Sorellina (Boston Restaurant Week)

I have been “burned” by so many bad Restaurant Week experiences in the past that I was a bit wary of going again. Restaurant Week is a set period of time (2 weeks this summer) when many local high-end restaurants offer 3-course prix fixe dinners for only $33.09 (3-course prix fixe lunches for only $20.09). Among foodies, it’s gotten a bad reputation because many typically excellent restaurants churn out very subpar food for the masses during this time. It’s really hit or miss.

Despite my reservations, I took a leap of faith and made reservations at two places: Sorellina and Uni. I had mostly been hesitant to go to Sorellina because people say the food is excellent but “overpriced.”

Over all conclusion? The food was very enjoyable and a good value for only $33.09. I wasn’t necessarily “wow”ed, but maybe it’s hard for such a fancy restaurant to pull off a “wow” meal when they have to churn out dish after dish without using fancy ingredients at such a low cost.

Zuppa: sweet silver corn, Maine crab, basil olio

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you’ll know that I love corn. So, of course, I loved this soup. The subtle sweetness of corn was the foundation of this cold soup, while the chunks of Maine crab served as hilights. The basil oil rounded out the dish. It was great.

This is the one bite I was able to try (since I didn’t order this!)

We saw that the table next to us had ordered truffled fries ($12). I had heard that the fries were good here, so on a whim, we added it to our order. The texture of the fries were amazing – probably the best I’ve ever had. They were narrower than your typical fry and cylindrical. They were air and crunchy while being the least bit greasy. Superb texture. Super addictive.

The truffle flavor, however, was weak, and the fries were not piping hot. We could not help but compare the fries to Garden at the Cellar, who won the contest hands down. The fries at Garden at the Cellar, though slightly subpar on texture, kick butt on flavor.

While I was saying out loud “Garden at the Cellar is SOOOO much better” the couple next to us, who had ordered fries after seeing our order, wholehearted agreed. We both talked about how that was one of our favorites restaurants. So funny . . .

ANATRA: slow roasted half duck, Tuscan style, sweet corn and summer bean ragu

The duck was enjoyable. Bryan said that the beans were quite tasty -they were flavored well. As I am not a huge fan of duck, I just can’t be objective in my review of the duck. Let’s just take Bryan’s word for the fact that it was tasty.

Almond Gelato with espresso and Italian cookie

I loved how the strong espresso flavor contrasted the creamy gelato and the whipped cream on top. This dessert was enjoyable, but nothing super unique. I love coffee, so anything coffee flavored tastes pretty good to me.