Tosca's...a bit of culinary heaven in Hingham

Ask any discriminating local from Hingham, MA to recommend a good restaurant for dinner and my guess is that more often than not, they’ll suggest Tosca’s.  

A good friend of mine asked me if I’d like to join him and his wife for a little dinner recently, and since I know that they always know of a great place, I cheerfully accepted the invitation.  I have to say, that when my friend Mark Voner, who just happens to be the CEO of Veterans Development Corporation, isn’t at work continuing to build and improve one of the premiere construction companies in NE or helping to assist any one of a number of Veteran organizations he is involved with, he must be scouting restaurants, because he never fails when it comes to finding the very best.

I had heard of Tosca’s, but had never visited there before.  Situated down by the very quaint Hingham Waterfront, it is housed in a building that just screams of a rich history.  Upon entering, one is greeted warmly by a very attentive staff and immediately drawn to the view of the enticing dining room with its beautifully, yet subtly treated exposed brick and timber interior vistas.  With a bit of subdued lighting here, a tapestry there, and a hint of roasted garlic in the air, Tosca’s invites you in without saying a word.

After only waiting about a half hour, we were seated at an intimate table that was colored with the warm ambience of outside lights and the artificial candle dancing on the glassware, and our server, Emily Hood, aka ‘amazing’ to me began filling our glasses with sparkling water.  The three of us were just chatting when the first of two bottles of outrageously good Margaux arrived, and along with that came the bread and dip.  Click below full article.  

Before I begin my applause of the rest of the evening and meal, I will suggest that when you visit and if you only decide to have this wine with the olive tapenade and bread, you would not be able to silence your taste bud orchestra.  I admit, I’m a simple man, and always one to enjoy fresh baked bread dipped in a yummy oil concoction, and I have had lots of different types; but this simple dish of ever so lightly salted, chopped up almost to a paste, cured black olives, swimming in a bath of very fine EVOO and I’m sure I detected a faint suggestion of Rosemary, had me cold.  Except that when Emily ‘amazing’ described my main course and it sounded so good, I would have been happy to have just indulged myself with the bread, dip, and wine.  It was that good!  At one point, one of the staff almost removed it from the table; he didn’t know it, but he nearly lost a hand.

Before the main fair, I decided upon a Caesar Salad, and that’s when ‘amazing’ asked if I wanted anchovies; and of course I did…”white or brown” she asked.  I don’t know how it’s escaped me thus far, but I’ve never heard of white anchovies, so she brought me both.  I think the white might have been just a tad less salty, otherwise, about the same.  There was a mistake made when we ordered a meatball, as we wanted a dish of meatballs; however, ‘amazing’ thought we meant a meatball pizza, and that’s what we got.  And that was fine by me because I got to try a pizza along with a shrimp appetizer, and both were killer.

Back to the aforementioned great sounding main course for a minute; I really enjoy a nice piece of fresh fish now and again, and if you’ve never had Cod, a Boston staple fish, try it; it’s delectable.  ‘Amazing’ described the special as a fresh Cod wrapped in Prosciutto, served over ‘finger’ potatoes, with chopped yellow beets, and a balsamic glaze.  By the time the meals came out, I was about stuffed from the bread, dip, and appetizers; but not to worry, I got my second wind after the first taste of this perfectly prepared dish.  Mind you, I’m not a big fan of beets of any color, but somehow they lent just a dash of sweetness that really brought out the best of the fish and prosciutto.  The fish was perfect; moist, tender, and just flaky enough so that a knife wasn’t needed, and the ends of it were just thin enough to allow for a bit of very nice crispiness.  Some of the wonderfully soft finger potatoes also had a bit of a crunch on the thin end and I enjoyed them immensely.  The glaze itself provided just a delightfully lite tang to the combination. 

Suffice it to say that I’m very glad I took my friends up on their very kind offer.  If you live anywhere on the South Shore of Boston and want to enjoy fine dining without the hassle of traveling into the city, drive no further than Hingham Harbor. 

Tosca’s GM Christopher Sugrue and his entire staff can hold their heads high for a job well done earning all five of The Patriots Press stars.  You will find Tosca’s at www.toscahingham.com and 14 North St. in Hingham.  The phone number for reservations is 781 740 0080.