Monthly Archives: August 2011

Harvest

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For Restaurant Week stop #3 I choose Harvest for me and 3 of my girlfriends. It’s rare that I cross the Charles into Cambridge but force myself to do so for the sake of a great meal. If you weren’t looking for Harvest I’m not sure that you’d find it. Off of Brattle Street in Harvard Square, the neon sign (completely uncharacteristic of the venue) deep within an off-street walkway led us to our destination.

Bread: I love when they offer more than one type! Bite size pieces of cornbread, raisin bread, and a plain rustic were served with a side of softened butter. I of course tried each one and all were good, but the cornbread was the best, especially with the butter.

bread

bread

Menu: The menu itself was placed inside a study booklet made out of material which matched the patio furniture. It differed slightly from the online RW menu (I really wanted that mocha semifreddo!) so we were thrown for a small loop, but I think everyone was confident with their decisions.

Food/Presentation:
Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho: cilantro, crème fraiche
The chilled soup was served in a large but shallow bowl and decorated with crème fraiche and a few cilantro leaves – definitely the prettiest gazpacho I’ve ever seen. I’m used to having chopped veggies in gazpacho but this soup was all tomato, as if the tomatoes had been mashed and liquefied (you can see some seeds floating around in there). Light & refreshing, just wish there was more to it.

gazpacho

gazpacho

Wild Mushroom Risotto: grana padano, mascarpone cheese, english pea coulis
I’m not a huge mushroom fan but the chicken and red fish options just didn’t excite me. Risotto however does excite me and I’m glad I ordered it. A perfect portion, cheesy but not too rich, full of flavor, and just the right amount of mushrooms for someone who generally fears them. Really excellent!

risotto

risotto

Chocolate Mousse Torte: raspberries, crushed pistachios, while chocolate drizzle
The chocolate treat was topped with white chocolate sauce and placed next to raspberries and pistachios. I’m a chocolate lover but tend to shy away from desserts that overwhelm you with it. This did nothing of the sort! It was lighter than it looks, so moist and delicious. I was thankful I didn’t have to face a heavy dessert after having that risotto.

chocolate mousse/torte

chocolate mousse/torte

Bathroom: 3 stalls with dark brown wooden doors.  The earth tones of the tile, counter, and baskets matched the overall feel and décor of the restaurant.

bathroom

bathroom

Service: Our waiter was fine and nice but didn’t engage us too much. The first round of drinks took a longer than we would have liked but other than that we appreciated the time in between each course.

Overall: The portions were small – they usually are for Restaurant Week – but I think we were better off that way. I liked the cool & comfortable atmosphere. They have a great outdoor garden patio, cozy & informal, like we were in someone’s backyard. I would definitely recommend but beware of their regular daily prices as the current cheapest entrée is $28.

The Perfect Bite: A forkful of risotto WITH mushroom 🙂

http://harvestcambridge.com/

Aragosta

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 The first time I heard of this new restaurant in the Fairmont Battery Wharf was at their booth at the Taste of the Naton food event. I don’t remember what it was that I tasted from Aragosta, but it was certainly delicious enough to register as a “must-try”. And so goes Restaurant Week stop #2…

Bread: On a small slab of wood came 4 small pieces of bread with a tiny bowl of EVOO and olives. The bread was great, and I guess smaller bread portions are better so you don’t spoil dinner, but I always appreciate a good hearty piece. Luckily they brought another bread board soon after we finished the first.

bread

bread

Menu: The online Restaurant Week menu differed slightly from the menu we saw but not enough to throw me off my game. The courses were taken directly from their regular menu which consisted of First Courses, dishes To Share, Pasta, and Secondi. After looking at the actual prices of the entrees we ended up ordering, there’s no doubt we got a good deal! I just wish they represented their namesake on the RW menu with a lobster dish… oh well.

Food/Presentation:
Chilled Tomato Soup, Truffle Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Probably my favorite food combination of all time. The 2 sticks of grilled cheese was the best part, filled with some kind of soft cheese (maybe goat?) rather than a melt-y cheese which I was expecting. The tomato soup itself was disappointing. I understand it’s summer and that was probably their reasoning for serving cold tomato soup – and that’s ok with me if it’s gazpacho – but this was liquidly and lacked flavor. Ok for dipping the delicious sandwich in though.

grilled cheese & tomato soup

grilled cheese & tomato soup

Baked Mezzi Rigatoni, Veal Meatballs, Nonna’s Gravy, Pecorino Toscano
This short pasta was served in a cast iron bowl topped with pecorino and mozzarella. I’m impressed with the use of “gravy” and not sauce – I usually get harassed for referring to marinara as gravy. I don’t know that I’ve ever had veal meatballs but they were excellent, perfect texture and toughness.

