One of the best dining experiences of my life was at Toro in Boston. Not just because of the food, but because of a chance encounter.
Toro is an award-winning Spanish tapas restaurant in Boston. It's rustic, it's chic and it's busy. And it feels like you've been transported to beautiful Barcelona.
Toro is a Barcelona-style tapas restaurant located in Boston’s South End. We serve traditional and modern Spanish-style small plates made with locally sourced and sustainable ingredients.
Hailed as Boston's best kept secret, Toro is a Spanish tapas restaurant and bar that has been serving the South End since 2005. Created by James Beard Award-winning Chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette, the menu features Barcelona-inspired hot and cold small plates, designed to be served and enjoyed tapas-style. The beverage program features classic-inspired cocktails and an eclectic, carefully curated wine list. Toro is open seven days a week for dinner, serves lunch on the weekdays and features a special brunch on Sunday. Due to our small size we are unable to accommodate dinner reservations and seat all parties on a first-come, first serve basis. We do accept lunch reservations of any size and take brunch reservations for parties of 6 or more.We were seated on this awkward little corner at the end of the booth seating and beginning of window seating. We were right behind this one, elderly gentleman eating alone who seemed to come here often, as he knew the servers by name. This is Jack Truslow.
Kaitlynn and I were having a bit of a heart-to-heart, as it was our last day together for probably months. We talked about our respective futures and where we see things going, and we talked about changes ahead. I lamented how I feel such a strong connection to West Virginia, and how I don't want to be "one of the ones who leave." Even though I totally understand why people do. I told her how I love the bustling city and how full of life it is, but there are things about home that you just can't get elsewhere.
In the midst of this deep conversation, we put in some orders from the menu. Tapas necessitates ordering a few different bites and sharing them amongst the table. We ordered a handful and soon enough, fresh baked bread was delivered to our table. It was yeasty, porous and divine.
Kaitlynn's "Pan con Tomate" came out, which is toasted bread, tomato, garlic, Spanish olive oil, sea salt and anchovies. Next, my "MaÃz Asado con Alioli y Queso Cotija" was grilled corn with aioli, lime, espelette pepper and aged cheese. I don't say this often - but this was life-changing. I didn't know that corn could taste this good. IT's hidden under this mound of cheesy creamy deliciousness. The corn is perfectly grilled, the little lime just enhances the flavors. Like, you must get this. Please get this so we can talk about it. There's nothing else like this. Amazing.
OK, I also got the "Uni Bocadillo," which is a pressed uni (sea urchin) sandwich with miso butter and pickled mustard seeds. Also, quite good. Small, light, flavorful.
We took bites of everything, exclaiming how incredible each of these small plates were, while carrying on our conversation about real-world adult shit. It was then that Jack Truslow apologized and interrupted our conversation. He was from North Carolina, but fell in love with Boston. He loved the city and overheard it was my last day (and heard me saying city folk are not super nice), so he wanted to prove Boston is lovely. He ordered us one more small plate - "pimientos del Padron," which are spicy green peppers and sea salt.
It's a very simple, but beautiful dish full of vibrant flavors - like each of these plates. I was overwhelmed with his generosity. We continued to talk, and he knew of all the great places in town and asked how I was liking things. He caught my name and then mentioned Candice Bergen (who my mother got inspiration from in naming me), and he was delighted to hear that fact. Jack Truslow became the unintended, but very welcomed third party at our table.
If I felt before that Boston wasn't overly friendly, he completely changed my mind. That was exactly what he intended to do - to show Boston could be friendly. He carried on a long conversation with us about food once he found out I was a blogger, and we talked about the incredible meal we all had just had.
Toro really is an incredible place. Flavors I haven't had before - all prepared fresh and full of vibrancy. And the customers, well, they are pretty great, too.
Grade: A
Table 9 replaced The Wharf in - wait for it - the Wharf District. I now work in the Wharf District, so any new restaurants are openly welcomed. Because it is so close, I ended up going here four times total before getting around to writing this review. Four. Not on purpose - just happened that way. So I probably have a fairly well-rounded take on this place.
The interior is nice, with some cool colors and a neat ceiling. Two sitting areas bookend the restaurant, and art dons the walls. They have a huge viewing area, so you can watch as people walk the rail trail, and they have local beer available - so that's cool.
