South End Buttery

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Our friends just moved to the South End this past weekend and suggested we all go to the South End Buttery – you don’t have to twist my arm! Originating as a bakery & café, the Buttery quickly grew into an all around restaurant serving brunch, dinner, and gourmet take out lunch. We walked through the bakery to the hostess stand (I averted my eyes) and were led downstairs to our table. I was immediately impressed with the décor and couldn’t wait to check out the American/English comfort food menu.

decor

decor

Bread: Served in a small silver bowl were 4 pieces of herb focaccia, with EVOO on the side. A great way to start the meal, and I would have eaten another piece had we not ordered parmesan-garlic fries for the table 😉

bread

bread

Menu: Starters, Mains, and Sides – should be a pretty simple decision, but the side dishes that came with the entrees were controlling me! The turkey burger was topped with guacamole & chipotle aioli, the salmon had a side of tabbouleh, and the hake came with lobster mac & cheese! I realized that lobster mac & cheese is a rarity and went with the Silver Hake. The Spicy Butternut Squash Soup to start was no brainer.

parmesan-garlic fries

parmesan-garlic fries

Presentation/Taste:
Parmesan-Garlic Fries with truffle aioli: Our friend Sophia asked if we wanted to share the regular fries or the parm-garlic fries – another no brainer! Piping hot and the perfect cut (I don’t like big, beefsteak type fries). Came with chipotle or truffle aioli, we had the latter and was not disappointed.
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup – hazelnut brown butter / ginger crema / crispy parsley: Served in a deep bowl, topped with beautiful swirls of ginger crema and what I believe was sunflower seeds, which was a great addition of texture. I’m not positive what the ‘spicy’ ingredient(s) were, but it added a small kick & distinctive taste.
Chatham Silver Hake – lobster mac & cheese / parsley-lemon bread crumbs / braised leeks: So I discovered that I don’t like hake. I thought I’d be safe with choosing a white fish, but let’s be honest, I really just wanted that lobster mac & cheese! I pushed the fish aside and focused on the main attraction – large fusilli pasta with a light cheese sauce and large chunks of lobster. The portion was so large I couldn’t even finish it, which was a shame b/c it was so delicious.

hake w lobsert mac & cheese

hake w lobsert mac & cheese

Bathroom: Simple & plain, but I will give them props for the super Dyson airblade hand dryer!

bathroom

bathroom

Wait Staff: Our drinks took a little longer to be delivered then normal, but otherwise we had a pleasant evening with our waiter.

Overall: Small & cozy, which completely worked for this establishment. I felt like we were in someone’s basement with the leather booths (complete with pillows!) and large photographs of dogs decorating the stone walls. All we needed to do was light a fire & I would have felt right at home. Dinner portions were generous & the prices were reasonable with barely any entrees hitting the $20 mark. I can’t wait to go back for a latte & a cupcake!

 The Perfect Bite: I may sound like a broken record but I have to go with the Spicy Butternut Squash Soup.

spicy butternut squash soup

spicy butternut squash soup

http://www.southendbuttery.com/site/

Market

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Last year my friend went to Market in the W Hotel just after it’s opening and said it was a must, so it’s been on my “To-Eat” list ever since. The W itself is quite modern and chic, located on Stuart Street in the Back Bay, and Market wasn’t any different. The dining room on Thursday evening was packed and lively, as was the bar located in the back of the room. While we were not seated in a booth, I have to make note of the fold down arm rests; I’ve never seen that before and I was thoroughly impressed/excited!

Bread: Sour dough, yum! Served in slices with a small round of softened butter. They refilled our basket automatically, which is a plus b/c 90% of the time people want more bread.

bread

bread

Menu: Divided into 7 sections featuring: Simply Raw, Pizza, Appetizers, Fish, Meat, Simply Cooked, and Sides. I was a bit torn b/c they had entrees under the Fish and Meat sections complete with sauce & sides, and then similar Simply Cooked items that were served a la carte and required you to choose a Side. After much deliberation among the soup, salad and entrée choices, I finally made a decision.

