A flash in the pan

Blink and miss these height-of-the-season ingredients

By CHRISTINE LIU + BEN WHELAN

del.ico.us | digg it! | reddit!

print | email | 0 Comments

Craigie Street Bistrot

Homemade garlic sausage, ragout of forest mushrooms, farm fresh egg and garden herb coulis, $16

As chef/owner, Tony Maws reinvents the menu by the day, if not the hour, so you're rightly assured food at the pinnacle of farm-freshness. Between independently foraged fungus and a garnish of edible in-season flowers, this dish isn't mere dinner—it's performance art.

[5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge. 617.497.5511. craigiestreetbistrot.com]

Rendezvous

Polenta cake with cherry-rhubarb compote and rosemary ice cream, $8

Sky's the limit: Chef/owner Steve Johnson keeps things close to home, with cherries from Verrill Farm in Concord, rhubarb from Bay End Farm in Buzzards Bay and hyperfresh rosemary from the restaurant's own rooftop garden.

[502 Mass. Ave., Central Sq., Cambridge. 617.576.1900. rendezvouscentralsquare.com]

Vee Vee

Grilled Cavendish Farm quail, Eva's mixed greens, Vermont blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, $18

Vermont's fowl and fromage studs this special from chef Seth Morrison. And who's Eva? Her Dartmouth-based certified organic herbs-and-greens garden supplies many a chef in town. Here, beet greens, poppies and pansies flourish from the farm to the plate.

[763 Centre St., Jamaica Plain. 617.522.0145. veeveejp.com]

Rialto

Scallop crudo with beets and microgreens, garnished with crispy onions and orchid petals, $15

Chef/owner Jody Adams' crudo renders locavores speechless, as every ingredient is sourced from nearby—from New Bedford day boat scallops to microbasil from Rhode Island's Farming Turtles, and even sea salt from Quoddy Mist in Maine.

[1 Bennett St., The Charles Hotel, Harvard Sq., Cambridge. 617.661.5050. rialto-restaurant.com]

Pigalle

Pan-seared shrimp with curried melon salad and watermelon glaze, $14

Zoltan Kosa, sous chef at Marc Orfaly's and Kerri Foley's Pigalle, mentions that the dish hit the menu this week, primarily because the melons are in peak season. All that ripeness around that shrimp? Excuse us while we take a nice cold shower.

[75 Charles St. South. Boston. 617.423.4944. pigalleboston.com]