My first visit was just for happy hour when we realized they opened and couldn't wait to try it. I ordered a Chestnut Brew Works Nate's Nut Brown Ale - lovely. Absolutely lovely. A co-worker ordered a few of their snacks:
Second Visit: We went for lunch. Their lunch menu has a list of regular sandwiches, and the dinner focuses more on tapas - small plates that you share. The lunch menu has some salads a few different standard sandwiches, nothing that really jumps out at me: hot Italian sandwich, BBQ pulled pork sandwich, a pulled pork sandwich (sans bbq, but instead with onions and swiss), a fried fish sandwich, grilled chicken, skirt steak, buffalo chicken, roasted turkey, grilled cheese and burgers. They also have specials written on a chalkboard-type of wall in front of the kitchen.
The one that was the most different to me was the pulled pork sandwich. Mostly because I haven't really seen a pulled pork sandwich that wasn't slathered in BBQ. Nope - this one had pickled red onions, Swiss, cilantro aioli and ciabatta.I opted for the side salad rather than fries.
But this is where things took a turn for the worse for me here.
I was with about five or six of my coworkers, and my friend Tony and I received our plates first. We waited patiently while the other members of our party waited to receive their plates. I adjusted my sandwich to get the best light. We continued to wait. A few minutes passed, and a waiter who was on his way to another table said he knew he made a mistake. I looked at my plate, and I thought it could've been what I ordered, but didn't pay it much attention. Then, the waiter picks up my plate and my coworker's plate and delivers them to another table.
I kind of sat there in disbelief. Oh no. I think I touched that sandwich. I think I touched that sandwich that is now going to an unsuspecting patron. After that plate sat in front of me for about five minutes. This wasn't - oh, set the plate down, realize mistake, pick it back up. This sat in front of me - unsupervised - for minutes. I was just thinking, man, if the waiter picked up another plate from another table and gave it to me, I'd be furious.
Yes, they're new. Yes, they're learning. But this is basic, basic stuff. I'm not in food service, but I've eaten at restaurants and could tell you I'd be pissed if I was served a meal from another table. That's weird. And gross. And worrisome.
Sigh.
But I ate my sandwich, and it wasn't bad. I actually liked it. But I couldn't get over the service. What else do they do back in the kitchen that I'm NOT seeing? I just don't like that. It bothers me.
Credit to them for doing a pulled pork sandwich in a different manner. I appreciated the cheese and pickled red onions were awesome. The garlic sauce on top was pretty good, too. It didn't blow my mind, but it was an OK lunch sandwich. The salad's house white balsamic dressing was kind of flavorless. Oily. But not in a good way.
Third time: WHY did I go back a third time? Well, because we're strapped for lunch options in this area. OR, I'm a glutton for punishment. Probably the latter. I went in a different direction and tried the cheddar burger. I also got the fries this time.
Burger was ordered medium well. But it really ended up being well-done and dry. They also mixed up two of my coworkers' orders, who also got burgers.
Anyway. Burger was not the kind of quality I thought it would be. Maybe because juice and flavor had been cooked out, but it didn't have a lot of flavor. Dare I say, it could've been frozen? Just not anything I'd expect at a restaurant - from my freezer, perhaps. But not a huge fan. And the fries were okay - they had some sort of different seasoning that I couldn't place. But another coworker had a totally different type of fry. Confused.
Fourth trip: Dinner. Finally went for dinner this time with two good friends for a celebration. And it was a much different experience. First of all, the menu items are much more creative and different. They are much more expensive, though. Too expensive. I'll do a quick run-down of all the different things we ordered:
Snacks:
-Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Hollandaise $5
Small Plates:
-Blackened Tuna, Picked Cucumbers, Corn, Radish, Horseradish $15
-Prince Edward Mussels, Bloody Mary Mix, Celery, Tomato, Hot Sauce $13
-Grilled Lamb, Salted Yogurt, Eggplant, Zucchini, Red Pepper, Pickled Red Onions $14
-Pan Seared Filet, Roasted Cauliflower, Chimichurri9, Pea Tendrils $15
-Scallops and Risotta (special of the day) $18
Desserts:
-Olive Oil Cake, Blackberries, Whipped Goat Cheese, Salted Almonds $5
-Buttermilk Panna Cotta, Pear, Mint, Almond $5
We each ordered a couple different small plates and passed them around. If you're looking to get a full tummy, this probably isn't your place. If you're looking to try something a little different and share the experience with all your friends, this may be more your style. The small plates on the menu get heavier as you make your way toward the bottom.
