Monday, September 03, 2007
Chez Henri
We visited Chez Henri this past Sunday around 6:30 pm, and we were surprisingly seated immediately. The dining room is traditional but pleasant, with an attractive mix of dark wood tones set off by red and yellow highlights. Its fairly spacious, and wasn't to loud, even after the space started to fill up around 7:00. The French-Latin menu is prepared by Chef Paul O'Connell, who after graduating from Johnson & Wales has worked with the best chefs Boston has to offer, and his offerings are solid proof of his experience and culinary talent. The selection is seasonal, and during this end-of-summer weekend it offered an interesting mix of meats, seafood, poultry, and vegetables, all or most prepared organically with a dash of spicy flare. We started with the Mixed Green Summer Salad, which was a tasteful mix of fresh lettuce, strawberries, and apricots. Also impressive was the Ceviche, a medley of swordfish, baby octopus, and shrimp served over crunchy plantains. For our entrees, we went with the Steak Frites and the Seared Sea Scallops. Both were excellent by all standards. While we passed on the wine list on this occasion, there did seem to be a standard but not overwhelming selection of vino. We ended our meal with the Boca Negra, a stupendous mix of caramel ice cream, peanut brittle, and chocolate cake, as well as the Ice Cream selection, which was very good despite melting a little too quickly. Overall, we were very pleased with our visit, and the rave reviews we were hearing seem well earned. One thing to keep in mind though - parking is super tough in this area, and the side roads aren't that great to walk on. Save the aggravation and stick with one of the local pay lots. - posted by Mike Andrews @ 6:24 PM
