Restaurant Review - Coda

During our brief respite from the winter storm we experienced, my husband and I decided to head on down to Boston to enjoy the non-blizzard weather and to be around people. As previous city folk who moved to the suburbs in order to buy a house and start a family, it's always a good reminder of why we decided to stay in Boston and all the things we can show our children whenever we have them.

As a break from tromping all around Back Bay, we stopped by the Borders off of Boylston Street and as my spouse went to use the facilities, I picked up that latest Boston Magazine to read the 50 restaurants they recommended as indicated on their cover page. Given one of our resolutions is to be more frugal with our eating out budget, Boston Magazine recommended Coda as a good wallet friendly and farm fresh eatery. Hmmm, frugal and locavore friendly, sign us up!

We arrived around 6:00 PM for an early dinner and was immediately seated at one of the high top tables near the bar. Although the restaurant itself isn't very big, it somehow manages to feel both spacious and cozy at once. Perhaps it was the candles, or the comfy chairs, or the delicious warm olive bread in the basket with hummus-like spread, or the friendly waitress, but I just knew it would be a good meal.

True enough, it ended up being as good as Boston Magazine described. As a disclaimer, I'm not much of an alcohol drinker so I can't comment on the wine menu, though my husband did imbibe a so-so Malbec. We started dinner off with a Sweet Potato and Stout Fritter that managed to be light yet rich with the flavor of sweet potato coming clearly and ending with a slightly hoppy finish. The accompaniment of paprika aioli was welcome, though unnecessary.

The other appetizer was a generous slab of Roasted Pork Belly served on top of bitter greens, fingerling potatoes, and a sauce that I can't quite remember but was slightly overshadowed by the pork belly. Although I would've preferred the skin of the belly to be a little bit more crispy, it still managed to obtain that perfect combination of fatty, savory, salty, and succulent that only pork belly can give.

For our entrees, I had a Pulled Duck Peppardelle that rivaled anything you would get a North End restaurant and epitomized everything you want in a comfort dish. The noodles soaked up the jus that pooled at the bottom of the bowl and was strong enough to scoop up the roasted root vegetables and shreds of juicy duck meat studding the dish.

My partner had the roasted chicken and although the chestnut puree and braised turnips added nice earthy flavor to the chicken, we ultimately found the chicken itself overcooked and a bit dry. The only other decent part of the bird was the crispy skin, otherwise I would order something else.

Sadly, we had no room for dessert as the portion sizes at Coda were rather large. Did it live up to the farm friendliness? Yes, not only does the menu name drop farms and locations, but even the restroom (at least the one I went to), had a hand drawn map of Massachusetts showing where they sourced all their food.

As for the value, it was relatively budget friendly as none of the entrees went over $20. After having two appetizers, a glass of wine, a club soda, and two entrees, the total bill did come out to around $75, not super bargain basement but not L'Espalier prices either.

All in all, I would go back there again, even if it was to kick back at the bar, order a plate of those delicious fritters, and watch whatever game is on the flat screen.