Dinner out at 80 Thoreau

I few weeks ago my friend Ann posted a link from Zagat Blog about 9 Must-Try Tasting Menus in the Greater Boston Area.  This past weekend, Ann, Vivian, and I decided to pick one of the restaurants on the list and give it a try while the husbands were busy.  After looking them over, we decided to try 80 Thoreau in Concord, MA.

We've spent a lot of time in Concord - whether it's wandering around the cute downtown area, visiting Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, or walking around Walden Pond - but I'd never noticed 80 Thoreau.  As I was approaching the restaurant I realized why I'd always missed it.  It doesn't look like a typical restaurant.  We ALL had trouble finding it - it's just a pretty blue door with a sign to the right.  I kind of like a "hidden restaurant" though...

Our seating was at 8:45.  When Vivian made the reservation, she did so on Open Table, but didn't realize that that didn't reserve the tasting menu.  When she called the restaurant, they said their tasting menu was sold out that evening, but had room at the "Chef's Table".  Now THAT sounded like fun!

The Chef's table was a bar overlooking the kitchen, so we spent the evening watching the chefs work their magic...and then eating their creations.  We soon learned the other perk that comes with the Chef's Table are the little extras that are thrown in as you dine.  After we ordered our first course, our waiter brought us something to sample - tuna and an olive compote on crackers.

Then our first course arrived - we had Duck Confit with Grapefruit, Pistachio and Endive, and Poached Farm Egg over a bed of greens.  They were both delicious and full of flavor.

We enjoyed watching the chefs work while we waited for our Main Course.  It was a fun way to pick out what you wanted to eat next.  Watch them make the dishes...and pick the one that looks the best!  The chefs move around the kitchen so gracefully, flawlessly plating all the orders coming in.  I couldn't believe how calm it was.

For the main course, we decided to go with Pan Roasted Quails with Pomegranate, Chevre, and Barley, and the Roasted & Braised Chicken with Potatoes Gratin, Brussels, and Almonds.

The Quail

The Chicken

I was blown away by how large the servings were.  At most of the nice restaurants in Boston, you're presented with tiny portions.  Not so at 80 Thoreau.  I could only finish half of the juicy, bone-in breast - it was so big!  I did, however, polish off the Brussels sprouts and potatoes, which were fantastic.  I'm not usually a fan of the skin on a chicken breast, but this was delicious and perfectly cooked.

After watching the kitchen all evening, we knew dessert was going to be the Flourless Chocolate Cake.  The chocolate cake was finished off with a blowtorch, so how could we not get it?  I was most excited about the poached pears that came with the dish, which did not disappoint.  The cake was very rich, so these were a nice addition to the dish.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Poached Pears

While we were swooning over the cake, the chef we'd been chatting with passed us another little gem to try -   Goat Cheese Cheesecake with a winter fruit compote and graham cracker crumble.  THIS was the dessert of the night.  It was tart without being overbearing, and we immediately abandoned the chocolate cakes for this guy.  We had a Goat Cheese Cheesecake at Audubon Circle a few weeks ago, but this was 1,000 times better.  The perfect way to end a meal.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Winter Fruit Compote

It was a fantastic evening out with great friends and was honestly one of my top two dining experiences ever.  I can't wait to go back!  If you live in the Boston area, you MUST make your way to Concord and try this restaurant - you won't be disappointed!

Date Night - Audubon Circle and the Lorelei Ensemble

Friday night, Travis and I went on our first date since coming back from Christmas vacation.  Being sick for three weeks really puts a damper on going out, so we were excited to have a nice evening!  Our friend Kim is in the Lorelei Ensemble, who was having a concert that evening at Boston University's Marsh Chapel, so we decided dinner and the concert would be perfect.

About a year ago, I put together a power point presentation for my boss with the pros and cons (mostly pros...) of moving to Arizona (he was trying to convince his wife to move there).  As a thank you, he gave me a gift card to a restaurant down the street, Audubon.  Not much better than dinner on the boss!  :)

We got to Audubon around 6 and had no trouble getting a table (apparently the crowd shows up around 8).  The inside is like a nice lounge - dark wooden walls, metal pendant lights and a cool triangular table down the center of the restaurant for after hours.  Across from the long bar running down one side of the restaurant are the dining tables where we sat.

