Lumiere

Go to Lumiere… fast. Michael Leviton, the owner/​chef, is ending his 17 year, 5 star run at the end of Feb. Imagine being at the top of your craft for 17 years. He has done it. His chef will be buying the restaurant so I’m sure it will be fine, but The Star will be gone. Sigh.
We had an amazing meal there last week. My 7 mushroom soup, the scallops on a cauliflower purée, and the apple dessert would go in the record book by themselves. All of my companions said the same thing about their dinners, too.
My test of great restaurants? Their wines by the glass. Interesting wines by the glass mean that you have a good buyer and informed clientele. Lumiere’s wine list is worth the trip alone… quickly.

My wife and I dined here for the first time yesterday night for Valentine’s Day. We arrived a couple of minutes before our 7:45 reservation but had to wait until 8:05 for our table. We couldn’t really complain about it as they were completely full (they did over 150 covers last night!) and folks tend to linger over dinner on such a lovely and romantic occasion. Once seated, we had an excellent dinner experience in every respect. The food was uniformly brilliant, beautifully prepared and presented and delicious. Kate, our server, was kept busy by the crowd but professionally and attentively took good care of us. They offered a set menu with plenty of choices and the general mood of our fellow diners was extreme happiness and contentment. It was not inexpensive at $ 282 before tip but we’ll be back again to try the regular menu and see what the new owners come up with.

I feel baaaaad but it was pretty meh towards the end…
Our appetizers were good… we got the arctic char tartare and the scallops. the scallops were the best dish of the night for sure!!! My friend liked the arctic char tartare but I thought it was just alright, still good though.
The only really shitty part of the dinner was the main course. We got the Niman Ranch steak because both of us really wanted meat… and it was shitty. The cut honestly just tasted cheap and there was a lot of sinewy pieces, making it really chewy. The mushrooms on the side and the sunchoke purée was really good, but the main attraction was the steak and for the price I was pretty annoyed. When I pay something like $ 40 for a steak I expect it at the very least to not be chewy and sinewy and cheap tasting. My friend agreed.
Dessert was pretty meh too, honestly I have had better desserts come from the Whole Foods dessert case.
I just think this place is not worth the money and so did my friend. She’s from NYC and I’m from LA so maybe we have higher standards when it comes to expensive ass food but I think it was really fucking bad to pay that much for a hella lackluster meal.
But what do I expect in really boring suburbs? I just think suburban restaurants are always going to be worse than those in cities… this place just proved that even more. Boo
The service was nice but at times I felt a little rushed? Like it was kinda aggressive? My friend and I took a little time deciding at first and when the waitress came back you could tell she was putting on the nice waitress thing but was actually lowkey like «hurry up and fucking order your drinks why are you taking so long» type vibe… Maybe it’s in my head but idk I can tell when people are aggressive but are trying to hide it.
Probably not gonna return except for getting like 3 orders of the scallops on the appetizer menu.

Great place for dinner in Newton!
There is plenty of space so you won’t be touching elbows with a person at the next table. We had our 1 year old with us and thus needed plenty of space for the high chair. This was not a problem at all. I mentioned this during the reservation process and we had a quiet table in the corner with a lot of privacy.
Service was also great — attentive but not annoying, timely but we never felt rushed. Our water glasses were always refilled at the right moment, and dishes were served without long delays.
Most importantly, the food was excellent. All dishes are solid and well executed French or rather French inspired cuisine. Steak for the main course was perfect medium, and had a lot of flavor which was nicely complemented by mushrooms. Frites were perfectly crisp and had excellent seasoning. Portions are average size, not too small on the one hand and there is space for desert.
Prices for entrees are around 30 – 35 $ which in combination with excellent food quality make for a very appealing value.
Will be back to try other menu items. I heard they change the menu based on the availability of locally sourced ingredients. This can be yet another reason to come back to Lumiere.

Had the five courses tasting menu. It was delicious! Tuna tartare, scallop w/​truffle and foie gras, steak, cheese, and apple tart w/​sour cream sorbet. Need I say more?

