Scrumptious Sel de la Terre Back Bay - Boston

I have recently had the distinct pleasure of meeting Chef Louie DiBiccari, formerly a chef of Sel de la Terre Back Bay (he was when I went there), and though my reviews may be outdated due to menu changes, I doubt that anything he makes could be less than stellar. Note: this review is only for the Back Bay location. My opinion of the Waterfront location is detailed in an earlier review and is not nearly as favorable…

I will admit I was a bit starstruck by the modest brilliant man that is Chef Louie. He did not even bring up his profession as a baller chef until I explicitly asked, even though we were on a roof deck directly across from his very restaurant. It is a rarity to encounter one so talented yet so humble. At this party, I sampled his genius firsthand in the form of his Oysters Rockefeller, made with scrumptious spinach, a kick of kimchee, and bold bacon. 

As for the restaurant, my friend brought me to the Back Bay location for my birthday a while back, and the food was as good as the company. The baked aged goat cheese with baby arugula appetizer was crisp and perfectly balanced and the pine nuts were the perfect finishing touch. I also had the duck leg, which was so tender I didn’t need a knife. I don’t think it’s on the menu anymore, which is a tragedy (it was that good!), but if this is reflective of all the other dishes, I’ll be trying a little bit of everything next time I go. Why don’t restaurants have “entrée sampler platters” and why wasn’t I born with a few extra stomachs?

Sel de la Terre embodies all the finesse of French cuisine. The exquisite attention to detail and the subtle but elegant flair of the dishes is breathtaking, and if it’s quality you want, it’s Sel de la Terre you get.

Hell de la Terre Waterfront – Boston

The original plan was to post this with my Sel de Terre Back Bay review, but I couldn’t stand the idea of defiling my tribute to Chef DiBiccari so I’m posting this one first. Bear with me as I rip this location apart and stay tuned for my dollops of rare praise to be bestowed on the Back Bay location.

Though Sel de la Terre Back Bay was scrumptious, its polar opposite lies on the waterfront. I hope things have changed since my last visit there, the menu definitely has, but considering my experience, my hopes are not so high. My opinion of this particular location is summarized in two words: tourist trap. This place is the ultimate tourist-pleaser, touting high-end ingredients combined unoffensively (but cooked poorly) to offer every tourist his or her ideal experience of the typical Boston waterfront dining experience.

To start, the Monkfish with Clams entrée showed up with the fish floating an oily liquid. To quote Tom Colicchio from Top Chef, “I don’t like fish floating in water. That’s where it came from…” Our server described it as having a texture similar to lobster, but the last time I had lobster, it wasn't rubbery and overcooked. What irks me further is the clams, which weren’t acceptably fresh. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t fresh, which is unacceptable at a waterfront restaurant. I tried a few bites of the Roasted Free Range Chicken, which was a safe combination of acceptable flavor and not too dry. Fortunately for me, this was the ideal dish for my date who delusionally believed that an adventurous eater was one who ordered only the chicken from 20 different restaurants.

The Rosemary Pomme Frites were crisp and nicely season, but come on, it is a sad day when the fries are the only thing you don’t hate. The truffled mac and cheese was gooey and good but I felt like I was ordering off the kids’ menu. The latest trend for restaurants is to gracefully execute their own spinoff of an old favorite, but this could have been made with velveeta and a microwave.

Bottom line: if you’re not an adventurous eater and prefer to dine at a tourist trap, make a reservation at the Waterfront location.