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i Emergency 864-1212
Emergency 876-5800
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A) I / 53 51 meat is delicious, as is the rice pilaf. For a cheaper me..], have The Acropolis cither the roast chicken with rice pilaf or potato or spaghetti (!) for $2.25 or the i'cta cheese omelette for an even lower 51. 75. I Although the chicken is rather bland and somewhat stringy, yon Massachusetts Aye., Cambridge Address: 16S0 do get a large-sizedportion in a tasty butter and oil sauce. Tlie omelette, meanwhile, also a bargain, as you get a generous Phone: 354-8335 is portion of cheese. by Hours: Mon-Fri 3-1 1:30pm; Sun ll:30am-l I:3opm As at almost all Greek restaurants, you can eat cheaply ordering a salad. The salad ala Acropolis (for two, 51.50) is large arid is sir.othcred with fcta cheese. This, plus an appeti/.cr or soup, may be enough to fill you up if you aren't terribly hungry. For dessert, order the baklava (5.35); its only fault Is that il may be a little on the soggy side. The flogcra (5.35) is pretty custard inside a pastry shell. For a nickel less you can get Greek rice pudding, lemon-flavored and spiced with cinnamon. The Acropolis serves a very good moussaka (52.50), but, un- fortunately, it is offered only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. On any day, for a more exotic Greek dish, try the klcftiko(.'»'2.Bs), marinated lamb combined with cheese and olives.
The menu at The Acropolis states that the restaurant "Is one man's memory of a little village"in Greece. If the decor of this restaurant accurately reflects what the village looked like, that must have been one heck of a rich little town. The ionic columns outside and the friezes inside may be reminiscent of Greek temples,but you won't find many restaurants in Greece that look like this. Although the decor maybe somewhat plastic, the food is of much higher quality. Begin your meal with soup or an appetizer. If you want to forgo the common egg-lemon soup, try lentil (each 5.45). Although not exciting, it is good tomato broth with plenty of peas floating in it. For an inexpensiveversion of a usually costly appetizer, order the taramosalata (caviar salad) for Sur- prisingly, this dish made of caviar,potatoes, olive pil, ano. lemon, is pink and has a whipped consistency. For another more unusuai appetizer order saganaki This "baked cheese delight" is a dish ol" melted cheese served with lemon. I i The shish kebab Oriental (53.50) is quite good. The chunks of i lamb are alternated with the traditionalpeppers, tomatoes, and onions. The zucchini and eggplant mixture that comes with the I 1 i ! i
492-09C0, Sat,
$.65.
($.75). 1 r _i Q 161 162 A in, Mexico offers Mole Poblano (55.00), boneless breast of chicken strange as it may seem, a highlyseasoned chocolate sauce. Casa Mexico stuffed A milder dish is the enchiladas verdes (54.75), to. villas Winthrcp Tibridg. green Address: 75 St., d with chicken and covered v-iih a delicately seasoned cheese, and sour cream. Another mild Phone: -'-9 1-4552 tomato sauce, melted offering but unfortunately so mild as to be rather dull, is Arroz unexciting Hours: Noon-2:3opm; 7 Con (54.75), somewhat dry chicken in an Mon-Sat days6-10pm; Fri, Sat til 1 1 Polio dinners include tomato,olive, and mushroom sauce. All of these i Credit Cards: None very good retired beans and well-seasoned rice. make your You may be filled by just a main course; but tc Liquor License: Bring your own meal even delicious you might want to order an appetizer, more off a a soup or a salad. It is especially good to balance spicy Reservations: Yes, except on versa. Among the Friday and Saturday nights entice with something mild before it, or vice 75 guacamole (avocado) i Quality of Food: -«S ' ',.U tamer accompaniments, the 51. _salad ___i_u»s
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coffee, I }g> 177 178 that is cooked in a meat stock. A bit more expensive, and no better, is the veal scaloppine, marsala (56.75). Although tasty i I Ferdinand's and tender, it is a little on the heavy side, the result of a thickly buttered sauce. w Address: 121 Mt. Auburn Cambridge Dinners here are served in large portions, and are quite filling. You therefore might want to save some money and avoid the \ Phone: 491-4915 appetizers and desserts. But this could be many of these before- and after-dinnertreats are quite good. One of the best is i Hours: Mon-Fri 1 l:3oam-2:3opm; Sat Noon-3; I i tlie excellent quiche ($.95), heavily cheese-flavored and laden 7 days 5:30-10pm; Fri.Sat til 1 1pm (51.25; i } I with large bits oi ham. The onion soup gratince is loaded i i with onions and is quite tasty; but the cheese topping is made I Cards: BA, I Credit MC with Swiss instead of the more common gruyere cheese, i i resulting in a rather unusual taste. Less expensive is the i Liquor License: Yes vichyssoisc (5.65), well-seasoned, but served, unfortunately, only » Reservations: Yes slightly cooler than lukewarm. 