I don’t like this place, no. Again I say many cons but my rating suggests how it might be in majorities eyes.
It was a rainy day, Gestazo was closed for God knows what reason. I saw this place bookmarked, so I decided to finish my mission. Parking in front of and behind the restaurant.
It was five thirty, pretty empty. There are people who dressed up and people who didn’t. Some mid-​age people here talking about bussiness, they certainly brought up the class.
Service? Very Waltham. Servers are new, do their job but nothing more. You would expect a better service at a French restaurant. I admit I didn’t dress up for this so it might contribute for the under service. I always have a hard torn finding my server.
I think the problem might be those dishes. I thought I ordered a lamb ribs but it turned out to be a big chunk of meat. The tuna, which is the one dish they proud of, was raw, and that is exactly the ingredient I hate the most in an appetizer. This is my problem, I should have chose more carefully.
There bread is in a square shape. The cookie is nice

Using all-​natural local ingredients is an admirable idea, especially given that they rotate the menu as ingredients become available. Moreover, Lumiere is located in Newton, not in Boston or Cambridge. And for the final topping, Lumiere is a French restaurant. A combination for a winning restaurant in my eyes.
It is a genuine pity for me to report that Lumiere fits «A-​OK» to a T. Frankly, at the price point and with the whole schtick of a locally-​sourced French restaurant, it was almost inevitable that I was disappointed. The food is rather okay but also not particularly French, and that sinks the restaurant. I don’t necessarily think the food is bad, actually, but more think that there’s a mismatch between the expectations and reality, which is an awful silly way for a restaurant to lose stars.
I want more from Lumiere.
As an aside, Lumiere offers parking at the back of the restaurant. It is remarkably poorly lit, or rather not lit at all, and is metered parking until 6pm (I had arrived at 8pm and sunk a few quarters in before I realized parking was free). I will happily admit here that this started me off on a bad foot, but that it is equally ridiculous to rate a restaurant on its parking offerings.

A memorable dinner. We arrived a bit early and ordered the bluefish pâté which was thrilling. We then ordered the shellfish bouillabaisse with a rich tangy roux in a tomato-​based broth. Each piece of shellfish tasted of itself, crab, lobster and shrimp and was cooked perfectly. The rich broth enveloped it and helped pick out the flavors. The chocolate dessert and panna cota were the right way to end this very enjoyable meal.

Service was AMAZING at the bar. We came late on a Saturday and they didn’t have a single table open so we took the only option which was the itty bitty bar. This ended up being a great decision because the bartender was really helpful and nice. We ordered the tuna tartar to start. This was good but I wouldn’t order it again, the tuna wasn’t as fresh as I would have liked. We ordered the swordfish and the steak for dinner. The steak was amazzzing. Perfectly cooked and it was probably the best steak I’ve had in the area. It came with creamed spinach which was also excellent.
Since we ordered fish and steak the bartender recommended half pours of white and red wine. This was a great idea and we were both very pleased.
We also ordered the apple tart with the sour cream ice cream (so light and delicious) and the Dark Chocolate Crémeux. The crémeux was delicious but extremely heavy. The tart was the correct way to end the meal. We struggled to finish the chocolate dessert and felt that it was way too much. then again we did order two desserts: P.

Gee, I feel kind of bad writing a lukewarm review, given all the raves.
We went on a Saturday, with reservations, and were seated promptly with water and really excellent chewy bread rolls, followed by a small sample of some sort of haddock ragout — not really an amuse bouche, just a simple tasting plate. The waitress was super sweet, and helped us pick out a nice, perfumey rose wine, which she poured, but after that we were kind of on our own. They never refilled the water glasses, but it could have been because they were busy.
I ordered haddock, she steered me to seabass, which was nicely prepared but I’m wasn’t sure of the accompaniments because I hadn’t planned to order it; it was a mild purée, maybe turnip, and some diced vegetables in a sauce.
My friend had steak frites. It arrived as ordered, med. rare with a very salty spinach underlying it and excellent fries.
It was fine. The food was good but not «wow» in any way, and not identifiably French. The décor was attractive but not over the top. It’s a decent suburban restaurant, but I don’t really think it’s a special occasion destination.

Last night’s tasting menu was phenomenal, and without a doubt the best meal I’ve had all year. Each preparation was perfectly cooked, with flavors and textures that built upon one another. Truly spectacular experience.

