Adulating Aquitaine - Boston

Aquitaine the duchy was ruled by the Lady Eleanor, later Queen Eleanor, one of European history’s most admired amazons. Aquitaine the restaurant is ruled by Seth Woods, one of South End history’s most admired chefs. Frankly, Aquitaine and its legendary chef are just as glamorous as the duchy and its legendary duchess.

I have eaten every meal but brunch at Aquitaine, only because my growling stomach was unwilling to wait for over an hour. Aquitaine may be better-known for their brunch, but who needs a 10-dollar brunch when a $12.95 lunch special makes you swoon like Henry II? Tragically, the lunch special is weekdays only, but like Eleanor of Aquitaine, it is the whole package. The Soupe a L'oignon, Duck Confit & Gruyere Sandwich and Petit Salade are a deadly combination. The soup is the fiery-hot like a redhead. The sandwich is beautiful, graceful, and tastefully captivating – a polished concoction of delicious duck and gooey gruyere on a grilled sandwich pressed paper-thin. The petit salade has the perfect amount of dressing, and the crisp greens are a cool calm. Other tasty (but less recommended) midday meals include the Eggs Benedict and any of the Omelettes.

A lunch like that can’t possibly result in a poor dinner. But with regard to dinner, why bother with the pitiful restaurant week menu when you can get there at 6 PM for the criminally good Beat the Rush deal?

The Chicken Liver Mousse Terrine was, like all things French, smooth and rich, and little details that made all the difference, such as toasting the accompanying bread was an underrated extra. If the lunch was spectacular, the dinner entrees were like Eleanor’s marriage to Henry II; DAZZLING. The perigord black truffle vinaigrette topping the Steak Frites was like the perfect brooch for an already-ravishing gown. Extra points to the server for asking me if I preferred to receive my glass of house red wine with my steak!

If Eleanor of Aquitaine had seen the beautiful presentation of the Roasted Chicken Breast & Braised Leg, she might have held a ball in its honor. The carrots melt in your mouth, and the clever presentation of the breast as a chop and shredding the dark meat underneath was the very definition of refined. In her time, Eleanor’s troubadour Cercle le Monde of Aquitaine was judged by the quality of his song. In my time, chef Seth Woods of Aquitaine is judged by the quality of his chicken. Chicken is a safe but sneakily tricky dish because it can’t really be bad, but is hard to make well. White meat possesses a flavor (or lack thereof) that offends none but pleasures few. This chicken, however, was juicy with flavor that had sunk all the way through. I tried the breast without dipping it in any of the jus, and it was impossibly tender with impressive flavor. Believe me, to make chicken taste like this is unparalleled culinary divinity.

The Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse was my deciding factor when deciding what to rate Aquitaine. Like all things, it was amazingly rich. Though the food, like its Duchess namesake, was nothing short of breathtaking, it had very little originality, which made it dazzling but not quite exceptional enough to earn its last half-star.

Like Justice Potter Stewart on pornography, I know fine dining when I see it. The little details like the napkins with red stripes that matched the plates and the fact that the server specifically asked me if I wanted the wine with my steak instead of just serving it immediately showcase Aquitaine’s polish, a refinement that few restaurants possess. Aquitaine would have only gotten 4 stars in my book, but the extra half-star is for the polish and for the chicken.

Eleanor’s marriage to Henry II united England and France, and Aquitaine’s union with the South End may unite Boston with French finery. It’s a pity that the world has so many restaurants and I have so little time (and so many student loans!) or I’d be back at Aquitaine before you can say Bonsoir.