Boston Restaurant Reviews

Sel de la Terre

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Overall Rating: Sick Potential (72 out of 100)

255 State Street
Boston, MA 02109
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Phone: 617-720-1300

Located in the downtown waterfront right next to the New England Aquarium, Sel de la Terre specializes in southern French cuisine. We entered Sel de la Terre with sick meal expectations. Unfortunately, lukewarm cuisine, subpar service, and uninspiring ambiance left us unfulfilled.

Gaslight

Our History at Sel de la Terre
Our first visit was on a Friday night at 8:00pm.

Appetizers
$11 first courses include baked aged goat cheese salad, a braised bacon tart, flatbread pizza with smoked chicken, sauteed Maine crab cakes, and crispy fried Rhode Island style squid. Smaller plates such as french olives and eggplant-goat cheese puree are available for $5.

The flatbread pizza with smoked chicken was a highlight. Caramelized onions, green olives, feta cheese, and sage packed a compendium of flavor and texture into the cracker-thin pizza. We also ordered the selection of French olives, which were nothing special; mostly, we received tough, green olives.

Rating: 8.3

Main Dishes
Sel de la Terre's $26 main courses include grilled pork tenderloin, barbecued salmon, roasted chicken breast, pistachio and avocado crusted haddock, and roasted swordfish. Black olive rubbed rack of lamb goes for $33.

We tried the haddock as well as the swordfish. The haddock's pistachio and avocado "crust" (it was more of a "smattering") was sick, but the dish was served at a cool temperature, taking much of the air out of what could have been a splendid dish. Included with the haddock were sparse fingerling potatoes, roasted red onion, and a single cherry tomato. The swordfish was lukewarm and chewy, but it was somewhat saved by the accompanying mix of string beans, shell beans, roasted red pepper, and grilled corn nage.

Rosemary pommes frites, sauteed spinach with parmesan, and chickpea frites with spicy aioli are available as side dishes for $6.50.

Rating: 7.1

Drinks
Featured cocktails go for $10 - $13. A bottle of wine starts at $32.

Rating: 7

Service
Our waitress was hard-to-find when we needed her. Meanwhile, staff inappropriately buzzed around our table, eager to clear unfinished appetizers. Then, after concluding our entrees, the table sat in slop.

Rating: 6.6

Ambiance
Sel de la Terre looked like a private study turned into a restaurant, but the atmosphere felt cold, and the Sel de la Terre team seemed lifeless.

Rating: 7

Et Cetera

Trivia: Prior to opening Sel de la Terre in 2000, Chef/Partner Geoff Gardner spent eight years as the sous chef at L'Espalier.

Menu: View the menu on Sel de la Terre's web site

Reservations: Sel de la Terre is on OpenTable

Transportation: Valet is available for $16. The nearest T stop is Aquarium.

Dress: Casual

Hours: Dinner is served daily from 5:00pm until 10:00pm. A late night menu is available Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00pm until 12:30am.

Labels: French, Sel-de-la-Terre-Boston, Sick-Potential, Waterfront

Gaslight

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Overall Rating: The Sickest (92 out of 100)

560 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
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Phone: 617-422-0224

Sick meals are heating up on Harrison Ave. Gaslight, the newest Aquitaine Group restaurant, delivers sick French cuisine, great drinks, and stunning value in a lively, upbeat environment. Dinner is served until midnight and a late night menu is available until 1:30am - seven days a week.

Our History at Gaslight
Gaslight opened on August 23rd. Our first visit was on a Sunday at 9:00pm.

Appetizers
Hors d'oeuvres range from $5 to $8.50 and include smoked salmon, pate, steak tartare, escargots, and a potato tart. We tried the potato tart (tartelette aux pommes de terre) for $6.75 and the salmon (saumon fume) for $8.

Integrating roquefort cheese, truffles, and super-soft potatoes, the small, delectable potato tart melted in our mouths. It tasted like a double-baked potato with a thin crust covering. The smoked salmon was served with four pieces of sliced potato, a perfect surface for the thin salmon with chickpea blini and lemon creme fraiche. Both dishes were petite yet good for sharing among two. We recommend getting one appetizer per person.

Gaslight serves a complementary baguette in a paper sleeve.

Rating: 9

Main Dishes
Entrees include chicken, pasta, steak, and seafood as well as sandwiches and pizza. Prices range from $9 to $19.50. We ordered leg of lamb (gigot d'agneau roti) for $17.50 and salmon (saumon filet roti) for $18.50.

