Restaurants

You are currently browsing the archive for the Restaurants category.

Several weeks ago I was invited to a media lunch at L’Espalier  to taste the Champagne of Champagne Bruno Paillard with Alice Paillard, daughter of the founder, winemaker, and visionary behind  Maison Bruno Paillard. If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know that I love Champagne and that a visit to the region is at the top of my list. Attending this Champagne lunch was quite the treat, and one afternoon I won’t soon forget.

It started out with some relaxing chatting in the Salon at L’Espalier which is my new favorite spot for business meetings. It’s simply lovely and perfectly put together; the carefully chosen decor at L’Espalier was a common theme in our conversation throughout lunch.

When it was time for our lunch, we were seated by a window looking up Boylston Street, an iconic Boston view from an iconic Boston restaurant. Perfection.

L'Espalier

Alice Paillard has been working with her father at Champagne Bruno Paillard since 2007. In her time she has worked in the vineyards and cellar, developed the exporting side of the business, and now co-manages the Maison with her father. Her knowledge and passion for the Champagne was so exciting to see firsthand, and to top it off, she was absolutely lovely.

Our discussion of the color scheme and art at L’Espalier turned into one of Champagne as our first taste, Champagne Brut Premiere Cuvee, the flagship wine of the house, was poured. Alice explained that, much like a beautiful room, Champagne is the result of a series of decisions, starting with the villages and vineyards, deciding how long the Champagne should remain on the lees, how long to cellar, all of the things that give it its final character and personality. Champagne Bruno Paillard is among the newer houses, and as a result, they don’t always have to do things the way “things are always done”.

Champagne Bruno Paillard

Quality is key, dosage is kept very low to create a brut Champagne, and the disgorgement date is on every bottle. Disgorgement disturbs the wine, and the inclusion of the date on the bottle allows the recipient to know how long it has had to rest and recover since disgorgement. Alice likened it to the human body recovering after surgery; in every instance, the wine is alive and reacts to all that happens to it. The attention to detail, right down to chilling this bottle on only a few ice cubes, reawakened my love and respect for all that goes into wine.

Deciding on which menu items from L’Espalier’s enticing and elegant lunch menu to pair with the Champagne was a fun discussion as again it became important to weigh decisions on what would go together best. Our small group was open to sharing plates (always the best way to eat, in my opinion), and so our courses were ordered and Champagne was poured and enjoyed, both with the food and on its own.

lunch at L'Espalier

{House smoked salmon with pickled vegetables, crème fraîche and American caviar*}

lobster bisque

{L’Espalier’s “signature” Maine lobster bisque with garlic flan}

 

Champagne Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs Reserve Privee

{Champagne Blanc de Blancs Réserve Privée}

Nova Scotia halibut

{Nova Scotia halibut with Maitre Gaspard, Delta asparagus, potatoes and fermented mustard seed}

 IMG_5230

{Wild mushroom risotto with Maine lobster, a New England farm coddled egg and brown butter emulsion}

Champagne Assemblage 2008

{Champagne Assemblage 2008}

IMG_5233{Roasted prime beef sirloin: “another soupe a l’oignon”, fingerling potatoes, king trumpet mushrooms and anchovy purée}

IMG_5235

{Champagne N.P.U. – “”Nec Plus Ultra”” 2003 “}

Champagne lunch

{Pairing Champagne with a slightly salty, umami beef dish , one of the more surprising pairings of the day, but one that actually worked deliciously. And look at the color in that glass!}}

L'Espalier cheese plate

{L’Espalier’s famous cheese plate paired with Champagne Rosé Première Cuvée}

Alice showed us where Champagne Bruno Paillard grapes come from; carefully chosen vineyards and grapes cultivated by the same families for more than 30 years. Again, the choice of location and that location’s terroir being important decisions in the beautiful Champagne that makes its way into your glass, if you are lucky!

Champagne

Champagne Tasting Notes

We tasted the following wines at the lunch.

Champagne Extra Brut Première Cuvée
Champagne Rosé Première Cuvée
Champagne Blanc de Blancs Réserve Privée Grand Cru
Champagne Assemblage 2008
Champagne N.P.U. – “”Nec Plus Ultra”” 2003 “

My own scribbled tasting notes don’t do these beautiful wines the same justice that the notes on the website do. I was enthralled by not only the technical savvy behind the wines, but more importantly the love, pride, and passion that Alice exuded. I encourage you to explore and discover the Champagnes of Bruno Paillard at your own pace. The website is beautiful and so full of information on the house, the Champagne making process, and so much more.

If you are in the Boston area, you can find Champagne from Bruno Paillard at several retail outlets, including the following:

Gordons

Urban Grape

Inman Square Wines

Kappy’s Peabody

Cellar d’Or

Lower Falls Wine

Table & Vine

This lunch was provided to me at no charge as a media guest. All opinions are my own. 

Tags: Boston, Boston blogger, bubbly, champagne, events, sparkling wine, wine

I dream of Puerto Rico around once a week since our trip to Luquillo and San Juan. Island time agreed with me, and the trip felt like truly getting away, which is really rare with me.

