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The Basics: L'Espalier restaurant information

L'Espalier

774 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02199
617-262-3023

L'Espalier restaurant information
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Often credited with being the first independently owned restaurant to bring haute cuisine to Boston, L'Espalier opened on Boylston Street in 1978, moved to a historic Back Bay townhouse in 1982, and returned to Boylston Street in 2008 where it currently resides adjacent to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Throughout the relocations, the menu of sophisticated and modern New England-French cuisine, with an emphasis on artisanal and New England ingredients, continues to dazzle.

Chef-owner Frank McClelland, who purchased the restaurant in 1988, has racked up an impressive list of honors including the distinction of having been the first restaurant in New England to receive four hard-earned stars from the Boston Globe. Since 1998 L'Espalier has remained the only independent restaurant in New England to receive Five Diamonds from AAA.

News and Events at L'Espalier restaurant

Down on the Farm for Memorial Day Weekend
If you’re sticking around town this Memorial Day weekend, add a trip to Apple Street Farm in Essex to ...

L'Espalier Wines and Dines on Monday
Those oenophiles at L'Espalier has lined up a slew of new seasonal topics to get you through to summer ...

Winey Knights at L'Espalier
Make sure you have a seat at the round table when Knights Bridge wines returns to L'Espalier on Wednesday ...

Frank McClelland

Chef at L'Espalier

Chef Frank McClelland at L'Espalier

Growing up on his grandparents' farm in New Hampshire, Frank McClelland learned picking, canning, bread baking, and even how to make his own sorbets from fresh-fruit purees. When he wasn't in the kitchen, legend has it, he was helping his grandfather chase down chickens in the farm's huge coop.

There may well be more glamorous beginnings for a world-class, New England-rooted chef, but we can't think of a more honest one.

From these humble and firmly planted roots, intertwined with training in the techniques of classic French cooking, McClelland has grown into one of the nation's master chefs. Today, as Chef-Owner of Boston's venerable four-star restaurant, L'Espalier, he takes pride in growing his own fresh herbs, rare fruits and vegetables. He also works individually with area specialty and organic farmers to meticulously select the finest seafood, meats and game.

In the kitchen, as well as in the dining room, he is known for his pursuit of perfection and unbridled passion for what he does. The summation of all that he has learned and his love of local ingredients is reflected in the award-winning, uniquely innovative New England-French cuisine he has created at L'Espalier.

It didn't take him long to team those award-winning techniques, either. By the age of twenty six, McClelland had already been a chef in two of the most respected local kitchens - The Harvest in Cambridge and L'Espalier. In 1984, he became Executive Chef at The Country Inn of Princeton, Massachusetts, where he established and honed his personal style of cooking. There he earned a four-star rating from The Boston Globe and was named one of the country's top twenty five new chefs by Food & Wine magazine.

In 1986, McClelland returned to L'Espalier as Executive Sous Chef, and within two years purchased the restaurant - thus fulfilling a lifelong dream. The awards that have followed are far too numerous to list here in full, but a mention of just the most recent top tier would include: Five Diamonds from AAA for 2001-2006, Boston Magazine Best of Boston awards, a Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence 2004, and a coveted DiRoNA award.

In 2000, McClelland opened his second restaurant, Sel de la Terre on State Street, to enthusiastic reviews.

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Dictionary
 
Brioche
1. noun A soft, yeasty French bread enriched with butter and eggs.
Chèvre
1. noun French for "goat," as in cheese.
Confit
1. noun Meat (usually goose, duck or pork) that is slowly cooked in its own fat and preserved with the fat packed around it as a seal.
Foie gras
1. noun Expensive, silk-textured goose or duck liver that has been enlarged by a process you don't want to read about if you're going to eat this dish.
Gratin
1. noun Any dish covered with cheese or buttered breadcrumbs and baked or broiled.
Hyssop
1. noun Any of various herbs in the mint family. The slightly bitter leaves are sometimes used in salads and soups.
Jus
1. noun French for juice, jus also refers to the unthickened juices from a piece of roasted meat.
Mascarpone
1. noun Ultra-rich, soft cheese known best for its role in tiramisu.
Pesto
1. noun An Italian sauce traditionally made with basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and Romano and Parmesan cheeses.
Torchon
1. noun Method of cooking foie gras by which it is placed in a towel (torchon in French) and poached.
Tuile
1. noun A thin, crisp, French cookie.