On a grander scale in Newton
Ariadne
Newton
Only a few years ago, when Lumiere opened in West Newton, it seemed a rare and risky move to try an ambitious restaurant in the suburbs. Now Ariadne, which opened in Newtonville in February, completes a triptych, along with Le Soir in Newton Highlands.
The inevitable question: Even in the sprawling and well-to-do western suburbs, is there room for three?
Ariadne, to be sure, has winning ways. The restaurant is the second owned by chef Christos Tsardounis and his wife, Kathleen Malloy. His sure hand with a sort of gussied-up Mediterranean at Aspasia in Cambridge has garnered the tiny restaurant loyal customers who don't seem to mind the rather high tab for eating in what clearly used to be a sandwich shop.
Here, the couple reach higher, taking a space that had held a series of failed ventures and transforming it into a comfortable and luxurious dining room. With padded banquettes, curtains, shades of pale green and beige, and dozens of shaded lamps that throw a golden glow, this is a grown-up room, like an Upper East Side place in Manhattan. On a recent weeknight, its studied elegance matches the well-dressed clientele, mostly in their middle years.
Tsardounis' cuisine hits the same notes. It could again be called Mediterranean, but really seems to stem from seasonal ingredients, branching out into the New American way of mixing and matching cuisines and techniques.
A visit on a chilly early spring evening means parsnip soup with duck confit and cranberries, resulting in a vivid memory of vegetal sweetness shot through with the salty duck. Mid-spring, the soup is artichoke with thin slices of wild mushrooms, favas and slivers of more artichoke; it's pleasant but underseasoned. A sprinkling of salt might help to bring out more than an undertone of a spring vegetable. The same is true of a rather odd brothy Parmesan soup with some Asian greens, pale in color and taste.
Sharper, brighter combinations work better. Grilled whole squid is beautifully done, with an arugula salad spiked with green olives that are a good backdrop to the squid's smoky flavors. Asparagus tightly wrapped in prosciutto is a classic elevated with a green-tinged and slightly acidic vinaigrette. Thinly julienned Belgian endive is stacked atop rounds of golden beets, a brilliant match of subtly bitter and sweet tones zipped up with chunks of blue cheese and perfect halves of walnuts.
It's a recurring theme: the bolder the ingredients and their flavors, the better the dish. A muscular halibut fillet has the presence to be noticed, and paired with ramps and green garlic, it gains star status. But Arctic char over ramps and rice suffers from overcooking, becoming drab despite its perky dark-pink color.
Scallops with oyster mushrooms in a dark lobster sauce, from an earlier menu, are nicely seared and well-matched to lentils and braised curly endive. But wild striped bass with a mix of braised chestnuts and maitaki mushrooms is nondescript, and sole stuffed with crabmeat too mushy.
The meat dishes are more vividly seasoned. A lamb rack offers tender nuggets of meat offset with a rustic, stew-like osso buco in a deep-flavored sauce, giving the eater both bright and intense flavors and textures in several bites. Broccoli rabe offers a bitter edge, and then well-cooked white beans round out the tastes. A flatiron steak - which is, as Tsardounis explains later, a shoulder cut resembling sirloin - is appealingly straightforward, its meaty flavor balanced by a pile of garlicky greens to soak up the meat juices.
And a fat pork chop, topped with tart slices of kumquats and surrounded with baby artichokes, has a round and palate-filling richness along with a very tender texture.
Ariadne took the serious route to desserts - no cookie-cutter flourless chocolate cake or weary tiramisu here. Although there are a few slips along the way - a brittle served with lemon tart could have removed fillings - pastry chef Clarissa Lord turns out impressive sweets. Her rhubarb and raspberry croustada is delectable with a flaky crust curled over fruit that is properly sweetened to retain some bite. A chocolate bombe reveals a creamy milk chocolate interior under a darker and more intense layer. And a chocolate tart is winning inside a cookie-dough-like crust.
The service matches the slightly formal feel of the room - many hands to bring the dishes out and to fill the water glasses. A few are young, a little stiff in their red shirts with the double row of buttons and seem a little unsure at times. But general pleasantness and attentiveness fills in the gaps. The wine list, while reaching into expensive in spots, still had enough in the middle range to nicely complement the food.
This is a restaurant too expensive and upscale to be considered a neighborhood hangout, but definitely some place to return to, a place that will be known for Tsardounis' food and the appealing feel of the place.
Are there too many fine restaurants now in Newton (population 83,829)? Or will lines between city restaurants and suburban blur into disuse? That may be the more pertinent question.