Ten Tables

We might as well have been playing with fire when we decided to embark on Ten Tables part deux – origins, in Jamaica Plain after the disappointment at their new Cambridge location. The usually French menu was preempted this Tuesday evening by a Spanish theme and judging from the portion sizes someone was thinking Tapas! Which would be fine if we weren’t planning on having dinner.
From the sidewalk a dimly lit dining room was clearly surveyed but belied the small corner tabel into which we were squeezed. The space seemed more happenstance than by design. The kitchen like an afterthought bore insufficient lighting with a table lamp added on a ledge apparently in an attempt to remedy the problem. An eager waiter saw to our glasses wine selections included and our first course soon arrived consisting of clams with fideos (short spaghetti-like pasta) in a spicy tomato sauce. The clams were briny and plump and came straddling the bundle of sticks that sunk in a chunky sauce having sufficient piquancy and acidity to be tasty but unable to penetrate the brittle fideos that ‘clammed’ up in our mouths.
The salad was cranberry beans, wilted arugula that looked like seaweed, a soft boiled egg that complimented the rustic bean taste and croutons crumbled in so well it offered a welcome mystery crunch but was described by my friend as pedestrian as the composition reminded her of left-overs.
With glasses of Pelta Valencia to keep us laughing we waited for the entrée and pondered our surroundings more closely. From under the previously observed table lamp a chef removed round chunks of something and started slicing. One friend joked that the lamp provided heat to keep the food warm. We soon discovered it was the main course of raw filets of unintentionally salty duck plated with buttery nutty Faro and citrusy kumquat compote that overpowered the bird but complimented the Faro. However close the resemblance of the duck to a rare steak I couldn’t help imagining the dead bird so I passed over my plate to a more tolerant digestive tract and relished the smooth Rioja paired with the dish. To redirect my thoughts I imagined dessert and all the creamy, fruity, chocolaty possibilities to come but was disappointed when the finale left us wanting with literally a sliver of Manchego cheese and equal parts candied almonds and quince paste. Needless to say we all went home and made dinner.

I heard good things about Ten Tables, and was extemely disappointed after dining there. Although we were not close to the door, the entrance provided us with a blast of cold air each time the door was opened. Our reservation was for 9, and it was 10:50 by the time our entrees arrived. By that point, my friends and myself were finishing a bag of nuts that I happened to have. When the food arrived, it was thoroughly disappointing. My steak was well cooked and looked delicious, but it was DROWNED in a barbecue sauce that was touted as homemade, but could have come out of a bottle from the supermarket. I would not eat there again. I think it is overrated.