Since the gift card was for $75, we decided to live large and get an appetizer, dinner, and dessert.  We started with the Grilled Shrimp with Citrus Sauce (which was sweet with a serious kick).

Travis immediately knew he wanted the bowl of Turkey Chili, but I had more trouble deciding on the main course.  It was between the Vegetable Risotto and Pan Roasted Chicken.  I decided that the chicken dish is usually a cop-out, so I gave the risotto a try.

The Turkey Chili was massive and was topped with cheddar and sour cream.  It was thick, "nice and spicy", and great once he added a little salt.

The risotto, on the other hand, was just really bland.  The veggies (peas, asparagus, and mushrooms) were cooked perfectly, but there just wasn't much flavor to the dish.  I decided that since we had more than enough money to cover dinner in the gift card, I was going to order something different (after-all...dinner was on the boss!).   I asked the waitress if I could see the menu again to pick something else and assured her that it wasn't something wrong with the dish...it just wasn't to my taste.

I decided to go with my gut the second time and got the Pan Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Mushrooms. It was amazing.  This was no ordinary chicken dish - the chicken was juicy, tender and FULL of flavor.  The mountain of mashed potatoes was rich and fluffy, and paired well with the mushrooms and gravy.  I gobbled most of it up almost immediately and was more than happy!

The icing on the cake was that the restaurant comp'd the risotto (even though we weren't expecting it) for good measure.  You can tell a really great restaurant by the way they fix issues that come up.  Audubon was fantastic.

There was only one option on the menu for dessert, Goat Cheese Cheesecake with an Oreo crust and crumb - but with a dessert like that...who needs a second?

It was tangy, sweet, and chocolaty - everything we could wish for.

At this point we were completely stuffed.  There was, however, one more pleasant surprise (which doesn't happen often around here), which was the BILL.  Appetizer, 2 entrees, dessert, and a beer (Travis was so excited they had a local brewery's Fisherman's Ale) - all for about $55.00.  We handed over the $75 gift card and walked out with some extra cash from the unused value.  We MADE MONEY eating here.  :)



After dinner we hopped in the car and headed over to Boston University's Marsh Chapel for the Lorelei Ensemble concert.  Thankfully we we found a parking spot right outside (which is unheard of), so we didn't have to walk too far in the cold.

Wrapping your entire face in a scarf helps...

The inside of Marsh Chapel is beautiful (as you just saw) and was the perfect place for the concert.  I have to say, this was one of the best concerts I've been to in a long time.

The Lorelei Ensemble is a group of 8 ladies (and their leader, Beth) who performs both new and early music for women's voices.  They perform pieces for the entire ensemble and in smaller groups (solo, 3, 4 or 5 voices).  Friday's concert was titled Lineage, and focused on the shared musical language between sixteen-century repertoire, colonial America, and the new music of today.  It's not often you go to a concert that includes chant, shape note music, lyrical pieces, and works composed just this year, and have it not just make sense, but be a fantastic and inspiring evening!

The concert included pieces by Paul Chihara, John Sheppard, William Billings, William Byrd, Mary Montgomery Koppel, Joshua Shank, Thomas Tallis, and Karin Hoghielm.  The pieces that particularly struck me were Chihara's Magnificat and Joshua Shank's Magnificat for the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.  Shank's Magnificat takes on the heavy subject of Argentina's "Dirty War", using text from an organization of Argentine mothers whose children had "disappeared".  He took a truly heartbreaking event and paid honor to what the families and children experienced through the settings of their stories.  The piece is not yet finished (they premiered the first 4 movements in this concert), and I can not wait to hear the rest.

The Lorelei Ensemble will be performing with the Harvard Women's Choral Festival in February, so if you're in the Boston area, you should definitely go hear this group!

Such a fun evening out with husband!