''L’Espalier'' was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

restaurant located in Boston, Massachusetts, in the Back Bay neighborhood, adjacent to the

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Limited (MOHG) is a Hong Kong hotel investment and management group focusing on luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, with a total of 33 properties worldwide, 20 of which are fully or partially ow ...

. The chef and owner of L'Espalier was Frank McClelland, who received a

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

in 2007 for Best Northeast Chef.

History

Chef Moncef Meddeb opened L'Espalier on Boylston Street between Arlington and Berkeley in 1978. It moved to an 1880s-era brick townhouse on Gloucester Street in 1982 and was purchased by McClelland in 1988. The restaurant moved again into the

Mandarin Oriental Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Limited (MOHG) is a Hong Kong hotel investment and management group focusing on luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, with a total of 33 properties worldwide, 20 of which are fully or partially ow ...

complex in 2008. It was designed by Martin Vahtra of Projects Design in New York. L'Espalier is known locally as a popular place for marriage proposals and celebrity sightings. On March 27, 2013 McClelland celebrated their 35th anniversary with a specially designed six course tasting menu including Jonah crab bisque, branzino and rack of lamb. L'Espalier closed permanently upon the expiration of its lease on December 31, 2018.

Food

L'Espalier served locally grown produce prepared in classically French ways, offering lunch in the afternoon and dinner nightly with tea service on the weekends 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Patrons could choose from three prix-fixe menu, the seasonal

degustation Dégustation is the careful, appreciative tasting of various food, focusing on the gustatory system, the senses, high culinary art and good company. Dégustation is more likely to involve sampling small portions of all of a chef's signature dishe ...

(tasting) menu or the Chef's tasting journey. First courses included almond-dusted veal

sweetbreads Sweetbread is a culinary name for the thymus (also called throat, gullet, or neck sweetbread) or pancreas (also called stomach, belly or gut sweetbread), typically from calf (french: ris de veau, es, hígado) or lamb (). Sweetbreads have a rich ...

with morels and wilted baby mustard greens, with main course options such as pan-roasted East Coast halibut and Vermont rabbit.

Staff

* Frank McClelland: Chef/Proprietor * Logan Foos: Chef de Cuisine * Louis Risoli: Maitre d’ & Fromager

Awards and accolades

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...

Five-Diamond Award recipient: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 *

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Four-Star Award recipient: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998 *

Zagat The ''Zagat Survey'', commonly referred to as Zagat (stylized in all caps; , ) and established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979, is an organization which collects and correlates the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, covering ...

Survey of Boston Restaurants, "#1 Food" Rating:2015, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998 * DiRoNa Award recipient: 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998

References

External links