Summer Boston Restaurant Week (AUG 20-25) #2

The three remaining restaurants to sample left for Boston Summer Restaurant week (August 20 – 25). I missed out on a all girl’s night out on Monday night (as I was flying back from my NAAAP Convention trip). I heard they all had a great time, loved the food and atmosphere!

I met up with my big sis Debbie (she is someone I treasure a lot). I met her at work and our work relationship has transcended into a beautiful friendship. I consider her a mentor and all around wonderful person. She is one difficult person to pin down. Luckily I got to see her at HARVEST (44 Brattle Street, Cambridge MA 617-868-2255). We opted for the half glass wine pairing with the restaurant week menu for a mere $45.06 extra. Corn and Scallop Chowder with basil butter served with Chardonnay Blend Hedges, "CMS", Columbia Valley, Washington, 2004 (Debbie loved this wine!) and Heirloom Tomato Salad with basil oil, Villa Manodori, Chives and Malden Sea Salt served with Sauvignon Blanc, Saint Clair, "Vicar's Choice", Marlborough, New Zealand, 2005. I found the chowder to be ok and the tomato salad to be very simple, bursting with flavor and refreshing (then again it is the month where tomatoes are in full season and bloom!

The entrees were Pan Seared Block Island Swordfish with black eyed peas and shoe peg corn salad, tomatillo relish accompanied with Pinto grigio, Forchir, Estate, Fruili-Venezia, Italy, 2005 and the Roasted Pork Lion atop nesenkeag braising greens and refreshing peach salsa paired with Pinot Noir, Kenwood, Russian River Valley, California, 2004. Debbie loved the interesting combo of black eyed peas and shoe peg corn as an interesting accompaniment to the Swordfish. The pork lion was delightfully moist and I liked the contrast of the sweetness of the peach salsa to the slightly bitter nesenkeag braising greens.

For dessert we both got the same dessert and wine --the delightful Chocolate Apricot Torte with almond dacquoise, fresh fruit and chocolate sauce served with a refreshing and my personal fave Brachetto d'Acqui, Castello banfi, Piedmont, Italy , 2004.

Overall, out of all the places I have checked out, not bad but not the best but not on the bottom either. We thought it a nice meal but not astounded by Harvest.

Then next night (WEDNESDAY) was with my sister. We wanted a repeat our our EXCELLENT experience with Excelsior the previous week. We went to Restaurant "L" in the Louis Boston building (234 Berkeley Street, Boston tel: (617) 266-4680) straddling both Newbury and Boylston Streets in the tony Back Bay. The main dining room was very simple, spartan with simple colors. We noticed some of the Asian accents here and there. Our roll was served in a bamboo steamer (usually filled with dumplings) and we were seated at a window seat facing Berkeley Street.

We both decided to have some drinks---the Aloe Vera Mojito and Passion Fruit Martini. Here there were a few more choices to choose from. The aloe vera added a weird taste to the mojito which was not my fave. There was a lot of kick in my martini where I tasted the vodka and not much passion fruit (I guess the way it should be). We were greeted with a small sampling of spicy tomato water to pique our palates. For our appetizers I got the tuna tartare over the aranci and my sister got the fried oysters, watermelon and pickled cucumber salad. The presentation was impeccable and works of spartan simple lines artwork. I got 4 small mouthfuls of my dish and my sister got three fried oysters nestled with the watermelon, salad in an oyster shell over a colorful bed of sea salt.

Next were our entrees---my sister got the duck "milanese" with red pepper, scallions, pineapple and cashews which was flattened and came in a generous portion. Very nice! I got the pan roasted haddock over fava beans, tomatoes which was nice.

Our dessert was not too memorable and we thought it was a nice place but not up to the standards of the other places we have previously been to--Rialto, Upstairs in the Square, Hammersley Bistro, Le Soir and Meritage to name a few.

My final restaurant outing was with my friend Minh. I ended walking to the restaurant (Great Bay (617) 532-5300 - 500 Commonwealth Ave, Boston not far from Fenway)--took me only 30 minutes on a nippy night. That thursday was cooler than it has been and we both felt that it felt more fall than summer. Imagine only a few weeks ago we were boiling with record heat waves and temperature highs in the 90-100's degrees!

We decided to get the one wine glass $5 extra and prefixe meal. The choices for appetizer--chilled gazpacho with crab, avacado and cilantro or the crisp calamari with sweet 100 tomatoes, french beans and orange. The entree choices were potato-crusted haddock with hand cut "chip", watercress and Great Bay tartar sauce. While the other dish was a sensational and mouthwatering braised boneless beef short ribs with Anson Mills polenta, grilled onions and lime.

We found we were partial to the calamari (we thought it divine) and my friend didn't care for the gazpacho. I love gazpacho but there was nothing to rave home about it. The spectacular braised boneless short ribs a usual winter fare fave shined with flavor and intensity. The fish was good but paled in comparison though.

For dessert we had the butterscotch pudding and the chocolate whoopie as perfect ending for our meal. Again one shined brighter than the other (main theme in this meal) which was the lovely pudding topped with carmelized pecans. The lightness and creaminess of the butterscotch pudding was heavenly with every spoonful. The whoopie pie was a bit too much and dry too. I ended up not finishing it. The portions were middle of the road and not overly generous or stingy. The decor is beautiful, spacious and interesting with high ceilings.

It is housed within the Hotel Commowealth right in the heart of Kenmore Square which is adjacent to Fenway Park. Overall a good meal but uneven at best but definitely ranked higher than Harvest for myself and Minh (he had gone there a few nights earlier).