Erbaluce

In Boston in early April without my better half, I was still determined to have at least one great dining experience. Lady Luck smiled me on this night. I was wandering around the Back Bay and into the Theater District when I noticed a promising sign, literally. Seeing the green and white Erbaluce sign adorning a typically attractive brick building just off Park Square, I walked over to peruse the menu posted outside. Although it was just past ten o'clock, a sign in the window indicated that the establishment closed at eleven. Perfect.

Open for a little over two years, Erbaluce has enjoyed considerable critical acclaim, and based on my visit, I can see why. This enoteca is a foodie's paradise. The menu changes with the seasons and with the freshness of the available ingredients. Many are sourced locally, and other are imported as it makes sense. The chef-owner, Charles Draghi, shows a passion for food and flavour that goes beyond what nearly anyone would expect.

Back to the menu. As is my wont, I laid out my predicament to my server. I was vacillating between two different main courses and had tentatively picked out a seafood appetizer. Furthermore, I knew I wanted red wine that night. My server offered to serve the gnocchi with wild boar ragu as an appetizer, which I quickly agreed to. This dish was so good that I wished I had ordered a full sized version, that is until I received my real main course....

My main course was the boneless rabbit, one of the night's specials. If I remember correctly, the rabbit was stuffed with mushrooms and greens and garnished with fresh sage. I only mention the garnish because sage is one of my favourite herbs. I'd had rabbit only once before, in a French restaurant, and this was far superior, so tender and flavourful that I realized I only thought that other one was good.

With the assistance of my server, I chose two wines by the glass from the all-Italian wine list. I believe, based on looking at the current menu online, they were a Ascheri Nebbiolo di La Morra from Piemonte and a Rainoldi Nebbiolo from Lombardia. Both were excellent and complemented the food very well.

Sated and smiling, I agreed to examine the dessert menu, in honour of my partner, who always has room for dessert. Despite the many enticing options, it was not difficult to choose one. When I was waiting for my dessert, co-owner Joan Johnson came by my table to ask about my meal. We chatted a bit about seafood, how I found their restaurant, and sundry food-related topics.

My dessert was from the Amalfi Coast in the south of Italy, sweetened ricotta and white chocolate wrapped in eggplant, topped by a dark chocolate ganache and accompanied by saffron-marinated oranges. This was actually extremely good, even if you don't generally like eggplant.

To go with my dessert, I ordered the Arabic coffee, which is sludgy style coffee flavoured with cardamom. Does cardamom make everything taste better, or just really good coffee?

The clean and elegant decor just added to the entire experience. The chairs not only looked nice, but also were very comfortable. The candles and crisp white tablecloths gave the room a very romantic feeling. Every staff member I interacted with was professional and at the same time friendly. What really stood out, though, was the congeniality among the staff, which makes at least this customer more comfortable.

Sometime in the future, when we're both back in Boston, I hope the creative team behind Erbaluce are still around and serving up incredible food in this fabulous way.