Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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photography by pascal le segretain/getty images (diaz); gaye gerard/getty images (adrià) so many dinners... so little time Chef Ken Oringer restaurant," he says. "I want to bring in the next generation of diners over the coming 10 years." That's why Oringer recently introduced a new bar menu of more casual eats to accompany bar director Todd Maul's artisa- nal, and occasionally molecular gastronomic, libations. Enjoy a Flaming Paco cocktail of hand- crafted Ilegal Mezcal, Pork belly steambun from Clio's new bar menu seat in the house Table 49, the most coveted continued from page 66 hamachi and tuna, and tomato-water martinis. "We literally hired him on the spot reviews. and Arthur recalls. Clio opened in 1997 to rave In 2001 Oringer won a James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Chef in the Northeast. The following year Clio begat Uni. Since 2005 Oringer has established a culinary empire in Boston, including Toro tapas bar, La Verdad taqueria, KO Prime Steakhouse & Bar, and Coppa, as well as Earth at Hidden Pond, a seasonal, farm-to-table restau- rant in Kennebunkport, Maine. His other restaurants notwithstanding, five nights a week you'll find Oringer in the kitchen at Clio. "It's still my baby, it's still my outlet, and after 15 years, it's hard to let go," he says. "I still get up for the challenge of being able to up our game, even after this much time." Chef Ferran Adrià and Cameron Diaz are among Clio's clientele. Indeed, the cuisine at Clio remains as inven- tive as ever. Dishes like butter-basted lobster with chanterelles and sherry-like Vin Jaune d'Arbois, tender venison with espresso oil, per- simmon, foie gras, and mugolio pine cone bud syrup, or black licorice roast duck with fennel and aromatic Buddha's hand citron not only tantalize with unusual ingredients but look just as good as they taste. It's fare that continues to attract a clientele of sophisticated foodies and celebrity visitors Barbra Streisand, Bill Murray, Kate Hudson, Cameron Diaz, and an impressive roster of famous chefs have all dined at Clio. When El Bulli's Ferran Adrià stopped in late last year, Oringer created a 40-course tasting. Among the courses: The Charles elioT room this private dining room is fit for a king—or at least a red sox owner. to Boston. Paul Newman, live mantis shrimp, live abalone, live king crab, curried tripe, and venison with rose hips. Oringer has never been a complacent chef—or busi- nessman. "I don't want Clio to become a dinosaur of a 68 bostoncommon-magazine.com Ming Tsai celebrated his 40th in this room, and John Henry popped the Champagne cork here after purchasing the Red Sox. The Charles Eliot Room in the subterranean space of the hotel has a gas fireplace, two oversize wing chairs, a portable bar, and the same faux-leopard carpeting as the upstairs dining room. Redecorated three years ago, it seats up to 60. "That was quite a spectacular night," Oringer recalls of the night Henry bought the team. "You could sense that these guys were so committed to doing the right thing with the Red Sox. For somebody to have that kind of commitment to bringing a World Series here… Now everybody expects it, but back then we hadn't had a World Series ring in over 80 years." Pop your own Champagne corks here. became partners," with spicy ma po tofu and tart nuoc cham. "You can sit at the bar and have smoked duck drummettes with XO sauce and fried garlic, and it will have the same integrity as foie gras with bee pollen and honey in Clio," he says. Within the restaurant, the sweetest spot is at Table 49—a banquette with side-by-side seating for two in the northwest corner of the dining room. In addition to its intimacy, there's no better vantage point to observe the well-heeled diners and Clio's latest incarnation. "I wanted the physical space to be symbiotic with what was happening in my head foodwise," Oringer explains. "Something a little cleaner, not so formal, a little more comfortable, and a little more open—to be a new forum for the next 10 years of Clio's life." The best cosmetic surgeries leave an observer feeling both wonderment and admiration. Clio is ready for another close-up. 370A Commonwealth Ave., 617-536-7200; cliorestaurant.com BC torched lime, and seared hot pepper with small plates like bone marrow garnished with pickled ramps, candied kumquats, and capers, a steamed pork belly bun slathered with chili aioli, or a bahn mi Vietnamese sandwich layered