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Boston Magazine's Best Restaurant, General Excellence, South
2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009
Wine Spectator Award of Excellence
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006,2007,2008,2009
Tosca
14 North St., Hingham
Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m.
Bar open Tuesday through Sunday at 4 p.m.
781-740-0080
Handicapped accessible
If it seemed quiet in Hingham last Saturday night, I can tell you why: Everybody was at Tosca, either dining happily, milling around the bar, or lined up 30 deep waiting for a table.
Everybody, that is, except executive chef Kevin Long, who is splitting his time between Hingham and Connecticut, where he’s also the executive chef at Shrine Asian Kitchen in the MGM Grand Hotel at Foxwoods Resort and Casino.
We hadn’t been to Tosca since Long adopted this out-of-town baby 18 months ago, and wanted to see how things were faring without his constant presence.
So I put on a little lipstick and slipped into the dining room at 5:30 p.m., before things got too crowded.
Tosca is one gorgeous restaurant that feels as though it’s in a big city - Boston, New York, Berlin, Chicago.
It’s a voluptuous space, operatic in scale: If it were a woman it’d be a curvy Marilyn Monroe, not a size-0 supermodel. Its 20-foot interior height rises to a raw cedar-strutted ceiling that creates a space that birds could fly through. Exposed brick walls are tall enough to make an enormous tapestry look right-sized and a large mural of an opera stage, near the open kitchen, blends faux curtains with real ones.
Most of the food here, which is now a joint effort between Long and his longtime collaborator and now cochef Brian Hennebury, is like the space: rich and substantial, bold and generous, fully seasoned and carefully layered with flavor.
Success supports success, and with owner Ed Kane’s Eat Well Inc. and Big Night Entertainment companies behind them, Long and Hennebury can afford to seek out high-quality ingredients.
Their chicken, from Freebird, is free-range and hormone- and antibiotic-free. Creekstone Farms, where they buy their meats, supports humane animal handling practices, uses vegetarian feed, and bans antibiotic use. The restaurant is also able to serve 25 items on its extensive wine list by the glass by using a preserving system (Cruvinet) that keeps the wine fresh.
Oh my, the white shrimp Apulian pastella batter appetizer ($12) - these are not mere fried shrimp or tempura. And they are a bit goofy looking, all puffed up and featureless golden crescents, but any doubts about them vanish as you bite through the crispy outside. The batter that creates the sensation of creaminess upon contact is made with soda water and flour, Long later told me. Delivering on New Englanders’ love of classic tartar sauce, the kitchen sided these gems with an excellent caper berry version.
The poor, totally delicious, braised duck fettuccine with handmade noodles ($11 small size, $13 regular) suffered slightly by being served at the same time as the shrimp, thus having to compete with its fried allure. But people cannot live on shrimp alone. So once the painful task of putting down the puffed-up wonders was done, the fettuccine rose center stage and was well loved.
I could have left very satisfied at that point (fat chance) but not so satisfied that I couldn’t fall for a great, paper thin, brick-oven classic margherita pizza ($11). It was served on a rustic wooden pizza tray with a chiffonade of fresh basil on top that was distinctly flavorful, not merely decorative.
Oh, did I mention the little bowl of olive oil our server poured for us upon arrival and the seriously terrific Italian bread that came with it?
The crispy flattened half-chicken under a brick with Marsala glaze, polenta, and oyster mushrooms ($23) had the great chicken taste that is the touchstone of my culinary life. It was as satisfying and comforting as a mother in the kitchen. And I adored (and will copy) that the chicken was topped with the contrasting bright flavors of a watercress salad distinctly dressed with shallot, sherry vinegar, and crème fraise. A side of broccolini tasted of too much brick oven, and our server took it off the bill at our mere mention of it.
The herb-roasted salmon with pesto-steamed mussels ($25) was so, so good. The salmon lay over a smattering of mussel shells, half submerged in a broth of the mussel liquor turned light green with pesto, garlic, and pinot grigio.
Dessert was apple crostata ($8) made out of autumn itself, topped with a homemade ice cream that was like frozen sunshine.
I walked out - my lipstick well worn off - carrying leftovers through hordes of beautiful people, sated silly with stupefied satisfaction.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
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TASTE & TELL: Tosca’s food is second to none
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By JEN WAGNER
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Jul 01, 2009 @ 06:00 AM
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HINGHAM — What recession? Have you been to Tosca lately? It’s not the first busy Saturday night we’ve run into lately. We recently struck out in Cambridge, trying three different restaurants for a same-day reservation.
