A mid-day meeting in the building next door gave us the opportunity to try Trade on Atlantic Avenue at an off hour, when we hoped the sound level would allow conversation.
Flatbread with lamb sausage with eggplant, Manchego, peppers, and garlic yogurt
Every report we had heard on this new venture for long-time Boston Chef Jodie Adams had been filled with warnings about the noise level. A deal-breaker for us. But, we had also heard that the small plates and flatbreads were worth a try.
Pomegranate glazed eggplant with capers, olives and pine nuts
Our post-lunch, pre-dinner meal was delicious. We followed the recommendations of the crew over at Chowhound, and especially outstanding food scout MC Slim JB, and ordered the eggplant small plate and the lamb flatbread. Both were outstanding with deep, rich flavor profiles. We both love sheep's milk cheese and were happy with the flavor the Manchego lent to the flatbread.
Head-on shrimp with piri piri sauce.
We went off on our own to add the head-on shrimp that were new to the menu, according to our server. Penny loves head-on shrimp. In this case, the sauce overwhelmed the shrimp. It was a good sauce but didn't allow the shrimp to shine.
(Click a thumbnail above to see other views of Trade.)
As you can see, we had the place pretty much to ourselves. But, even with an empty room, the music was not to our taste and didn't add a positive note to our meal. But, we could converse easily.
Will we return? We may, when we happen to be in this part of town, about this time of day. There were more items on the menu we wanted to try. And, if we stop and just have one or two small plates and a glass of wine, we can be gone before the whiny vocals drive us to the street.
Hey Trade, how about a quiet night once in a while with some soft instrumental jazz? It could open up a whole new group of customers for this (and other) loud restaurants.
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino
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