The Dining Room at Anthony David's

953 Bloomfield Street

Wow. I live just a few blocks from this place and have been walking by, swearing to try it for six months. Finally, I found a reason to celebrate and ventured in for dinner with Chelsea (who so often makes repeat guest appearances in these reviews :) ) last night. In addition to being a BYO, the restaurant offers a $35 5-course tasting menu Tuesday-Thursday, which is the route we decided to go (with much hesitation I must add because we wanted to order everything on the menu). The dining room is very cozy, with plush seating, an intimate setting, soft lighting and a homey, but upscale feel. It doesn’t try to be trendy or modern which I appreciated. Great spot for groups, romantic dinners, or just a good ol' amazing dinner.

We were floored. To start we had bread that we dipped in a smooth, slightly thick white bean and olive oil spread. Was delicious. First course: a hearty lentil soup with carrots and smoked chicken. The portions were small, but appropriate for a dinner of five courses. The soup was homey and warm, perfect for a cold day in winter. Second course: very gourmet bruchetta. The toasted bread was topped with a mild white cheese, sautéed, sweet red pepper and hardboiled egg yolks. The flavors complemented each other perfectly and were heightened with the dash of balsamic vinaigrette on the side. Third course: a light pasta dish comprised of delicate shell noodles wrapped up like penne, fresh crab and spinach. The dish was small and although I don’t particularly care for crab--I found myself really enjoying this dish. Fourth course: a small shrimp atop sautéed spinach and sweet corn. The best dish by far. So sweet, with flavors that did wonders together--all in all an amazing bite, I loved it. Final, fifth course: a tender duck breast with blue cheese mashed potatoes with a red wine sauce with cooked cherries. Amazing duck, very juicy and flavorful, cooked perfection.

In all the five courses, brought flawlessly from the kitchen provided plenty of food and really impressed us. The flavors were refreshing plays off classics and transitioned perfectly as the courses moved on. Though the menu is very pricy, the $35 tasting menu and BYO policy allow everybody to experience the food and ambience for a bargain. I can't wait to return.