cheese fritters

cheese fritters

Presentation/Taste:
Cheese Fritters: The boys ordered these for the table so of course I had to try a bite. Basically just fancy mozzarella sticks in ball form. They were warm, gooey, and quite cheesy! 😉
Butternut Squash Soup: My bowl was set in front of me containing small chunks of butternut squash and then a server poured the soup at the table. I ordered it sans mushrooms (b/c chucks of shrooms scare me) and I’m sure it was just as delicious! I love soup, chunky or not, and this is definitely a fall favorite.
Yellowfin Tuna Steak: I ordered this “simply cooked” which meant it was only accompanied by lemon and some peppers. The steak was definitely smaller than I was expecting, but it was cooked just as I asked, seared on the outside and rare on the inside.

yellowfin tuna steak

yellowfin tuna steak

Bathroom: Really pretty counter tops and blue tiled accents around the mirrors, which unfortunately were ‘fat mirrors’ (girls, you know what I’m talking about – at least the full length was forgiving). Multiple stalls with dark wooden doors.

bathroom

bathroom

Wait Staff: Our waitress was fantastic as she was able to deal with our crazy & loud crowd (and throw in a few 1-liners herself)! Even when we had a major issue with the bill which ended up being our fault, she was understanding (upon receiving the check we noticed that the 2 bottles of wine we ordered at $25 a pop were in fact double that price – turns out we were looking at the ½ bottle page…).

Overall: The portions are small. The prices are on the high side. And it doesn’t help that most items require you to order a side or an app to go with it in order to make a full meal. I have no complaints about the taste, but the size of the meals were disappointing; my poor friend Jess ordered the Beet Salad (consisting of 2 endives and tiny cubes of beets) and the Black Truffle Pizza which looked like an app. Dessert however was fantastic: a caramel sundae with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, & caramel popcorn! And cheesecake topped with sobert.

dessert

dessert

The Perfect Bite: Butternut Squash Soup. The chunky pieces of squash really made this a winner.

butternut squash soup

butternut squash soup

http://www.marketbyjgboston.com/

Noche

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Matt & I choose Noche for our joint-birthday dinner, not b/c we heard great things about the food or b/c I’ve been dying to try it… no, we choose Noche b/c of the 1,000 OpenTable point value it provided. We’re up to 6,800 points which means we’re 3,200 away from a $100 gift card to any OpenTable participating restaurant of our choice. On Appleton Street in the South End, Noche is a hot spot for late night diners (the kitchen is open til 1:30am) looking for a lounge/restaurant atmosphere.

Bread: Instead of bread the waitress brought over a tall basket of dried plantains with an aioli dipping sauce. It’s always refreshing to see something new and different to start off the meal.  The aioli was a delicious compliment to the thin & crispy banana imposter.

plantains 'bread' basket

plantains 'bread' basket

Menu: My menu book was missing 1 of the 2 pages it contained – those types of things should be checked. And I guess I need to stop over analyzing online menus b/c sometimes they don’t match the in-house menus… frustrating! The salad and pasta I was originally interested in weren’t offered, so I improvised. 

beefsteak tomatoes

beefsteak tomatoes

Presentation/Taste:
Roasted Beefsteak Tomato, with creamed spinach, chipotle cheddar gratin – I knew we wouldn’t be getting dessert so I had to get an app (I can’t blog about just one course 😉 ). I love (fresh) tomatoes dearly and this sounded like an interesting dish. It wasn’t bad, and I can’t quite put my finger on what I didn’t like about it – I think the creamed spinach on top of the cheese but a bit much for me/my stomach.
Veal Cheek Bolognese, with pancetta & goat cheese – I’ve never been disappointed by a bolognese until today. I think I rushed into this decision; this dish wasn’t on the online menu so once I saw ‘bolognese’ I got overly excited and just went for it. I should have stopped to think about the ‘veal cheek’ that was involved, b/c I did not care for the soggy, chewy meat. I ate every bit of the pappardelle pasta, but apparently veal cheek is not for me.

veal cheek bolognese

veal cheek bolognese

Bathroom: It was clean, had a nice wicker basket, and the full length mirror was a major plus. My goal is to find a restroom that provides hand lotion; it’s getting colder & dryer out and my hands need to be moisturized!

bathroom

bathroom

Wait Staff: Our waitress was nice & friendly; turned out she was a wine pourer at the Wine Riot that Matt & I attended on Saturday night. My water glass was never empty and our food was delivered quickly.

Overall: Meh. Food was just ok and it felt weird being the only people in the place (unless you count the few at the bar). But I can’t completely use that against them as it was 6pm on a Monday night. The décor and comfy seating was a plus; I can see how this would be a draw for late night drinks or bar bites.