baked rigatoni

baked rigatoni

Gelato & Sorbetto, Almond Biscotti
When I asked about the flavors I was told they were vanilla (which is a waste of my time & calories), stracciatella (chocolate chip flavor, not bad), and coffee (which I was most excited for), but when dessert was delivered I noticed it was lacking the flavor I was actually looking forward to! Not sure what happened there but I was slightly disappointed with this last course. I’ve have way better biscottis in my time and these are probably the 2 most boring flavors I can think of. Bummer.

gelato & sorbetto

gelato & sorbetto

Bathroom: Might be the coolest bathroom ever. When I first walked in I was slightly confused by the lighting and the mirrors; wasn’t sure which way to turn! The center of the restroom holds a circular, double-sided sink area with stalls encompassing the right side. Make your way to the back left and there is a row of about 10 more stalls with decorative mirrors as doors. The aspect I found most intriguing were these 4 “solo sinks” placed in the walls around the center of the room. Not sure I can do it justice with my description, but it was pretty awesome. (I must note that these restrooms where part of the hotel and not exclusive to Aragosta itself).

center of bathroom

center of bathroom

stalls

stalls

solo sink

solo sink

Service: We started with one waiter who took our drink order but then another gentleman (perhaps a manager of some kind) took care of us the rest of the evening. He was able to adjust 2 courses to fit Sophie’s Kosher/veggie needs which was nice. I was getting a little antsy waiting for our starters but the rest of the courses came out within a reasonable time.

private dining, open kitchen

private dining, open kitchen

Overall: I really love the space, details, and atmosphere of Aragosta. It’s a comfortable setting with just the right amount of trend. Open kitchens are popular but I really loved the “private rooms” in the middle of the dining room that were sectioned off by thin curtains. The dark red dining table and color-speckled water glasses really caught my eye. Unfortunately I was underwhelmed by the food. My entrée was the best part, but perhaps I ordered the wrong dessert (the Strawberries with Zabaione Gelato sounded delicious). I would definitely try it again as the regular menu looked pretty impressive (I see you bolognese…).

table top

table top

The Perfect Bite: Mezzi Rigatoni, Veal Meatballs – just like Gram used to make!

http://www.aragostabistro.com

Toscano

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Let me first start by saying thank you to Chris Aversa for being a stud and taking his date to Toscano in Beacon Hill, otherwise I wouldn’t have known it was such a winner! Restaurant Week began Sunday night as did my 1st of 4 reservations I have this season. Aaaand we’re off!

Bread: Four small focaccia pieces and four rustic Italian loaf pieces were covered by a cloth napkin in a small basket, served with a bottle of EVOO. I didn’t try the focaccia but the Italian loaf was excellent. If it wasn’t for the 3 courses coming my way I would have had seconds.

bread

bread

Menu: Toscano provided 6 options each for Starters and Entrees and 4 options for dessert; this was a treat considering some restaurants only have 2-3 options per course. I really wanted to try the tomato bread soup and the Mediterranean Sea Bass but opted for the selections below. My dessert choice wasn’t an issue…

Food/Presentation:
Caprese – imported bufala mozzarella, beefsteak tomatoes, basil
Three slices of fresh beefsteak tomatoes were each topped with a thick slice of buffalo mozzarella and sprinkled with slices of basil. Besides the lack of basil – I expect at least a full leaf per slice of mozz – it was a great start to the meal.

caprese

caprese

Orecchiette Vitello – ground veal, mushrooms, tomato
The four of us were pretty bummed there wasn’t a pasta option in the entrée section of the Restaurant Week menu. The regular menu had plenty to choose from, so in order to get our fix Benno ordered a full serving of the orecchiette for in between the 1st and 2nd course. The Bolognese/ragu type of sauce was great and the pasta was cooked just right; I enjoyed it so much I didn’t even notice the mushrooms!

orecchiette

orecchiette

Salome Asparagi – grilled atlantic salmon, asparagus, mustard sauce
A perfect portion of fish was served with 3 stalks of asparagus and a side of mustard sauce. I was surprised/happy the sauce wasn’t drizzled on b/c I love my mustard and was pleased I was able to dip each bite. The asparagus was cooked well, I just wish there were a couple more pieces.

salmon

salmon

Tiramisu – Toscano House Specialty “Budino Style”
We made sure to ask about this “Budino Style” before ordering and the waitress said it wasn’t a typical square piece of tiramisu with layers of lady fingers, mascarpone, etc. It was served in a martini glass and seemed as though a normal piece of tiramisu had been balled up into the size of a generous ice cream scoop. It was an unbelievable take on the traditional dessert, like a tiramisu ice cream pudding medley!

tiramisu

tiramisu

NOTE: Two apps I didn’t mention were the Polpettini Fiorentina(veal/beer/pork meatballs) and the Rigatoni Toscano (with double smoked bacon, tomato cream and herbs). I’m extremely picky about meatballs and these honestly tasted like the could have been from my Gram’s kitchen. The rigatoni dish tasted like bacon had been pureed into the sauce – I don’t like bacon and therefore I didn’t love the flavor but I respected that it was delicious and well created.

bathroom
bathroom


Bathroom: 2 separate unisex restrooms. I like the heavy wooden doors with their intricate designs/carvings and the sink’s faucet!

sink

sink

Service: Really excellent service. Our waitress was helpful in choosing wine and gave us a couple ordering options when we told her we were craving pasta. Each course was delivered to each of us at the same, plates were warm as they should be (trick I learned from Benno!), water glasses we refilled, and wine was poured as our glasses were emptying. They also fold the napkins into a little spiral design when you get up from your seat… top notch!

