Phantom Gourmet: Rooftop At Revere In Boston

BOSTON - Hovering seven stories above Boston's Theatre District, with incredible city views, is Rooftop at Revere, a 16,000 square foot outdoor space devoted to dining, drinking, and socializing at Boston's trendy Revere Hotel.

"It is kind of like being on vacation. You get the fresh air," said Executive Chef Taylor Collis. "Great drinks, great cocktails and some good food too."

"It definitely reminds me of vacation. It's very European style I would say; something that you would get in Spain or Italy," added General Manager Teodora Bakardzhieva. "Everybody's dressed up, having cocktails, enjoying the sunset. You can't really get this in many places in the city of Boston."

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Surrounded by daybeds and cabanas, giant flowerpots and funky sculptures, the Rooftop at Revere welcomes sunbathers during the day, and a who's who of movers and shakers at night. They all come for the tasty, fresh, and seasonal menu of pool side snacks.

There are fish tacos with creamy cabbage slaw; interactive Thai Lettuce Wraps; seared tuna with cucumber mango salsa, and a turkey club wrap with avocado aioli. It's upscale finger food that's easy to eat, and even easier to love, according to Chef Taylor.

"My philosophy with food in general is like, just take good food, take fresh ingredients, prepare them simply in the best way possible and you're going to get the best dish possible."

Even something as simple as chips and dip is done the right way. The extra-crunchy potato chips, with truffle onion dip is a personal favorite of Teodora.

"They're housemade. They're hand cut and made in house. The truffle dip is amazing. We've tried before to sell other dips, but they never sold, so we stick with one truffle dip."

For the ultimate taste of the summer season, check out another of Teodora's favorites, the vibrant Burrata Salad with shaved orange zest.

"The Burrata Salad is your quintessential, have to have in the middle of summertime, salad," Taylor described. "Has great local native tomatoes we put on it, at their peak of ripeness. And then you have a nice soft mozzarella style cheese served with crispy sourdough bread."

If you like some seafood with your sunshine, order up the Lemongrass Thai Shrimp skewers marinated in ginger, lime, and sweet soy sauce. Then again, this might be the perfect setting for a big, bold lobster roll.

"We actually got Best Lobster Roll according to Esquire Magazine. It's one of our most popular items on the menu," Teodora said. "It's delicious. It's on a brioche bun, nice and crispy on the outside."

"Buttered as all traditional lobster rolls should be; good fresh lobster which is what we use on our menu, freshly shucked," described Taylor. "Ours is probably the best in the city."

Though most of the dishes are on the lighter side, there are a few indulgences available. Instead of a standard burger, they serve up braised short rib sliders with housemade whiskey barbecue sauce and pickled vegetables. For dessert, there's a rich chocolate mousse cake topped with a crunchy hazelnut tuile.

Whether you come for a salad and some sun during the day, or for something a little sexier at night, it's tough to beat life up on the roof.

"I love to see people when they get here for the first time and they're like, 'Oh my god I didn't know this existed.' And they're like, 'I didn't know it was that big.' They're so incredibly surprised how at cool the space is," said Teodora.

"We need to have an outdoor space where you can come in and have cocktails and food and relax. So it's a great mixture of people, all different ages. We love to serve everyone."

You can find the Revere Hotel at 200 Stuart Street, and at reverehotel.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.