Mooo, Beacon Hill, Boston

There is a certain quiet elegance that encases downtown Boston. Unlike the hustle and bustle of New York, or the laid back beauty of LA, Boston is subtle, sophisticated and yet, commanding. It is a town of strong ideals, historic culture, overwhelming pride and a pretty awesome sense of humor.  It is only logical that in the very heart of the city, a restaurant would exist that would celebrate these very ideals. 

Mooo sits in the historic XV Beacon hotel, originally built in 1903 and situated at the very crest of Beacon Hill, next door to the grandeur of the current State House.  Mooo is touted as a contemporary take on the classic steakhouse, but I believe it is so much more. Its dining room oozes of the same understated elegance of the city itself, and its private function room, a gorgeous wine cellar is steeped in the history that this city is known for.  With wine bottles salvaged from ship wrecks, and long lost vintages, it is worth a trip for the curious eye...

The ambiance of Mooo is anything but a classic steakhouse- here the dark undertones have been elevated into lighter tones, and a generally airy feel.  The often overwhelming chandeliers have been muted with large shades, making them feel cozier.  The artwork is the real statement here.  Up close and personal images of friendly cows decorate the walls, adding just a bit of scandal to this steak house.  

The staff is extremely knowledgeable of their menu, inclusive of wine lists, and after welcoming me in, balanced the perfect line of social and leaving me to investigate their flavors.

I began my meal with their Tuna Tartar.  A perfectly formed disc of large chunks of tuna, lightly tossed with chives, and then placed in a moat of citrus ginger dressing and topped with earthy micro greens was set in front of me.  Very little salt was used in this dish and that was a wonderful decision by the chef.  The tuna was a pure flavor, and when mixed with a little chive or the ginger citrus dressing variations were formed, which kept the dish interesting.  The simplicity of this rendition made it one of the best I've had-it was difficult to put my fork down.

I always have difficulty choosing which steak I want to indulge in when I visit steakhouses, however the staff at Moo made my decision simple as I selected their Painted Hills New York Sirloin.  This was a 14 oz grass and grain fed steak from the Painted Hills, a collaborative ranch out of Wheeler County in Oregon.  I paired this with their Whipped Yukon Gold Potatoes and their B&B Mushrooms.

The B&B Mushrooms were button mushrooms sauteed and served in a brandy and butter sauce.  These were some of the plumpest, juiciest mushrooms I've had the pleasure of enjoying.  However, I did feel that the brandy had been applied with a bit of a light hand and it's punch of flavor wasn't felt in the side dish.  

The potatoes, on the other hand, had wonderful flavor with notes of butter and cream circulating throughout them, and perfect texture stemming from the whipping of real potatoes.  The flavor here was also pure, without the addition of too much salt, and with just a small smattering of chives on top to vary the flavor when desired.  

The steak, above all, was a piece of artwork.  Served with a bone marrow butter as a simple accompaniment, the flavor of the steak stood well on it's own. The beauty of the grass fed beef is the more delicate flavors that are found- the light hints of sun drenched grass and healthy grains.  Moo seasoned and cooked this steak beautifully, a perfect medium rare was found on the inside.  I found that the butter wasn't at all needed, though I did love its visual affect, served in a bone.  

Though I knew dessert would be overdoing it, I was talked into trying their Banana's Foster (they really had to twist my arm on that one).  An ample size boat filled with scoops of creamy vanilla ice cream with bruleed banana halves in between was set in front of me, and then, table side, the steaming hot sauce was poured over the top.  Rich scents of butter and sweet banana wafted immediately to my nose and as I dipped my spoon into a sphere of ice cream and caught some of the sauce- the flavors were bright and delicious.  I really enjoyed the bruleed bananas-their crisp top provided a lovely textural contrast to a traditional dessert.

Mooo was an absolute delight, and I must thank them for having me in to explore their menu.  Their dishes are put together with attention to details, and obvious pride in their ingredients.  They do not feel the need to add salt or seasoning where it isn't needed, but instead have faith that the ingredients they have chosen are of the highest quality.  Mooo is definitely doing steak right, and is a wonderful place to celebrate the beauty of Boston.         

