If you move for law school, you inevitably leave things behind. Often this is a favorite restaurant. You cannot exactly fit it in the car, and trying to recreate dishes at home is never the same. As much as I love my new home in Boston, there are places I miss from my life as a paralegal in Washington D.C. 

Imagine my surprise when I’m scrolling through Instagram and Boston Uncovered posts about one of my favorite D.C. restaurants: Medium Rare has opened a location in Arsenal Yards over in Watertown! To say I was giddy does not do my feelings justice. I loved that place–in fact, it was the location of my last meal in D.C. with my parents and older brother right before I drove out of town for the last time.

Medium Rare may come across as an ordinary steak restaurant. However, the menu is fixed price with bread, green salad, and steak frites served with their in-house sauce. The sauce is so special, sources say those involved in making it in-house and externally all must sign confidentiality agreements. There is a vegetarian option with stuffed portobello mushrooms for those who wish. Dessert is not included, but I would not skip it if I were you. You may just need a friend or two for how large the portions are. 

My parents were passing through town a few weeks ago, and we checked the new location out. I will concede this is a slightly biased review, but we did our best to be as objective as possible, even as big fans. 

Walking into the Watertown location felt familiar, yet new at the same time. The location I knew back in DC was small. This was much larger, and the playlist was set to the right volume. I was fond of the 80’s pop from the DC location but welcomed the Backstreet Boys and RNB mix that was playing here. The service was great, and the staff happily explained the setup to all newcomers. Our food was almost how I remembered it. The salad was a great start, the bread was perfect for soaking up extra dressing (and eventually sauce). The steak was perfectly cooked to order, and the fries were both fluffy and crunchy. The dessert was the largest improvement. The chocolate cake was perfectly rich, moist and light, with a helping of vanilla ice cream.

My folks and I had a lovely evening reminiscing about how much had changed since our last meal in D.C. together. To go from sweating about the LSAT and applications to talking about my property class and summer job applications felt like a good bookend. 

If you are looking for a fun night out at a good price, check out Medium Rare. It is perfect for when family and friends come to town, date nights, and to celebrate new journeys about to begin.

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Catherine Beveridge is a first-year student at BC Law. Contact her at beverid@bc.edu.