Lenox Sophia - Crossing

It took me 2 years to get to Lenox Sophia and I am kicking myself for not having made it there sooner now! What a fantastic experience from the moment we stepped in the door to the moment we waddled out with full bellies. We sat at the counter and what fun to be near the (sparkling clean) kitchen and watch the chefs at work. They were calm and coordinated even thought the place was full; you can tell Chef Mei has worked in Keller kitchens. We ordered the omnivores and veg menu and were able to alter the veg menu to have fish course from the omnivore side. I am super glad I did because the red perch was perfect with the light cornmeal crust (pretty sure it was cornmeal) and the zing of the perfectly pickled mussels. I can't get the perfect consistency of the celeriac course out of my mind. We got a special treat of the beet tartar. My mouth is watering again thinking of it. The cracker was the perfect complement and as a beet lover, I say this with respect... It didn't have the earthiness that some folks don't like about beets but I think it highlighted beets well. Basically, I think Chef Mei did some magic. You can probably tell I can keep going about the dinner. And I haven't even touched on the service which was exceptional. Knowledgeable, attentive without being too much (which isn't easy in a small space). Needless to say at this point probably, but I will be going back to Lenox Sophia!

Tables were maybe a bit closer together than I would have liked for a semi-romantic dinner. But enjoyed the food and loved that it's byob. Get to actually enjoy some of the nice bottles of wine I have with better food than I could cook on my own.

Lenox Sophia has a lot of great reviews, and made this year's list of the top 50 restaurants in Boston, so we had to give it a try. The atmosphere is cute, and trendy. The restaurant is small, so make a reservation ahead of time. The price seemed reasonable $99) for the five course tasting menu compared to some others we had been to. The food however, was very lacking in flavors, and was quite boring. I was appreciative that they had a vegetarian option and could substitute out some of the menu items to make them dairy free, but this could have been part of the problem.The first course I got was the dairy free and vegetarian option of beet tartar with a beet chip. While it looked fancy and tasted good, it felt like it was just beets chopped up very tiny with vinegar, something I could have eaten at home. It could have been a cute amuse bouche, but not for an entire course. The second course I got was a fried chickpea cake with cucumber. Again, it was good and presented well, but really lacked in flavor. I've had better chickpea fries at vegan restaurants. The third course was my favorite, the rice porridge or congee. The congee was good, however was mostly one note and only tasted like the salt cod that was advertised. However, salt cod is one of my favorite foods, so I was happy. I did wish it had a little more spice the chef mentioned that there was a chili crunch on it, but we did not taste any spiciness. We got the duck for the fourth course and while the duck was very tasty, it seemed to only be seasoned with salt and pepper and there was a very tiny amount of duck jus on the plate. It was good, but again, super boring, unimaginative, and lacking flavor. I was happy that they could accommodate a dairy free dessert, but it was very hard to eat. It was a chocolate mouse that was so bitter and salty that I could barely eat half. The non dairy free dessert looked much better and tasted good.The service was quick and the waiters were friendly, but I did wish they explained the dishes a bit more.Overall, the food was good, but felt very un inspired. The menu is seasonal, so I'm sure the next menu will be different, and maybe better tasting and more unique.

The restaurant charged me $100 while I had cancelled the reservation. Be careful with this

Good food and atmosphere in a small space with scandinavian ambience.