Delicious Oishii

For lunch on Sunday, we went to Oishii (おいしい - 'delicious' in Japanese). The name is fitting. Oishii is rated the second best restaurant in Boston according to the Zagat 2008-2009 Boston Guide.  So we were anxious to see if it lived up to it's high ranking. There is no signage above the door (a new trend in the south end it seems?) and the only thing that reminds you that there is a restaurant inside are some umbrellas and tables outdoors (who knows what happens in the winter!). When we walked up to the stark-white building on busy Washington Street in the South End, I didn't quite know what to expect. I was nicely surprised, however. The inside of the restaurant is the yin to the façade's yang. Maybe this wasn't on purpose; but, that was my experience, and it was pretty cool. The inside is dark and tranquil with a water feature running down one of the walls. On the main floor, where we ate, there are two large modern dining rooms, painted in dark colors, that help to give a hip and trendy vibe to the place.

A hostess took us to our table, which was along a wall across from the sushi counter. The cool thing about Oishii is you can see all of the ingredients that the chefs use. They are displayed in long glass cases in front of you. Long pipes covered in frost keep the fresh fish cooled. We were able to watch the sushi chefs from our table during the whole course of our meal without it being too distracting..

We took advantage of Oishii's Restaurant Week menu (it was the only lunch menu they provided that day anyway), and it was a bargain from what I hear about the normal prices. We both got the Sweet Potato Tempura and Pork Gyōza as our first course. Light and delicate, Peter thought they were some of the best dumplings he's ever had. The gyōza were fantastic. The Sweet Potato Tempura was good--a bit greasy, but I think that's the nature of the beast with anything fried. The two dipping sauces they provided (one for the dumplings and one for the main course) were both delicious.

For our main courses, P got the Chicken Teriyaki (which he liked just fine), and I got a nice sushi combination, which included a spicy tuna maki, a salmon nigiri, and Oishii's delicious "Route 66" roll, which consisted of salmon tempura, crab stick (kani), avocado, cream cheese, and cucumber. It. Was. Amazing! The main course alone was worth the $20.08 price for the entire meal. 

For dessert, we both had the red bean ice cream, which was also fantastic. P even said that it might have been his favorite part. 

The service at Oishii was very good as well. We didn't have to wait too long for the food, they refilled our waters numerous times, and we had three servers who attended to our needs. Would we consider Oishii to be the second best restaurant in Boston? It's hard to judge. For sushi, service, and décor it was excellent but there is a part of me that is hesitant to compare it to a restaurant like No. 9 Park. Perhaps it's because Oishii didn't feel stuck up or stuffy as some prestigious restaurants can? Either way, Oishii IS a great place to get great sushi. Second best restaurant in Boston? You be the judge.

Experience a bit of North Africa with Tangierino...

Before having gone to Morocco for five days during my junior year abroad, I never really had experienced the great things Moroccan cuisine has to offer. Since then I have tried a number of Moroccan restaurants, the latest being Charlestown's 'Tangierino' for dinner last night.

Our experience had a rough start since apparently I had made my reservation for Sunday night, and not Monday night. The maître d' was nonetheless kind enough to accommodate us and made sure to tell us she could get in trouble for doing so.

Soon we were whisked away into a truly awesome recreation of a restaurant in North Africa. Arabic music filled the small, almost cavernous dining space where we were seated somewhat low to the ground on thick cushioned chairs, bathed in candlelight. The walls were lined with tapestries, paintings, and even a recreated spout from a communal fountain, something I became familiar with in Morocco. Dark, somewhat see-through curtains separated groups of tables from one another, golden lamps hung from the ceiling, and some of the female staff were even adorned with what looked like belly-dancing attire.


Once seated we were offered the opportunity to wash our hands over a metal basin, with warm, rose-scented water being poured our from a large kettle. Even though I knew what I was getting, I still browsed the restaurant week menu and noticed that there were a couple of changes from online, namely the addition of a shrimp appetizer. The cocktail list looked very fun, so both of us ended up feeling obligated to order something. I started with a North African Devil - unfortunately, I don't recall the exact constituents, but it had Patrón, a spicy olive garnish, and flakes of what looked like mild red pepper floating in it. It was ok, though the olives were absolutely delicious. Chris had a Gimlet, which was nice, but pretty standard.

