March 27th 2014: Dinner at Menton, Boston

After coming back from a work trip in Washington DC, I had a dinner appointment with friends for a Restaurant Week dinner at Menton, a really upscale restaurant in Boston. Before that, I had a little time, so I decided to take a stroll around Pleasure Bay, where the views of the ocean were really calming after a tiring day in DC.

After walking around the entire bay and back to my car, it was time to head to dinner at the pretty upscale place.

Thankfully, I was just in time, and as everyone had already arrived, we got seated at our table soon after.

With the Prix Fixe Menu, we decided to split our efforts up and effectively ordered the entire menu, getting the Foie Gras Terrine (Tangerine, Brioche, Black Pepper),

the Fava Leaf Tortellini (Morels, Parmesan, Sweet Breads)

and the Salmon Roulade (Potato, Dill, Vidalia) for appetizers,

the Local Fluke (Saffron, Mussels, Bay Scallop),

the Onion Crespelle (Artichoke, Lemon, Olive)

and the Assiette of Suckling Pig (Wild Rapini, English Pea, Mustard) for main courses,

and the Artisanal Cheeses,

the Chocolate Pave (Pretzel, Cacao Mate, Rum)

and the Ricotta Cremeux (Graham Cracker, Rhubarb, Caramel) for dessert.

We started off with some complimentary porcini mini-macaroons and Prince Edward Island Mussels.

The macaroons were interestingly salty, while the mussels were nicely laid out inside the shell, although they were a little small.

Our next course came in the form of a mini-croissant, which was really buttery and flavorful.

With that came the appetizers, all well presented. My foie gras was the best of the lot, expected because I had to pay an extra $12 for it, with a kind of peanut butter sauce that blended very well with the pate, and the triangular piece of brioche that went with the dish was perfectly toasted as well.

My friends' salmon was really good as well,

while the sweet breads were more than just bread in the tortellini. My friend was weirded out by the texture of the meat, while it was pretty good to me for what it was. Go look it up.

While waiting for our next course to arrive, which took a while, the waiters were nice enough to bring us some bread to pass the time.

Finally, our main courses arrived.

My onion dish had a really strong garlicky taste,

but overall it was actually pretty good.

The fluke was perfectly cooked and moist, 

and the meat for the pork is the second time that I have had pork that was well cooked and not dry.

Our excellent meal left us in great anticipation for our dessert. My cheeses were just alright though, although the marmalade was pretty good.

The chocolate was excellent, especially the white cubes that we could not tell if it was cheese, although it definitely contained butter.

The ingredients for the last dessert came together really well as well.

To top it off, we were given a bowl of mini-macaroons to sample from while waiting for our bill. Some tasted like peppers, making it a little weird at times.

Needless to say, this was a great end to a long day. I'm glad my flight wasn't delayed so I could get to dinner on time.