(dina rudick/globe staff)
Known for their list of wide-ranging wines and seasonal menus, Troquet owners Chris Campbell and Scott Hebert have been tending to their low-key little restaurant for six years. Hebert, the chef, says he changes parts of the menu every few weeks, to base new dishes on the latest produce coming in. A case in point are seared diver scallops ($34), to which he's added dense, starchy fingerlings from Maine potato farmer Jim Cook.
The plump, caramelized divers are served with smaller Nantucket Bay scallops, still in their shell. Hebert tucks a bit of salt cod brandade around the bay scallop, tops it with basil bread crumbs, and browns these before adding them to the plate with a paprika-and saffron-scented chorizo broth. The starch in the fingerlings gives the sauce body and fava beans are added at the last minute. The dish's Spanish inflections are some of Hebert's favorite flavors. Low-key doesn't necessarily mean low flavor. Troquet, 140 Boylston St., Boston, 617-695-9463, troquetboston.com. - LEIGH BELANGER
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