Petit Robert French Bistro is a fantastic neighborhood gem! It's almost unheard of for restaurants in the Boston area to offer free valet parking! That's a major plus.
Hors D'oeuvres
I enjoyed the fresh oysters on the half shell served with mignonette sauce.
We also enjoyed the tender escargot served in sizzling parsley butter.
The lobster bisque was terrific. It was surprisingly spicy. I enjoyed the little punch.
Entrees
The Cassoulet was amazing! Moist lamb, tender navy beans, red bell peppers, and stewed tomato topped with a succulent duck leg quarter (confit) and pork sausage. I ordered a side of sauteed spinach which was a perfect complement to this perfect dish.
NOTE: Petite Robert has a decent list of champagne by the glass.
My friends both ordered salmon dishes. The grilled salmon special was good, served with a creamy dill sauce, grilled endive (which was awesome), mediocre mashed potatoes, and a sprig of fresh dill.
The Salmon Cordon Bleu was different; stuffed with the perfect amount of Swiss cheese and endive, served with broccoli and those mediocre mashed potatoes. Both dishes are a must try!
Desserts
The Mousse au Chocolat was just so-so.I enjoyed the vanilla wafer accompaniment better.
The vanilla creme brulee was fantastic! Rich and creamy with a perfect torched sugar topping.
I'm dying to try the Grand Marnier souffle!
The service was great! Kudos to our server Brendan on ending his first week on a high note!
Did I mention FREE VALET?
www.petitrobertbistro.com
NOTE: This is the old Jacky's Table location.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Yankee Lobster Fish Market, 300 Northern Ave, Boston (Seaport District)
I decided (as is usually the case with me) to host my own "Tasting menu". I ordered the following: A small lobster bisque, small clam chowder, one crab cake, one clam strip roll, one fried lobster roll. Both rolls were served with cole slaw and fries.
The lobster bisque was less than mediocre. It was heavy on the cream, light on sherry, and lacked pretty much everything I love about lobster bisque...such as...lobster!
On to the clam chowder... Now, we all know EVERY spot serving clam 'chowdah' in New England claims to be The Best. Yankee Lobster actually served up a unique New England clam chowder. For starters, this chowder was the heartiest I've every had featuring generous amounts of clam and potatoes. The twist on this chowder was the smoky component. It almost tastes wood smoked. Though I suspect liquid smoke, I did enjoy the flavor.
The crab cake: Now I remember reading on Yelp that "this was the best crab cake ever". I soooo feel bad for this yelper! This crab cake was indeed large, but mostly filler. The coating was soggy and the seasoning was lacking. The 'remoulade' sauce was the best thing on that platter and even that was mediocre at best.
The rolls: I am usually not one to indulge in fried lobster. I believe this lovely crustacean should always be served steamed. I'm not a fan of grilled lobster either. In saying this, Yankee Lobster served a pretty good fried lobster roll. I prefer my lobster rolls to be hot (usually steamed with lots of butter), so I wasn't ready to dive into Yankee's well known cold lobster roll. Fried lobster was my first choice on this day and I really enjoyed it. Yankee did not disappoint on serving size and I had two lobster claws amongst the other chunks of tail. The bread was good. The lettuce were sparse, but who cares about roughage when you are enjoying lobster. The clam strips roll was tasty as well, nothing spectacular; just about what you would expect a clam strip roll to taste like. I did enjoy their tartar sauce which was heavy on the pickles.
The fries were nice...very crispy and thick cut.
The cole slaw was watery and not that appealing.
www.yankeelobstercompany.com/
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