But by heavier, it doesn't really mean you're going to be full. I had a little bit of everything, but I was still kind of hungry when I left. I wasn't starving, but I didn't feel totally full, and that feels like robbery when you drop $50 on a meal and you still want more.
However, I appreciate the creativity that goes into this. We had the devils on horseback, since I didn't really get much of a taste of them before. I'm still not super crazy about them. It's an odd gummy texture with the date plus lots of dark chocolate, which overtook the flavor and a piece of bacon. If the bacon had been extra salty and crisp, I think it would've done wonders. Because otherwise it's this odd mixture of mush. The pepper jelly on the bottom was lovely, though, and there definitely needs to be more of that.
The Brussels sprouts - tasty. Vicki discovered she actually likes Brussels sprouts. Instead of a sulfur taste you can get with a not-so-great batch, these were like mini cabbages, fresh, buttery and with a touch of lemon.
The Tuna was one of the standouts, I think. The spice rub was flavorful, and the thick chunk of tuna was of good quality. Not mushy. Fresh, somehow. The bits of cucumber, corn and radish on top added a cool, sweet flavor.
The mussels weren't bad, but I'm not a huge mussel fan. Brittany discovered she loves mussels. The sauce was this sort of marinara, bloody mary mix, so it was different. Just not my exact cup of tea, though the others raved about it.
Brittany's grilled lamb was good, but it was pretty rare. I appreciated the yogurt sauce, which made it like this deconstructed gyro. It was a thicker portion than some of the other dishes, so that's nice, too. And it had a side of the pickled red onions, which I loved.
The filet was cooked much, much better than my burger. It's like they knew what medium meant this time. The inconsistency worries me, but at least there was a little bit more flavor this time. It still needed some extra spice - I don't want to have to rely totally on the sauce to get that extra flavor. The meat should have a little bit more going for it. But the quality was better than the burger.
Scallops and risotta. For $18, I got three scallops. If they were divine, this might not be an issue. They were good. But three? Three? Meh. I get the idea of tapas, and I like it, really. But if you want people to buy multiple dishes, they need to be cheaper than $18. The scallops were seared nicely. The risotto left a little something to be desired. It had this gravy flavor, almost, instead of lighter taste.
One thing that kind of bothered me was that service was just kind of clunky. Our waitress was nice, but they kept switching out plates for "courses" - which there aren't any courses. Just bring everything out at once. They're all teeny tiny. So I had plates switched at least three times, which was annoying. It was awkward and clunky and slow, and we were trying to have a conversation. Then they'd place the plates like off to the side. I just kind of wanted them to set the plates at the end of the table and let me do it. Goodness.
When it comes down to it, I'm not a huge fan of the lunch. It's mediocre, plain and uninventive. And service always seem to be an ordeal. Dinner was a much better experience because I enjoyed trying a little of everything, and it was more of an adventure, rather than a meal. But the prices are just entirely too steep. I enjoyed my experience at dinner, but I still had a snack when I left because when it came down to it, I had four small strips of filet, three scallops and a bite or two of other things. The waitress suggested ordering about two dishes because their small plates are 4 oz. I did, but if you want me to order more than that, prices need to come down. I've had scallop dishes with more substance for $18. Make this happen.
I want to mention that Vicki finished off their bottle of Mossback Pinot Noir and loved it - all three glasses at $10 each.
Oh, there was dessert! Panna Cotta, which was so light and fluffy with some pear, mint, almond and candied apples. It was pretty good. And for $5, it was less offensive.
The olive oil cake was deconstructed with blackberries, whipped goat cheese and salted almonds. They even smeared a caramel "Congrats" in the dish, which was really quite sweet. The cake wasn't super flavorful, but the tart berries and goat cheese made up for it.
I think some of the kinks may get worked out. But for it to succeed, prices really need to come down. And you know me, I'm willing to pay money for good food. I like the creativity and I like the experience, but it's too pricey to make a full meal.
