Nick Varano first made a name for himself when he opened Strega Ristorante in Boston’s North End. Since then, he has added six more properties to his ever expanding restaurant roster, including Strega Waterfront, Strega Prime, Nico, Rina’s, Caffe Strega and his most impressive venue STRIP by Strega. Located inside the newly renovated (to the tune of nearly $100 million) Boston Park Plaza Hotel, the sleek Italian steakhouse shines with its stylish interior.
You might think you are entering a luxurious Vegas style lounge when you first step inside STRIP’s all black and white interior complete with two bars (one at the front and a second at the back). There’s a DJ booth inside the former Whiskey Park space that pumped out some of our favorite 80s tunes the evening we visited. There is an abundance of beautiful wait staff here serving up Italian favorites, prime cuts of beef and an even better raw bar selection.
Photo Credit: STRIP by Strega/Regan Communications
Sit in a sumptuous curved leather booth, sip on a STRIP martini or Sonoran Desert cocktail while taking in the scene. The black walls here are lined with black and white photographs of actors, fashionistas and other celebrities and vases of beautiful white orchids provide the perfect contrast.
Get started with a sampling of East Coast oysters (we loved their briny selection from Wellfleet) and enormous serving of tuna tartare served with two enormous homemade crackers.
The entrees here is divided into Chef Specials created by Executive Chef Farouk Bazoune that includes dishes like veal tenderloin, pork parmesan and pan seared scallops along with a separate section for Prime Beef (think long bone-in prime Delmonico and decadent Japanese Wagyu). We loved the rich Bolognese dish made with veal, Wagyu and pancetta tossed in a creamy tomato sauce.
The enormous 16-ounce prime dry aged ribeye was seared to a juicy perfection that we complemented with a generous side of wild mushrooms and creamy lobster gnocchi (the ultimate indulgence).
Be sure to save room for a sampling of the deliciously light tiramisu made with espresso gelato. Trust us, you’ll be glad you did.
STRIP by Strega is located at 64 Arlington Street in Boston.
