House of Blues Restaurant

When the main draw is music, how good can the food be? At the House of Blues restaurant on Lansdowne Street, the answer is: better than required for a place many will visit for convenience's sake. The menu merges comfort food with New England and Louisiana fare. Creole and Cajun dishes don't offer the to-die-for deliciousness of the versions you'll find in situ, and that could probably go without saying. But the knockoffs evoke the originals pleasantly enough. There is something of the theme park to House of Blues, which turns music, food, and art into a corporate formula. If there's a slight aftertaste of the ersatz, well, we're situated alongside Fenway, a bit of a theme park itself. (Boston Globe, May 13, 2009)