And now we bid a fond farewell to Hamersley’s Bistro, the restaurant that twenty-eight years ago raised the bar on Boston dining, and this month shutters its doors.  It was here that I first went behind the scenes and learned to cook professionally.  I was taught how to make duck confit from scratch, plate dishes, use and respect every ingredient, and work with focus and efficiency.  Gordon Hamersley, chef-owner, was very much a mentor, and his generosity is evident in his food and community involvement in Roxbury.

Later still it will be a visit to Bar Boulud, opened in Boston about a month ago, which adds a layer of depth to dining in this city.  An outpost of chef Daniel Boulud, refinement here is the key, and my second visit coming up is, I reckon, going to rival the first.

While at home it’s been a week of turbot, Dover sole, matsutake, and porcini.  Take a porcini, slice it, roll it in egg, roll it in breadcrumbs, fry in olive oil, salt lightly , squeeze a little lemon over it.  Is that perfect food or what?  Poach the turbot.  Pan sear the Dover sole.  Toss thinly sliced porcini with tajarin.

French out, Italian at home.