lillibet | Restaurant Week: Taranta (Reply)

Tonight we had dinner with Becky E. and her housemate, Mary, at Taranta in the North End. A Peruvian-Italian restaurant, they had some very interesting variations on the standards. I started with the Caesar salad, unable to resist the white anchovies, and it was a really excellent version of the classic. J went with the more interesting pan-roasted PEI mussels with Sicilian marsala, pancetta Abruzzese and balsamic-roasted shallots--the mussels seemed slightly over-cooked, although the broth was excellent--but he realized afterward that he would have been happier with the salad. The other two both had the watermelon and tomato gazpacho with spicy rocoto pepper and cucumber and we were all impressed with what the watermelon added without being jarring. For our mains, Mary and I both had the fusilli pasta with San Marzano tomato sauce topped with fresh mozzarella--I found the sauce fairly bland and the dish overall quite simple, but fine. J was happier with his cassava-root gnocchi with a slow-braised “Chicha de Jora” green lamb ragu and shaved parmesan. Becky had the Cancha corn-crusted tilapia filet served with fried garbanzo beans, baby spinach, marinated red onions and buttermilk aji amarillo sauce. The deep-fried beans were particularly interesting and we thought they would make a great addition to salads, particularly as a crouton substitute for people avoiding wheat. For dessert, J had the cheescake topped with Carica papaya, which was a nice combination of flavors, while the rest of us all picked the hazelnut mousse with dulce de leche, which tasted a lot like a Mozart ball and had a wonderful mix of textures. Looking at the regular menu, it's a little pricy, but for something different, it's a fine destination.