Chef brings a new aura to the Seaport Hotel

Tag : sweet potato crisp

A duet of Berkshire pork, loin vs. belly on the plate, is a studyin point-counterpoint. The belly sits on a mound of sweet and sourpurple cabbage that jousts with its richness. Smears of hot Chinesemustard shoot across the plate like comets, intersecting withtrails of sweet beet syrup. But the fat of the belly isn't renderedenough to become luscious - it still reads in the mouth like fat,rather than mouth-filling pleasure. The loin comes with acomplementary piquant apple mostarda, an Italian fruit and mustardcondiment. But the meat is dry and overcooked, despite the server's suggestionof ordering it medium-rare.
Kampachi crudo sounds like a beautiful dish. Raw fish accented bypineapple-red jalapeno confit, vanilla bean, ginger, basil, andfleur de sel, it was the first thing to catch everyone's eye on themenu. But on the plate, the fish and the spicy elements areoverwhelmed by the sweet elements. Balance is a difficult thing toteach and learn, on the plate as in life.
When it's achieved, Aura's dishes sing. Steak & Melon is asummer cookout in one dish, albeit a black-tie cookout. Squares ofsirloin from Painted Hills are edged in chili; the meat ispaper-thin and so rare it's almost the color of bresaola. It'sfantastically flavorful. The meat lies atop a salad of pepperygreens, thin-sliced cucumbers, and red onion slivers, piled on asquare of watermelon. Before it on the plate is a thick curlicue ofsweet and spicy red pepper confit with bits of cashews sprinkledover it.
A soft-shell crab appetizer is heightened by the presence of tendersmoked potatoes. Tiny cubes of meat lend a further layer of smoke;they're Chinese sausage, not bacon as they first appear. Chicken isserved with white beans, tarragon pesto, hearts of romaine, andradish salad. White meat and dark meat are both juicy, with skin socrisp it practically shatters between your teeth. But the plate isa mess, with all the ingredients piled on top of each other and theromaine unattractively brown in places.
Black cod comes in an arresting presentation, the fish in a whitepool that turns out to be a pureed ginger "rice pudding." The fishis on the greasy side, but it's served with clumps of flavorfulmaitake mushrooms. Emperor Tamo tofu is a disappointment forvegetarians; evidently this emperor wrested power from General Tsoafter smacking him down in a deep-frying contest. The tofu nuggetsare so hard and crunchy you can barely cut through them. A dessertof rose-flavored oeufs a la neige makes up for it. It's perfect, lightly floral, the meringue melting in your mouthbeside tiny cubes of gelee, the confection further perfumed bylychee sorbet.
On the night of the steak debacle, our server comps us a chocolatedessert, a flight of little cakes and candies. It's a nice gesture.Though the kitchen staff's efforts don't always succeed, theservers are spot on. They have plenty of time for personalizedattention on those nights when only one or two parties are eating.At a conference-oriented hotel, Saturdays can be dead while Mondaysare busy. It's unpredictable, Klein says.
Kind of like the food at Aura. With time, one hopes, comesconsistency. And an improved atmosphere - the decor is currentlyclassic hotel restaurant, but new crystal, lighting, and banquettesare on their way. As Klein says later, Aura is a work in progress.
Devra First can be reached at dfirst@globe.com .