When you walk into any restaurant, at least a few of your core senses should start shooting off. It could be a great smell of cooking food, the sound of a grill sizzle, seeing food pass you as it gets served and eventually tasting the meal that is served before you. Now, your senses reaction might draw you in, but we have all been somewhere where it makes you turn around and run. Right next door in Milton, you can find a spot that is going trigger your senses. That joint is Steel & Rye which is located at 95 Eliot Street in Milton.
Steel & Rye is housed in a large and lofty space that was once a car showroom and ambulance garage. The ceilings tower over an open dining room and open kitchen where you can see your food being prepared. There are giant barn doors, lots of distressed wood, steel pipes and gears, and large windows. Steel & Rye has an exposed wood fire oven in the bar area that is used to cook flatbreads which, along with the open kitchen, injects the smell of cooking food into the giant warehouse. My point is that as soon as you walk into Steel & Rye you will be captivated by the sights and smells of the old warehouse.
The menu provides a list of beer, wine and craft cocktails. As I have mentioned before, I am not really a ‘craft’ anything consumer, but the cocktails on Steel & Rye’s list are phenomenal. If you can’t find a drink, the master mixologists behind the bar will be able to whip up anything from a Manhattan to a Whiskey Sour.
One thing I particularly loved about the menu at Steel & Rye is they have a ‘bites’ menu which has individually priced oysters, spiced chips and my FAVORITE, fried olives. The bites menu is not quite an appetizer and more of a snack while being very moderately priced. Every time I eat at Steel & Rye, I order at least three orders of the fried olives. They are perfect.
As you make your way down the menu, they have a solid list of appetizers and flatbreads. The thing about Steel & Rye is that all of their ingredients are fresh. The produce is all heritage and heirloom while their seafood is line caught and hand gathered. If you order the grilled octopus, or the ricotta nettle ravioli, or the charcuterie board, you are guaranteed the freshest ingredients. I have explored this menu through and through and I have yet to find something I disliked.
As far as entrees go, there is not an extensive list to choose from, but what they lack in depth, they make up for in perfection. The Sourdough Fusilli with wild boar, broccoli rabe and aged gouda was amazing. Some might turn their nose up at wild boar, but it was simply perfect for the dish. There is also a chicken, steak, cheeseburger and scallops option for the less adventurous. The Smoke Gemelli which is a bolognese was perfectly portioned.
After dinner, their dessert menu contains a few staples such as a chocolate mousse, sorbet or a cinnamon donut. I would also highly recommend sampling one or two of their after dinner cocktails. Again, their wine menu has enough to choose from, but if you know, I am going to suggest the espresso martini.
Visit Steel & Rye which is located at 95 Eliot Street in Milton. They are open Monday – Thursday (4:30 PM to 10:00 PM); Friday & Saturday (4:30 PM – 11:00 PM); Brunch on Sundays (11:00 AM to 2:00 PM) and Sunday Dinner (4:00 PM to 9:00 PM)