The Perfect Bite: Plantains & aioli sauce. Can’t say much about the 2 courses I had but Matt did love his stuffed chicken.

http://www.noche-boston.com/

Teatro

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The website boasts: “Contemporary. Upbeat. Italian Classics.” and that’s exactly what you get when dining at Teatro. Located at 177 Tremont Street in the Theater District, Teatro is a great spot for a pre or post theater/movie dinner. I’ve already been more than impressed by Chef Jamie Mammano after visiting Sorellina, Mistral, and Mooo… – I’ve been looking forward to his more casual venue for a while.
 
Bread: Large, white, & crunchy pieces served in a tall basket with a white bean puree & EVOO. Once the spread was gone there was no need to go back for seconds.
bread

bread

Menu: So many sections with too many delicious choices! Hot & Cold Antipasti, Salumi, Formaggio, Pizza, Hand-made Pasta, Risotto, and Entree… phew! You could easily treat this like a tappas menu, or decide to order an app for the table if you’re focused on having a main course. The best part: they offer you a choice of an appetizer or entree size for the Pasta and Risotto sections, which is perfect if you’re like me and want to try as much as possible but don’t want to be stuck with a full entree. We decided on an app to share, and I went with a soup and an appetizer sized pasta.

cheese pumpkin & lobster arancini

cheese pumpkin & lobster arancini

Presentation/Taste:
Cheese Pumpkin & Lobster Arancini – how can you read this and not order it? It came with 2 arancini topped with shaved parm, enough for each of us to have a 1/2 (sans my lobster-hating friend). There was only 1 piece of lobster in my 1/2 (which I kind of expected) but the pumpkin flavor was perfect (not too over-whelming). Who am I kidding, I love anything pumpkin!
Autumn Harvest Butternut Squash Soup – Served in a cup large enough to be considered a bowl. When I first saw the white soup I was nervous I’d be having pure cream. But then after the first dip of my spoon the beautiful orange squash puree emerged! Thick, and definitely cream based but not enough to upset my sensitive stomach. I LOVE YOU FALL FOODS!
Rigatoni with Classic Ragu Bolognese – Perfect appetizer size (which is probably an actual serving size). The meat was plentiful and the pasta was al dente! I’ve tried many a bolognese, and this lived up to the rest.
rigatoni bolognese

rigatoni bolognese

Bathroom: Located downstairs are 2 single stall women’s rooms. Nothing fancy but a couple nice features: automatic flusher, blue mini-tiled wall, aqua sink bowl.

bathroom

bathroom

Wait Staff: Regardless of the fact that my friend thought our waiter was hot, I wasn’t too impressed. Polite, but he was making me anxious b/c I felt like he was in a constant rush. He really did not waste anytime chatting us up or making us feel comfortable. Service was a little slow, but I’ll cut them some slack since it was a busy Friday night.
 
Overall: Prices were reasonable and the menu has plenty of options. A perfect spot for dinner & a movie (Boston Common theater is maybe 10 feet away). I definitely recommend, esp if you’re into tappas/sharing plates.
 
The Perfect Bite: A tough decision but the butternut squash soup had great consistency & taste, without overwhelming the belly. And did I mentioned I LOVE FALL FOOD?! 😉
butternut squash soup

butternut squash soup

http://www.teatroboston.com/#/home

Towne Stove & Spirits

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Hooray for birthday dinners! My original plan was to allow my parents to treat me to a night at Sorellina (which normally I can’t afford), but I heard about Lydia Shire & Jasper White’s new restaurant Towne in the Hynes Convention Center and couldn’t resist. Upon entering it appears to be a small neighborhood bar, but round the corner to the left and you’ll find yourself in the cozy & contemporary dining room, complete with booths, tables, and a 2nd bar. Each table top is adorned with picnic patterned cloth napkins, lab beakers in replace of water glasses, and salt & peppers shakers that resemble sink faucets.

table top

table top

Bread: 3 different types with 3 different spreads. Unfortunately I couldn’t fully understand the server who delivered the bread but on the right we have an eggplant puree, the middle is butter which I didn’t try b/c the spread on the left was too damn good. Not spicy, but had a nice bite to it!

