Winter Restaurant Week 2011

Another Restaurant Week has come and gone. I dined at three restaurants this time around!

I've had two previous Restaurant Week dinners at Harvest; their deliciousness, plus the restaurant's convenient Harvard Square setting, made me come back for more. I was surprised with how bland and average this meal was, though the dessert was a breath of tangy, fresh air. My appetizer was a white bean veloute, or soup, with pancetta, croutons, and olive oil. The soup tasted like mild, watered-down bean dip, and the tiny pancetta crumbles provided some crunch but little pig flavor. The entree was a smoked chicken breast served over polenta with golden raisins and cooked wilted chard. Sure, it was a nice chunk of meat, but the preparation was so ordinary, and the accompaniments so small and unseasoned, that this entire course would have been forgettable if not for the need to make blog notes. My dessert was a key lime parfait with gingersnap crust, lemon sauce, and raspberries. I have previously raved about Harvest's fruit desserts, and this one deserves equal praise! The parfait in question was a frozen treat, robustly flavored with key lime, of a consistency somewhere between ice cream, pudding, and whipped cream. It was smooth, light, occasionally crystalline, and pungently citrusy. The chewy gingersnap base crumbled at my fork's touch, and was thoroughly spiced. The lemon glaze and raspberries were the sweetest parts of the dessert; they tempered the tang and spice of the other components, and tied all flavors together nicely. Believe me, this picture does not do it justice! I only wish that I had more time to savor the dessert; instead, I hastily snarfed it down to make a performance in time.

My second RW dinner was another repeat adventure, this time to Sibling Rivalry in the South End. This dinner will go down as one of the best restaurant meals I've ever had, so please enjoy the images of all three courses! I started with ancho chile-spiced steak tartare, accompanied by salsa verde, avocado in cilantro oil, and a cheese pupusa with picked cabbage. How can I accurately convey this appetizer's sheer perfection? The degree of spicing on the steak was just right, and the meat itself (mixed with capers) was incredibly soft and tasty. I also loved eating bites of the pupusa, which had a seasoned maize-dought exterior, with pieces of oil-drizzled avocado.

My entree was mustard-glazed salmon paired with lump crab meat, tomatoes, spinach, and new potatoes. The mustard cream sauce had only a hint of spicy tang, which I liked; the fish it had been poured over was smooth and flaky. The crab meat - probably my favorite seafood - and spinach - definitely my favorite leafy green - were just icing on the proverbial cake. Sib Riv really knows how to do fish!

I had the orange pound cake with sauce Suzette and orange compote for dessert. The cake was not nearly as dense as the average pound cake, which helped it soak up the ample honey-citrus sauce. I would have called it a tea cake instead. The cake's orange flavor was quite subtle, but the assertively sweet yet tart sauce remedied any citrus deficiencies. The "compote" was actually orange slices drizzled in honey and garnished with almond slices. This pleasant and light dessert was a perfect way to end an indulgent meal, and was just as memorable - as well-executed citrus desserts must be! - as the phenomenal courses preceeding it. I really can't wait to return yet again to Sibling Rivalry!

I traveled to uncharted territory for my last RW treat. Bergamot, barely over the Cambridge line in Somerville, serves "progressive American cuisine" in a comfortable, intimate, yet fancy space. I really loved the mood of the place, and the food mostly rose to the occasion. I had a difficult time choosing an appetizer, as each had some ingredient I did not want - so, I ordered the goat cheese salad with shiitake mushrooms, oranges, and toasted hazelnuts, and left most of its frisee untouched. All non-greens fixins were tasty, and went together well. My entree was one of the most unique dishes I've ever seen! I ordered plantain gnocchi with black beans, avocado, red pepper, and portobello mushroom confit. I cannot extol the virtues of this delicious dish enough. Plantains are one of my favorite fruits, and I was amazed at how well they took, with slight seasoning, to gnocchi form. The beans were chewy and spicy; the avocado was tender and creamy; the mushrooms were smooth and earthy. All components combined into a dish bursting with flavor and satisfaction that did not burst my stomach. (I am so happy to have had gnocchi, and not been saddled with a stomachache afterward.) My dessert was also unique - a chocolate cremeux with olive oil dust and avocado - but Bergamot may have tried too hard with it. The cremeux itself was a fabulous whipped confection of cream and smooth milk chocolate, but the avocado accompaniments fell flat. The fruit was not ripe enough, so it did not have its full flavor potential. The balls and droplets seen in the picture, as well as the chunks encased within the cremeux (?!?!), were consistent with the chocolate dessert's texture, but were rather devoid of taste. I left them on my plate or carved them out, focusing only on the chocolate. Fortunately, my forkful of the grapefruit sabayon with madeleine was pleasing all around! I would give Bergamot another try based on their brilliant entree. Maybe their appetizers and desserts will rise to the occasion when not dealing in limited selections?

And now, for an alert from the non-food world: Happy Spring!