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We carefully selected Mare based on reviews we had read to celebrate our 15th anniversary. And our experience was a disappointment from the door to dessert. It took them 30 minutes to seat us even with a reservation. This didn't initially bother me because I was anticipating a great meal. However, it ended up not being worth the wait. The space was so crowded there was no intimacy. The space between tables was so small that you could not gracefully get in and out without intruding on the neighboring tables space. The woman sitting next to me needed to use the restroom but did not go because she was concerned that she would bump our table. We ordered an antipasto, a salad and an appetizer. All three came to the table at once so that we were not able to enjoy each course individually. The salad was just a bowl of greens with none of the extras that make a great salad and had almost no dressing. The appetizer of bay scallops and asparagus was not bad but nothing special. The antipasto was good but I wish it would have come sooner and as a separate course. Written up as an Italian Coastal restaurant, my husband and I both ordered seafood meals. My husband's seafood sampler had about 6 tiny slivers of different seafood items and cost $35. It was more like an appetizer rather than a main course. The tuna and salmon were good but the rest were not notable. It came with two tapenades and one tasted like grass. It was extremely unimpressive in both appearance and taste. My seafood risotta was average. It was not creamy enough and was under salted and the flavor overall was very bland though the risotta itself was properly cooked. We ordered coffee and it was mediocre in flavor. My espresso was cold. The tiramisu panna cotta dessert was the most disappointing thing of all. The flavor was not at all reminiscent of tiramisu, it was overpowered by caramel sauce and reminded us of a badly made flan. However, the waitress did remove the dessert from our bill. I would not recommend this restaurant to any of our friends and family and we walked away feeling very dissatisfied.

My husband and I were visiting Boston for our 1 year anniversary and wanted to go out for a great dinner. We are "foodies" and love to try unique dishes. We did the 5-course chef's tasting menu and it was the best meal I have EVER had! The menu content was a surprise as the waiter explained to us that the chef essentially makes it up on the fly in the kitchen with whatever the best ingredients of the day are. My husband and I each got our own unique menu containing different courses and specific wine pairings. Everything was PERFECT!! Cooked perfectly, seasoned perfectly, I couldn't believe it. The staff were professional, polite and weren't trying to speed up our meal. I only gave the atmosphere a 4 because I was shocked that people would show up to a restaurant of this level in very casual clothes. The food is not cheap but worth every penny as it is the freshest seafood they can get and they try to buy organic ingredients as much as possible. If you are looking for a special meal, this is the place to go.