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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Metropolis Cafe

This week and next week is Restaurant Week in Boston, which is a great time to try new places I think! Participating restaurants run a pre-fix menu (for lunch or dinner) of an appetizer, entree, and dessert for 30 dollars a person for dinner, and I think 20 dollars for lunch.  I try to participate in this every year.  Last night I went to Metrolpolis Cafe in the South End.  I have been here before, and it's a little neighborhood gem that I just never really think to go to, which is a shame actually.  It's a cute little place, with a real local feel to it.  It has an eclectic bar that I think is probably filled with locals that walk from their apartments to grab a great meal and a drink.  And it's got an old feel to it.  It has those little tiny white tiles from generations ago on the floor, and lots of brick inside, which I really enjoy.  I went with two other people, and they actually did not order off the pre-fix menu, but I did.  This is their restaurant week menu:

Appetizers:
“Winter Caprese”
House Made Mozzarella with Oven Cured Tomatoes, Wild Arugula, and Balsamic Vinegar
Roasted Bell Pepper and Mascarpone Soup
With Basil Infused Olive Oil and Shaved Ricotta Salata

Main Course:
Pan Seared Arctic Charr
With Beluga Lentils, Haricot Vert, and Whole Grain Mustard Cream
Chanterelle and Porcini Mushroom Risotto
With Truffle Shavings and Parmiggiano Reggianno
Seven Hour Vermont PT Farms Pork
With Creamy Polenta Romana, Roasted Winter Vegetables, and Cabernet Pan Jus

Dessert:
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Amarena Cherries
Chilled Fresh Fruit and Zabaglione

I ordered the Winter Caprese for my appetizer and it was truly mouth watering.  The mozzarella is made in house and you can really tell.  It tasted so fresh and homemade, and the oven cured tomatoes were a great touch.  The arugular was just right and just sweet enough with the balsamic, I would say it was actually perfect.  And the olive oil they use was to die for! They served bread and olive oil with roasted garlic chunks in it before our food came, and the olive oil was just amazing.  For my entiree I ordered risotto, and for anyone that knows me, besides lobster, risotto is my favorite meal, and if I can get it with lobster I am in heaven! :-) It was cooked perfectly and had a great flavor.  I think it was lacking a little, I felt it needed some salt, and a little something citrus to cut the woody flavor, but I almost literally licked my plate.  I added a little salt, and squeezed a lemon on it (left from my water) and proceeded to not leave a grain left on my plate.  The people I was with had scallops for their entree, and cod and both said their meals were delicious! For dessert we got one of each, they loved the chilled fruit, which was really clean and simple and fresh, but I really loved the cheesecake.  It was really dense and had an amazing flavor.  

I am going to scale my restaurant reviews with a stick of butter.  1 being the worst and 4 being the best!

I give Metrolpolis cafe 4 sticks of butter.  And I would say run here for restaurant week if you have not gotten the chance to experience this gem of a place.  And if you have, I would say remember it's there.  I think a lot of people just forget for some reason and choose other places in the South End, but you really cannot go wrong here!


 

3 comments:

  1. Hey, this is where we went for Restaurant Week last year, right??

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  2. I was reading their menu and thought it looked pretty tasty...thanks for the confirmation! I am going to Henrietta's Table next week but maybe I'll have time to sneak in another ;)

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  3. @ laurie yes it is! good memory! ha

    @ photodelicious did you make it here? how was henrietta's table?

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