The DGA team is in Boston at least several times a year. Not only is Boston a great city to visit, but it also has a wide range of excellent restaurants. Although I’ve been to Boston many times over the years, I’d never eaten at Market, a Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant in the W hotel. This was actually a little odd because both Matt and Doug rave about Market, and they usually make an effort to go when they’re in town for any appreciable length of time. Well, Doug and were just up in Boston and he insisted that I get the full Market experience.
Market is a chic little restaurant in the W Boston hotel on Stuart Street. It is located in what I understand is Boston’s up and coming theatre district. Jean-Georges apparently says, commensurate with his idea of the hotel as a home, that Market is like a casual family kitchen. The website also indicates that the food is “Inspired by the casual, simple elegance of the setting.” Personally, I think the restaurant came off as pretty chic, with more than a twist of hip. Of course, I might have gotten that impression because of the fashion show going on.
Apparently, W Hotels is pretty big into fashion. Little did we know, but the same night Doug and I reserved a table at Market, Fashion Next was featuring Bibhu Mohapatra. I had no idea that we’d be getting a sneak peek at the 2012 collection. Not to split hairs, but fashion models usually don’t prance around in my kitchen.
Even forgetting the fashion show, Market really doesn’t come off as a cozy family kitchen. It is a small restaurant with a modern, classy décor full of clean lines and geometric shapes. The service is brisk, professional, and excellent. The food is both nuanced and imaginative, but its delicate portioning and sophisticated flavors just don’t scream casual. As an aside, I’ve noticed that service in many Boston restaurants has a pretty brisk pace, but it may just seem that way to me because I’m from New Orleans.
Dining in New Orleans tends to be rather leisurely, with an often relaxed almost languid pace. Doug and I both got the Market Menu, Market’s daily chef’s tasting menu with wine pairings. We were in and out if the restaurant in less than two hours. A similar meal at Restaurant August in New Orleans, for example, would easily have taken three.
In terms of the meal, Market is pretty special. As I mentioned, Doug wanted me to have the full Market experience, so we ordered the Market Menu with wine pairings. This was a five course menu with an appetizer, soup, two entrees, and desert. The portions were small, but this not only facilitated the pace of the meal, it also allowed us to enjoy each course without feeling overstuffed by the end of the meal. We started with an appetizer of Maine Diver scallop sashimi over a square of warm crunchy rice with a chipotle emulsion and scallion.
Sadly, the appetizer was the only dish that was not excellent. The essential problem was that the incredibly delicate flavor and texture of the raw scallop was overwhelmed by a disproportionately large block of what was essentially a fried rice cake. The rice cake filled the mouth, requiring an undue amount of mastication while the thinly sliced scallop all but evaporated. Compounding the problem was the rich chipotle emulsion. The smoky flavor of the chipotle, combined with the fried flavor of the rice, simply overwhelmed the scallop.
Although it embarrassed Doug, I informed the waiter that the appetizer had much more in common with a tater tot than scallop sashimi (he asked how I enjoyed it). Although the comparison was rather unkind, the dish had, in fact, summoned up clear memories of elementary school lunches. This eventually precipitated a visit from the maître d’, who was apparently surprised that we both thought the “warm crunchy rice” was too much for the delicate scallop.
The rest of the meal was fantastic. The soup was a butternut squash soup with ginger and pumpkin seeds. I’ve just now read that off of the menu (yes, I took one home). I don’t think that’s accurate. I believe the dish was butternut squash soup with tofu cream, fresh basil, and toasted pine nuts. Whichever is accurate, the soup was delicious. The flavors were distinct and very complimentary. The wine pairing was a bit overwhelming, but it complimented the pine nuts very well and served to cleanse the palette, allowing you to once again fully appreciate the flavor of the fresh herbs.
This was followed by slowly cooked Atlantic salmon with homemade black olive oil and a vibrant passion fruit sauce. Doug absolutely loved it. He’s often tried to slow cook salmon, but it is a very tricky task. This dish was cooked perfectly. The salmon was beautifully moist and fell apart easily while still remaining sufficiently firm. The intense sweet citrus flavor of the passion fruit was a really exciting, and it followed the soup very nicely.
In my opinion, the crowning achievement was the soy glazed short ribs with an apple-jalapeno puree and rosemary crumbs. This was a wonderfully rich dish, but the richness of the meat was tempered by the tart flavor of the apples. The short rib was topped by thinly shredded fresh apple, which offered up a sweet flavor and slight crunch.
Finally, the desert was a salted caramel ice cream sundae with caramel popcorn and chocolate sauce. By this point in the meal I was a bit tipsy, but it was one of the better deserts I’ve had in a while. Of all the courses, the sundae was the closest to what I would consider casual and comforting. The addition of the caramel popcorn was a uniquely perfect compliment. It was plated in such a way to keep the kernels from soaking in the ice cream and yet there was enough to enliven almost every bite. The chocolate sauce was a dark semi-sweet drizzle that went well with the salty undertones of the sundae.
All in all, I’d say that Market is a fantastic restaurant to visit when you’re in Boston. Don’t go expecting a cozy, casual atmosphere though. What you’ll find is a classy restaurant with an understated chic. The food is delicate, creative, and experimental; and it is prepared with fresh, local ingredients. You will find good service from a responsive wait staff; just-right portion sizes for a modest, satisfying meal; and dishes based on simple concepts that often surprise you.
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