Rhapsody

Going to the symphony is a special occasion and people will obviously dress very nicely. It also makes sense that if you are going to be going out, dinner might be included. Rhapsody is located in the Symphony Hall building so a lot of their business is the symphony crowd. Rhapsody actually looks like part of Symphony Hall itself. The ceiling is high and domed and the dining room that I ate in was very big (about 150 people). There is banquette seating along two sides as well as several four tops and round tables. The outside walls are window walls with a curved ribbon design in each window that to me looks like a visualization of music flow and the lights are like modern chandeliers. It is a very elegant, ornate, and classic design that really fits in with the design of Symphony Hall. I was a little surprised though, that the music being played was light rock. When I arrived the room was pretty full, but I was seated pretty quickly. As I looked around, I noticed that all of the men there were wearing suits. While I was dressed nicely, I did feel profoundly underdressed although none of the staff treated me any less well than anyone else. While I did feel uncomfortable when I sat, people quickly began clearing out shortly after which made me realize that they were there going to the symphony. I ordered my dinner and we began. My appetizer was a Grilled Smoked Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp with a Chick Pea Puree, Calabrian Peppers, and Mint. The shrimp was served in a pile with alternating head and tail. The prosciutto was wrapped around the middle of each scrimp and the were served tail on. The top shrimp also had it's head. The chick pea puree tasted like a finely ground hummus and the pepper provided a little heat. While it tasted good, I do feel a little uncomfortable eating shell on shrimp because it's difficult to eat without using your fingers. By the time the appetizer arrived, the dining room was almost empty so I was able to finish the shrimp with my fingers without offending anyone though I did feel a little uncomfortable doing it.My entree was a Slagel Farms Pork Chop. It was served with ramps, potatoes, peppers, and a natural jus. It was very good. It was flavorful, tender, and very juicy. While both dishes I had had so far were good, I enjoyed this much more than I enjoyed the shrimp because it was much easier to eat. I did take my time with this to enjoy it but I was excited to get to my dessert.
Dessert was a Tortufo. This is a flourless chocolate cake served warm with cocoa nibs, a white chocolate vanilla sorbet, and Amarena Cherries. This was a very pretty dish. I was not sure at first where I wanted to start but it didn't actually really matter because all of the parts tasted really good individually or together.

While I enjoyed my meal, the service was very good, and I liked the look of the space, I am not sure that I will return unless I am also going to the symphony. While I did enjoy the restaurant and food, I was uncomfortable when I arrived and I am not sure that I would want to wear a suit to dinner unless it was a very special occasion.