L'Andana: Restaurant Week Lunch

For my first foray during Boston Restaurant Week, I went for lunch to L'Andana in Burlington. As mentioned before, I am a big fan of this restaurant and was curious as to what they would be serving for Restaurant Week. I had not seen their menu online so it would be a surprise when I showed up.

The Lunch menu was simple. For your first course, there was a choice of salad or soup. The second course was a choice of a Salmon, Rigatoni or a Chicken dish. And for dessert, there was a choice between a bread pudding and biscotti cookies. The three-course lunch only costs $20.08. I might have preferred a bit more of an adventurous menu.

Prior to my food arriving, I received a large piece of their usual bread, except they made a change. Instead of giving you a bowl of oil and tomato, they already added it to the top of bread. Although the bread was still quite tasty, I still prefer the old way. It makes for a better presentation, and also allows me to smear some of the tomato and oil on the inside of the bread and not just the top.

For my first course, instead of the mushroom soup, I chose the Insalata, a salad of organic mixed greens and goat cheese topped by a Chianti vinaigrette. I usually am not a big fan of the type of leafy greens in this salad but I devoured the entire large bowl. The Chianti vinaigrette was delicious and added plenty of flavor to the greens. The addition of several chunks of creamy goat cheese made for an excellent salad.

I then chose the Chicken for my second course, a wood grilled scallopini that cames with roasted mushrooms, onions, peppercress and shaved parmesan (though I had them skip the mushrooms). I received quite a large piece of chicken and it was tender and very moist. It had a smoky grilled flavor that well complemented its taste. A very good course, as well as a good-sized portion, that did not disappoint.

My dessert choice was the Budino, a white chocolate bread pudding with orange and pistachio crema. A moist, sweet and flavorful dish that I also eagerly devoured. It had several raisins in it, though I was easily able to remove them and push them to the side. One of the better bread puddings that I have had.

For $20.08, lunch was a very good bargain. I was certainly full when I left. My server, Lindsay, was excellent, both personable and attentive. The other servers that assisted her were very good too.

I did check out their Restaurant Week dinner menu, which is $33.08 for a three course meal. For your first course, you have a choice of Insalata (like the one I had for lunch), Rigatoni, or Prosciutto (with mozzarella and a tomato vinaigrette). Your second course options include a Wood-grilled Salmon with a Cider mustard glaze, a 10oz Wood-Grilled Ribeye with crumbled Gorgonzola, or Chicken Milanese (one of my favorite lunch items). For dessert, they have the Budino (the same as at lunch) or a Chocolate Caramel Torta.

I will likely try their dinner and report back.