Boston's DEUXAVE does it well but too also overdoes it! (10-11-25)

 We arrived in Boston a day before our opera performance to ensure no delays and chose to dine at the elegant and classy DEUXAVE. On arrival, we were warmly greeted and impressed by the cozy feel, super comfy tall back seats with little lumbar pillows and the excellent service. Deuxave is elegant French, but the one big problem was BIG..the portions are huge. The place was full of all kinds of people and seating were occurring up to our departure at 10pm, so its popularity is undisputed. We were handed tasting menus and asked to see the a la carte as the tasting seemed t be five HUGE courses to start; that should have been a hint. Will ordered a glass of rose and I settled on a bottle of red for the two of us for the rest of dinner which was an excellent Burgundy from Domaine Martin-Dufour "Chemissine" 2022 Chorey-les-Beaune full of fruit and great body to boot.

Amuses of Honeynut Pumpkin Soup with Achiote and crushed nuts were yummy to start and the bread was simple and warm.

Leidy our server was super enthusiastic and recommended the Beets and Brie Salad to start which Will chose and while not monstrous, it was large loaded with gooey Brie, pumpkin butter, super sweet Warren Pears, Pomegranate Gastrique, 8-Brix Vinaigrette and Greens. I could not resist the Duet of Prime Beef, which at first I thought was a steak main course, but indeed was paired tartare and carpaccio that was superb indeed, but alas the portion was main course sized. A full large plate covered with Peppercorn-crusted Wagyu Carpaccio had a large cylinder of Prime New York Sirloin Tartare at the center with cured egg yolk, greens, pickled fennel salad (3 little pieces which was fine by me), Crispy Maitake Mushrooms, Parmesan Chips (as in potato chips) and Anchovy Aioli. I loved it all, but immediately called of Leidy and told her to change my scallop main course to a starter of Duck Confit, a super-wise move as I saw all the mains coming out nearby which were indeed humongous portions.

Will had the Spiced Rohan Duck Breast with Black Sesame Spätzle, Savoy Cabbage Choucroute, Wild Mushroom Mix, Compressed Gooseberry Tahini, Spiced Gooseberry Puree and Sauce Robert and if this sounds like too, alas it was. The duck was superb, but the conglomeration of sauces marred the duck a tad, so Will just ate the duck after tasting the rest. I was thrilled that I changed from the huge scallop dish to a Crispy DUck Confit starter with Watercress Salad and Cashew Puree. The confit was sublime with a skin as crunchy and crispy as could be. Alas the salad was way overdressed, and I really did not need th cashew puree, although it was okay, as the duck was so great. Another fruit puree was also overdose.

We decided to skip dessert, but Leidy showed up shortly with a plate of small mignardises for Will with HAPPY BIRTHDAY on it and a plate of three excellent sorbets with HAPPY ANNIVERSARY on it! I loved the apple cider, red plum and especially the black current sorbets as they were so light and flavorful. So, while we loved the decor and location from the quilted pillars to the floor to ceiling windows and warmth of the locale, the portions were so overwhelming and sauces so much that it was just a tad too much.