I started my meal with the Harira, a soup of plum tomato base, chickpeas, lentils, celery, cilantro. I don't know why I expected this to be served cold, but it wasn't. Flavor-wise it was reminiscent of something Mexican, to be honest - perhaps it was the cilantro. Either way I enjoyed the hearty soup. Christopher had a garlic shrimp cooked in a tagine - very good and nicely flavored with garlic, but it struck me as more Mediterranean than North African.

For my main course I chose the Sultan's Kadra - "Za'atar" (زعتر) spiced tender filet of lamb, cheese filled eggplant, shitake mushroom, poached figs, and caramelized apricot in a rosemary reduction. It came nicely presented with the pieces of lamb served over a cross-section of eggplant filled with the cheese and topped with the shitakes. On either side was a poached fig. This was really delicious, especially the stuffed-eggplant, which I included as part of every bite.

Christopher opted for the Couscous royale - tender lamb shank, grilled spiced merguez wrapped in phyllo over seven vegetables couscous. I want to say that on the menu the lamb was described as being a "filet", whereas online it said shank. Well, it was certainly a nice-sized shank served over a ton of couscous laden with vegetables, all served in an earthenware dish. He was also given a vegetable broth on the side to pour over the couscous. The lamb was quite good - I very much enjoyed the subtle phyllo-taste in every bite, giving it a slight crunch on the outside, but keeping the meat on the inside moist and flavorful. His couscous was very good, but it had nothing on the couscous we both had at Red Fez.

After waiting some time between this course and dessert, our selections finally arrived. I decided on something on the lighter side, the "exotic" sorbet of lemon, watermelon, and tangerine served with a dollop of whipped cream. Each scoop had tremendous flavor and was a great finish to the meal. Christopher ate his triple chocolate mousse torte too quickly enough for me to even try it, but I know he very much enjoyed it.

Overall, I was very happy with my experience at Tangierino. The atmosphere cannot be beat, and I would very much recommend the restaurant for a romantic dinner or even for a larger celebratory occasion, as they have a room that can be sectioned off for larger groups. There is so much more to the menu than the restaurant week selections, so I will definitely plan on making a return trip!

photo courtesy of southsmoke.com

Laurel

It was raining when we headed out to Laurel: Grill & Bar for their restaurant week menu. Adam had looked at the menu online and some items jumped out at him so he was very much looking forward to visiting this Back Bay establishment.

Please note: Although Adam is dying of an incurable ulcer (or so he thinks) it's his solemn duty to "take on restaurant week" he informs me as he is recovering from dinner on my couch.

Adam says: I spent a lot of time weeding through restaurant week menus. A lot of them had crap on them, and I didn't want to go to those places. But the tenderloin at Laurel did catch my eye and never having been there, I thought that this was a perfect opportunity. We arrived at Laurel, after braving the weather, and were immediately seated by the colorful maître d' and were happy to note that the menu presented to us was the same menu online. The entire time we ate at Laurel, the atmosphere was comfortable. The soothing colors on the wall promoted this as well as the tentative and friendly service.

I immediately knew I wanted the tomato and mozzarella salad, the beef tenderloin encrusted with Gorgonzola and the mud pie. There was no thinking. I didn't even look at the rest of the menu. Lina (or as I call her: Lima Bean) our waitress, seemed to be in tuned to the fact that I already knew what I wanted and shouted out "Beef tenderloin!" at me. I'm not sure if she was suggesting the beef tenderloin or calling me a beef tenderloin but either way, it sounded delicious.

Bryan ordered the shrimp and lobster risotto for his appetizer, the beef tenderloin for his entree and the mud pie for dessert.

I ordered the corn and tomato gazpacho, the grilled sausage and onion grilled pork, and of course, the mud pie.

The gazpacho was fine. Nothing too intense or special but a nice combination of flavors.

I had never had gazpacho before, and for those of you who never have either, I was happy to find that it tasted a bit like salsa (if salsa was to be pureed and made into a cold soup).

The salad was straight-forward. Two tomatoes, two slices of mozzarella, a medley of greens and very little dressing but it was good. Adam wouldn't have minded a little bit more. Bryan thought that the risotto was fine. The rice was a little overcooked and the dish relied more on shrimp then lobster.

