boston restaurants: d

This weekend we headed out for Saturday night date night at the highest rated D restaurant in Boston on opentable: Deuxave. I had been to Deuxave once before, an early dinner with a friend about a year ago. Opening in the fall of 2010, Deuxave is the culinary creation of Chris Coombs of dbar in Dorchester (he was also featured on Food Network's Chopped, landed on Zagat's 30 under 30 list this year, and Deuxave has been featured in the top 50 Restaurants of Boston list). Deuxave is named after the fact that it is situated on the crossroads of 2 prominent Boston avenues: Massachusetts & Commonwealth. 

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After reading the almost-only positive reviews and having a nice experience the last time I visited, I had high hopes for our date night meal. On the chilly night we arrived for our reservation and were shown to a booth right behind the maître d' stand, next to the bar, and near a dishwashing station. Having been here before, I knew of the nicely organized roomy dining room lined with bottles of wine...but we were placed in the loudest area of the restaurant. Every time a group was leaving and waiting for their coats, our table was knocked into, every time a load of dishes came out we smelled cleaning supplies, and every time a group entered or left I was forced to put my jacket on. With freezing ankles, I tried to grin and bear it, hoping my appetizer would warm me up and the night would get better.

T started with the crispy duck confit with black mission figs, apple & pickled fennel salad and a spiced cranberry & cider gel. T is not a fan of fennel, and I was surprised to see him finish everything and compliment the entire dish.
 

I started with the 9 hour french onion soup which was slowly carmalized and included a beef bone marrow crouton topped with comté cheese. A large portion of a classic french onion soup, drenched in umami flavors and topped with a stringy comté, this soup had been cooking for much longer than 9 hours. I found myself almost finishing it, until I realized it was quite salty. Although a nice warming hug for my chilly ankles, I let T finish it and saved room for my next course.
 

Next T went for the tagliatelle “Bolognaise” with homemade pasta, veal, beef & pancetta topped with a creamy tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and snips of basil. Even though I'm not a fan of veal, it looked too fresh to pass up. I snagged a noodle and can confirm this is a delicious dish all around. Perfectly balanced with a well-rounded flavor, the dish was neither too light nor too heavy.

For my main meal I chose an appetizer and a side: Nantucket bay scallops & winter morels with meyer lemon melted leeks, celery root puree, and pickled cauliflower and a side of the "crispy wild mushrooms".  The scallop dish was artfully presented and well-prepared. The scallops with the pickled cauliflower were a nice combination and the celery root puree was absolutely delicious, but the morels did not seem to add much to the dish.

I love love love mushrooms, so I was excited to see the crispy wild mushrooms as a side, I had to get them. My only qualm with this side was the fact that they were not crispy, rather they tasted as though they had been sauteed but not quite crisped. They were served in a cute Staub cocotte.
 

T had won this round of dish choices, my ankles were still cold, and we will too full for dessert. We ate our mini fudge brownie and lime meringue and headed back home, agreeing to come back, but not in any rush.
 

 1: Deuxave website

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