My son and I took my wife to dinner at Kinkead's for her birthday a couple of weeks ago. Diner was wonderful. My wife started with the fried Ipswitch clams with the house made tartar sauce. They were excellent, a large portion, perfectly fried, ... more

My son and I took my wife to dinner at Kinkead's for her birthday a couple of weeks ago. Diner was wonderful. My wife started with the fried Ipswitch clams with the house made tartar sauce. They were excellent, a large portion, perfectly fried, with a very tasty tartar sauce. For her entree she had the mushroom and brik dough wraped Rockfish with mushroom raviolis, salsify, and baby green beans with Porcini vinagrette. She loved it. The ravioli was delish, and the rockfish was perfectly cooked, the wrapping flaky and light. The mushroom sauce was wonderful. My son and I started with a dozen raw oysters, 4 each of the Malaspina, Hood Canal, and Duck Island. They were all plump, fresh, and cold. Excellent. My son had the grilled whole shrimp in a saffron lobster consomme with crab, mussels, and basil. He loved the seafood, but thought the cosomme was a bit bland and uninteresting. For his entree he had the Chili rubbed grilled Mahi Mahi with sweet potato tamale, corn ragout, and Guacamole and Tomatillo salso on a green chile butter sauce. He ate it all quickly and was looking for bites of our dinners. I started with the signature appetizer, the wood grilled squid with creamy polenta, tomato fondue and Pesto. It was, as usual, out of this world. A huge portion of squid, perfectly grilled and covered with a delish Pesto, melt in your mouth tender. The polenta was creamy and rich and the tomato fondue the perfect counterpoint. For my entree I had the pepper seared rare tuna with flageolets, grilled protabello mushrooms and a Pinot Noir sauce. The tuna was perfectly seared, fresh and wonderfully rare. The pepper curst was wonderfully biting but not overpowering. The portabellos were meaty and tender and full of flavor. We all had desserts, three scoops of passion fruit sorbet for me, a vanilla rum mousse with a pina collata sorbet for my son, and a scoop each of passonfruit, rasberry, and mango sorbets for my wife. Dinner ended with coffee for us and an espresso for the boy. For wine we ordered a 2003 Ramey Hyde Vineyard Chard from the Reserve list. At $97 I thought it fairly priced. This is a fantastic wine and I am glad I have a couple of bottles on order for my cellar. (Thank you jamietown) Service was excellent, friendly and very discrete. They kept us plied with the wonderful breads (the warm sourdough rolls were excellent) and our waterglasses full. We were never rushed and never had to wait. less

When a restaurant has been as roundly praised as Kinkead's, you start to think no place can be that good -- but Kinkead's really is. After a brief closure in early 2004 for a remodeling of the dining room (purple walls, but otherwise nothing ... more

When a restaurant has been as roundly praised as Kinkead's, you start to think no place can be that good -- but Kinkead's really is. After a brief closure in early 2004 for a remodeling of the dining room (purple walls, but otherwise nothing drastic) and a revamping of the menu, Kinkead's re-opened with even more pleasing items on the menu, like the lobster potpie. But most of the favorite dishes are still here: the fried Ipswich clams, cod topped with crab imperial, clam chowder, and pepita-crusted salmon with shrimp, crab, and chiles. And chef Kinkead continues to pile on appetizing garnishes -- that crab-crowned cod, for instance, comes with sweet potato purée and ham-laced spoon bread. Award-winning chef/owner Bob Kinkead is the star at this three-tier, 220-seat restaurant. He orchestrates his kitchen staff in full view of the upstairs dining room, where booths and tables neatly fill the nooks and alcoves of the town house. At street level is a scattering of tables overlooking the restaurant's lower level, the more casual bar and cafe, where a jazz group or pianist performs nearly every evening. Beware: If the waiter tries to seat you in the "atrium, " you'll be stuck at a table mall-side just outside the doors of the restaurant. Kinkead's menu (which changes daily for lunch and again for dinner) features primarily seafood, but always includes at least one beef and one poultry entree. The wine list comprises more than 300 selections, and you can trust expert sommelier Michael Flynn to lead you to one you'll enjoy. You can't go wrong with the desserts either, like the chocolate dacquoise with cappuccino sauce. If you're hungry but not ravenous in the late afternoon, stop in for some delicious light fare: fish and chips, lobster roll, soups, and salads. less

buffalo" crispy fried oysters were superb, the bleu cheese and onion nest complemented them perfectly. The asparagus, prosciutto and mozzarella salad was a piece of art in presentation and tasted wonderful. The grilled ribeye was cooked ... more

buffalo" crispy fried oysters were superb, the bleu cheese and onion nest complemented them perfectly. The asparagus, prosciutto and mozzarella salad was a piece of art in presentation and tasted wonderful. The grilled ribeye was cooked perfectly and came with a mound of crisp onions that were a treat in themselves. The pan seared sea scallops were perfect, tender, juicy and delicious. The mushroom crusted halibut came with a protibello mushroom and truffled potatls and was just right. The deserts were also very good, the chocolate three ways was a hit as was the homemade mint chocolate chip icecrem. The binyets were so good, who needs to go to New Orleans to get them. Service was efficient and friendly without being intrusive. The wine list is very good, tending to botique wines, but reasonably prices. There are quite a few wines by the glass (look there even if you want less

Based on one meal there, I would call this place very overrated and overpriced as well. The fish was fresh and better than the rather disinterested service and mundane ambience, but was not really that special. Maybe I'll have to try again with s ... more

Based on one meal there, I would call this place very overrated and overpriced as well. The fish was fresh and better than the rather disinterested service and mundane ambience, but was not really that special. Maybe I'll have to try again with some of the more elaborate dishes cited here and a different server. less