A Wren Says

Fox and the Knife is nestled in south Boston, technically walking distance from the Seaport District area hotel I was staying at. But it’s Boston, and winter is cold. We opted for a ridiculously short Uber ride instead a walk.

We made a reservation at the bar, so we had no trouble being seated on that Friday night. I can’t say if that would be the case if we were a walk-in.

Our server was bright and helpful. When asked what she would recommend, it was definitely the Tortelli di Pastinaca. It was her favorite dish. I was curious, but thrown off by the idea of blue cheese. Instead, I opted for the Tagliatelle Bolognese with wilde boar and my dinner mate for the Raviolo Carbonara. But we definitely ordered her recommended appetizer, fried chili chickpeas.

The chickpeas were addictive pops of saltiness. They were crisp on the outside and deliciously fluffy on the inside. If that was all I was served all evening long, I couldn’t be any happier.

My tagliatelle came out and it was good, but didn’t hit the spot like I wanted it, too. In hindsight, I should have ordered what she recommended. With how her eyes lit up, I know it would have been a special dish. My ragu based dish didn’t fulfill my cheesy pasta craving, because it was not cheesy pasta. This was more on me as the order-er than on the restaurant and its team of chefs.

My dining partner loved the raviolo. She said the saltiness of the brown butter and guanicale was well balanced by the egg on top. Also, that day I learned that raviolo was the singular of ravioli.

I definitely need to find a way to head back there to try more of the menu. And especially come back for another round of those fried chickpeas.

If you are in the Boston area and seeking rustic Italian cuisine, head over to Fox and the Knife.