Restaurant Week: Winter 2009

A certain someone surprised me with dinner at Lumiere for my birthday this past Sunday...and boy what a treat!



Easily the youngest in the restaurant by ten years (barring the gorgeous pregnant woman chowing down on her steak and pommes frites while her husband daintily ate the fish of the night), we found ourselves compensated for our politeness as the three couples ahead of us complained about the wait...and after they were seated the manager gave us both a glass of champagne. Part of the evening is the before-dinner conversation, after all. I felt like I was channeling my grandfather, sweet-talking the hostess just by being myself.

The menu offered three price-fixed options for each course, and I chose:

1st course: Arugula salad with shaved fennel, pine nuts, pickled shallots and pecorino, with fennel-black pepper vinaigrette

2nd course: Giannone Farm chicken breast with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, green olives, preserved lemons, and parsley chicken jus

3rd course: Dark chocolate-caramel mousse parfait with whipped marscapone and candied walnuts

It was fantastic. Utterly lovely. I can't say enough good things about Lumiere - especially about their committment to serve locally sourced organic food - not just produce, but all of their dairy products and meat.

Yesterday was our second restaurant - L'Espalier in Back Bay (on Bolyston near the Prudential Center).


It's pretty neat because you walk into the doors and a hostess greets you and puts you in an elevator. We checked our coats and were seated, feeling only slightly guilty that we didn't order all of the extras (champagne, wine, cheese, coffee) - but alas. We came for the food.

As I certainly don't have enough clout to carry a camera into a restaurant, check out the pictures here of some of the courses --it's funny, but the last course was dressed completely differently for us.

1st course: salad of spring greens with rhubarb vinegarette and Three Sisters' Serena cheddar

2nd course: horseradish and mushroom crusted salmon with pink grapefruit and black quinoa

3rd course: bittersweet chocolate gateau with white chocolate mango mousse (brownie. that's what it is. it doesn't make it bad...but it's a brownie).

The food was full of layers/textures/all those other adjectives you use to describe really good food. The salmon was right up there with the salmon and sea salt that Maria and Joseph made when we visited them in Sweden...so tender and lovely. And while I roll my eyes at the use of the fancy "gateau" it was an amazing brownie. And I love mango, so you can't go wrong there.

L'Espalier is also starting a price-fixed power lunch for $25 (three courses) that's probably intended for business lunches (they make it about an hour long to get you in and out). It's definitely something to consider if I have friends visit or I just want a mid-week island of deliciousness to look forward to. Granted, it is expensive, but it's just so tasty! I am so glad that I make almost all of my meals so I can save money and enjoy these kinds of meals...I'm already saving up for August 2009!