bread & spreads

bread & spreads

Menu: Large & laminated. Oversized menus annoy me; there’s never any room for them on the table (and mainly I’m concerned that I’m going to knock over a wine glass with it). The print & style of the menu was reminiscent of Lydia Shire’s Scampo: sections read vertical & horizontal and are divided into a variety of categories (Crustacea, Wood-Fired Rotisserie, Ocean, Rice etc…). Random flags appear next to certain meals representing their country of origin. After bouncing from one food group to the other I eventually landed on the “Salmon… charred wild king w/ tart key lime & palm sugar gastrique… okinawan yam”.

salmon, okinawan yam

salmon, okinawan yam

Presentation/Taste: I can’t say much about the “tart key lime & palm sugar gastrique”, mainly because I don’t know what/where it was… but the salmon was topped with swiss chard next to the beautifully displayed okinawan yam puree. I’ve never tried the purple yam before and I’m sorry I haven’t! The salmon was cooked ‘medium’ like I requested and paired well with the yam. And for dessert: Brown Butter Angel Food Cake. Known to certain diners as “The Don King”, the cake was topped with a mound of brown sugar cotton candy. What a b-day dessert this was! The cake itself was a bit too dense for me to consider it an “angel food cake”, but I wasn’t complaining, especially after trying the caramel ice cream.

brown butter angel food cake

brown butter angel food cake

Bathroom: Clean, sleek, with an odd green theme: the countertop is lime-ish green and the brick walls were a lighter shade of the same hue. I really enjoyed the sinks: motion activated and the water came pouring right out of the faucet. Always appreciate something different!

bathroom sinks

bathroom sinks

Wait Staff: Wonderful. When I called earlier in the day to add my uncle to the reservation they said it wasn’t possible, but upon arrival they were more than happy to change our table or pull up another chair to our 1/2 booth. Our waitress was personable, had answers to our many questions, and pretended like my over-zealous bday attitude was charming … therefore, I thoroughly enjoyed her.

Overall: While the menu doesn’t excite me to tears, there are still a few items I’d love to try. This is a fairly new restaurant (which I believe opened in July 2010) but I would have loved to see some seasonal dishes (not a pumpkin/butternut squash meal in sight!). Some items are over priced – the $21 hamburger for instance – but you can still have a full meal without digging too deep into your wallet (salads run around $11, pizzas around $17).

The Perfect Bite: Just give me the okinawan… purple yam all the way!

 

Metropolis Cafe

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Metropolis Cafe, overlooking the South End’s busy Tremont Street, serves Mediterranean cuisine at a very reasonable price in a small but charming atmosphere. Now typically I tend to pick the most expensive restaurants to visit for Restaurant Week, but this line at the top of the online menu caught my eye and I never looked back: “A glass of house red or white wine is included”. $33.10 for 3 courses AND a glass of wine? I’M IN!

Bread: Five individual pieces , hearty & crunchy, served with a small dish of garlic cloves (nice touch) soaked in EVOO. I approve.

bread

bread

 Menu: Of course I went right for the 3 course menu, but I did notice the great prices on their day-to-day menu. And they serve brunch on the weekends! Tonight however, I had the following:

  • Watermelon & Arugula Salad with feta cheese and pine nuts
  • Grilled Seabass with spinach & tomato confit
  • Strawberry “Parfait” with a Kahlua Cream
seabass

seabass

Presentation: I truly wanted the gazpacho but I had just ordered it at my last Rest. Week dinner; instead I went for the salad which was delicious but something I’ve made myself many times before. The seabass, placed on top of the spinach & topped with the tomatoes, was excellent. The Strawberry “Parfait” was in quotes for a reason. In a small shallow glass about five strawberries were cut in quarters & topped with a dollop of whipped cream. In one of the last spoonfuls I tasted a HINT of Kahlua. A parfait usually includes some sort of yogurt, or ice cream, or granola, or SOMEthing to make it interesting. I could have made this dessert (or something better) at home and was really disappointed in the lack of creativity.
strawberry "parfait"

strawberry "parfait"

Bathroom: Similar to the restaurant in that it’s small, but it provided all the necessities one would need in a restroom.
 
