10:27 AM EDT on Thursday, September 29, 2005

BY GAIL CIAMPA
Journal Food Editor

BOSTON -- Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the park. Buy me a pizza with hoisin duck, I don't care if I see Fenway Park.

Heresy, sheer heresy, I know. But sublime food and perfect atmosphere can do crazy things even to this most rabid Red Sox fan.

Of course, frayed nerves over the state of this pennant race can make one go a bit mad. A tangy blueberry sour, served straight up, can calm a fan down before she has to see Alex Rodriguez step up to the plate. We can only hope the sweetness of a a thoroughly modern Boston cream pie can diminish the sting of Derek Jeter making a double play.

This will be a big weekend at Fenway, with the New York Yankees (big sneer here) playing three games against our Red Sox. Up for grabs, a playoff spot. We can't control what happens on the field -- oh, that we could. But we can determine our own culinary destiny.

We don't have to eat a Fenway Frank and pay $3.75 for the pleasure. We can dine in style, before or after the game. Or, failing to score last-minute tickets, we can just give in to our pennant fever and enjoy a meal in the shadow of the baseball shrine. Step out of any of these spots and you'll hear the crowd cheer, or moan, depending on their team's fortunes on the field.

The Kenmore Square area has come a long way from the choice of pizza by the slice on the street or crowded taverns where it's hard to order even a burger. As the Red Sox have risen to the top of the baseball heap, so too has the dining world surrounding Fenway elevated itself in a big way. Kenmore Square has been revitalized and seen recent additions that make it difficult to head to the park.

Witness the following:

* In the past few years, the Hotel Commonwealth has opened its elegant doors and been anchored by three restaurants. Note that the managing director is Tim Kirwan, who also previously managed the Westin Hotel in Providence from its construction stage in 1993 until 1999 and still consults here.

* Chef Jacky Robert, whose credits include Boston's Maison Robert and the Chatham Bars in on Cape Cod, this year opened a delightful French bistro nestled into a cozy spot on Commonwealth Avenue.

* A new kind of sports cafe for the 21st century was unveiled in the very shadow of Fenway Park with space for 550 patrons who can watch 52,000 square inches of plasma and high-definition television on something on the order of 76 screens.

If we must be on pins and needles for the weekend, we can find solace in food.

And what solace I have found!

Delicate perfection at Great Bay

One would be hard pressed to find a better dinner and dining experience than at Great Bay, 500 Commonwealth Ave., one of the Hotel Commonwealth's anchor restaurants.

It is the third restaurant owned by a trio with a Midas touch: Michael Schlow, Chris Myers and Esti Parsons. Schlow is executive chef at all three, which also include Radius (modern French) and Via Matta (regional Italian); in 2000, he was the James Beard award winner as best chef in the Northeast.

Great Bay, which specializes in sophisticated seafood, won a best new restaurant honor from Esquire in 2003. It's not hard to see why. It may have been my best dining experience this year.

The two-story space is minimalist and dramatic; the staff is expertly trained, especially on all nuances of the menu.

There is seating at The Island, a curved bar where sushi and sashmini is served. You can also order from that menu at a dining table.

The dish of the night was dayboat sea scallops ($30) seared to the point of perfection and served over a bed of sweet, sweet corn right off the cob, thin slices of andouille sausage and sweet torpedo onions. Dayboats are the best scallops available, also described sometimes as diver. They are collectd by hand and are the largest in size. They come off boats that have fished for just the day, so they are as fresh as the sea.

The other dish of the night was a grilled smoked pork chop, double thick ($26). This was smoked for three hours to give it a perfectly sublime flavor, and it was paired so nicely with organic grits molded like a pancake. I didn't know I liked grits until they were prepared by chef Lee Chizmar.

At Great Bay, the emphasis is on delicate, from the homemade gnocchi paired with lobster ($18), fava beans and the mild summer truffle, to the steamed Prince Edward Island mussels ($12) shelled and in a broth flavored with coconut milk and Thai basil.

A dessert item of Boston cream pie ($10) was a revelation served as an individual pie with only the thinnest layers of cream and chocolate. The chocolate cake ($10) was moist and rich and fine, but when paired with mint chip ice cream made with fresh mint, it was heavenly.

Our drinks included a wonderful sparkling blueberry sour, a martini with Champagne and fresh berries ($9) -- think of the anti-oxidants we added to our daily diet -- and a lime cooler made with sparkling Moscato ($8). Both drinks were about the fruit, not just the liquor.

When asked about Red Sox game days, our server said all 140 seats are filled when they open for dinner at 5 p.m. They have a few busy hours, but have learned to how to serve up the check for the 7 p.m. game time.

But who would want to rush after such a delight?

Phone: (617) 532-5300. www.greatbayrestaurant.com.

A Game On! duck pizza feast

If our meal at Great Bay was a total palate pleaser, eating at the Game On! sports cafe is a pleasant assault on other senses. Sitting upstairs at the two-story facility at 82 Landsdowne St. (at the corner of Brookline Avenue where a bowling alley used to stand), it was six hours to Sox game time. The streets were already crowded and the cafe was hopping.

When I visited downstairs, though, I saw that I had been seated in the upscale part of the restaurant. Though there are big televisions tuned to the game of the moment, downstairs was rocking with game sound. There, a huge oval bar centers the space but all around is almost stadium seating with tables. Not only are games on a dizzying number of televisions but the sound is piped in for the featured contest. It would be a great place to watch an important game. But then what game isn't important at this time of year?

