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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Harvard SquareHarvard (Red)
"I made a wrong turn and ended up parking on some random street in Harvard Sq. As we were walking to our usual spots to eat we passed this…" read more »
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The Red House ... simply amazing!
My wife went out recently to celebrate the anniversary of our first kiss. I called ahead to make reservations. We got a nice seat outside on a nice New England summer evening. Delicious food. Tasty and creative cocktails. Incredible to be elegantly dining outside together with the one you love in Harvard Square at The Red House.
2 stars for location and for the mushroom phyllo appetizer. that's it...
we wanted to like this place, we really really did but alas, no. it wasn't good and it was really expensive for what it was.
we got seated on the patio, which was lovely on such a nice night. i ordered the baked stuffed lobster - painfully dry and unseasoned - and my husband got the nastiest, blandest grilled salmon fillet with edamame, roasted corn, and tomato relish that either of us have ever tasted. you know how i know it was the blandest dish? it took me 10 minutes of hardcore thinking to remember what he ordered so that i could type it into this review.
so, long story short, red house was a huge let down.
Bleh. I'd been looking forward to eating here for some time, but it was decidedly disappointing. Don't let the cute decor fool you. Almost every dish we ordered came with polenta--which wasn't necessarily unappetizing, just disconcerting--and my pasta was piled high with whole garlic cloves. Double bleh.
Lobster to die for!!! But prepare to drop some coin!
I really want to like this place but I have been really disappointed. The food has been really uninspired and overpriced, and some aspects were downright gross. I love spinach--it is one of those ingredients that will actually make me choose one dish over another. It's also hard to screw up, but Red House managed to do it in their lamb dish. Not sure what was going on here, but it tasted like it was frozen, but not even that good. Not what I would expect for these prices. My pal got a pasta dish that she actually sent back, and then didn't order any replacement because she was too afraid to get something else that was equally bad.
Space is charming and they have a nice outside area to sit in the summer. Fireplace inside is lit in the winter, making for a cozy bar area. Service is attentive and cocktails are tasty. Stop in for a drink, but I would recommend going for dinner somewhere else.
I got the Recession Special - two courses for $22.09.
The celery root + crab soup was divine - and a good portion size, too. It was served with a side of spicy, thin bread, though, which seemed unnecessary.
My main course of risotto with scallops and chorizo was interesting. I wasn't a big fan of the chorizo, so I ate it separately. (It was good!) The scallops were good but a little over powered by the risotto. Still, there were some interesting flavors.
I hear the menu changes often, so I'd love to come again!
I used The Red House for a work get-together with our CEO and a few major donors. The manager was so great to work with; I can be a little neurotic, and he handled that well. Our hors d'oeurves were excellent, the service was consistently present to attend to our needs, and the vibe of the spot just worked well for courting important folks.
Certainly a pleasure to work with, and I know we'll use them again.
Before the event, I sat at the bar, which is very interesting in design - quite a contrast to the little old NE house. The bar is totally modern, with a great selection and beautiful layout.
Fine place for a date, but the food isn't incredible and is overpriced for what it is. The first time I came here, my date and I were awkwardly put in a medium sized dining room with this old couple... Came here once for a birthday party and it was a bit crammed and they weren't very nice about the cake cutting, if I remember.
Overall, would come here again, but not my top choice at all.
The Red House is pretty clutch when you can get a table near the fireplace during the many winter months of New England. I feel as if I've suddenly been transferred to some cute little lodge with a full bar and staff...dreams CAN come true!
The food is a little pricier than I think it should be but not craZY out of the ballpark for the food pricy.
Enjoy the fireplace while you can!
Overpriced and thoughtless, bland food. I could not even finish my lobster risotto, which is pathetic. If you are cooking with lobster meat (which only needs butter to taste good) there really is no excuse to mess up. Like someone else here I would have loved to send it back but I genuinely doubted they would come back with anything better. One gets the feeling the only way this place has customers is because of the location. Put this restaurant anywhere other than harvard square and it would be empty. For the same price you are much much better off at any of the high end restaurants in central sq.
