Good neighbors
Mandrake Bar Bistro
Beverly
On a recent evening, I’m rushing to meet friends at Mandrake, a new restaurant in downtown Beverly. Traffic out of Boston was dreadful; the parking spaces along Cabot Street in Beverly are all filled; and I’m out of sorts as I trot the several blocks to the restaurant. As I hurry down the sidewalk, a man in a passing car motions to me, asking if I know where Bella Mia restaurant is. As I hazard a guess, I realize that Cabot Street has become a mini, suburban version of Tremont Street in Boston’s South End — a restaurant row, and further proof that the explosion of upscale restaurants isn’t just happening in the city.
Mandrake, which has been open four months, is next door to Soma, which opened more than a year ago but recently brought on a notable new chef. Very different in style and cuisine, both restaurants add to the burgeoning Beverly dining scene.
The scene at Mandrake Bar Bistro, bathed in a mellow golden glow from antique chandeliers, dark woods, and richly colored fabrics, is bustling on this Friday. The big bar seems to be a gathering place, filled with a few diners and many singles chatting as they drink cocktails. Waitresses push through narrow spaces between booths and tables, and the conviviality is infectious.
Next door is Soma, which has been around for about a year and half. Johnny Levins, the well-known Caribbean chef, was there briefly, until Nick Speros was brought on to give the place new life. Soma exhibits a bit of a personality split. The windows are shaded black, and when you come through the doors the room’s deep mustardy hues, dark blue accents, and funky light fixtures emit a faintly Caribbean vibe — at least I think that’s what was intended.
But Speros, who previously owned the now-defunct 197 East Main in Gloucester and had worked for Eat in Somerville and Radius in Boston, works in a Mediterranean style; some of his best dishes reflect his Greek ancestry. The young crowd at the bar may be intent on imbibing martini concoctions in bright colors, but it’s dishes like beets with giant white beans and Greek garlic sauce, or a skillfully handled ‘‘blue cod’’ (pollack) over frisee and a tangy vinaigrette that give Soma its culinary edge.
In a phone interview, Speros says he’s partial to the vegetable accompaniments to his dishes. That explains the wealth of artichokes, tiny onions, eggplant, and chick peas under rare slices of tuna with caramelized edges that give the fish a hint of sweetness; a drizzle of sea urchin sauce adds an elusive hint of sour. He pushes the envelope a little for a suburban audience by serving smoky grilled octopus over fennel and peppers, the flavors and textures complex and beautifully balanced. And then he draws back with more mainstream tastes, such as a lobster salad topped with frizzled basil or seared redfish flanked by tiny, light gnocchi and a tangle of zucchini and sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem artichokes). He can do justice to hearty dishes as well, such as herbed pork tenderloin with braised kale, sweet bits of figs, and salty nuggets of pancetta.
Speros admits he’s not a pastry chef, but such sorbets as a delicate Champagne-hibiscus variety, or a goat’s milk ice cream, make an appealing ending. And apple fritters, crisp and light, or even the intense chocolate Aphrodite cake, aren’t bad, either, hitting just the right note to complement Speros’s contemporary take on Mediterranean.
If Soma leans toward the spare in design and sometimes in cuisine, Mandrake, named for an herb sometimes associated with magic, tends toward the more opulent. The concept devised by owners Kevin Ennis and Jen Lynch is vaguely French, although there’s really a mix of culinary trends represented. The best of them showcases the ingredients, but other dishes get lost in their sauces.
Portobello mushrooms sauteed and stacked inside puff pastry remind one of old Gourmet magazine dishes of the early ’70s. But the appetizer is savory and good, making me remember why I pored over those magazines. A tasting of chef Kevin Doherty’s appetizers features a lovely little cup of lobster bisque, a mildly flavored French boudin sausage, so-so arancini — deep-fried rice balls filled with cheese — and a few shrimp with cocktail sauce. It’s a pretty plate, but the offerings seem a little disconnected, creating a yearning for more bisque and less of the rest.
The main courses also are up and down. Doherty formerly cooked for Emeril Lagasse, and that hearty over-the-top style shows up in an excellent pork porterhouse with an apple gastrique, lots of braised greens, and sweet potatoes. But braised short ribs need another defatting, and steak frites is not really the classic but strips of steak in a too-thick red wine sauce propped over a mound of mashed potatoes and showered with too-limp thin fries. Less would be more here.
Seafood fares better. Grilled salmon has a good balance of well-prepared sweet fish to earthy lentils and red and yellow beets. Scallops are carefully caramelized and moist and come with a pleasingly tangy parsnip puree. And though a dish of coq au vin lacked enough depth — its sauce a pale version of the rich, dark ideal — the flavor and the accompanying mushrooms and cippolini onions are quite good.
Mandrake shows off on the dessert menu, with New Orleans’ style in the ascendancy. Pain perdu with chocolate sauce is rich and sweet, and the same goes for a dense chocolate mousse cake. But the prize goes to crepes, which are served one night with apples and Calvados and another with caramelized bananas and an irresistible stream of caramel sauce.
The pleasant memory of those crepes lingers, creating a dilemma. Would I return to Beverly for Speros’s smashing takes on Mediterranean and then gravitate to Mandrake for dessert, or would it be a mix and match between the two places with their different styles? Because at the end of the day, having all these choices can’t be anything but good.