March 15, 2010 Post 390
And restaurant week has begun….
Post is located in the Clarendon building, the site of the former Back Bay Postal Annex and is owned by the Himmel group (they also own Grill 23 and Harvest).
This was my second visit. Last time we went at 7:30pm on a week night, this time 5pm on a Sunday. The first time, it was crowded, and loud, we had to shout just to hear each other across the table. The bars, both upstairs and down, were packed and they were filled to capacity. This time, there were a few people there, but we basically had the whole upstairs to ourselves. Ironically, both times, I sat at the same table. Upstairs has large windows that provide a great view of the street below. The restaurant is dimly lit and has two fireplaces for ambiance.
I started off with the clam cakes. They were smoother than a crab cake with large clams inside. They were creamy and delicious but it could have been anything inside. They arrive on a bed of tomato and onion salad with pieces of chorizo (and a chorizo vinaigrette) which provided a nice ‘bite’ to the dish as well as the lemony sauce the cakes were served on. The last time I was here I had the crab and spinach dip that comes with chips and a cut up baguette. It is warm cheese-y deliciousness-very flavorful, a must try on the menu.
The first time I had the beer and bacon mac and cheese, which my dining companion had this time. It comes served in a cast iron skillet, cheese-y and warm with a nice crust on top. While the beer flavoring is far from subtle in the dish, the bacon flavor was non existent.
For my entree this time I went with the pulled duck pappardelle. The noodles were perfectly al dente in a flavorful broth (orange-jalepeno duck sauce) with peppers, broccolini, onions and wonderful pieces of moist, juicy duck meat. The dish felt light and summery, perfect for a rainy day and my growing spring fever. The down side to the dish, there was a bone in it, the size of a dime, and had I not been paying attention, could have mistaken it for a piece of meat.
For dessert the chocolate marquis with chocolate sauce and candied peanuts. I’m not sure I would like the dessert alone, but add in the chocolate sauce, the crunchy sweet and salty peanuts and the sweet whipped cream all together, and it’s delicious. The dessert is traditionally made with dark chocolate, heavy cream, egg yolks and sugar (and sometimes honey) all beaten together to make the dessert light and fluffy. True to form, this one was light and fluffy like a whipped mousse, and was almost cake-like on the bottom. It had a rich dark chocolate flavor that was cut by the sweetness of the fresh whipped cream. The peanuts were candied, sweet but not too sweet, and the taste of the peanut was able to shine through.
All in all the food was good. They didn’t have food that I crave or that I’m dying to have again, but it was a decent meal. Isn’t that the beauty of restaurant week, trying new places, three courses, for the low price of $33.10? And if I do come back for another try, definitely planning on the root beer float (they make their own root beer) and perhaps a pizza or a sandwich (they have a lobster roll!!)
406 Stuart Street Boston, MA 02116
(617) 399-0015
Lunch Monday-Friday 11:30am-2:30pm
Dinner Sunday-Thursday 5pm-11pm; Friday and Saturday 5pm-12pm
Brunch Sunday 11:30am-2:30pm
Tags: back bay, pasta, restaurant
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