Unfortunately, a water main break in the Financial District of the city had brought many restaurants in the area to a standstill, and Radius would be no different. The day of my reservation I received a phone call from a nice young lady who informed me that the restaurant would be closed. She suggested I might be interested in trying out one of the other places that shares the same ownership. I said sure and asked which would be the best bet. I told her I had been interested in the Radius tasting menu.

Although both of the other places they own offer tasting menus, she suggested Great Bay was closest in style to Radius. I had never heard of Great Bay, but I'm willing to try most anything. The worst that can happen is that I will find myself an excuse to depart mid-meal if I am severely disappointed (and that rarely happens).

In this case, I have to thank serendipity for a great gift. I ended up having a tremendous dining experience that I would never have had otherwise. I might never have made it to Great Bay, in fact, but for this turn of events.

Upon taking my seat in the spacious dining room (yes, I dine solo at tables with no regrets), the manager brought me a complimentary glass of champagne with apologies that Radius had been unable to honor my reservation. This was a nice touch, as Radius obviously had no control over the situation. The young lady I had spoken with on the phone that afternoon had also passed along my interest in a tasting menu, and the manager assured me that they could offer something quite delicious.

He was right. I enjoyed seven delightful courses before I finally cried "Uncle!" and indicated I was quite full. The meal began with a heavy focus on raw seafood, starting with oysters topped with shrimp and American caviar. Next up some ceviche and then three different kinds  of sashimi.

I then enjoyed the fruits of the ocean with a bit of heat applied, including a perfectly cooked diver scallop with shitake mushroom puree and ramps. This was followed by an intriguing dish: skate wing over pastrami and beans. There was just enough pastrami to add an interesting salty note, but not so much as to overpower the fish. The final fish course would be halibut with a green garlic crust. 

These first six courses were a great tour of some of the best seafood I have enjoyed in a single sitting, but there was one more dish to come. Throughout the course of the meal, I had the chance to chat with Chef Adam Fuller and we discussed everything from food to the Red Sox (my reservation was on the later side and there was a game at nearby Fenway which apparently causes a bit of a lull as many locals try to avoid the area on game nights).

Based on our conversations, Chef Fuller thought I might enjoy a thorough tasting of lamb. Not just any lamb mind you, but one that he had brought in from a local Massachusetts farm and had butchered that very day. Talk about fresh! On the plate in front of me there were five different preparations, including a rillette, breast, and chop. Even though I was quite full at this point, I enjoyed a bit of each before calling it a night. 

Just as satisfying as the meal itself was the fact that Chef Fuller helped make the following night's dinner particularly enjoyable as well -- even though it wasn't at Great Bay. From our talk he knew that I am a big fan of offal (things like brain and sweetbreads) so he suggested I check out KO Prime, helmed by a good friend of his, Chef Jamie Bissonnette. That, too, was a memorable experience, but that's a story for another day.