First Bite at Remick’s

Photograph by Anthony Tieuli

You don’t need to be a real estate wiz to know Quincy is a smart place to invest these days. With a $1.2 billion rehab happening downtown, the once-drab South Shore city is beginning to shine again. And Remick’s is just a peek at what’s to come.

Formerly a weary Irish pub, this spot has a new interior—one that’s sleek and minimalist, with exposed brick, wood, and cloth wall coverings. The menu aims for comfort, featuring recognizable American favorites such as oyster po’ boys ($14), Cobb salads ($10), and chicken wings ($9)—each with its own worldly twist (kimchi on the po’ boy; crispy wontons on the Cobb; curried dipping sauce for the wings). Chef and co-owner Marc Orfaly (Pigalle) is in the kitchen, and he’s also serving up a strong selection of pastas, trendy apps like truffle-scented arancini ($11, pictured at left), and bold mains such as a whole roast suckling pig ($30 per person)—all with big appeal to a community that’s clearly been hungering for such sophistication.

Orfaly, though, is still finding his voice with some items. While we’d hoped for a crispy oyster and a nasal-cleansing kimchi on the po’ boy, what we received instead were yawn-inducing, overbreaded bivalves and pickled veggies with no punch. But the burger ($12) was stellar, as was the schnitzel ($18), which arrived with sweet-and-sour red cabbage and buttery spaetzle.

With just a few tweaks, it seems, both Remick’s and its neighborhood will be ready to shine.

1657 Hancock St., Quincy, 617-481-1010, remicksquincy.com.