Restaurant Week 2011

Ah, Restaurant Week—the unofficial competition between you and your friends to see who can be the biggest glutton in the most fancy restaurants. From March 6 to 18 (with a break on Saturday, March 12), restaurants all over greater Boston will offer prix fixe, three-course menus at $20.11 for lunch and $33.11 for dinner, with some spots also offering a two-course light lunch option for $15.11. We’ve narrowed down some of our favorite picks below. Happy gorging!

Aquitaine
This swanky French bistro is already known as one of the most sophisticated spots around, with its endless wine list, spotless white linens and urbane atmosphere. During Restaurant Week you can take advantage of their upscale cuisine day or night, as they run the same menu for lunch and dinner. For around $20, you can nosh on dishes like duck liver mousse with dried fruit mostarda, mache and country toast or the stout beer-braised beef cheeks with celery root puree, pickled green apple and somewhat puzzling (but intriguing) vegetable bacon, plus a dessert of decadent crème caramel. 569 Tremont St, South End, Boston (617-424-8577, aquitaineboston.com)

Know before you go:
• Offering two-course light lunch
• Vegetarian-friendly items

Asana
The flagship restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental, Asana offers guests traditional New England cuisine with a modern twist, plus dramatic, exotic décor. Lucky for us they’ll be maintaining their Resto Week menus for the entire month of March, so you can get a jump on the crowds. Some of our favorites are the applewood-smoked barbeque pork belly with cornbread panzanella and a purple mustard-orange vinaigrette; the Maine pee wee potato tart with Vermont aged cheddar, braised salsify, and organic egg; and crispy skin sea bass with fregola sarda, braised fennel, capers, and lobster broth. Mouth-watering desserts include warm blueberry clafoutis with mascarpone and honey ice cream, banana and caramel gold bar with milk jam ice cream and a clementine and pistachio mousse cake. 776 Boylston St, Back Bay, Boston (617-535-8888, mandarinoriental.com/boston/dining/asana)

Know before you go:
• Offering two-course light lunch
• Vegetarian-friendly items

Avila
Chef Steve DiFillippo is featuring four completely different menus for lunch and dinner for both weeks, so you can come back again and again and always have a new experience. And it’s never a bad thing to spend extra time with Avila’s modern Mediterranean cuisine and its soaring, comfortable space. Some menu standouts include organic Scottish salmon with roasted potatoes and lemongrass broth, slow-braised beef short ribs with potato puree and baby spinach, and pappardelle with roasted butternut cream and crumbled goat cheese. Special entrée items are also available for just $10 extra, such as a grilled flat iron steak with root veggies and a classic béarnaise sauce, or the braised pork shank with celery root and cider glaze. 1 Charles St South, Theater District, Boston (617-267-4810, avilarestaurant.com)

Know before you go:

• Offering two-course light lunch

• Vegetarian-friendly items
• Menus also offered on Saturdays

Gaslight
Serving exceptional French cuisine in a warm, inviting atmosphere, Gaslight starts the night off right by offering Restaurant Week guests a complimentary glass of red or white wine.  From there, choose from options like a pate de campagne with duck, Szechuan peppercorns and chinon gelee; roasted Atlantic cod with artichokes and white beans barigoule; and braised beef cheeks with pommes puree robuchon and burgundy onions. Sweet French treats for the third course include a caramelized fruit cobbler, Parisian crepes with bittersweet chocolate and caramel sauce and opera cake with espresso ice cream. 560 Harrison Ave, South End (617-422-0224, gaslight560.com)
 

Know before you go:

• Menu also offered on Saturday

Grotto
An underground spot with local artwork adorning the exposed brick walls, Grotto is your Beacon Hill destination for out-of-the-box Italian cuisine. The lunch and dinner Restaurant Week menus are surprisingly similar, so you can go for the heavy hitters in the afternoon, like the house-made cavatelle with sausage, peas, mushrooms, pancetta, and cream; the gnocchi with braised short ribs, mushrooms, and gorgonzola; and the lemon panna cotta with raspberries and aged balsamic. Try not to take a post-lunch desk-nap afterward. 37 Bowdoin St, Beacon Hill, Boston (617-227-3434, grottorestaurant.com)

