Misstropolis

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Raising Dbar in Dorchester

by Rachel Travers

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Dbar is not a restaurant to be taken for granted, even if you live in its Savin Hill, Dorchester neighborhood. This is a “go-to” destination spot whether you live in town or the ‘burbs. The dbar kitchen has been under the competent, creative hands of 23-year-old executive chef Christopher Coombs since February, 2007. His carefully constructed menu, with no entrée over $19.00 and fabulous apps from $7-12, make this deceptively understated spot worth a trek during the week and worth the wait on a weekend. 

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Coombs came to dbar with an already impressive resume that included apprenticeships at Blue Ginger under Ming Tsai and a job at The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia, working with the renowned Patrick O’Connell. Not bad for the kid who began scrubbing pots at a North Shore seafood restaurant at age 12 to pay for his baseball cards, and has loved the kitchen ever since.

Coombs started as dbar’s Sunday chef while he was working at Troquet, in the Theater District. For his Sunday stint he ran a lot of specials, did a lot of theme nights, had a lot of fun and loved that the place wasn’t stuffy or pretentious. He also impressed dbar owner, Brian Piccini, who had grander plans for the decent eats/great drinks/gay bar and part-time nightclub. Piccini convinced Coombs to become his executive chef, giving him carte blanche to do whatever he wanted, with two caveats: all entrées had to be under $19 and there had to be a really good hamburger on the menu (and it couldn’t be kobe or wagyu, either).

So Coombs began cultivating relationships, sourcing with high-end purveyors who could provide the kind of product he wanted to work with and convincing Specialty Foods and a savvy fish vendor that this kid next to Dunkin’ Donuts on Dot Ave. was dead serious about his food. Coombs also pulled out his CIA books and set up a tight inventory system that would allow him to prepare a high-end menu at a low price.

Dbar’s cuisine is New American but French-inspired. Coombs works hard to create balance on the plate – a kind of yin and yang using vegetables as his stars. He even grows some of them, and has an herb garden, around the periphery of the former pub’s roof.

One of the current appetizers is crispy skin duck confit served with mache lettuce with red wine and port-poached pear, candied walnuts, Fourme d’Ambert cheese and bacon-sherry-shallot vinaigrette. In the hands of a less savvy chef, this could have been overkill, and maybe the menu item is a little wordy with ingredients. But one taste dispels any doubt that this is over-layered or even silly. It is clean and well thought-out, and only the bones remain as we devour some of the best duck confit I’ve ever had.

Coombs’ forte is the use of a variety of seasonal vegetables. As my dining partner said of a simple grilled hanger steak dish with stellar sides, “The highlight of this dish for me was everything else! The spring garlic [scapes] were delicious, the succotash with fava beans remarkable. Who knew that pearl onions could be exciting? … And the potato croquette!”

The chef pairs impeccably prepared proteins – the steak, seared scallops, crispy skinned organic chicken, to name a few – with sauces that are all natural reductions. They provide the paint on the plate that helps create his balanced dishes but never appear to dress the main event.

Dbar also features some knockout desserts (grilled pineapple carpaccio with caramel sauce, house-made ice cream and a coconut cookie), a decent wine list and remarkably creative cocktails. Add Dorchester prices to this South End food, and the equation is perfect. The mixed crowd of local clientele – gay, lesbian, and straight – retirees from Milton, stylish urbanites and old Irish residents who years ago would never have stepped into a gay bar, and a hopping late-night scene that includes great sound and lights plus some clever theme nights – make dbar a one-of-a-kind spot. 

Though dbar will stay put, Piccini and Coombs have been looking for a different site and a new backdrop for their winning partnership to shine. They will have a following by then, as well as a new neighborhood to woo. But remember – Christopher Coombs is still one of the youngest Turks in town and a very bright star on the horizon. Hope that they land in your neighborhood.

Photo of dbar staff by Andy Ryan