Atlantic Fish Company

Monday, January 18, 2010 at 05:04 PM | Posted by caroloc

Atlantic Fish Company
761 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

By Rachel Lebeaux

No matter where I’ve dined out recently, I’ve been tending toward seafood selections, so the opportunity to dine at Atlantic Fish Company thrilled me to no end. I studied the menu for weeks ahead of time, weighing different appetizer and entrée options. Finally, I decided not to plan the meal so strictly and just ask for some of the chef’s freshest catches upon arrival.

That strategy, it turned out, couldn’t have been more fitting for an establishment that thrives on whatever local fishermen, often battling frigid temperatures during the dark of night, deliver on to the restaurant on any particular morning.

“Freshness is the key,” general manager Bo Hammett told us, explaining that a new menu is drawn up daily based on local offerings. For instance, on the day we visited, halibut was nowhere to be found, as Hammett said it “didn’t look good” that day; bluefin tuna, however, made the cut.

Executive chef Danny Levesque says that seafood is his passion (rumor is, even when he’s off the clock, he can be found on the Internet searching varieties of fish). He’s “fascinated to get [his] hands on” new, seasonal catches, such as the queen snapper that recently crossed his cooking path. He assesses the catches of the day as you might expect: with a sniff test and an examination of the skin for discoloration or other markings. Experimenting with creative seafood combinations at Atlantic Fish Company is “kind of thrilling,” he said with a grin.

Atmosphere:
The restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows—which open onto a patio that’s equipped with heat lamps for shoulder seasons -- overlook Boylston Street in Boston’s bustling Back Bay. The interior exudes the power and money of fine steakhouses, from the well-populated bar to the azure booths with rich wood accents intended to evoke a classic cruising vessel. The back portion of the restaurant leads up to the mammoth open-air kitchen, and massive, marine-themed murals blanket the walls, reminding you that many of the restaurant’s best dishes are never too far removed from the sea.

Service was impeccable on our visit. Granted, we knew we might draw some special attention from restaurant staff, but this went far beyond regularly checking in to see if we were enjoying our meals and keeping our water glasses filled. I was truly impressed by the depth of knowledge demonstrated by our water, Lenny Genovese, who was not only polite and efficient, but came armed to intelligently respond to seemingly any question we threw at him, whether it concerned the precise preparation of our dishes, the fishes’ native waters or general curiosities about the restaurant’s history. We were also charmed by Hammett, who told us that he often brings large, live lobsters into the dining room for children to pet. True to his word, he soon emerged from the kitchen with a 6-pound crustacean named Larry – certainly the first time I’ve introduced myself to my dinner at a seafood restaurant.

Drinks:
As one might expect, the restaurant has an extensive, award-winning wine list, with sparkling, white, blush and red wines available by the glass ranging from $6 to $17. Half and full bottles span wine regions across the world, ranging from very affordable to outright ostentatious. We stuck with by-the-glass selections: a 2008 Eroica Riesling from Columbia Valley, Washington ($10), which was dryer and carried more acidity than many Rieslings, but was fruity, elegant and balanced, and paired well with seafood. We also tried the 2008 Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz from Barossa Valley, Australia ($11). The ruby-red wine carried a smoky, spicy flavor that felt at once opulent and down-to-earth.

Although we were not presented with a cocktail menu this evening (nor did we ask), the restaurant’s website lists such concoctions as the raspberry truffle ($11), champagne mixed with crème de framboise and chocolate liqueur; and the grape-pama sangria ($9.50), a mix of grape vodka, pomegranate liqueur, Riesling wine, cranberry juice, lemon-lime mix and Sprite.

Appetizers:
After downing the complimentary lavash bread and sesame crackers with whipped butter, I still found myself somewhat overwhelmed – in a good way – by the number of choices awaiting us. Should we try the seared Ahi ($11) tuna with pickled ginger, soy-ginger sauce and a crispy rice cake? Or maybe the Maine crab and artichoke dip ($12) with crispy pita chips? Then, there was the raw bar, featuring iced littleneck clams from Point Judith, Rhode Island ($9 for six) and Menemsha oysters from Martha’s Vineyard ($14 for six).

After quizzing our waiter on his recommendations, our first selection was a bread bowl of the New England clam chowder ($7). This was “chowdah” at its best, so thick that it clung to my spoon even as I turned it sideways. It was dotted with hearty, filling lumps of fresh clam meat and potato, and spilled out of the bread bowl like an erupting volcano. The warmed bread bowl was not simply ornamental: We tore off the bread from the “lid” and, eventually, the sides of the bowl, to scoop up the exceedingly creamy soup that definitely ranks among the best I’ve tried in this city.

