Last Wednesday, Boston finally got some gorgeous, warm weather, and it was the perfect night to sit out on the terrace at Aragosta Bar + Bistro, one of Boston’s newest waterfront dining spots. Aragosta features contemporary Italian cuisine, including hand-made pastas, and uses New England seafood and local ingredients. I was so excited to check it out during Aragosta’s complimentary blogger party.
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| Photo courtesy of Tiny Urban Kitchen. Thanks, Jen! Michelle, Daisy, me, Athena, Jen |
After a seemingly never-ending eight hours at work, I met Daisy in the North End, and we strolled over to Fairmont Battery Wharf together in the warm sunshine. We arrived at Aragosta to find Meghan, Michelle and her fiance, Elizabeth, and Rachel already lounging on the comfy couches with super-plush pillows and sipping cocktails.
Michelle explained the two cocktails to us, and without wasting any time, Daisy and I joined our friends on the couches and selected our drinks. The two choices were the Moscow Mule and the Yellow Pepper Limoncello Sour. I opted to try the Moscow Mule, a mixture of Grey Goose vodka, fresh ginger, lime juice, and club soda, first.
The fresh ginger taste was noticeable, and I absolutely loved this drink. It is the perfect patio beverage. I later tried the Yellow Pepper Limoncello Sour, which was also good, but I preferred the Moscow Mule. The Limoncello drink really does taste like yellow peppers, so if that’s a flavor you like, I definitely recommend trying the refreshing cocktail.
On a nearby table was a spread of bread, hot cherry peppers, and a hand-crafted selection of salumi and caponata. (We soon realized this table was the hotspot of the night as waiters and waitresses would continuously pop out of the restaurant and place something new there.)
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| Hand Crafted Selection of Salumi, Caponata, Hot Cherry Peppers, Crusty Bread |
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| Lobster & Truffle Crostini, White Bean Puree |
If I just had this and the fries, I would have left perfectly content. I wouldn’t have thought to pair a lightly dressed, chunky lobster salad with a white bean puree, but it just works. And of course, the truffle flavor is an added bonus to this dish.
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| Sautéed Calamari Salad, Baby Arugula, San Marzano Tomato, Balsamic |
I rarely eat calamari in a form other than fried, so I found this preparation very interesting and obviously lighter. The vibrant San Marzano tomatoes seemed to bring the whole dish together for me.
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| Braised Veal & Pancetta Meatballs, Soft Polenta, Arugula |
Another stellar dish, the veal and pancetta meatball quickly won me over, even though I had no idea what kind of meat it consisted of when I tried it. Bites of the firm meatball paired well in flavor and texture with the soft, creamy polenta.
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| Lobster Bisque |
I was a little disappointed to see that the lobster bisque didn’t have any chunks of lobster in it, but what it lacks in chunky texture, it more than makes up for in flavor. The smooth bisque is almost a little sweet and pleasantly “lobster-y.”
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| Truffle Rigatoni, Warm Goat Cheese Fondue |
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| Pappardelle Bolognese, Veal Cheek & Ox Tail Ragu, Porcini Powder |
I think I can bestow favorite dish honors on this pappardelle bolognese. I love wide, flat pasta noodles, so this hand-made pasta was just perfect for me and the ragu was so tender, and if you can’t tell, there’s a little chunk of brie in that bowl too. I look forward to heading back to order the entree version of this. I’ve already been raving about it to Jeff too because I know he would love it as well.
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| Orecchiette, Broccoli Rabe, Pancetta, Capers, Preserved Lemon |
The orecchiette was another great pasta dish with lots of fantastic salty, briny flavor plus bright acidity from the preserved lemon.
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| Gnocchi, Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder, Rosemary Citrus Jus, Asparagus |
Perfect pillowy gnocchi — that’s about all that needs to be said about this dish. If you love gnocchi, it’s a must-try.
We also had lobster ravioli with roasted cauliflower, but I somehow missed a photo op for that dish. It was as amazing as the rest of the pasta dishes.
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| Seared Tuna, Roasted Fennel, Marcona Almonds, Golden Raisin Puree |
The seared tuna took us away from pasta dishes and back into lighter territory. I thought the Marcona almonds were an interesting pairing and loved the crunchy texture with the soft tuna.
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| PT Farms Pork Chop, Fontina, Pancetta, Algre Dolce Peppers |
While the pork and Fontina was an interesting dish and I really liked the pork, the Fontina was a little strong for my liking.
Many of the dishes above are actually served as entrees, so we just got small samples to try, but if you head to Aragosta, you’ll be getting a full-size portion. (I don’t want anyone looking at the menu and thinking the lamb and gnocchi looks awfully tiny for $22.)
And finally, the parade of dishes dwindled down, and we all realized we were happily full. We decided to switch to prosecco toward the end of the evening, just in time for dessert.
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| Photo courtesy of Fun and Fearless in Beantown. Thanks, Michelle! Michelle, Meghan, Daisy, and me |
Chef David Daniels brought out dessert, and we got to chat with him for a few minutes about the restaurant, the food, and his culinary inspiration: his mother.
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| Mascarpone Ice Cream With A Muscat Pie |
The dessert was very interesting, and we all kept trying to figure out the flavor of the ice cream. We found it familiar but couldn’t place it, and suddenly it made sense when we found out it was mascarpone ice cream.
I’ll leave you with just one last picture: the gorgeous view from Aragosta’s back patio. I already can’t wait to go back.
