The Miracle of Tico UPDATE - Boston

My bromance and I, armed with a couplet of the “not so hungry” tasting menu vouchers, finally got around to revisiting one of our fave meals out. The problem is, it’s hard to rate a place when you have no control over what you get. You just take what you get and make the best of it…kinda like Halloween candy… and relatives…

I dare say that good food holds as near and dear a place in my heart as figure skating. Those who know me know that IMO, there is nothing better in life than flying across the ice and feeling the wind in your face. There is very little that excites me like a good skating practice, but a good meal at Tico comes pretty darn close.

I often start my skating program with a sit-spin, mostly because I hate spinning and it’s good to get the harder elements out of the way before you get tired. The sit-spin is a classic spin, but I often tack a variation on the end and rest my free leg on my spinning leg. Another variation of the classic sit is the broken sit, and the donut is an alternative to the camel. The Mushroom and Cheese Quesadilla with black truffle salsa and the Fried Manchego Cheese with pomegranate honey sauce are the broken sit and the donut, respectively – gorgeous variations of a classic. The glorified cheese sticks have a mildly sweet sauce that far exceeds the tang of the usual marinera, and the sheep’s milk aftertaste from the gooey manchego leaves an impression of novelty, much like the ugly-pretty broken sit. The black truffle on the quesadilla gives it a sharp flavor that tortilla-and-cheese concoctions rarely possess, and the round donut is a sharp contrast to the linearity of the camel.

The broken sit and donut spins may be memorable novelties, but the scratch spin is a simple, often underappreciated classic. The Chicken with spicy pomegranate came in a round dish, the circumference of which defines the perfect ice marking of the perfect scratch spin. When balanced precisely on the frictionless part of the blade, the perfect spin stays perfectly centered and traces the rim of that dish. Unfortunately, the chicken more closely resembles my scratch spin (but not quite THAT bad)… The pomegranate flavor comes and goes thanks to the perfectly seared chicken being dipped, rather than marinated in it. Clearly a crowd-pleaser, but not for the die-hard fans.

I appreciate good spins, but I prefer to jump. Spins require patience beyond my capabilities, and there is nothing like vaulting into the air and landing on one foot. The Fish Tacos are, as usual, the perfect loop jump. The loop jump goes up smoothly and comes down smoothly. It ends where it begins, on the right back outside edge, a perfect circle traced like the smooth edges of the soft tortillas and the spicy peppers. When done right, the loop is effortless perfection, the way Yuka Sato just floats into it. When flawed, the jump is sloppy and choppy, and the landing will dump you straight down. But when the perfect combination of edges, timing, and momentum converge, the fish tacos emerge.

The Salmon Ceviche is the flip jump, the one I can land after a year-long hiatus, half asleep, in a stupor, with my eyes closed. It’s the closest I’ve come to flying, and my muscle memory craves it. The kick of hot sauce vaults me into the air, the entry 3-turn is the perfect texture, and the freshness of the fish leaves the taste of a perfect landing with a 90-degree extension that leaves me wanting to do it again. The hot sauce is the extra polish, the holding the landing with a pointed toe, that helps earn the positive GOE’s. Hands down, the flip is my best jump, and the ceviche is probably the best ceviche I’ve ever had.

The Baby Romaine tossed with avocado, celery, radish, and parmiagiano (pictured with the Chicken with spicy pomegranate) is my axel. When my axel starts with the right snap, there is no resistance to the rotation, no fight for the landing, and when a salad is done well, it just feels right. This particular salad is the perfect blend of chopped lettuce and veggies, and is perfectly coated with the light but tangy dressing. It’s not hard to make a good salad when you know how to balance the components.

The Chocolate Gelato-Peanut Butter Mousse with Caramelized Banana is the Bielmann spiral, my favorite way to end a routine. Complex and pretty, requiring precise flexibility and balance, this just-sweet-enough concoction with thick gelato, rich peanut butter, and just the right touch of banana makes this a winning program every time.             

I’ve surprised myself with how long it took me to break out the figure skating analogy, but I couldn’t resist with Tico. When I fly across the ice, the world disappears, and I only feel the wind in my face. When I take that first bite of something truly exceptional, I am immune to the hustle and bustle of the restaurant and I only taste the flavors dancing across my tongue.

This meal wasn’t quite enough for Tico to earn 5 stars so I’m glad it wasn’t my first taste. But it’s enough to keep 5 stars. I wasn’t entirely blown away by the majority of the dishes, but then again, I wouldn’t have ordered most of them myself. Michael Schlow’s attention to detail and skillful subtlety is unmistakable, and Tico remains one of my fave meals out, with each smooth-as-ice dish making an audible splash.

Thomas Wolfe said you can’t go home again, but I say you CAN go to Tico…again and again. And I’ll be back before you finish reading.