lumière

I had been to Lumière once before, a few years ago during restaurant week, but hadn't had the chance to try it on a real night, until tonight. Located in Newton, Lumière (as well as chef/owner Michael Leviton) has been receiving praise since it's opening in 1999. An intimate spot with 65 dining seats, Lumière focuses on locally-sourced ingredients with a mix of classic & modern cooking.

We opened the door with the spoon handle and headed into the warmly-lit inviting restaurant.
 

 

 

For appetizers, my date went with the roasted butternut squash soup with spiced crème fraîche and peppered pumpkin seeds (which she reported was delicious) while I went with the amazing Barnegat Light sea scallops with roasted cauliflower, pine nuts, capers & currants, with a bagna cauda vinaigrette. The scallops were smooth and perfectly prepared while the cauliflower was a perfect partner for the currants.

As mains my date chose the Gloucester swordfish with brussel sprouts, apples & maple-glazed smoked almonds with a sherry brown butter vinaigrette (which she reported was tasty and hearty, and the brussel sprout side was a stand-out star). I went with the roasted Giannone Farm chicken with mashed sweet potatoes (with a bit of brown sugar mixed in), pearl onions & beef bacon and chicken jus. The chicken was perfectly prepared with the sweet potatoes making me excited for Thanksgiving this coming week! 

Heading into dessert I was hoping for an angel food cake or another light option, not chocolate, since I was so stuffed...but then I saw the menu. Within 10 seconds of seeing the menu I knew I had to get the Valrhona Manjari chocolate soufflé cake with a coconut sorbet, candied cashews and a rum caramel. The light but full-flavored coconut sorbet was a nice light & refreshing combination for the rich & intense chocolate cake. With the candied cashews sprinkled about, this dish reminded me of one an upscale version of my favorite candy bar, a Mounds (so I am obviously a huge fan of this dessert)!

I enjoyed a nice cup of Mem mint tea (with a personal timer to let me know when it was ready!) while my friend finished her glass of wine. We headed out into the chilly November night, agreeing to visit again!
 

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bon me pop-up picnic

Bon Me, the fresh & inventive Vietnamese food truck, hosted their 2nd pop-up picnic this week. For this picnic they partnered with West Bridge, a new French restaurant in Kendall (and soon-to-be new neighbors of Bon Me's first home in a building)! The 4-course picnic was $18 and came with a picnic blanket, to make it super romantic. My friend, Grace, and I set up camp and enjoyed the following in the Rings Fountain park on the Rose Kennedy Greenway with a thai iced tea and a spicy ginger lemonade: 

1st: pork butter crostini

2nd: bok choy slaw

3rd: a baguette chock-full of pickle

carrot & daikon, cucumbers, cilantro,

 red onion, housemade spicy mayo, 

pate, with a prepared braised tongue

 and plum mustard.

4th (my favorite course, which I could

 probably eat 5x/day for a week):

 coconut amaranth pudding

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After a filling picnic spent trying to grasp the complexity & range of ingredients combined in the tastiness we were consuming, we decided to walk it out. We headed towards the North End and stumbled upon a beautiful rose garden, on one of the most perfect-weather-evenings of the summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After exploring, we headed straight for LuLu's cupcakes to split a carrot cake cupcake, before parting ways. It was a perfect date night on a perfect evening in Boston. Thank you Bon Me & West Bridge for sharing your culinary treats with Boston, if only for 1 night!

 

 

 1: Photo courtesy of Bon Me

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