A spokesman said that the crowd determines which game will blare from speakers. Red Sox usually rule, but on a recent Sunday when the Sox were losing and the New England Patriots were battling the Carolina Panthers, football took the center stage.

We enjoyed some of the killer cocktails ($9) -- Apple Baybreeze with Smirnoff Cranberry, Shakka Red Apple and more, is a winner but so, too, is the Lemon Drop martini. A Grape Nehi was maybe a bit too like a grape soda. The beer list is rather limited (just a handful on draft) and rather pedestrian for a sports cafe. Harpoon Ale in a bottle seemed the most popular choice.

We then feasted on the dish of the moment, a wood fired Chinese duck pizza ($11) with hoisin sauce and sesame greens. It was one of the best versions of duck pizza I've had, with thin, crispy crust, fresh-as-can-be greens and moist, marinated duck.

Executive chef Art Welch is doing more than bar food here, and we can all be grateful for the hot Cubano sandwich stuffed with ham, pork, thin-sliced pickles, mustard and melted cheese ($9).

For those needing a hot-dog fix, there are two fat Pearl Kountry Club all-beef hot dogs served with kraut and fries ($8). An all-American burger was huge, juicy and nicely adorning a big sesame-seed bun ($9).

Prices here are reasonable, portions healthy, and there's a kids' menu. Our server, Nancy, was charming, delightful and very attentive despite handling a crowd of tables.

Boston nightclub/restaurant czar Patrick Lyons of the Lyons Group, who owns more than two dozen venues including the Avalon nighclub on Landsdowne Street and Newbury Street's Sonsie, is the man who brought Game On! not just to Fenway but also to Logan Airport. He's unveiling a third in Atlantic City at the Pier at Caesars.

And why not? He's found a winning combo with food and sport here.

Phone: (617) 351-7001. www.gameonboston.com.

Oasis of charm at Petit Robert

Now, for something completely different, we take you to the Left Bank of Paris. At least that's where I thought I was when I stepped up a few brownstone building stairs into Petit Robert Bistro, an oasis of quaintness and charm at 468 Commonwealth Ave. in Kenmore Square.

I could have stepped down to a four-table courtyard to dine outside, but then I would have missed watching the action in the open kitchen.

This is another spot to enjoy amazing cuisine and easily still make it to a game. Lunch is also served daily.

Noticing the offer of a seasonal dessert souffle, we skipped all the pate, soup and salads, for which I will return, I assure you. We went just for entrees this warm September night.

The first was a seared tuna special ($19.75), grilled simply and paired with a carrot-and-onion mix and white rice. The tuna was prepared medium rare as requested and was a large piece that was quite filling.

Simple was also the preparation for a pan-seared skirt steak served with my choice of sauce, bordelaise, poivre or bearnaise ($19.75). I couldn't resist trying bearnaise, a French sauce made with a reduction of vinegar, wine, tarragon, peppercorns and shallots and finished with egg yolks and butter. In the hands of chef Jacky Robert, it was creamy and superb and the perfect foil for the flavorful steak and mashed potatoes. An order of spinach au beurre ($4.75) rounded out a divine, hearty dinner.

The day's souffle ($8) offered by pastry chef Kristen Larson was a cassis souffle that was wonderfully egg-y and sweet, and adorned with chocolate syrup, a nice contrast to the currants.

Our server, Vladimir, was warm and efficient, and I thought captured the mood established by the setting and the food. I would have ventured a mellow me into the Sox game if they weren't losing in Tampa Bay the night of our visit.

Phone: (617) 375-0699. www.petitrobertbistro.com.

Old favorites of Kenmore

As for the oldies but goodies of the Kenmore environs, Cornwall's Tavern, 65 Beacon St., (617) 252-3749, offers the most amazing selection of British ales (some 30 by the bottle and 24 on draft). They are nicely paired with owner/chef John Beale's tavern menu, which includes chicken pot pie (my favorite), shepherd's pie and the ever-popular fish and chips.

He also makes a lovely hamburger and some fire-eating Buffalo wings, but you can't get those on busy game days. It's as crowded after the game as before, when many pints are poured.

This is a new location for Cornwall's, which used to be across the street and below ground, where the Hotel Commonwealth now is. With the new wide open space, outside dining, and game room with three pool tables, it can accomodate game-day crowds well.

Boston Beer Works, 61 Brookline Ave. at corner of Yawkey Way, makes very nice beer, has a big selection, and a menu of all your favorite bar food. (617) 536-2337.

The Cask 'n Flagon, 62 Brookline Ave., (617) 536-4840, is the quintessential Sox sport bar of long standing, located behind Fenway's Green Monster. The location means huge crowds on game days. Arrive early.

Creative cocktails, Zensai menu

Want a different kind of eating and drinking experience? Inside the Hotel Commonwealth is the new Foundation Lounge, 500 Commonwealth Ave., (617) 859-9900. Serving daily from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., they open for Red Sox home day games.

They offer creative cocktails and have a Zensai menu. These are Japanese appetizers and bites that include some nifty tempuras -- popcorn shrimp, double-spicy tuna and vegetable -- as well as a caviar sampler.

Finally, Eastern Standard, 528 Commonwealth Ave., (617) 532-9100, is the third restaurant anchoring the Hotel Commonwealth. Opening just a few months ago, it also serves as the hotel restaurant and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It has a large area for al fresco dining.

Lunch entrees range from $7 to $12, while sandwiches cost in that range as well. Dinner entrees cost $18 to $20.