Fine dining restaurants gain their reputation on their specialty. Meritage, the restaurant at the Boston Harbor Hotel is a wine centric restaurant that doesn’t offer wine pairings with food but suggests food pairings with wine. Their menu has been designed differently and instead of a typical division by course it is based on the types of wine. It doesn’t start with appetizers but Sparklers and Light Whites. A particular wine style then has suitable options for dishes which are served as small plates or large plates. The dinner at the Meritage can be quite unstructured if you go along with the wines you prefer.
Celebrating 20 Years of Boston Wine FestivalÂ
Each wine variety at the Meritage has a wide number of wine options. In fact this is what differentiates the Meritage from the other fine dining restaurants. The number of bottles in their collection is not remarkable but they boast of serving 1,400 different wines. And that’s the reason why on any given night it is difficult to get two orders which are exactly the same. There are so many permutations and combinations they offer that there is no dearth of choice. The restaurant is also known for the wonderful Boston Wine Festival that Chef Daniel Bruce runs at the hotel for over 20 years now. The festival is a series of winemaker dinners that sees over 200 dishes paired with outstanding wine.
24th Edition of the Festival Will Kick Off on 11th January 2013
Chef Daniel Bruce is focused on seasonality and sources fresh ingredients locally and from the region. He has access to a lot of seafood including Nantucket scallops, halibut, seared yellow fin tuna and of course oysters, lobster and other shellfish. The cuisine is not exactly Italian but definitely has a pronounced Italian influence. However, you will enjoy the food at the restaurant more if you are a wine lover. The 24th Annual Boston Wine Festival will be launched on January 11, 2013 and run through the end of March. You can be part of 40 distinct events featuring an acclaimed winemaker offering their best produce. The festival offers custom pairing dinners with the likes of Spottswoode Estate, Opus One, Cliff Lede Vineyards, Frogs Leap, Chimney Rock, Hedges Family, Cakebread Cellars, Hanzell Vineyards, Silver Oak, Joseph Phelps, Diamond Creek and many more.
The Restaurant Claims Forbes 4 Star Rating
The Festival also features other very interesting events like Battle of the Cabernets, Meritage Madness, Old World & New World Pinots and so on. Editors of the Quarterly Review of Wines also host a dinner where their choice of the Best of the Best is served. The restaurant doesn’t serve lunch but during the festival there are several Brunches and seminars that broaden your perspective about wine. The dinners during the festival range from about $145 to $225. You can book your ticket for any of the event in advance and they are all available online. The Boston Harbor Hotel is the top independent hotel in Boston and is a member of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts. The hotel has received the Forbes 5 Star Award for its luxury lodgings. Its Meritage Restaurant has also won the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence and earned a Forbes 4 Star rating.
Via: forbes
