We went to Bricco for Restaurant Week this year and it started a bit shakey. The drink that really caught my fancy was the Manhattan in Boston (a bourbon that I've not had before infused with cherries, vermouth and a twist (I think; it's not on their online menu and it shouldn't have been on the menu that night). Our waiter looks over at the bar and shakes his head; they don't have any of the infused bourbon (and prepare in advance). So I ask for the Hendrick's martini (described on the menu as Hendrick's, a splash of dry vermouth and a fresh lemon twist). Does this look like a twist to you? Does it even look like a lemon? My friend got one in her vodka martini so maybe they gave her the last one but I doubt it. We were quite pleased with the drinks as we were with the appetizers. 
She got Mozzarella di Bufala Caprese and I got the stuffed calamari "affogati" in a spicy tomato coulis (with grape tomato halves) and a garlic crostini (pictured here). Then things went seriously downhill pretty quickly. 
My friend got the beef braciole filled with garlic pecorino cheese and herbs, red wie sauce and brocolli rabe. Sounds great and looks decent enough but was overcooked and dry. After several considerations and consultation with the waiter, I ordered the pork chop which was supposed to come with carrots and ... (seems this is not on their online menu any more either). It came with a very fetching tube of what I presumed after several bites had to be potato but it was very bland and non-potato-like consistency. The other side was a bitter slaw like substance. The the pork chop, oh my!, the pork chop was the biggest disappointment of the night. It wasn't that it was overcooked (as I sometimes do); it just lacked any flavor at all. How is this even possible? Even when I over cook and don't put any spices on it, my chops come out better than this sad excuse.
Desserts were bread pudding with caramel sauce and tiramisu. Meh.
Overall, my friend deemed Bricco as our only Restaurant Week failure. I have heard such good things about this place, I might give them another try but am not beating a path to their door.
1 comment:
always such a disappointment when the meal isn't excellent. But, i always remind myself that i have to hit a few mistakes to find all the good ones.
And, no, that's definitely not a twist. Unfortunately, I get those big lemon & lime chunks in my martinis pretty often here in Paris. sigh.....
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