Contessa

It’s time to get a taste of one of the most talked about new restaurants to come to Boston in a long time. The truly impressive, rooftop Italian restaurant called Contessa.

At the top of The Newbury Hotel, with absolutely breathtaking views of the Public Garden and the Back Bay, Contessa is one of the top spots to see and be seen in the city, with a level of style and sophistication that really sets it apart in the Boston dining scene. We’ll get to the food in a minute, but first we gotta soak in the atmosphere for a bit. From a design standpoint, it doesn’t get much better than this.

I mean, check out the windows that surround the entire room, so every seat has a view. Those beautiful tile floors, the fresh flowers and greens, the funky artwork, the classy bar that was inspired by the best bars in Milan… so it’s the perfect place for a romantic dinner or to celebrate a special occasion. If you can get a reservation of course.

So the atmosphere is beautiful, the views are incredible. But I know what you’re thinking… what about the food? Well, it’s good. Really good in fact.

Contessa calls itself a “classic Grand trattoria”. So we’re talking about Northern Italian food here. And it’s not necessarily all that fancy or frou-frou… There are a lot of classic Italian comfort food kind of dishes, but they’re all made fresh with very high end ingredients, and they’re executed perfectly, with a nice, light touch.

The one dish that you see on pretty much every table at Contessa… is the Spicy Lobster Capellini. This is one of Chef Mario Carbone’s signature dishes, and it’s definitely worth the hype. It’s made with garlic, olive oil, and a bunch of Italian hot peppers so it definitely has a kick. Of course, there’s plenty of fresh-shucked lobster in there, all in a delicious tomato vodka sauce. So it’s creamy and spicy…
and it’s all perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the lobster.

Anytime I’m going out for Italian, I like to start with some meatballs. And at Contessa, they’re a bit different than you might expect. These are what you’d find on the Italian/Swiss border… They have some pork in there, some bacon, some veal. And instead of tomato sauce, it’s smothered in a creamy wholegrain mustard sauce and it just melts in your mouth.

If you’re feeling a bit fancy, as you’re sipping your Negroni…, you might want to consider ordering the Squash Carpaccio. Usually carpaccio is a meat dish, but they do a veggie version with thin-sliced squash, along with some pumpkin seeds and arugula.

Here’s a dish that’s popping up at a lot of high end restaurants in Boston right now: the Branzino. Branzino is a white fish that comes from the Mediterranean. They just simply grill it, so the skin gets a nice char. And it’s topped with some pickled veggies and olives. Not the flashiest dish, but it’s very popular and very well done.

Personally, I’m more of a Veal Milanese kind of guy. This is a classic dish from Milan, with a beautiful veal cutlet that’s pounded out thin, lightly breaded and pan-fried. It’s served with an arugula salad and some lemon. So you have great seasoning, a nice crunch, perfectly balanced flavors, just awesome.

For something a bit heavier for all my meat eaters out there: check out Contessa’s signature Bistecca Fiorentina. So this is a beauty of a steak. It’s a grilled Porterhouse, we’re talking very high end beef here, served on the bone, and sliced so it’s easy to share between two people. And it’s served with some roasted garlic, potatoes, and rosemary.

For dessert, the one you gotta get is the Creme de Boston. So this is like a combination of Italian Tiramisu and Boston Cream Pie. It’s made with layers of custard and chocolate ganache, along with whipped Italian mascarpone, with a pile of chocolate shavings on top. Very fluffy, very creamy, and definitely very delicious.

Now since Contessa is a hotel restaurant, they’re open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. And it can be hard to get a table at night, so breakfast is actually a great option. They make a gorgeous Florentine style Benedict. That has a perfectly poached egg, hollandaise, fontina cheese, spinach, and a thin slice of prosciutto on top.

And if you have a sweet tooth, get the Panettone French toast. So this is made with thick-cut Italian sweet bread, you have some fruit in there, a nice hint of cinnamon, just add some maple syrup, and go to town.

So whether it’s for a power breakfast, an elegant lunch, drinks or dinner, food lovers need to experience Contessa in Boston.