8.28.2004
restaurant week, part 2
Yesterday, restaurant week brought my family to Mantra, an Indian-French fusion in downtown Boston. It was interesting: we had been before, last year, and had been struck by the elegance and innovation of the dishes. I still recall my meal last year: grilled watermelon, goat cheese and arugula salad, followed by dover sole lightly poached, with a raw coconut milk and curry sauce. This year, the dishes were still full of flavor, but the creativity was missing. My dishes and my father's came with wine: we ordered the wine pairings as well.
I started out with an artichoke and red bell pepper salad, which contained no discernable artichoke. Rather, the artichoke had been replaced by grilled asparagus, which was lovely, but not what I was in the mood for. Accompanied by a Prosecco Brut, this was more of a safe dish: tasty, but devoid of creativity. This was hardly an Indian-French dish. The entree was a seared salmon with sauteed mustard greens and a red peper coulis, served with what tasted like saffron-basmati rice. The red pepper coulis tasted of cumin and garlic, and lent the dish some much-needed spice. The salmon was very nicely cooked (medium-rare, according to our obsequious waitress: recommended by the chef), and the entire dish was put together quite well. This was complemented by an Australian Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, which cut through some of the oily taste of the fish. Finally, a chocolate mousse dome which, interestingly, was served in the shape of a pyramid. A weak sauce of grand marnier and candied kumquats was spread on the plate: a better result might have been gained by watering down a jar of mass-produced orange marmalade. Again, this was hardly adventuresome, especially when served with a mini chocolate martini which tasted more like a boozy milkshake, devoid of actual chocolate flavor. I was underwhelmed by my choices. Thankfully, the other members of my family ordered other dishes.
The chilled carrot and saffron soup was spicy and intense: it tasted of ginger and was both refreshing and intriguing. That it was matched with the same Prosecco Brut that my appetizer was seemed more of a cop-out than a conscious pairing. The last appetizer was a roasted duck salad with a kumquat vinaigrette. The duck was overdone and underseasoned, but the vinaigrette was acceptable. On the menu, this was also to be matched with the Prosecco Brut. Instead, my father was served a kir royale, which was a much better match. Both of my parents tried the roasted sirloin entree, served with asparagus and spiced ginger jus. This was outstanding: the sirloin was perfectly cooked to a buttery and very flavorful rare. The mashed potatos and ginger jus were wonderful additions to this dish. Pairing this with a nice 2003 Australian Shiraz was very effective and quite delicious. However, my brother's potato chaat was really the most daring dish. This contained, over a base of curry spiced potatoes, apples and chickpeas, and floated on a yogurt and mint chutney. This was elegant, flavorful, and unique: it seemed that every other dish served on the restaurant week menu could have been served somewhere else except for the chilled soup and the potato chaat. The other dessert on the menu was a lemon tart on a hazelnut crust, served with fresh vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately, a lemon tart is supposed to taste of lemons and not of a cloyingly sweet eggy custard. This was, supposedly, served with a lemon chili sauce, which I could not taste. This was served with a mini hazelnut martini, in which one could detect almond as well. This was good, but not too good. Overall, I was unimpressed.
Which brings up the allure of Mantra in the first place. Zagat mentions a "hipper-than-thou" attitude, which was certainly present last year. This year, the lights were turned up brighter and the clientele seemed much older. Mantra still has the first hookah lounge in Boston, but it is no longer the toast of the town it had been in 2000, its debut year. Executive chef Thomas John left the restaurant last month, leaving two Mantra regulars promoted to chef and chef de cuisine. It is clear that the daring is gone, though hopefully when Chefs Quinones and Carolan find their footing, they will begin to experiment again. Chef John, on the other hand, is now the executive chef of Au Bon Pain, hardly noted for its innovative recipes and haute cuisine. This is an interesting move, but it did not serve this particular outing well.
