The fresh peas were even better on a dinner of grilled salmon ($16), itself quite underdone. The garnish was real Thai jasmine rice (could have been cooked longer), and also large snap-pea stems served as a dressed salad. (Regular readers have been eating these sautéed in Cantonese restaurants for some years now.) There was also a killer aioli. This garlic mayonnaise can be harsh, but the Alchemist chef has transmuted it into silken smoothness and mild, sweet flavor. The roasted half chicken ($15) is done as comfort food, with lots of great, goopy gravy. There’s only a bit of porcini stuffing to one side, but a nice portobello mushroom makes up for it; plus, it comes with garlicky mashed potatoes all over, with creamy (and perhaps a little cheesy) spinach for something green. A side dish of grilled asparagus ($3) brought only seven undergrilled pieces of sub-pencil caliber.
On the sandwich menu, the open steak sandwich ($12) is slices of well-flavored, somewhat chewy steak to order, perhaps chuck steak, plus a grilled hot pepper and superb French fries. You can add toppings like caramelized onions for another 75 cents. The sirloin burger ($12) is outstanding, and I would suggest it over the steak.
The wine list has only 24 bottles, almost all available by the glass. My favorite glass was the 2005 McWilliams merlot ($6) from Australia, with one of the few aromas that gets my weak nose to three adjectives: black currant, cherry, and coffee. I also liked the Whitehaven 2005 sauvignon blanc ($8), tart but with the full New Zealand nose of tropical fruit and spice. Hitching Post 2000 “Generation Red” ($9), from one of the actual locations of the movie Sideways, probably wouldn’t have impressed the Paul Giamatti character, but maybe my pour came from a bottle that had been open too long. That was likely the case with another California non-contender, William Roan viognier 2005 ($8). They weren’t bad, just soft and nondescript. I did find an off-putting aftertaste in my draft of Sam Adams Summer Ale, a light brew that apparently doesn’t always last into September. Coffee ($2) and decaf ($2) are roasted in Jamaica Plain at the JP Licks ice-cream store, and my decaf was truly outstanding. Tea ($2), made loose-leaf in a filter pot, is also terrific; both hot drinks are best buys.
The Alchemist Lounge has only three desserts (all $5): a Guinness float with JP Licks vanilla-bean ice cream, a chocolate mousse with a hint of cinnamon that I liked a lot, and strawberries with ricotta cream. This last one could be a real winner with seasonal peaches (and then apples), as the ricotta cream is a dreamy concoction with some of the flavor of both cream and ricotta.
The crowd at the Alchemist is young, local, rather diverse, and loud in this environment. Don’t plan on a lot of table talk after about 9 pm. Live music and karaoke will be increasingly featured at the bar. Our servers were very good. One noticed my barely touched beer and asked if I wanted something else. I did (and both drinks appeared on the bill). Silver was changed between courses — not typical of bar restaurants or many bistros.
Alchemist Lounge, 435 South Huntington Avenue, Jamaica Plain | Daily, 5 pm–1 am | AE, DI, MC, VI | Full bar | No valet parking | Sidewalk-level access | 617.477.5741
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Robert Nadeau: RobtNadeau@aol.com
