Tasting Counter in
Somerville, Massachusetts is nestled in a large commercial building. There’s a
brewery a stone’s throw away. A little paper sign hangs on the interior door
pointing down a short hallway. The big wooden sliding door that guards the restaurant
doesn’t open until 5:45—15 minutes before the 6 o’clock dinner seating. The restaurant
has two seatings for dinner from Wednesday-Saturday. (It also serves a three
course lunch.) The unassuming setting
masks what lies beyond. Tasting Counter has only twenty seats, forming a rectangle
around the kitchen. Since its opening in 2014, Tasting Counter has garnered
an impressive array of awards. In 2015, the Boston Globe named it the
Restaurant of the Year. In 2016 and 2017, Boston Magazine declared Tasting
Counter the best Fine Dining Restaurant in Boston. We are happy to report that the
restaurant lives up to every accolade.
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| Interior of Tasting Counter |
Tasting
Counter employs a ticketing system. You pay for your entire meal in advance and
select a beverage pairing—wine, beer, sake, or non-alcoholic. You note any food
allergies or dietary restrictions and leave the rest up to Chef Peter Ungár and his staff. What follows is a nine-course
tasting menu with pairings that is heavy on local and sustainable ingredients.
The menu is a fusion of perfectly executed classical French technique and Ungár’s interest in Asian flavors. The staff at
Tasting Counter move quickly and with purpose. In such a small space, they have
to. Ungár himself works alongside his wife plating
and presenting dishes to the guests. Before each course, the sommelier explains
the origins of the wine. Then Ungár or another chef on his staff explain the
dishes. The portion sizes are just right. Oftentimes tasting menus feature
portions that leave you bursting halfway through. After nine courses at Tasting
Counter we were full, but comfortably so. The clientele were largely couples in
their 30s and 40s, celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and other milestones.
The atmosphere is welcoming with a relaxed dress code.
Enough talk,
let’s get to the menu.
Welcoming Bites
Smoked lobster puff
Onion, duck liver, sourdough
Yellowtail, yuzu kosho, wakame
Casa di Baal
Oro di Baal, NV
The duck liver managed to be
light, which is difficult to do with liver. The yellowtail was a burst of acid.
Sea Urchin
Bay scallop, parsnip, vanilla bean,
sunchoke
Conestabile
della Staffa Il Bianco 2016
Served in a sea urchin shell with
a perfectly prepared scallop, this was a wonderful mix of seafood and
earthiness with the parsnip and sunchoke.
Kampachi
Seaweed cure, black olive, black
shallot, avocado oil, pomelo
Jasper Sisco
Electronic Renaissance, 2015
This dish featured little blobs
of black shallot dotting the plate. They were little flavor bombs that elevated
the kampachi.
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| Gremolata Dumplings (they're under the foam) |
Gremolata Dumplings
Hen of the woods, soured cream,
seaweed, preserved lemon
Forlorn Hope
Dragone Ramato, 2016
The hen of the woods mushrooms,
sourced locally, were surrounded by an uni foam that when merged with the
preserved lemon created an acid, earthiness, and the sea.
Red Seam Bream
Green daikon, cultured butter,
lime leaf, sake lees
L’Ange Vin
Cuvée
Bistrologie, 2015
The sea bream was perfectly cooked
and the sake lees added a nice hit of umami.
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| European Sea Bass |
Pine mushroom, macomber turnip,
black olive
Sylvain
Pataille Marsannay La Montagne, 2014
Sautéed white fish with lots of
earthiness and the black olives were another little flavor bomb like the black
shallot.
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| Schisandra |
Schisandra
Pine nut and almond
This Korean tea and pine nut and
almond cookie served as a palate cleanser before the meat courses.
Smoked Duck
Eggplant, red miso, rhubarb,
serrano, black lime
Domaine
Breton Nuits d’Ivresse, 2015
The duck had a nice smokiness
while remaining perfectly pink in the middle with just a little crunch on the
skin. Like the other courses it had a blend of acid and umami. I noticed a
smile on Chef Ungár’s face when I pointed out how beautiful the
plate was.
Venison
Artichoke, black truffle,
hazelnut, sherry vinegar
La Distesa
Nocenzio, 2015
The venison was pink in the
middle and richly flavorful.
Quince
Quince custard, cranberry, yogurt
granite
Milan
Nestarec Forks and Knives, 2014
The first of two desserts was
fruit-based and not particularly sweet (which is a plus).
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| Buckwheat |
Molasses, sunchoke ice cream
Cesar
Florido Moscatel Especial
Of all the courses were served, I
was the most skeptical about this one. Buckwheat is a grain and I wasn’t sure
it would make a good cake nor did sunchoke ice cream sound appealing. I was
wrong, the buckwheat was richly flavorful and the sunchoke ice cream was light.
Parting Morsels
Sunflower seed praline chocolate
Carrot chew, fennel sugar
Ginger and pistachio nougat
Who knew fennel sugar could be a
thing?
Tasting
Counter is a remarkable restaurant in unremarkable surroundings. The food is
precise. Chef Ungár and his team pay close attention to texture,
balance of flavors, and the service is warm and welcoming. It is a restaurant
well worth your time and money.
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