Grade: B
The interior is nice, with some cool colors and a neat ceiling. Two sitting areas bookend the restaurant, and art dons the walls. They have a huge viewing area, so you can watch as people walk the rail trail, and they have local beer available - so that's cool.
My first visit was just for happy hour when we realized they opened and couldn't wait to try it. I ordered a Chestnut Brew Works Nate's Nut Brown Ale - lovely. Absolutely lovely. A co-worker ordered a few of their snacks:
- Garlic aioli and Sriracha fries - exactly what you'd think. Fries with a little hot sauce. The garlic aioli was nice, and there was a pretty good size serving here for the $5.
- Devils on horseback, pepper jam - probably the most creative snack we had. But because we split them up among six people when there were only three, it's hard to get a real good taste of it. It was a date with chocolate and bacon. I appreciate the creativity but wasn't a huge fan of the execution. $6.
- Fried ricotta, roasted tomato jam, garlic olive oil - my favorite of the trio. But who doesn't like fried cheese? I really liked the tomato jam it was sitting on.
The one that was the most different to me was the pulled pork sandwich. Mostly because I haven't really seen a pulled pork sandwich that wasn't slathered in BBQ. Nope - this one had pickled red onions, Swiss, cilantro aioli and ciabatta.I opted for the side salad rather than fries.
But this is where things took a turn for the worse for me here.
I was with about five or six of my coworkers, and my friend Tony and I received our plates first. We waited patiently while the other members of our party waited to receive their plates. I adjusted my sandwich to get the best light. We continued to wait. A few minutes passed, and a waiter who was on his way to another table said he knew he made a mistake. I looked at my plate, and I thought it could've been what I ordered, but didn't pay it much attention. Then, the waiter picks up my plate and my coworker's plate and delivers them to another table.
I kind of sat there in disbelief. Oh no. I think I touched that sandwich. I think I touched that sandwich that is now going to an unsuspecting patron. After that plate sat in front of me for about five minutes. This wasn't - oh, set the plate down, realize mistake, pick it back up. This sat in front of me - unsupervised - for minutes. I was just thinking, man, if the waiter picked up another plate from another table and gave it to me, I'd be furious.
Yes, they're new. Yes, they're learning. But this is basic, basic stuff. I'm not in food service, but I've eaten at restaurants and could tell you I'd be pissed if I was served a meal from another table. That's weird. And gross. And worrisome.
Sigh.
But I ate my sandwich, and it wasn't bad. I actually liked it. But I couldn't get over the service. What else do they do back in the kitchen that I'm NOT seeing? I just don't like that. It bothers me.
Credit to them for doing a pulled pork sandwich in a different manner. I appreciated the cheese and pickled red onions were awesome. The garlic sauce on top was pretty good, too. It didn't blow my mind, but it was an OK lunch sandwich. The salad's house white balsamic dressing was kind of flavorless. Oily. But not in a good way.
Third time: WHY did I go back a third time? Well, because we're strapped for lunch options in this area. OR, I'm a glutton for punishment. Probably the latter. I went in a different direction and tried the cheddar burger. I also got the fries this time.
Burger was ordered medium well. But it really ended up being well-done and dry. They also mixed up two of my coworkers' orders, who also got burgers.
Anyway. Burger was not the kind of quality I thought it would be. Maybe because juice and flavor had been cooked out, but it didn't have a lot of flavor. Dare I say, it could've been frozen? Just not anything I'd expect at a restaurant - from my freezer, perhaps. But not a huge fan. And the fries were okay - they had some sort of different seasoning that I couldn't place. But another coworker had a totally different type of fry. Confused.