Wait Staff: Because of the size it seemed as though the bar tender and the waiters were one in the same. My boyfriend & I arrived before the rest of our party so we sat at the bar for a drink; the man who poured our wine/beer ended up being our waiter as well. He was friendly and immediately struck up a conversation when we sat down, commenting on his desire to end his shift and have a drink with us 😉
 
Overall: There was not one food item on this menu over $20 which is extremely hard to find in the city, especially in the South End. The space was limited but the food was good and the atmosphere was comfortable. I wouldn’t rush back (there’s just too many places to try!) but I highly recommend Metropolis if you’re looking for a tasty meal that won’t break the bank.
The Perfect Bite: This wasn’t on the Rest. Week menu, nor did I order it, but I think I have to say my friend’s Banana Bread Pudding + Caramel + ice cream = delightful!
banana bread pudding

banana bread pudding

Lineage

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3rd stop: Lineage on Harvard Street in Brookline.

This was my first time at Lineage, and it won’t be my last. The menu, which is printed daily inspired by local fresh ingredients, boasts modern American cuisine. Behind the bar, which over looks a large wood burning stove, are tables & booths separate from the main dining area where we were seated. I must make a note that I loved the sea shells on the table that held the loose salt & pepper.

Bread: We were each given 1 roll on our bread plates and a tiny ramekin of soften butter for the table. Topped with a sprinkle of sea salt, the roll was soft & I believe a type of egg bread which I really enjoyed.
 
Menu: Ugh, decisions, decisions. I could not for the life of me decide between the 4 entrees. Well, I could easily rule out the Pork Loin since I had a similar meal at Clink (even though I wanted the polenta!). I originally asked for the Chipotle Marinated Flank Steak, but then my friend ordered it, and my other friend ordered the Seared Atlantic Salmon that I was eyeing… so I had no choice but to order the pasta! My final decision:
  • Summer Tomato Gazpacho, avocado, cilantro
  • Vermont Goat Cheese Pasta, ratatouille, pesto
  • Chocolate Pot de Creme, chantilly cream, toasted almonds
gazpacho

gazpacho

 Presentation: The gazpacho was a generous portion, served in a large bowl topped with a spoonful of avocado. We all ordered it, and all enjoyed it (this was Angela’s 1st time trying the soup and Ariane was pleased that it tasted similar to the way her mother makes it – always a plus!). The pasta dish was a gnocci/cavatelli type of full pasta, served with small chunks of goat cheese, drizzles of pesto, and an array of fresh vegetables. The dish was really great, gone within minutes. I appreciated the small amount of goat cheese, but was disappointed that the pasta came with a light tomato sauce & drizzles of pesto, rather than pesto pesto pesto! The chocolate dessert came in a small round ramekin, topped with whipped cream & toasted almonds. I love chocolate, and the dessert was great, but it doesn’t compare to Angela’s White Melon Sorbet (unbelievable flavor) or Ariane’s Blueberry Bread Pudding (tasted like a hearty muffin).

Vermont goat cheese pasta

Vermont goat cheese pasta

Bathroom: A one stall/one room bathroom with a nice home-y feel. There were frames on the shelves that held pictures of a family & a couple which made me feel like I was visiting a friend. Just switch out that ‘public restroom’ looking sink and it’s the complete package.
 
Wait Staff: Our waiter was a delight, even after dealing with my indecisiveness! He was able to describe each meal, how it was prepared, and what it came with, which made it a bit easier for me to make up my mind. It was a lovely surprise to run into an old college/volleyball friend who happened to work at Lineage.
 
Overall: Really charming & comfortable atmosphere. Thank goodness we all ordered different entrees & different desserts, b/c we all got a little taste of each dish. We decided that we’d have to go back – the lobster tacos on the daily menu were calling our names!
 
The Perfect Bite: Don’t make me decide. The grilled corn & avocado salad that came with Ariane’s steak was to die for. The white melon sorbet was like nothing I’ve ever tasted. You’ll have to head to Lineage, try both, then decide for yourself 🙂
dessert!

dessert!

 

Tresca

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Restaurant Week Adventure #2

I have never been to Tresca before & I’m always excited to try a new restaurant. I told the hostess I was here for the Raffa party of 4, for a 7pm reservation. She was having trouble finding me in their system, so I told her (with a bit of annoyance in my voice) that I could certainly find the email confirmation if necessary. I’m beginning to panic, but she eventually found my cell # somewhere and lead us to our table right by the open windows looking out onto Hanover Street. I make a comment about how I like the hard cover brass menu and our friend Mike looks down at it only to notice the name on the front: “Bricco” – umm, this is awkward… we all look at each other in shock/amusement that we’re complete idiots 🙂 We slowly get up, I tell the hostess how embarrassed I am, and we slip out and over to Tresca, the next door over. Best part is, I’ve been to Bricco before and my first thought upon entering “Tresca” was that it looked an awful lot like Bricco, which seemed strange to me. We were so focused on food we apparently didn’t care which restaurant we went to! Yeah.. so.. anyways…
 
