Lunch, L'Espalier (Restaurant Week)
My stepfather and his secretary invited me to join them during Restaurant Week this summer for lunch at L'Espalier, a high-end restaurant in Back Bay along Boylston Street. The menus for lunch for RW are either two- or three-course; this was a three-course, for $20.09 a head plus $7.50 each for wine. I was quite tempted to take pictures, but opted not to given the density of waiters. Next time :^)
Wine for accompaniment was a red, not a varietal I'm familiar with, and not too exceptional. It had a reasonable nose, lower in tannins than a merlot but higher than a pinot noir, not too fruity but not too spicy either. A reasonable wine given the price. They also offered bread (sourdough, a good one, or focaccia; I chose the former, with sweet butter).
We started off with a cold watermelon-cantaloupe soup with cucumber foam, small sprigs of watercress, feta cheese (and if all feta tasted like this I'd stop hating it), and watermelon cubes, with just a hint of caraway. In one corner floated a seared shrimp that was delicious if a bit difficult to eat whole. The bowls it was served in made it difficult to eat, sadly (oops, should have written that on the comment card). The soup was quite good - not too sweet and not too full of caraway; I would have liked a little more of the feta, maybe two or three shrimp, and the watercress, since otherwise it was just a bit too strong on the melons.
The main course was a slow-cooked pork tenderloin with some sort of gravy, very nicely smooth whipped potatoes, local cabbage slices, bacon pieces, and wonderfully tart stewed pluots. The pork was a little tough and dry - tenderloin usually requires a bit less cutting in my experience - but paired with the pluots it was amazing. The cabbage was great for texture but otherwise not too noteworthy. I'd personally have added more pluots, cooked the pork longer, and maybe added some raisins instead of the capers they used. Or maybe some figs. But it was quite good.
Dessert was a square of chocolate decadence cake (for once, it lived up to the name, though less rich than my bete noir) with a white chocolate cream and an apricot reduction. The cake was quite good, but would have been better paired with a more tart sauce (not enough of the reduction) in place of the white chocolate cream; I noted this on the comment card.
The service was good overall - attentive without hovering - and the density of waitstaff to patrons made things run smoothly. They failed to clear the plates early enough for each course, which was a bit frustrating, but otherwise the service was quite good. They also didn't have us taste/approve the wine - is this normal for wine one buys by the glass? I'd expect them to do so in a restaurant of this sort, since they let us view the bottle.
So, in short, delicious lunch, worth the $20 a head, probably not worth $50 unless the food improved somewhat. I tend to prefer more tartness in my meals to complement rich and sweet flavors, but I might just be a bit picky :^)
Wine for accompaniment was a red, not a varietal I'm familiar with, and not too exceptional. It had a reasonable nose, lower in tannins than a merlot but higher than a pinot noir, not too fruity but not too spicy either. A reasonable wine given the price. They also offered bread (sourdough, a good one, or focaccia; I chose the former, with sweet butter).
We started off with a cold watermelon-cantaloupe soup with cucumber foam, small sprigs of watercress, feta cheese (and if all feta tasted like this I'd stop hating it), and watermelon cubes, with just a hint of caraway. In one corner floated a seared shrimp that was delicious if a bit difficult to eat whole. The bowls it was served in made it difficult to eat, sadly (oops, should have written that on the comment card). The soup was quite good - not too sweet and not too full of caraway; I would have liked a little more of the feta, maybe two or three shrimp, and the watercress, since otherwise it was just a bit too strong on the melons.
The main course was a slow-cooked pork tenderloin with some sort of gravy, very nicely smooth whipped potatoes, local cabbage slices, bacon pieces, and wonderfully tart stewed pluots. The pork was a little tough and dry - tenderloin usually requires a bit less cutting in my experience - but paired with the pluots it was amazing. The cabbage was great for texture but otherwise not too noteworthy. I'd personally have added more pluots, cooked the pork longer, and maybe added some raisins instead of the capers they used. Or maybe some figs. But it was quite good.
Dessert was a square of chocolate decadence cake (for once, it lived up to the name, though less rich than my bete noir) with a white chocolate cream and an apricot reduction. The cake was quite good, but would have been better paired with a more tart sauce (not enough of the reduction) in place of the white chocolate cream; I noted this on the comment card.
The service was good overall - attentive without hovering - and the density of waitstaff to patrons made things run smoothly. They failed to clear the plates early enough for each course, which was a bit frustrating, but otherwise the service was quite good. They also didn't have us taste/approve the wine - is this normal for wine one buys by the glass? I'd expect them to do so in a restaurant of this sort, since they let us view the bottle.
So, in short, delicious lunch, worth the $20 a head, probably not worth $50 unless the food improved somewhat. I tend to prefer more tartness in my meals to complement rich and sweet flavors, but I might just be a bit picky :^)