French fusion in Boston’s Back Bay, and seafood specialties in Cambridge
Local restaurants build a following in the wake of the pandemic
Updated: 8:00 PM EST Nov 30, 2022
REFINED FRENCH AIR WITH A TWIST. TUCKED AWAY IN BOSTON’S BACK BAY IS A PASSPORT TO PARIS. NO PLANE REQUIRED. WE WANTED A SPACE WHERE YOU WILL FEEL WELCOME. YOU COME IN HERE AND IT IS WARM. NICE AND — ARE THE PROPRIETORS OF CAP FACE ABOLISHED. — OF CAFE SAUVAGE. ANTOINE STARTED A CAREER IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY, WORKING HIS WAY UP IN THE SOUTH END, THEN CAMBRIDGE IS CO-LED –COLLETT. HE VENTURED OUT ON HIS OWN AND OPEN THE CAFE WITH HIS WIFE WHO WORKS IN DIGITAL MARKETING. WE WILL TAKE OUR KNOWLEDGE AND PUT IT TOGETHER. SO WE ARE JUST TRYING TO PLAY WITH THE FRENCH DISHES AND THEN TRYING TO ADD SOME EXPERIENCE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. WE HAVE A CROQUE BY DOM. IT COMES WITH A CLASSIC SAUCE BUT WITH A LESS TRADITIONAL LAYER OF MUSTARD INSIDE THE TOASTED BRIOCHE BREAD. IT IS A DIFFERENT VERSION THEN YOU CAN FIND. THE MENU INCLUDES A NOD TO HER WEST AFRICAN ROOTS. MY MOM IS FROM THE CONGO. OF ROASTED CHICKEN IS MY MOM’S RECIPE. THE MARINATED CHICKEN IS SERVED WITH PLAN TEENS AND RICE AND TOP WITH CRISPY SHALLOTS. EVERYBODY SHOULD TRY IT ONCE IN THEIR LIFE. A MORE RECENT ROUGHEST STAPLE, AVOCADO TOAST COMES WITH A GARNISH OF PICKLED MUSTARD SEED AND A HARLEM BOILED A — HARD-BOILED EGG. THE FUSION FARE HAS BEEN A WELCOME ADDITION TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SINCE IT OPENED IN OCTOBER OF 2021. WHEN WE FIRST OPENED, ALL OF THE NEIGHBORS SHOWED UP FOR US AND THEY WERE LIKE WE ARE SO HAPPY YOU ARE HERE. THE FRENCH WORD FOR IT WILD, THE DECOR IS SOPHISTICATED, YET SOFT LIKE THE GREEN VELVET SOFAS. I THINK THE RESTAURANT IS ELEGANT BUT CASUAL AT THE SAME TIME. A WILD IDEA DEVELOPED FROM A DREAM INTO REALITY WITH COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT. WE REALLY WANTED TO BE THE GOOD NEIGHBOR RESTAURANT. IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE TO HAVE THOSE PEOPLE BEING LIKE OK, WE WERE WAITING FOR YOU. THE OWNERS OF SOMERVILLE’S FIELD AND VINE RESTAURANT AND REBEL REBEL WINE BAR HAVE A NEW JOINT VENTURE. IT’S A NEIGHBORHOOD BAR THAT HAPPENS TO SERVE NATURAL WIND AND PESKY CARRION FOOD. THE CO-OWNERS OPENED DEAR ANNIE IN CAMBRIDGE IN NOVEMBER 2020 ONE. IT IS WHATEVER YOU WANTED TO BE. IT IS JUST A FAMILIAR SOUNDING NAME. HERE, THE COZY COMMUNAL DINING AREA FEELS LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED INTO SOMEONE’S HOME, WHERE THE WIND BEING POURED IS ALL NATURAL. WITHOUT ANY MANIPULATION, A LOT OF THE GRAPES ARE ALLOWED TO BE THEMSELVES WITHOUT FUSS. THE CAREFULLY CURATED WINE LIST IS COMPLICATED BY A MORE SUSTAINABLE LOCALLY SOURCED SEAFOOD MENU. BECAUSE IT IS A WINE BAR WE GO WITH SMALLER OPTIONS. ONE OF THOSE SIGNATURE SNACKS IS A SEASONAL NOT ATTENDED FISH REPAIRED AND PRESERVED IN ALL OF OIL. WE HAVE HAD OCTOPUS, BLUEFISH, MACKEREL, COD. MUSCLES. NOW ON THE MENU A SMOKED SPANISH MACKEREL. GARNISHED WITH PICKLED MUSTARD SEEDS WHICH GIVES IT AN INTERESTING BARBECUE FLAVOR. THEY ALSO OFFER AC DOG AND AN AQUATIC TAKE ON A HOT DOG. SEAFOOD SAUSAGE. WE USE SHRIMP, SCALLOPS AND WHITEFISH. THERE IS ALSO A CRUNCHY SALAD AND A ROTATING SELECTION OF SMALLBATCH CHEESES, SERVED ALONGSIDE THE MENUS CORNERSTONE, HOUSE MADE BREAD. WE BEG A LOT OF SOURDOUGH IN-HOUSE. IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO VISIT, MAKE SURE TO KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED. THERE IS NO SIGN IT WITH THE DEER ANY NAME. ONLY THIS SET OF NEON PEEPERS IN THE WINDOW. WHEN WE ARE CLOSED, THE EYES WILL BE SHUT AND WHEN WE ARE OPEN, THEY ARE OPEN. AND SOMETIMES YOU HAVE THEM A WINKING, WHICH MEANS THAT WE ARE OPEN EARLIER. AND THIS YEAR DEAR ANNIE WAS NAMED ONE OF THE 50 BEST NEW RESTAURANTS BY THE NEW YORK TIMES AND BON APPETIT. SINCE WE VISITED THE CAFE THEY HAVE TOLD US THAT THE
French fusion in Boston’s Back Bay, and seafood specialties in Cambridge
Local restaurants build a following in the wake of the pandemic
Updated: 8:00 PM EST Nov 30, 2022
There’s a restaurant tucked into Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood that offers a passport to Paris – no plane required. Cafe Sauvage features a chic French fusion menu courtesy of its Parisian proprietors — husband and wife — Antoine and Anaïs Lambert. The owners of Somerville’s Field and Vine restaurant and Rebel Rebel wine bar have a joint venture: Dear Annie. Co-owners Andrew Brady and Lauren Friel opened the Cambridge eatery in November 2021 – offering cozy, communal dining with a more sustainable, locally sourced seafood menu and an all-natural wine list.