Adam says: I was not allowed to order my tenderloin rare to medium rare. I'm not sure if this was Lima Bean's own preference coming through or if they didn't have any in the back that were cooked that way, so I settled for medium rare (and got medium). The meat was still very flavorful and tender. Despite being advertised as being encrusted in Gorgonzola the piece of meat was covered in breadcrumbs (Bryan and I found two pieces of Gorgonzola in the breadcrumb mix) the meat however, didn't need it. The dish wasn't lacking with the absence of the Gorgonzola. It was served with mashed potatoes and asparagus, both were fine. Strangely, the rest of the plate was consumed by a cold red wine demi and even though it provided some flavor to the potato, Bryan and I found it odd that it was served at a cold temperature.

The pork fell flat. The chef had overcooked the meat and burnt both sides. This resulted in a very dry piece of pork that was hard to cut into. The filling was still moist but there was hardly

any filling inside. The top of the pork was

smothered (too much so) in mustard and then bread crumbs were applied on top of that adding even more dryness to the dish. The sweet potatoes were fine but the pork was so badly cooked that it was the only thing I could concentrate on.

Both Adam and I were expecting the mud pie to be almost like a ice cream pie with a crumble crust (like we've had at other restaurants) but Laurel serves a more traditional mud pie (being from the South, Bryan expected the Laurel-type of mud pie). Laurel's more traditional mud pie was a bit like a very very moist brownie with coffee ice cream on top and chocolate sauce. We all enjoyed the mud pie. Bryan thought it was wonderful and decadent.

Adam: Laurel is a perfect example of a restaurant I would consider during restaurant week: a place I didn't have very high expectations for, a place I wouldn't normally go to, and therefore, I had a pleasant experience. Not sure if I would go back but thanks to restaurant week I know what to expect if ever I go there again: An incredibly loud bartender, a comfortable dining room, friendly service, and pretty good food.

Adam gives Laurel a B.

Pigalle

Effectivement, au début, c'était un peu le bordel. It was strange. We had reservations, and there were plenty of empty tables; but, we still had to wait for about ten minutes to be seated. The restaurant was surprisingly small, and the first thing we noticed when we sat down was how cramped it was. (This having been our first time, we aren't sure whether it's always like this or whether this was in response to a large Restaurant Week crowd.) Then, it took our waiter another ten minutes to come to our table and bring us the menus. We were perplexed--and hungry!

Anyway, we finally get menus and ordered. We were really impressed with the amount of selections on Pigalle's Restaurant Week menu. We chose as follows:

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Entrée: Arugula Salad with Crispy Bacon, Parmesan Cheese, and Fingerling Potato Chips. My salad was good. The arugula and its dressing were really nice. The Parmesan was shaved in nice-sized pieces and were a nice addition. The most fun part were the fingerling potato chips, which were house-made and shaved paper thin before being fried. The "crispy bacon" was not crispy. Plus it was on the bottom, which made it difficult to reach without making a mess. I think the bacon would have worked more nicely as lardons. In all, though, this was a very nice starter.

Main: Double Thick Grilled Pork Chop with Mustard Sauce, Herb Spätzle, Peas, and Carrots. The pork chop was very tasty. The tarragon spätzle was mixed together with the peas, and carrots, and this served as a bed for the pork. I thought the dish was successful. Nothing too fancy, but it was novel, delicious, and comforting.

Dessert: Stone Fruit and Rhubarb Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream. Yummy! I'm from the South, and I love peach cobbler. I haven't been home during peach season this year, so it was nice to finally get some. As the name indicates, peaches were not the only fruit in the cobbler. There were--at least--also nectarines, which don't cook down as quickly as the peaches, and therefore were more firm and still in intact. I don't know whether there were any other stone fruits in there, though. Of course the rhubarb was a nice addition. Now I know what I'm gonna do with some of that rhubarb in my garden that's calling to me! Oh...this was topped with some vanilla ice cream that was also delicious.


P
Entrée: Shortrib Arancini (not on the aforementioned menu, as it has changed slightly since publication). You already know how much we love arancini. These were really interesting. They were filled with shortrib meat, which was amazingly flavorful. There was a spice we weren't quite sure of--and it tasted . I thought it might have been Chinese Five Spice, but that's merely a guess.

