Sometimes, people ask me where they should go for dinner. Maybe this is because they think I’m a smug know-it-all, and maybe it’s because they respect my opinion, but regardless, I have lots of restaurant opinions. For a special-occasion meal in the greater Boston area I have two picks I want to share with you.
Acquitaine is in Boston itself and has a rather traditional bistro menu: try the hangar steak, or anything roasted. They also have an incredible little bar up front, and quite a few people seem to go there just for drinks. The wine list is quite extensive, and the bar has all sorts of small-batch cordials and liqueurs which make the cocktails there really special. One drink involved gin and cassis, a combination which was really good at the bar but which I could not successfully replicate at home. I’ve spoken about the place with a few other people and all of them have agreed with me that it’s excellent.
My absolute favorite place in the area, however, is Evoo, which is actually in Somerville. It’s the sort of contemporary American restaurant that tells you exactly where your baby lettuces are grown. They combine flavors and influences from around the world, but never lose clarity or direction the way these sort of “fusion” places can. Favorites include a salad of celery, watercress, feta, and tart strawberries, a dish called “Duck Duck Goose” consisting of duck prepared two ways and goose prepared one, and the sublime lemon-raspberry tart (really, I’ve never had such a perfect crust). The Evoo wine list is short enough to be manageable, reasonably priced, and populated with some interesting bottles, including a couple of really nice cavas I haven’t seen anywhere else. I do love a place that serves champagne by the glass.
Of the dozen or so people I’ve gotten to try the place, only two disliked it, mostly on the basis that they don’t like their food to touch or have more than one flavor at a time. One guy looked at the sauce on his pecan-crusted salmon and said “oh god, it’s everywhere.” I have not spoken to him since.
Secretly Ironic 