(and staff ) that anchored itself on
Boston’s bustling Newbury Street.
French expats and Francophiles gravitate here regularly.
La Voile keeps the menu authentic
by featuring dishes such as soupe de
poissons (a traditional fish soup) and
blanquette de veau, a classic veal stew
with basmati rice. The sweetbreads in
a morel cream sauce is the hands-down
favorite. The wine list represents all
regions, including Languedoc, Bourgogne, Alsace, the Loire Valley and more.
Sensing
Fairmont Battery Wharf
Three Battery Wharf, Boston
617-994-9001;
sensingrestaurant.com
When word first came that three-star
Michelin chef Guy Martin was opening a
Boston outpost of his Paris-based Sensing, a buzz flew among the city’s foodies.
Unfortunately, a sputtering economy
and a change of hands from the Regent
to the Fairmont hoteliers delayed the
opening, and locals were disappointed
that chef Martin would be present only a
few times a year. They needn’t be. Martin
tapped the very capable Gérard Barbin as
chef de cuisine.
Barbin turns out succulent dishes
such as cod steamed in lemon grass with
dainty seasonal vegetables, or loin of
lamb in a tomato crust with cippolini
onions stu;ed with amaranth, date and
mint. A whimsical six-bite snacking platter is meant to be eaten in precise order,
often starting with a local oyster, moving
on to a guacamole and passion fruit
éclair, and eventually to Maine lobster
with red pepper wasabi gratin.
T.W. Food
377 Walden St., Cambridge
617-864-4745; twfoodrestaurant.com
Chef and owner Tim Wiechmann
is one of only a handful of chefs in
America who has trained at several
three-star Michelin restaurants in Paris.
Time spent in the kitchens of Tail-levent, L’Arpège and L’Atelier means
France remains his biggest influence,
but Wiechmann describes his dishes
as simplified French cuisine, meaning
there will be four or five immaculate
ingredients on a plate, instead of 12. The
nightly cheese course here is consistently divine. The tasting menu changes
daily and is available as a vegetarian option. Save room for the French pastry.
Traditional langues de chat, meringues
with cream, and sable Breton, a salted
Brittany cookie, appear frequently on
the menu.
Sandrine’s Bistro
8 Holyoke St., Cambridge
617-497-5300; sandrines.com
Raymond Ost became a chef the
old-fashioned way. He apprenticed from
a young age in kitchens throughout
France, and his menu reflects his Alsatian roots. Take a break from exploring
Harvard Square and sit at the bar with a
beer and Ost’s flammekueche, which is
thin, crisp and full of smoky goodness.
The choucroute garnie au Riesling is
hearty and delicious, too.
Ost not only is a certified master chef
but also was knighted by the French government earlier this year, for his devotion to Alsatian gastronomy. This is a
rare honor, and one he shares with the
late Julia Child.
Clockwise, left top: French onion soup
at Robert Bistro South; crème brûlée
at TW Food; the fun decor at Sel de la
Terre; and lamb chops at Sandrine’s.
