A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

I have been hearing such good things about the Bistro du Midi. We decided to try it out for restaurant week. Here was their menu:

1st
Creamy Cauliflower Soup, Parmesan Tuile or Roasted Caillettes, Frisee, Anchovy, Garlic & Tomato or Seasonal Vegetables, Market Greens, Balsamic Vinaigrette
2nd
Braised Lamb Neck Ravioli’s, Baby Carrots, Cumin, Lamb Jus or Sautéed Rose Fish, Salad of Fennel, Castel Vetrano Olives & Citrus or Roasted Loin of Pork, Potato Puree, Root Vegetables, Pork Jus
3rd
Milk Chocolate-Pistachio Palette, Pistachio Crunch Ice Cream or Apricot Clafoutis, Almond Milk Sorbet or Citrus Pots de Crème, Tangerine Gelée, Citrus Sorbet, Fennel Crisp

We grabbed a drink before dinner in the bar area before heading upstairs for our meal.

We were having a super early bird dinner-so there were only a few other diners there when we ate which was really great. The service was excellent from the moment we walked in the door. We were greeted at the host stand in front, and again pleasantly greeted when we got to the top of the stairs. We were sat at a table near the window-and they pulled out the table so one of us could get into the banquet seat. Our server, Alex, was really spectacular. He was quiet spoken and friendly, he was really knowledgeable about the menu and was able to give us some good suggestions.

My friend and I both opted to go for the a la carte menu. I started with the mussels Marinière au Pastis ($13). They were smaller than the regular mussels that you get at a restaurant, I can’t remember what kind he said they were. They were about half the regular size and a little gritty-but no more gamey than the regular mussel. As I was making my way through the mussels, every time my shell bowl was getting close to full, there was someone to replace it. So excellent. What really makes this dish special is the pastis. It had a warm, slightly spicy flavor to it. The mussels come in a dish and they pour the sauce over them table side. My friend ordered the beet and goat cheese salad ($11) with lemon vinaigrette and reported it to be one of the best she has had. On a side note, we ordered the souffle I had been hearing so much about at the start of the meal because it takes 25 minutes to make, the chocolate one, not the grand marnier. The bread basket is wonderful with a nice selection of breads, we loved the herbed bread sticks. I liked how the bread was left on the table for the whole meal, and they brought us more bread upon request (those bread sticks were SO good).

My friend ordered the Pan Roasted Cod, Chickpeas, Pimentos, Golden Raisins, Chorizo   ($ 28), the chef specializes in fish dishes. I order the Thyme Infused Garganelli Pasta, Wild Boar Ragoût, Manchego Cheese   ($ 22). We were tempted by the Poached Maine Lobster, Chitarra Pasta, Baby Spinach, Pancetta, Peppercorn Lobster Jus   ($ 29) and the Stuffed Calamari, Lobster Jus   ($15) but decided to save that for another time. The pasta was delicious. The meat and sauce had a little bit of a kick to it and I am such a fan of manchego cheese-so buttery and delicious. The pasta was perfectly cooked al dente. Quite an excellent dish.

At the end of our entree, the manager, who’s name I think was John, came over to see how our meal was. He seemed personable and genuine-really nice. Every table receives complimentary marshmallows at the end of the meal. The two in the back were lavender and the two in the front were olive oil. Light and fluffy, they come served in a glass jar filled with sugar. The olive oil marshmallow was surprising. Sweet but yet a little savory-a complex flavor.

So the chocolate souflee ($10) was taken off the winter menu because the hazelnut cake took it’s spot, but it’s back now! A really rich, chocolate flavor, and not too heavy. The inside was warm and delicious. Totally worth the trip.

The hazelnut milk chocolate cake ($10) was amazing. Alex, our waiter, described it to be like a candy bar, served with salted caramel ice cream. YUM!! It wasn’t really a cake in the traditional sense. It had so many textures, crunchy on the bottom, smooth in the middle, and whole hazelnuts on the top-and put together with the salted caramel-puts you over the moon.

Overall, Bistro du Midi was an excellent experience, great food and great service. We can’t wait to go back again because it left us with such a positive feeling. This is what restaurants should strive to be like.

Bistro du Midi

272 Boylston Street Boston, MA

617.426.7878

http://bistrodumidi.com

 

 

Tags: back bay, restaurant