1 For dessert try the peach melba ($.95). a delicious com- cream, sauce, ! Quality of Food: «_£>^> "s_" 4 bination of peaches, vanilla ice raspberry and want to ; almonds. Also good, but a dish you would not attempt to Value for Money:*Ji**sv*_ l eat when you are almost is ice cream a la Greenstreet (SI.OO. It is made with coffee ice cream, creme de cacao, ar.J coconut. Total Experience:-.'-.;"■_£" I Ferdinand's also offers the more common chocolate mousse (5.75), but this dessert suffers from the usual inexpensiveFrench restaurant problem of over-heaviness. It has, however, a very rich chocolate flavor. For moderatelypriced French a cuisine that is usually At lunch time meals at Ferdinand's are a lot cheaper (51.95- quite expensive, a pleasant restaurant to visit is Ferdinand's. Not -$3.25), but the selection is not as wide, and the portions are overly large, it is divided into three small rooms, each of which smaller. At either time, though, the atmosphere is pleasant and provides a casual, friendly atmosphere. the service friendly. Dinner entrees, all of which are accompaniedby a salad and a potato or vegetable, range in price from 53.75-58.75. Eight of them, plus six different kinds of omelettes, are available for less than $5.00. Naturally, these less expensive offerings are more of i the chicken and fish than of the beef variety. Fresh lemon sole I meuniere (54.50) is particularly tasty. Served with good boiled potatoes, this fillet is light, moist, and served in a well-seasoned butter sauce. Another rather plain but good dish is the broiled t chicken, It offers a lot to eat its price tag, I half tarragon. for 54.75 and the chicken is both tender and flavorful. A slightly fancier chicken dish is the cog au yin (54.75). Not of the high quality that can be iound in Boston's better (and more expensive) French restaurants, this chicken in wine sauce is still quite' good.A nice thing aboutorderingchicken cooked this way is that the generous amount of sauce makes up for the chicken's I I unavoidable dryness. Here the dish is accompanied by g^od rice
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■ 92 £> 91 I dip for two or homos bi tahini a sesame and chickpea more that is actually quite good. Among the other appetizers, while the stuffed mushroom caps are fair but overpriced at $1.33, ($.95) a:e a little i GrendeVs Den the better champignons (mushrooms) provencal i buttery Winthrop Cambridge too feeling about Address: 89 Once you ito the dessert, though, your Grendcl's Den may well rise again. Although the layer cakes Phone: 491-1757 arc ($ 60) may be a bit stale, they're delicious and the portions cake ($.75) is even better. But Mon-Sat 1 l:3oam-2:3opm; 7 dayss:3opm-Mid; and the cherry cheese i Hours: generous; Den the great dessert, in fact the best of anything Grenu.ls Fri, Sat til 2am two). Big enough offer, is the chocolate fondue serves with slices of apples, Credit Cards: MC for even four people to cat, it is served 1 oranges and bananas to be dipped into the luscious hot I your own chocolate sauce. i Liquor License: Bring rest of the Like the desserts, the drinks are better than the made the authentic Reservations: Yes offerings. The espresso (5.35), at restaurant's and espresso bar that runs along one wall, comes hot and strong, $.55) are delicious. Quality of Food: "J£"_' the hot orange and mint chocolates (each In Grendel's Den is a much better place to visit for coftce and Value for Money: £""} than for a full meal. \--~ dessert Monday There are a few exceptions to this rule, however. Total Experience: "^""j;"} Saturday at lunch time i! ere is an all-you-can-cat bullet. through dish, which usually includes a variety of salads, a hot vegetarian of filling and two hot meat dishes. Only 52.25, it is a cheap way yourself in exceptionallypleasant surroundings. If you want to of Grendcl's Den, you soup for only When you first walk through the door save evenmore money, stay with the cold buffet plus atmosphere. Thursday are likely to be greatlyimpressed by the restaurant's $150 Similarly, at dinner time on Monday through be the meal, Dimly lit and decorated in dark wood, it appears to (until 10p.m.)thereis