Boston– Chef and restaurateur Tiffani Faison and wife/business partner Kelly Walsh will open an adult snack bar – Fool’s Errand – tomorrow, Thursday, August 16, 2018 in Boston.
With an irreverent menu and an intimate, standing-room only experience, Fool’s Errand crosses into new dining terrain. It neighbors Faison and Walsh’s critically acclaimed Sweet Cheeks Q and Tiger Mama on Boylston Street in the Fenway: 1377 Boylston Street Boston MA 02215.
Fool’s Errand is exactly like nowhere else in the United States, and perhaps a bit like some of Faison and Walsh’s favorite European tapas bars found in Paris, Madrid and Barcelona. In Faison style, it will place fun and delicious at the forefront of the guest experience and let everything else follow suit.
“Fool’s Errand is providing a fresh perspective; we’re doing things a little bit differently than we do in the States; and asking that our guests let down their hair, break bread with strangers, and snack to their heart’s content — whether that be a quick bite or the entire night. I am excited by the conviviality and fun of Fool’s; it’s just the right balance of relaxed and raucous, and the kind of evening that Kelly and I crave,” says Faison, Chef, Restaurateur and Co-Owner.
Standing room only — this is a snack bar after all, Fool’s Errand can accommodate 20-30. It is charming and quaint on first take, then witty and playful on closer review. Enter through French country-esque, dark grey doors to find a petite space that is at once homey and full of spirit. Vintage-style crystal chandeliers, cheeky French country wallpaper, and humorous surprises deck out the space. Guests can gather around a wooden bar and watch the kitchen at work, or opt to snack from a small countertop, facing Boylston Street and boasting a retractable window. An al fresco experience is also offered on the patio. Here, while overlooking the Fenway’s ever-changing landscape, guests can snack and mingle at a marble high top table that is made complete with a stainless steel moat stocked with chilled wine and champagne.
Faison and Chef de Cuisine Ellie Roycroft, previously of Tiger Mama, will oversee the menu from a small open kitchen. “It’s as intimate as being in my own house, cooking for friends,” says Faison.
The menu, inscribed on an oversized mirror, works with top quality, even luxurious, ingredients to deliver irreverent bites.
House bread arrives wrapped in butcher paper, but those who adore gluten as much as Faison can take it one step further on the Fancy Finger Sammies and Croquettes sections of the menu. Simple pleasures served in sandwich form include Ham & Butter, Raclette & Summer Truffle, Butter & Gruyere and Seeded Pastrami Salmon & Brillat Savarin. Savory indulgences come in the way of Smoked Beef Tongue, Raclette & House Hots and Crushed Lays. Similarly, Croquettes offer approachable and original options; there is the Italian with Pepperoni, Mozzarella, Shreddy Letty and Italian Vin, the Ham & Cheese with Raclette and Ham Cradle Scraps,and the Pilgrim Cake with Brandade and Gribiche.
Bites & Snacks, served on small, mismatched gold and crystal plates, are purely original and true to Faison’s style. Influences can be traced to her many travels and inspirations, be it classic American, French, Creole, or Southern. The Crispy Potato Mille Feuille is cooked until crispy, and enjoyed with Raclette & Truffle, Lobster Gravy & Uni, or even more decadent accoutrements such as Sour Cream & Royal Imperial Caviar. Ham & Jam on Ritz is a play on salty & sweet in which Benton’s Ham is married with Strawberry Jam and Bailey Hazen Blue. Guests will also enjoy Artichokes in a Jar with Olives & Celery and Sour Cream and Labneh served with crudité.
The Ocean Friends section of the menu is a simple and luxurious experience. You will find New School Caviar Service, a showstopper even before the first bite — a black cake stand houses a pot of caviar, a dollop of sour cream and a bag of Lay’s. Savor the Baja-Style King Crab Mini Tostada with Charred Onion, Cabbage and Lime Crema, Chilled Mussels with Fennel & Burnt Lemon, and Champagne Vinaigrette, and a Lobster Skewer with Crushed Garlic Bread.
Daniel Motsinger serves as Beverage and Hospitality Director; a longtime veteran in Boston, he first worked with Faison over a decade ago at Pigalle before honing his craft at Radius, Sam’s and Giulia. Classic American cocktails, done beautifully and with care, will join a rotating list of thoughtfully sourced wines, fortified wines, and apéritifs. Bubbles and apéritifs may even arrive in crystal glasses that Faison and her mother collected while living in Germany in the 80s.
A few cocktails at the top of Motsinger’s list include the Ill-Repute, a tangy, bitter spritz featuring Evan Williams 86, Wolfberger Wolfamer, fresh apricot, lemon, and chocolate bitters; Mirror, Mirror, a julep made with Calvados, Cyril Zangs “00” eau de vie de cidre, fresh mint, and a dash of Eric Bordelet extra old Calvados, and Heart of an Artichoke (inspired by a famous line delivered by Bette Davis in “All About Eve”), a dry, citrusy martini featuring Motsinger’s favorite Malfy Gin con Limone, La Guita Manzanilla, vodka, vermouth bianco, and a splash of lemon and then garnished with a house preserved artichoke. For those who enjoy sipping on drinks infused with hints of floral, Painted Ladies features Short Path Rosid Rum, egg white, rhubarb shrub, grapefruit and lime juices, and garnished with an edible flower.
Faison opens Fool’s Errand on the heels of several recent career milestones – including a 2018 James Beard nomination for Best Chef: Northeast and numerous appearances as judge on Food Network’s “Chopped.”
Fool’s Errand is open seven days a week from 5pm-1am; the snack bar is standing room only, no reservations.
