Date: Saturday, March 12, 2011
Time: 10:00 PM
Place: TICO (www.ticoboston.com)
222 BERKELEY STREET
BOSTON MA 02116
Ph: 617 351 0400
Other kids in the restaurant: 0
My sister-in-law told us about Michael Schlow's (Radius, Alta Strada, Via Matta) latest restaurant downtown in Boston, TICO. So we thought we'd give it a try. As usual, we didn't make a reservation ahead of time. So, when I called, the first table available was 10:00 p.m. Fortunately for us, our kids still don't know that most children stop napping at age 5. So, we laid them down for a huge nap at 5:30 p.m. and didn't hear from the again until 9 p.m. We made it out the door at 9:30 and to the restaurant by 10ish.
I dropped the wife and kids off at the front door, did two laps around the block and found a metered space to park instead of paying $16 to the valets.
Inside, the atmosphere was loud, fun, alive and very Boston. There were still no tables available in the dining room, so we agreed to sit in the lounge/ bar. Even though it was loud, the atmosphere was fun. There was more energy here than in the dining room. All of us, including the kids, were feeling the vibe.
TICO serves New Latin/ Spanish small plates/ tapas. So, there was lots to choose from on the menu. Not more than 2 minutes after we sat, the waitress took our drink orders (bubble water for the kids and a glass of cabernet and pomegranate martini for the grown-ups).
First order in was warm spicy olives, with orange and marcona almonds ($6). Cholis (this has been Gabriela's nickname since she was a baby.) is a big olive fan and really enjoyed these, although she wasn't really into the almonds. Marcel, didn't say much but seemed to like the olives fine.
By the way, the bread was a big winner with both kids. It's the crusty rustic kind served with olive oil.
Next came roasted brussels sprouts with kumquats, jalapenos and mint ($8). This plate usually comes with bacon but Cholis, the self declared vegetarian, and I aren't into bacon, so we ordered it pig free. Marcel liked the brussels sprouts but just ate two of them. Cholis also liked the brussles sprouts but "just wasn't in the mood for them." This was one of the Father of the Critics favorite plates all night.
By this point it was clear that we were dealing with some seriously tasty food. So, when the next round of plates came, we were all ready to dive in deeper to a serious dining experience. Here's the other plates we ordered and what the children thought of them:
Shredded Cabbage Salad with spicy salsa verde vinaigrette and crushed almonds ($6): Marcel says "it was refreshing but I still didn't like it." Cholis: "me too, I didn't like it." Father of the Critics: Excellent.
Crunchy Edamame , tomatillo & cucumber taco ($8): Marcel: "I don't like the sound of it so I'm not trying it." Cholis: "It was too fried." Father of the Critics: Amazing- think soft taco meets falafel with cucumber yogurt dressing.
Roasted Cauliflower with Creamy Chipotle and Crushed, Crunchy Fava Beans ($7): Cholis: "It was delicious." Marcel: "I can't really remember what it tasted like." A+ for honesty. Father of the Critics: Very good.
Mushroom and Cheese Quesadilla with Black Truffle Salsa ($10): Marcel: "They were more than great." Cholis: "I just liked the mushrooms in it, but it was too cheesy." Father of the Critics: I took the black truffle salsa off the top of the quesadilla and spread it on the crusty bread. Amazing.
Fried Calamari with ancho-lime aioli ($10): Marcel: "I loved it, especially the fried lime on top." Cholis: "It was so delicious." Father of the Critics: good.
Mango shrimp with chipotle sauce (complimentary from the kitchen): the kids didn't try it. Father of the Critics: Unremarkable but fine.
Marcel's favorite plate: Calamari
Marcel's food rating (out of 5 stars): 5 stars
Marcel's atmosphere rating (out of 5 stars): 3 stars
Cholis' favorite plate: Calamari
Cholis' food rating (out of 5 stars): 3 stars
Cholis' atmosphere rating (out of 5 stars): 5 stars
Father of the Critics favorite plate: Too hard to choose: brussels sprouts, edamame taco and cabbage salad are all top notch.
Father of the Critics food rating (out of 5 stars): 4 1/2 stars
Father of the Critics atmosphere rating (out of 5 stars): 4 1/2 stars