a salad buffet. If you're orderinga full if it's salad all perfect place for an intimate, leisurely dinner, especially you can heapyour plate with salad for only 5.50; or if is near the fireplace. Unfortunately, for _ I.W. wintertimeand you are seated you want for dinner, as much of it as you desireis yours once you start eating,your good impression quicklyfades. Grendel's Den's business card says that it serves "European specialties," and in doing so it perhaps spreads itself too thin. How can you expect one restaurant to turn out excellent moussaka and eggplant parmigiana and duckling a l'orangc and shish kebab? One wonders what the nationality of the chef who prepares this wide assortment is. None of the entrees is particularly good. The moussaka (53.50) is dull, and the zigeuner spiessli (53. 25), described as "thinly sliced steak on a skewer with a special blend of spices," docs not live up to its billing. Even the shish kebab (53.95), which sounds so in- viting on the menu, turns out to be lukewarm and uninteresting. ! If you go to Grendel's Den for a big evening out and want an appetizer, or if you're there just for a snack, you might try the ! i i I
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s. ! 284 / Nadeau 's Guide American / 285 i ment to retain the Thirties atmosphere. Amazingly i good, although it has slowly declined since it opened old menu and Thirties almost three years ago. enough, they also retained the I prices. The most expensive item is a steak dinnct for The menu changes according to the seasons, and the 53. 25. Most dinners are less than two dollars. Sand- ideas of the cook, who also changes. All I can predict wiches are less than one dollar. I've tried the Irish stew with confidence is that the dinners start at 57.95, and (51.05, 51.35) and found it hot and life sustaining. They that most dishes project a deracinated modernity similar give you bread with it. Add coffee (25£) and pudding to that of the restaurant. There is a Platonic quality to a fine the Harvest (25£), a sweet rice pudding, and you have quite j food and decor, as though pure ideas The new counter woman dominated traditional expectations for once. meal for less than two dollars. i i The is young and thin, and super nice. Don't discourage her. ingredients dominate the dishes. The first chef had a ? i shrimp, spinach and feta cheese casserole that was 5" rendered complex but bold with capers, olives, and sweet The Harvest red peppers. That's off the menu. A later chef introduced 44 BRATTLE STREET, CAMBRIDGE a pork and chestnut casserole, if my memory serves, that 492-1115 was quite good. The names of dishes here can sound a little Chinese (another was chicken saute with arti- and Thompson, among Owned by Ben Jane chokes), but that reflected a very unique concern with in- in the apotheosis of others, this restaurant is decorated gredients over sauces. In the last year or so, sauces and overlay of Quincy Design Research style, with an classic French and continental dishes have staged a ceilings, ihe place Market. With carpeting and acoustic comeback, which has hurt the originality and integrity of medal. The color gets the Rosemary Woods silence i the restaurant's concept. black and white. scheme is pale green, pale orange, All the table accouterments arc exquisitely tasteful, in the burlap chairs and sur- There is a hint of shipboard from tea in a handcrafted cup to cappuccino in a tall blue over the windows, but faces and the Marimekko sails cup, and the Harvest is still the perfect expression of is so modern it lacks associations to mostly the Harvest j Brattle Street Chic. The outdoor cafe part is very pretty, distract from the food. ! but relatively expensive. They put a potted herb on your with management hassles. I have t This is a restaurant l table (marjoram is the loveliest) but they want a lot of phone messages from disgruntled received more i money for beer. The bar inside is a- popular singles of the Harvest than any employees and former employees hangout. It can be hard to get in for dinner. The Harvest sat quiet dining room, other restaurant. I once in the nice is still an in-spot, but t^-o years ago it was more who quit, crying, and man overhearing a woman had just interesting. The Quincy Market has made Thompson a there tell her to come back so they who was still working major figure locally, and his attention is unlikely to two. interesting could quit together in a month or The return to the restaurant. part of the story is that she was eating there. In the worst of its staff crises, the food at the Harvest remained rather i
