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lillibetWe had another late-night supper at 209 Boston. Tom & steve met us there, taking the opportunity while waiting to admire all the young studs hanging around outside Club Cafe, which is part of the same complex. I started with the shrimp cakes--like crab cakes, but made with large chunks of shrimp--over greens, drizzled with remoulade. They were tasty, although a bit dry and there was not enough remoulade for my taste. Jason was mildly disappointed with the Asian cucumber salad, feeling that the cucumbers should have been marinated and the whole thing was too homogeneous in flavor. The others both had the vichyssoise (hey! I spelled it right on the first try!) which was cold and rich and flavorful. For mains, J chose the sirloin steak served with warm Italian potato salad and sauce Béarnaise, which was tender and delicious. steve and I had the seared veal chop with braised hearts of palm, mushroom, olives and warm Italian potato salad; the meat was a trifle bland, but good in texture, while the vegetables had been marinated and grilled for a very intense flavor that complimented the meat nicely. Tom took the baked New England scrod topped with bread crumbs and herbs and served with fresh buttered green beans, which he reported as being very simple, but moist and tasty. For dessert we were brought samplers with small portions of strawberry shortcake and white chocolate creme brulee. Sadly, these had obviously been plated much earlier in the day and stuck in the fridge until needed, so they mostly tasted like the inside of a refrigerator, especially the top layer of the creme brulee. That disappointment aside, we were quite pleased with our meal and our server was very friendly and helpful.
It was just the two of us at Beacon Hill Bistro on Thursday night, enjoying the lovely evening to stroll down Charles Street. BHB is decorated in the laboratory style of a French meat-house, with tiled floors, mirrored walls and paper-covered tables. After a delicious pomegranate peach martini that he let me try in a tiny sip, we both started with the steak tartare--a very simple version that highlighted the quality, flavor and texture of the meat--served with a goat cheese and caramelized onion crostini. His main was described as fettucine, although it was more like pappardelle to our eye, served with vegetables in a bowl of rich and flavorful broth. I had the seared duck breast, which was one of the best pieces of duck I've had--medium rare, sweet and juicy meat with intensely salty, crispy skin. It was served over what was described as "Japanese eggplant tagine," which turned out to be couscous with vegetable bits in it. That was also tasty, although I wouldn't have paired it with the duck, and the plate could have really used a nice pile of haricot verts to round it out. The dessert was a wonderful blueberry shortcake with a semolina cake as its base. Looking at the regular menu's prices, they seemed more in line with the quality and kind of food served and I think we'll be going back there.
My elder sister, Anne, and her partner, George, joined us for dinner at Les Zygomates. Starting off, J. was excited about the salad with beets and goat cheese, but the high concentration of endive was disappointing. The rest of us started with the house-made chicken liver pate, served with a bit of salad, some cornichons and chopped tomatoes and a lovely mustard that was a little overwhelming for the delicate flavor of the pate. J. and I both had the steak frites, which I enjoyed, but he compared unfavorably with his steak at 209 Boston. G. was also slightly underwhelmed by the herb-roasted breast of chicken with pan jus--it was fine, he said, but nothing special. Anne, however, was very pleased with her seared halibut with sauce grenobloise. For dessert she had the chocolate mousse, which was remarkably solid, while the guys both had the creme brulee, which was wonderfully creamy under its perfectly crisp shell. My cheese plate was disappointing: a single slice of comte cheese with walnuts, grapes and a balsamic reduction, none of which seemed particularly well-suited to the cheese. The service was good, but the seating was extremely cramped and the narrow spaces between tables meant that the waitstaff were constantly bumping people in the outside seats. On Friday nights they feature a very loud, noodly jazz band, that made all but shouted conversation impossible. The bread, however, was fantastic!
And now it's time to get dressed, as we're planning on a meandering country drive before tonight's meal at Silks.
It was just the two of us at Beacon Hill Bistro on Thursday night, enjoying the lovely evening to stroll down Charles Street. BHB is decorated in the laboratory style of a French meat-house, with tiled floors, mirrored walls and paper-covered tables. After a delicious pomegranate peach martini that he let me try in a tiny sip, we both started with the steak tartare--a very simple version that highlighted the quality, flavor and texture of the meat--served with a goat cheese and caramelized onion crostini. His main was described as fettucine, although it was more like pappardelle to our eye, served with vegetables in a bowl of rich and flavorful broth. I had the seared duck breast, which was one of the best pieces of duck I've had--medium rare, sweet and juicy meat with intensely salty, crispy skin. It was served over what was described as "Japanese eggplant tagine," which turned out to be couscous with vegetable bits in it. That was also tasty, although I wouldn't have paired it with the duck, and the plate could have really used a nice pile of haricot verts to round it out. The dessert was a wonderful blueberry shortcake with a semolina cake as its base. Looking at the regular menu's prices, they seemed more in line with the quality and kind of food served and I think we'll be going back there.
My elder sister, Anne, and her partner, George, joined us for dinner at Les Zygomates. Starting off, J. was excited about the salad with beets and goat cheese, but the high concentration of endive was disappointing. The rest of us started with the house-made chicken liver pate, served with a bit of salad, some cornichons and chopped tomatoes and a lovely mustard that was a little overwhelming for the delicate flavor of the pate. J. and I both had the steak frites, which I enjoyed, but he compared unfavorably with his steak at 209 Boston. G. was also slightly underwhelmed by the herb-roasted breast of chicken with pan jus--it was fine, he said, but nothing special. Anne, however, was very pleased with her seared halibut with sauce grenobloise. For dessert she had the chocolate mousse, which was remarkably solid, while the guys both had the creme brulee, which was wonderfully creamy under its perfectly crisp shell. My cheese plate was disappointing: a single slice of comte cheese with walnuts, grapes and a balsamic reduction, none of which seemed particularly well-suited to the cheese. The service was good, but the seating was extremely cramped and the narrow spaces between tables meant that the waitstaff were constantly bumping people in the outside seats. On Friday nights they feature a very loud, noodly jazz band, that made all but shouted conversation impossible. The bread, however, was fantastic!
And now it's time to get dressed, as we're planning on a meandering country drive before tonight's meal at Silks.
