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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boston restaurants: t

Toscano is located in Beacon Hill, a skip & a hop from the Commons. I had been once before, without even realizing they would be the highest rated T-restaurant in the Boston area. With a large menu filled with plates of all sizes, Toscano delivers a great amount of quality food for the low prices.

You enter the long hallway and are greeted with a full bar of happy people, walk through the dining room past the floor to ceiling wooden sliding doors to your table. Each table seats four, creating a master dining effect if only eating with one other guest!
 

 

We spread our belongings out, ordered our peach billinis, and settled into our large squishy chairs to wait for our orders to arrive. As we were waiting, we noticed we were yet again the youngest patrons by another 25 years. The bar area appeared younger, but apparently no one was hungry at the early hour we decided to dine!

I went with the Funghi di Bosco, a thin crust pizza with wild mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, thyme, tomato & olive oil. It is listed near the appetizers, so I think the point may be to share, but I'm all set keeping it for myself! The massive pizza shown below is a mere $14, and is enough for a large dinner, or leftovers for lunch.

 

My date chose the Tagliatelle Gamberi, tagliatelle in a white wine sauce with chopped shrimp, tomato, and red chili. She reported this was delicious, as she also had no problem finishing the dish!

Despite the tasty dishes and super affordable prices, the only negative that I have now experienced twice is the fact that the waitstaff all awkward congregate outside of the kitchen hallway, right in the front of the dining room to talk and watch the diners. This may be due to the early time slot I may eat sometimes, but it always manages to make me as well as my dates uncomfortable. Other than this small ambiance glitch, I always manage to have a nice meal and not feel ripped off as I could in other restaurants in the area.

Toscano is opening a second location in Harvard Square which is slated to open in the winter of 2013. Something to look forward to!  

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boston restaurants: c

I had been to Craigie on Main once before, a couple of years ago, when T & I were in the midst of becoming sick. Neither of us had happy memories of this dinner, as we were both in a sickness-induced fog of miserableness. I never had any interest in returning to this restaurant, but when I set out to visit each of the highest rated #-Z restaurants in Boston, I realized Craigie on Main would be mandated to be re-visited. We headed over with minimal expectations...and we were blown away by the experience.

Located between the Central and Kendall/MIT T stops, Craigie on Main is also car-friendly, with some street-parking as well as valet available. An interesting mix of local seasonal New England cuisine with French techniques, Craigie on Main has moved towards the top of my Boston-area favorites.

We arrived (a bit late) for our reservation, and were told that there was a recent cancellation for the chef's counter, and were asked if we would like to sneak on in. We snatched the opportunity to peek into the kitchen, and plopped ourselves front and center.

The whole restaurant is focused on the open kitchen, which is a nice change, but does create a bit of a bustle for those that don't have front-row seats like we did. Fortunately, there are many mirrors placed throughout the dining room so diners are able to see bits and pieces of the cooking.
 

Every night the menu may change, but there are always prix fix menus along with tasting menus of 6- or 8-courses available. T and I went with the prix fix as we had our eyes on certain items already. After ordering, we were surprised with one amuse bouche each, for T, a mussel, and for me, a beef heart pastrami with spicy mustard. 

 

As an appetizer, T went with the house-made farro flour spaccatelli with wild boar and forest mushroom ragoût. T reported this was very savory, and I stole a piece of the spaccatelli which I can report was very rich & tasty. I went with the grilled Spanish octopus with grilled cipollini onion, green olive & lemon salad, bulgur wheat, and chorizo purée. Soft, delicate, and delicious, this was the perfect light appetizer. We were also amazed by how large our appetizers were.

 

 For entrees, I chose the slow roasted chicken breast (since I love restaurant chicken so much) with chicken sausage, dried apricots, forest mushrooms, spring-dug carrots, and a scotch whisky jus. This is the dish that single-handedly blew me away. This chicken has undoubtedly moved to the top of my Boston-restaurant-chicken list...a hard list to even get near. Moist, tender, and flavorful, the combinations on the plate were unbelievable. 

Travis went with the Vermont pork three ways: suckling confit, spice crusted rib, smoked & grilled belly with russett apple purée, turnips, port-soaked pruned, and maitake mushrooms. The confit melted in his mouth while the rib was crispy and moist. The grilled belly reportedly paired well with the mushrooms. We also split a side of duck-fat roasted brussel sprouts, which were fresh, crispy & scrumptous.  

As T was stuffed and out of commission for dessert, I took control and ordered for us (....me, really). I have always loved anything malted, and the moment I read those four little letters on the menu (m-a-l-t) it was decided. We got the malted milk parfait, with honey roasted peanuts & a chocolate sorbet. I allowed T to have 2 bites, but then after tasting this dish, I hoarded it for myself. This dessert is easily in my top-2 desserts in Boston. Unbelievably tasty, the contrasting textures harmonized into an amazing flavorful bite. Bits of chocolate brownie, a small almost peanut-buttery-caramel textured bit, with crunchy pieces resembling cocoa crispies and the salty honey roasted peanuts...I was in food-heaven after bite one.

 

At this point, we were completely stuffed, we enjoyed the hazelnut-caramel macarons before heading home, passing the cute seasonal pumpkin-lanterns strewn about Central Square.
 

We will most definitely be back to Craigie on Main. I now have the Chef's Whim's tasting menu on my to-visit list. Every Sunday after 9pm, chef Tony Maws will cook up a discounted 4- or 6-course tasting menu on a whim. More information here.

