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?

An Oldie and a Goodie

I absolutely adore that Boston has become such a foodie city… I seriously never tire of reading restaurant news, plotting out my next destination, and chatting with friends about the next big thing, what’s overrated, what’s undiscovered, and where they simply must go for the best steak in the city – a topic that’s easily more controversial than anything discussed at the recent conventions.

However, Boston’s booming restaurant business poses one very serious challenge: how can one keep on top of every hot new place in the city and still make time to give due to the Hub’s most venerable institutions? Some of which – let’s face it – put the newbies to shame. I have a somewhat shameful admission to make in this regard – though I profess to be a major foodie and something of an expert in Boston restaurants, I have not been to many of the places upon which our restaurant culture was built…Pigalle, No. 9 Park, Icarus, Hamersley's Bistro… the list goes on.

That’s why, when we somewhat inadvertently ended up at Oleana last night, I considered it a blessing in disguise. I am not sure that we can yet label Oleana as an “institution,” but it’s certainly not too far off. Oleana has been lauded by both the local and national press since practically the day it opened its doors in 2001. I think that due to the incredible volatility of running a successful restaurant, we should measure their years sort of like dog’s years. By that math, Oleana is nearly 50… institution here it comes.

I’ve always wanted to go to Oleana, but it’s not at all where we set out for last night. We’d intended to go to the new spot, the Hungry Mother, which is becoming increasingly popular for its southern fare. Now, I need to make another embarrassing foodie admission – I pretty much never remember to make reservations. No reservations, no Hungry Mother. Sad. So, I quickly tried to come up with something near the Hungry Mother’s Cambridge location and, thus, remembered Oleana. Having learned my lesson, I called before we drove over and was told it would be about a 45 minute wait for the patio – given that it was a gloriously warm, dry Friday night in September, I couldn’t help but feel like the gods were smiling down on us.

Oleana’s menu has heavy Middle Eastern influence and the restaurant’s interior décor reflects that, with ochre-colored walls and distressed leather chairs and bar stools, all making for a very pleasant environment to have a pre-dinner cocktail. Seats at the bar also provide a view into the open kitchen where, I was immediately stuck by an almost all female staff. Now Boston certainly has its share of female food luminaries with the likes of Lydia Shire, Barbara Lynch, and Oleana’s own Ana Sortun – but it was still awfully refreshing to see the tradition being carried on in her kitchen. No more than 20-25 minutes after arriving, the hostess came to collect us and bring us to our table.

Oleana’s patio has been named “best alfresco dining” in Boston at least 458 or 459 times. Ok, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but only by a little. Last night, I got the chance to fully understand why… the patio is nothing short of spectacular. A brick terrace dotted with bistro tables is softly lit with lampposts and spotlights, trimmed with tall grasses and delicate bushes, all set to the music of a small fountain. In my version of heaven, I would eat every meal in a place that resembled Oleana’s patio.

The only thing that outshined the ambiance of the patio was the menu. Now I am super biased on this front, as Middle Eastern cuisine is my absolute favorite, but there was not a single thing on the Oleana menu that I would not have eaten in a heartbeat. While generally very decisive, I must have read the menu a full five times before narrowing down my choices to two or three options. To complicate matters, there were also several specials to choose from. I ultimately ended up selecting the pork belly appetizer from the list of specials and the striped bass for my entrée; Paul opted for two “small plate” appetizers of deviled eggs and a bean-nut pate, and the restaurant’s signature lamb for his main course.

Let me be brief – every single dish was amazing. Incredible. Full of flavor, spice, and heat. Delicate plays of light herbs and scents, with more heavy-handed combinations of unexpected ingredients. It was truly fabulous. Again… this meal came within just a hair of being my first-ever A+ rating. Only a few elements of the experience fell short; unfortunately, one of them happened right out of the gate. We waited and waited and WAITED for our first course – a good twenty minutes. Considering that both of Paul’s appetizers were served cold, this seemed beyond excessive. Luckily, once they came they were sublime.

The pork belly was caramelized to sweet perfection, with a crispy coat and tender interior, served with a shot glass of yellow tomato-husk tomato gazpacho, which was smoky and smooth. It was also served with a small salad of cherry tomatoes, cilantro, green olives, sprinkled with almond slivers. The eggs were a star – with the yolks blended with tuna and a healthy dose of Moroccan spice, giving them great depth of flavor, but also brightness from the tang of the fish. The bean and walnut pate was very dense and almost sweet and made for a tasty spread for the fresh loaf of French bread we were served. Immediately I was impressed with the creativity and adventurousness of the food. I was definitely looking forward to our next course.

Happily, our entrees arrived in a much more timely fashion and were beautifully presented. My bass was served in a large pocket of parchment, artfully opened to reveal the fish. It was perfectly prepared to a moist, flakey consistency. It was served with a drizzle of tahini and topped with small pieces of salty, toasted pita, on a bed of peppers and onions, with a side of what resembled salsa fresca (the restaurant refers to it as spoon salad). While all of the elements of the dish were delicious, the peppers were simply too spicy for my liking. I have a moderately high tolerance for hot food, but this far exceeded my liking. This was the only weakness of the meal; first, I felt that the menu should have prepared me for the high heat and, secondly, I felt that the spice diminished the rest of the dish’s flavor. Paul’s entrée was excellent, with lamb cooked expertly, served with sort of a fava bean “mash” and moussaka, which was meaty and flavored with cinnamon.

When the waitress asked if we would like to see a dessert menu, I didn’t even need to. Earlier in the evening when we were being seated, I saw the baked Alaska being carried to a nearby table and knew I had to have it. Baked Alaska is a good dessert, but not one of my favorites. But it was such an unusual option the presentation of it was so impressive, we just had to go for it. Besides, for everything that’s been written about Sortun’s food, there’s been equal attention paid to the restaurant’s pastry chef Maura Kilpatrick. She’s considered one of the best in the city and recently opened her own bakery, Sofra. Yeah, dessert is a must at Oleana. And the baked Alaska didn’t fail to delight with an extra thick coating of darkly singed meringue, hiding a dollop of coconut ice cream on chewy bar of coconut and caramel, finished with pungent swirl of passion fruit sauce. It was the flavors of the Caribbean meets a dish named for the artic – fun (there might have been a moment where I was eating sticky meringue peaks off my fingertips), deeply sweet, and delicious. Paul was so full that he gave up half way through. I preserved and suffered the tummy ache. It was worth it.

I’d give Oleana at 134 Hampshire Street in Cambridge an A. Try to get there before the leaves turn and enjoy some of Boston’s freshest, hip tastes at a place pushing middle age.