A Good Sport

I started my first professional job about two weeks after I graduated from college. I was so excited to get into the world, make some money, and start my "real" life. Moron. If I'd only known then what I know now, I would have spent the entire summer at my parents' house, sleeping till noon and having my dad make me dinner every night. More than a decade later, I have a true appreciation for time off - especially when that comes in the form of playing hooky for the day.

Skipping work is just what Paul and I did last Monday. We thought that we'd make a day of it and head down to the waterfront, have a late lunch, and take in the Shepard Fairey exhibit at the ICA. When looking for a hooky-worthy lunch in the Fort Point neighborhood, there is only one destination - Sportello, one of the newest stars in Barbara Lynch's restaurant constellation. Lynch must feel that the formerly-all-but-deserted Fort Point area is pretty darn special - Sportello is only one of three establishments that she is now running there. The others include Drink, a sleek, modernist cocktail bar and 9 at Home, her catering business that she relocated.

Sportello is italian for "counter service" and, according to the restaurant's website, it's "a modern interpretation of the classic lunch counter." Well, if a lunch counter can turn out dense, handmade pastas, an exquisite, hand-picked wine list, and desserts worthy of a magazine cover, than, sure, this is a lunch counter. Sportello's design and atmosphere is pretty much just what you'd expect - a smallish room, with a white counter that snakes through the space, a long open kitchen, and a cooler in the back with takeout specialties and a case full of chocolates and dessert. Typical of Lynch's style, the restaurant is clean and bright, and almost austere. We arrived on the late side and we were able to snag stools at a corner, which made for easier conversation. While sitting at the counter was totally appropriate for lunch, I am not sure how it would translate for dinner - definitely not a good choice for a first date, that's for certain.

While we scanned the menu / paper place mat (in quintessential lunch counter style), I sipped a glass of superb Italian red whose name - regrettably - I can't recall. At lunch, there are only three varietals of red and three whites available by the glass. Though the list is concise, the server was very helpful in choosing something that matched my request. While choosing our meals, we were also treated to fresh, chewy bread served with a small pot of semi-sweet ricotta sprinkled with sea salt and a drizzle of honey, dotted with golden raisins. It was an unexpected pairing and quite tasty.

Out first was a large bowl of the spicy tomato soup with caraway grilled cheese. While I didn't find the soup remotely spicy, it was divinely creamy and smooth, with bright tomato flavor. However, the star was the sandwich served on the side - unbelievably thin slices of long Italian bread with a delicate filling of sharp cheese, grilled to crispy perfection. It was so good, I wanted to figure out how to fashion it into a spoon to scoop up the soup. For our entrees, Paul ordered a pressed sandwich with prosciutto, Gruyere, and a sweet-tangy pepper relish. The sandwich was fairly standard, but the relish gave it a unique pop of flavor. I ordered the rabbit with green olives, served over homemade strozzapreti pasta - 'cause, you know, if you're playing hooky - go big or go home. It was spectacular. The rabbit was light and meaty, nicely balanced with the briny olives. The pasta, bathed in a simple, broth-y sauce, was dense with the perfect al dente bite. And for $15, it was an absurd bargain. Did I mention that I am newly a big fan of lunch? It's a great way to go gourmet, but still watch your wallet!

Ok, the meal was great. I expected it to be great... I mean, it's Barbara Lynch, for goodness sakes. What I didn't anticipate was dessert. When you are skipping work for the day, you gotta get dessert, right? I ordered the caramel pudding cake, while Paul sampled a few chocolates from the dessert case. The chocolate was nice, but nothing remarkable. The pudding cake, however, was - hands down - one of the finest sweets that has ever met my mouth. The cake was moist and rich with an almost burnt sugar essence, topped with a drizzle of creme fraiche that kept it from being too cloyingly sweet. Sprinkled on top was salted toffee that finished the dish perfectly, balancing both the flavor and texture of the dish.

In the end, it turned out that the ICA is closed on Mondays and our day didn't quite come together the way we expected. But it didn't really matter... when you get to have lunch at Sportello, you have to consider it well-worth the vacation day.

I'd give Sportello, at 348 Congress Street in Boston, an A-. Remember, when you reach the pearly gates, you are never going to think to yourself, "I sure wish that I'd worked more." Take the day off. Treat yourself to lunch.

C Minus

It's probably not too much of a stretch that I use an ABC grading system to rate restaurants. I've admitted before in this blog that I am pretty much a nerd. I only received one C+ in my entire academic career; nothing less than that. Until now. Looking back at my 2008 Wish List, I only scored a 70%. The Shame. It was almost enough to abandon the blog. Almost. But, here I am - back and ready to write. After all, it's a new year and this list-lover has a whole new set of targets...

But first, I need to own up to my failures. I never did quite make it to Petit Robert Bistro (despite the fact that there's now about a dozen of them), O Ya (hellooo... who can afford $300 sushi in a recession?), or Summer Winter (I guess Burlington really was too far to go in the end). However, there were some highlights too! T.W. Food and Ten Tables both lived up to their local, organic, exquisite reputations. The classic, French-inspired cocktails at Beehive and Gaslight brought whole new game to the Boston bar scene. And new favorites were cemented in Myers + Chang and Orinoco. Also, 2008 was also the year in which Paul and I feasted on the most extravagant meal of our lives at Alex in Las Vegas. Let me just say, they gave me a footstool... for my purse. O My.

