Delfino

While I’m at school, I don’t have access to a car, so I’m limited to T-accessible restaurants for dining options. That’s why whenever I eat with my parents, I try to take advantage of the opportunity and dine at less accessible places. One such place is Delfino, a quaint Italian restaurant located on South Street in Roslindale.

I had heard good things about Delfino from quite a few sources. Delfino was featured as one of Phantom Gourmet’s “Great Ate” Italian restaurants. Plus, one of my mother’s friends lives in Roslindale, and Delfino is one of her favorite restaurants in the neighborhood. Given the positive reviews I had heard, I was quite eager to try it.

Fried Calamari

For our appetizer, we order this calamari dish, which was quite interesting and something that I had never really seen before. The calamari came fried as it does at most places but the unusual aspect was that the calamari was mixed together with some field greens and a light vinaigrette dressing, forming a salad of sorts. Everything came together to form a wonderfully balanced dish with great contrasts of texture, temperature, and taste.

Linguine with mussels, clams, and calamari in pesto sauce

My party both ordered similar dishes. Both dishes essentially came with spaghetti and different kinds of seafood cooked in pesto sauce. The scallops and clams I tried were cooked just right, and the pesto was garlicky green goodness.

Linguine with Mussels in Fra Diablo Sauce

For my dish, I ordered the spaghetti with mussels in fra diablo sauce. I usually order this when I eat at Vinny T’s – it’s one of my favorites. I wanted to try Delfino’s version to see how it compared. Although the quality of the pasta is much higher, I must admit that Delfino’s version wasn’t as good in terms of taste. The sauce lacked the sharp punch of spice and garlic that I particularly enjoy about Vinny T’s version. I think Delfino may have also used jalapeno peppers, which may have altered the taste slightly from what I am used to. The mussels, however, were quite fresh and delicious.

By the end of the meal, we were all stuffed, so we didn’t order dessert. The portions were huge – not one of us finished our entrees. We packed our leftovers to go, and I was the lucky one chosen to finish everything off in the following days.

Overall, I was really pleased with our experience at Delfino, and I would definitely go back. The portions were awesome, and everything was quite reasonably priced. I hardly ever go into the North End because it’s too much a pain. For someone like me who lives in the suburbs, Delfino is really nice – I can get high quality Italian food without the hassle of trekking into the city.

Eastern Standard

In February earlier this year, I went on a date at Eastern Standard. Eastern Standard opened in late 2005, and being a BU student, I immediately noticed its arrival to the area. Kenmore Square is currently undergoing a revival and I was happy to see that Eastern Standard would be a major part of it.

Eastern Standard is a great addition to Kenmore Square because it appeals to a wide market. It’s casual enough for Red Sox fans looking for brunch before an afternoon game, trendy enough to lure hip, young professionals for cocktails, and upscale enough to attract businessmen and out-of-towners staying at Hotel Commonwealth in search of a quality dinner. During the spring and summer, it’s nice because customers can dine outside on the sidewalk patio, which is particularly good for people-watching. Inside, the main dining room features comfy red booths and high ceilings along with an exceptionally long marble bar.

Given the head chef’s strong resume which includes stints at Pigalle and No. 9 Park, it would seem on paper at least that the food would be good. The restaurant serves French-inspired bistro fare with the majority of the menu leaning towards straightforward comfort food - dishes like streak frites and braised lamb chops. However, there are the occasional oddities like a "good plate of offal," an appetizer dish featuring the kitchen's choice of various internal animal organs (sounds very appealing, doesn't it?).

Foie Gras with Lentils and Bay Leaf

For our appetizer, we opted for this dish, which presented a nicely seared piece of foie gras atop a mound of stewed lentils. I don’t get to eat foie gras often, so it was a nice indulgence. In fact, I think this was only the second time I’ve ever eaten foie gras. The first time was at Sibling Rivalry, but this version was way better. The one at Sibling Rivalry presented the foie gras chilled in some kind of terrine, so the flavor wasn’t as strong. I remember having to add lots of salt to it to bring out the flavor. Well, it wasn’t the case for Eastern Standard’s version. I wouldn’t say the piece was huge, but it was really rich and savory – a good start to the meal.

Roasted chicken with mushrooms, foie gras, and spaetzle

My date decided to go with this chicken dish. I didn’t try any of the spaetzle, but I did get a taste of the chicken. It seemed pretty flavorful and tender, although I didn’t really pickup the foie gras flavor. I assume it was stuffed underneath the skin before roasting, but it wasn’t very noticeable to me at least.

Braised Beef Cheeks with Root Vegetables and Potato Mash

I love any kind of braised meat dishes, so I jumped all over this beef cheeks dish when I spotted it on the menu. If you didn’t know already, beef cheeks are the actual cheeks of the cow, and they’re considered offal. Cheek meat as it is naturally is quite tough since cattle do a lot of chewing and the cheek muscles get a lot of exercise. However, if cooked properly, cheek meat becomes really tender and is packed with flavor. This was true for my dish – it really was delicious. The meat was practically falling apart – so tender that I didn’t even need my knife to cut it. All the root vegetables, stock and red wine came together to make a really hearty, rich sauce. The dish wasn’t all that different than that of beef bourguinon.

Chocolate Torte wih Grand Marnier Ice-cream

By the end of the meal, we both were pretty stuffed but we decided to have dessert anyway. We shared this chocolate torte, which came accompanied with grand mariner ice-cream. The slice wasn’t huge but it was quite filling. It was so rich and decadent that you couldn’t eat a whole lot without being overwhelmed. The ice-cream did a nice a job of balancing out the dish, adding a nice kick and orange flavor.

When Eastern Standard first opened, I was eager to give the restaurant a try but the reviews I had read about it from fellow food bloggers and critics made me a little reluctant. Apparently, early on Eastern Standard faced challenges that most new restaurants do. It struggled to find itself and provide quality food and service on a consistent basis. Aware of the restaurant's growing pains, I decided to wait a while and give it some time to establish itself. By the time I dined there, however, Eastern Standard seemed as if it had gotten its act together. Overall, the food was top-notch and the portions were surprisingly large, which isn’t the case unfortunately for a lot of more upscale restaurants. I'll be graduating soon, and my mom's already booked the reservations for my graduation dinner at Eastern Standard, so I'll be back within the next few weeks!