The food is not art, but the setting is
An early taste of what's new on the restaurant scene
It's Thursday after work. The sun is out, the air is warm, and a mild breeze is blowing in from the ocean.
Let's go to a museum!
No, really. It might not sound like the best way to spend a glorious summer evening, but when the museum has an outdoor bar and live bands playing on a patio that runs smack into the harbor, it's worth a shot.
The Institute of Contemporary Art just extended the hours of its Water Café (by Wolfgang Puck, thank you very much) to 11 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, in conjunction with its free outdoor dance and concert series, so the time seemed right to check it out.
We went on a Thursday after work, when museum admission is also free, and snagged one of the last open tables on the weathered wooden deck. Over on the water by Anthony's Pier 4, a bass beat thumped as people partied on the deck of a cruise ship about to set sail. With a world-class art collection behind us and the trio of Berklee-trained musicians setting up in front of us, we felt positively cultured by comparison,
It was a glorious night. Sailboats floated on the harbor, and the sun tinged the clouds with gold - perfect conditions for a vodka tonic. We had to fetch it ourselves, but at least the bartender is close at hand.
We went inside to a cashier to order food, and five minutes later, guided by the number on our floppy fly-swatter-like table marker, the servers brought everything at once: hummus, chips and guacamole, grilled beef and chicken, miso salmon salad, caprese salad. The servers were amused at our excess, which barely fit on the little round table.
The quick turnaround time made us worry about the quality of the food, and rightfully so. The caprese salad of stacked red and yellow tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil had a nice balsamic-y zing, and the salsa was chunky and fresh, but the overcooked salmon stuck to our teeth, the guacamole was suspiciously smooth, and the bland hummus had no discernible garlic or tahini.
We had looked longingly at the unmanned grill set up in the corner of the deck, hoping our chicken and beef would be prepared on it, but the meat didn't seem to have come from the fire anytime recently. The accompanying grilled peppers and summer salad of pineapple and limp lettuce were a juicy distraction, at least. The sliders - dry, overcooked discs that seemed to have been transported straight from the school cafeteria, or possibly the display case in front of the cashier's window - were hard to swallow.
Wolfgang Puck would not be pleased.
Meanwhile, the trio led by Scottish harpist Maeve Gilchrist was playing a set of distracting jazz-like tunes that could have been the soundtrack for an underwater fairy tale, if there is such a thing. When Gilchrist slipped into what one diner referred to as a "Kenny G scat," we blanched. "It's free for a reason," one said. Another's eye began to twitch as the singer searched for the right pitch.
Too bad there wasn't any cheesecake left to soothe us.
The food and music aren't the main attractions here, of course, and after dinner we took a trip up to the fourth floor to see Anish Kapoor's deceptively simple sculptures.
Before we knew it the museum was closing, so we went back outside to sit under the wooden overhang and watch night fall over the city. A number of young people were lounging on the steps beside us, taking photos and working on laptops while silverware clinked soothingly in the background. The museum's cuisine is not among its masterpieces, but the outdoor setting is stunning, and on a warm Thursday night, when the museum and music are free, it's a lovely place to be.
Water Café at the Institute of Contemporary Art, 100 Northern Ave., Boston. 617-478-3291. icaboston.org/visit/water-cafe Plates, $3.50-$12.50. Beer and wine by the glass, $6. 