Bread: Three different types came in the iron basket: a flaky thin piece, a long bread stick, and a sliced white Italian loaf, all accompanied by a small dish of EVOO. The Italian white bread was one of the best I’ve tasted – doughy, with a little sprinkle of salt on the top crust.
bread

bread

Menu: This Restaurant Week menu was different in the fact that the 3 courses it offered was an Antipasti, Pasta Fatta a Mano (a primi size of handmade pasta), and a Piatti Principali (main entree). I was a little disappointed that there was no dessert, but with Mike’s Pastry right down the street I knew I’d get my sweets by the end of the night. I had no trouble choosing my 3 courses:
  • Caesar con Tartufi
  • Gnocci Bolognese – traditional style veal & pork ragout enriched with pancetta & tomatoes
  • Pollo Romano – grilled, marinated chicken breast cutlet topped with arugula & grilled vegetables, served with creamy corn & sage polenta
Presentation: The Caesar came with chucks of shaved parm, my favorite! A white truffle (or mushroom) replaced the typical anchovie based Caesar dressing. I’m not a huge fan of ‘shrooms, but I was a fan of this salad – perfect amount of dressing, not too creamy or heavy, just enough so you get that Caesar taste. The gnocci was excellent, topped with shaved parm (perfect!). The word that came to mind after my 1st bite was “delicate” – the sauce was light but hearty at the same time, which was perfect. The chicken, topped with the arugula and sweet grilled onions, came next to a generous portion of polenta. I hardly ever order chicken at a restaurant b/c I cook it often – I have the same sentiments towards chicken as I do towards vanilla ice cream: a) it’s a waste of time, b) there’s always a better option. The dish was good, loved the corn in the polenta (my motivatoin to order the dish), but I was too full to clean the plate.
 
Bathroom: A one stall bathroom with a rustic yet modern decor. An old school faucet poured into a beautiful brass bowl. The two styles mixed well.
bathroom

bathroom

Wait Staff: I found it a bit odd that we had to ask for the Restaurant Week menu. No big deal, but hello, that’s why I’m here! 🙂 Our waiter was animated & friendly, and urged us to return to try Tresca’s daily menu. Also, our water glasses were never less than 1/2 full – points to the bus boys for water attentiveness!
 
Overall: The bread was faaaantastic and I really enjoyed the pasta. The waiter was engaging, encouraged us to return, and I think I’ll do just that! Next time I hope to sit downstairs in one of their whimsical booths looking out onto Hanover, rather than in the quieter upstairs dining room.
 
The Perfect Bite: The bolognese sauce had such great balance with the amount of meat & tomatoes, and the gnocci was light despite being a full pasta. Another bolognese well done!
gnocci bolognese

gnocci bolognese

Clink

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Stop #1 for Summer Restaurant Week 2010! 

Located on the Lobby Level of The Liberty Hotel, Clink takes on the persona of the old Charles Street Jail, the base which the hotel was build around. Bars from original jail cells are seen throughout the L-shaped restaurant, separating diners from the open kitchen. We were seated at the first table/booth, up against the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the hotel entrance.
  
Bread: The multi-grain sourdough was served on a rectangular flat plate with a circle of butter. Points for the pre-sliced bread, and double points for the softened butter. It also helped that the bread was scrumptious!
bread

bread

Menu: I of course paid no attention to the actual menu, and instead focused on my Restaurant Week options. My decision: 

  • Heirloom Tomatoes with mozzarella pearls (Eva’s Garden) & opal basil
  • Bershire Pork Loin with stone ground grits (Anson Mills), cipppolinis, & dijon mustard
  • Stone Fruit & Blueberry Cobbler with brown butter ice cream
heirloom tomatoes

heirloom tomatoes

Presentation: The tomatoes & salad were served on a small square flat plate. I personally would have preferred the “Heirloom Tomato” dish have more tomatoes than greens, but salads usually skimp on the cheese & there were enough mozzarella balls to go around. The pork & onions were drizzled with a syrupy type of dijon – I love mustard and wish the dijon had a bit more of a bite, but the pork was cooked well, so no complaints. The grits were topped with grilled corn which added something different to the textured polenta-esque side dish. I was so excited once the warm cobbler was placed in front of me in its ramekin that I forgot all about trying to actually taste the brown butter ice cream. It could have been vanilla for all I knew, I was too delighted with light doughy crust & the fresh fruit!
stone fruit & blueberry cobbler

