Hanging Nasturtiums and D.W. French

By Valerie Kolligian Thayer • April 11, 2024 • Recipes

If you are free this weekend, I hope today’s post inspires you to make a date with a friend or spouse for a fun day in the city.

Each Spring, the iconic Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum in Boston’s Fenway ushers in the season with its display of hanging nasturtiums. It’s a tradition that Isabella began in 1904 as a way to both celebrate her birthday and the onset of Spring. The museum continues this tradition in her honor. The only trick is that the nasturtiums are on display for just a brief time at their maximum beauty, the delicate vines hanging up to twenty feet in length. After nine months of preparation by museum staff, the nasturtiums are displayed for just a couple of weeks. Your last day to see them is this Sunday the 14th of April. Timed tickets are a must, so don’t delay buying your tickets if you are interested. Wandering around this most delightful of museums is such a treat…

Extras are planted in pots for closer viewing…

The Gardner also has a Raqib Shaw exhibit on display in the new gallery, and I adore their gift shop although I resisted my usual purchase of stationery and am now regretting it!

For dinner, we decided to stay in the Fenway as we’ve been wanting to try D.W. French, Douglas Williams newest restaurant. You may be familiar with his long established MIDA restaurant in the South End which embraces Italian cuisine. We have only been there once but it was delightful and we would definitely return.

D.W. French is William’s playful (in my opinion) homage to French food. I say playful because not everything on the menu can be categorized as French per se but the message here as explained on its windows is French for all!

D.W. French is located in the spot that once occupied Orfano which I wrote up on the blog years ago and has since closed. When we walked into the restaurant, I was shocked but then incredibly pleased that almost nothing had changed. The tables and the bar looked just as we remembered it. I don’t know Williams but if he had walked into the restaurant I would have applauded him both for his lack of vanity, and for his environmental conscience! Why fix what is already a well designed and lovely space?! Well done…

We were there early so we cozied up to the bar. With a larger group, I would have wanted to also sit in the bar area where there are three high top booths to accommodate groups of four or six. The dining room is large, and when the weather improves there appears to be substantial outdoor seating. If we go to a Sox game, this is where I want to have a bite beforehand for sure.

As I mentioned, the menu has a little bit of everything, and even something for those who just don’t do French and want to order a Fenway sausage or a Lobster Roll! They are served with frites and given the neighborhood, I think these are smart additions. There is also a rigatoni bolognese if you so desire.

Apart from that, though your offerings range from escargot and traditional French onion soup to frisee au lardon, steak tartare and smoked salmon rillette, trout almondine and moules frite. Desserts are all French, namely creme brulee, chocolat pot de creme and profiteroles.

We decided to order some oysters, along with our cocktails. For him an old fashioned and for me a drink from the brunch menu called a Grapefruit 75, a riff on a French 75. Forgot to snap a pic straight away but these oysters were from Canada and were briny and just the right size…

For dinner, I ordered the roast salmon that was topped with a traditional tapenade and served on a bed of ratatouille. When I tell you I almost wish the entire bowl was just the ratatouille I am not kidding. Between the flavor and the texture produced by the small dice of the vegetables, combined with what must have been an incredible evoo, it was one of the best tastes I’ve had out in a long time. The salmon was perfectly prepared and combined with the tapenade it made me so happy…

Hubs ordered the Garlic Roasted Half Chicken that was served with creamed spinach and a chicken jus. He was waxing poetic about his dish as well, going so far as to say it might be the best thing he has ever eaten (ahem!)…

We couldn’t resist asking about, and then ordering the Potato Robuchon which were creamy and dreamy…

We also got the most delightful little place of delicately sliced baguette that was served with salted butter (no photo, darn). Wines are poured by the glass and we enjoyed a Cab Franc which the bartender said was his favorite.

D.W. French is open for lunch, brunch and dinner so you have plenty of options if you’d like to try it out. They validate parking in a neighboring garage so it saves you a few dollars.

So if you don’t have plans this weekend, do try to pop into the Gardener for a viewing of the nasturiums and a visit to D.W. French either before or after. Let me know if you go! I’d love to hear from you.

Enjoy!

Until next time…

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