​wrapped dates, but I just got a date (no bacon) and one baby turnip. I did get one fresh cherry, and a slice of orange on the plate.
The most disturbing offense was the fact that the salmon entrée was RAW. It was not medium rare or rare, but RAW. It was smothered in a mustard sauce that looked and tasted like bland cream sauce. And there was a tiny piece of lump crab meat.
The presentation of the entrees also left much to be desired. (see photos) We were also surprised when we were served the entrees because it seems like the description and ingredients were slightly different than what we were expecting.
Not to our surprise, the server told us that Chef David and Chef Bob are never around the restaurant. They come in to teach the staff how to prepare the food and then leave for extended periods of time. Now, if I was the chef of a restaurant with such spotty reviews, I would spend a little more time here.

Restaurant week 2011.
Food:
Had to send back my appetizer because the ravioli was uncooked and the shortbread tasted like bad bacon grease. They offered a replacement which was just OK (shrimp scampi) but I found a piece of plastic in my dish.
For the entrée I had the lamb which was cooked nicely but that was about it. The side of orzo was uninteresting.
I had the profiterolle for dessert and it was a joke. The chocolate came probably directly out of a bottle of Hershey’s syrup.
Service:
Our hostess was nice and helpful. She offered a replacement dish for the appetizer and also replaced the dessert which did not correspond to what I ordered. But the people who brought the food, took the plates back and poured water did not even talk to us. Service was really quick, especially the two times they had to come and replace my dishes. So overall the service is bad and unfriendly.
Ambiance:
The kitchen is opened on the restaurant so it is very noisy. The wall seat was rather uncomfortable.
Overall:
Food was complex and tasteless, service wasn’t good. This restaurant wants to be something it isn’t and therefore fails completely to provide the basics for its clients.

The only thing I recommend is their chickpea fries. Other than that nothing was really that great or stood out, food wise. We had a party of 18 booked a month in advance and was told that they would except a outside cake. However when we bought ours in, they refused to except it and we had to ask and plea to the manager who later on said yes but was later charged with a large cake charge per person. I don’t think I would come back to SR. None of us thought the food was good and valet parking was quite expensive.
Other than the fries our waitress was good also. She was able to get all of our orders right. SHockingly with such a confusing menu. We most of us agreed that SR should invest in some good steak knives.

This unique South End restaurant is like none I’ve ever been too. It’s very much distinctive, much thanks to it’s interesting concept: two chef brothers who cook head-​to-​head in the same kitchen. Both Bob and David Kinkhead have worked in some pretty decent kitchens after going to culinary school but unfortunately none of their experience and techniques were truly reflected in the meal I had there.
The menu is rather cleverly designed: two columns, each representing a brother’s dishes. You can mix and match and don’t have to stick with one particular brother’s dishes through your menu.
First came the risée salad which was plated with some figs and endives. While I’m a big fan of figs and find that endives is a great ingredient that is often overlooked by many restaurants, it was too simplistic. It wasn’t something that I was expecting out of such a restaurant. They played it safe and it showed. It tasted good but it lacked a wow factor.
My entrée wasn’t much better: the flank steak which came with some potatoes. Again simplistic. The meat was tender, cooked well but it was far from creative.
The bread pudding which I had for desert, on the other hand, was quite remarkable. It came plated with some vanilla ice cream, some Port wine, some black currants and a luscious vanilla-​flavored crème Anglaise. It wasn’t the most unique combination of ingredients but it was very well executed and showed great baking skills.
Each dish I must admit was nicely plated and the atmosphere of the restaurant is incredible. While their food is average, the décor isn’t. It’s warm, inviting and extremely cozy. The tables aren’t on top of one another and the restaurant is sectioned brilliantly, which reduces the overall noise in the place thus enhancing the atmosphere significantly. The seats are very comfortable as well and the place is well lit, which is a nice change from the often too-​dark restaurants which is pretty much the epitome of the Boston dining scene.
Based on my experience there, I was left convinced that Bob could cook his brother David under the table. His offerings were much more elaborate and less ‘safe’, and also much better executed as I witnessed through my meal there.
But can the atmosphere alone win customers over? Can their concept as well? No. The bottom line is that customers go to a restaurant for a meal. I’ve had phenomenal meals all across the globe; some in fine establishments, some off of street carts in the streets it Kuala Lumpur. I’ve had some phenomenal meals in some sanitarily-​questionable places as well, like in Jerusalem, but the bottom line is that the food won me over and I left happy. Sadly, Sibling Rivalry left me wanting more from them.
Lastly, the service was below average; the waiter was unable to pair our wines properly or get someone to do so and couldn’t answer many of our questions. He also screwed up on one of our appetizers and never apologized for it. He wasn’t very attentive either. Three generous stars it is.

PINK MEAT. I did not pay for food poisoning, thanks.
I probably could’ve just dug for raw meat in a dumpster in a back alley and saved myself $ 40.
I’ve been to Sibling Rivalry probably half a dozen times, but haven’t been here for at least half a year. I decided to pop in for dinner a few weeks ago with my friends from Denmark. I’ve always liked the food at Sibling Rivalry, so I figured they’d enjoy the good food. Bad idea.
I ordered the Herb Crusted Roast Loin of Pork, upon the suggestion of the waitress. I was really excited when my entrée came, but cutting into that… oh my pinkness. It was covered in sauce and garnish, so I had no idea just how poorly cooked it was. The first few bites on the outer edge were cooked, but after the first few pieces, everything was pink pink pink. And not brined pork type of pink, either. The texture of the meat proved to be a very undercooked piece of pork tenderloin. This isn’t steak, so I shouldn’t really be seeing that much pink in the meat. If this were Hell’s Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay would’ve ripped the chef a new one. And it makes me sometimes wish I were British so I could be just as scathing and blunt. And maybe toss my plate at someone in the midst of my livid rant.
I don’t know if it was just a bad night in the kitchen, but that’s still no excuse for undercooked meat. Competent chefs should NEVER let meat that’s not cooked thoroughly leave the kitchen. If the Food Network has taught me anything, it’s that!
I think Sibling Rivalry has entered my Black List. If you want to avoid a night of being hunched over a toilet, retching your guts out, you may want to avoid.