Boston Bites: Old Favorites & New Perspectives

There is a phenomenon you experience when you return to a place from your distant past, when you see it through older, more seasoned eyes and think to yourself, "Didn't this seem different when I was young?"

In the case of Boston restaurateur Chris Himmel, he is the one actually making things different.

Himmel, the scion of the East Coast real-estate developer Kenneth Himmel, was born and raised in Boston, where he learned about business in general and restaurants in particular. Like all prodigal sons, however, he felt compelled to leave Boston for New York and points further west, taking a turn in the kitchens at some of the best restaurants in the country (Union Square, French Laundry) to hone his interests.

Himmel, now 37, returned to Boston a decade ago to take over the Himmel Hospitality Group's three flagship restaurants: Grill 23 & Bar, the venerable "Steak Place" in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood; Post 390, the sleek upstart a few blocks away; and Harvest, the original farm-to-table innovator just across the Charles River in Cambridge, Mass.

It was Grill 23 that first caught Himmel's eye when he came back to his hometown. Universally described as a classic New England steak and seafood restaurant, Grill 23 recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. In the restaurant business, that seems like a combination of terrifying and boring. Himmel aims to keep things fresh and interesting.

"Every five years or so, we examine the space to see how we can add another dynamic to the experience," says Himmel, his boyish enthusiasm burbling up when he talks about change and the first thing he did when he returned to Grill 23. "We renovated and added the second floor and then expanded the private rooms, giving our clients more options to celebrate and entertain."

The next new thing at Grill 23 is a premium cigar program, which Himmel believes to be the only one like it in the region.

You might be surprised to hear a venerable steak place talk about seasonality, but that's another change at Grill 23.

"You never used to see Boston restaurants drop everything for say, the four to six weeks when the striped bass run," Himmel says. "It's a local product, it's locally sourced, and we're supporting our local fisherman. That's a huge part of what we do now. And why not come to the source? Everyone around the country is fanatical about oysters. Where are you going to find the best selection and quality of oysters? In New England."

And while the steaks and steakhouse accouterments are going strong at Grill 23, it's interesting to see the focus on non-beef items. One night, the salmon special included yucca crisps, trinity dressing and picked shrimp - definitely not "meat on a plate."

Himmel is also taking advantage of his youth when he looks at older restaurants like Grill 23.

"Ten years ago in Boston, we had a lot of high-end, formal dining rooms," he says. "Now, people want that really high level of food, but they want it in a comfortable, approachable environment. It doesn't mean you have to get dressed up to go out for a great meal anymore."

Today, Grill 23 caters to a wide variety of clientele, from dapperly dressed couples on date night to visiting business-casual professionals or local white-collar workers meeting up after hours, even to flip-flop-wearing tourists drawn to its towering flower arrangements, cool wood banquettes, soaring second floor and the chance to spy one or two of Boston's mega-sports stars.

Have a Bite, Stay a While