Dinner in the Lounge @ Boulevard

Ah, Boulevard.   I've been to Boulevard a handful of times over the years, such as my full dinner in the main dining room, a full dinner at the Chef's Counter, and just appetizers and desserts.  I've also hosted a lovely large group private dinner there.

Boulevard is a bit of a classic.  Always great sounding menus, always fairly reliable, good, solid execution, satisfying ... but doesn't blow me away.  After several pandemic years, I finally returned to Boulevard on a random Friday night with one other.  We had no reservation, but arrived right after opening at 5pm, and were able to have our choice of seating in the lounge area.  The restaurant quickly filled up though, and by midway through our meal the entire place was filled.  Coming early certainly was the right move for not having a reservation.

A la Carte Menu.

Since we dined in the lounge area, the menu was a la carte, rather than the 3 course tasting menu served in the main dining room.  I preferred this, as it allowed us to order just starters and mains (yes, I know, I skipped dessert, but Boulevard desserts rarely impress).

Our service was good, even though it got quite busy, and although it lacked the touches like an amuse bouche, I was pleased with the more casual vibe of the lounge area.  Everything was well paced, we never felt rushed, and overall just a nice experience.

French Manhattan. $20.

"Cognac, Dolin Sweet Vermouth, Grand Marnier, Orange Bitters."

I started the meal with a cocktail, a slightly interesting spin on it, the French Manhattan.

It was an elegant cocktail, presented in an appropriate glass.  It was boozy, cognac forward, and quite enjoyable, citrus accents and all.  I let my cherry soak up all the alcoholic goodness, and quite enjoyed it as a very sweet, very boozy final bite.

A strong, yet well balanced cocktail, and a nice start to the meal.

***+.

We moved on to a lovely bottle of red, that I failed to get the details on, but was light yet complex, with an aromatic floral bouquet on the nose, which makes me feel ridiculous saying, but, well, was true.

Starter: Zuckerman's Colossal Aparagus. $20.

"Olive oil hollandaise & summer truffles."

I was really, really happy to see asparagus on the menu.  And of course, sourced from local darling Zuckerman's.  Perfectly in season, and I've been kinda adoring it lately.  The menu had changed slightly since I saw it posted online, no more brillat-savarin fondue (!!) but olive oil hollandaise instead.

The asparagus, colossal as advertised, was well prepared, although I do prefer a bit more al dente.  It was juicy and fresh though, although I've had more flavorful recently.  It was warm, but not all that hot.  The summer truffles were novel but didn't deliver much flavor nor earthiness either. The hollanaise was nice  to dredge the asparagus in.

I found some bites to be massively under-seasoned, even commenting to my dining companion that it needed a touch of salt, but some bites did have that necessary pop.  I think it was just unevenly seasoned.

So, overall, the dish was fine, but, I've had more flavorful, more properly seasoned asparagus other places, even my office cafes.  I wouldn't get it again, but wasn't unhappy to eat it.

***.

Main: Sea Scallops. $48.

"Roasted morel mushrooms, crispy cauliflower panise, fresh carrot with brown butter & carrot jus viniagrette."

This was a lovely, lovely, lovely dish.

The scallops, three large sea scallops, had a great sear on them, nice caramelization.  Pretty textbook execution, no complaints , and really, they were shockingly large, even for sea scallops.  Well cleaned, no grit.  

And then the "crispy cauliflower panise", another 3 items, this time, cubes of mashed cauliflower (I guess?), with a crisp exterior and yet creamy interior.  I originally thought they were potato but the taste didn't quite match, and now I see why.  I liked the creamy component they added to the dish, and the symmetry between the three scallops and three panise.

But the dish had much, much more.  The carrots I could kinda do without, again, in a trio, mid-size carrots, decently cooked, not too soft, but, eh, carrots.  Cooked carrots aren't quite my thing.  Fine but throwaway.  The morels though ... swoon.

Luckily there were more than three of these, and they were expertly prepared.  The morels delivered all the flavor and earthy tones that the truffles on the starter did not, and wow, they soaked up the sauce beautifully.  They were rich without feeling too heavy or weighed down, and just a true joy to eat.

Everything was rounded out by a pretty orange carrot viniagrette.  While I'm "eh" on cooked carrots, the sauce worked really well, and I enjoyed running everything through it, soaking up every last bit.  And floral garnishes may have been a bit showy, but, they worked too.

Overall, just a really well conceived, flawlessly executed, interesting spin on seared scallops, and although the $48 price may be a bit high for 3 scallops, I really can't fault the dish in any way.

****.