Our next dish, the jumbo lump crab cake ($16), was about the width of a softball—smaller than I had expected, given the cost. But the amount of crab meat made up for steep price tag: Rather than drowning their creation in bread crumbs and frying it, the chef simply accented the meat with a bit of mayonnaise, pan-seared it and served it alongside a house tartar sauce and coleslaw. Taking my first bite, I couldn’t help but declare, “This is the crab cake by which I will judge all other crab cakes from now on.” Genovese told us that guests from Maryland will often announce that a New England crab cake couldn’t live up to their hometown version (as anybody who has seen the film “Wedding Crashers” knows, crab cakes – and football—are what Maryland does). But these same guests, he said, usually hush their boasting after they’ve tried Atlantic Fish Company’s take.

Our steamed mussels ($10) came doused in a light, flavorful sofrito broth brimming with tomatoes, capers and garlic, seasoned with pepper, salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. It was all topped with a slice of crusty grilled garlic bread. They were, by far, the largest and best manicured mussels I’d ever seen; our waiter explained that they are farmed locally in cold waters and tended to so they are not eaten by other marine life.

We worked our way up to the pièce de résistance: The lobster ravioli ($16), four handmade pasta pillows enveloping fresh, shredded lobster, crested with a sprinkling of glistening shiitake mushrooms and more rich lobster meat in a pool of apricot-colored basil cream sauce. The mushrooms provided a burst of earthy flavor alongside the airy, golden ravioli, which may be the most decadent I’ve been lucky enough to sample.

Entrees:
We faced the same feelings of indecision again, as I was tantalized by the description of the seafood fra diavolo ($30) tossed with linguine in a spicy arrabbiata sauce, while my companion eyed the Maine lobster with corn on the cob and potatoes (starting at $27 for 1 ¼ pounds).  We both also considered sampling the ever-rotating “catches of the day,” with offerings such as Chilean sea bass ($34), Costa Rican mahi ($28) and yellowfin tuna steak ($30). (Yes, we noted that some seafood offerings were not as local as others; Genovese assured us that these international fish are shipped in every day.)

Seeking some spicy seafood, I ordered the San Francisco Cioppino ($34), a rich, heaping bowl of savory clams, bulging mussels, plump scallops, jumbo shrimp and at least five different types of fish (swordfish, salmon, sea bass, cod and haddock among them), simmered in a piquant, orange, saffron-infused broth with translucent onions, tomatoes and peppers, all crowned with a gorgeous red lobster. The presentation was beautiful, the aroma intoxicating and the price tag reasonable considering the amount of seafood in the mix. This was one of the best seafood dishes I’ve ever had, leaving me longing to recreate the magic at home, yet suspecting that it would be nearly impossible to replicate this level of perfection. That doesn’t mean I won’t try!

My companion elected to try the crab-encrusted haddock ($32), a new addition to the menu about which the staff raved. A generous portion of this local fish was topped with fresh crab meat and then popped in the broiler and dressed in a lemon-butter sauce. The haddock flaked easily, and the browned crab meat layer was a delicious innovation. It came with soft asparagus spears, warmed cherry tomatoes and salted potatoes in a truffle-accented cream sauce that we found otherworldly.

Desserts:
Stuffed but determined to plow on, I reviewed the dessert menu and was drawn to the peppermint ice cream pie ($7), with an Oreo cookie crust and chocolate ganache. The two triangular slices of buoyant pink premium ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate-ly layers reminded me of happy summers spent lapping ice cream on the Cape. If peppermint’s not your thing, Atlantic Fish Company also has a peanut butter ice cream pie ($6) and a “signature” triple-chocolate cake with raspberry coulis ($7).

My companion didn’t feel like a typical dessert but was searching for a sweet treat to end the meal, so he ordered the coconut brownie hot cocoa ($7.50), a blend of cocoa, spiced rum and coconut rum that satisfied the craving. There’s also the mud pie (cocoa with Irish cream and vanilla vodka) and the night cap (cocoa, raspberry Chambord and peppermint Schnapps), as well as several coffee-based combinations, such as the Milky Way café with caramel, chocolate and vanilla flavorings, and the Brazilian, with Kahlua, Grand Marnier and brandy.

Assessment:
If this sounds like a rave, it is. Given its reputation, I went into this dinner at Atlantic Fish Company with exceedingly high expectations. The verdict? This is one of the bastions of gourmet seafood that keeps Boston’s restaurants ranked among the best in the world. If that strikes you as an exaggeration, then maybe you haven’t eaten here. Yes, the food and the experience at Atlantic Fish Company are that good, and I’m looking forward to a return visit soon.

Address: 761 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617.267.4000
Website: http://www.atlanticfishco.com/
Cuisine: seafood
Price: $4-$18 for appetizers; $18-$37 for entrees
Hours: Sun-Thu: 1130am-11pm; Fri & Sat: 1130am-12am
Features: patio seating in summer, full bar, open-air kitchen
Recommendations: clam chowder, crab cake, mussels, lobster ravioli, San Francisco Cioppino, peppermint ice cream pie
Public Transit and Parking: street parking, nearby garages, valet. On the T: Orange Line to Back Bay or Green Line to Copley or Hynes Convention Center.
Reservations: accepted
Payment Options: all major credit cards