Day 28 -Restaurant Week -Dinner at Forum on Boylston Street

 DUCK CONFIT PUFF PASTRY

slow roasted duck confit wrapped in puff pastry, goat cheese, cranberries, pepper jelly & watercress 

 SHORT RIB DUMPLING

fried dumpling stuffed with slow roasted short rib, tangy pickled cabbage & sweet chili sauce 

 FISH TACOS

local haddock, red cabbage, pico de gallo, & chipotle aioli 

 LOBSTER RICOTTA GNOCCHI

maine lobster & cherry tomatoes served in beurre blanc & sorrel pesto sauce 

 CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD PUDDING

maple crème anglaise, banana chocolate sauce, vanilla bean ice cream 

 GRILLED CIDER-BRINED PORK TENDERLOIN*

mashed sweet potatoes, braised collard greens, apple butter 

 ESPRESSO CHEESECAKE

cookie crust, coffee caramel brittle 

Have I ever told you how much i love restaurant week, i try to make a point of ordering outside my comfort zone when i try some place new.  On this beautiful Spring evening (the weather, not the day in general...this particular day sucked, but i digress) i met my friend Andrea and her boyfriend Eric at Forum on Boylston street ( in the back bay). Andrea recommended this restaurant to us to try and i have to say she hit the bullseye with this choice.

The staff at Forum seemed very friendly and attentive, I wasn't wild about our waiter. He wasn't a bad waiter, just slow and a smidge forgetful. Mixed up a few drink orders and put a lime on my Dos equis amber ale (not a beer to confuse with a Corona).  But overall i would chalk it up to him having a bad night or maybe even being new to this line of work.

This was one of the BEST restaurant week menus i have ever seen as far as choice. 5 in the appetizer category , 5 in the entree category and 3 Dessert choices....yeeeeeeeah !
most places only give you 3 choices in each, so this was a great place if you wanted variety.  I was torn about what to start with , so i got the Duck confit (it's the best French word i pronounce, besides croissant) it was delicious and flavorful. The pastry was not dry and the pepper jelly was a beautiful accompaniment with just the right amount of heat and sizzle.  Having said that, Andrea's fish tacos and Eric's short rib dumplings looked delicious and i must confess some appetizer envy.

For the entree i got the Lobster Ricotta Gnocchi, wow was that good.  A nice amount of lobster (mostly claw meat) with some of the plumpest gnocchi's i have ever had. However if I have 1 enormous complaint, its that Andrea's bowl looked like it had more food that mine did. When i was done i had to look on enviously as she still had gnocchi's left in her bowl while i was sopping up sauce with the bread on the table. The sauce was succulent, and it was almost like have 2 sauces in 1 dish that became a 3rd sauce when combined, it was sauce-a-palooza in that bowl.  Eric got the pork which he seemed to enjoy very much and said was cooked very nicely.

I can genuinely say i was looking forward to my entree all day, but i was also really looking forward to my dessert. I got the chocolate banana bread pudding. It was just as good as it sound and looks, so rich and decadent. Just the right amount of sauce and vanilla ice cream.  I was slightly torn and almost ordered what Andrea got , the espresso cheesecake, but i am happy with the decision i made. She let me try some, and it was quite nice but just a little too creamy for the way i like my cheesecake.  The cookie crust was delicious though, it worked well with the creamy cheesecake.

So i have to say it was restaurant week that brought me to Forum in the first place but it was the outstanding food and ambiance that will bring me back and soon.

Anyone want to go, let me know..i need my gnocchi fix.

Have a great night and a great meal

Love
K. M. Boyle




http://www.forumboston.com/menus.php?p=dinner