Spoiled...

You know how when you have a big-ish task at hand, it can sometimes completely paralyze you? That is the current state of my blog. I have to admit, I've been rather spoiled lately in that I've had three terrific meals in the past two+ weeks. However, the mere idea of writing about each experience has stunned me into complete inaction, leaving my poor blog unattended-to and unloved. In an effort to correct this, but also make it manageable, I am going to write just a brief review on each meal.

New Year's resolution #257: Keep up with blog.

Now that that's out of the way, on to the (mini) reviews...

My first meal was a business dinner at The Independent in Union Square in Somerville. Union Square is one of those cool areas in Boston that is very up and coming, with lots of unique shops and some fabulous food (at some point, I will dedicate a whole blog to one of my food obsessions in the city: TaQueria La Mexicana). Even amongst this fabulous little area of Somerville, The Independent is a standout. I've eaten there a handful of times over the years and the upscale bistro-pub style offerings never fail to delight. One summer night I had a tri-colored beet salad there that I still think about on a regular basis (this is what foodies do... reminisce about courses that were inspired... sad, but true). The Independent is clearly split into two - the bar and the restaurant, though you can get the full menu in either area. I usually opt for the bar, which is small, but cozy and the bartenders tend to be attentive and friendly (and cute[!]... oops, did that slip out?). However, since I was there recently for a semi-serious professional chat, we opted for the quiet restaurant area, which was perfectly serviceable, if lacking the better character of the bar.

Skipping an appetizer, we instead enjoyed a nice Pinot Noir from California and some robust Tuscan bread with spiced olive oil before our entrees arrived. My main entree was risotto (oh, how I love risotto....) punctuated with porcini mushrooms and pearl onions. Though there were too many onions in the dish, it was warm and filling and lovely on a cool winter night. The real star of the night, however, was the upside down pineapple cake with a buttery, perfect crumb cake and a drizzle of dulce de leche. Oh my.

I'd give The Independent, at 75 Union Square in Somerville, an A-. Head for the bar and flirt shamelessly with the bartender. And if beets are on the menu, get them - you won't be sorry.

About a week following my meal at The Independent, I had the fortune to dine at another small neighborhood star - though clear across town. Last Friday night, Paul and I headed to the Ashmont Grill in Dorchester for a friend's birthday. This was a second annual gathering at the Ashmont for this particular event, and it was terrific both times. The Ashmont, started by chef Chris Douglass (of Icarus fame), is a beautiful place that predominantly features new American classics. The restaurant is a real symbol of some of what is happening in Dorchester, including the gentrification of many neighborhoods and running a green business, while staying true to cultural roots of the area by exclusively hiring locals for both the kitchen and wait staff. [Sidebar: When Paul and I were house hunting, I was a big advocate of moving to Dot. Without fail, every time I brought it up, there would be a murder in the area within days, leading Paul to totally veto the idea. Whenever we eat at the Ashmont, I am sorry that I wasn't able to be more persuasive!]

If you've ever tried to get to Dorchester for 6 p.m. on a Friday night, you'll understand fully why my first order of business when arriving was to request a cocktail. Following the birthday girl's lead, I had my first of two tangy pomegranate margaritas - yum! Our large party shared apps that included steamed mussels (tasty, though unoriginal), a cheese plate with a delicious, crumbly Tomme de Levezou, and the (fabulously-named) Train Wreck fries with melted jack cheese, bacon, jalapenos, sour cream, scallions (do I really even need to comment?). For a main course, I ordered the beer-braised beef brisket with sauteed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes - good, but nothing particularly remarkable. However, being with a large, kind group of fellow foodies, much sharing ensued... showing that the overall competence of the Ashmont Grill to be excellent. Hands down, the best thing I sampled was the pork chop sourced from a New England cooperative. Last time I dined at there, I had a similarly delicious course that featured Niman Ranch pork - it seems to be what the Ashmont does best. We all shared just a bite of toffee bread pudding for dessert - leaving me yearning for more and ensuring a return visit.

I'd give the Ashmont Grill, at 555 Talbot Avenue in Dorchester, a B+. Order the pork with a side of the baked macaroni and cheese and fantasize that home cooking was really this good in your own house growing up.

Last but not least, I returned earlier this week to L'Espalier for Cheese Tuesday... those that read this blog with any frequency will remember how I waxed lovingly over my experience at Wine Monday this Fall. Cheese Tuesday follows an identical format to Wine Monday with the only exception being an extended cheese course (seven samples, as opposed to three). Having had such a terrific experience at Wine Monday, I entered L'Espalier with confidence and excitement for a great night - and it lived up again. For this meal, my friend that is a devotee of these nights had organized a large group of us, several of whom were regulars - which helped, because Cheese Tuesday includes activities. We were encouraged to write "cheese sayings" on a huge sheet of poster board with oversized magic markers and, at the end of the night, we all sang a version of Pink Floyd's The Wall set to cheese lyrics while the staff pulled out electric guitars and punk wigs. Seriously, people, L'Espalier is considered to be the most refined restaurant in the city. How could you not love this?