I I i f L, 6 95 95 tI ($.60). of chilled begin your meal, have the easaladilla a plate mayonnaise-base c_rcBUM|. carrots peas, and chopped eggs in a you may want Iruna If you prefer to begin your meal with a hot dish, (SI. 10). These are really tiptop and to try the broiled mushrooms Address: 56 Boylston Cambridge garlic. If garlic is your love, . re served in a sauce saturated with i more interesting is the the garlic soup ($.50) is lor you. Even Phone: 868-5633 cassero!e(s.7s for t garlic soup with eggs in for one _gg;Sl.OO and then raw Hours: Mon-Sat Noon-2pm, 6-9pm; Fri, Sat 10pm two) The soup is heated to a high temperature, til It s a very ep. s are dropped and actually poached in the soup. the garlic i Credit Cards: None nice combination, as the bland egg sets off stronger as that founo in 1 taste (though by no means is the soup as spicy I Liquor License: Beer and wine Mexican restaurants). I be . quite With an apt etizer and soup, you'd now getting 1 Reservations: Yes meal with either a salad or an and you could finish off your i (SI. is a very large helping of let- I Quality of , omelette. The mixed salad 00) Food: "ji*V- "_2'V!' and cucumbers topped tuce, onions, asparagus, tomato, eggs, i Italian-type Value for Money: _?"_ _?._.."5, of tuna fish. This is all coated with an with lots is dressing which, admirably, is not just poured on top, out no' what Total Experience: ■§£"«?$■A£»«?& throughout the salad. Tne omelettes here are mired ti_is way. Ine you usually expect when you order eggs cooked potatoes, For potato omelette is served with loads of this is ac- more, you can get a delicious Basque omelette; a The eggs are The internationalflavor of HarvardUniversity is paralleledby tually two small omelettes served in casserole. and then doused with a the wide range of foods served in the Harvard Square mixed with bread and herbs, cooked, restaurants. Whether looking for Mexican or Middle Eastern, creamy white milk sauce. the class paella ($3.25). French or Indian, the diner can find almost any nationality If you decide to have an entree, try saffron rice covered with eggs, represented. The Spanish delegate to this United of You'll receive a large portion of Nations chicken, and fish The other eating is iruna, a small located behind a number of sausage, peas, shrimp, oysters, restaurant delicious game steak (Filet a la Boylston Street boutique-type shops. permanent dish is an equally constantly changing dinners are good, too. Although the restaurant is sparsely decorated, the total effect Barncsa 55.50). The V.llcroy (53.50) is a tasty, though not is quite pleasant.The two rooms have about ten tables each, and For instance, the Chicken a milky sauce with nee. The two efficient waiters. During exciting, chicken breast served in are usually handled by friendly, interesting mixture of be el warm weather, the lovely covered patio is opened up. It Beef Estofado ($3.75) is a more in a garlic, mushroom, and overlooks a grassy yard, certainly something unusual (p find in chunks artichokes, and potatoes the heart of Harvard Square. onion sauce. outstanding, but that...s okay,because you There are four specialty entrees here, two of which are per- The desserts are not won't be hungry. For something sweet, yet not i manent, and the other two of which rotate from among thirty or probably still i so dishes. It is though, to have a complete meal filling, order the flan possible, filling, your meal by a at Iruna without ordering any of these slightly higher-priced For a more pleasant evening, accompany reasonably priced wine hit. llf you Mw ! courses. The divided into and cold selection from the very hors d'oeuvres are hot oz.) and drift off to groupings, and each contains some excellent choices. The cold Sangria, order a large pitcher (52.00 for 36 appetizers include avocado with shrimp (51. 35). The fresh Spain. ! i uvocado holds many tiny, tender shrimp, and both are covered with a rich, thick sour cream sauce. For a less expensive way to
