While in Boston, we had dinner at this Italian Restaurant. We made reservation for early dinner, so when we arrived, it was very quiet. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted with a warm welcoming smile. They have a complimentary coat check at the entrance, which is helpful especially around the cold months.
We were one of the first few customers for the evening. It was quite large and spacious, with a full bar and kitchen that you can see into. And within a half hour or so, it did get much more lively with many customers kept coming in, a good sign of its popularity.
After we got all settled in, we got the complimentary bread. I loved the garlic concoction and the olive oil, but I wish if they had a small serving spoon or something to make it easier…
We ordered a bunch of antipasti to share. The first one was Arancini con Spec ($13). It is lightly fried risotto rice balls stuffed with mozzarella. Served on a bed of thinly sliced Spec. The risotto ball was bigger than I thought, which was nice. Made to perfection, lightly fried and loved the cheesy goodness in the middle. Spec, which is cured pork, were excellent! Sliced thick, generous amount of it too.
We also had Gnocchi agli Funghi ($26), Indian Fusion Masala Ravioli ($25), and Calamari ($13). Gnocchi is made with homemade potato dumplings, tossed with seasonal mushrooms. Finished with a touch of truffle oil and truffled cheese. Gnocchi was awesome, it had wonderful truffle aroma and flavor, soft yet firm, perfect texture and flavorful. The Masala Ravioli was super interesting. The chef is an Indian chef, who was adapted by Italian family. So he incorporated his roots into Italian dish. I was not sure how this dish was going to taste, but it was amazing! Extremely delicious! And another thing is, they make all the pasta in house, so they are very fresh. Calamari was nice, good texture that was chewy in a good way. The sauce was tasty with a good kick to it. We were happy with all the appetizers.
Then, few of us got an extra side dish before the main dish. Minestrone di Verdura ($10), which is a Hearty Mediterranean soup with seasonal vegetables, and Caesar Salad ($11), usually made with whole leaves of baby Romaine tossed in a white truffle infused dressing. I say “usually” because this one was made with different greens per request. It was served with white anchovies and a fried poached egg. The egg was cooked perfectly, giving us egg porn… Both of them were made with high quality ingredients, fresh and tasty.
For main, two of us ordered Seasonal Fish. On this day, it was Swordfish, which I really like. It was grilled swordfish with grilled zucchini & squash, and Risotto cake. The fish was a nice big and thick piece, sitting perfectly atop the risotto cake. The fish was a bit too “peppery” which was unfortunate, but otherwise, it was nice. They should go a bit lighter on the pepper… The risotto cake was really well made, the best thing on the plate! It was a light dish with grilled veggies and fish.
The other two went with of the most popular dish, which is one of their specialty as well. Beef Tenderloin ($42). It was indicated as “A favorite of The Phantom Gourmet.” A grilled 8oz. center cut filet, finished with a Chianti veal demi glaze reduction. Served over a potato gratin cake and sautéed spinach. Beef tenderloin was super tender, juicy, and quite amazing. All the sides were great too. Very flavorful. We see the reason why this dish is so popular!
Feeling all good with everything we have ordered so far, we decided to try their desserts too! One of their dessert menu item stood out, called Dessert Tasting ($29). A selection of house favorites including soufflé, apple crostata, crème brûlée and vanilla gelato. This was perfect item to be shared among the four of us! It did say “20+ minute baking time” on the menu, but we were not in a hurry, and it actually gave us some extra time to get our tummy to settle down. The Dessert Tasting was a great choice, and the perfect ending to our pleasant dinner. Everything was tasty from the beginning to the end.
The apple crostata was really great. Nice crunchy texture with soft, airy inside. Crème brûlée was creamy and velvety, the gelato was just melt in your mouth with elegant sweetness, and the soufflés was hot and decadent. They were all awesome!
We had a nice dinner here, with friendly service, tasty dishes, and sweet ending. We went in with some high expectations, and they certainly delivered and more. And yes, the swordfish was not as excellent as we wanted it to be, but other than that, we were happy with all the dishes! We especially enjoyed Masala Ravioli, unique, creative and super delicious!
Da Vinci Ristorante – 162 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02116