Tremont 647

[by naveen]

Although I wrote earlier about the difficulties in creating an "elevator speech" for a chef, Andy Husbands has carved a niche for himself as the fearless chef. If my culinary style had to be reduced to one word, I would be pretty satisfied with that description. As usual, here's the course-by-course overview:

Service/atmosphere: What a contrast to Harvest: this was a fun place, as opposed to a monument to high-end cuisine. The staff was genuinely outgoing, the decor was distinctive, and the music was lively. It set a great mood for the rest of the evening.

Bread basket: Each bread basket keeps getting better. This place had the largest assortment, with Parmesan crisps, rye bread, cornbread, and more. It would have been even better with some butter, jam, or other condiment, but I was still happy.

Black truffle risotto with mushroom and greens: The restaurant switched up their Restaurant Week menu and made several additions, including this exceptional dish. They were clearly trying to impress the diners and entice repeat customers, so they pulled out all the stops this week.

Kabocha-Udon Winter Stew with kombu, shitake, tofu, pumpkin and more: I think this qualified as the "adventurous American" cuisine that the restaurant advertises. I loved this dish, although I am probably biased due to a craving for noodles and my preference for anything with seaweed and mushrooms.

Tater tots with Fontina cheese: These giant monuments to the fried potato rival those at Garden at the Cellar. One was enough to fully satiate me.

Donuts: I've never thought of myself as a donut person (I still haven't tried a DD donut, despite their omnipresence in the city), but these were amazing. They were freshly baked and were served in a brown paper bag, which the server shook to coat with powdered sugar before dumping them on the plate. This would not have happened at Harvest. As the server explained, these had no filling, they were just balls of dough-y goodness.

My dining companion and I both rank this as one of the most enjoyable restaurants in Boston and would love to return. If anyone wants to go for $2 tacos on Tuesday (or for any other reason), please let me know.