51 Lincoln is in Newton, MA, just a few minutes down the road from us. The restaurant is cozy and sophisticated and plastered with fantastic art! The first time we ate there, we were mentioning to our waiter how much we liked the art, and we learned that the chef is both a culinary artist AND a visual artist! I guess it should be no surprise that the two talents overlap - after all cooking IS art. (Here's a blog the chef wrote about his art if you're interested.)
When we all arrived it was time for appetizers. Ann and Terence split a cheese and pâté plate, Allyn enjoyed the Pan Seared Watermelon Steak (which I'd never seen before...it was interesting!), and Travis ordered his favorite - the Polenta Fries with Truffle Parmesan Dip. The polenta fries are to die for, fluffy, and unassumingly heavy. They're meant to be a side, so if you order them as an app, make sure you share or you won't want your dinner! 51 Lincoln also has the best corn bread and bread dip. I don't know what it is made of exactly, but it's tomatoey, sweetish,...it's fantastic. (You don't dip the cornbread.) :)
For dinner, I had the Chicken Under a Brick. The first time we visited 51 Lincoln this is what Travis got, and he couldn't stop talking about it for weeks. Everywhere we went it was, "OMG CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK!," "Where can we get bricks," or "Let me tell you about the most amazing chicken ever!" I decided to have it this time, and it was equally enjoyable as the last. The only strange thing was a unidentifyable purple vegetable on my plate. I took one bite and knew it wasn't for me. After dinner, Ann wanted to give it a try (she's notably more brave about her food choices than I am) and she agreed...it was bad. Note to self - radicchio is gross.
Travis ordered the bolognese, and has since taken up his regular "OMG 51 LINCOLN'S PASTA!!," "We need to learn how to do that!," "Let me tell you about the most amazing pasta" routine. To his credit, it really was fantastic. They make all of their pasta in-house and difference is obvious.
For dessert, the table split the chocolate lava cake (topped with hazelnuts and bourbon caramel) and their banana ice cream. The perfect way to end an evening.
We had a fantastic time and can't wait to go back.
A few days later Travis had the premiere of his piece at Brandeis University! Remember the Berry Basket Cake from last week? It made its appearance at the reception. Take a look & listen!
