Boston Globe Calendar
October 23, 2003
Review by Alison Arnett and Sheryl Julien

Upstairs with Alison

Getting to the Soiree Room at UpStairs on the Square is like climbing Rapunzel's tower (there is an elevator for those who need it). Up three flights of leopard-patterned carpet, the place with its wild, hand-painted pink-and-purple paisley walls and mirrored ceilings induces a giddy feeling.

But giddy is great for those splurging moments, and on a recent visit to Soiree, most in the room seemed to be celebrating birthdays, judging by the numbers of candle tapers waving atop chocolate souffle cakes passing by. Amanda Lydon is the UpStairs chef, plunging head first into luxury with such appetizers as a torchon of duck foie gras and creamy goat cheese ravioli topped with beautiful ribbons of zucchini and teensy red and yellow tomatoes.

Although much of the menu hews to a fairly conservative ingredient list - steak au poivre vert, lamb with squash and dates - there are flights of fancy. Pistachio is the nut of this season, especially used in ways you don't expect, and Lydon graces plump sea scallops with a pistachio romesco, the nuttiness blending with garlic, tomatoes, and a hint of chili to make a memorable dish. Rabbit two ways, one of Lydon's signature dishes, the waiter tells us, is a loin stuffed with escarole and tiny racks, a savory masterpiece. At least, that's the feeling until we get to profiteroles filled with coconut ice cream and swathed in chocolate sauce.
But in between is a little extra of olive oil gelato. Maybe it's the surprise of the slight film of oil on the tongue, but I think I'll keep my EVOO for the salads.

Even in the upstairs of UpStairs, the ambience is friendly rather than formal, fostered by co-owner Mary-Catherine Deibel who seems to be ever present. We're seated near the little jewel-like blue service bar, and young waiters and waitresses bear water and brightly colored mixed drinks on trays. Twice the delicate balance is disturbed and the glasses go tumbling, spilling liquid on the red suede-like gilt-edged chairs. That sends Deibel bustling by, wiping off chairs, bringing out extras, never losing her smile. It's like being in the home of an indulgent aunt.

...meanwhile, at Sheryl's table

To get to the downstairs cafe at UpStairs on the Square, you have to go upstairs anyway. Everything in this restaurant is one or two floors above street level. The Monday Club Bar at UpStairs is an odd mix of sublime cooking and in-your-face decor. If the lighting were dimmer, the experience would be better. Sconces with chandelier lights beam onto Southwestern turquoise, bubble gum pink, floors tiled in American flag colors, and zebra carpeting.

Still, Deibel and co-owner Deborah Hughes run just the sort of place you could visit night after night, mainly because there isn't better cooking around than the dishes chef Susan Regis sends out of the kitchen.

If only she brought them to the table herself. Our waiter was practically tapping his foot with impatience: he passed through once, allowed for more time, and then stood while we decided what to order. "I'm paid to wait," he said sarcastically. Who hired this guy? Surely not the charming owners, who recognized us and would have slid under our table if they'd heard the remark.
Nothing can dampen Regis's talent. An heirloom tomato salad with a colorful mix of red and yellow varieties, barely drizzled with a Caesar dressing, was divine. Endives, loads of bacon and blue cheese, with a poached egg, were similarly luscious.

Regis doesn't do the high-wire cooking she did at the old Biba. This food is all recognizable with perfect textures: a very crisp corn-floured soft shell crab, organic chicken so tender it had a creamy quality, swordfish lightly caramelized and vaguely smoky.

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