Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/996797
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 22 JUNE + JULY 2018 CONTACT bancroftandco.com executive sous chef Diego Mota helming day- to-day operations. In a nod to its mall location, Bancroft & Co. offers a few gentler-priced options, like fish and chips and a couple of steaks under $30, as well as a bar menu. For light bites, or small plates and starters, the lamb kofta ke- bab is an excellent choice. On the bar menu, but available in the dining room by request, lamb that is ground in-house is served with a puffy, delicious house-made pita, accompa- nied by minted yogurt sauce and hummus. e romaine Caesar salad looks as good as it tastes—a teepee-shaped structure of lettuce served alongside a thin whole slice of toast rather than croutons, lightly dressed with a creamy lemony dressing and topped with a few anchovies, if you're smart. For mains, you'll never go wrong with the steak. Or the double-thick Kurobuta pig chop, perfectly moist, tender, and flavorful, served with a truffle Parmesan flan and roasted ci- pollini onions. Be sure to ask for an add-on of shishito peppers—in season they are among the many products grown for the restaurant by sister property Gibbet Hill Farm in Groton. Because it's a steak house, sides are important. e creamed spinach is espe- cially tasty—bright green whole-leaf spinach cooked with plenty of cream and butter and topped with a fried egg, it would be a lovely lunch all on its own, perhaps complemented / E AT+ D R I N K / by the Anson Mills white corn polenta, an- other terrific side. e drinks program offers something spe- cial for everyone, starting with the craft cock- tail selection developed by beverage director Dave Werthman. It's heavy on classics, from flips to smashes, and there is an impressive whisky wall on the second floor that currently includes three choices of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, starting at $100 for a two-ounce pour. Werthman is equally talented with new creations—try the Bergamot. is mix of e Botanist gin, Cappelletti, bergamot/orange syrup (made in-house), lemon, and tarragon oil (made in-house) is likely to become your go-to summer cocktail. Beer and wine drinkers were not forgotten, though. e draft beer list is extensive and filled with a lot of cult favorites, but real geeks should inquire about the secret tap. Known in- house as "the other one," it's a rotating keg of hard-to-find quaffs. Speaking of rare offerings, Bancroft & Co.'s by-the-glass wine list includes a "Coravin List." A Coravin is a unique wine preservation gadget that makes it possible to pour a glass without removing the cork—al- lowing the restaurant to offer wines like a 2014 Antinori Tignanello by the glass. For dessert, pastry cook Aimee Clark makes grown-up ice cream flavors such as espresso mascarpone gelato in-house, as well as creative treats like the white chocolate s'mores tart—a graham flour crust filled with a white choco- late and sour cream ganache, giving it a nice balance of sweet and tangy, which is topped with house-made vanilla ice cream and toasty burnt marshmallow. Once again, elegant and slightly quirky are balanced to perfection. Lamb kofta kebab (left) and the Kurobuta pig chop and creamed spinach topped with a fried egg.