Know before you go:

• Vegetarian-friendly items

• Menus also offered on Saturday

Harvest
Consistently the stomping grounds for some of Boston’s best-known chefs, Harvest is currently helmed by Chef Mary Dumont. In addition to the three-course dinner menus (they’re different each week), patrons can also request an accompanying wine pairing—half glasses for $48.11 and full glasses for $58.11. Compelling choices include a smoked chicken breast with polenta, golden raisins and wilted chard; the wild mushroom tart with quinoa, parsnips and herb salad; and grilled swordfish with fingerling potatoes, fennel, and a picholine beurre blanc. A variety of dessert choices are also available, such as a Meyer lemon curd tart, caramel panna cotta, lemon-buttermilk pudding cake and butterscotch custard. 44 Brattle St, Harvard Square, Cambridge (617-868-2255, harvestcambridge.com)

Know before you go:

• Offering two-course light lunch
• Vegetarian-friendly items
• Menus also offered on Saturdays

Lumiere
Lumiere is an elegant, candlelit bistro focused on serving local, organic and sustainably-raised or harvested ingredients. For an extra $15, guests can request beverage pairings to accompany their Restaurant Week meal. Selections include house-cured salt cod and Maine shrimp brandade cake with parsley rémoulade and black olive vinaigrette; farro risotto with exotic mushrooms, hazelnuts, and pecorino; and braised beef pavé with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and glazed root vegetables. Desserts range from orange sorbet served with winter citrus salad and Greek yogurt with dried fruit and maple compote to a dark and milk chocolate mousse parfait with bourbon caramel and toffee. 1293 Washington St, South End (617-244-9199, lumiererestaurant.com)

Know before you go:
• Offering two-course light lunch
• Vegetarian-friendly items

Pigalle
With an upscale French menu where entrees often break the $30 mark (ouch!), Pigalle is an ideal Restaurant Week destination. The menu is vast, offering choices for a variety of palates. Some of the more opulent selections include duck liver mousse with toasted brioche, cornichons and caper berries; a pan-seared snapper with lobster mulligatawny, fresh chickpeas, and harissa couscous; and a cassoulet of confit duck leg, braised lamb shank, and house-made pork sausage. Desserts are a surprise and read to you at the table by your server. 75 Charles St, Beacon Hill (617-423-4944, pigalleboston.com)

Know before you go:
• Menus also offered on Saturday

T.W. Food
T.W. Food is a soothing, cozy spot that packs major flavor, and their Restaurant Week menu is no different. Must-haves include the petite charcuterie starter with pork rillettes, chicken liver mousse and pâté de champagne (upgrade to the grand charcuterie for just $10); a lobster and scallop ravioli with ricotta, roasted fennel, and cream of lobster bisque; and the surprising scotch and cigars dessert—tobacco ice cream, a fried beignet, dark chocolate ganache and scotch syrup. For some even more serious eats, try the vegetarian or regular Grand Tasting for $49.10—five seasonal courses for the entire table. Add on an extra $29 for five wine pairings to make it an evening of serious decadence. 377 Walden St, Huron Village, Cambridge (617-864-4745, twfoodrestaurant.com)

Know before you go:

• Vegetarian-friendly items

• Menus also offered on Saturday

Umbria Prime
If you’re in the mood for moo, you’d be well served to visit Umbria Prime. Their resto week menu features corn- and grass-fed, 35-day dry-aged prime certified Angus beef alongside a host of other non-bovine options. The special lunch and dinner menus are strikingly similar, meaning you can nosh on choices like Wellfleet mussels with white wine and cherry tomatoes, filet mignon, tagliatelle with wild mushrooms and fresh truffle shavings, classic tiramisu and house-made cannoli on your lunch break. Throw in Umbria’s cosmopolitan ambience—dark hardwoods, exposed brick and Italian marble—and you just might never make it back to work. 295 Franklin St, Financial District, Boston (617-338-1000, umbriaprime.com)

Know before you go:

• Offering two-course light lunch
• Vegetarian-friendly items