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by MC Slim JB |
March 20, 2009
The newly reborn Restaurant Marliave (10 Bosworth Street,
Boston, 617.422.0004) is doing many things right. The extensive
remodeling by chef/owner Scott Herritt (of Grotto restaurant fame)
stripped away 135 years of misguided “upgrades,” restoring the three
levels to their original spare 19thcentury classicism. Talented
bartenders are shaking up old-school cocktails in the Golden Age mode
and pouring long drinks beautified by crystal-clear Kold-Draft ice. But
the opening rules for where you could order what — seafood from the
tiny raw bar; under-$19 comfort-food dishes from the café; or pricey,
refined Continental cuisine in the dining room — seemed needlessly
restrictive. Thankfully, that has changed: you can now order from any
menu, regardless of where you sit. Even better, the costliest entrees
are now mostly under $30.
For folks who prefer Marliave’s casual, comfy middle-floor bar/café (a
posher second bar abuts the swank upstairs dining room), this is great
news. Further, Herritt knows a winning way to serve up rabbit: by
disguising its origins as one of the cuter food animals. He takes
rabbit loin, rolls it tightly into a mini-football shape around a bit
of black truffle, wraps it in prosciutto, roasts it alongside a plump
and crisp-skinned drumstick that you could mistake for capon, and
serves them with a rich pan sauce. There’s nothing to make your dining
companion think of Peter Cottontail and have to chew through pangs of
guilt. Beside the tender, moist white meat (yes, a bit like chicken),
there’s a heap of sliced exotic mushrooms, notably luscious black
trumpets, and a beautiful golden puck of pommes Anna (think heavenly
scalloped potatoes) enriched with Cantal cheese. That’s one gorgeous,
hearty plate of bunny for $26. There’s no good reason one should have
to sit in the dining room to enjoy this elegant dish, a fact that
Marliave has wisely figured out, to the approval of growing crowds. You
might want to hop to it yourself. ...
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