662998 Wed Oct 28 10:47:43 -0700 2009 25 12 Boston Area 0 5137563 I'm bringing my in-laws out to eat after we go to a BC football game. Last year, we went to Via Matta and loved it. We were wearing jeans and nice shirts, and we felt pretty comfortable at Via. Would we feel underdressed with the same attire at erbaluce? I've never been, so I'm curious. Wed Oct 28 10:47:43 -0700 2009 243373 ecwashere7 1 5137740 no, very relaxed but make sure everyone like citrus zest. Wed Oct 28 11:39:22 -0700 2009 5137563 257790 Jolyon Helterman 1 5139665 You will be completely fine in that attire. Enjoy Erbaluce. I went there for the first time a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it! Thu Oct 29 06:07:03 -0700 2009 5137563 429926 CreativeFoodie42 1 5139815 I've seen plenty of casually-dressed diners in there. If you felt self-conscious about it, you could always get a table in the bar area: same menu is available. Also, I don't share Jolyon's apparent experience of tasting citrus zest in everything. The chef is unusual in that he uses vegetable and fruit essences in places where most chefs would use butter, cream, or other animal fats. The result is a uniquely light take on Italian food, original and occasionally astonishing. I really like his food. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Thu Oct 29 07:07:20 -0700 2009 5137563 10143 MC Slim JB 2 5140010 Draghi's one of the few originals in town, and it's unfair for me to dismiss him so casually. I feel like there's this constant barrage of floral middle notes that most chefs would use to add complexity, but instead it's the main event in dish after dish. Sunflower, citrus-peel oils, floral herbs, etc. Love the concept, love the sourcing, love the price point, love the wine selections, love the non-focus-grouped feel of the menu, love the personal-touch service, love that way of eating. But for the life of me, I can't get beyond an academic appreciation of much of the food. With some definite exceptions. I think he's got mad chops in the kitchen. I just don't think his palate and my palate are calibrated at all. Which isn't a tragedy. Thu Oct 29 08:14:25 -0700 2009 5139815 257790 Jolyon Helterman 3 5170837 I share your sentiments on the palate calibration - but it's about Tony Maws at Craigie - not citrus-focused, but I just don't get or appreciate the specialness now or when it was the Bistrot - and the price point is much, much too high IMHO - I do love what Tom does in the bar every time, however. Tue Nov 10 13:24:06 -0800 2009 5140010 10399 rlh 4 5171099 In my limited experience with his food, Tony Maws' palate is skewed heavily towards fatty and salty and generally rich taste/feel. I found his dishes to be really unbalanced flavor-wise, but I haven't really given him a fair shake. And now we might be forging another thread altogether. Tue Nov 10 15:07:45 -0800 2009 5170837 12377 bella_sarda 1 5140080 Had my first dinner there last week and loved it. All comments are right on; casual (we sat at the bar, which is great....bar area tables seem more casual as well). Friendly service, fantastic and fascinating wine selection, original take on cooking that really shines. We ate pretty much all seafood, the octopus special was probably the best preparation of that creature I've ever had the pleasure of eating, the scungilli and razor clams were way up there as well. Jolyon's point is taken, though not every dish had those features, several did seem to. But the tradeoff, where animal fats would have dominated all the dishes in another restaurant, was well worth it for me. I didn't feel the dishes were repetitive at all, just had some common highlights. And I have not had a chance to work my way through the entire menu though I'd love to! It was one of the better and more memorable meals I've had in a long time. Thu Oct 29 08:35:05 -0700 2009 5137563 25417 Zatan 2 5141901 a little gem in the middle of over-priced mob-scenes. I prefer sitting at the bar or in the lounge. try the wild boar with starfruit mostarda if still on menu Thu Oct 29 19:41:06 -0700 2009 5140080 36418 TopCat 3 5142058 I asked the chef about this once: wild boar is a signature dish, always on the menu. The sauce varies with the seasonal availabilty of produce: a couple of months ago, it was a mosto based on fresh black grapes. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Thu Oct 29 21:46:45 -0700 2009 5141901 10143 MC Slim JB 4 5142183 Even back in the days of Marcuccio's -- a restaurant I still remember with great fondness -- Draghi was all about the wild boar. Fri Oct 30 00:40:16 -0700 2009 5142058 17548 BarmyFotheringayPhipps 4 5142402 I didn't get to it, but the boar was being served with that mosto, local concord grapes, lightly fermented for a few days.....sounded great. They also had wild boar meatballs, and I think a ragu for one of the pasta dishes.... Fri Oct 30 06:02:56 -0700 2009 5142058 25417 Zatan 1 5142488 The dining area resembles a finished basement, so the atmosphere is not fancy at all. However the food is excellent. You will be just fine in the attire you describe. I actually think the bar has a much nicer atmosphere than the dining room. Fri Oct 30 06:50:05 -0700 2009 5137563 13687 Gabatta 1 5160764 How comfortable is this place? The menu sounds great and I'm a Draghi fan but I cannot BEAR to go to another stuffy hoity-toity place with a side of attitude. Actually I don't mind that stuff so much but my friend who I'll be dining with gets totally freaked out by the 'tude and then I have to watch and it's no fun. Thoughts? Fri Nov 06 08:11:23 -0800 2009 5137563 10232 yumyum 2 5160970 I've never had anything but great service there. Co-owner / host / sommelier Joan is terrific (and very helpful with the rather unusual list she's put together), and her brother Doug is a local treasure of a server. Draghi often comes out of the kitchen to check on your dinner. The room isn't stuffy, either: it's pretty modestly decorated, and the bar is even more casual feeling. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Fri Nov 06 09:13:34 -0800 2009 5160764 10143 MC Slim JB 3 5161125 Agreed. Had very friendly, helpful service with zero attitude. Chef Draghi came out after our meal and spent at least 5 minutes talking to us about our experience. One of the best dining experienced I've had in Boston in the past year, if ever. Fri Nov 06 10:06:19 -0800 2009 5160970 12377 bella_sarda 3 5161229 Ditto to your and bella_sarda's posts. I'm super sensitive to snootiness, and Erbaluce is definitely *not* a snooty place. I've been there several times, and loved it every time. I found everyone there, from the owners on down, to be warm, friendly and helpful. yumyum, I think you, and especially your friend, will have a great time. Fri Nov 06 10:40:17 -0800 2009 5160970 23720 srgoodman 4 5161303 Thanks everyone. Sounds super comfy. This friend has a screw loose and was tense at the Craigie Street bar even though it was mellow and we weren't getting any kind of snootiness or pressure. We were surrounded by cocktail weenies but that is to be expected. Fri Nov 06 11:03:16 -0800 2009 5161229 10232 yumyum 5 5161560 Cocktail weenies are good people: they just have an odd fetish. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Fri Nov 06 12:20:18 -0800 2009 5161303 10143 MC Slim JB 6 5161582 Some of my best friends are cocktail weenies. Fri Nov 06 12:25:30 -0800 2009 5161560 10232 yumyum 7 5161688 Do you ever wrap them in puff pastry? Fri Nov 06 12:58:34 -0800 2009 5161582 17548 BarmyFotheringayPhipps 8 5161743 I typically put them under a puff pastry duvet or wrap them up in a polenta snuggie, but yeah, you got the general drift. Fri Nov 06 13:14:00 -0800 2009 5161688 10232 yumyum 9 5170550 A polenta snuggie! This is too hilarious! Thanks, Barmy and yumyum, for a good laugh. Tue Nov 10 11:44:44 -0800 2009 5161743 12377 bella_sarda 1 5161145 Thanks for all the input! I had a fantastic meal there on Halloween, of all nights (I had in-laws in town). Apparently, Halloween is the best night to go out and get a table because it was pretty much dead everywhere. We stopped at Via Matta for a pre-dinner drink (I love the Basil Lime Gimlets) and Michael Schlow has hanging out in the bar. He chatted us up and personally brought us a snack (great guy). The place was empty. I actually felt bad going elsewhere for dinner. Erbaluce certainly removed the guilt quickly. The menu was creative and filled with game meats (which I love). To start we had Sicilian style octopus, wild boar meatballs (2 orders), and snails. For entrees, we had roasted rabbit, fettucine with rabbit ragu, faraona (guinea fowl) and the rack of wild boar. All of them were delicious. I have to say, I prefer the fattier cuts of wild boar to the rack (shoulder, shank, etc..) but it was still delicious. We had a variety of excellent desserts as well. Chef Draghi actually came out at this point and chatted us up, too. He brought us some dessert wines to go with our desserts. Very friendly guy as well. All in all, a fantastic meal. Never felt like such a VIP before. I highly suggest going out to eat on Halloween. Oh yeah, we felt very comfortable wearing jeans. Fri Nov 06 10:13:18 -0800 2009 5137563 243373 ecwashere7 2 5161725 Is it casual enough to go in jeans and a zip up? Thinking about wear to go tonight, want something new and don't feel like going home to change.... Fri Nov 06 13:08:59 -0800 2009 5161145 125747 Mr Bigglesworth 3 5170577 i cast my vote with the majority, above. this is a great restaurant: consistently interesting, comfortable, and thoughtful about both food and service. I've never had a bad meal or a bad vibe here and, if anything, consider it underrated, because it isn't a cookie-cutter version of every other upscale place. The front and the back of the house work seamlessly. Hats off to all. Tue Nov 10 11:50:35 -0800 2009 5161725 14809 teezeetoo