There are many reasons to like The Red House:
1. The food is quite good usually, and occasionally even better than that. I've eaten there more than a dozen times and have never had anything that was less than "quite good."
2. The ambiance is very nice: relaxed, charming, cozy without being twee.
3. Attentive but unobtrusive service.
4. A varied menu that will have things to appeal to most palates. Good place to go with a new date whose tastes you don't know well. Vegetarian options, too.
5. Different seating choices -- eat in the bar area in the front of the house, which features a toasty fireplace when it's cold. Eat on the terrace during warm weather. You don't need a reservation for either of these areas. Or, eat in the main restaurant area (you might want to book it ahead of time if you can).
6. *This is key* -- you can get half portions of many of the entreés. And to be honest the half portion is often more than I can eat in one sitting anyway. Recently had the half portion of pork tenderloin -- very good! -- and couldn't finish it all.
It's a great spot.
My wife and I eat out in and around Harvard Square a lot, as in multiple times a week. We have lived there for years and haven't had many occasions to visit the Red House, although we pass it frequently and always think it looks cozy on the patio. We've been once or twice before and always came away feeling disappointed and vaguely ripped off, in that "maybe I ordered the wrong thing?" sort of way.
This evening, after receiving a gift card from a friend we went back and were quite thoroughly disappointed. It started with the staff. I'm actually a really easy-going person and most aspects of restaurant staffing don't bother me. Screw up the bill (they did)? Fine if you fix it. Stall a bit before we get a chance to order (they did)? As long as we're not starving or in a huge rush, my wife and I will happily chat away (we came out to relax after all). Attitude, however, does bother me and tonight the whole place seemed off. All of the servers seemed tense, angry, borderline surly. It was really quite something.
It started when we came through the door. At the Red House, the area where you wait to be seated is, unfortunately, quite high traffic. While we waited there patiently (for five or so minutes), we were constantly stepping out of the way of the stressed out staff moving food in and out of the kitchen. About half bothered to excuse themselves, but nobody said something akin to "Hi there, we'll be right with you!" or "I'll go get the host(ess)!", etc. After a few minutes we had the distinct impression we were being ignored. Then, I'm fairly certain that the man who finally sat us got up from his stool at the bar and sauntered over, laughing under his breath, and with a great air of entitlement led us to our table.
Honestly, had we not had the gift certificate I would have fled after about 90 seconds of the silent treatment at the door, and given what we ended up eating that would have been the right move. We started with an antipasti platter (small, nothing special) after which I ordered a special pecan-encrusted trout and my wife had a special pasta dish of some sort. Neither was really that good. The trout was a weird mixture of hot spices, nuts, and grapefruit all thrown together on top of a flavorless white fish. I mean, nice try, but it just didn't work. Not every experiment should leave the kitchen. My wife's pasta dish was marginally better but also just fundamentally broken as fine food, with other weird tastes just not quite gelling. The key lime pie we had for dessert was fine. Phew.
To add injury to insult on the way home we both started having stomach cramps and I became mildly ill, a fitting conclusion to just a fairly disgusting bit of cuisine. Apparently my intestines have better taste than most of us stuck on out the "cozy" patio tonight.
My recommendation: avoid this place. For comparable green you can get way better service and food at at least three or four places within a stone's throw. These include _____, ______, and Daedelus on Mt. Auburn St. (Can't give away all my secrets now!)
Eh, this place is just ok. I went for the linguini and the bf went for the duck. He loved his and I still had some left over after ordering the smaller version. I didn't feel like there was much taste to my meal and it seemed a bit oily.
Service was decent except the waiter refused to talk directly to me. Every time he came over to ask us how our meal was or if we needed anything else he only spoke to the bf. It was odd and made me feel uncomfortable.
