Forum - New addition to Boylston St.

Nick and I had reservations to go to 94 Mass Ave during their "renovation" with two other couples, so when we got a call cancelling those plans my friend S immediately made reservations at Forum, a brand new restaurant in the old Vox Populi space.  We happened to be going on one of those really hot and humid summer evenings, so needless to say, Nick and I were really happy to walk into the air conditioned comfort of a completely transformed space.  The first floor looks totally different from what Vox was: you can actually move fluidly along the bar and not run into those annoying poles because now they are contained within the bar!  The downstairs area is great for grabbing a drink and catching up.  There are a few tables down there, both high and low, but we were sat upstairs (which was also completely transformed.) 

Source - Forum

After having a drink downstairs and cooling off a bit, we sat at our table and grabbed some more cocktails and wine to continue the evening.  I went with the Far East Bubbles, which was made with prosecco, green chartreuse, aloe and honey.  This was a really refreshing drink and perfect for a hot evening.

Far East Bubbles

Shortly after our drinks arrived, our server brought over a basket with two different types of bread: a raisin and a traditional hearty white.

Breads

Rather than just butter, we were given a trio of butter, olive oil and crushed pepper, and hummus.  All had good flavor and turned the bread really into its own mini course rather than just something to tide you over before the main dishes.

Trio of spreads

While the menu is not large, they have a number of good options.  To start, S ordered the Raviolo, which was all over Yelp as being a great option.  The raviolo was made with bacon, ricotta, farm fresh egg yolk and black truffles.  This was definitely a dish that was tough to split, but a yummy dish nonetheless. 

Raviolo

For main courses the group ended up ordering a variety of things.  S and I both ordered the short ribs with jalapeno polenta, summer squash with a red wine sauce.  The short ribs were cooked perfectly.  Even though there was no bone in this rather large serving, the meat stayed juicy and tender!  I loved the polenta - it was actually the part that pushed me to order it.  The jalapeno really came through and had a good flavor accenting the polenta well without being overpowering.  I would highly recommend this dish. 

Short Ribs

Nick went with the scallop dish that came with corn, chorizo, shiitakes and cilantro.  The scallops were a large size, and even though there were not many of them the dish itself was pretty filling.  The chorizo, corn and mushroom combination was tasty, offering a great contrast in textures in each bite. 

Scallops

M ordered the pork tenderloin, which was well cooked - the meat was moist and tender throughout.

Pork Tenderloin

J went with the Ricotta Gnocchi - something I recently had and loved.  The texture of these gnocchi is so much lighter than the traditional potato gnocchi.  I really love the flavor and the texture of the ricotta.

Ricotta Gnocchi

Finally, E ordered the beef wellington, which was a bit of a deconstructed version.  While different, the flavors were all still there, including a nice bit of puff pastry (my favorite part of the beef wellington - of course!)

Beef Wellington

Overall the food was really good and the accompanying sides had a lot of great flavor.  The drink menu had a bunch of original and flavorful drinks to enjoy.  For being a new place the service was impressive, and at one point the manager came over to check in on our table to see how things were going. 

The renovations to the space have really made the restaurant and bar area much more usable compared to the Vox Populi set up.  I look forward to seeing how things at Forum work out.