EVOO Overlord
Monday, March 12, 2007
The service was on the slow-and-inconsistent side at EVOO Saturday night. Our bread basket was refilled - twice - while we waited for our appetizers to appear. The cider Hyoun and Bitty ordered never showed at all; for appetizer, entree and dessert, having been seated at 5:30, we didn’t end up leaving until well after 8 pm.
But the scallops I ordered were perfect. Three large scallops, just a hint of searing, paired with a pureed porcini mushroom flan topped with a handful of mache, and the whole dish drizzled with white truffle oil. (Leftover truffle oil was quickly soaked up by the remains of bread basket number three.) The clarity and smoothness of the fresh scallops, the earthiness of the flan and truffle oil, and the slight crunch and tang of the mâche combined to make every bite unctuous, but not overwhelmingly so; simply layered and spiced with the kind of taste that sits blissfully on your tongue.
EVOO has the local, seasonal “New American” food vibe down well, my scallops being a prime example. On a previous visit, I melted over their “Duck, Duck, Goose:” a trio of duck confit, seared duck foie gras, and goose breast, served with lentils, green beans, and escarole, and topped with a sherry-ginger sauce. Their bread is certainly tempting enough to warrant the multiple baskets mentioned above, between the fruity dipping olive oil, the crusty peasant bread to sop it up, and the spicy-crunchy breadsticks for variety. My dessert of clementine-basil sorbet - another fascinating blend of sweet-yet-piquant winter clemmies with the heat of chipotle added to normally staid sugar cookies.
I know it’s trendy around this time of year to chalk up service errors to it being Restaurant Week, but EVOO has been open long enough (almost ten years now!) and is catering to a high enough standard that I expect a bit more attention paid. They did well in that regard the previous time I went on a weeknight, so until I get back there a third time (a ten-minute walk away, and it is starting to warm up enough that perhaps I won’t freeze on said walk!), I’ll go along with it and blame Restaurant Week. Maybe.
EVOO, 118 Beacon St, Somerville. 617.661.3866. Dinner M-Th 5:30-10, FS 5:30-11.