THE FASTEST RESTAURANT WEEK DINNER EVER

In a previous post, I announced that restaurant week had officially started in Boston. So last night we went out to our first of two restaurant week dinners. The first was at Union in the South End. I have wanted to go to Union for sometime, mainly for their Sunday brunch, but of course, I still hadn't made it there, even after a strong endorsement from Leah. This was the perfect opportunity to check out their decor and sample some of their dishes.

So we arrived on a very cold and windy Boston evening(the forecasters call it "blustery"). Luckily, I had found some street parking nearby. As we walked into the restaurant, I noticed that it was much smaller than I had expected. But it was cozy. The bar area is partitioned off from the dining room area, but both were packed. I gave my name and we were quickly escorted through the bustling dining room. We were seated towards the back, and I could immediately tell that all those around us were also enjoying the prix fixe menus (why else would a single table have 3 of the exact same dessert?). The dining room is very dimly lit and filled with black leather booths. The tables are also very close together, so I gave up on trying to take pictures with flash since I knew this would disturb our neighboring diners, and since it was so dark, it was pointless to take pics altogether.

It's hard to tell what dining at a restaurant during restaurant week will be like. In the past, I've had some truly disappointing meals, almost dismissing restaurant week entirely. On the other hand, I've had some great meals, like at Mistral. If you remember from last year, Rialto kept us waiting 45 minutes for our table during restaurant week. Even though they'd participated numerous times, they still didn't have their routine down for this busy time. Union was the total opposite. They had this restaurant week thing down to a science. The service wasn't unpleasant, they didn't rush us out, but they were efficient beyond belief.

I was happy to see that for restaurant week, they still served you a mini cornbread in a cast iron skillet, which Leah had told me about. It was toasty and warm, and delicious. We gobbled that up quickly. Union only gives you two choices for restaurant week (again with the efficiency), so I ordered one selection while Tom got the exact opposite. For my appetizer, I got a black bean soup with shrimp ceviche and avocado and Tom got a wedge of iceberg with blue cheese and bacon.

Remember, during restaurant week, restaurants are trying to stretch their budgets and break even, so they don't give you the best stuff. But I think Union did a good job. Tom and I both enjoyed our appetizers, but my soup was really filling. We're talking about a bowl of pureed beans. So I was kinda full after my soup, even though I didn't finish it.

Immediately after we finished our appetizers, our plates were whisked away, and there was a small break before our entrees showed up. Tom had gotten a pork loin with sides of pureed sweet potato and red coleslaw while I had a catfish encrusted in nuts on a bed of rice and spinach all in a bourbon cream sauce. I was surprised that my catfish fillet was really well cooked. It was also a very thick and generous portion. So much so that I only ate half of it. The waiter inquired if I hadn't enjoyed the entree, but it was just that I was full. It was a very good dish, though. Tom also like his pork, though it may have been sitting under a heat lamp for a while (we can blame that on Restaurant Week).

Lastly, we finished with dessert. I could tell that 90% of the tables around me had ordered the exact same dessert that I'd ordered, a rocky road bread pudding. I'm not a fan of bread pudding (it has to do with the texture) so I kinda poked at this one. It was served warm, which I appreciated and it tasted pretty good, but again, I was stuffed. And really, it wasn't worth the calories to eat something I didn't love. Tom had a mini banana cream pie, which you could tell was assembled quickly and easily. I don't think the tart shell had been made in house, but you can chalk all this up to Restaurant Week.

Overall, we had a pleasant meal. And we made it out of there under an hour (not a bad thing since I was exhausted after a full day at work). Again, the service wasn't unpleasant, just uber efficient. I don't think they would've minded had we stayed at dinner longer. The final last touch was quite pleasant. They presented each diner with a coupon, where you could return to Union in the next 2 months and enjoy any three courses off their regular menu at the restaurant week price. I think that was quite generous. (I just checked their menu and the most expensive three course meal you can order is about $51. So getting that for $33 isn't a bad deal). Union isn't a super expensive restaurant. The prices are quite reasonable, in line with Eastern Standard and other places, so I wouldn't be surprised if we were back soon.