Restaurant
Review: Caffè Umbra, Boston
Caffè Umbra's rustic new American
fare is at the heart of Boston's lower Washington
Street revival. There, Chef Laura Brennan
has garnered national raves and local adoration
for her warmly stylish vibe and down to
earth French/Italian food.
This is the kind of spot that makes you
feel better just walking through the doors.
Casual and comfy, with nary a drop of pretension
or "done" décor in sight,
and usually bustling with happy young diners.
We settled into a cozy table and immediately
plucked a bottle of Muscadet off the very
well priced, low-key wine list, along with
an order of salmon pate to get things going.
Served alongside a crunchy radish and cucumber
salad, it was a delicious study in textures
and a great way to kick off the meal.
Next up was an order of perfectly steamed
mussels in a classic French bistro white
wine and herb broth. We added the fries
and aioli and were in true food heaven.
(We all agreed that on the next visit we
would each get our very own order and refuse
to share…)
Entrees included a lovely panfried redfish
in a citrus saffron beurre blanc, and an
astoundingly good "porchetta"
- a panini-style sandwich of roasted
pork, pancetta, and gruyere, served
with wonderfully comforting eggplant "fries."
A bottle of Cotes du Rhone worked like a
charm.
Dessert hardly seemed necessary, but we
had heard raves about pastry chef Ron Roy,
so we decided to have "just a taste"
of the warm bittersweet fudge torte. Served
alongside salted caramel ice cream
and drizzled in grand marnier syrup, let's
just say that we cleaned the plate.
Next up? Brunch, and the housemade brioche
french toast. And another order of those
mussels. And probably more Muscadet, and…
Caffè Umbra
1395 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02118
(Boston's South End)
www.caffeumbra.com
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