Brunch at Marliave: almost completely healthy

Recently we realized that while weeks of torrential rain suggested the world was stuck in spring, time was nonetheless creeping inexorably toward the end of summer. And with that realization came the awareness that we'd done very little al fresco dining.

So one suspiciously cloudless Sunday, we went into Boston for brunch at Marliave.

We ate at Marliave when it first reopened last year; this was the first time we'd been able to sit out on the patio.

A less optimistic diner might say the patio is marred for being down a narrow side-street with a view of trash cans and the back of the Omni Parker hotel. But its location also means you get the rare experience of sitting outside a restaurant in downtown Boston in relative peace: no traffic, no pedestrians.



Marliave has a nice cocktail menu, with simple ingredients used wisely. Here's the Waterloo (Bombay Sapphire, champagne, lemon, sugar):



But don't worry; cocktails aside, we had a very healthy lunch. The Boy went for prosciutto-wrapped figs stuffed with blue cheese (with salad! See, salad!).



And I got the deconstructed Niçoise, which was small but perfectly formed, every ingredient joyfully at the peak of its flavor:



So, see? Healthy. Salad.

Okay, so we had dessert. The Boy had the Boston Cream Pie (light and airy, yet rich and decadent).



And I tried scoops of the ginger and lavender ice cream. They were good, but for my preference not explosive enough; I was hoping for pepper in the former and bright floral in the latter. Still, pretty.



And that was it. A reasonably healthy brunch. Vegetables, etc.

What? Hiding something? Me?

Oh, okay. There may have been an appetizer. The rarebit.

It may have involved a small amount of cheese and just a sprinkle of bacon.



There may have been a need for thick slices of toast to mop it up.



(Quick, over here! Salad!)