L'Espalier

3/15/10
L'Espalier with my boyfriend for Boston Restaurant Week.
We went there for a 5:30 reservation, arrived early so we sat down at the salon for about 10 minutes. We got a corner table, but people watching over Boylston Street was fun.

Hor Dourves: Layered smoked salmon with cream cheese. Goat cheese puff.

Bread: selection of bread: milk bread, rosemary focaccia, and maple nut. Whipped butter.

First course: I got Roasted red pepper, endive and feta salad with chickpea fritter and black olive vinaigrette. Red pepper was not memorable, but I liked the feta cheese nicely mixed with endive. Chickpea fritter was not as tasty as I thought it could have been. The olives in the salad was delicious -- it was probably the best part of the salad. My boyfriend ordered Macomber turnip soup with Parisiennes of root vegetables; chicken and black truffle boudin. He loved it. I can't remember the chicken, though. Overall, the soup was delicious

Main Course: Seared Scottish salmon with saffron risotto and grilled asparagus; white anchovy vanaigrette. The anchovy wasn't too strong. The risotto wasn't outstanding, but the outer layer of the salmon was delicious! Not dry at all and good cooking. Roasted pork loin with Puy lentils, baby carrots and roasted pearl onions Madeira and thyme jus. The pork loin was a bit dry. It was cut about 1cm thick, a bit dry. The lentils were really small pieces. We liked the salmon better than the pork.

Dessert: Layered carmel chocolate cream with almond croustillant and orange foam I did not remember the orange foam at all. Layered carmel chocolate cream was good. The chef (Korean) put sea salt on part of it, and my friend didn't like that, but I thought it went well with the carmel. Blood orange, guava, and vanilla, partfait with lychee foam wasn't anything like a parfait, but it looked more like a babaloa cake. It was elegant.

To take home: a coconut cookie.