Bin 26 Enoteca, Beacon Hill, Boston

I love when a restaurant exceeds my expectations.  I used to dine at Bin 26 Enoteca on Charles Street in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood pretty frequently.  However, after having a few disappointing entrees, I started heading to other Italian eateries to satisfy my cravings.  This weekend though my sister was in town and chose Bin 26 as her birthday dinner location, I had some concerns, but was intrigued to return after a multi year hiatus. 

Bin 26 calls to mind the traditional Enoteca's of Italy.  Basic terms translates these Italian stores into wine purveyors where one is able to taste their wine before purchasing.  Bin 26 calls similar practices to mind by offering their menu as a series of small plates etc that can be shared as one tastes wines.  Their "by the glass" menu is large, and patrons can order different size glasses to allow them to taste just a little of a new wine, or indulge in a larger pour of a favorite. 

We opted, between the four of us, to share several plates of food, some from their smaller plate menu, and two entrees to really taste a wide sampling of the menu.  We selected the Saffron Risotto Balls, the Baked Eggplant Parmesan, the Mushroom and Fontina Cheese Bruschetta , and the Buffalo Mozzarella Wrapped in Crispy Speck as our small plates, and then chose the Scallops over Cannelloni Beans with an Arugula Lime Dressing, and the Beet Spaghetti served with Shrimp as the entrees to share.  

The Bin 26 Saffron Risotto Balls are also known as arancini- those delightful golf ball shaped orbs of creamy risotto, stuffed with cheese, and then deep fried to a golden crisp. Bin 26's boasted the presence of that sunny spice Saffron, and while the risotto did have a yellow tinge from it's use, I did not taste its sweetness in the balls.  I also, however, noted that overall these arancini were under seasoned pretty substantially, so I wondered if the saffron was just lost in the creaminess of the other ingredients.  Despite the under seasoning however, the risotto was well cooked, the internal cheese melted and gooey and the outside crisp from frying was perfection.  Those three elements are really what make arancini textural perfection!

I sampled the Sauteed Mushroom and Garlic  with Fontina Cheese Bruschetta next, and this quickly became my favorite dish of the night.  The mushrooms, tender and well seasoned paired with the perfectly melted mild Fontina.  Fontina is one of my favorite cheeses because of its soft texture and its salty yet creamy flavor.  Once melted it turns everything just a bit more decadent.  Paired with the mushrooms, the garlic and just a touch of parsley this was a wonderful take on bruschetta.

Next up was the Baked Eggplant Parmesan which, despite the beautifully melted mozzarella cheese smothering the top of the artful stack of well cooked eggplant, was again, slightly under seasoned.  The natural earthy flavor of the eggplant drowned against the acidic tomato sauce, rich cheese and fresh basil leaves.  

The Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese wrapped in Crispy Speck and served with grilled vegetables was the last of our small plates.  Though the Speck, a type of ham flavored with juniper berries, wasn't crisp, it did form a lovely shell around the slightly smoky cheese.  The flavors together, and then especially when combined with the charred vegetables, paired perfectly and made for a delicious snack.

Soon after our sharing plates were cleared the two entrees were brought to the table.  First up was the Beet Spaghetti whose name had fooled our whole table into thinking that the spaghetti, it self, would be beet instead of just spaghetti served with slivers of beets.  However, the dish, paired with fresh shrimp was tossed in a creamy sauce and was absolutely delicious.  The beets were naturally sweet, and broke up the monotony of the simple pasta.  The cream sauce a perfect pairing, and tied in the shrimp perfectly.  

I turned my attention to scallops next, served over a puree of Cannelloni beans, and topped with a mess of arugula.  The Scallops were well cooked, though over salted, but worked nicely when paired with the peppery arugula.  I didn't detect much lime flavor, but also didn't miss it while I enjoyed the dish.  I did enjoy the puree of Cannelloni beans very much.  There is something about a well executed bean puree that is just perfection to me.  Earthy tasting, but with creamy undertones, they satisfy the need for decadence without packing in unneeded calories.  

Despite a few seasoning mishaps, I was really pleased with the quality of the items that we sampled.  Each dish was well presented, each had unique touches and each contained fresh, clean ingredients. 

With execution like we saw this weekend, and an incredible wine list- I am happy to add Bin 26 back to my rotation of dining spots.