This week in Boston it's Restaurant Week. Restaurant Week is a time when a group of (normally high-priced) establishments host prix-fixe lunches and dinners. It's a great deal for the proletariat: $20.02 buys a dining experience that it normally had for two or three times that amount.
A friend of mine made reservations at Mantra. I had been there just after it opened, and found the food to be unspectacular and the service lacking. It is, however, a stunning space: an old bank whose basement vault is open, leading to a who-knows-what storage space. It looks awesome. All the walls are marble to about a five-foot height, lending an air of seriousness to the dining room. It's quite a cold space (literally and figuratively), but since it was packed and the music was good, I didn't much mind.
The prix fixe menu was superb. I was particularly impressed with the wine list, which had a few hundred wines on it from all the most popular regions- France, Italy, California, Spain, Germany, Chile... all there, all well represented. But I digress; back to the food. The vichyssoise was good, though bland; it was reported to have been made with special shrimp but I couldn't tell. My entreé was so forgettable that I can't remember what it was, but I do remember dessert: coconut crème brulée. It was stunning, a refreshing twist on a traditional dish.
All in all, a fun time, but I wouldn't go back for a regularly priced meal. Too many other places to go.
4:45:39 PM 
|
|
