Phew that's a lot of awards to live up to. The above and many, many more have been given out in various years since Schlow opened the doors in 1999. Radius is somewhere you dine on a very special occasion. It's expensive. It's fancy. It's modern French American cuisine. It is the place you are still hearing buzz about 11 years after its been opened. It is the type of restaurant you want to pull up to in a limo for your best friends bachelorette party. The ladies and I entered into a vastly large and oh-so-fitting round dining room. To my surprise, Radius was fairly empty for a Friday night at 8:30pm.
The hostess gave us a warm welcome, took our coats, and we were seated right away. At this point I did notice a few large parties, but they seemed so far away from our table. It was nice to feel like we had the place to ourselves. The special touch at our table did not go unnoticed.
We ordered drinks, a wide variety at that. I split a bottle of Baudry Chinon Les Granges ($45) (It was the least expensive red on the menu) with two other ladies. I'm pretty sure the bottle retails for less than $20. See? Told you Radius was a special fancy occasion place. Some of the girls kept it simple with the UFO White Ale ($5.75). Others chose to indulge off the cocktail menu with a Radius Cosmo ($12) a Rosemary Pear Martini ($14) and a Mint Julep ($12).
I had the pleasure of sampling the latter two and half of me wished I opted for the Rosemary Pear. But the other half was pleased I had a supple velvety red to wash down my hearty seafood entree. I had studied the menu days in advance and knew what I was going to order (very typical of me). First we were served an Amuse Bouche, it was the perfect bite to enhance my appetite. The perfect two bites actually. The bridesmaid to my left does not eat seafood. It was shrimp cocktail over a grape sphere with some other fancy ingredients I would have remembered had this dinner not occurred back in December.
I shared the Sauteed Calamari ($17) appetizer with my half of the table. We devoured every last bite of the dish short of licking the plate. 
Yes, this calamari is sauteed, not fried all battered and crispy as is your standard calamari. Not sure if the "sautee" didn't give it away or what, but none of us expected what we were actually served. It was a pleasant surprise and we all learned something new. The calamari was served in white beans, black olive and tomato with crispy bread. My fellow bridesmaids were captivated by the presentation masterpieces served to us. My Seared Scallops ($35) golden browned to perfection sat a top a white bean and truffle puree with pancetta and candy roaster squash.
The Herb Basted Organic Chicken ($34) looks mouth watering with mustard spaetzle, bacon, salsify, cavalo nero (kale) & pomegranate sauce.
Some of the gals ordered off the prix fix menu ($65) which had an entree choice of Monkfish, Duck or Latkes. Pictured is the duck.
Radius focuses on sophisticated cooking techniques while incorporating seasonal ingredients into their dishes. The sauces, purees and emulsions present both bold flavors and visually stunning plates.
We were a tad rushed towards the end (no fault of Radius) but due to our limo driver being 20 minutes late picking us up at the hotel. The bill was settled quickly, thanks to our understanding server. The prix fix desserts were inhaled. Ladies were already out the door, probably mixing drinks in the limo, but two of us would not let the creamy vanilla ice cream coated with a rich cherry sauce and topped with sweet candied pistachio go untasted. We still talk about the dessert till this day, how darn good it was, and how badly we wished we took a picture. Radius has clearly stood the test of time, delivering top notch French American fare in a sophisticated atmopshere with polished service to match. The girls and I were highly impressed! 
The it was off to Jaques Cabaret for the 10:00 show which I highly, highly recommend if you are planning a bachelorette party in Boston.
The show is only an $11 cover and beers are moderately priced.
The drag queens give the bride-to-be a night to remember for sure. The show as a whole went above and beyond my expectations.
After Jaques the limo dropped us off at Revolution Rock Bar, the final destination of the evening. Rev Rock is a solid choice for a bachelorette party if you choose one of the VIP packages offered. The "Like a Virgin Package" was a great deal which included cover charge, line privileges, reserved seating, 2 bottles of champagne, a round of shots, and one drink ticket each (but I'm pretty sure our waitress hooked us up with a few extra!)
This package was about $45 each. The night was a blast, drinking and dancing, your standard shenanigans.
I only wish they played Steely Dan here! Cupcakes were a fun surprise, delivered halfway through the evening.
The aftermath - turns out there were a few miscellaneous charges on the credit card which was used to reserve the party package. And they forgot to give us goodies previously explained as included in the package for the bride to take home. A few phone calls later and compensation was rewarded in the form of a $50 gift card. This was a stand up move, however, Rev Rock did not prove as impressive the second time around. A regular night out on the town is just that. You're not VIP and it shows. First of all, you wait in a nonsense line (in the freezing cold no less) only to pay the ridiculous $10 cover. Second of all, not having the luxury of seats means waiting in a 20 person long line to check coats. Third, no waitress at your beckon call equals pushing and shoving your way through a sweaty crowd to get a drink. And the line out the bathroom door that night just seem dreadfully unnecessary. The gift card helped, but in general you're paying through the nose for a beer. Something about the place besides the no VIP treatment seemed "off". The music wasn't fun. The vibe wasn't relaxed. Maybe it really is tainted now because I had it so good the first time? It is interesting how both these nights (with the same people none the less) gave me completely different impressions of the bar, the latter definitely leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. I'm not feeling like I need to return anytime soon, however, I wouldn't have changed the bachelorette party location if I could go back and do it again.
Updated to note: Revolution Rock Bar closed it's doors in / around the summer of 2011.
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