The Boston Foodie: Six Courses At BOKX 109

Friday, November 11, 2011

Six Courses At BOKX 109

As mentioned in our previous post, we recently visited BOKX 109 for a Chef's Table dinner with a very lucky group of Boston food bloggers. A Chef's Table is a private table not in the dining room but located in the actual kitchen of the restaurant, or very near it. Of course it costs more than the typical dining experience but all of the food is prepared right in front of you by the Executive Chef. Popular with gourmets, foodies, food nerds, whatever you want to call us, it is a far more intimate exchange with the people creating the food and a great way to meet Chefs and have discussions about all things food, new trends, tools, technology and whatever else comes up. So, here is a recap of our experience.

Our Amuse (or pre first course taste) was Seared Day Boat Scallop with house cured pancetta, truffle, wild mushroom, baby Brussels sprout leaves and cranberry gastrique. This set the course for the whole night. The cuisine would be simple, quality, seasonal ingredients, very well-prepared and perfectly combined. I love how this menu was crafted to be sophisticated by adding new touches without losing the central flavors on each plate. What also impressed me is that, someone, finally, is getting portions right. At a six course dinner one often gets a mouthful of each dish. These portions were generous without making you feel overfed. The wine pairing was a Ruinart Blanc de Blanc, Champagne, France. Great idea to pair a Champagne with all of the earthy, briny flavors at work here.

Roasted Beet Timbale with goat cheese brulée, pistachio brittle and balsamic onion jam. We've all had a beet and goat cheese dish and the combination is great but this was a way to kick it up to a higher level. The brittle, the jam, the hint of caramelization - everything worked perfectly. The pairing was a Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, Napa, California, 2009. This and the dessert wine were my new discoveries and soon-to-be new additions.

Lobster Stuffed Dove Sole with braised Swiss chard and roasted shallot cream. If I had to choose a favorite dish (they were all great) this would be it. The sole was perfectly baked and stuffed with generous chunks of flavorful lobster. Spellbound Chardonnay, Napa, California 2009 was the pairing.

Homestead Farm Pork Tenderloin, bacon wrapped, with house made mostarda, pickled tomato relish and corn cake. Pork tenderloin is one of my favorites. This was excellent and I loved the corn cake (sort of a polenta pancake) idea. The mostarda was the perfect choice and well-done. A Rosemblum "Appelation Series" Zinfandel, Paso Robles, California 2009 was the pairing and went very well with the pork. Paso Robles has some really great wines and the closest thing to a Mediterranean terroir that we have in the States. Good choice.

Fourth Course: Braised Beef Short Rib. The rib was from Brandt Farm and served with a fall vegetable ragout and bordelaise. Fall apart, meaty and delicious. A Robert Craig "Affinity" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, California, 2008 was the pairing.

Our dessert was a Triple Creme Panna Cotta with caramelized figs and spiced hazelnut praline. Alongside this dish were these surprise puffs of sour apple cotton candy. A huge hit!

We dove into this dessert so quickly that we even forgot to get pics of the plated dish! A Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui 2010 was the dessert wine pairing. I never had this before but loved it and will definitely be serving this again soon.

I have always said that a great meal is made by the people you share it with. So, thank you Sara and Karen for making my end of the table the most glamorous and fun. More Beauté!!!