Coq Au Vin [split from Boston]

[Highland Park]

Why not make it at home? Its an easy dish to prepare, comes out perfect nearly every time, and your coq will not be swimming in fat like like when you order it at most restaurants. If this doesn't appeal to you, the two best options in Boston in my opinion have been highlighted in these previous posts.

[ebbiepoo]

good recipe???!?

[emannths]

Might as well start with Julia Child: http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/12/magnificence-au-vin/

Or Molly Stevens', which is almost identical: http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/coq-au-vin-5

In fact, they had a face-off on this thread (you can also look through the related threads at the bottom of that one): http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/337867

The elements are chicken, red wine, bacon, mushrooms, onions, and a little seasoning (maybe some thyme and bay, a bit of garlic, perhaps a smidge of tomato paste). Braise the chicken and the bacon in the red wine, and pan fry the mushrooms and onions separately and add them at the end. Thicken the sauce with buerre manie (butter-flour paste). If you feel yours is lacking, you're probably not adding enough salt. The je-ne-sais-pas element of restaurant food is often just more salt and more butter.

[Highland Park]

Those two are excellent choices. Joy of Cooking works well too, and pretty similar to the aforementioned.

[cambridgedoctpr]

Cook's Illustrated tries to update classic recipes and make them fool proof. They seem to want 1960s home cooking perfected. You can check their website. Julia Child's recipes are complicated, restaurant style, but they do work well. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/

I like Brasserie Jo though do not eat there frequently.

[Small Plates]

I was a tester of this particular recipe for Cook's Illustrated (the staff come to your home and observe you preparing the recipe to test its outcome and the readability of the recipe). I can say it is DELICIOUS!