Parsnip Restaurant And Lounge
When the iconic Upstairs on the Square closed down about a year and half ago, Boston diners were sad to see the exuberant purple walls and warped mirrors taken down from the three story spot on Winthrop street. However, two bits of news quickly lightened the blow. One, Chef Susan Regis was already on to another project in Porter Square while a new team of chefs was set to open a new concept in the place of Upstairs on the Square.
With big shoes to fill, chefs Peter Quinion (executive chef) and Ryan Marcoux (chef de cuisine) introduce Parsnip Restaurant and Lounge to the area. With a totally different feel, Parsnip is of the modern European persuasion, with a white table cloth feel, but a more casual atmosphere. The service is on point and well-orchestrated and the food is the perfect combination of unique and traditional.
To start, I would highly recommend their parsnip and pear soup – a velvety concoction perfect for this wintery weather. Although every dish on the menu is sure to impress, the scallops with truffle and prosciutto and the roasted cauliflower with cumin brûlée are among the staff's favorites.
For the entrées, you will face yet another difficult choice. Very French dishes like their veal tenderloin with rosemary, sunchokes and meaty oyster royal mushrooms and their monkfish with escargot compete with more Mediterranean dishes like the roasted duck with orange and Kalamata olives. A Cornish game hen, potato gnocchi and Sole with artichoke terrine also vie for your attention and appetite. As with the starters, any of these are certain to please.
Finish off with a light dessert of sesame pound cake and grapefruit with banana ice cream or something more decadent like their dark chocolate mousse with popcorn ice cream and tart lime. Wine and cocktails are well thought out to support and complement the food while also standing out in their own right.
Parsnip offers diners a fine dining experience on the second floor of their restaurant and a more laid back feel upstairs in their lounge. Open Tuesday-Saturday, Parsnip will make a very special Valentine's Day appearance on Sunday the 14th of February. Make your reservation now for a $65, three course prix fixe or a romantic drink and bar bite in their lounge. Either way, you need to make room in your stomach for this new restaurant.