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ing it sole) is a confusing name for a dish. Is it grilled, or Mac's. One problem is the hard- family place like Linda is it saute meuniere, which means dipped in Hour and pan- Neponset Circle. to-find location on the far side of fried quickly in butter? It is neither. It is coated with batter, often used in restaurants to hold the fish together, but hardly necessary on a whole flounder. The batter Jonah's on the Terrace was rubbery, had an unattractive hint of cumin, and Hyatt Regency, 575 Memorial Drive, obscured the flavor of the delicate flatfish. No point Cambridge, 492-1234 fighting for freshness if you're going to cook the lish that way. Freshness is not everything in fish cookery, A swordfish on special that night had the same and Jonah's sadly provides the lesson. The menu states rubbery batter, plus an off flavor of its own (this "All fish is served fresh, therefore some items may be I happens), and wasn't much of a portion. withdrawn when not absolutely fresh." Now absolute . For the more complicated sauces, we tried two dishes freshness, like absolute morality, is difficult to attain. I built around the "Giant Gulf" shrimp, which cannot be quite complacent with the management's fresh in Boston. They are certainly as tasteless _s over- would be I definition of freshness: "not frozen, and of course, not sized shrimp elsewhere, and much bigger. The stuffed of the I believe Lorenzo ($9.50) are stuffed and are bad." And with the exception shrimp, > shrimp they shrimp. that fish is fresh, especially after I asked for the The stuffing was monstrously dominated by parsley that Jonah's \ name of their supplier, a reputable firm, and confirmed wasn't as fresh as the fish. Someone had been thinking their policy. herbal, but the results came up vegetative. Bu t a fresh fish is not yet a well-cooked fish, and The barbecued shrimp ($8.50) aspire to New Orleans problems start right at the chowder (85& 51. 50), which associations, but arc much too sweet with onion, sweet tasted of clams, but quicklyaccumulated a concentrated, red pepper, green pepper, and probably just plain sugar. mineral aftertaste like that of over-boiled fish stock. This Some days, every spicy stew in Boston seems to converge is a good sort of error, one that afflicts all home-makers of toward bad spaghetti sauce. There was a bit of the bayou chowder at times. > fire in the spicing, but the special slimincss in gumbo is Oysters arc better, though they are not cheap at 52.50 done with file powder, okra and long simmering. Corn- and 53. 75. They are big and freshly opened, but in a starch is not a good substitute. winter month they were not Cape Cod oysters, which can Trimmings are pretty bad. They have this basket of be the freshest. The best appetizer at Jonah's is borscht weird sweet rolls with red stuff layered in. A computer (75£), an appropriately sweet-and-sour version with baked them in a thunderstorm. Dig down in the basket hints of allspice. Ours came to the table steaming, and for a fresh caraway seed roll or a nice poppysecdroll, but included a large cube of tender beef. check the butter. Ours looked terrific with flower designs Fii'l. entrees were all flawed, and, from 56.50, they are on it, but tasted of onions and worse. The boiled potato not cheap. Nonfish is priced from $5.95 to $10.95. Grilled had gone glutinous with long holding, the carrots were whole flounder meuniere ($6.95, and points for not call- \ Fish I 255 correctly cooked but tasteless (this happens too), and the beans were much the best, flavored with onions and bacon. Wednesdays there is a popular buffet offering all- you-can-cats on most of the menu. Sandwiches (53. 50 to 53.95) will disappoint you. Desserts are bizarre. Banana Nut Coma (51. 50) is layer cake, soft ice cream, banana sauce and whatnot "showered with roasted coconut." A waste of good thickeners and stabilizers. Elaine's Chocolate Cake (51. 25) is more soft ice cream over sugary glop, and ought to taste more like chocolate. The best dessert might be Prcfiteroles Zabaglionc Fircnze (51. 50), which is homemade cream puff, in a custard and chocolate sauce. It's fresh, and it doesn't have soft ice cream in it, but it's a lot to handle. Jonah's advantage, and our problem, is its location in the isolated Hyatt Regency Hotel. The Boston area has a shortage of convention locations, so the hotel is always filled vvith captive food customers who don't know the ai_a. Jonah's is the cheapest restaurant of three in the building, and so has a constant How of customers who will never bother to complain, and have no way of warn- ing the next set of conventioneers. Local clients may be attracted by the architecture, which consists of a vast indoor airshaft-atrium. As you cat at Jonah's, you are constantly diverted by rising and falling elevators decorated with Las Vegas light bulbs. There is a hanging light sculpture that looks like giant iridescent guppies. The elevators set off loud bells like elementary school fire drills. The more protected walls are decorated with ancient weavings, protected in glass frames. It is not a relaxing environment. '.
