Sensing - Celebrity Name But No Personality

I went to Sensing yesterday for Boston Restaurant Week. I was hoping this place would be good since it is associated with Chef Guy Martin (of the famed Grand Vefour in Paris), but I was also skeptical since 'satellite' restaurants of celebrity chefs are often disappointing shells, lacking the personality and brilliance of their creators. Unfortunately, my skeptism was correct.

Walking in, I immediately *felt* like I was in a hotel restaurant. Yes, Sensing is inside of a hotel, but given the starpower behind the restaurant, they should have been able to invest more in the decor. It felt like I was in a cheesy Ikea imitation of a nice restaurant. The funny thing was that bathrooms (located outside of the restaurant) felt nicer than the restaurant! Maybe that's a testament to quality of The Fairmont Hotel, however, you'd think they would set standards for the restaurants inside their hotel.

I started with an heirloom tomato salad topped with caramelized pine nuts and a basil-ginger dressing. I love heirloom tomatoes, and this salad made me very happy. The flavors were well balanced - the sweetness of the caramelized pine nuts offset the acidity from the tomatoes. The fresh basil also added another layer of depth to the flavors. The various tastes and textures all complemented one another.

For my entree, I had the pan fried halibut over mussels, chorizo, shiitake and cranberry beans with a preserved lemon vinaigrette drizzled on top. Our waitress also gave me this big bowl of broth with cherry tomatoes and tofu. Oddly, she couldn't really tell me what to do with it, so I just assumed I was supposed to pour it on top of my dish. The fish could have been cooked slightly less, but I was satisfied with my dish overall. The chorizo and cranberry beans gave the dish a hearty feel, while the lemon vinaigrette brightened it up. I'm glad I poured the broth over my dish, otherwise the fish and other components would have tasted too dry.

B ordered the cod steamed in lemongrass with seasonal vegetables in a coconut-grapefruit foam. Our waitress said it was the restaurant's "signature" dish and stays on their menu year-round, but I call it a 'disaster' dish. The entire thing was completely overcooked - the cod was dry and flavorless, the vegetables were wilted and rubbery. I am shocked that they would boast about this dish. Maybe they cook so many of these dishes that they no longer pay attention to it...who knows.

I had a financier cake with an assortment of sorbets for dessert. This was my worst course of the night, and a rare occassion in which I did not finish every bite of my dessert. The financier cake tasted like stale almond cake. The "sorbets" (which were actually gelatos) were just ok - the strawberry was nice and refreshing, the cookies and cream was mediocre, and the lime was just weird. The waitress told me the lime sorbet was coconut, yet it was green, tasted like lime, and had no resemblance of coconut. Although staff was nice, they didn't know very much about the food and lacked professionalism - the waitress actually walked away from the table next to us while they were ordering their wine in mid-sentence! The service was quite clumsy and definitely nothing like what you would expect from a 'nice' restaurant.

BITE METER: Sensing - 2.0 bites (out of 5)

Napa Valley in August

B and I headed up to Napa with some friends to take advantage of the perks that came with our new Goldeneye wine club membership – free tastings at their sister wineries. We’d been to Duckhorn before (great merlots), so we decided to give Paraduxx a try. But first, we needed to get some food into our systems!

We had lunch at Bottega Restaurant. I had wanted to try it after a friend gave it high praises, so I had made reservations as soon as we planned to go to Napa. However after watching the latest episode of Top Chef Masters (TCM) a few days before our trip, I had almost canceled our reservations. Chiarello’s display of his big, nasty ego left a very bad taste in my mouth, and I didn’t want to support someone like that. However, since the recommendation came from a trusted foodie friend, I decided to give Bottega a try and hope that “reality" television editing made Chiarello seem much worse than he really is.

The restaurant is hidden in the back corner of a strip of other restaurants and shops, so it was a little hard to find. Walking up, I noticed their huge patio shaded by a bright orange awning and wished I had known to request outdoor seating with my reservation (of course, it was already filled). Fortunately, the inside of their restaurant was also quite pleasant and we got a table by the window. Bottega had a rustic yet contemporary feel to it – exposed brick walls, high ceilings, large black metal fixtures.

First up was the salmon tartare and halibut crudo. I was immediately impressed by the presentation – it came on a huge pink salt block. The salmon tartar was good, but didn’t stand out. I enjoyed the silky texture of the fresh halibut, but found the strong licorice/anise flavor of the fennel seed topping to overpower the delicate fish.
Next was the ‘polenta under glass’. I have never seen polenta come in a jar before so I thought the presentation was interesting. The polenta was rich and creamy, and the earthy flavors of the caramelized sautéed mushrooms made a perfect complement.
For my entrée, I had the chitarra-cut spaghetti with white gulf prawns. This dish tasted exactly like I had hoped it would. The hand-cut spaghetti had the springy texture of homemade pasta. The tomato-fennel sauce captured the rich, seafood flavor of the prawn heads, without being overwhelmingly fishy or cloying. The portion size was also just right – just enough to not leave me wanting more, but also didn’t leave me feeling stuffed (a difficult thing for me to balance given my large appetite!)
What *did* put me over the top was dessert! A warm, milk chocolate cake topped with crème anglaise and hazelnut toffee. This dessert is made-to-order so we literally got it right out of the oven. The cake was warm and fluffy like a dense soufflé, and it had that gooey molten center that I dream about. The crunchy texture of the hazelnut toffee provided a nice contrast.
The service was great. Our waitress was helpful and efficient – she even timed our dessert and brought our check out in advance so we could make our wine tasting appointment on time. Chiarello didn’t walk around the restaurant that day, so I can’t say whether he comes off as cocky in person as he did on TCM. However, I will say that his food did taste as good as they looked on the show. I will be back to Bottega.