Fourth trip: Dinner. Finally went for dinner this time with two good friends for a celebration. And it was a much different experience. First of all, the menu items are much more creative and different. They are much more expensive, though. Too expensive. I'll do a quick run-down of all the different things we ordered:
Snacks:
-Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Hollandaise $5
Small Plates:
-Blackened Tuna, Picked Cucumbers, Corn, Radish, Horseradish $15
-Prince Edward Mussels, Bloody Mary Mix, Celery, Tomato, Hot Sauce $13
-Grilled Lamb, Salted Yogurt, Eggplant, Zucchini, Red Pepper, Pickled Red Onions $14
-Pan Seared Filet, Roasted Cauliflower, Chimichurri9, Pea Tendrils $15
-Scallops and Risotta (special of the day) $18
Desserts:
-Olive Oil Cake, Blackberries, Whipped Goat Cheese, Salted Almonds $5
-Buttermilk Panna Cotta, Pear, Mint, Almond $5
We each ordered a couple different small plates and passed them around. If you're looking to get a full tummy, this probably isn't your place. If you're looking to try something a little different and share the experience with all your friends, this may be more your style. The small plates on the menu get heavier as you make your way toward the bottom.
But by heavier, it doesn't really mean you're going to be full. I had a little bit of everything, but I was still kind of hungry when I left. I wasn't starving, but I didn't feel totally full, and that feels like robbery when you drop $50 on a meal and you still want more.
However, I appreciate the creativity that goes into this. We had the devils on horseback, since I didn't really get much of a taste of them before. I'm still not super crazy about them. It's an odd gummy texture with the date plus lots of dark chocolate, which overtook the flavor and a piece of bacon. If the bacon had been extra salty and crisp, I think it would've done wonders. Because otherwise it's this odd mixture of mush. The pepper jelly on the bottom was lovely, though, and there definitely needs to be more of that.
The Brussels sprouts - tasty. Vicki discovered she actually likes Brussels sprouts. Instead of a sulfur taste you can get with a not-so-great batch, these were like mini cabbages, fresh, buttery and with a touch of lemon.
The Tuna was one of the standouts, I think. The spice rub was flavorful, and the thick chunk of tuna was of good quality. Not mushy. Fresh, somehow. The bits of cucumber, corn and radish on top added a cool, sweet flavor.
The mussels weren't bad, but I'm not a huge mussel fan. Brittany discovered she loves mussels. The sauce was this sort of marinara, bloody mary mix, so it was different. Just not my exact cup of tea, though the others raved about it.
Brittany's grilled lamb was good, but it was pretty rare. I appreciated the yogurt sauce, which made it like this deconstructed gyro. It was a thicker portion than some of the other dishes, so that's nice, too. And it had a side of the pickled red onions, which I loved.
The filet was cooked much, much better than my burger. It's like they knew what medium meant this time. The inconsistency worries me, but at least there was a little bit more flavor this time. It still needed some extra spice - I don't want to have to rely totally on the sauce to get that extra flavor. The meat should have a little bit more going for it. But the quality was better than the burger.
Scallops and risotta. For $18, I got three scallops. If they were divine, this might not be an issue. They were good. But three? Three? Meh. I get the idea of tapas, and I like it, really. But if you want people to buy multiple dishes, they need to be cheaper than $18. The scallops were seared nicely. The risotto left a little something to be desired. It had this gravy flavor, almost, instead of lighter taste.
One thing that kind of bothered me was that service was just kind of clunky. Our waitress was nice, but they kept switching out plates for "courses" - which there aren't any courses. Just bring everything out at once. They're all teeny tiny. So I had plates switched at least three times, which was annoying. It was awkward and clunky and slow, and we were trying to have a conversation. Then they'd place the plates like off to the side. I just kind of wanted them to set the plates at the end of the table and let me do it. Goodness.
When it comes down to it, I'm not a huge fan of the lunch. It's mediocre, plain and uninventive. And service always seem to be an ordeal. Dinner was a much better experience because I enjoyed trying a little of everything, and it was more of an adventure, rather than a meal. But the prices are just entirely too steep. I enjoyed my experience at dinner, but I still had a snack when I left because when it came down to it, I had four small strips of filet, three scallops and a bite or two of other things. The waitress suggested ordering about two dishes because their small plates are 4 oz. I did, but if you want me to order more than that, prices need to come down. I've had scallop dishes with more substance for $18. Make this happen.
I want to mention that Vicki finished off their bottle of Mossback Pinot Noir and loved it - all three glasses at $10 each.
Oh, there was dessert! Panna Cotta, which was so light and fluffy with some pear, mint, almond and candied apples. It was pretty good. And for $5, it was less offensive.
