Sonsie

I went here a bit apprehensive as to the quality of the food. Sonsie was a very happening spot with the Euro crowd in the early 90's and while it's lasted as long as it has, it was always the type of place you went to be seen and to look at the beautiful people. This aspect doesn't seem to have changed, helped by the attractive servers and front of the house staff.
On a Friday night it was packed for dinner, we waited at the bar which was also quite packed. I felt like I was in a nightclub trying to get a drink. When we were seated, there was delicious foccacia bread and hummus on the table, a nice change from bread and butter. The menu is varied, so we ordered oysters, a salad with fried goat cheese - I didn't try it, between the other 3 people at the table it wasn't finished off, but there were also no complaints about it. The lettuce wrapped Asian spring rolls were well fried and had a nice dipping sauce, one of my companions commented that it was spicy. I thought it was perfect. The fried calamari had some hot peppers with it and a yellow tomato sauce. The sauce was a bit weak in flavor, but the calamari well fried and not soggy. We also had a pizza, half pesto cheese and half with soppresetta. Plenty of toppings, and a good size to share. I ordered a dish that was new on their menu. Beef sukiyaki. I have to say completely not impressed. The broth tasted like bouillon cubes, entirely too salty and not very flavorful. I did comment on this to our waitress, who then sent the manager over and he handled it very graciously. I like a place that can take constructive criticism. The thai noodles were recommended if I return, and given the size of the bowl on the table behind me, I'll go and take a couple friends!
The service is top notch here, and given it's prime Newbury Street location and outdoor seating in the summer, I can see how it's managed to stay around this long.
Updated 10/27/07: I can't believe I've forgotten to update this as I've been back to Sonsie bunches of times since the initial review. I did finally get the thai noodles (mee krob) and they are stellar. Huge portion, can be very very spicy, and completely delicious. The service has never failed, it is a restaurant I will return to time and again.