stone fruit & blueberry cobbler

Bathroom: The bathroom was located down the hall, past the ballroom, rather than in the actual restaurant (which gives easy access to the bar patrons). Stainless steel, sleek, and clean. Multiple stalls & a full length mirror. There was even a table set up with individual cloth napkins for drying your hands. Well done for going green!
 
Wait Staff: This was the disappointment of the evening as our waiter was not personable at all. When I asked him how the pork was prepared he responded with “In the oven.” Are you kidding me?! My parents, bf, and & I were so taken aback but laughed it off. Most waiters/waitresses would have understood what I was asking, and would have answered in more detail with an education response.
 
Overall: Besides our odd waiter, we all had a great time. The wine (Malbec), while expensive, was smooth & just what I wanted. Our 1/2 booth had a great location with a view out of the grand windows. I do recommend Clink, more for the food & location in The Liberty rather than the “jail cell” appeal, which there could have been more of.
 
The Perfect Bite: Pork loin. Slice of cippolini. Ground grits. Those creamy gritty grits!!
bershire pork loin

bershire pork loin

 

Oleana

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Oleana has been on my “Restaurant To Do List” for quite some time now. I rarely venture into Cambridge (which needs to change), but I’m glad visited Inman Square on Monday night. Even though I’d never been to a Turkish restaurant, I knew I wouldn’t have an issue with the menu since I love mostly anything Mediterranean. Chef/Owner Ana Sortun has created a charming patio with a back yard feel, accented with sophisticated soap stone tables and wrought iron chairs.

Bread: Served in a small rounded wooden bowl, there were 2 types to choose from: a perfectly salted Focaccia, and a crunchy-on-the-outside slice of a white loaf. Both were a great match for our order of hummus.

bread basket & hummus

bread basket & hummus

Menu: If it wasn’t for the glossary at the bottom of the menu describing certain items, I would have been completely lost (Taramosalata: smooth puree with fish roe – yikes!). It took me a while to decide if I should share a Meze (a “small plate”) with the table and then have an entrée, or if I should order 2 smaller plates as my meal. There were too many Mezes to choose from! We were already ordering the Warm Buttered Hummus with Basturma (cured beer with spices) & Tomato for the table, and I just couldn’t pass up the Spinach Falafel with Tahini, Yogurt, Beets & Cress (as suggested by my best friend who has tried it before & raved about it). For my 2nd Meze I chose the Sultan’s Delight: Tamarind Glazed Beer & Smokey Eggplant Puree with Pinenuts.

Presentation: The hummus came in 2 small scoops – one wrap in Basturma, one not (for the veggie at the table!). It didn’t come with bread, but I spread it on the pieces we received in the bread basket – smooth & flavorful! My friend however took a different approach: fork, hummus, mouth (which was just as good). The falafel came in 3 pieces: strip of pita, beet spread, falafel topped with yogurt, slice of cucumber, side of cress. I was instructed by the server to wrap each falafel in its own pita and eat away. My fear in ordering falafel is that it will be too dry, but this was just the opposite. The glazed beef was so tender you barely need a knife, and the eggplant puree complimented the tamarind nicely.

spinach falafel etc.

spinach falafel etc.

Bathroom: Tiny but creative! The wall above the sink consisted of bright colored tiles – some of the tiles were mirrors which were scattered sporadically.

bathroom

bathroom

Wait Staff: Our waitress was well educated on the menu and the night’s specials. It’s always impressive when they can announce the meal, side dishes, accompaniments, and price without looking at a cheat sheet. Also, my water glass was constantly being filled, which was a huge + considering these hot summer days & nights!

Overall: While the menu resembled that of a tappas restaurant (they have 18 Meze and 8 Entrees of fish or meat), I was not deterred! They had a couple entrée specials that sounded amazing as well. A successful evening. When I return I’ll save room for the Sicilian Almond Cremolata & Warm Chocolate Panino.

The Perfect Bite: Pita, falafel, beet spread, yogurt, cucumber, cress. An incredible combination.

www.oleanarestaurant.com