105 «) 106 haddock is delicious and the price is right ($2.25). The fish portion in this and in the other dishesis quite large. Legal the Seafoods In general tlie fried is better than the broiled but come with the interesting choice of plain or garlic Address: 237 Hampshire Cambridge broiled does the broiled sole (53.50) and haddock (52.95) are butter. Both scallops good but a bit dry. A much better choice are the fried Phone: 5-.7-1410 of ($3.50). Tender and they are one of the best offerings Hours: 7 days llam-Opm this restaurant. There are no.desserts on the menu, but since your entree is so Credit Cards: None filling in and of you doubtlessly won't miss them. )f you do feel extra-hungry, you can order the fish chowder (cup 5.50; bowl Liquor License: Yes S1.O0) beforeyour meal. Although a bit thin, it is tasty and ► served. Reservations: No generously Al! of the fish here is fresh. In there is a counter where you can buy all kinds of seafood (including live lobsters) to take Quality of Food: *;"_"*-"'-_""-' though, with you and cook at home. If you are feeiing a bit lazy, Value for Money:"Ji**^,"^^^ you won't be disappointed if you stay and let them cook it for you. Total Experience: -J'«>^J»«j'*»^
For years Legal Seafoodswas a small, crowdedrestaurant with a long dinner-timeline. The increase in the number of customers and the resulting increase in the lengthof the line, however,led i the management to open up a new 130-seat addition. They also added an cyster bar where guestscan have a drink and eat oysters, shrimp cocktails or unusual Japanese appetizers while they wait, a vast improvement over the old stand-up line. In spite of the added space, though, Legal Seafoods is still not a place for a leisurely meai. Seated at long formica tables,diners pay before they eat tfrom paper plates), and get theirsoft drinks ! out of a machine. Instead of real silverwaretheyare given plastic knives and forks in a package like the ones used on airplanes; and at the end of the meal the v. aitressclears the tableso quickly that one can't help but hurry out. In betv.en ordering and being rushed away, .however, the diner can eat some very good, inexpensive seafood. The prices areeven morereasonable when yourealize that includedwith all dinners' are french fries (slightly undercooked), cole slaw (creamy and tangy), a large roll and butter, and all of the coffee or teayou want. The best deal offered is fish and chips; thefried
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fact, " _J v 1 111 112 u__ of potatoes. The pakoras should have many more vegetables ii Natraj (besides potatoes) cooked in the chickpea batter. The soups which .re served with the more expensive dinners Address: 419 Massachusetts Aye., Cambridge arc primarily heavyraid made from vegetables.The dahl ($.55 a la carte) contains lentils and peas and is quite tasty, but the Phone: 547-8810 sambhar (5.55), a lentil-based almost paste-like dish, is spicier and more interesting. i Hours: Tues-Fri ll:30am-2pm; Mon-Th 5:30-9pm; The breads, which arc filling but bland, ere a nice contrast to you. The nan (5.45 a la carte), warm and Fri, Sat til 10pm the hot food that awaits reminds the diner of the traditional Syrian bread found at (5.40) is Credit Cards: MC Middle Eastern restaurants. Thechappati unleavened and doughy,while the puri (5.65) is much lighter and is quite flaky. For thin, bland, Liquor License: Bring your own an interesting addition, order the pappadam a greasy wafer made from beans. Reserva'ions: Yes The main dish here, of course, is curry, and it comes in three styles: mild, medium and hot. Tiie degree of spicyness differs at Quality of , Food:~ »>~.« each Indian restaurant, and here, spicy food lovers should order those who have a hearty throatshould risk the hot. Value for Money: J£..'__&_} medium; only As might be expected, the lamb curry (52.75) is the best. Vder ';b. _.?..!'__».. (3.25 more) for an added treat. shrimp Total Experience: _r it with mushroom.. 