Oh yeah... and there was food! Good food, naturally. On the whole, I enjoyed the courses at Wine Monday a bit more, but the execution of the Cheese Tuesday meal was still exceptional. We started with grilled, smoked quail with beets and lemon creme fraiche. The quail was tricky to eat with its small bones, but the smokey-tart balance on the meat with the lemon cream was well-done and nicely paired with the bright flavor of a Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc. That was followed by a roasted Scottish salmon with rutabaga risotto, paired with a fresh, easy-to-drink J. Wilkes Pinot Blanc. This was the only course that was a little lacking in how underdone the fish was, though the earthy, warm risotto was wonderful. The third course of Shepherd's Pie was paired with a Montinore Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley in Oregon (a region I am partial to after a visit there in 2005). The Shepherd's Pie with large chunks of braised beef, fresh peas, a pillowy crust of potatoes, topped with sprinkle of slab bacon was outstanding.

And the cheese... if you love cheese, you must, must, must make it to one of these dinners in the New Year. It is glorious. The seven cheeses were spectacular and, like the wine, the restaurant cheese director described each of them and gave a little detail about their provenance as we sampled them. Since the menu I brought home doesn't give tremendous detail on the source of each cheese, I am not going to list them all. Just know this: some of them were so good, I did a little "cheese dance" in my seat. I can not wait to go back.

I'd give Cheese Tuesday at L'Espalier at 30 Gloucester Street in the Back Bay, an A. Though I found that a few of the courses did not live up to the perfection of my meal at Wine Monday, the cheese is so incredible, you'd still give it an A even if they served up dirt and worms for the earlier part of the meal. God bless lactose tolerance.

Sometimes Less is More.

I bet when you read that headline, you thought that this posting was going to be about some meal that used beautiful, fresh ingredients and was spectacular by the very virtue of its simplicity (think: Insalata Caprese). Nope. It's about money.

A few years ago, Paul took me to L'Espalier for our anniversary and - there is no other way to say this - it was a huge disappointment. I think that it is fair to say that L'Espalier is considered to be Boston's finest restaurant. Zagat's has rated it it's number one choice in Boston for eight years running; chef Frank McClelland just won a James Beard award for Best Chef in the Northeast. To say that I was excited to go there was the understatement of the year. Here's the interesting part - I don't remember a thing about the food the first evening that we dined there (not a great sign). What I do remember is how painfully uncomfortable I was the entire night. It was stodgy and stuffy and ridiculously formal. The service was perfect, but in that highly refined way that makes you feel as though the servers are looking down their nose at you. I could not wait for the night to be over and I was never so sorry about a few hundred dollars spent on a meal.

I really had no intention of ever going back. Then, one night, I was talking about food & restaurants with some friends (surprise, surprise) and we found our way to discussing L'Espalier. After recounting my less than satisfying experience there, another friend piped in, "I go to L'Espalier all of the time - I love it." Sorry? I thought that the only people that were "regulars" at L'Espalier were seventy-year-old conservative bankers that lived in townhouses on the Ritz Carlton-end of Comm Ave? It suffices to say, this was not a description of the friend that had just uttered this line. Ok, I was intrigued... so I pressed for more.

Turns out, that our friend was devotee of L'Espalier's "Wine Mondays" and "Cheese Tuesdays." I had no idea such a thing even existed (the foodie shame was written all over my face)! Every Monday night L'Espalier offers a four course prix fixe menu, paired with wines, for $55! Every Tuesday they offer a four course prix fixe menu, paired with wines and finished with a robust cheese course, for $68! OMG. We were so going back. Now, as you might imagine, these events are super popular and you need to book early. Luckily, the friend that let us in on this little secret is very organized and we got reservations for four for this past Monday night.

I am the first one to arrive and I notice immediately that the tone of the staff is completely different on "Wine Monday" - the hostesses are young women who are friendly and easy going, and one personally shows me to the ladies room while I wait for my friends to get there. I decide to get seated solo at our table, since there is really no place to comfortably wait at L'Espalier. If you have not been there, L'Espalier is housed in this gorgeous Back Bay townhouse built in 1880. It makes for a spectacular atmosphere, but it is small. Rumor had it that the restaurant is set to move to much larger, much more modern digs in about a year. It seems a little sad to lose such a Boston institution from this uber-traditional setting.

