The Union Street of Newton, Massachusetts

The Union Street Restaurant, Bar & Patio of Newton is a local hot spot, and with good reason. It's distinct location does not stop it from filling up on any given night. The bar and patio is a bit loud, reminiscent of a night club more than a bar. However, the restaurant itself is terrific, and separated from the madness of the bar. You will be taken downstairs, into a more peaceful but active environment. Plasma televisions surround you, and the room is not crowded. The food is first class at casual prices.

From my many experiences, my favorite choices would be the American Burger, the Sirloin Steak, the Chicken Burrito, or the New England Fish 'n Chips. Any beef is a safe bet here; they are always cooked to perfection and the quality of the meat is very high. Their waffle fries are a must have; definitely replace a side of fries for $.99. The chicken burrito is large, and the ingredients are great. All of the food is fresh, the service is good and speedy, and you can always catch the local sporting event on any of the 42 inch plasma televisions around you.

If you are into steaks, there is no contest here. They specialize in their sirlion steaks, which are always cooked to perfection. They are the first restaurant I have witnessed genuinely pull off a hot, pink center.

The complete menu can be found here: http://www.unionst.com/union%20menu.html

If you're not much of a meat lover, you can always go with the Margherita Pizza or Vegetable Quesadilla, but outside of that, the Union Street Restaurant probably isn't the place for you. The menu consists of almost everything meat, as that is their specialty, except for a few appetizers.

There are so many appetizers, and they are all worth ordering. Their nachos are amazing; my personal favorite. $12 will get you a mountain of nachos, cheese, and if you'd like, chicken or chili. If you're headed to the Union Street Restaurant, be sure to start with an order of these. They offer a number of salads, for meat lovers and vegetarians alike. If you want to start with something lighter than a mountain of nachos, definitely go with one of their salads.

Their dessert menu is an a word: sweet. They offer fried snickers bars, the Chocolate Lava Divine, essentially warm chocolate cake with ice cream, an Ice Cream Sandwich made of two chocolate chip cookies, and a Caramel Apple Pie. Not the heartiest list of foods, but that's what dessert's for, right?

There are honestly no down sides to my experiences at the Union Street Restaurant, Bar and Patio. Great food, great atmosphere, and great service. Union Street is always a good choice for social gatherings as well as family gatherings.