My two stars go to how cute this place is. Its just as cute inside as it is from the outside.
I went there for lunch with my co-workers. I wanted to like it -- honestly! I walk up and down that alley at least five times a week and I always see people outside, eating, lounging, drinking, and having a good time. I thought... hmm, this seems nice. I should suggest it for our next team lunch.
WRONG! The patio seating is definitely nice -- except that there was construction going on in the dirt pit directly next door and our glasses and bread plates had specks of dirt all over them.
The service took FOREVER. It took at least 10 minutes before our order was taken... another 10 minutes to get bread, and finally, at 12:45, we got our food (we got there at noon).
The reason I didn't give it less stars is because my food was actually good. I had the steak sandwich, and omg, it was super yummy. The steak was cooked impeccably and it was tender. The potatoes that came with it were good as well.
My co-worker didn't like her lobster bisque (in her defense, when I first saw it, I thought it was tomato soup -- it was watery and ORANGE and looked NOTHING like lobster bisque). At the end of our meal, she told the server the bisque wasn't good, and the manager came over and told us that she removed the charge for the soup from our meal. Nice gesture, but it was almost too little too late... we had already wasted over an hour there.
Blech. That's the only thing I can say. But at least I got to go there and Yelp about it. Hehe
This was hands-down the worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant. The ambiance was a little weird, not awful, just weird.
The tables have olive oil on them, so we were very excited about getting some yummy bread to start the meal with, but there was none. I think the olive oil was a decoration? I'm not sure, but I didn't see bread on the menu. The olives they gave us before the meal were absolutely horrible. They were flavored with some kind of savory spice mix that really should have been reserved for a steak.
The appetizers were OK. Nothing to write home about, just OK. As for the entrees. . . My wife had the beef risotto, which was not actually risotto. Instead it was a mushy puddle of regular rice with a few little chunks of beef that tasted bland. It was as if they put a scoop of yesterday's rice on the plate and then added a ladle full of some beef sauce on top. I had the sole. It was bland and awful. It came with what I'm pretty sure were canned artichoke hearts and lots of bones. Needless to say, neither one of us finished our plate.
We ordered off the "recession tasting menu", which allows you to pick one appetizer and one entree from a list for a set price. The waitress tried to charge for the items separately and had to fix the bill.
All I could think of the whole time was, "Why are there people here?"
I was with several friends for dinner, ordered the tuna steak and received pork instead. Not being very familiar with pork (since I don't eat it for religious reasons), I tried some and quickly realized something was wrong. The waitress confirmed this was in fact the tuna when I asked and after my friends realized it was pork i brought this up with the waitress again who went to the kitchen to check. I was surprised given the small menu that the waitress would have to check the identity of a dish.
The owner took 20-30 minutes to come to our table and apologize (which seemed insincere) claiming he didn't want to disturb our meal. Not that serving pork instead of tuna would disturb a meal. He claimed he would "deal with this in his own way" implying he would punish the server and comped my meal and my girlfriends meal as "the least he could do". Well, it was absolutely the least he could do and punishing the waitress is inadequate, as he the restaurant is his responsibility and he should take it.
I don't recommend eating here since you don't really know what you are going to get served and the management are unapologetic about their mistakes.
I was visiting Boston for my sister's graduation and we came to Red House because she had eaten here before and loved it. Sadly, we were quite disappointed, including my sister who'd been before.
*Sigh* Where to begin? They were out of lobster (which was most of their menu), so not a good start, but we tried to be understanding. They did have their Lobster Mac & Cheese, so several of us ordered that. It was not good. I thought the lobster tasted alright, but the macaroni and cheese was not very good tasting. I'd have preferred Velveeta Shells & Cheese... seriously. Other dishes were alright, but honestly the best parts were the spinach artichoke dip and my other sister's vegan/gluten-free dish (which was just vegetables and not actually on the menu).