Main: Pigalle's Steak Frites with Creamed Spinach.
I think they must have bought a tarragon farm because it was everywhere.

Dessert: Stone Fruit and Rhubarb Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream. See above. We got the same dessert. P liked his too...especially the ice cream.

Once again, we didn't feel comfortable taking pictures of the food due to the close quarters; and, it was dark, anyway, so they wouldn't have turned out.

We are happy to have finally gone to Pigalle. While the food lived up to our expectations, the service and atmosphere did not. Next time, we'll try to sit outside.

Mistral

Headlined as a sumptuous French-Mediterranean restaurant, we find Mistral teetering on the edge of Columbus overlooking the Mass Pike. For those interested in trivia, “Mistral” is a type of cold wind that blows from the Mediterranean into France, so I kind of expected a hint of French influence when I walked into the restaurant. But what I found was a typical urban Boston restaurant, with the occasional large terra cotta pot, and iron grates hanging on the walls. The décor surprised me a bit, because it almost reminded me of a Mexican restaurant, albeit a nice one. But it was a subtle décor--the nicely set tables and settings taking the main vantage. Smooth down-tempo, jazzy, lounge music played at a reasonable level throughout the night. Enough to remind you you’re in Boston, but not too in-your-face, like at 28 degrees.

Our table was ready exactly at 8:30 (our reservation), and an extremely well dressed and handsome host lead us to our table, a 5-person round top with a curved banquet for 3 and two chairs. My chair, unfortunately, was almost directly in the path of traffic for the rows of tables on either side, so I did have to deal with waiters, old women in hats (!), and two woman I could only assume were prostitutes by the leopard-print clothing moving past me all night. But the conversation for my friend’s 30th birthday did a good job of distracting me from the traffic behind me. The acoustics where a bit lacking, as everyone noted that it did get a little loud. Understandable, as the ceilings were easily 20 feet high.

All of us ordered from the Restaurant Week menu. I got the Native Tomato & Mozzarella Salad, Basil, and Vincotto. I found it light, tasty, and just the right portion. Tim got the Chilled Corn Soup with Crab & Avocado, Jalapeno Oil. He loved it. I though it tasted like someone drained a can of creamed corn into a bowl and added light cream, but that was just my taste. The other two people who got the soup also raved about it. No one got the Caesar salad…but I imagine it tasted like a Caesar Salad.

For our main courses, I got the Skillet Roasted Hanger Steak, Maître d’Hôtel Butter with Pomme Frites. It presented very well. The steak was perfect. The pomme frites were spaghetti-thin and served in a bird’s nest presentation. A lot of it. When seeing the dish from across the room, all you could see was the nest of frites. But practically, it was hard to eat. You could only eat a few strands at a time, and they fused together and got your fingers greasy and spilled on the plate. I really enjoyed the presentation, but did not actually enjoy the frites themselves or the process of eating them. The first bite of the steak was amazing. The butter sauce really heightened the taste, and I said to myself “Wow, one of the best steaks I’ve ever had.” But half way through the meal, I realized the butter was a little overpowering, and it tasted like I was eating hot buttered popcorn steak. Almost as if someone went to a movie theatre, put my steak under the butter pump, and went to town on it.

Tim had the Roasted Statler Breast of Chicken with Peach Barbeque, Roasted Summer Fruits & Cornbread Panzanella. In his own words: "The roast chicken breast was sensationally basted to perfection. Slow cooked, the initial aroma brought me back to my childhood home. Sunday afternoons and home from church, mom would have a chicken roast already cooking in the oven, its juices sizzling and sputtering while its skin became toastedly browned. This chicken breast brought back those pleasant memories of family.  The accompanied risotto was made with fresh ingredients and flavored close to excellence, being a bit salty for my taste. Underneath the risotto I found a vegetable of some kind, decidedly spinach--I think. Though physically present, it was absent in shape and flavor."

Dessert for me was a chocolate mousse. Very chocolaty. Tim got a blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. My bite of his cobbler tasted like a mint leaf--but not in a good way. The staff served John his dessert with a candle, wrote “Happy Birthday” in ganache, and someone ordered a bottle of Tattinger so we could all toast.

