Mooncusser Fish House: Giving Some Love To A Scrumptious Seafood Sampling

In recent years, Boston has seen the opening of a number of excellent seafood restaurants, and as you know, I've long encouraged people to eat more seafood. Seafood provides immense health benefits and it is also diverse and delicious, able to be prepared in a myriad of ways. On my recent weekend stay at the Boston Park Plaza, I dined at one of Boston's newer seafood restaurants, Mooncusser Fish House, thoroughly enjoying a tasting menu of fresh and compelling seafood.

Back in July 2017, Mooncusser Fish House opened, a joint endeavor led by Ian Calhoun, Vincent Vela, and Chef Carolyn Johnson, all who also own and operate 80 Thoreau in Concord. This seafood restaurant is actually divided into two parts, the Moon Bar located on the first floor and the Mooncusser Fish House on the second floor. The Moon Bar is the more casual dining area while the upstairs is more higher-end. During the week, at lunch time, they also open Cusser's Roast Beef & Seafood in the Moon Bar, and I recently wrote about my lunch experience there.

For dinner, we chose to eat upstairs in their more formal, though it isn't pretentious, Mooncusser Fish House. Note that it is several levels up so be prepared to climb some stairs, though they do have an elevator if you can't take the stairs. It is a small, more intimate dining room, perfect for date night or a business dinner.

You can opt for a Prix Fixe Menu (3 courses/$49), a Tasting of Local Fishes (5 Courses/$85) or select your own dishes off the menu, which is divided into First Courses and Main Courses. There are 7 options for First Courses, priced $10-$17, and you can choose items such as the Tuna Tartare,  Mooncusser Chowder, or Smoked Char Terrine. There are 6 choices for Main Courses, priced $30-$42, and you can choose items such as the Monkfish, Bone-In Skate Wing or Grilled Whole Fish.

This is a definitely a seafood-centric restaurant and the only non-seafood options are the Baby Chicory Salad (First Course) and the Grilled Lamb Rack (Main). I'm sure those dishes are delicious but seafood is king here. I'll also note that the price range  of their dishes has remained relatively the same since they first opened.

We decided on ordering the Tasting of Local Fishes ($85) with Wine Pairings ($75), wanting to sample a variety of their available dishes. As this was more a dinner for pleasure, I didn't take many notes, simply reveling in the experience. Overall, it was a superb dinner, with plenty of excellent dishes and wine pairings. Mooncusser hits it out of the park with their seafood!

The first course was a Halibut Crudo, with blood orange, mint, pickled ginger, and puffed wheat. The silky halibut was fresh and clean, with a mild but flavorful taste, enhanced by the citrus. The puffed wheat was almost like little pieces of popcorn, adding a crunchy texture to the dish. The wine pairing was the 2017 Gilbert Picq Chablis, an absolutely delicious Chardonnay with complex notes of white flowers, citrus, and mineralogy with a hint of briny salt. It went great with the crudo and I would love to try this wine with oysters too.

The second course was Lobster Bisque, made with wild mushrooms, pumpkin, and white truffle. Creamy and bursting with lobster flavor, sweet pumpkin notes, and earthy notes from the mushrooms and truffle. An excellent blend of flavors and perfect for a chilly winter evening. The wine paring was the 2014 Reynvaan Queen's Road Marsanne-Viognier, from Walla Walla, Washington. This wine brought intriguing notes of peach, melon and pineapple, with an underlying minerality and plenty of acidity, able to cut through the richness of the bisque. Another great choice.

The restaurant presented us with an extra, complimentary course, their Rye Chitarra, made with uni, celeriac, and mushrooms. I loved this dish! Perfectly cooked pasta, briny uni, and umami-rich mushrooms, all combined for a fantastic taste. Such a nice blend of flavors of the soil and sea. Highly recommended!

The next course was Scallops, with sweet potato, pomegranate, and pistachio. Initially, I was confused about the "orange" scallops in the dish before realizing they were actually sweet potatoes that were shaped like scallops and seared in a similar manner as well. And they were so tasty, a nice sweetness with a great sear. This is something I'd love to replicate at home. The sweet scallops were also seared perfectly, bringing fresh, clean flavors enhanced by the nuttiness of the pistachio. Another winner of a dish and highly recommended. The wine pairing was the 2017 Le Roc Des Anges Llum Grenache Gris, a complex and compelling wine, with rich citrus notes, intense minerality, and great acidity. A wine of elegance and restrained power, one to please most wine lovers.

The final savory course was Grilled Tuna, with sunchokes, an oyster, and pearl onions. The lightly seared, and mostly rare tuna, was silky and tender, meaty and satisfying. It was exactly what you desire in a grilled tuna dish. And the briny oyster was a pleasing extra. The wine pairing was the 2012 Sanguis Verve Grenache, from the Central Coast, California, and it was a killer wine. Great fruit flavors, a pleasing spicy backbone, plenty of complexity, and a lengthy finish. Such an excellent wine pairing!

Dessert was Petites Madelines with tangerine sorbet, olive oil, citrus, and coriander. A light and refreshing dessert which didn't overwhelm you with sweetness. The tiny madelines were light and delicious, and I wanted more. Their Pastry Chef Katherine Hamilburg is extremely talented. The final wine pairing was the 2015 Haut Charmes Sauternes, a nicely balanced dessert wine with intriguing and complex flavors.

Service was excellent, attentive without being obtrusive. And all of the food was excellent, well balanced dishes with great, fresh flavors. I was satisfied at the end of the meal, without feeling overly stuffed. The wine pairings worked so well, and I got to experience some fascinating and tasty wines which aren't the usual suspects. If you desire a quality seafood dinner, I highly recommend Mooncusser Fish House and suggest you order the Tasting of Local Fishes.