When planning, I asked around to friends who had traveled to Puerto Rico, and my friend Megan sent me the most amazing roundup of places to visit. La Estacion was one of the restaurants on the list, and once we read about it, we knew we had to make it part of our itinerary. On our outdoor adventure day, between our sailing trip to Icacos and our boat trip to the bioluminescent bay, we made sure we had time to visit La Estacion, which was conveniently close to both. It turned out to be the perfect plan , giving us just a little time after sailing to drive around and some time after dinner to grab a beer and walk  on the beach.

la estacion

As the name alludes to, La Estacion is on the site of an old gas station, which definitely gives for an interesting atmosphere. The cool space is sought-after. Definitely get a reservation if you can!

la estacion fajardo

They’re big on local ingredients, beautiful outdoor space, strong and yummy cocktails and a good time.

la estacion. fajardo

la estacion, fajardo

It was hot when we arrived for dinner, and while frozen drinks aren’t my normal choice, I enjoyed a piña colada or two while in Puerto Rico! Sipping on this slushy treat while smelling the smoky air and feeling the heat was just amazing. I love being hot.

 

 piña colada

In addition to putting a lot of time and care into food and beverage, La Estacion also has nice little touches throughout, including lots of beautiful flowers and accents, and great service.

flowers Since I was on vacation, I decided to go with the special grilled stuffed whole lobster, sweet potato fries, and coleslaw. How good does that look?!

I ate most of it and wanted to roll out of the restaurant. Buttery lobster with tropical flavors of the salsa made it just out of this world.

lobster

My husband went for the BBQ side of things with ribs and chicken and mac and cheese, also amazing. I am always glad that we love to share; here it allowed us to taste a little bit of both the seafood and BBQ food La Estacions is known for.

ribs

If you are headed to the Fajardo/Luquillo area in Puerto Rico, La Estacion is really a must-visit. From warm welcomes to delicious, satisfying cuisine, they have it all. It’s really quite the experience! We’re hoping to visit again next winter.

Until then, we’ll hope for summer weather in New England and dream of Puerto Rico sunsets. . . .

 

Puerto Rico beaches

Tags: BBQ, Boston blogger, cocktails, Dining out, fajardo, Food, food blogger, lobster, Puerto Rico

A brief encounter with spring and a not-so-pleasant encounter with my dentist brought me out and about on Newbury Street earlier in the week.

(Edited to add that I love my dentist. I also love seltzer water and wine and salsa and all sorts of acidic foods and drinks, which have not been super supportive of my teeth enamel. Be careful!)

Newbury Street is a favorite for warm weather wandering, and when my appointment ended at 5:45, it seemed like the right thing to stick around and enjoy the energy.

My husband thought the same thing, and after he miraculously found parking right on the street, we went for a stroll before heading into La Voile for dinner.

(Their website has music, which I absolutely hate. That’s unfortunate.)

La Voile Boston

We sat at the beautiful zinc bar and ordered cocktails to start off a long and leisurely dinner; we were there for a few hours. My cocktail, La Detente, was delicious and the perfect choice on a slightly chilly evening. The smoky Pig’s Nose scotch, Gran Classico Quinquina, and orange warmed me right up and had just the right amount of smokiness and kick. I would definitely order this again.

French Onion Soup

We decided to share French Onion Soup, a beet salad, charcuterie, and mussels for a little taste of a variety of different dishes, and it ended up being the right choice.

First of all, the soup was to.die.for. The broth was so rich and savory, and the gooey cheese and bread were heavenly. It was *almost* as good as my mom’s and made me realize I need more French Onion Soup in my life.  So good.

beet salad

The salad was a needed addition to our diets. We’ve been trying to eat more vegetables, and since we both love beets, this was a great option. Moules frites are always a good choice, especially when a creamy lemon curry option is available, and the frites are perfectly golden, hot, and crisp. I loved dunking frites into the flavorful curry.

moules frites

The charcuterie was one of the best I’ve had, with a truffle pate and a garlicky sausage and pickled onions, all just delicious.

charcuterie

kir royale

While we were finishing up, our server brought us each a complimentary Kir Royale. It turns out they needed us to move to accommodate a larger party, which given that it was Red Sox opening day, we would have been happy to do. It was a nice touch though, to have them offer us something before even asking. I love a Kir Royale!

espresso Settled into new seats and perfectly happy, we decided to stay for espresso and dessert, a chocolate fondant that was gooey and warm, paired with vanilla ice cream. Again, a simple, flawless plate.

chocolate fondant We could have stayed all night, but Monday dates are a rare treat, and we needed to get home to work. We looked longingly at La Voile’s patio as we left, vowing to return on a warmer night for much longer.

La Voile Patio

La Voile was an exceptional dining experience and perfect for a date night. Service and food were both excellent, I loved their wine list and cozy space, and am happy to have another Boston date night favorite on the list.

Tags: Boston, date night, dessert, Dining out, Restaurants, wine

« Older entries § Newer entries »

new restaurant
WordPress SEO fine-tune by Meta SEO Pack from Poradnik Webmastera