After stuffing ourselves, we made our way over to Paraduxx. The winery has a much more modern look to it than its sister wineries. We were escorted to the back patio for our tasting. The area was set up well - only a few tables with sleek black Adirondack-like chairs, shaded with big umbrellas. It was a great atmosphere to sit back and drink lots of wine. We tasted 8 wines, each accompanied by a ‘postcard’ of the particular wine’s label filled with information and tasting notes on the back. I like the concept of their wine labels – different stamps with pictures of ducks. Paraduxx specializes in zinfandels, and we tasted their current releases as well as their limited production wines. I really liked their zins – they much more body than typical zins because of their higher cabernet sauvignon content, and you could taste many different layers of fruit and spice.
B and I purchased the 2004 Paraduxx because that was our favorite. Here is a Wine News review that describes the wine better than I ever could: “Dense inky purple hue. Spicy scents of powdered chocolate, nuts and earth. Dusty entry with spicy terroir notes that showcase raspberry flavors and echoes of walnut and mocha from this unusual blend of zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Rich and coating on the close with ripe berries and oak-laced tannins. 92 points”
We then went to Salvestrin Winery, a tiny family-owned winery that’s been around for almost 100 years. The tasting room manager was really friendly. We had the room to ourselves, and he sat at our table talking to us for quite a while. He also gave us recommendations for other small wineries, which I noted for my next trip to Napa. That’s what I love about the smaller wineries – the personal dialog and attention. Salvestrin makes more red wines, but I thought their 2008 Estate Sauvignon Blanc was the most interesting. It was bright and crisp, and had a very unique honeysuckle taste.

Believe it or not, we were hungry again. We had overheard people talking about Pizzeria Tra Vigne, so we decided to check it out. We immediately ordered a pitcher of strawberry lemonade to wake up our taste buds after all that heavy wine. We then had the chicken salad, the margherita pizza (tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil), and the ducati pizza (spicy Italian sausage, capicola, sun-dried tomatoes, mushroom, mozzarella, and tomato sauce). The food was just ok. The crusts should have been more crispy, and the margherita pizza was lacking that fresh mozzarella taste. At least the italian sausage on the ducati pizza had a good kick to it.

BITE METER:
Bottega Restaurant - 4.0 bites (out of 5)
Paraduxx Winery - 4.0 bites (out of 5)
Salvestrin Winery - 3.0 bites (out of 5)
Tra Vigne Pizzeria - 2.5 bites (out of 5)

Ogunquit, Maine

After too much time spent on airplanes the past few weeks, I decided to take a day trip to Ogunquit, Maine -- it's only a 1 1/2 hour drive from Boston. It was nice to get out of the city and be rejuvinated by the fresh ocean air. Ogunquit is a charming town right on the coast of Maine. I would highly recommend it for a casual day trip -- waterfront dining with good, well-priced seafood and a scenic walk along the coastline (Marginal Way). Our first stop was Barnacle Billy's. It was exactly what I was looking for -- a casual place where I could sit outside, munch on fresh seafood, and enjoy the view. It's located in the heart of Perkins Cove and overlooks a small dock. I started off with steamed Wellfleet clams...delicious! These clams were surprisingly large and juicy (I'd been disappointed by puny mussels and clams recently at other places. If they're not in season and you don't have a good supply, then don't serve them). Then came my lobster roll...the *best* lobster roll I've had to-date! The bun was nicely toasted, it was overflowing with fresh lobster, and the sweet flavor of the lobster wasn't overwhelmed by mayo. The fries also came out super hot and crispy, just like I like them. The only disappointing part of the meal was the crab roll, which B ordered. The crab roll was pretty bland, so I recommend you stick with the clams and lobster rolls. After lunch, we took a walk down Marginal Way. It's a cliff-top path along the rocky shore. The trail is a little over a mile long with several benches to sit and enjoy your surroundings along the way. I was surprised to see a huge, sprawling beach at the end of the path. I have found beaches in New England to be on narrow strips of sand, but this one was enormous and packed with people-- it felt like we were in Fort Lauderdale or something. I prefer the more quiet side of the path/town away from the crowds, near Perkins Cove. Tip: If you're in the Ogunquit area, you should also stop by Stonewall Kitchen. Their headquarters are in York, a neighboring town. It's fun to go through the flagship store and sample their specialty foods. I've always been a big fan of their Wild Maine Blueberry Jam. After lots of sampling, I also picked up some Red Pepper Jelly, Champagne Shallot Mustard, and Balsamic Fig Dressing -- I loved the unique and great flavor combinations of these items.

Bite Meter: Barnacle Billy's - 3.5 bites (out of 5)