The olive oil cake was deconstructed with blackberries, whipped goat cheese and salted almonds. They even smeared a caramel "Congrats" in the dish, which was really quite sweet. The cake wasn't super flavorful, but the tart berries and goat cheese made up for it.
I think some of the kinks may get worked out. But for it to succeed, prices really need to come down. And you know me, I'm willing to pay money for good food. I like the creativity and I like the experience, but it's too pricey to make a full meal.
Grade: B
The Dancing Fig is a new restaurant on High Street, which replaced Lira Restaurant, which had replaced a Wesbanco Bank. I liked Lira, but not enough to combat parking and the downtown partying scene for the restaurant. So my visits were limited.
From The Dancing Fig's bio on their website, it looks as though the executive chef at the Vintage Room, Janet Ferraro, opened up Lira with two others. The others sold the company to focus on other endeavors, and Janet and another executive chef of the Vintage Room, Michael Bowyer, purchased it.
The two had gone on a culinary tour of Italy. "They were struck by the abundance of fresh figs that Italy offered and marveled at how they seemed to compliment everything and were equally delicious by themselves. When they accepted the offer to buy the restaurant they wanted a name that would reflect the changes that they wanted to make. They knew they wanted to offer Italian cuisine with fresh pastas, and to them, Italy, meant figs. They also wanted to emphasize local music and arts, hence The Dancing Fig was born."
While I didn't do this, it seems as though if you park in the Spruce St. parking garage and bring the ticket to dinner, they'll credit the cost of parking off your bill, so says their site. That's worth trying.
The entrance is a bit awkward. There's a small room where a hostess would typically stand, but instead, they tell you to proceed through to the main dining area. It's a little awkward because it plops you right out into the main area, which is an open space. We were seated along the back wall.
The interior is lovely with some fine attention to detail. And like at Lira, you can dine within the vault, but there's either a fee to pay or a certain bill amount, I can't remember which.
They have specials scrawled on chalkboards on the walls, and the menu is exhaustive. Lots of small plates and pastas. I had a tough time deciding because there are so many good options. There are single and family styles and additional options for other dishes. There's a lot going on here.
For an appetizer, we split a single order of pierogies - rustic style. This means they essentially were just topped with sauerkraut. I was hesitant about this option, but the other two ways the pierogies can be prepared looked boring. I was surprised to find that instead of a powerful punch, this dish was sort of quiet on the palate. There wasn't that strong sauerkraut taste. It was kind of boring, actually. The pierogies were crisp on the outside, which was good. It was fine, just nothing super impressive. Needs some more spices and flavor to amp it up.
With the pasta dishes comes a side house salad, so my next course was this lovely plate of greens, tomato, cucumber, shaved red onion and chipped asiago in a balsamic-basil vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is something I'd like to bottle up and take home (if this is store-bought, please let me know so I can purchase). But it was lovely. So tasty that I devoured this whole salad easily. Not to mention the cucumber had a perfect crunch and tomato had a good balance between sweet and acidic. It was just lovely. For being such a simple salad, it impressed me. Beautiful blend of flavor and quality ingredients do it for me.
Okay main dish was the "Pasta Salvio," which had jumbo tiger shrimp, sauteed with garlic and roasted red peppers, in a bleu cheese vodka sauce served over fresh made pasta. This dish was pretty good. I was expecting it to be a bit creamier with a kick, but it was more peppery/tomato-ey. It was still tasty - lots of flavor and attention to the combination of ingredients. I would totally order it again, but not under the assumption that I had going into it originally. Instead, it's a great dish if you're looking for those more hearty pepper flavors. Less creamy - thought I think that would take this dish to the next level. Pretty good, nonetheless.
Brittany ordered the filet duo, which had both a blackened beef and rosemary pork with tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic reduction, prosciutto and salami crisps. Both were tasty - but the pork was phenomenal from the one bite of it that I had.
For dessert, we both went with the pumpkin creme brulee. You have to really be into pumpkin to eat this. And I am. After breaking through brittle sugar coating, it's really a thick, pumpkin filling. It's kind of dense. It's easier to eat, say, a pumpkin pie with this much flavor because it's lighter and fluffy. When you're eating this sort of blob of pumpkin, it can be too much. I think if it were a bit lighter, it would've been perfect.