The service should be noted as one of the most accommodating and accomplished in Boston. Not only was the wait staff attentive and attractive, but they worked seamlessly together to provide a surprising intimate experience. As if in-tune through ESP, the team developed a sixth sense about when to remove plates and precisely replace silverware associated with the particular dish ordered--all while filling waters and wine while clocking removals and placements to exact increments of time. The great thing was that it wasn't determined by their schedule, but rather tuned to our tempo of consumption and conversation. As an added bonus, when Tim left the table he came back to his chair with a tucked-in napkin neatly folded.

My overall impression of the restaurant was good. I did not love the food to the point where I would spend the average $44 an entree off Restaurant Week, but the service was amazing, the people where nice, and I felt like this was what a typical fancy Boston restaurant should be. I have been there before and got one of their signature tuna tartar appetizers, and loved it. So, I would recommend going there, sitting at the bar, having a drink and getting a few appetizers.

Tim White contributed in large to this review.

Eastern Standard

To kick off restaurant week Christopher and I had a wonderful little lunch at Eastern Standard yesterday. Half of the reason I wanted to go there was to sit outside - everytime I'm in the Kenmore area I think to myself how fun the place looks - and thankfully the not-so-great weather cleared up and we were able to sit and people watch.

Here were our options for each course:

First
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Vermont Feta and Basil
Beef Carpaccio with Capers, Arugula, and Sea Salt
Bleu Cheese and Lavendar Stuffed Figs with Pea Shoots, Green Almonds, and Candied Orange

Second
Housemade Lamb Sausage with Minted Yogurt, Cucumber, and Goat Cheese
Sautéed Calves Liver with Onion Rings and Sunchoke Purée
Pan Seared Haddock Filet with Blistered Tomatoes, Creamed Corn, and Potato Strings

Dessert
Peach Ice Cream with Blueberry Sauce
Chocolate Éclaire with Vanilla Bean Custard
Sainte-Maure de Touraine with Candied Cherry Tomatoes and Lemon-Thyme Cracker



To start out we each had a cocktail called the 'Jack Rose'. While reading an article on unusual cocktails in the September issue of Details, this very cocktail from Eastern Standard was mentioned, so I of course had to try it. Its constituents are AppleJack, type of apple brandy, Lemon Juice, and Cointreau. In the words of Ina, "how bad can that be?" It was very refreshing on a nice summer afternoon, and the brandy flavor wasn't too overwhelming for someone who isn't a huge fan of brandy (me!).

For starters I chose the Bleu Cheese and Lavender Stuffed Figs, an obvious choice for me. The figs were plump and flavorful, the bleu cheese creamy and just sharp enough, and the lavender provided for an interesting flowery finish. The accompanying greens were delicious, especially with a bit of candied orange peel in every bite. Christopher's Carpaccio was good, but nothing special. I was, however, pleased with how much beef was actually on the plate considering how skimpy some places can be with it.



For our second and main course, I opted for the Calves' liver. For as much as I enjoy liver, I always end up choosing some kind of steak over it when given the opportunity, so I am glad I finally gave it some attention. The sunchoke (a type of tuber) puree was a great accompaniment and helped balance the strong liver flavor, though toward the end of the dish I had had enough. The onion rings on top were a nice touch - not overly greasy, and great to mop up the remaining puree. Chris got the lamb sausage which was again, good, but nothing to rant and rave about.



Moving onto dessert I wanted something light, and so chose the peach ice cream. It had nice chunks of peach in it, and the fresh blueberry sauce was quite delicious. Chris had the éclairs, which, judging how he inhaled them were very good as well.




For a grand total of $20.08 minus the alcohol, I'd say we had a very reasonable and very delicious meal! I would definitely go back, especially to be able to sit outside and people watch again, even if its just for drinks.

Boston Restaurant Week - Summer 2008

Once again, it's Boston Restaurant Week (which does actually last two weeks!).

To see where you can expect us to go, click here.

Be sure to look for our logo (below) for related postings!

Icarus Flying High

We jumped the gun a little with Restaurant Week, and this was made easy by Icarus, which is offering their RW menu for most of the month of August!! This gives you ample time to visit them.

I don't know why we'd never been to Icarus before; it was fantastic.

