Bistro du Midi

This past Saturday, we celebrated two of our friend's birthdays at Bistro du Midi located at 272 Boylston Street across from the Public Gardens. Bistro du Midi, (as the name suggests) is a French restaurant that specializes in modern Provençal cuisine. We arrived for dinner at 8:30 and after being cheerfully greeted at the door and checking our coats we were escorted up the stairs to the main dining room. A larger room with an intimate feel, the dining room was chic yet understated, clean lines and white walls, it was an upscale comfortable feel but nothing to distract you from the real reason you are there...the amazing food.

We started our dinner with cocktails. All of the cocktails were good and not your typical gin and tonic fair. The one cocktail that stood out resembled a margarita on the rocks but contained tequila infused with poblano peppers and rimmed with salt/pepper. It was spicy but not too much so and was an amazing combination (note to self: buy peppers and start infusing tequila at home).

For my appetizer, I had the pork caillettes with herb salad and basil oil. I was not sure what a caillette was but the waiter was very good at explaining it to me. Basically, what it boiled down to was a mixture of pork meat and added pork fat and seasoning, mixed together and then fried. The outcome resembled a flat meatball and tasted incredible. Others had the marinated beet salad with Vermont goat cheese from Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery (I asked the name and give props to the restaurant for using cheese from VT), the seared foie gras, spicy lamb tartare with quail egg, and the stuffed calamari with lobster Jus just to name a few.

For my main course, I ordered the classic Provençal beef daube with olive oil mashed potatoes. The waiter told us it was one of the first dishes the restaurant chef ever created for the restaurant and it has proven so popular (and delicious) it has stayed on the menu ever since. Needless to say, it was delicious. Resembling a beef stew, the sauce/gravy was dark brown and rich. The beef needed no knife and fell apart on the fork. Combined with the olive oil mashed potatoes (with a layer of melted butter on top) the dish really was incredible. The same accolades were made around the table with everyone else's food. Roasted monkfish, lamb ravioli, and a steak special for two which was probably a pound and half of meat (first presented on a platter and then taken back in the kitchen to be cut up), were other dishes tried and loved.

For dessert, three of us ordered the chocolate souffle which had to be prepped 25 minutes ahead of time. It was the first time I ever had any type of souffle and I really enjoyed it. To be honest, I can't comment on the quality since I have nothing to compare it to but I assume, if we are going by the other parts of the meal, that the souffle was as good as you could get in a Boston restaurant. One item that we passed around the table for everyone to try was a small side item that came with the Chèvre Cheesecake: a basil sorbet. It. was. awesome. Such a unique taste, fresh but sweet and not overly heavy on the basil, it was an unexpected surprise to end the meal.

I have not had a meal out like this one in awhile. Maybe it was the company I was keeping but my whole meal was just such an enjoyable experience, from the drinks, to the waiter, to the food, it was a non-stop class-act. I would definitely recommend Bistro du Midi to anyone who is looking for an outstanding restaurant in Boston.

A Taste of Nice!

Over the past full week I had the opportunity to travel along the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur region of Southern France, spending the largest chunk of time in the gorgeous city of Nice. That being said I was able to indulge in some delicious Provençal cooking, some of it particular to Nice itself. Ironically, however, the one thing I did not consume was the infamous Salade Niçoise. Le sigh...life must go on.

Lou Pilha Leva
One restaurant which we had read about in our handy guidebook, Lou Pilha Leva, presented us with the opportunity to try several of the city's specialties while in the old town. The first of said dishes were farcis, small roasted vegetables stuffed with a simple pork, egg, oil, herb and breadcrumb mixture but whose taste is anything but simple! In our case the vegetables (or fruits, in the case of the tomatoes!) were tomatoes and courgettes. I'm sure every Niçoise grandmother has her own recipe, and I look forward to perfecting my own at some point.

Our next dish was the Socca, more or less a crêpe made from chickpeas, flour, and oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. To be perfectly honest the socca didn't do much for me - I found them a bit bland - but with some anchovies and olives I'm sure they would be just delicious.

Next on the list was pissaladière, a delicious flatbread/pizza made with sauteed onions, garlic, and olives and topped with bits of anchovie. The crust is a bit thicker than that of what I could consider standard pizza, but its just perfect with all the oil and juices from the toppings soaked into it. Last but not least was a hearty serving of Moules Frites - delicious mussels in a mustardy broth served with French fries. Of the three times I had mussels in the city, these were definitely my favorite - not at all overcooked and very plump and flavorful.




Le Resto
The best restaurant we went to in Nice was tucked away in the Old Town and called simply 'Le Resto'. I couldn't resist doing the menu, given that for around 20€ I'd get 3 courses, so I started out with some nice crisp bread with an anchovy pate and an olive tapenade for spreading. Both were excellent. For my main dish I opted for the Ravioli Niçoise, choosing to lean a little toward Italy and check out some of Nice's pasta offerings. This dish was incredible - the little pouches of dough almost melted in your mouth and were doused in delicious oil and herbs, primarily fresh parsley. Inside was beef and who knows what else, but whatever it was was divine. Alex chose a dish of fresh scallops baked into a small casserole and smothered in buttery breadcrumbs, zucchini, and just overall deliciousness. On the side came a mound of rice with a nice sweet taste that complemented the casserole nicely. Kelsey went with the gnocchi smothered in a gorgonzola cream sauce - how bad can that be?! As to be expected the gnocchi were wonderfully cooked and the sauce left you wanting to lick the plate. My dessert, a tiramisu-esque concoction, was quite tasty but not overly emblematic of the region
and hence not worth writing home about.

One last treat we couldn't help but indulge in in Nice was lavender ice cream! Provence is hands down the place for lavender, so why not make an ice cream with it? This was a winning combo for anyone who likes that strong floral flavor and just the right amount of sweetness.

Oh Nice, I'll miss you!

Notes - Le Resto is located at 2, Rue Rossetti, 06300 Nice and Lou Pilha Leva at 10 rue du Collet - Vieux Nice