We received a heaping portion of succulent roasted lamb, served medium-rare to medium. Garlic and herbs provided delicious flavoring, and the meat was tender, fit for slicing with a butter knife. This filling dish was served with sick scalloped potatoes. We enjoyed Gaslight's roasted salmon more than any salmon dish we've tasted in recent memory. The crispy-covered salmon was served with garlic braised escarole and lemon confit.

Rating: 9.4

Drinks
Drinks are surprisingly-affordable. Gaslight offers wine by the glass, carafe, and bottle. A carafe of the house red or white is just $12. Reserve selections are available. Cocktails range from $5.50 to $8.50. We sipped a cool "Cuban Ice", a mix of grapes, mint, Mt. Gay rum, and ice wine, served over crushed ice. "Frida Kahlo", an "iced tea with a kick", was another highlight. This addicting drink consisted of tequila with triple sec, lime, and iced tea.

Rating: 9.6

Service
Down-to-earth and eager-to-please, our waitress patiently provided a detailed explanation of many French-written menu items. We were seated several minutes late, but the staff was attentive while we awaited our table.

Rating: 8.8

Ambiance
With a striking bar, wood floors, white mosaic tiles, beamed wood ceilings, and antique mirrors, Gaslight presents an "old world" yet modern setting. Sit at the bar, cafe tables, communal tables, booths, or leather banquettes. Conversation and music resonate in a lively, loud atmosphere.

Rating: 9.1

Et Cetera

Trivia: Gaslight accepts takeout orders.

Menu: View the menu on Gaslight's web site

Reservations: Gaslight is on OpenTable

Transportation: Gaslight offers free parking in their own lot.

Dress: Casual

Hours: Dinner is served Monday through Friday from 5:00pm until midnight and Saturday and Sunday from 3:00pm until midnight. A late night menu is available seven days a week from midnight until 1:30am.

Labels: French, Gaslight-Boston, South-End, The-Sickest

Brasserie Jo

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Overall Rating: Sick Meals (85 out of 100)

120 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02116
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Phone: 617-424-7000

Located near The Prudential Center in The Colonnade Hotel, Brasserie Jo cooks up a variety of casual, traditional French fare. The menu features light hor's devoures and full meals as well as extensive wine and beer lists.

Our History at Brasserie Jo
Our third visit to Brasserie Jo was on a Friday night at 7:00pm.

Appetizers
Appetizers range from $5.95 to $14.95 and include French ham crepe gratin, smoked salmon, and ratatouille goat cheese tarte. Shellfish are also available including oysters on the half shell, crab claws, and jumbo shrimp cocktail. We ordered the smoked salmon, oysters, and a bowl of clam chowder.

The smoked salmon was served with crispy potatoes and horseradish cream. We enjoyed the salmon, but the horseradish cream hit us like a bulldozer. One might call this dish horseradish cream with salmon and crispy potatoes.

Brimming with fresh clams and not too rich, the clam chowder was surprisingly good. A half dozen ample oysters were a tasty treat.

Salads and pizza are also available.

Rating: 8.3

Main Dishes
Entrees include seafood such as sauteed skate wings, steak dishes such as classic Parisian steak frites, and specialties such as chicken coq au vin. Prices range from $14.95 for seasonal vegetables crepe Florentine to $31.95 for the New York Strip Steak. Daily specials are available.

We ordered roasted rack of lamb for $24.95 and sauteed soft shell crab, a special, for $22.95. The crunchy soft shell crab was served with pistachio butter, fingerling potatoes, and haricots verts. Tender roasted rack of lamb was served with braised flageolet beans, a perfect complement to the lamb.

Rating: 8.9

Drinks
Bottled beer and drafts are available, starting at $4.75. The house draft is Hopla, an Alsatian-style pilsner brewed exclusively for Brasserie Jo. A bottle of wine starts at $29. Martinis go for $11-$12. We sipped on a French cosmo, mixed with Grey Goose, Grand Marnier, and cranberry juice, as well as a "Nouveau", a mix of Stoli Blueberi, Cointreau, and lime juice.

Rating: 8.8

Service
Our waiter was patient and thorough in answering questions regarding the menu. Too much time lapsed between drink orders, but we otherwise received professional service. All of the staff seemed to bound with enthusiasm.

Rating: 8.4

Ambiance
Brasserie Jo feels like a brasserie set in an upscale urban environment. The prime tables are those closest to bustling Huntington Avenue. Your experience at other tables may vary. Our table, for instance, abutted the serving station.

