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| - A posh staple of Tremont's growing gourmet kingdom. I wasn't sure when I'd have the occasion (and funds) to dine at Dante, but bae pulled through and surprised me with a reservation at the Chef's Table for my birthday! It's aptly named - you're literally taken to a booth style table in the front kitchen to watch as desserts are whipped up, noodles boiled, plates wiped clean, and dishes whisked away by suave runners. Just be ready to smell like kitchen oil by the time the meal is finished.
Chef Boccuzzi needed a vibe and menu to match the old-timey luster of an old bank building. This is the kind of place where waiters scrape away bread crumbs off the table and fold your napkins when you get up to use the restroom. Also, the type of place where you can barely see your neighbors and food unless you're in the kitchen. The setting perhaps also serves to remind that the restaurant has collected a fortune from the price tag on each meal.
We opted for the 5-course tasting menu so that we could be surprised. And also to reduce the time agonizing over what to order. (You can essentially opt for as many courses as you can eat/pay for, but the most common choices are 5 or 7 courses.) Our waiter for the evening was uber attentive and started us off with some house-made bread and hummus. Both seemed pretty run-of-the-mill, but luckily we were also sipping some excellent prosecco and moscato.
Our courses:
1. A raw fish (I think sea bass?) delicately arranged on colorful radishes with mushrooms, arugula and orange puree. I'm not much a fan of sashimi or tartare, but this dish was a hit. The two types of mushrooms were the stars of this Instagram-worthy show.
2. Linguine with pork belly, purple potatoes, and garlic sauce. Knowing Dante's Mediterranean roots, we were really hoping for a pasta dish. However, this one was a let-down. The sauce was pretty bland and the pork too chewy.
3. Scallops with apple, celery root, and pomegranate. Dante swung gracefully back into our good graces with this home run. I don't think I've ever had such buttery scallops, made even more impressive with the beautiful sear on top.
4. Quail with prosciutto-wrapped carrot, radish, and mustard seeds. A fun, rich dish. Forever referred to by us as "tiny chicken". Watch out for the bones!
4.5 We had been watching the kitchen prepare these little dishes of sorbet and fruit and were joking that if they served this to us as the dessert course, we were leaving. Next thing we knew, two of these plates were set in front of us and I had to struggle not to laugh. Thank goodness, this was only a palate cleanser.
5. Our lovely waiter actually got us two different desserts, somehow reading our minds as we were watching the kitchen prep and getting us exactly the ones we wanted. I had a layered blueberry and chocolate mousse parfait that I'm sure is the dessert of queens. Our other dessert was a unique brownie of espresso and chocolate-covered banana, with some torched bananas and a sesame seed crisp. This is for the dessert heavyweights, requiring a true dedication to chocolate and sweetness to finish.
Two hours later we were stuffed with appetizers, 5.5 dishes, and 3 glasses each of wine, and barely able to roll out of the booth. The Chef's Table is a coveted spot at Dante, but also can be an awkward position since you're trying not to make the chefs feel like zoo animals while also wondering what they think of your dining etiquette (or lack thereof). However, it's also one of the best routes to getting a photo with Chef Boccuzzi himself (remember to suck in your post-meal pudge!). Be sure to stop by the giant glass candy bowls and fill your pockets on your way out!
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