On a completely different note, I helped my friend Diana move yesterday. It was a bad move to push extra hard at the gym the day before, as I was extremely when I rolled up for the move at 9:30 AM. This morning, I was in even worse condition. I'd like to say that, as fond as I was of her old place (it had character and a certain dumpy style), this new apartment is a gorgeously lit corner apartment. Someone's moving up in the world... :)
I started out with an artichoke and red bell pepper salad, which contained no discernable artichoke. Rather, the artichoke had been replaced by grilled asparagus, which was lovely, but not what I was in the mood for. Accompanied by a Prosecco Brut, this was more of a safe dish: tasty, but devoid of creativity. This was hardly an Indian-French dish. The entree was a seared salmon with sauteed mustard greens and a red peper coulis, served with what tasted like saffron-basmati rice. The red pepper coulis tasted of cumin and garlic, and lent the dish some much-needed spice. The salmon was very nicely cooked (medium-rare, according to our obsequious waitress: recommended by the chef), and the entire dish was put together quite well. This was complemented by an Australian Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, which cut through some of the oily taste of the fish. Finally, a chocolate mousse dome which, interestingly, was served in the shape of a pyramid. A weak sauce of grand marnier and candied kumquats was spread on the plate: a better result might have been gained by watering down a jar of mass-produced orange marmalade. Again, this was hardly adventuresome, especially when served with a mini chocolate martini which tasted more like a boozy milkshake, devoid of actual chocolate flavor. I was underwhelmed by my choices. Thankfully, the other members of my family ordered other dishes.
The chilled carrot and saffron soup was spicy and intense: it tasted of ginger and was both refreshing and intriguing. That it was matched with the same Prosecco Brut that my appetizer was seemed more of a cop-out than a conscious pairing. The last appetizer was a roasted duck salad with a kumquat vinaigrette. The duck was overdone and underseasoned, but the vinaigrette was acceptable. On the menu, this was also to be matched with the Prosecco Brut. Instead, my father was served a kir royale, which was a much better match. Both of my parents tried the roasted sirloin entree, served with asparagus and spiced ginger jus. This was outstanding: the sirloin was perfectly cooked to a buttery and very flavorful rare. The mashed potatos and ginger jus were wonderful additions to this dish. Pairing this with a nice 2003 Australian Shiraz was very effective and quite delicious. However, my brother's potato chaat was really the most daring dish. This contained, over a base of curry spiced potatoes, apples and chickpeas, and floated on a yogurt and mint chutney. This was elegant, flavorful, and unique: it seemed that every other dish served on the restaurant week menu could have been served somewhere else except for the chilled soup and the potato chaat. The other dessert on the menu was a lemon tart on a hazelnut crust, served with fresh vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately, a lemon tart is supposed to taste of lemons and not of a cloyingly sweet eggy custard. This was, supposedly, served with a lemon chili sauce, which I could not taste. This was served with a mini hazelnut martini, in which one could detect almond as well. This was good, but not too good. Overall, I was unimpressed.
Which brings up the allure of Mantra in the first place. Zagat mentions a "hipper-than-thou" attitude, which was certainly present last year. This year, the lights were turned up brighter and the clientele seemed much older. Mantra still has the first hookah lounge in Boston, but it is no longer the toast of the town it had been in 2000, its debut year. Executive chef Thomas John left the restaurant last month, leaving two Mantra regulars promoted to chef and chef de cuisine. It is clear that the daring is gone, though hopefully when Chefs Quinones and Carolan find their footing, they will begin to experiment again. Chef John, on the other hand, is now the executive chef of Au Bon Pain, hardly noted for its innovative recipes and haute cuisine. This is an interesting move, but it did not serve this particular outing well.
On a completely different note, I helped my friend Diana move yesterday. It was a bad move to push extra hard at the gym the day before, as I was extremely when I rolled up for the move at 9:30 AM. This morning, I was in even worse condition. I'd like to say that, as fond as I was of her old place (it had character and a certain dumpy style), this new apartment is a gorgeously lit corner apartment. Someone's moving up in the world... :)
