Glenn – Frankly, I hadn’t been intending to “participate” in Restaurant Week. In addition, I had never considered dining at the Marliave. Recently, I’ve had some wonderful prix fixe meals through Mystery Meet and the culinary high point of my winter and spring was attending the Eat pop up restaurants created by Will Gilson and Aaron Cohen. To go out to a restaurant to eat from a “special”, i.e. often problematic, boring or iffy, Restaurant Week menu just didn’t interest me. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve had some memorable RW meals – but I’ve also had formulaic, uninspired offerings that weren’t worth leaving the house for. However, Eleni, in town for a few days with her family, suggested we get together for Restaurant Week. Her criteria was that the resto be close to their hotel and be child-friendly. The Marliave met both guidelines and so we dined there for Restaurant Week.
On my way there I was pleasantly reminded of cocktails at the Silvertone in the years before the cocktail resurgence, cocktail menus, and resources like those our friend Adam Lantheaume sells at The Boston Shaker were available.
When I realized where Marliave was located, on the corner, in the building with the beautiful balcony that reminded me of eating in Europe, my anticipation doubled. The aesthetics are fabulous: old world mixed with modern touches. The building itself is a stunner: trellis-like architecture, beautiful moulding, a variety of architectural details. At the same time they have added modern elements: the bar is definitely of this era with its sleek granite counter tops (do I recall that correctly?) and the flatware (Wedgwood) and placesettings were classic and modern, too.
But I digress.
Late summer perfection
- a lusciously ripe black Cherokee tomato, buffalo mozzarella, a drizzle of EVOO, a splash of balsamic, a chiffonade of basil – perfect! For my Second Course,
Sea scallops, wild mushrooms and pea raviolis
I chose Divers Scallops with Wild Mushrooms and Pea Ravioli. Three large sea scallops were perfectly seared and caramelized; the delicate sweetness of the scallops contrasting with the earthiness of the mushroom ragout; both highlighted by the clean vibrant taste of the pea-filled raviolis. And finally, my over-the-top dessert – Butterscotch Pudding with Salted Peanuts. I thought I’d found the quintessential butterscotch pudding at Nancy Silverton’s Pizzaria Mozza.
However, the offering at Marliave offered a new paragon of butterscotchness - creamy and smooth with deep flavor and nearly overwhelming richness. A tip of the toque to Pastry Chef Sharon Claxton.
Katrin – So many choices! I started with the mussels, which had a savory broth that would have been perfect on it’s own. In fact, the only problem I had with it was that I could pick up the cast iron post and enjoy every drop!
Next, I went with another classic – Chicken under a Brick. Served with a creamy risotto and lots of mushrooms and roasted garlic, the chicken was perfectly done and had a crispy, salty skin.
Eleni - I went with the Cheese Plate as my finale and enjoyed sampling several cheeses and candied walnuts, but I ordered it to sample the lavender honey.
From the top - Brillat Savarin, triple creme cow's milk; Lake's Edge, goat's milk; Roquefort Carles, sheep's milk. (Note the golden squiggle of lavender honey.)
I’ve been experimenting with lavender food items since I purchased some lavender sea salt at the Farmer’s Market in San Francisco about five years ago. Honestly, I was so stuffed I couldn’t enjoy a thing although I did sample Junior Taster’s berries with “mint, hibiscus and soft whipped cream” which was a nice, light ending to such a full meal.
Katrin – In closing, Marliave offers classic dishes done well and at a reasonable price for the Downtown Crossing neighborhood. It’s not fancy, cutting edge cuisine, but it almost doesn’t matter. With a long list of interesting cocktails at only $10 each, there is much to like here.
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