Rating: 8.3

Et Cetera

Trivia: Chef Jean Joho owns the acclaimed Everest and Brasserie Jo restaurants in Chicago and the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Las Vegas.

Menu: Check out the menu here

Reservations: Brasserie Jo is on OpenTable

Transportation: Valet is $12 for 1 hour, $16 for 2 hours, and $20 for three hours. The nearest T station is Prudential on the Green Line (E Branch).

Dress: You may dress casually.

Hours: Dinner is served Monday through Saturday from 5pm to 11pm and on Sunday from 5pm to 10pm. A special bar menu is available until 1am from Monday through Thursday and until 1:30am on Friday and Saturday.

Labels: Back-Bay, Brasserie-Jo, French, Sick-Meals

Mantra

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Overall Rating: Failure (58 out of 100)

52 Temple Place
Boston, MA 02111
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Phone: 617-542-8111

Overpriced and sterile, Mantra makes a mockery out of fine dining. Want to go clubbing in the Ladder District? Mantra is a potential destination. Looking for sick meals? Don't go here. Mantra represents the antithesis of sick meals.

Mantra

Our History at Mantra
Previously, we only visited Mantra to go dancing. For dinner, we recently tossed a bunch of money in the garbage on a Saturday night at 7:30pm.

Appetizers
Mantra fuses French and Indian flavors with seafood, poultry, meats, and produce. Our party sampled several appetizers that illustrated this fusion style of cooking, including spiced scallops and tandoori stuffed quail.

Spiced seared diver scallops were served with mango, cumin, black pepper relish, and red pepper coulis. This rub delicately complemented the large, tender scallops. The tandoori stuffed quail was served with balchao sauce and a tiny portion of mustard mashed potatoes. We liked both appetizers, but four scallops for $19 and unspectacular quail for $17 is highway robbery.

Other appetizers include a tasting of oysters, saffron tandoori shrimp, and "menage a foie". For $23, the cleverly-named menage a foie gives you a variety of miniature delicacies: torchon of foie gras with winter fruit compote, pate with black truffle and brioche toast, seared foie gras with lobster, morel and goat cheese dumpling, and sour cherry Chambord gastrique. If you like foie gras, do yourself a favor: forget Mantra and go to The Butcher Shop.

Mantra peddles a bottomless supply of naan while you await your meal.

Rating: 7.5

Main Dishes
Overpriced to the extreme, Mantra's dinner menu includes pork tenderloin roulades, grilled rack of lamb, veal tenderloin, deconstructed tasting of game hens, fresh coconut herb crusted halibut, and steamed marinated gulf prawns.

Our party tried the veal tenderloin for $32, the deconstructed tasting of game hens for $39, and the fresh coconut herb crusted halibut for $39.

The veal tenderloin, served with garlic spinach, herb Idaho potatoes, and port glazed madras onions, was undercooked. The deconstructed tasting of game hens - quail, squab, and duck breast - was served cold with broccoli raab and mediocre yogurt, mustard, chili, and fig dipping sauces. Mantra's "fresh" coconut herb crusted halibut tasted like a dry, bland slab of fish with a few breadcrumbs sprinkled on top. We detected no coconut in the crust. Accompanying curry leaf coconut sauce resembled a pool of mayonnaise.

The halibut dish was supposed to include grilled asparagus, bean sprouts, and peppers. Adding insult to injury, we received three asparagus, a few red pepper slices, and bean sprouts - all "barely steamed" more than grilled.

To put it lightly, the menu over-promises and under-delivers.

Rating: 4

Drinks
Cocktails, sometimes carelessly mixed, go for about $10. Like everything else, much of the wine list is stratospherically priced. On the other hand, Mantra made several mean martinis, helping us forget the calamitous cuisine.

Rating: 7.6

Service
The staff wandered around like zombies and seemed bored as they awaited the main event - the transition of Mantra from a restaurant to a club. Our waitress took forever to deliver drinks, and it was no wonder: we watched as she took our drink orders and then went behind the bar to mix the drinks. Bartenders were missing in action. Sid Vicious cleared our plates.

Rating: 5

Ambiance
Cold, airy, and empty, Mantra has no heart. We felt as though we were intruding on preparations for the evening's clubbing activities. Signs of the previous night's clubbing showed up on dirty curtains. Men relieve themselves on ice; a few hours into a visit, the bathroom becomes downright raunchy.

Rating: 5

Et Cetera

Trivia: Mantra makes a better nightclub than a restaurant. Slip in before 10:00PM to avoid a $20 cover and sip a drink in the smoke-free hookah den.