It has been a while since I’ve last dined at Lumiere, definitely a much longer time since I’ve last left a review for this restaurant. But my dining experience here last night nudged me to leave an update to remind Unilocal viewers that their food was still excellent and their menu fresh as ever.
A lot of restaurants start with a bang with the appetizer, but can’t quite follow up on the teaser when it comes to the main course, leaving something to be desired. I have gone to restaurants before to just order off of their appetizer menu like it was a tapas fare. Lumiere is decidedly not one of them.
I started last night with their perfectly seared scallops dish with some kind of a beet purée/​sauce, which was purely delicious. For the main, I had the pork tenderloin and breakfast sausage. It was eye-​rolling good. The generous pork slices were as tender as could be. The mustard greens that came with the dish was surprisingly reminiscent of the south with its strong hock flavor and matched perfectly with the pork. The dark chocolate cremeux dessert was a little on the heavy side, but still tasty with the cashew bits, coconut cream and salted caramel.
Oh, and the corn cake amuse-​bouche at the very beginning was quite a nice touch.

We have been loyal patrons of Lumiere since it opened. It is as good, if not better, than most of the restaurants in downtown Boston. Factoring in the price, it is definitely better. We would always choose to go to Lumiere over any other restaurant.
You will never find a better soup. While most chefs cover up a soup’s inadequacies with salt, Michael Leviton never does. His soups are by far the best we have ever had or will have. End of story.
The waitstaff are all professionals and the kitchen will bend over backwards to accommodate your preferences. Case in point: Scallops are a mainstay of the menu and can be ordered as either an appetizer or main portion. Michael continually changes up their preparation, but I am a fan his original one. Whenever I order the scallops (which is almost every time we go to the restaurant), I always ask if they can be prepared as they were when the restaurant first opened (in 1999!) While they can’t always make them exactly like there were made oh some 16 years ago, they always try to get them pretty close. And they are always delicious.
The steak and chicken are always perfectly prepared and flavorful. A guilty pleasure are the french fries — you will find none better.
There is always a variety of desserts, as well as a cheese plate, and the coffee is always delicious.

UPDATE: The restaurant took issue with my four-​star review. They felt they deserved five stars. Rather than address this in a public reply or a private message, they called my 69-​year-​old father, who paid for the event. He said it made him feel caught in the middle, and I didn’t think that was fair.
Our family had an event catered here at Lumiere. The space is warm and sunny. Bathrooms leave something to be desired. Their wine selection is excellent and the servers were helpful and attentive. Their execution of seafood, particularly shellfish, was impeccable. Vegetable dishes were not particularly exciting. Given the season and the emphasis on seasonal ingredients on the Mediterranean coast of France, we would have expected a more vegetable-​forward menu.

We went to Lumiere with high expectations coming off a recent James Beard Award nomination. Unfortunately it did not quite live up to those expectations but it was still overall an above average experience.
Let’s begin by saying that it certainly does not have the décor or professionalism that a restaurant in downtown would have. Our waitress was extremely nice and friendly, but did not interact with us in the professional manner you come to expect from restaurants of this caliber. That itself was not a problem and we actually enjoyed her fun attitude. On the other hand, the rest of the waiters we interacted with barely spoke; they’d walk up drop a plate and hurriedly walk away. We poured our own wine from a table side bottle all night and water was refilled once after it had been empty for over 30 mins.
The average age of our fellow diners was around 65 and this is not a joke or exaggeration. There was not a single person in the restaurant on a Friday night at 8 that was below the age of 50, besides us. If you don’t want to listen to an old lady talk about her ear wax and while chewing louder than a chainsaw, this might not be the place for you.
The food itself was above average, but decidedly not excellent. We got 4 appetizers (2 specials and 2 regular apps) + 2 main courses.
— Oysters were on special and they were small and briney with a nice topping
— Pork Belly was also on special and it was pretty good but nothing special
— Arctic Char Crudo is apparently one of the signature dishes and it was ok as well. It had a distinctly Asian taste but the flavors did not mix as well as we’d have expected.
— Scallops were cooked perfectly, and the sauce was delicious, they were the highlight of the appetizers
For dinner we had:
— Blue fish with couscous which was light and delicious
— 5 Spiced Duck which was prepared very well and had amazing flavor

Went here based on Unilocal reviews and it didn’t disappoint. About a 10 min drive from the Marriott — parking was a little confusing but we found street parking.
The food was excellent. Our table had a combination of the chicken, sea bass and red fish. All of which were elegantly prepared and tasted wonderful. The asparagus soup and tuna appetizers left us hungering for more.
Wines by the glass were plentiful. Will definitely come back.

