Alcove Serves Up A Wealth of New England Produce

Celebrate coastal New England cuisine while enjoying the beautiful panorama at this neighborhood restaurant.

Boasting a picturesque waterfront locale at Boston’s Lovejoy Wharf, Alcove combines a vision for great regional cuisine with an inviting, neighborhood feel. Led by owner Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli, one of the city’s most respected and innovative restaurateurs, Alcove’s inspiration revolves around fresh coastal New England dishes focused on showcasing the bounty of New England fishing and farming.

Schlesinger-Guidelli emphasizes how Alcove celebrates fresh, seasonal and local ingredients.

“Our Coastal New England cuisine showcases all the fantastic farm coast products available by land and by sea,” he says. “Fresh produce and locally caught seafood are in a beautiful and unique balance at Alcove. Favorite pairings that come to mind are striped bass with corn and basil in the summer; and bay scallops and Macomber turnips in winter.”

Schlesinger-Guidelli is passionate and committed to bringing fresh seafood and seasonal product to the table. “Every dish we create in the kitchen and every cocktail we craft at the bar represents the finest in local and seasonal ingredients,” he says. “Our team is proud to share stories about where our product came from, why it is so delicious at this very moment, and how much we respect our farmers and fishermen and suppliers.”  

The 250-seat restaurant is open 365 days a year.

Produce Throughout The Menu

Fresh produce is one of the restaurant’s most important products. “It holds a spot as a top purchase item for us,” says Schlesinger-Guidelli.

The restaurant emphasizes beautiful, seasonal produce in all its dishes, and prioritizes vegetarian and vegan dishes, says Schlesinger-Guidelli. “To make these dishes absolutely the most flavorful, we must have the freshest produce at all times. Our guests rely on us for our attention to detail in every aspect of our hospitality — and that goes from the warm welcome at the door to gorgeous, fresh ingredients on every dish.” 

Though Boston and Alcove are known for seafood, produce represents about 50% of the menu. The raw bar incorporates fresh produce into various plates, with examples such as sweet chile aioli with crab claw, avocado with the Nori roll, and radish and black sesame with its crudo. Appetizers also highlight produce, including pumpkin soup, zucchini fritters and a grilled broccoli salad.

Entrees demonstrate a masterful weaving of savory produce items with proteins or vegan options. Fried rice, fish, pasta or meats pair with oyster or wild mushrooms, bok choy, watercress, Brussels sprouts, delicate squash or cranberry bean. Produce is the star of the side offerings, such as fried shishito peppers, rosemary french fries, maple-glazed rainbow carrots, marinated beets, and grilled sweet potato. 

Serious About Sourcing

The restaurant orders fresh every day, 365 days a year, and takes its sourcing very seriously, says Schlesinger-Guidelli.

“We work with our New England farmer friends on a daily basis, as well as with Baldor. Baldor offers us reliability and consistency in product and service. The 24/7 reliability and quality Baldor provides is an important key to the successful running of our restaurant.”

Direct farm relationships are important, notes Schlesinger-Guidelli, including work with Eva Sommaripa from Eva’s Gardens in Dartmouth, MA, and with Matt Linehan of Sparrow Arc Farm in Vermont.

“They know how high our standards are, and we respect their beautiful fresh product,” he says.

The restaurant’s main considerations in sourcing produce items include quality, consistency and seasonality. “We also look at service, pricing and delivery,” says Schlesinger-Guidelli. “Certainly, our direct relationship with Baldor makes the day-to-day operations of our restaurant easier. Baldor knows what we expect and delivers, literally.”

FACT FILE

Alcove
50 Lovejoy Wharf, Boston, MA 02114
Tel: 617-248-0050
www.alcoveboston.com
Monday – Friday: Noon to 10 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.