1 «*_>_> curry (52.95) is good, but due to the cost ot shrimp, the portion isn't exactly overflowing. The chicken rogan josh (52.75) also skimps on meat. Natraj's keeina kofta (also 52.75) otters rather bland meatballs in a still spicy sauce. If you're going to the Central Square a perfect spot to The mixed vegetablepiilau and the mushroom pillau are the go eat is Natraj, an Indian restaurant located next door. Small hottest of the rice dishes. If you want something milder to (about a dozen tables) and tea-room-like,it has almost a dainty with your hot curry, try the biryani rice. The chutney and lime or appearance,althoughred flourcscent lights lend a weird effect. mango pickle also help to ouset the burning sensation of the Tne service Is quite good and fast. You should be able to cat a entices. complete mealin little overan hour, so you'llfinish in timeto get Indian desserts ($.65 each) are heavy and sweet and not terribly to the movies. *■ interesting. The best is barfi, a milk, pistachio, and almond The menu lists only six dinners, but with the different com- mixture. Rasmali is also good and is made from cheese dipped in binations they permit, you should find one which will suit you. thickened milk. If you dip the cheese in sugar syrup, you have The prices for the complete meals range from 52.75 for a rasgulla which, like galub jamun, :s justa little bit too much on the vegetarian dinner to 54.95 for a most filling repast. If you want a sweet side. smaller or a cheaper meal, though, Natraj can accommodate Besides a caution to be prepared for a burning throat, there is i the rest you,__ as all its dishes are also served a la carte, with rice and bread one more warning that you should heed: plannot to use : as dvi 101 uieie iinu being to the bgas accompaniments.ac_uiiijjaHiiu_ni_. But for those on a splurge,spiuige, there's a 51 2.75 rooms here, or you willwin find yourselfyouiscu uciug directed -- , j special dinner for two which includes "a whole roasted chicken the street.street. . j station across all its marinated with most guarded secret family recipe." Besides its As of press time Natraj was adding a 10% surcharge to all its price, a drawbackto this choice is that advanceadvance notice of at least " prices. i j eight hourshours isis required. The sa.rr.osa and pakoras (5.55 each, a la carte) which come with all the dinners are good, but both are a little heavy in their
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; I Cambridge I pacHa and mariscada. Open daily 11-11, Sun 3- RW(A.YV) SS Ahmed's, 9G Winthiop St . Cambridge (547- -11 -93.1) An aif y, intimate Middle Eastern restau- i Restaurant0 Brasilia, 53 Boylston St.. Cam- rant in the heart ot Harvard Square. French Mo- bridge (354-9038). Dine in true Brazilian fash- tables roccan cuisine and continental specials. Clas- ion, m a room Inied with hand-painted sical guitar weekends and Tues evening; disco and tropical murals. Try the Brazilian national downstairs. L 1 1 30-5. D 5-10. Sun-Thurs; 5-11 cisn, Feijoada, or the northern Brazilian seafood 10-3. RW(Ai.I) ' SS oish Vslada L D 5-10. No lunches Mon RNLUW SS Autre Chose, 1105 Macs. Aye . Cambridge (661- Sun -0852). A French country dining room. Special- Stephen James Steak 1 Davenport St. provincial serving steaks and ties include Chicken I (354-7131) A restaurant setting. Estragon. and fresh-baked croissants. B 9-1 1: L seafood in a authentic western 11-3: D Fri and Sat SB 10-4. R W Dancing and live entertainment Wed-Sat. L (MV) SS 11 30-3. D 4-10 RFP(ACDMV) S Club Casablanca, 40 Brattle St.. Cambridge The Sunflower 22 Boylston Cam- (876-0999). Feltucine Alfredo and C?rbonara. end,c (354-3450) Continental and American Live and giant burgers are specialties at popular dining in the heart Harvard Square. ]azz Harvard Square gathering spot. Liv_ jazzat the nightly downstairs. No cover 9-1 L 12-3: D 5-7. downstairs b3r. L LS 4:30-10. Closed LS'7-10. R (required weekends)(ADMV) S Sun. R (AMY) S The Voya.ers, Mt. Auburn St. (Harvard Dertads, 16 Garden St. (in the Sheraton Com- 1 Square;. Cambridge (354-1718) An elegant, re- &> mander Hotel. Cambridge (354-1234). Formal. laxed dining spot with a garden and a no- yet this continental restaurant smo. mg section. The menu changes daily and serves dishes such as Crab Edward. Veal Clam- includes international specialties .such as Veal ; art, and Dertad. A pianist pr.'ides back- t sn ia!-Savann. fresh duckling with and 1 ground music. D 6-1 1 FP RDR W (ACDMV) 1 iresn gamein season. Extensive wine list. Harp 1 narpsichord D 5-10 Closed Mon. SSS 1 ana music. suggested. W (AMY) SSS 44 Brattle St. (Harvard Square). Cam- Reservations Harvest, 1 bridge (492-1115). An warm dining I in- place with an international menu. Dishes | I elude Duckling au Poivre. Korean Marinated | t and Tournedos au Roquefort. L 11 D 6-10 6-10:30 RWFP.A...V) I 12-3:30. SSS I Hotel Soncsta, 5 Cambridge Pkway.. Cambridge (491-3500). The Rib Room. Floor-to-ceilmg win- dows provide a fascinating. View 01 the Boston skyline. American cuisine, including Dover sole and Steak au Poivre Fiano music and dancing nightly. L 11:30-2:30 D 5:30-10. R V. FP (ADFiiV) SS Hunan, 700 Mass. Aye., Cambridge (876-7000). This modern Oriental restaurant offers a Man- darin and Szechuan featuring Hunan minced chicken 'with picnoha. spicy whole cod. and oranae-flavored L D 2:30-10. RW(ADM) S Hyatt Regency 575 Memorial Dr.. Cam- bridge (492-1234). 