I wavered between an A and a B here. I wish the appetizer had been more impressive. I loved my salad. I liked my main entree and the dessert. With tiny tweaks - and considering they're fairly new still - I don't think it'd be hard for this to be an A in my book. But for now, I wish the main entree had slightly more depth and the dessert - a little less.
Grade: B
From The Dancing Fig's bio on their website, it looks as though the executive chef at the Vintage Room, Janet Ferraro, opened up Lira with two others. The others sold the company to focus on other endeavors, and Janet and another executive chef of the Vintage Room, Michael Bowyer, purchased it.
The two had gone on a culinary tour of Italy. "They were struck by the abundance of fresh figs that Italy offered and marveled at how they seemed to compliment everything and were equally delicious by themselves. When they accepted the offer to buy the restaurant they wanted a name that would reflect the changes that they wanted to make. They knew they wanted to offer Italian cuisine with fresh pastas, and to them, Italy, meant figs. They also wanted to emphasize local music and arts, hence The Dancing Fig was born."
While I didn't do this, it seems as though if you park in the Spruce St. parking garage and bring the ticket to dinner, they'll credit the cost of parking off your bill, so says their site. That's worth trying.
The entrance is a bit awkward. There's a small room where a hostess would typically stand, but instead, they tell you to proceed through to the main dining area. It's a little awkward because it plops you right out into the main area, which is an open space. We were seated along the back wall.
The interior is lovely with some fine attention to detail. And like at Lira, you can dine within the vault, but there's either a fee to pay or a certain bill amount, I can't remember which.
They have specials scrawled on chalkboards on the walls, and the menu is exhaustive. Lots of small plates and pastas. I had a tough time deciding because there are so many good options. There are single and family styles and additional options for other dishes. There's a lot going on here.
For an appetizer, we split a single order of pierogies - rustic style. This means they essentially were just topped with sauerkraut. I was hesitant about this option, but the other two ways the pierogies can be prepared looked boring. I was surprised to find that instead of a powerful punch, this dish was sort of quiet on the palate. There wasn't that strong sauerkraut taste. It was kind of boring, actually. The pierogies were crisp on the outside, which was good. It was fine, just nothing super impressive. Needs some more spices and flavor to amp it up.
With the pasta dishes comes a side house salad, so my next course was this lovely plate of greens, tomato, cucumber, shaved red onion and chipped asiago in a balsamic-basil vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is something I'd like to bottle up and take home (if this is store-bought, please let me know so I can purchase). But it was lovely. So tasty that I devoured this whole salad easily. Not to mention the cucumber had a perfect crunch and tomato had a good balance between sweet and acidic. It was just lovely. For being such a simple salad, it impressed me. Beautiful blend of flavor and quality ingredients do it for me.
Okay main dish was the "Pasta Salvio," which had jumbo tiger shrimp, sauteed with garlic and roasted red peppers, in a bleu cheese vodka sauce served over fresh made pasta. This dish was pretty good. I was expecting it to be a bit creamier with a kick, but it was more peppery/tomato-ey. It was still tasty - lots of flavor and attention to the combination of ingredients. I would totally order it again, but not under the assumption that I had going into it originally. Instead, it's a great dish if you're looking for those more hearty pepper flavors. Less creamy - thought I think that would take this dish to the next level. Pretty good, nonetheless.
Brittany ordered the filet duo, which had both a blackened beef and rosemary pork with tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic reduction, prosciutto and salami crisps. Both were tasty - but the pork was phenomenal from the one bite of it that I had.
For dessert, we both went with the pumpkin creme brulee. You have to really be into pumpkin to eat this. And I am. After breaking through brittle sugar coating, it's really a thick, pumpkin filling. It's kind of dense. It's easier to eat, say, a pumpkin pie with this much flavor because it's lighter and fluffy. When you're eating this sort of blob of pumpkin, it can be too much. I think if it were a bit lighter, it would've been perfect.
I wavered between an A and a B here. I wish the appetizer had been more impressive. I loved my salad. I liked my main entree and the dessert. With tiny tweaks - and considering they're fairly new still - I don't think it'd be hard for this to be an A in my book. But for now, I wish the main entree had slightly more depth and the dessert - a little less.
Grade: B
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