Then there was the service... the restaurant was practically empty. I say this in order to help you understand exactly why we found the utter lack of attention from our waitress to be so perplexing, then annoying, and, eventually, almost funny. It became a joke to us by the end, but it sure wasn't so funny when we got the bill and for our party of six, the gratuity was already included! This was utterly insulting as our waitress regularly forgot things (like replacing missing silverware, forgetting drink orders, etc.), didn't ever look over or check on us to see that we were attempting (at times waving even) to get her attention, didn't follow up on things she said she would, and so on. Let's just say that once we saw that, we understood why she'd been such a terrible waitress. It was downright insulting, particularly given that the food was grossly overpriced and generally not all that good.
All in all: don't waste your time or money. Nothing here tasted good enough to make up for the incredibly poor service.
My husband and I dined here last night - this was our 2nd trip to The Red House and our meals were just as good as our first trip. The decor/feel of the place is very cozy. I had the roasted beet salad for an app and then the lobster risotto - delicious! My husband had the prosciutto app which was so-so and then the lamb shank dinner which was nicely done. We look forward to a return trip to The Red House - hopefully to sit in the lounge area near the fireplace : )
Went to RHouse in October '06 with a party of 6 and the occasion was my friend's bday. The coolest thing was that we had a special room and a waitress to ourselves. The service was good, but the food was disappointing. Nothing special about the taste or quality. It seems that they charge for the atmosphere. The plus is that (if you are OK with their food), you can choose the appetizer or entree size, which gives some space for variation.
I made the reservation for the night and even though I indicated that it was a special occasion online, the waitress had no clue. "Well, it is OK" I thought, so I whispered into her ear that it was her bday. She smiled and indicated that she'd take care of it. She cleaned the table and the next time she came back, asked if we wanted dessert. At this point, we were looking at each other and at the waitress, thinking that she was going to bring a piece of cake or something similar, so we didn't order dessert. I was still hoping that she was acting to not to give any clue and that she'd be bringing something for our friend. What came next was the bill!!...
I might check out the bar next time but definitely not the food.
I loved the Red House. After showing my German friend the Harvard campus, we decided that we had some time to kill before heading to a party in Cambridge. The Red House looked inviting so we ambled in. Although we had just eaten dinner, we opted to sit outside even after the hostess informed us that we would have to order an entree because it was a dinner section. She was friendly enough about it so we went with it, plus as I told my friend, as an Italian I always have reserve space in my stomach.
The hostess and waitress were both very nice. The waitress was helpful in suggesting wines and we went with the Rioja Crianza Marques de Caceres. We also ordered the Linguini Mussels Fra Diavolo which was delicious. Despite the fact that we had just eaten, we scarfed that plate down and then asked to see the dessert menu. We ordered the tiramisu and were not disappointed.
The food came out quick but not so much that we felt rushed. The seating area was cozy and cute and I will definitely be back.
On the eve of attending my first Yelp event, (at Crema Cafe in Harvard Square) I thought it time to take a reprieve from reviewing North Shore destinations and take care of an oft-overlooked eatery on Winthrop Street, nestled between Om Lounge and Tommy Doyle's.
I'm a little surprised at the mediocre reviews. I've always had solid meals and good service at The Red House at relatively reasonable prices. I've been a few times as part of a group of three to five and my fellow diners seem to share my satisfaction. I even recommended it -- with good results -- to some foodie friends who were looking to get out of their Back Bay groove.
At any rate, I wonder if Red House-goers have had their experience damaged by poor first impressions courtesy of what I would deem unprofessional hostesses. I don't know if I've been unlucky enough to draw a trainee on each occasion or if they're just generally daft but there's a distinct shortage of the poise and command that veteran maitre d's possess.
Accordingly, I'm never in a fine dining mood when I take my seat. More of a 'I'm in a college 'hood, let's get rowdy' way. My associates and the folks at the other tables don't seem to care for the elevated volume and liberal cursing that ensues. I've digressed ...
