Friday, March 27, 2009

Day 2: Boston Restaurant Week: Om, Pt II

Haddock Carpaccio

Appetizer 2: Haddock Carpaccio with a bed of lettuce. The accompanying salad included tomato, cucumber, cilantro, pesto, mayo and two raw slivers of haddock with olive oil drizzled on top.



Baby Chicken (Me, Dave).

Entree 1: Baby Chicken with green beans and sticky rice. The roasted chicken was soft yet firm overall but dry in spots, probably because chicken breast is often dry to begin with. However, the medley of flavors in the green beans and toasted jasmine rice removed any lingering symptoms of parched mouth syndrome. The rice was slightly crispy with a sweet sheen on the surface, compliments of sugar and sesame oil. A sprig of cloves completed the look.



Braised Lamb Shank (Yun, Austin).

Entree 2: Braised Lamb Shank with spinach gnocchi and bok choy. The lamb was very tender, not too gamey. I love the texture of the spinach gnocchi. Must be all that ricotta cheese.



Pan Seared Salmon (Hannah).

Entree 3: I've read so many conflicting reviews about the salmon, but Hannah assured me that it was moist and tender. "Very herby," she said.



Wild Mushroom Paparadelle (Rachel)

Entree 4: Apparently, paparadelle is very large, broad fettucine. I didn't know that before today. A sign of freshness is the wide circumference ~ 3/4 to 1-inch thick. I'm guessing that's a good sign for the Wild Mushroom Paparadelle, which was also eight inches long. This creamy, cheesy dish hit the spot for me and managed to be rich without that heart-clogging feeling.

Desserts (not pictured): Brown butter carrot cake, Espresso chocolate cake. A dollop of vanilla bean ice cream sat astride the carrot cake. I was particularly impressed by the consistency, which was not too crumbly, nor too firm. Raisins added a sweet flavor to the "milky" carrot cake.

Yun gave me a really detailed description of the Espresso chocolate cake (her dessert). Here's what she had to say:

"Perfectly paired with bitter coffee. Light, minty, with the ginger ice cream. Due to the herb on top of the dark chocolate, it was a very refreshing taste. The texture was not cakey, very smooth and silky, almost mousse-like but a tad more firm. It was topped with sea salt to bring out the bitterness and the [high] quality of the cake. Silky texture due to the melted pieces of chocolate -- not chunks, well-blended with flour."

The texture? "Between a chocolate fudge and a mousse."

And there you have it! OM offers a regular pre-fixe menu of 3 courses for $35 even during non-restaurant week days.


Rating:
4.5 out of 5 stars