La Boniche

Simple and upscale in Lowell

by Jim Johnson

143 Merrimack Street, Lowell
458-9473
Lunch
Tues.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Dinner
Tues.-Thurs. 5-9 p.m.
Fri.-Sat. 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Major credit cards
Full bar
Handicap accessible

Each time I visit Lowell, my fondness for the city grows. Unlike some towns that demolish their aging downtown buildings, Lowell has responded with respect and renovation. Restaurateurs and merchants are encouraged to sign on as partners in efforts to bring tourists and visitors into the city.

La Boniche is a prime example. Even from the outside, it carries the pride of the upscale restaurant it is. The columns and facade are in perfect repair, painted boldly yet blending perfectly into the mercantile block that houses it. Plate-glass windows look in on a gently lighted setting. The decor is simple and pleasant, dominated perhaps by a massive carved-wood sideboard. Light fixtures are antique, the walls textured and warm. A tall half-wall curves through the center, providing more intimate nooks and corners in the dining area.

I arrived a few minutes before my dining companions, and the host remembered that I had asked about wheelchair access. We did indeed appreciate the restaurant's sensitivity; they had already removed a seat. Our newly wheelchair-bound friend could pull right into place.

Before we new it, warm, doughy bread sticks were in baskets in front of us, with drinks in quick pursuit. Our server and his colleagues kept our water and iced-tea glasses full throughout the evening, a real plus after a sultry summer day.

La Boniche dubs its cuisine as "simple dining with a French accent." The description is apt. Most appetizers and entrees are deceptively straightforward. Fish cakes, pâté, and ravioli lead the appetizer list. The entree side features stuffed pork medallions, roasted chicken, roast duckling, grilled New York sirloin, and veal with mushrooms.

If the names are simple, the descriptions are deliciously tempting. The fish cakes, for example, are served with jalapeño aioli and sweet ginger carrots, the ravioli are ginger pasta fried crisp and filled with smoked duck.

The roasted chicken is oven roasted with fresh artichoke, prosciutto, garlic, and oregano and served with couscous. The veal is sautéed with roasted tomato, garlic, and lemon and served with basil risotto.

Appetizers average $7, entrees about $19.

We had a group of seven, the perfect size for sampling just about everything on the menu. As we soon discovered, it was impossible to go wrong; every choice was just about perfect.

The pâté, cheese and fruit ($8.25) lived up to its billing: "a feast for the eye as well as the palate." The pâté was a sweet, smooth chicken-liver mousse, absolutely fresh and fully flavorful. Assorted soft cheeses were rich, creamy, and fragrant. Marinated fruit -- honeydew melon, kiwi, and orange -- provided the perfect counterpoint to the pleasantly gamy pâté.

Our fish cakes ($7.95) were among the few I've had that were more fish than filler. They were crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and flavorful throughout.

The tomato and fresh mozzarella napoleon ($7.95) almost disappeared before it got to me, but the comments from across the table were so ebullient that I quickly snagged a piece of the silky cheese. The basil vinaigrette lent delightful fragrance.

For entrees, the balsamic roasted chicken ($17.95) won the most raves of the evening, thanks to a vinaigrette that rendered the breast meat fully tender and bursting with flavor. Somehow, the sharp vinegar taste had been blunted, and the herbs came through loud and clear. Also roasted, and served on the side, were equally delicious fresh artichoke, garlic, and prosciutto. Fluffy couscous was also served.

Sherried roast duckling ($21) was as good as it gets. The breast had been pan seared to seal in flavor while giving the texture of tender roast beef. The full breast had been flayed artistically aside a tender, slow-roasted leg seasoned with garlic, rosemary, and several splashes of sherry. Two wedges of sweet-potato polenta (a mixture of cornmeal and potato) were crispy brown outside, smooth and gently sweet inside. Fruit chutney (soft and sweet chunks of fruit) came on the side.

The stuffed pork medallions ($16.95) were sublime: stuffed with fontina cheese and fresh sage and served with sweet-pepper sauce and sweet-potato hash. The veal with mushrooms ($17.95) and the salmon roast ($18.95) were just as good.

Desserts were (no surprise) both delightful and decadent, like cheesecake served with fresh berries and bread pudding that was just the right balance of custardy sweetness.

If our dinner had any flaw, it was minor. Our server was perhaps too efficient. When one member of our party advised her mother that the lamb should be cooked medium at most, our server interrupted and chided the daughter, "There's no sense cooking it that way if she's not going to eat it." When we asked if the music could be turned down, he replied, "I will . . . but just for a while. Other people like it that way."

Plan on spending $25 to $30 per person, a bit pricey but totally worth it (and the drive). Lunch features lighter, less-costly versions from the dinner menu.