Boston100 Blog
Monday, December 31, 2007
Aujourd'hui
Last week we returned to Aujourd'hui four years after our initial visit in December 2003, at which time we considered this Four Seasons establishment to be one of the top two restaurants in the city. While we were pleased with our experience, we found it didn't live up to the expectations set from our first visit. Since out last visit, the dining room underwent a slight renovation - patrons now enter through a modern bar into a more open and modern dining room, which maintains its upscale decor. While Aujourd'hui changed chefs, the diversity of the French menu remained delightful. Our meals also impressed, but perhaps not as much as our first visit. The Gnocchi appetizer peaked our interest for the next course, while the Goat Cheese Salad was good but not outstanding. We found the same for the Beef Tenderloin and the Lobster entrees - both were top notch - prepared perfectly and flavored very well. However, they just missed the "wow" factor we were expecting. Last, the dessert actually fell flat. The Chocolate Soufflé didn't match the original and the Tarte Tartin was below par. Despite those minor letdowns, we'd still give high grades for service and ambiance. Just keep in mind that the price tag is one of the highest in the city. - posted by Mike Andrews @ 11:53 AM 1 comments
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Tresca
We attended Tresca with a large group as part of a work holiday party, so we weren't able to really get the full personal experience. Nevertheless, we came away impressed with this North End Italian establishment. The dining room and the lobby are rustic and classical, creating a warm and comforting dining ambiance. The upstairs room was boisterous, filled with several large groups holding their respective year end celebrations. The menu offered several pasta, steak, and seafood options - nothing too fancy - several options sounded especially palatable. We went for the Insalate de Aragosta - a tasty lobster appetizer, and the Insalata di Barbabietole, a goat cheese and beet salad. Both were very good, leaving us wanting for the next course. We did not personally select the wines, but several (likely expensive) options circled the table and each thoroughly impressed. For our entrees, we went for the 18-oz. Delmonico Rib-Eye and the Rigatoni Bolognese. The steak was succulently prepared in a Sangiovese wine and gorgonzola cheese reduction, cooked to a perfect medium rare. The Rigatoni was very good, but not overly impressive. For dessert, we opted for the Tiramisu, stylishly served in a Martini glass. A light pistachio sauce gave the dessert a unique and intriguing flare. Service was excellent for a group of approximately fifteen, keeping the meal well-paced and each of the guests satisfied. As we weren't footing the bill, we didn't pay particular attention to the prices, but they appeared to be in line with other top line expensive North End restaurants. The one negative was the lack of valet parking - we were told that there was a validated parking garage around the corner, but the foot traffic and the snow made the roads more difficult to navigate than usual. We ended up parking over a half mile away. Overall, we were generally pleased with out visit, and will make sure to return soon for a more personal visit.- posted by Mike Andrews @ 11:50 AM 0 comments
