Clio and Uni Sashimi Bar - Elegant Dining at the Eliot Hotel
We had heard a lot of good things about Clio, the chic upscale Back Bay restaurant at the Eliot Hotel specializing in Asian-influenced French cuisine, and decided to try it out for a light supper on a recent winter’s night.
Chef Ken Oringer has earned an impressive reputation as a top-of-the-line innovator with a keen imagination and distinguished credentials,
His cuisine, said to be “a rare balance of precision and thoughtfulness, countered with true flavors and textures that excite the senses,” landed Clio in Gourmet magazine’s annual guide to America’s Best Restaurants, and a place on Boston Magazine’s “Top Ten Boston Restaurants” list in 2003.
Chef Oringer, who graduated as “most likely to succeed” from the Culinary Institute of America, was Sous-Chef under Chef Jean Georges Vonderichten at Le Marquis de Lafayette in Boston; and Chef at Terra, a Manhattan trattoria, highly rated by the New York Times.
He became Chef de Cuisine at Silks, in San Francisco’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where his adventurous menus attracted notice from Zagat, with a rating of 27 out of 30, for food.
Clio has an impressive wine cellar, and my connoisseur companion ordered a glass that at first seemed Australian, but was in fact a winning Sonoma County Russian River red wine, with a bouquet that suggested wild game. So, the entrée of choice was the Venison with Escargots as the perfect complement.
My selections began with one of Chef Ken’s creative appetizers, the Cassolette of Sea Urchin and Lobster, with parsnips, crispy shallots and candied lemon enrobed in a cloud of (house specialty) froth.
The Seared Nantucket Bay Scallops were equally tempting, as were the many entree selections, including: Roasted Muscovy Duck and Confit; Crunchy Sautéed Atlantic Halibut with Citrus-Ginger Broth; and Sake and Miso Glazed Black Cod, among others.
The house champagne cocktail produced giddy fits of laughter, which distracted us altogether from ordering any of the impressive desserts.
Clio’s ambience, with white tablecloths, cozy lamps, candles, upholstered chairs and banquettes, is elegant, and with subdued lighting, perfect for special occasions. Service was attentive and professional.
Uni, the sashimi bar in the restaurant’s lounge, features Asian flavors and selections of fresh fish, along with imaginative cocktails, including one called “Enter the Dragon.”
Chef Youji Iwakura at Uni serves such delicacies as octopus (with yellow pepper juice, black mint, and Vietnamese coriander) and hamachi (with sea urchin, yuzu, onion seeds, and radishes), flown in daily from Japan.
Clio is conveniently located at the Eliot Hotel in Back Bay at the intersection of 370 Commonwealth and Mass Avenues.
For reservations, call 617.536.7200 or visit online at http://www.cliorestaurant.com/
For other Boston dining reservations, see: www.opentable.com
The graciously renovated Eliot Hotel, built in 1925 overlooks tree-lined Commonwealth Avenue, steps from the boutiques of Newbury Street; Prudential Center; the picturesque Boston Public Gardens; and Copley Square.
The Copley Square and Prudential Center “T” stops on the Green Line are minutes away.
For reservations, call: 1-800-44-ELIOT; or visit: http://www.eliothotel.com