David Kinch and his much-heralded Los Gatos restaurant, Manresa, will go out on top, with a stellar 3-star rating. Menlo Park’s Madera has again lost its star. Oakland, despite its reputation for cutting-edge cuisine, is still home to just one Michelin-starred restaurant, James Syhabout’s two-star Commis. And Douglas Keane’s relaunched Wine Country restaurant has caught Michelin’s attention again.
On Monday night, the Michelin Guide revealed its 2022 California guide to culinary excellence, and while the stars say the Bay Area still rules the state’s destination-dining scene, Southern California is coming on strong with additions to the guide.
At the live Los Angeles ceremony, the acclaimed San Diego restaurant Addison moved up to the prestigious three-star level, joining the six Bay Area restaurants long honored for what Michelin calls “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.” California is now home to seven three-star restaurants, half of the nation’s total of 14.
Seventeen other restaurants joined the Michelin guide at the one-star level, with eight coming from Southern California, six from the Bay Area and two from the Central Coast. One is a Sacramento restaurant, giving that city its second Michelin star.
“California is a culinary powerhouse with a lot of home-grown talent,” Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, said Monday before the ceremony, adding that he believes the awards reflect the dynamism in this country.
The guide features praise for 599 California restaurants in categories including excellent cuisine, good value, sustainable efforts and notable wine lists. A total of 89 restaurants representing 15 cuisines earned the coveted stars. Statewide, there are now seven restaurants with three stars; 12 restaurants retaining their two stars; and 70 one-star honorees.
Dominique Crenn’s restaurant maintained its three-star award. Her first award, in 2018, made her the nation’s top female chef. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
Besides Manresa and Addison, the other three-star awardees are Dominique Crenn’s Atelier Crenn, Corey Lee’s Benu and Michael Tusk’s Quince, all in San Francisco; Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry, in Yountville; and SingleThread in Healdsburg, from chef Kyle Connaughton and farmer Katina Connaughton.
The Los Gatos stars will be short-lived as Kinch is closing out his 20-year run at Manresa at year’s end. Poullennec congratulated Kinch during the three-star portion of the ceremony, saying, “David, we appreciate your outstanding work and admirable contribution to the industry.”
In response, Kinch praised the chefs and restaurateurs in the crowd for making it through the challenging pandemic years and talking about the California diverse culinary industry’s boundless potential. He added: “You haven’t seen the last from me yet.”
Syhabout’s Commission in Oakland again earned two stars, a rating that signifies “excellent cuisine, worth a detour.” Last year’s two-star list of 14 dropped to 12 with the closure of two previous San Francisco honorees, Coi and Campton Place. The other NorCal and SoCal restaurants maintained their stars.
In the South Bay/Peninsula, George Aviet’s Chez TJ of Mountain View was again awarded with a star; the restaurant has been honored by Michelin for 15 years under a succession of chefs. Christopher Lemerand is currently the top toque in the Victorian house kitchen.
Both the Plumed Horse in Saratoga and the Village Pub in Woodside retained the one-star status they have held since 2009.
The other one-star recipients from this region include Adega in San Jose, Protégé in Palo Alto, Sushi Yoshizumi in San Mateo, Selby’s in Atherton, Sushi Shin in Redwood City and Wakuriya in San Mateo. Find the full Bay Area list here.
There were some notable Bay Area demonstrations.
Ken Frank’s La Toque, a Napa Valley standout, lost the star it had held for a number of years, as did Madera, the high-end restaurant at the Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park. In 2016, Madera also lost its star, but regained it the next year.
Oakland chef James Shurabout and his Commission again earned two Michelin stars. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)
While four San Francisco restaurants joined the ranks of one-star restaurants, four lost their stars. The demotions included SPQR, executive chef Matthew Accarrino’s upscale pasta place, which had received a Michelin star since 2012; Wako, a Japanese restaurant honored five times previously; Mourad, with its modern Moroccan cuisine; and Ju-Ni, which serves an elevated sushi menu.
The one-star newcomers are San Ho Wan, a Korean culinary collaboration with Corey Lee; Nisei, with a contemporary Japanese menu; Ssal, which serves a Korean tasting menu, and Osito, a contemporary live-fire concept.
As with all changes in star levels, Michelin inspectors — who review anonymously — make no comment regarding deletions from the guide. As per the Michelin protocol, they revisit all previous winners and new prospects with five criteria in mind: quality of the meal; harmony of flavors; mastery of technique; the personality of the chef and their cuisine; and
