 Intro
The Boarding House, renovated two years ago, is centrally
located on busy Federal Street. Tourists walking by can't
help but notice the patio with scattered tables outside
of the popular bar at the entrance, and the below street
level windows which look into the appealing dining room.
This restaurant is owned and run in companionship with
The Pearl, the more sophisticated, modern styled restaurant
housed above in the same building. In a unique partnership,
both are overseen by the same executive chef, Robert Nelson,
yet offer different menus. The atmosphere at the Boarding
House is cosy and grotto like with muted earth tones.
The food is consistently excellent and the service top
notch. This restaurant is ideal for groups of twos and
fours and is best when not full, since conversation can
be difficult; with its fine reputation, however, you are
much more likely to be dining at a full house.
Ambiance
Entrance is through the popular and often crowded bar
where a few tables nestle along the wall; but make a reservation
for the dining room if you wish to hear anything but the
bar crowd. Patrons of the past may miss the famed asparagus
mural at the end of the small dining room, but it has
been replaced by an attractive screened cabinet of wines.
Three tables for two are placed there at the far end.
The rest of the room is arranged with tables for twos
and fours on either side. Two tables toward the front
can accomodate larger groups. The 2001 renovation eliminated
tables that crowded the center of the restaurant and,
from the point of ease of service and noise level, is
a welcome change.
Rough surfaced walls are bathed in soft hidden lights,
arching up the curved ceiling. Earth tones create a warm
atmosphere. There are a few pictures about the room, an
interesting large lamp and a few wine bottles on a ledge
at the room's far end, but these are hardly noticeable.
The general effect is soothing and intimate. The safari
aprons on the wait staff, who are dressed in black slacks
and tops, add an interesting contrast. The service is
outstanding, courteous, efficient and helpful. 
Food
The current rage on is an overwhelmlng selection
of hors d'hoeuves, many of which approximate half the
price of the entree. The Boarding House follows this
pattern offering not only the traditional soup of the
day and choice of salads, but such choices as Black
Angus Carpacci, Wellfleet little neck clams, duck breast,
sea scallops, and foie gras, each specially designed
with the chef's touch. The evening entrees included
two beef choices (marinated black angus sirloin or beef
tenderloin), four seafood selections (sushi yellowfin
tuna, soft shell crab, Atlantic salmon, twin lobster
tails), and two traditional choices of grilled leg of
lamb or chicken.
We selected the soft shelled crab tempura, served in
a smoked bacon emulsion, with tomato concasse and preserved
lemon and the sauteed Atlantic salmon served with a
stuffed tomato with a cranberry ragout, ancho chili
with basil sauce. Both arrived very attractively prepared.
Soft shelled crab is a favorite dish with this patron
but the tempura preparation, intended to add interest,
obscured the flavor of the crab which was somewhat disappointing.
The small piece of salmon arrived with a tomato sliced
at the top and filled with the ragout. For those who
like fish a little rare, this was perfect, but for this
diner, a few more minutes of sauteeing would have added
to the the enjoyment. The ragout, was a bit heavy on
beans, and the spicey addition of cranberry was unnoticed.
Dessert included a dish of assorted sorbets and a caramelised
apple tart. The sorbet was average, without any particular
creative addition, but the carmel gave the apple dessert
a chewy tang that set it apart from traditional apple
desserts.
Other Observations:
We usually opt to come to this appealing place on the
shoulder seasons and Memorial Day weekend was perfect.
The restaurant was only half full and we could relax
and visit without the noise which has proved troublesome
in the past. Our waitress was delightful and we especially
enjoyed her description of the wine festival
held the previous week. When we later ordered a glass
of Russian River chardonnay, she seemed certain that
it was not available, but graciously apologized on returning
with the menu having confused the current listing with
the previous week's selections. No one likes to make
mistakes but we were impressed by her willingness to
admit she was wrong and apologize. How rare that is
in our world today!
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