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boston restaurants: b

The highest rated restaurant on opentable beginning with a "B" in Boston is Bergamot, in Somerville. A bit far off the beaten path, it is reachable by car. Boasting a 27/30 Zagat score, it has been on my to-go-to list for a while now. I was able to fit in a dinner here before a going away party with a friend. We headed over for an early dinner and were greeted by about 25 staff members spread throughout the restaurant with only 2 other tables seated. At first this was intimidating, but over the course of the meal, all of the tables filled up, and each staff member was bustling around being attentive, but not intrusive.

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We went for the 3-course meal for a steal of a restaurant-week similar price of $39. We started with their version of Pimm's cup (one of my favorite drinks...obviously) with Pimm's, lemon, Tomr's tonic, and ginger ale. It is definitely one of my favorites I have found in the Boston area, I just wished they had incorporated fresh strawberries!

First course was the sweet corn agnolotti with shrimp, tomato, and marjoram. It was by far the highlight of the meal, I could have easily had 2 of these as my entrée. The agnolotti were little pillows of deliciousness by themselves, and when combined with the corn, shrimp, and tomato, they make a perfect combination.

Second course was the grilled arctic char with romano beans, tasso ham, roasted fingerling potatoes, and a green peppercorn beurre blanc. The course was presented cleanly and tasted as good as it looked. The highlights for me were the fingerling potatoes and the small cubes of tasso ham.

We finished with the dessert course, where I went with the "Berries and Cream" combination of raspberry sorbet with crème fraîche ice cream. It was tasty, but I wished I had gone with the chocolate sponge cake with bing cherries, chocolate peppermint ice cream, and vanilla cream after seeing my friend's delight after tasting it!

Overall, the meal was delicious and the ambiance was nice and mildly energetic. The volume was perfect, there was a quiet buzz about but we had no difficulty hearing each other (maybe due to the fact that the next youngest people in the restaurant by 8pm were 40 years old). Yes, I would go again, but the only con would be the fact that is it not easily accessible by the T.

(1)&(2) provided on Bergamot's website

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a busy day in boston

T and I took Friday off from work to bumble around with my mother, hoping the rain would wait until we were home. First stop was for lobstah rolls at Neptune Oyster (food first, obviously). Neptune Oyster opens at 1130am, and if you're interested in grabbing lunch, you should be there as close to opening time as possible, as they do not accept reservations and the wait can be up to 2 hours (especially for dinner). We popped our name on the list, were given our 45 minute wait time, and went on a mini-stroll through the North End for some coffee while we waited. After 45 minutes, we received our call and returned to be promptly seated at the cozy bar. Most important word: cozy. The space is small, with only about 15 chairs seated at the bar and a few tables pressed against the wall. The tin ceilings with the ceiling fans reminded you it was a warm breezy summer days as you peruse the surprisingly lengthy menu. We decided to split 1 hot lobster roll and 1 cold lobster roll (so we could try both, of course) while T went for the fried clams.

 

 

 

 

The picture of the kitchen contains the whole kitchen...2 people....small space, providing a surprisingly lengthy and delicious menu. In my opinion the hot lobster roll blew the cold lobster roll out of the water, but feel free to go and make your own decision!

To walk off all of the lobster we had just consumed at our large late lunch, we decided to make a few stops. First stop is one of my favorite spots, the Brattle Book Shop. One of the oldest bookshops in the country, it was founded in 1825. My favorite books to look for are old fabric bound black books that fall somewhere in my interests. Usually in the summer days, a bunch of books are placed outside and given major discount prices ($1-$5 books, despite the size or age of the book). New arrivals are added often, so I am always able to find something new to add to my collection!

Next we decided to stroll down Newbury Street, stopping at my favorite pet shop, Fish & Bone. It is filled with all-natural and organic treats, plush beds, as well as a bunch of flashy colorful leashes.  Glass canisters line the shelves in the center of the store, providing some conventional, and some hard-to-find treats for pups, including cow trachea, duck feet, bully sticks, and various dried liver pieces. I picked up a few regulars for Erin (including Philly cheesesteak ball, bacon wrapped sausage & chicken nibs) and let her try a duck foot to try something new, since you only live once! On my way out I spotted the best doggie birthday present ever: a personalized organic mini cake enveloped in mini treats! The sign reads it feeds 8...but I'm pretty sure Erin could eat that in 1 minute by herself....

 

We finished up Newbury Street with some minor shopping, before heading to our dinner at one of the few restaurants that manages to always get it right: Bistro du Midi. The marinated octopus was the highlight of the meal, along with the lavender beignets with chocolate dipping sauce.

 

 

Their wine cellar is impressive, and they have one of the longest wine lists I have seen in a restaurant. After a busy day in Boston, we headed home, before a busy wedding weekend.

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boston restaurants 1-Z

I have also decided to attempt my plan that I have been trying to put in place for the last 2 years.  My goal is to try to best restaurants in Boston...in alphabetical order. I knew there were many talented restauranteurs in Boston, but I had no idea that 800+ restaurants were listed on opentable.com for this area. My plan is simple: Begin with numbers, followed by A and continue all the way to Z. Choosing will be easy, I plan to choose the highest-rated restaurant of the letter and blindly go there, no researching the menu, only the dress-code. I understand that this will create some overlap for places I have already been, but if I have already been there there must have been a reason anyways! Unfortunately there are no restaurants beginning with Q, X, or Y (surprisingly) in the Boston area, so those will have to be skipped! First on the list is one of my favorites where I was already planning to go in a few weekends anyways! 80 Thoreau. Let the plan begin!

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