From Boston chef Barbara Lynch comes her seventh venue in the city, the Five-Star Menton. Capitalizing on previous successes running the gamut from a causal oyster eatery to a cocktail bar, Lynch returns to the fine-dining roots she perfected at No. 9 Park with Menton. Located in the up-and-coming Fort Point neighborhood, Menton is at once absolutely glamorous as well as comfortable. The updated French food is modern and refined, including such recent dishes as line-caught cod with escargot, allium and gilfeather turnip, as well as torchon of foie gras de canard with quince, lemon and brioche. Order from four-course prix fixe menu or indulge in the chef’s tasting menu. The well-edited wine list will certainly complement the cuisine. The mood at Menton is calm, serene and inviting, and offers a bit of tranquility after a hectic day.
Our Inspector's Highlights
• Menton’s haute cuisine masterpieces are well-thought-out. For example, the venison loin is prepared with braised red cabbage, chantenay carrot and hakurei turnip. An oyster velouté, done with brioche, prosciutto, and swiss chard, accompanies the tremendous dish.
• As you sip your refreshingly crisp glass of vino during the third course of your prix fixe meal, you have to thank wine director Cat Silirie. She brings more than two decades of wine experience to the Barbara Lynch Collective of restaurants, and subsequently collaborates with winemakers from around the world to purchase private labels and new vintages for Menton.
• On the summer menu, there was Maine crab, Santa Barbara prawns, Rhode Island fluke, foie gras, rabbit, veal and chocolate cake. The purpose of the menu is to allow you to experience a little bit of everything without feeling overindulgent.
Things to Know
• Menton offers a seven-course Chef's Whim tasting menu for $165. Wine can be paired with your meal for an additional $130. Note that the menu changes seasonally, which can alter the prices slightly.
• If you'd like to make your own dining selections, you can do that as well through Menton's à la carte menu.
• Unless dishes are highlighted on the prix fixe menu as vegetarian, there are no special meatless meals at the restaurant. However, any vegetarian request can be accommodated, and the kitchen will happily construct a meat-free menu for you with proper notice.
The Food
• Both the four- and seven-course menus include items like foie gras, swordfish, line-caught cod, duck, lamb and various desserts.
• The French-inspired cuisine means all dishes are small but filling, thanks in part to the decadent uses of cream sauces, butter and herbs.
• The dessert menu changes with the rest of the cuisine seasonally and to the chef’s liking, but desserts such as a nougat glacé with macadmia, banana and green cardamom or chocolate clafoutis with seckel pear, smoked cream cheese and caramel are what you can expect.
• If you’d prefer something less sweet, the cheese cart rolls around with about 15 varieties, which are cut and served tableside.
• The French-inspired cuisine means all dishes are small but filling, thanks in part to the decadent uses of cream sauces, butter and herbs.
• The dessert menu changes with the rest of the cuisine seasonally and to the chef’s liking, but desserts such as a nougat glacé with macadmia, banana and green cardamom or chocolate clafoutis with seckel pear, smoked cream cheese and caramel are what you can expect.
• If you’d prefer something less sweet, the cheese cart rolls around with about 15 varieties, which are cut and served tableside.
The Look
• Menton’s interior design, with hand-painted wallpaper of a gold-toned tropical-safari-like rainforest along the back wall, sets the tone for your dining experience.
• Against the mural, you'll find gold throw pillows in the seating area, white Grecian-inspired wall art and stunning crystal chandeliers.
• Take a few steps into the dining room and sit among the silver wall art, which is reminiscent of the mist that might fall in the gold-colored rainforest motif.
• The dining room area adds a taupe palette in the seat cushions and in the floor, subtly connecting the entire restaurant in a single color.
• Hand-blown Murano crystal vases from Venice are perfectly placed on high tables in the middle of the space, playing off the Austrian crystal art positioned throughout the restaurant.
• Against the mural, you'll find gold throw pillows in the seating area, white Grecian-inspired wall art and stunning crystal chandeliers.
• Take a few steps into the dining room and sit among the silver wall art, which is reminiscent of the mist that might fall in the gold-colored rainforest motif.
• The dining room area adds a taupe palette in the seat cushions and in the floor, subtly connecting the entire restaurant in a single color.
• Hand-blown Murano crystal vases from Venice are perfectly placed on high tables in the middle of the space, playing off the Austrian crystal art positioned throughout the restaurant.
Stories