Once again, the tempo in the dining room proves that Wine Monday is a totally different experience at L'Espalier. There are five groupings of tables for about ten people each, giving the room a communal, "family dining" feel. The room is about three-quarters full when I sit down and there is a loud din of talking and clinking of glasses. The diners are a wide range of ages, but everyone is well-dressed and fashionable, though not particularly formal. My friends soon arrive and we add to the increasing chatter in the room.

Wine Mondays always have a theme and this past week it was Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere! As you might be able to tell from the goofy name, our meal is paired with four different sparkling wines, including one bona fide champagne. As the first course is being served and our first glass of bubbly is being poured, the restaurant's wine director Erik Johnson introduces himself. Johnson is younger and significantly more approachable (funny, even!) than you would ever imagine him to be. Before each course, he comments for a few brief moments about the wine we are about to drink, complete with a few details of its provenance, terrific anecdotes about the growers and vineyards from where it came, and simple, down to earth tasting notes. At one point, I had chance to ask him for advice for my upcoming wine tour of Long Island's North Fork. Unfortunately, he was not familiar with the wines of the region, but encouraged me to return to a future Wine Monday and report back on my findings - will do!

Our first course is cantaloupe with wild greens and prosciutto matched with a glass of Louis Bouillot, "Grand Reserve" Brut. The salad is simple, but a tasty balance of flavors with the sweet melon, bitter greens, and salty prosciutto, punctuated by just a scatter of tart pomegranate seeds. The wine is crisp, a good match for a salad course, but also sweet and soft on the tongue, pairing nicely with the cantaloupe.

The second course is "autumn rabbit cassoulet with braised red cabbage." Before tasting this dish, I have mixed feelings. Having lived in France on two brief occasions, I learned to love cassoulet - an earthy, peasant stew using local meats and seasonal veggies, all slow-cooked to fall off the bone deliciousness. However, I generally don't eat rabbit. I think it's something about eating an animal that I've actually owned (yup, two bunnies in my long roster of childhood pets - Houdini and Dudley). Plus, the one other time I did try rabbit, it was a bit gamey - one of my least favorite tastes with certain kinds of meat. This dish, however, is nothing short of spectacular. The rabbit is sweet and tender - almost smoky - and shredded to a confit-like consistency. The stew also contains small white beans, root vegetables perfect for an October dinner, and the tangy cabbage. This course is served with a Beaumont des Crayeres Brut Rose, which is apparently a tiny French producer who sources grapes from farms that average only an acre and a half. I love pink wine. 'Nuff said.

The next glass we're served is a Westport Rivers, Cuvee RJR Brut. Westport. As in Westport, MA. Raise your hand if you knew someone was making sparkling wine in southeast Mass. Please note, my hand did not go up. Not only are they making it, it is unbelievable. It is the kind of dense, dark sparkling wine that gives cream soda a run for its money. I'll be making a trip to Westport as soon as I am done typing. Johnson has become friends with the Russell family who owns the winery and, last time he visited, they served him a fried chicken dinner paired with their wine. So, we follow suit and eat fried chicken and gravy with kale and a buttermilk biscuit. It's all delicious, especially the flaky biscuit which is seasoned with a whole bouquet of herbs.

The prix fixe menu finishes with three small tastes of cheese, including Telme, Vacherin Fribourgeois, and a Gouda. The restaurant's cheesemonger takes over at this point and gives a short description of each. I believe he said that the Telme is Greek and somewhat similar to Feta. It has a clean taste like Feta, but less tang. The Vacherin Fribourgeois is a semi-soft stinky cheese which is full of ripe flavor - fantastic. The Gouda is well-aged and had really full flavor and crumbly texture. They are served with thin rounds of crisp French bread and a dollop of macerated golden raisins and nuts. The course was paired with a Beppe Marino, "Muray" Moscato d'Asti, which is only slightly effervescent and honey-sweet. It was good, though I've have muscats that I've enjoyed much more. This one was a little heavy.

In a valiant effort to prevent this lovely evening from ending, I order dessert to cap off the meal - creme brulee with orange-hazelnut biscotti. It is a large serving of creme brulee, with a nice, thick burnt-sugar crust. The "grapefruit salad" served alongside is a great citrus burst that cuts through the creaminess of the brulee. The servers also bring a complimentary selection of petits fours to each table. They are mostly indecipherable and forgettable, with a shining exception of a lightly sweet and tender mini-Madoline.

I'd give "Wine Monday" a L'Espalier at 30 Gloucester Street in Boston an A. Skip the traditional dining experience at this Boston legend. You can go to three Wine Mondays for the same expense and you'll have a much better time. What's more? You'll definitely remember the food.