Bouillabaisse in Boston

[liptauer]

My wife loves bouillabaisse almost above all other foods. We're coming up on our 50th wedding anniversary and I'd like her to have a dinner that will delight her as much as the occasion. So I'd be very grateful for recommendations for bouillabaisse to die for.

[MC Slim JB]

Last version I had in Boston that I thought hit the sweet spot was at Bistro du Midi. La Voile's take is also worthy. Hamersley's does a very nice rendition that doesn't try to recreate the Med flavor of the Marseilles original, but uses local seafood to good effect.

I'm more a fan of the Niçoise soupe de poissons, which I think Jody Adams does better at Rialto than just about anyone else in town, but they're not ridiculously far apart. The stock is all, usually made from fish frames and bug shells.

http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/

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La Voile
261 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116

Bistro du Midi
272 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

[liptauer]

Thanks for the suggestions, especially the detailed discussion by MC Slim JB.

[Highland Park]

Thanks too MC Slim for the detailed accounts of the different available styles around Boston. I've had La Voile's take on it and also found it worthy. Its a tough dish to get right, particularly outside of Southern France. I also agree 100% on the soupe de poissons and will have to give Rialto's version a shot.

[cambridgedoctpr]

i also like the Rialto version of fisherman's soup though it does not remind me of bouiiaibasse. I like ciappino, the SF variant, too, though cannot remember having it on the East Coast. .

I seem to be one of the few on this board who really likes Rialto so you can take that with several grains of salt. .

[teezeetoo]

love Rialto's fish soup and like Hamersley's version of bouilliabaisse. Do not like Bistro du Midi's in spite of its insistence on its "correctness." It's dull.

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Bistro du Midi
272 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

[opinionatedchef]

what a lovely gift for her. you might check the online menus for some of our better french places:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/705597

[atg106]

Brasserie Jo unfortunately removed this from the menu a little while ago. They may bring it back, but it's not here for now.

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Brasserie Jo
120 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02116