We arrive and are greeted by two lovely hostesses, who take our umbrellas and lead us to our table. One's attention is immediately drawn to a statue of Icarus himself (looking like he's in the process of taking off). We eventually asked our server which came first: the statue or the name, and she told us that they were created at the same time, alluding to the chef's audacity and realization that opening a restaurant can be such a huge risk.

The décor of the restaurant is an interesting mix of modern art and vintage fixtures. It is by no means lavish, so you don't feel too stuffy in your surroundings. Peter noticed that there were no salt & pepper shakers on the tables, which, he likes to remind us, shows us that the chef is confident in his seasoning.

Let's get down to the good part.

Upon reviewing the generous Restaurant Week menu, we decide to opt for the 1/2-glass wine paring 'upgrade' for an additional $15. (That's a good deal, we thought, since an individual glass or cocktail could easily put us back that much.)

We chose as follows:

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Entrée: Grilled Steak Salad with Noodles, Sesame, and Ginger. Paired with Edmunds St. John Rosé from California.  What a way to start out. It was absolutely fantastic. It was, quite possibly, my favorite part of the meal--and I enjoyed every part. The medium-rare steak was served cold on a bed of asian-style noodles (also cold) with a Sesame, Ginger Peanut sauce. I truly savored every bite. The Rosé had a nice nose, was light, yet flavorful, with hints of raspberry. It was an interesting pairing; but, honestly, I didn't really have the salad and the wine together, since--once I dug into the salad--I couldn't stop eating it!

Main: Grilled Bluefish and Smoked Shrimp Butter with Roasted Poblano Pepper, Corn, and Quinoa Pilaf. Paired with Santa Maria la Palma Cannonau (Grenache) from Sardinia.   I'd never had bluefish before. Granted it was dark in the restaurant, but I believe the flesh did have a blueish tint to it. It is an oily fish, and it seemed to have been rubbed with a spicy spice blend that was nice. The shrimp butter was fine--although I didn't notice any shrimp flavor and only remembered it was shrimp when typing the name of the dish. The quinoa pilaf was also delicious. It had a nice flavor and spice, and was good, light accompaniment to the fish (as opposed to a heaver grain or pasta, e.g.). I literally cleaned my plate, and the server and I joked how it was obvious that I must not have liked it--aren't we cute.  The spicy Cannonau was really great with this dish...great job, Mr. (or Ms.) Sommelier!

Dessert: Gâteau au Chocolat with Almond Anglaise. Paired with M. Chapoutier Banyuls, France.  This gâteau was decadent. It was served with fresh whipped cream and the almond crème anglaise, which was good but not too strongly almond flavoured. The Banyuls was delicious and was a perfect pairing with the chocolate. It was another first for me, and I thought the red dessert wine--while seemingly close to a Port--must not have been fortified like Port since it didn't have that alcohol bite. I learned in the Wikipedia article that there is some alcohol added but that the finished product, indeed, does not have as high an alcohol content as does Port.

P
Entrée: Grilled Corn Chowder with Bacon. Paired with Paul Dolan Chardonnay from Mendocino, CA.  P really enjoyed his chowder. I tasted it and thought it had a really nice flavor. I also know Adrienne loved this chowder when she ate at Icarus last RW.

Main: Slow Roasted Chili Glazed Pork Shoulder with Corn & Watermelon. Paired with Yalumba Shiraz from Australia.  The pork was nice and spicy with the chili glaze. P appreciated the flavor combinations of the spice with the corn and cool watermelon (accented with very a fine julienne of fresh basil), but he was not a huge fan of the cut of meat. He also thought the wine paring was nicely done.

Dessert: Lemon Buttermilk Panna Cotta & Blueberry Compote. Paired with a Sauternes from Hautes Charmes, France.  P thought the panna cotta was fun and refreshing. This was his favorite wine paring.


We finally got a new camera, but we were slightly embarrassed to use the flash in the dark restaurant. As a result, the photos didn't come out. Nevertheless, I'll include the pic I took of the delicious steak salad I keep raving about. You can kind of see it and the nice presentation...

We had a marvelous diner at Icarus. What a way to (prematurely) kick off Restaurant Week! I've heard that Icarus offers these prix fixe deals rather often, so let's all keep our ears and eyes open for the next one. I can't wait to go back!