Lumiere — Newton, MA — 4÷15÷2015
It may not look like much on the outside but I have a feeling that whatever lay beyond the front doors was something quite spectacular… For parking they share the CVS parking lot across the street. Not knowing this I emptied a dollar fifty into the meter not realizing they don’t enforce after six o’clock…
The inside is quite conservative… A small bar with several small tables and booths… A framed photograph on the wall… Burgundy colored drapes and two sculpted miniature bushes oddly placed against the wall… An older white haired couple, another very interesting couple and a couple with their friend sat nearby. Ordinarilly I don’t make mention of the other patrons but this couple added new dimension to the term «playing footsie»…
I informed my server Briana, as I always do that for tonights dining excursion that I am looking to be wow’d! She immediately started to recite, quite elloquently I might add the courses contained in the Chef’s Sampler…
The rolls… Served warm… A 12 year old sour dough recipe…
Next… Compliments of the chef… a toast point served with a white bean purée topped with the smallest bits of olive and herbs… Mmmm…
The Chef’s sampler…
Course number one…
Albacore Tuna Tartare… Preciously accompanied by Avocado, Cucumber & Ginger and a Tamari-​Sesame Vinaigrette… What a wonderful pairing of flavours… It was a perfectly sculpted dish…
Course number two…
Hand Harvested Stonington Maine «Diver Terry» Sea Scallop…
Za’atar, Roasted Carrot Hummus, Tahini, Pickled Beets and Cucumber Vinaigrette…
Course number three…
Five Spice Long Island Duck Breast…
Rhubarb-​Hoisin Purée, Rhubarb & Peanut Salad, Duc Jus… Probably one of the best prepared servings of Duck I have ever had…
And at Briana’s suggestion… a Ginger Beer pairing… This is the only restaurant in over two years to offer this beverage… It brought me back to my youth as my mom used to make Ginger Beer for us at home…
Course number four…
Cheese…
Jasper Hill Farms «Moses Sleeper»
Pear-​Black Pepper Compote, Cider Reduction, Candied Pistachios & Five Fields Honey…
Course number five…
Dessert…
Dark Chocolate Soufflé Cake…
Coconut Sorbet, Candied Macademia Nuts and Rum Caramel…
This was an absolute gem of a find… Edible Art most accurately describes it… I could literally picture each dish featured as a centerfold in PlayFood Magazine… If you are a Foodie… As I am a major Foodie…, This is your place! A must stop on the Gastronomic Trail!

YumyumyumYUM! So I haven’t had dinner here yet, but I came specifically for the chocolate soufflé as this was the only place I could find that carried it near Wellesley. Their service is satisfactory for a somewhat nice restaurant. It’s not fine dining so this place isn’t over the top expensive, but it is definitely pricier than the normal everyday sandwich shop kind of place. I had their chocolate soufflé for an after dinner dessert. Upon serving it, the chef actually came out herself to place it on our table and offered us some milk to go with it! I thought that was the sweetest thing ever. Not to mention absolutely delicious. Chocolate + milk? I think so. If it weren’t 15 – 20 minutes away from me I would come here everyday for my nightly bedtime snack.

I think Lumiere can be transcendent but it is perhaps so perfect that I expect everything to be above my expectations. I find their wines by the glass to be uninspired and from a selection of 5 or 6 whites I can barely find one that I want to stick with. The bread also is just good. It IS served with cold butter which I always appreciate, but 2 selections might be nice if the 1 choice isn’t going to be extraordinary.
On a recent visit my fish was served on a bed of odd greens. The best thing I could say about them is that I didn’t know what they were — cress like, I guess. Despite their obscurity they were tasteless and did nothing to enhance the dish.
Our waiter looked and sounded like Arnold Schwarzenegger and was a bright light in a good experience that hauls have been a bit better.

It’s been a while since I last reviewed Lumiere. It is still the best restaurant in Newton even with the arrival of Sycamore and Farmstead which are also very good.
For this meal the amuse-​bouche was a cold tomato based soup. It was wonderful. I had the Lumiere salad appetizer and the bass fish entrée. Both were excellent. The chocolate soufflé dessert with hazelnuts and chocolate gelato was a perfect ending to the meal.
My only issue with Lumiere is that it’s hard to find a red wine I like. They tend to be pretty tannic which is probably due to the taste buds of their wine selector. I stick with mixed drinks there which are well made.
We will keep returning to Lumiere for their excellent food, atmosphere, value and service.

