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Type: Seafood
Prices: Lunch: appetizers $5.95-$9.95; entrees $7.95-$13.95; sandwiches $8.95-$9.95; dinner: appetizers and salads $4.95-$11.95; entrees $11.95-$29.95; all desserts, $5.95.
Good Choices: Oysters, clams on half shell; tuna tartar timbale; roasted halibut with braised artichokes; rare tuna with yellow curry sauce; bittersweet chocolate indulgence..
Sound Level: Conversation possible even in busy room.
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Reservations accepted. Smoking in bar area.
Credit Cards: All major credit cards.
Access: Fully accessible.
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JOSEPH'S ON HIGH
200 High Street, Boston
(617) 523-4000
Restaurant reviewed 10/01/98 by Alison Arnett
Joseph's on High is a restaurant in transition. Discouraged by the Big Dig construction along Commercial Street, Joseph Lopez closed his moderately priced, 30-year-old seafood restaurant, Joseph's Aquarium, and moved last May to High Street; there he added a young chef and some new ideas, and raised the prices.
So now, in a dramatically decorated space that formerly housed the short-lived Marquee restaurant, Joseph's on High combines some old Aquarium standards with high-style contemporary fare.
This makes for odd juxtapositions on the menu: broiled scrod with a Ritz cracker crumb crust on the same page with black and white lobster ravioli with vanilla sherry sauce; scallops wrapped in bacon next to lobster spring rolls.
Chef David Ulrich, who said in a phone interview that he's ``a fiend'' for Southeast Asian cuisine, does a fine job with two tuna dishes. Bluefin tuna, cut into tiny balls, was marinated in sesame oil and soy and barely sauteed. The simplicity of the preparation, with some seaweed to construct the height of the timbale and a few lotus chips, allowed the tuna's strong, clear flavor to shine. His tuna crusted with sesame seeds and star anise soared above a dome of sticky rice and julienned vegetables. Reminiscent of dishes at Jae's Cafes, where Ulrich once cooked, the quite rare tuna was as muscular in flavor as a meat dish, and quite delicious.
Because it is in the Financial District, hard by International Place, Joseph's is a natural lunchtime draw. On one visit, the very masculine-looking dining room was appropriately guy-filled. And where else would one find the Joe burger, a fat hamburger on a bun topped with a lobster tail?
The cheerful waitress explained the dish to our party of three women, saying, ``You need a big mouth to eat it.'' Not many women order it, she said, because of the difficulty of chomping into the vertically enhanced burger. The five guys in white shirtsleeves at an adjacent table were all digging into theirs, their mouths sized to the task.
Our food arrived, first long slivers of grilled portobello mushrooms over a pyramid of arugula. The mushrooms had no hint of smoke, and tasted a little slimy; the arugula was limp and too heavily dressed. And why pistachio oil _ who could taste it here? Chicken with broccoli and penne featured a creamy sauce, big pieces of chicken, and not enough broccoli. Although the helping was very generous, the presentation was clumsy and the sauce too heavy.
I felt compelled to order the spinach risotto because the description was so unusual _ Asian pears and gorgonzola with candied walnuts in risotto? Perhaps the chef is dipping into the sweet sauces of medieval Italy? The risotto, while nicely made, was much too salty, and the Asian pears were undiscernible except for a bit of crunch. The candied walnuts were, well, just weird.
A more classic lunch choice, a lobster roll, featured great lobster salad, very cleanly made with just a little creamy mayonnaise. I'd break with tradition and use something other than a cheap hot dog roll, or at least grill the thing to rid it of its cottony texture, but maybe that would be heresy. However, the French fries, handcut and crisp-edged, soothed any disappointments, as irresistible as any I've had.
Our lunch waitress asked about time restraints, and cheerfully met them, managing to reappear at the right moments, quickly replacing tableware and delivering food; she helped make the meal relaxing and enjoyable.
That contrasted with a Saturday night visit, for which the waiter's interest seemed to last only until drinks had been delivered _ perhaps bartending was his real avocation. He drifted back to our table only occasionally, added silverware but never removed soiled pieces, and was generally disinterested.
Joseph's classics revived the spirits, though. Wellfleet oysters and cherrystone clams on the half shell were wonderful, the shellfish perfectly fresh, clean on the palate, and quite reasonably priced at $6.95 and $5.95. Much better than fried calamari, which could have been fried anything.
Ulrich's touch with straightforward seafood was apparent in a thick strip of halibut topped with the right amount of citrusy gremolata to heighten the taste of the fish without masking it. A fricasee of artichoke hearts, purple potatoes, green beans, and other vegetables deliciously underpinned the fish. It was just right for this in-between period before the cold autumn, savory but not heavy.
In contrast, a very large veal chop advertised as being stuffed with mushroom duxelles and Fontina cheese seemed to have mostly bread crumbs inside. But most disappointingly, the meat was overdone just enough to lose its sparkle.
Again a classic, a pure burst of chocolate, swept away frowns. I don't immediately gravitate to chocolate, but Ulrich's bittersweet chocolate indulgence was captivating, basically a wedge of very good fudge with a little tinge of hazelnuts and white chocolate thrown in.
Lemon champagne mousse in a coconut tuile cup had the right amount of tang to brighten the creamy texture on one visit but was basically just barely citrusy whipped cream the next. And a chocolate carrot cake seemed like a misstep, since the chocolate (or perhaps refrigeration) stiffened the texture and made the cake ho-hum.
Owner Lopez and his chef are admittedly trying to straddle several cuisine styles to please old customers and attract new ones. That's difficult but possible, if the cuisine and the service match the sparkling quality of the raw shellfish the Aquarium was known for.
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