Menu: Check out the menu here

Reservations: Mantra is on OpenTable

Transportation: Park in several nearby garages or valet for $15.

Dress: There is no reason to go here unless you want to go dancing. With this in mind, dress for a night of clubbing, or go elsewhere.

Hours: Dinner is served Monday through Saturday from 5:30PM to 10:30PM.

Labels: Downtown-Crossing, Failure, French, Fusion, Indian, Mantra

Salts

Monday, January 22, 2007

Overall Rating: Sick Meals (86 out of 100)

798 Main Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
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Phone: 617-877-8444

Just a few miles across the Charles River near Central Square, Salts features French culinary delights in a tranquil fine dining environment. Creative dishes and pleasing aesthetics make for an evening of serious sick meal exploration.

Salts

Our Salts History
Our first visit to Salts was on a Friday night at 8:15pm.

Appetizers
Seven appetizers ranged from $9 to $15 with an average price of $13. Our eyes gravitated to risotto and Spanish chorizo dishes, but neither selection was available. As substitutes, Salts cooked up a whole rabbit with gnocchi and big eye tuna with black truffle caviar. We jumped at these delicacies.

The rabbit and gnocchi resembled a stew. Imagine assembling your favorite white and dark meats in a light mushroom broth, adding a bit of cubed bacon, and blending it with soft, savory gnocchi. The dish was small but delivered big on taste, offering a variety of flavors and textures in bite-sized chunks.

Salts beautifully presented the big eye tuna. Rare tuna cubes looked like quivering gelatin lined up in rows. However, for $15, style edged substance.

Other appetizers included pear and mache salad as well as a beet salad.

We savored the warm, oven-fresh buns and whipped butter. Complimentary pureed truffle and potato soup added a nice touch.

Rating: 8.6

Main Dishes
Six main courses ranged from $28 to $34 with an average price of $31. We chose poached monkfish and coq au vin en ballotine.

The monkfish tasted rubbery and proved to be the lone disappointment of the evening. Soft, delicious potato croquettes somewhat offset our lackluster monkfish experience. The dish also included bitter Chinese mustard greens.

On the other hand, the coq au vin en ballotine soared to the heights of sickness. Coq au vin en ballotine consists of chicken that is boned, stuffed, rolled, and tied for roasting. The resulting cylindrical dish melded a crispy covering with pureed white chicken that surrounded small pieces of dark chicken. The mouth-watering ballotine was served on top of potato mousseline, maitake mushrooms, and baby-soft pearl onions and carrots.

Other entrees included pan roasted sea bass, agnolotti with fontina cheese, and a whole roasted boneless duck for two, carved tableside.

Rating: 8.5

Drinks
Salts offered a few affordable wines amidst a sea of ultra-expensive options. Our waiter recommended Jose Pariente's Verdejo (2004), Spain's answer to Sauvignon Blanc. This fragrant and vibrant bottle offered good value for $36.

Beer is also available. Salts does not serve hard booze.

Rating: 8.6

Service
The "Front of the House Manager" was welcoming, engaging, and sincere. Our waiter was patient in answering many questions. Such patience was important as the French-laden menu is barely discernable to the average diner.

Rating: 8.9

Ambiance
Salts is a rare Boston-area restaurant that took decided care in designing an entrance and dining room that shields guests from the harsh New England winter. Two sets of doors divide the entrance from the restaurant. The second door opens to a side-area where no tables are located.

Walking into Salts was like walking into a Pottery Barn-decorated dining room. Oversized mirrors, candlelit chandeliers, red velvet curtains, and a dark wooden table with an enveloping bouquet complemented soft music and regular chatter. The elegant silverware was notable.

We were seated at the worst table of the house - a table for two near the hallway that leads to the kitchen and bathroom.

There was a slight pretension in the air, albeit it had little to do with the staff. Fine wine and fine French food sometimes have a way of bringing out a self-important crowd. Sick meals are always most enjoyable when rubbing elbows with people who do not take themselves too seriously. In this case, the preponderance of our fellow guests somewhat detracted from the experience.

Rating: 8.3

Et Cetera

Trivia: Salts is co-owned by chef Gabriel Bremer and his wife, Analia Verolo.

Menu: Check out the menu here

Reservations: Reservations are recommended.

Parking: Salts offers free parking in a lot located behind the restaurant.

Dress: You may dress casually at Salts, but given the fine dining environment, we recommend getting a bit dressed up.

Hours: Salts is open Tuesday through Saturday from 6:00pm to 10:30pm.

Labels: Cambridge, French, Salts, Sick-Meals