Dinner at Trade

Warning, the photos you are about to see are absolutely atrocious. I seem to have gotten worse instead of better at photography. I’ve also become a lot more self-conscious about taking photos in restaurants, especially during peak times like Saturday night.

What is happening to this blogger?!

Apologies for bad photos out of the way, I am excited to share with you my experience at Trade on Saturday night which, from start to finish, was really spectacular.

You might know that Trade is the latest creation of Rialto’s Chef Jody Adams, Top Chef Masters competitor and much-loved Boston culinary genius. Trade reflects the love of travel of Chef Adams and co-owners Sean Griffing and Eric Papachristos and offers a menu that reflects cuisines from all over the world.

My first thought on entering Trade? I loved how spaced out everything was. Tables are not jammed together or crammed into tight spaces. Everything felt very open, airy, and comfortable. During dinner, our dining neighbors were far enough away that we could only hear our own conversation. I hate tight spaces and being unable to think/speak because I keep hearing snippets of other conversations, so the layout of Trade was a huge plus for me.

I arrived first and decided to have a cocktail while I waited for my friends to arrive. What you see here is an Easy Fashion, and, unfortunately my notes on the drink are in my phone which happens to be somewhere in Boston that is not with me.   I can say that I liked it, with its caramelized citrus flavors. It was a great choice.

Once my party arrived, we were seated and proceeded to have a great meal with delightful and helpful service. We had a hard time deciding on what to order; the starters in particular all looked amazing.

Because of the lighting I didn’t get to photograph everything, but here are some of the highlights.

Whole globe artichoke with cilantro and preserved-lemon aioli

The aioli was the star of this dish, bright, tangy, and creamy. The artichoke itself was disappointing with very little to it. If the artichoke had been more hearty, this would have been a blissful treat.

Avocado with green mango-tamarind-peanut chutney

This avocado dish was simple, flavorful, and something I will definitely be trying at home.

We also shared the local burrata with quince-lemon jam which was gooey cheese perfection enhanced by the sweet jam. Again, this dish was very simple, but did everything right.

I decided to order off of the appetizer menu for my entrée and went with the cassoulet, which arrived very hot and filled with sausage and white beans. It was the perfect portion of this hearty favorite. We also shared some greens with chili flakes and garlic to add some veggies to our dinner. I wish I could make greens this good. They were well-spiced and cooked so that they kind of just melted in my mouth, again a simple preparation of a quality ingredient.

The birthday girl had the local grilled lobster with pickled-artichoke aioli, which arrived beautifully plated and perfectly cooked. The lobster was delicious.

I was quite full by the time dessert rolled around, but we couldn’t resist two of the options, chocolate budino and the below ginger ice cream with spiced chocolate sauce. The ice cream, made locally at Christina’s had a spicy ginger flavor and was topped with chewy crystallized ginger. It was the perfect dessert for me.

The chocolate budino was a rich, thick, mousse. It was heavenly but a little too heavy for the end of a meal.

I’ve read some mixed reviews about Trade, so I was not quite sure what to expect. Our experience was flawless. The theme of the night was simplicity, dishes with a few ingredients executed very well, service that was helpful but not overbearing, and an ambiance that felt comfortable and laid back but still special.