Several years ago, following the
economic downturn, upscale restaurants like celebrity chef Michael Schlow’s
long departed, yet fondly remembered flagship, Radius, succumbed to the tighter
budgets of their once loyal clientele. Smaller plates became more en vogue, and
so began the downfall of other legendary eateries including the recently
departed, highly regarded Clio under Chef Oringer (don’t fret too much for him,
though, as global small plate haven Little Donkey, Italian staple Coppa, legendary
South End Spanish tapas mainstay Toro, and sushi headliner Uni all continue to
thrive).
Sufficed
to say, with the economic upswing, there are more restaurants opening that dare
to be different – albeit quite expensive, but well worth the investment for
special occasion dining. Take, for instance, Asta, Alex Crabb’s inventive prix
fixe only menu that takes diners on a wild, delightful culinary adventure. And only
a few years into its run, there’s Liquid Art House, the perfect confluence of
literal and culinary artwork for customers’ viewing and tasting pleasure.
The
visually arresting space – located at the corners of Arlington and Stuart
Street (how fitting and of no small irony that LAH sits at the cusp of the
Theatre District) – dually serves as both a high-end restaurant and contemporary
art gallery where all of the artwork is available for purchase. Owner Ruta
Lukian’s backstory is a most fascinating one: born in Lithuania, emigrating to
America, flourishing as a Wall Street investment banker, and ultimately
deciding to fulfill her dream of opening a place for artists, art lovers, and
diners alike. The ambience is impressively grandiose, a hybrid of cosmopolitan
and avant-garde. A striking rotunda marble bar resides smack dab in LAH’s
center, with an even more strikingly beautiful, massive, purple hand-blown
Venetian glass chandelier whose claw-like shape appears to almost be reaching
down from the giant 24-foot ceilings and virtually grabbing hold of customers.
Abstract artwork both large (majestic canvases) and small adorn the giant walls
and flows into the dining room. Even the bathrooms scream chez chic, as
evidenced by stunning semi-nude painted portraits of mermaids painted on
frosted glass doors.
Fortunately,
LAH has not lost any of its culinary innovation left by its notable
predecessor, Rachel Klein (who opened up her own endeavor, RFK Kitchen, in her
resident Needham to mixed critical reception). Chef Johnny Sheehan – whose
impressive pedigree includes graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, stints at
aforementioned Clio and Uni under Oringer’s tutelage, and most recently at
Plymouth’s New World Tavern) – has earned several culinary accolades, and it’s
easy to ascertain why. He’s not only followed the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix
it’ deconstructed style that became a calling card for Klein, but infuses his
own unique riffs on some of the most exquisite fare I’ve had the fortune of
tasting in quite some time.
The
evening begins inauspiciously enough, as a first batch of deep-fried salt and
pepper prawns ($19) are woefully and visibly overcooked, the meat dry where it
should be moist and tender. This is brought to the attention of our genial and
knowledgeable waitress – who, oh by the way, did not serve us this initial
course – and she is deeply apologetic about the mishap, stating had she laid
eyes on the prawn’s dark exterior, would never have brought this tableside (we
wholeheartedly agree with her). She offers to have the kitchen bring us a
second round, and this time they are cooked to perfection, the spicy orange
chile oil with peanuts now in vibrant harmony with the juicy, succulent meat
(the entire mishap and quick, professional correction by the waitstaff harkened
back to my visit to opulent seafood restaurant, Ostra, where a badly charred
plate of grilled octopus was quickly, and most deliciously rectified). While I
found the doughy, sesame-seed encrusted exterior of Himalayan chicken momos
($10) a bit too chewy for my taste, these dumplings stuffed with ground meat
were easy on the palate given the addictive, innovative pool of black pepper
tomato sauce in which they swam. For such a typically gaunt bird, a
surprisingly generous amount of tender meat accompanies LAH’s quail – the majority
of which is graciously deboned by the kitchen – and is uniquely stuffed with sweet
Asian forbidden rice which enhances the flavor component of what is often
considered by many to be the flounder of birds.
And
Sheehan’s piece de resistance is not to be missed. Pan seared halibut ($39) is
unlike any other version of the meaty fish I’ve sampled. It’s a ginormous,
beautifully pan-seared (resembling a hash brown in texture) tender cut, and its
eye-popping to look at. Akin to an abstract Picasso masterpiece, there are many
deconstructed elements to the plate that miraculously come together – tiny,
crunchy hearts of palm, pineapple chunks, yellow-orange beads of jellied mango
passion fruit, and pea-green dollops of chile-mint vinaigrette. An aromatic
Thai curried coconut broth is than theatrically poured around the fish. This is
seriously complex, pristinely executed fine dining at its peak, resulting in a
smorgasbord of flavors ranging from sweet and creamy to crunchy and spicy. It’s
simply divine and will undoubtedly be topping many dining critics’ top dishes
in Boston for 2017.
Executive
pastry chef Ryan Boya’s uniquely shaped sweets (all $14 with exception of
sorbets) rival Sheehan’s dishes innovation-wise, many of which were apparently
inspired by the World of Tomorrow architecture at the 1939 New York World’s
Fair. Breakfast in a NYC Hotel Room is a deconstructed masterpiece, consisting
of a thin bagel chip onto which peanut butter and cream cheese mousses, peanuts,
and coffee milk ice cream, all of which is left for diners to playfully schmear
onto the bagel chip. It’s whimsical, fun, and delectable.
And
that dish encapsulates my experience at LAH. And oh, what an experience you’ll
have. While you’re left with a bill that might approach the price of a
low-level Picasso (kidding!), you’ll no doubt me reminiscing about your time
there for days, if not months and years later. In the trustworthy and
innovative hands of Lukian and Sheehan, Liquid Art House has successfully brought
artistic fine dining style to Boston.
