62 Turns 5
North Shore Dish – We were thrilled to get an invitation to the first of three dinners that will be held to commemorate the fifth anniversary of 62 Restaurant & Wine Bar. There are several reasons for our excitement. At first, we anticipated a delightful night filled with reminiscing about the past five years of success and the path that led to its creation. Secondly, we will never forget how Chef Tony Bettencourt fearlessly spearheaded. A local culinary renaissance by opening a fine-dining restaurant at a time when the North Shore was known solely for clam shacks and bars.
The third reason, of course, was the food. And it did not disappoint. The theme for the dinner was inspiration dishes that reflect the journey that Bettencourt took from restaurant work and culinary school to ultimately becoming a chef/owner (with a six-year detour into truck driving, of all things).
Some of the items included in the exquisite and varied antipasti served as the first dish were house. Cured salumi, roasted beets sprinkled with sea salt, pickled mushrooms, and sweet and sour cippoline onions. As we nibbled, Chef Bettencourt spoke with us about the early stages of his journey, which culminated in an unexpected. Transition to Italian cuisine (despite being initially trained nearly solely in French cuisine). At the beginning of his adventure into a cuisine that he enjoys. Strives to master on a daily basis, he came across a photograph of an antipasti table displayed in a trattoria.
Pasta Perfection: A Taste of Tuscany
The following course was the pasta course, which was reminiscent of a lunch that Bettencourt and his wife had enjoyed while on a gourmet tour of Tuscany. Tortelli di potato and mushroom tagliatelle were both excellent in terms of flavor and texture. After that, Chef Bettencourt served us an outstanding seafood dish. Which he referred to as his take on a fennel citrus salad and which reflects his current culinary style. He shaved the fennel and topped it with a tapenade made of green olives, house-prepared prosciutto, a perfectly cooked sea scallop. The grapefruit provided a completely novel experience, adding a spicy twist to the dish, while all the components harmonized beautifully, resulting in a wonderfully balanced plate.
The meat course consisted of house made garlic sausage, hanger steak thinly sliced and topped with salsa verde, and pork ribs over roasted fennel and potatoes. All three elements were extraordinary—so full of flavor and melt-in-your mouth tender, especially the rib. Bettencourt again explained that his style is to bring out the flavors of food rather than overwhelm them with sauces or extraneous components.
Conclusion
At the end of the meal, we finished off with tiramisu, but this time with a twist. This home made dessert was not a layered dessert delivered in the form of a rectangular slab, rather, it consisted of ladyfingers that were thoroughly. Saturated with espresso and rum and covered with a mascarpone cream sauce that was really delicious. All of us have, without a doubt, consumed our fair share of the omnipresent tiramisu, but none of it has tasted quite like this.
The best news about this dinner is that it’s the first of three in a celebratory series. The second dinner takes place on Wednesday, February 20. Will feature dishes from 62 Restaurant & Wine Bar’s very first menu. The final meal is Fan Favorites, on March 20. Diners are voting now for their favorite dish from the past five years on Facebook, and the winning dishes will appear on that evening’s menu. The dinner is $62 per person, not including tax or tip. Learn more about the dinners and information on reservations on their website.
Chef Bettencourt’s five-year anniversary made us realize that we launched North Shore Dish just over four years ago. Boy, has the North Shore restaurant scene blossomed since then! Happily some things haven’t changed: one of our earliest posts described a fantastic dinner we had at 62.
62 Restaurant & Wine Bar
62 Wharf St, Salem
(978) 744-0062