OK, now that that's behind us, on to 2009...

Sportello – First-rate restaurants have become so prolific in Boston that you could have a long healthy debate about the city’s top chef. One of the candidates would, no doubt, be Barbara Lynch. In fact, I’ll put it out there and say, if the competition was for the best female chef, there would be no need for the debate. The latest in Lynch’s empire of fabulousness include Drink, a high-end cocktail bar, and Sportello, a “modern interpretation of the classic lunch counter.” Having already spent a lovely evening sipping a custom gin concoction and some delicious nibbles at Drink, I am excited to move on to experiencing Sportello.

Marilave – Some evening, if you squint a bit at the reflection of the Pru on the Charles, you might just start to see the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower. French bistros are becoming as common in Boston as rim-ending potholes. Luckily for us, most of the former are considerably more enjoyable than the latter. To say that Marilave is “new” is a bit of a misnomer – the original restaurant was opened in the 1880s, but has reemerged on the scene. The menu, however, still features some classic New England specialties along with the French classics.

L’Andana – Putting L’Andana on my 2009 list is a bit risky. After all, I totally failed at making it up to Burlington for last year’s #2 target, Summer Winter. But, what is life without a little chance? Besides, Boston Magazine rated L’Andana – another Burlington star – as the best restaurant debut of 2008, as well as one of the 50 best restaurants in greater Boston. Hopefully that’s enough to get me on 93-North this time around.

Highland Kitchen – Despite myself, after having spent the last six years working there, I developed a certain fondness for Somerville. I’ll give you a second to collect yourself before I go on. I know, Somerville is not exactly the crown jewel of metro Boston, but you’d be hard pressed to not acknowledge that it has its fair share of cool bars, restaurants, and shops – a list that grows all of the time. Highland Kitchen’s laid-back, hipster vibe, and solid southern-inspired fare has already garnered a lot of attention. Is it five o’clock yet?

Persephone – Remember when going out to eat in the Fort Point district meant overpriced stuffed clams and overcooked steak at Anthony’s Pier 4 or Jimmy’s Harborside or… er, uh, well, that was pretty much it. Boy, have times changed. Fort Point got so hot so quickly, it practically jumped the shark before most people even knew it was there. No restaurant defines the new hip-upcoming-obscure nature of the area better than Persephone. Persephone is half of what is known as the “Achilles Project” – the other half is a chic boutique, Achilles. I’m sure that I'm not nearly young or trendy enough to be their ideal clientele, but having sampled Michael Leviton’s fabulous French cuisine at West Newton’s Lumiere, they can’t keep me away.

Sofra – Ok, so this one is a little bit of a cheat. Sofra is not exactly a restaurant, but more of an upscale café and bakery. However, it’s one of my top destinations for the year. Above all, Sofra was opened by the owners of Oleana, where I enjoyed one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. Beyond that, Sofra’s opening had just slightly less press than the premiere of Twilight. All said, I can wait to try some sweet treats with Middle Eastern names that I can’t pronounce.

Estragon – It took me a few tries to get over the fact that the name of this restaurant is not Estrogen. Alright, I am not really over it, but that’s not going to stop me from trying the creative tapas at this new South End establishment. Estragon’s menu features cod cheeks to frog’s legs to pork belly, all sounding more delicious than the last. After dinner, diners can also check out Las Ventas next door, a gourmet Spanish food market.

Townsend’s – One of the most fun aspects of moving to Roslindale a few years ago has been getting to know some of Boston’s lesser known neighborhoods – Rozzie, West Roxbury, and Hyde Park. While terrific restaurants abound in Roslindale and West Roxbury, finding a good place to chow down is a bit harder in Hyde Park. With the addition of Townsend’s, launched by a husband and wife team and long-time Hyde Park residents, there’s finally a local joint that’s worth checking out. It shouldn’t be too hard to convince my British husband to tuck into an order of their fish and chips.

Via Matta – Remember that top chef debate? Another name that’s sure to be on the list is Michael Schlow. Schlow has never done me wrong at Radius or Great Bay, and I expect no less
of Via Matta. The restaurant is not new, but I’m sure that time hasn’t diminished the quality that Schlow is known for and, certainly, applies to its Northern Italian dishes.

Erbaluce – The buzz for Erbaluce was strong amongst the restaurant-obsessed on the popular website Chowhound. Mostly the discussion focused on when it would finally open. Their prayers were answered last fall when the restaurant debuted to many happy sighs. I owe a great debt to (or, perhaps was cursed by?) Erbaluce’s chef, Charles Draghi. Draghi’s last Boston gig was running the kitchen of Marcuccio’s in the North End – offering widely lauded, unconventional Italian cuisine. Paul and I spent our first Valentine’s Day at Marcuccio’s and I was hooked – both on my husband-to-be and on Boston’s exquisite fare. A foodie was born – and she can’t wait to pay a visit to her old friend.

This year, I’m going for a 4.0. Who’s with me?