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Bosc Kitchen & Wine Bar
136 Simsbury Road
Avon
On Route 202 just off Route 44
860-676-2672

By MICHAEL GANNON

The Hartford Courant

Published: 8/7/05

As regular readers know, I'm big on Hartford. My relentless promotion of the city ranges from shrill to shameless. But halfway through my dinner at Bosc, I grudgingly admitted that Avon may not be all that bad. Fifteen minutes from downtown and there I was, sipping an exceptional glass of wine on a graceful terrace, taking in a stunning view of Talcott Mountain and wincing at the thought of having to leave.

Bosc serves its dishes with poise and warmth in a simple, serene atmosphere. In a way, it's a brochure for the charms of wealthy suburban dining - educated, indulgent cuisine, a design that provides comfort and privacy and a staff that waits on you hand and foot without the irritating tinge of subservience I too often see in upscale restaurants.

You'll pay for your pleasure, but it's worth it. On one evening, I ordered a chocolate sampler for $14, a seemingly steep tariff for a dessert. But a first bite of chocolate mousse brought a wide grin to my face and a forkful of ganache was so fantastic, I squealed like a piglet and banged my knees vigorously on the underside of the table. Not since the flawless desserts of Kent's Belgique have I seized upon tasting a dessert, and at Bosc I found it, nearly two hours closer to home. This dessert alone may have won Bosc its four stars.

Of course, there are more good things to eat and many of them. Tuna tartare is fresh, cool and delightful; foie gras with bee pollen is sweet and rich and perfect, and I am someone who nearly always detests foie gras. There are several bright, delicate salads and a crab cake that bucks the dish's monotony with a fragrant dose of lobster.

Entrees also dazzled the table. The kitchen does nearly everything well - exceptions were few and hardly worth mentioning. From the New York strip to the rack of lamb, quality is carefully monitored and the simplicity of the meat's flavor often predominates over its accompanying flavors. For example, my favorite dish was the pan-seared duck breast. The black fig reduction was bright and fabulous, and the toasted barley carried a nutty flavor that I welcomed as an uncommon side, but the duck itself is what impressed. With extravagant preparation, it's too easy to forget that duck has any flavor at all save a slight gaminess. At Bosc, I remembered the merits of duck itself, and that made for an extremely satisfying meal.

Also satisfying was the care that went into service, though I must disclaim: I was identified as a reviewer by a member of Bosc's staff, which could have altered the focus on my table. I don't think it would have had an effect on the food - one can't conjure a skilled chef from thin air, no matter what the pressure - but I can't honestly determine the experience of the everyday diner. I can only hope that Bosc treats every patron with the attention given to a reviewer, particularly since the everyday diner is the one most likely to return.

True to Bosc's dual role as a "kitchen and wine bar," the wine list is worth exploring. We enjoyed a perfect bottle on both of our visits, one of which a friend claimed was half the cost he'd seen at other restaurants. I also perused the cleverly crafted list of after-dinner drinks and sampled the Massenez William Pear, that bottle of brandy you may have seen with the whole pear floating inside. There's no more appropriate way to finish a meal at Bosc than with a drink that, like the restaurant itself, accentuates the finest points of a pear - it is sweet but not insipid, tart but not caustic, familiar in flavor, yet pleasantly surprising. I highly recommend you visit Bosc for your next memorable meal.

By STEVE & LISA ALCAZARI

Hartford Advocate

June 17, 2005

The first time Steve and I tried to eat at Bosc, we were unable to get a reservation at a good time -- 5:30 may work for retirees but not us, while 9:30 was a little too European given our other activities. We took the restaurant's busy Saturday to mean good things, though, and arrived expecting a great night.


The sounds of light jazz being played on the extensive patio greeted us in the parking lot. So far so good.


Unfortunately we were seated inside where the lack of air conditioning -- although the waitress insisted it was working -- made the small rooms uncomfortably hot.


It also made the very slow service more annoying. It's hard to imagine a reasonable explanation for the hour-plus wait before our entrees arrived tableside. And it took 15 minutes before the waitress even took our drink orders. Then she never asked if we wanted another, even when she came our way to apologize for the delay in our food.


The interior is, among other colors, painted the luscious greens and golds reminiscent of pears. Banquettes line the wall of one of the rooms, with throw pillows adding an intimate feel. The rooms are small but in a cozy rather than claustrophobic way. It seems the appropriate layout for a restaurant whose "goal and desire," according to the menu, "is to present to you creative contemporary American cuisine from our kitchen 'peared' with wines of highest quality from around the world."


But while Bosc may bill itself as a wine bar -- and has the long wine list to prove it -- it also clearly portends to be upscale and therefore should have a bartender who knows the bar basics. A request for a scotch old-fashioned arrived as just straight scotch sans even the rocks. Further conversation via the waitress ended with the admission the bartender doesn't know how to make them, something that needs to change for Bosc to truly arrive. A scotch old-fashioned isn't a Ramos fizz, after all.


The menu is also a series of almost-there-but-not-quites. That the restaurant is interested in mixing it up is clear at first glance. A foie gras starter, for instance, is cured with bee pollen and served with Riesling jelly, grilled carica and toasted brioche. A yellow fin tuna tartare appetizer is served with country watercress, avocado lemon grass sorbet, rice crisps and black sesame soy glaze.


Given the name of the restaurant and intrigued with the promise of a chai tea vinaigrette, Steve felt he had to try the bosc pear salad composed of country field greens, fresh herbs, sautéed bosc pear, gorgonzola. I started with the spring rolls. Both were tasty. The small pear bits couldn't truly complement the zip of the gorgonzola, although the vinaigrette and the spiced pecans added a nice touch. The three spring rolls were crisp without being heavily fried, and the dipping sauce provided a tasty zing. The rolls themselves were heavy on the cellophane noodles and lacking in the promised carrots and scallions.


Entrée options at Bosc are varied. Regulars include fresh ravioli of asparagus, morel mushroom, roasted red pepper with parmigiano reggiano and Andalusian herb oil as well as grilled tandoori marinated rack of lamb with steamed spinach, spiced couscous and a roasted shallot puree, to name a few. I opted to go the special route and chose the tempura-fried soft shell crab with fava beans and purple whipped potatoes with a ginger carrot butter. Steve chose the pan-seared black pearl salmon with lobster saffron risotto, baby carrots and spring pea sauce.


Both were beautifully plated. The crab was lightly battered, allowing the subtle crab flavor to come through. The vegetables were strangely bland, however, with the accompanying ginger carrot butter being woefully lacking in the ginger component. I rarely salt but needed to here. A successful pan-seared salmon was fork-tender and moist, perfectly cooked, as was the lobster saffron risotto with the spring pea sauce.


We contemplated dessert but ultimately decided to save it for another time. While our time at Bosc wasn't all that we had hoped, enough went well that we will give it another chance, especially now that the weather is good and their patio dining looks so inviting.

Hours: Dining Room: Lunch Daily, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Dinner Daily, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Wine Bar: Daily, 11:30 a.m.-close Happy Hour: Mon.-Fri., 4 p.m.-6 p.m. 20% off all food & drinks

Extras:

Attractions Clubs Clubs Nightclub Critic's Rating Cuisine Meals Served Lunch, Dinner, Late-night Outdoor Seating Patio dining available Payment Method Price Range Moderate Reservations Recommended, Accepted only for the dining room. Services Private Parties Spirits Full Bar Website http://www.boscwinebar.com Wheelchair Access Yes