Overall: The atmosphere suggests “finer” dining with the white linens, pricey wine list, and stellar service. The Restaurant Week menu had plenty to offer, and their regular menu was almost overwhelming (in a good way) with Antipasti, Zuppa, Insalata, Pizza, Formaggi, Pasta, Risotto, Carni, and Contorni. Their pastas come in ½ portions which I love. Prices are moderate, but the meat entrees are as high as $36. I’ve seen worse!

The Perfect Bite: The pasta dishes definitely stole the show, but that tiramisu… oh Madonna mia! I have to give props when a chef can take a traditional preparation style and switch it up to make it taste even better.

http://www.toscanoboston.com

Via Matta

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I’ve been to Via Matta once or twice before, quite some time ago. I knew it was classy and had great food but just couldn’t remember much else about it, or more importantly, what I had ordered. Thanks to Groupon/BuyWithMe/whatever coupon Erin & I purchased, we essentially received $50 off our meal which was a great start.

tabletop

tabletop

Bread: It didn’t come to our table until moments after our appetizers were served. I was starving and pretty annoyed, but the bread runner apologized repeatedly. Luckily it was delicious; great, hearty, fresh bread served with a side plate of EVOO.

bread

bread

Menu: Quite an extensive menu with 18 Antipasti options and 16 dinner options between Pasta and Secondi Piatti. I casually skimmed the online menu in the days leading up to dinner and noticed they had a Bolognese dish. I honestly hoped that my favorite meal wouldn’t appear on the menu come dinner night b/c I become weak in the knees at the sight of “bolognese” and never want to order anything else! I desperately wanted to try the Agnolotti with Maine crab, avocado, and cherry tomatoes and was stressing every second up until I had to make my decision…

Food/Presentation:
Warm Shrimp with spicy watermelon, pancetta, avocado and basil
I normally do not enjoy shrimp but there have been a couple of shrimp dishes in the past that have changed my mind, and I can now add this app to the list! The watermelon had just a bit of spice, I love avocados in/on/with anything, and basil is my favorite herb. Really tasty and refreshing.

apps

apps

Crispy Meatballs with spicy tomato-basil sauce
I’m really picky when it comes to meatballs since I grew up eating Gram and Dad’s homemade ones. But I have no complaints here; crispy outside, soft on the inside.

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese
At first sight it appeared perfect: massive amounts of meat with a nice tomato sauce. Don’t get me wrong, the dish was really great and I just about finished the whole damn thing, but the noodles were too soft for my liking. I prefer an al dente pasta and this seemed almost like an egg noodle. Other than that, I really did enjoy it.

bolognese

bolognese

Bathroom: The restroom has a few stalls, 2 sinks, with clean and shiny walls and countertops. The giant tissues boxes threw me for a loop b/c I assumed they were in fact tissues and spent more time than I would have liked searching for the paper towels! Quite tricky…

bathroom

bathroom

Service: It took way too long to get our drinks and the bread came after the apps which is a big no-no. But after actually speaking with our waitress she was really helpful when we were deciding what dishes to order. Another gentlemen helped us later in the evening when Erin asked if she could order ½ of a dessert (just the cherry gelato) to go. We had a laugh with the guy since it was a bit of an odd request. But he was hilarious and more than accommodating, and even provided her with a real spoon so she could eat it in the car!

Overall: The food was really excellent. Matt & Rany devoured their meals (they both got the homemade Chitarra with rabbit, morels, asparagus and parm). I would consider Via Matta more of an upscale/fine dining experience, with entrees ranging from $18-$34 and apps running $10-$18. I recommend it and would not hesitate to go back, esp. if someone else is paying! 😉

salt & pepper

salt & pepper

The Perfect Bite: I have honestly been dreaming of what could have been had I ordered the Agnolotti. I love each and every component of that dish but the damn Bolognese won me over again. It was great, but I just wasn’t crazy about the noodle consistency. So believe it or not, I’ll go with: shrimp, spicy watermelon, avocado.

www.viamattarestaurant.com

UPDATE:
I went back to try the Agnolotti dish and oh my goodness… one of my favorite meals in all of Boston! I could have used a couple more actual pieces of Agnolotti, but the stuffed ricotta/avocado mix was smooth and creamy as can be, the crab was sprinkled throughout the dish and there was something about that tomato sauce that was unreal. Loved it!

agnolotti

agnolotti