Monthly Archives: December 2011

La Morra

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 La Morra has been on my list for a while now but I was hesitant to try it as I used to fear small plates – I like my food and I rarely like to share! That mentality has changed now that I realized with tapas/small plates I get to try more dishes. My mom noticed La Morra in Boston Magazine’s ’50 Best Restaurants’ issue and suggested we go… I wasn’t arguing!

Bread: A server carrying a large basket delivered slices of homemade fresh bread, 1 for each of us. On the side was a ramekin of ricotta with sea salt, cracked pepper, and EVOO. The bread was excellent-warm, doughy, & hearty, and I really enjoyed the ricotta spread.

Menu: Cichetti (small tastings from $3-$4), Antipasti, Primi, Secondi, Contorni, Dolce (and a pre-fixed 4-course menu for $35). I wanted to try everything, especially the pastas in the primi section. I ended up with the items below, and thankfully my parents ordered a few other things I was eyeing.

Food/Presentation:
Chickpea Salad (compliments of the chef) – chilled chickpeas, celery, wood grilled peppers, oregano
Although it was a little too salty for my taste, this was a great ‘palette cleanser’ as it was crisp and fresh in flavor. A nice addition to the start of the meal!

Ceci Fritti – Chickpea Fries
I imagined these to look more like a thinner French fries, but 4 thick ‘fries’ came arranged like Stonehenge, balancing on one another. The outside had a thin crispy crunch and the inside was soft and piping hot. A really excellent side dish.

Insalata di Barbabietole – roasted beet salad with apples, goat cheese, aged balsamic vinegar, and walnut puree
A stack of alternating slices of apples and beets came topped with goat cheese. The apple beet combo is always refreshing and pairs well with the goat cheese. The walnut puree added a tasty light dressing.

Tagliatelle al ragu – homemade pasta with bolognese
Praise the food gods for the ½ portions! For $11 I ordered the ½ size of the Bolognese which was the perfect amount for me (I even took ½ home). The meat was pulled rather than ground and topped with grated cheese. I typically like a tomato based sauce, which this was not, but it was still amazing, especially the al dente tagliatelle!

Bathroom: There are two unisex single rooms/stalls in the upstairs dining room, each with a home-y touch of a small area carpet, Italian artwork, and aroma oils.

Service: The service was excellent; our waitress has clearly been working at La Morra for some time now and it showed. She was able to describe the preparation & presentation of each dish we questioned, was attentive when our wine was running low, and was personable & helpful. I hope to have her again next time.

Overall: This is honestly a new favorite! I love Italian food, I recently found a love for small plates, and who wouldn’t like a warm, cozy, casual atmosphere? The prices are reasonable with Antipasti and half pastas topping out at $11, and full pasta portions and Secondi ranging $19-$24. Fantastic value for price in my opinion. The downstairs seats about 30 and has a small stone bar, while the upstairs can hold about 60 with tables and ½ table/booths lining the 2 side walls. I highly recommend La Morra and already can’t wait to go back!

The Perfect Bite: Honorable mention of my mom’s ½ portion of the Risotto with roasted local squash, brown butter, sage, and aged balsamic. Wow, was that delicious!

www.lamorra.com

La Verdad

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 I’ve tried a few Mexican restaurants recently (Lolita, Sol Azteca, Papagayo) but was told by a friend or two that La Verdad was the best in the city. Located on the famed Lansdowne Street outside Fenway, I can only imagine how busy this place must be in the summer. On a cool December evening however it wasn’t packed, but was busy as it could be for a Friday night at 6:30pm. I didn’t make my way into the dining room but the bar/front seating area was a little small with some high tops and 2-4 tops, and was decorated with white ‘Christmas’ lights.

Bread: The bread of course was chips & salsa which came with our order of seasonal guacamole. The chips were good – not to oily, lightly salted – and the salsa wasn’t bad but I like mine chunkier.

Menu: Starters, Soups & Salads, Tortas & Huaraches, Tacos & Burritos, Entrees, and Sides. There were enough options and a few things caught my eye that I had never heard of before, one being Huaraches which is Mexican-style Flatbread. I was struggling between a couple different entrees and eventually settled on something a bit different…

Food/Presentation:
Seasonal Guacamole – green apples, cheese, garlic, cumin
While it wasn’t made table side, I really appreciated the guacamole with a twist! It was different and the green apples were actually a great addition. The portion looked tiny set in the large pestle but it actually was enough for the 4 of us.

Duck Carnitas – confit duck, fig marmalade, orange goat cheese, and rajas salad
Three small soft tacos were topped with fig spread, pulled duck meat, red onion, cilantro, and goat cheese & mandarin oranges (rather than “orange goat cheese” as the description stated). The portion was perfect and I loved this option of the lighter, sweeter taco. It’s nice to see inventive menu items! If you’re a duck fan I suggest this dish.

Bathroom: Two large oval mirrors hang above 3 sinks, and to the right are 3 or 4 bar-typical stalls. What appeared to be some type of playing card bordered the walls in the stall ½ of the restroom.

Service: Our table was a bit small for 4 people but we made it work. Drinks were brought in a timely manner. Our entrees arrived before the guac and chip basket was cleared which I always frown upon. Our waitress was nice and able to answer our few questions.

Overall: The sangria tasted like mostly juice and was just ok, but the multiple Mojito options (classic, mango, raspberry, strawberry, limon, passion fruit – I had the latter) made up for it! The prices were less expensive than most Mexican Taquerias I’ve been to recently, with starters topping out at $12 and entrees reaching $19 (although Matt did mention that while his Enchilada was $13 it didn’t come with the expected sides of rice and beans). The food was great, atmosphere was decent, and the total bill wasn’t scary.

The Perfect Bite: Chip with a big scoop of seasonal guacamole!

www.laverdadtaqueria.com