Bliss

Bliss Restaurant Review:

Mark Bliss, who cut his culinary teeth with Biga’s Bruce Auden, opened his long-awaited eponymous restaurant in a lovingly converted and expanded ex-service station in Southtown. The small vestibule bar is a good place to start with a lapidary plate of charcuterie or either the oyster sliders or the duck spring rolls with a dipping sauce that suggests a wine with a touch of sweetness. There are almost enough wines by the glass on a list that’s notable for not being knee-jerk. Main menu plates vary seasonally if not weekly, and the likes of a snapper filet or whole Mediterranean branzino with ratatouille and grilled artichokes have been known to please. A salad with both red and yellow beets, however, can be perhaps too precious, and the chile rub on a serving of “pork and beans” might strike some as tentative, but much can be forgiven with the emergence of a double-duck (seared breast and confit) plate served with seared foie gras. Desserts, which have included a handsomely presented chocolate mousse and a meringue-topped Key lime pie, and service both bring smiles.