Tossing and Turning for Tasca – Brighton

When Miranda saw men who were not her father for the first time in The Tempest, her iconic quote “Oh brave new world that has such people in it!” captured this unforgettable moment in her life. When I first tasted Tasca, I uttered (silently, so that neighboring tables wouldn’t think I was crazy), “Oh brave new restaurant that has such a prix fixe menu in it!” It is rare that I rave about a place, but it was actually raining the day I visited Tasca, and I will forever consider those showers the wondrous storm that blew me there.

Tasca is a dream, but a good dream, not the drug-induced Requiem-for-a-Dream kind of dream. And if you’re the type who has trouble getting into a deep enough sleep to dream, let the wine flights take you there. The wine flights are ideal for the indecisive, hence my immediate affinity for them. I didn’t care for the whites, but then again, I rarely care for whites. The three they offered tasted a bit bland, but I hardly regret the fun of trying three Spanish wines. The red wine flight was a different story. The Rioja was a fabulously different kick of spice, and the Carinene was also tasty. I would have a bottle of either next time…any volunteers to be my DD?

The Butternut Squash Soup was a sweet start to a fantastic meal. Grainy-creamy liquid-solid that warms you to the core as it goes down, as hazy as a non-REM sleep. When I heard puree of butternut squash, I wasn’t sure what to think. It sounded like baby food, but the taste was nothing less than grown-up. The semi-sweet soup sips like a sweet spirit and slides down like a sleepy daydream. I was one happy baby.

There was something fishy about the Bacalao and Spinach Spring Roll…Such tasty fleshy salt cod seems impossible. The most impressive part was that although the cod was clearly SALT cod, it wasn’t salty enough to overwhelm and didn’t require a pitcher of water to wash it down.

The Wild Boar Meatloaf was too heavy on the pepper, and I wasn’t all that thrilled about trying to dip around the peppercorns in the gravy, but it was excellent meatloaf. Although rooting around the copious peppercorns like a truffle pig was a nightmare, but I swear I snorted/oinked with pleasure a few times in appreciation of this finely-ground, yet dense, gamey delight. And I don’t even like meatloaf.

The Vegetarian Gratin of Sweet Potato was a creative, carefully-crafted vegetarian dish. Roasted sweet potato with rich Manchego cheese and a tasty touch of tomato sauce and mushroom doesn’t leave much room for improvement. There is an undeniable art to making a vegetarian dish that makes a carnivore forget/not care that it’s vegetarian.

While we’re on the subject of dreams, Derek Shepard was my original McDreamy at the start of Grey’s Anatomy. He was on his way to being usurped by fine dining after the medical drama became as exciting as the common cold and more painful than rubbing alcohol in a paper cut. It took a lot for McDreamy to finally be overthrown, but the desserts at Tasca were as luscious as his hair, and…Who’s McDreamy? Tasca’s desserts got me as hot and bothered as what’s-his-face used to.

The texture of the Flan is just right – not creamy enough to be crème, not firm enough to be rubber, and a trace amount of sugar that remains traceable.

The Pineapple and Caramel Cheesecake tastes like cheese. Dense but with pleasant air pockets, this salivation-inducing slice gives you just enough sweetness to be dessert with just enough flavor to be real cheesecake. The sheer restraint shown by withholding the sugar combined with the meticulous attention to detail turns these mundane desserts to into something truly exceptional, just enough pressure to turn graphite into a flawless diamond.

Contrary to the title of this review, none of the generous portions from the prix-fixe menu could ever qualify as tidbits. But every bite qualified as a mind-blowing tidbit. Three courses for $18? Seriously? What a deal! With generous portions that fill you to the brim, Tasca is simply a place with no regrets. I know it takes a lot of time to get there if you’re carless in Boston (or sleepless in Seattle?), but believe me, it’s worth the hike.

Langston Hughes once asked, “What happens to a dream deferred?” Nelly crooned “It was only just a dream…” Fortunately for me, and hopefully, soon to be you, Tasca is not only just a dream, and if it’s good food you dream of, Tasca won’t leave your dream deferred.