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The Basics: The Bristol Lounge restaurant information

The Bristol Lounge

200 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02116
617-351-2037

The Bristol Lounge restaurant information
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Just a short walk from Boston’s Theater District, The Bristol Lounge is an ideal spot to grab a bite to eat or drop in for desserts, before or after a show. The inviting room, with its spectacular view of the Public Garden, comfortable club chairs and cozy fireplace is perfect for lingering over cocktails and dinner. On Thursday through Saturday nights, the casually elegant mood is enhanced by classical piano and light jazz.

The Bristol Lounge has received Gourmet magazine’s Top Table award in the category Top for Drinks and is also the winner of Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston award for “Best Martini.”

News and Events at The Bristol Lounge restaurant

International Chocolate Day at The Bristol
Feeling blue about change in seasons? On Monday, September 13th, give your mood a little boost at The Bristol Lounge ...

Oysters & Pearls Party at Bristol Lounge
On Thursday, August 5th, celebrate National Oyster Day at the Bristol Lounge where they're teaming up with Pageo Pearls ...

Cocktails Take Center Ring at the Bristol Lounge
In preparation for Cirque du Soleil's arrival at the Waterfront on Sunday, July 22nd, The Bristol Lounge is introducing ...

Tim Fonseca

Executive Pastry Chef at The Bristol Lounge

Chef Tim Fonseca at The Bristol Lounge

Executive Pastry Chef Tim Fonseca's culinary career started as a child with his natural inclination for hard work and interest in the arts. At twelve years old, Fonseca worked for a mom-and-pop restaurant doing whatever possible to be part of the kitchen activity, announcing his plan to be a chef one day. He continued to pursue his plan by attending the culinary program at a local vocational high school.

During high school, Fonseca competed in pastry design contests, which led to a gold medal in the Massachusetts state finals. His teachers also noticed his artistic talents and steered him toward a pastry career. His talent made itself apparent when, asked to decorate a cake for a client, Fonseca, with no guidance from teachers and never having done one before, gave it a try. The cake turned out so perfectly that he soon began to receive numerous cake orders. Newbury College Culinary Arts Program was a natural next step for Fonseca, followed by specialized courses at Johnson & Wales University.

After laying the groundwork in college, Fonseca began his career at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge where he became Assistant Pastry Chef at nineteen years old and Executive Pastry Chef by age twenty one. Some of his other stints before landing at Four Seasons Hotel Boston include the Jalouise Plantation Resort in St. Lucia, West Indies and Wildflower Bakery in Providence, Rhode Island.

Fonseca's creative spirit can be seen daily in any of the dining venues at Four Seasons Hotel Boston. He oversees the development, creation and execution of breads, pastry and desserts for The Bristol Lounge, In-Room dining and banquet events. Fonseca's sweets range from fine dining delicacies to comfort food favorites. Since joining Four Seasons in 1998 as Chef Patissiere at Aujourd'hui, Fonseca has helped maintain the hotel and restaurant AAA Five Diamond status as well as receiving awards from Boston Magazine and the Food Network.

In his personal life, Fonseca pursues a second career in music. Thus far, he has recorded and produced two contemporary R&B records and was nominated for a Boston Music award in 1995. "My music career comes in handy at work too. When we need to make someone feel extra special, I'm there serenading them with dessert in hand," Fonseca said of his dual careers.

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Aïoli
1. noun A blend of ail (garlic) and oli (oil) in the parlance of the Provence region of southern France. Around here, we'd call it a garlic mayonnaise.
Brioche
1. noun A soft, yeasty French bread enriched with butter and eggs.
Carpaccio
1. noun Wafer-thin slices of raw beef served cold; named after the Renaissance Venetian painter.
Ceviche
1. noun Raw fish and/or shellfish in a citrus marinade.
Champ
1. noun An Irish favorite of mashed potatoes, green onions and butter.
Charcuterie
1. noun The French term for delicatessen-style items.
Chorizo
1. noun Crumbly, spiced pork sausage.
Cipollini
1. noun Small, yellowish onions that add sweet and savory accents to cooked dishes.
Compote
1. noun Slow-cooked fruit in syrup.
Concassé
1. noun A coarsely chopped or ground mix.
Confit
1. noun Meat (usually goose, duck or pork) that is slowly cooked in its own fat and preserved with the fat packed around it as a seal.
Crème anglaise
1. noun Rich custard sauce, often used as a topping or plating accompaniment to fruits and pastries.
Emulsion
1. noun The mixture of two liquids that cannot normally combine smoothly (e.g., oil and water). Mayonnaise and hollandaise are two familiar emulsions.
Ganache
1. noun A rich mixture of chocolate and crème fraîche frequently used as a filling for cakes.
Gazpacho
1. noun A Spanish soup served chilled, originally a puree of cucumber, tomato, onion, bell pepper, celery, vinegar, breadcrumbs, olive oil and garlic.
Gratin
1. noun Any dish covered with cheese or buttered breadcrumbs and baked or broiled.
Hollandaise
1. noun An emulsion of egg yolks, lemon juice and hot melted butter, the smooth, rich sauce is often an accompaniment to vegetable, fish and egg dishes.
Infuse
1. noun The flavor extracted from herbs, spices, tea or coffee by steeping them in boiling water. The liquid derived from the process of infusing is also called an infusion.
Jus
1. noun French for juice, jus also refers to the unthickened juices from a piece of roasted meat.
Kaffir lime
1. noun A type of tree bearing dark green leaves used in cooking, and small, bright green, wrinkled-looking citrus fruit.
Mascarpone
1. noun Ultra-rich, soft cheese known best for its role in tiramisu.
Pancetta
1. noun Cured Italian bacon.
Pesto
1. noun An Italian sauce traditionally made with basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and Romano and Parmesan cheeses.
Polenta
1. noun A slow-cooked cornmeal porridge popular in northern Italy; can be served soupy or firm, sometimes fried.
Prix fixe
1. noun French for fixed price, a complete meal that features a limited number of selections at a preset price.
Quiche
1. noun A savory, open-faced pie made from cheese and eggs.
Ragu
1. noun Tomato and meat sauce from Bologna.
Risotto
1. noun Italian dish made from rice cooked by intermittently adding small amounts of stock or broth. Other ingredients are added as required.
Rocket
1. noun See "Arugula."
Shiitake
1. noun Bold and meaty, these are called "black mushrooms" on Chinese menus.
Tagliatelle
1. noun What they call fettuccine born in northern Italy.
Tamarind
1. noun A bittersweet spice made by drying and pressing the pulp from the fruit of the tamarind tree native to Asia and northern Africa.
Tartare
1. noun Ground or finely chopped, seasoned raw meat (traditionally beef). May or may not come mounded, and with a raw egg.
Tomatillo
1. noun A diminutive green relative of the tomato.