Tiny gnocchi, about the size of Chiclets, are seared until their sides are chestnut brown. This crisp surface contrasts with the dumplings’ soft innards. They are served with earthy morel mushroom, peas, herbs, and artichoke cream. The dish strikes the perfect balance between rich and light, comforting and exciting. The textures of the gnocchi are addictive. It is hard to stop eating, until they are gone.
Duck leg confit is a completely different dish successful for many of the same reasons - contrasting textures, bright flavors played against mellow ones. The skin crackles, the meat melts. On the plate are bits of hazelnut, sweet-tart cherries, and a little salad.
This is the time of year to enjoy soft-shell crabs, and it would be hard to find a better version than the one here, fried in light batter, bursting between the teeth, juicy and essential. A mouthful of crab is complemented by small, sweet hakurei turnips, fried chickpeas, and the warmth of harissa. The combination is exotic yet familiar.
There are eight entrees, each carefully composed, inventive but without unnecessary froufrou. Johnson has worked at Rialto, Arrows, Icarus, and Salamander. She lets ingredients shine, but not to the point of oversimplification. The dishes feel mature rather than showy.
Grilled lamb is served in slices, ruby rare at the center, with pea greens and fava beans. The meat is accompanied by two phyllo dough turnovers filled with braised lamb shoulder, apricots, mint, and other herbs. There is an underlying sweetness to the filling, lent by Lillet. This preparation will disappear when the peas and favas do. This is the sadness of seasonal eating, but also the thing that keeps us returning for more as the menu shifts and diversifies. What will we love next?
Perhaps fresh pappardelle, the noodles tender and golden, with herbs rolled ornamentally into the dough. They’re accompanied by the vegetables currently growing in and around Concord, and topped with generous pieces of braised veal.
