Restaurant Week Summer 2009

This year, we set our sights on Gaslight, a French bistro in the South End. We travelled across Boston to Harrison Ave, a recently gentrified area of the South End near the Theater district. Gaslight has abundant, FREE parking - in the South End that is like rubies! While real French bistros in France don't really resemble Gaslight (they are more like caves!) the decor was quite evocative of France in an earlier era. The food was very authentic, and a very nice touch was a loaf of hot french bread in a paper sleeve delivered to the table (sorry, no photo, consumed before the camera made it out of its neoprene nest!)

Ciel and Jaime ordered from the Restaurant Week menu, and I splurged for (what else?) l'escargots. Aside from my little arthropod friends, we feasted on heirloom tomato salad, striped bass (always a good local bet) and the ubiquitous French roast chicken - then dessert!

At one point in the feasting, someone at a neighboring table ordered some VERY stinky cheese. Jaime amused us all with her "oh dear god what died at the next table" face.

And for dessert, Jaime ordered a delicious chocolate mousse with perhaps one of the worst presentations in the history of the world. Any pet owner or parent will know exactly what we mean!

It did taste good, and the other desserts LOOKED good as well! We'll be heading back to Gaslight soon.

Restaurant Week Adventures - Part 1

The "girls" have a full slate of Restaurant Week activities planned. Well, it's actually Restaurant WEEKS, in which numerous area restaurants offer a low prix fixe lunch and/or dinner to attempt to increase "eatership." This week, we traveled over the river and through the square (Kenmore) to Petit Robert Bistro. As it turned out, the regular menu was less expensive than the hyped "Restaurant Week" menu, so we went wild. When at a French bistro, eat (and drink) as the French I always say.... and so we did. I indulged in my garlicky friends l'escargots, which Jaime bravely tried (not Cici though, who made rude comments about slugs in shells!) Leek and Potato soup, Coq au Vin, Boeuf Bourgoine, and more completed our meal, accompanied by a lovely bottle of Pinot Noir from (where else?) Burgundy.


Next week, we have Icarus (South End) for dinner on Monday, and the famous and venerable Locke-Ober for lunch on Thursday. Tuesday night, we head to Underbones (beneath Redbones) for a local mystery writer reading and signing (free appetizers!) sponsored by Redbones and Kate's Mystery Books and then a birthday dinner en famille. I'm excited because the writer is Linda Barnes, whose funky PI heroine is Carlotta Carlyle of Cambridge. The last 'bones mystery night author was Gary Braver and his new novel Skin Deep. Afterwards, we'll start moving some of Jaime's stuff into her new house in Davis Square!