A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

I reviewed Market once before, (see review). I decided to give it another shot given that it was restaurant week and you could eat for less. It’s like reading a book you’ve already read, you know how it’s going to end but you want to see what else you can pick up the second time around.

I made my reservations about a month ago, so I was able to get a 7:30pm reservation. When I went on open table yesterday afternoon, you couldn’t find a reservation at 7:30, only 5 and 8. So I’m gearing myself for a repeat performance. I was surprised when I got there to see so many open tables. We are promptly seated in a half booth in a small alcove to the side. I read this review that complained about the lights from the theater marquee; they shined bright through the window and the flashing was distracting…unfortunately it was true, and now I was distracted  by it. The waiter greeted us promptly, offered us both restaurant week and regular menus. I chose restaurant week menu and my dining companion decided to go with the regular menu.

First up was the tuna tartare ($15)  for my companion and the rice cracker crusted tuna for me. The rice cracker crusted tuna was as delicious as it was the first time. This time it came with a citrus chili emulsion, which looked like ranch dressing at first sight, that gave the tuna this great spicy bite.  So, I’m feeling good, things are going much better than the first time….

….it’s too good to be true. Maybe I jinxed it by thinking things were going so well. Entrees took quite a bit of time to come out. Meals should have even spacing. When your appetizer comes out right away, you don’t want to wait 30 minutes for your entree…it interrupts the flow of the meal. My dining companion had the pork chops with pistachio pesto and roasted cauliflower ($26). I had done research and people seemed to say that the fish was really the restaurants specialty. I’m not really a fish kind of gal, but what the heck! I chose the striped bass, which is a mild white fish, with a nut and seed crust, served with a sweet and sour broth. Amazing! The fish was perfectly cooked, flaky and moist. The broth was quite flavorful and came with purple potatoes, cherry tomatoes and edamame.

And finally dessert. The warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. A beautiful presentation…you almost don’t want to eat it. Almost. As you cut into the cake with your fork, a rush of molton chocolate comes out. The cake is fluffy on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside. The ice cream was an A+ for me, probably some of the best I’ve had. The chocolate cake ranks highly with me as well, probably in my top 5.

So my conclusion is that the food was above average, there isn’t anything that I’m dying to go back for, but it was good. The service really needs some work in my book, they need to figure out the kinks between the servers and the kitchen because that’s enough for people not to want to make a second trip there.

Market by Jean Georges

100 Stuart St. Boston, MA 02116
www.marketbyjgboston.com

(617) 310-6790

Valet parking is available in the hotel (with validation for $15)

Hours: Breakfast: Mon.-Fri., 7-11 a.m., Sat. & Sun., 8-11 a.m.; Lunch: Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Brunch: Sat. & Sun. 11:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Dinner: Sun.-Thurs., 5-10 p.m, Fri. & Sat., 5-11 p.m.

Tags: back bay, celebrity chef, fine dining