So, my theory is pretty simple: Serve good food and they will come. Good is an understatement at this Italian-inspired Hingham eatery. Amazing is more like it.
It doesn’t take an expert to know that Tosca has stood the test of time (opening in 1993) for a reason: the food.
Nothing we ate here seemed complicated. Then again, Beethoven made playing the harpsichord look simple, too. From the boar Bolognese to the Greek-inspired salad, we were wowed by Tosca’s food. Here’s a sampling of what we had:
Corn risotto ($11): Who would have thought that starch on starch would be a good idea? Thankfully, Tosca. Don’t let the menu description of “velvety corn puree” fool you. This dish is chock-full of corn chunks. With a few spices and the rich creamy rice, you never forget with every bite that you’re eating perhaps the best version of corn on the cob ever.
Lobster pasta ($15): I have only two complaints at Tosca. One, our waitress took my wine glass with a sip still left. Two, I had to request a spoon to make sure I got every last drop of the buttery broth in this pasta dish. (Of course, the second isn’t really a complaint.)
Pan-seared scallops ($26): When I look back at this dish, I’m amazed at how much I loved it. I adore sauces, bold spices and crazy combos. Yet, these juicy, perfect scallops with little seasoning and a dose of crunchy pancetta served with snap peas and mashed potatoes couldn’t have made for a more perfect dinner.
Lamb tasting ($29.50): Five cuts of lamb, a little smoky from their time in the wood-burning oven, made me think God created fire just so we can cook lamb on it. I may be wrong, but I think this meat was seasoned only with salt and pepper. And that’s not a complaint. Some of the cuts fell right off the bone. All of them melted in my mouth.
Three-milk cake ($8): To cover this in a rich mixed-berry compote would have been enough. But then they added a scoop of butter pecan ice cream. Me? I would have added a scoop of vanilla. But that’s where I would have been wrong.
You don’t have to break the bank here. The most expensive entrée on the regular menu is $30. Of course, when you order pre-dinner drinks, appetizers, pasta, main entrée, dessert and after-dinner drinks, you may find yourself with a $192 bill for two, plus tip, as we did. But you’ll also find yourself with no regrets. (OK, I have one regret: that we didn’t order that goat cheese and sausage pizza for takeout for breakfast.)
Sure, Tosca is a cool spot. From the building’s decor of exposed brick to the impeccable service, this place shines. And the people-watching is fabulous.
But at the risk of repetition, I’ll say: You come to Tosca for the eats.
“Taste & Tell” is written after anonymous visits to area restaurants by Patriot Ledger food critics Christine Ordway, Mimi Claffey and Jen Wagner
"Tosca gives equal attention to its sleek, beautiful design and to the awesome locally influenced Italian cuisine. The wood oven adds a rustic complexity to many of the pastas, meats, and pizzas."- Phantom Gourmet rated "Gourmet Greatness"
"Best Date Spot" Best of South Shore 2006 South Shore Living
"Unlike the opera for which Tosca was named, a meal at this South Shore standby almost never ends in tragedy. In fact, according to its many regulars, Tosca offers an experience so transporting that you may wish the curtain would never fall. Much has been made of its visionary design, which effectively morphed a 1910 granary warehouse into a Tuscan farmhouse with manorial aspirations. Soaring, raftered ceilings and brick walls of burnt ochre set the stage for an evening of elegant escapism -- a theme that is writ large in the irresistible Wine Room, where a vertical "library" of vintage bottles basks in the buttery glow of wrought-iron lamps. The exposed kitchen manages to provide an experience equal to this heady atmosphere, cycling between classic and "nuovo" Italian dishes with effortless grace. Chef Kevin Long (a protege of Ken Oringer, Joe Simone and Seth Woods) places special emphasis on seasonal produce and regional ingredients..." AOL Digital City
"Handsomely carved from the turn-of-the-century Granary Marketplace, this Mediterranean-Contemporary eatery has all of the elements of a big-city success story, but it unfolds instead just off Hingham Harbor. The dramatic space, a bit edgy with exposed bricks and pipes, soars; yet its very size allows you to enjoy anonymous intimacy with your dining companion---even as you enjoy Kevin Long's seasonal cuisine..." - www.gayot.com
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