1 Jonah's-on-the- T-. rrace. A brick-covered ter- race restaurant with a view the 14-story Hyatt Atrium and the Charles. Seafood and Italian cui- with a special buffet every Wed. I Pianist in the adjoining Pallysadoe Lounge. B 7- i -11: Ll D 5:30-11: SB 10-3 SS 1 The nmpre3s. An elegant continental restau- rant with a spectacular view of the Boston sxy- line. Chinese continental dishes include Peking I I mushroom and Hong Kong Steak. D 1 6-1 1. Closed RD CSS 1 The Spinnaker. The revolving rc'top lounge overlooking Cambridge and Boston serves I'ght and salads. L 11:30-3. S3 11-3. W(ACDSV) SS Latin-0 Restaurant, 19 Brcokline St. (Central Square), Cambridge (876-9074). This Mexican restaurant has a warm, candlelit atmosphere. Dishes include tacos. burruos. and enchiladas. Spanish and Latin entertainment. L 12-3 30. D 4-10 R W (A, per_on.il checks with major credit cards) S Legal Hood 237 Hampshire St. (Inman Square). Cambridge (547-1410) An informal Cambridge favorite Try me mussels in wine sauce or baked lobster. Piano evenings L 1 1-3. D 3-9.30. No-smoking section. WFP SS PA Seafood, 345 Somervilie Aye . Somerville (776-1557). A casual Portugese restaurant which specializes in Iberian dishes such as
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i i Guide \ Hippy j 297 298 / Nadcau's \ j was remodeled last year, the Coffee Connection added tastes like a raspberry popsicle and the hell with it. sit-down space, and now is serving its own food. Coffee (35£!) means business. I can't vouch for the food, but the coffee is quite i Mary used to have a wine list, but hasn't kept it up. interesting. Here is a chance to sample unblended fancy We had the last bottle of 75 Vouvray (§6.50), and it was coffees at 40 to 80 cents the cup, properly brewed in little with the one back, lovely food. She ought to bring that Mclior machines. It is very good coffee, and gives you a anyway. chance to learn the various coffees at a low capital invest- Decor is homestyle nostalgic. The ceilings have those ment. This isn't much of a time to be developing one's old galvinized patterns in them, and the new paint shows coffee connoisseurship, but the only way to buy a better it off. The dining room is big and airy. Somctimcs'she 'll cuppa is to search out the newest restaurant in town. The put some loaves of bread or a dish of plums in the win- food will be pretty bad, but the coffee machine will be dow. The best china is on just like home. An odd display, new and whistle clean. That's what it takes. i trick is the use of broad-leaved Italian parsley instead of The menu descriptions of the coffees are stronger than flowers on the table. We were so bold as to eat some of the brew itself. Thus: "heavy bodied, mild aromatic, ours, as do-it-yourself garnish. The informality is lovely, mellow and dry with a light honey flavor." You won't except the waitresses did not seem to be trained properly. pick out Celebes Kalossi to fill this description at a blind At least they didn't object when we got up and got our tasting, I'll wager. My favorite, by the way, is "Con- own coffee. It seems like thekind of place where that kind tinental Blend." of thing is okay, but unplanned. At press time it was rumored that Mary was selling the restaurant to another colorful individual. Whether she Golden Temple intends to return to her old catering business, cook in another restaurant, or retire is not known. Stay tuned for Conscious Cookery developments. 30 Massachusetts avenue, Boston 247-7947 U The spiritual energies behind the Goldei The Coffee Connection Temple (not to be confused with the Cantonese-Ameri- I Boylston Street, Cambridge 36 can restaurant in Brookline) are rather tangled. The stai ! 492-4SBI arc mostly young Americans wearing the traditional tur- i bans of Punjabi Sikhs. They think they arc Sikhs, but This is actually a coffee and tea store on the I their daily religion is in fact mostly yoga, the kundalini second floor of the "Garage" mall in Harvard Square. yoga of Yogi Bhajan, who is an ethnic Sikh. Indian Sikhs Early in the life of the Garage, ace shoppers discovered do not usually practice yoga. Now, if that isn'tconfusing they could parlay a cheese sandwich from Formaggio, a enough, consider that most ofthe food in this restaurant dessert from Baby Watson, and a coffee from the Coffee is Mexican, and there are days when no curry is served at a lunch. When the place 1 Connection into quite gourmet all.
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