I agree with a previous review, that this is much more French inspired than actual French cuisine. I found the food to be of decent quality, just a bit salty for my taste and a bit underwhelming Also, the wine list is all over the place, a lot from California. I think there are a lot of excellent French wines that would be much better than some of the domestics they choose to offer.
I couldn’t help but notice that the table next to me who were seated before me and had already finished their wine, did not get their food until after I had been served. The restaurant was not busy, being that it’s a Sunday night in August. My server from what I gathered explained that there had been some sort of mix up, and they received their steaks after I was halfway done with my meal. What bothered me was that from where I was seated I could see the serving staff milling around behind the bar, chins resting on their hands. Not exactly what I want to watch for my entire meal. In food service there is always something to do or chore to tend to. Service seemed friendly but untrained. No one came over to ask me if I needed anything or how I was enjoying my meal. The quality plus price plus service is a solid three stars.

Frankly, I came into a dinner here with relatively low expectations: it seemed a bit too stuffy, a bit too pricey, a bit too boring/​French for me to really be thrilled. But my experience here proved me wrong.
The atmosphere did seem a bit older and on the stuffy side when we first arrived (typical Newton), but there was a cool semi-​open kitchen, and our server was delightful and full of positivity and energy, which really helped liven/​freshen up the experience (if that makes sense?). I also always love a commitment to seasonal and local ingredients, and you definitely see that here.
We began the meal with hot rolls and a complimentary amuse bouche of potato and leek soup, which was really tasty. The three of us shared a first course of roasted carrots with yogurt and charmoula, and they were delicious, albeit pricey for $ 14. I did think it was a bit strange to have just carrots as an app, and I wasn’t terribly intrigued by the other app options either, but that’s just personal preference.
My striped bass entrée was one of the best and most memorable pieces of fish I think I’ve had… the perfectly cooked fillet was topped with the most delicious crispy skin, and surrounded by brussel sprouts with bacon and apple chunks and some kind of apple jam reduction. I’m so often generally pleased yet never mind-​blown when I order fish at a restaurant, but this entrée totally changed that for me. The whole plate was really delicious and merited a desire to lick the plate (I didn’t, but wanted to), and *almost/​sort of/​just about* seemed worth the $ 32 price tag (I’m cheap though, so keep that in mind). We also split a side of $ 8 french fries, and they were pretty solid, no complaints (especially when dipped into the jus of bacon and apple on my plate, mmm).
I have a sweet tooth and rarely fail to enjoy dessert of any kind (unless it’s a cheese course, which should never replace real dessert IMO!), but so often the desserts on offer at restaurants are run-​of-​the-​mill, tasty but mediocre/​unmemorable. Not here: we split the Chocolate Soufflé Cake w/​Salted Caramel Ice Cream & Toasted Almond and marshmallow sauce (someone else took a pic of it here), and for once, it was actually a really good, memorable dessert totally worth the calories. It had a little bit of everything flavor– and texture-​wise, and was really balanced and interesting while still being familiar and hitting the spot.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with my dinner here. On the expensive side to be sure, but I’d be really happy to return for a special occasion or Restaurant Week (or anytime someone else is paying!).

You know those restaurants you keep trying to go to, but for whatever reason, you seem to miss? Lumiere is one of those places for me. After living in Boston for years, I never went. I move to NYC, and find myself at an area hotel and whammo! I saw an opening and pounced! I am glad I did such pouncing as well.
I came in there solo and sat at the little bar they have in the back corner. I was greeted warmly by the bartender and got myself a rum and coke to start. This place is French and upscale, but they are very friendly and approachable about their food and service. They really care about the food and that you enjoy what you are eating. When I asked for a rum, they gave me a run down of their different rums without being snooty about it.
On the food side, they started with an amuse bouche of something with fish. I explained my fish allergy to the bartender. He profusely apologized (like he was supposed to know or something) and they brought me another right away. It was a roasted corn soup that was simply sublime. Delicious. For dinner, I had a steak dish that was fantastic. They were really keen to make sure I was enjoying my dinner. I really enjoyed that.
It is rare that a restaurant not only takes incredible care putting together an excellent menu, but also really cares if you like the food and are enjoying the whole experience — all without any snobbery or attitude.
I really like Lumiere. Why the heck did I wait so long to eat here?