The decor is a little bit bizarre but I dig it. The menu is ambitious and usually well-executed (the only exception I can conjure is a botched risotto). The waitresses seem far more seasoned than the aforementioned hostesses and maintain that perfect level of interaction where they're attentive but never invasive.
Judging by the reliable availability of reservations, I'd say The Red House is off most radars and would recommend that y'all check it out.
Nice old-world feel, especially in the winter (fireplace and such) - It's like when Matt Damon first meets Robin Williams in "Good Will Hunting"...
Overall experience, however, reminded me of a first-class plane ride. High prices, attentive service but sloppy food. Bombastic descriptions of spice rubbed country chickens and New Zealand lambs turned out to be overcooked pieces in heavy wine sauce and nothing more.
If you want to feel Ivy, go there. If you want to eat really well, go elsewhere
Great little restaurant - perfect for a romantic meal during the cold winter months. It is literally a little red house so the dining room is small and intimate. I have also dined on the deck during the summertime. It's a great people watching spot in Harvard Square. The menu is good - a little pricey but pretty comparable to other places in the Square. The wine list is also very good. I would recommend reservations as it is a small place and has always been packed when I've been there.
We had the best time here the other night. The place is adorable. There are so many rooms - you really feel as though you are in someone's house. There is also a bar area, a private room, and a patio that is perfect for a warm night. The service was excellent. The food was delicious. The prices were great. And, parking karma was on our side in Harvard Square. This is the perfect date spot or the perfect place to get together with friends or the perfect place to take your parents if they come to visit!
The bread and the variety of olives they start you off with are delicious. It's a really hearty wheat bread (and a raisin bread I didn't try). We also started off with a perfect bottle of wine.
We all got appetizers. One had the special softshell crab, another had mushroom phyllo, and I had the special Californian mission figs wrapped in prosciuotto. We all shared and mine was the clear winner.
We all ordered half portions of pasta dishes (I love that they offer halves) so we could have apps & save room for dessert. One had the special of the day - pasta with a bolognese sauce of veal and lamb. Another had the shrimp linguine. And I had the linguini con carciofi and I added grilled shrimp. It was probably one of the best pasta dishes I have ever had (and I live in the North End). The sauce was perfect and light and the flavors of the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, garlic, shrimp, arugula & red pepper worked perfectly together.
For dessert we split a key lime pie (amazing!) and a vanilla cake topped with fruit and cream (I forget the name). Both were delicious and we finished every bite.
It was our first time at the Red House but we will definitely go back. My boyfriend and his mother remembered Paul (the owner) from his Giannino's days. So, his mom was able to pop into the kitchen on our way out to say hi to him, which made her very happy.
Edited: 9/26/06 - So...maybe it's the more adventerous dishes that are better...? I tried the bison ribeye tonight (medium), and it was quite delicious. I was concerned about it being tough (bison seem so big) but it was quite tasty and fatty. Yum. The sides (some sort of rice dish and broccoli) were less than inspiring...but generally a much better experience than my last one.
Average food, small portions and so expensive. The service was good and very friendly but I was really underwhelmed by the risotto I had.
Nice location, nice interior and nice dining on the patio especially nice on a warm summer night. Very friendly service. Price wise a little bit on the spendy side.
I've been twice and each time, you feel like you're walking right into someone's living room. The full restaurant is towards the back but you'll be immediately greeted by the bar and a few opening tables, absolutely key on cold, wintry days. Steal a spot next to the fireplace and enjoy a glass of wine or a pint--the beer selection is limited but there are a couple solid choices in there. Try the BBC Cabin fever.
As nice as the ambiance is though, you're probably here to eat and while the Red House doesn't disappoint, it doesn't excel either. The food is just good. If I'm being too critical, it's because I expected more. It's not extravagant and it's not cheap either. I ordered the Maine crab cake sandwich, which are actually two mini-burgers. They weren't bad but if I'm indulging in a fried delight, I would've wished it were better. One of the things I do like about the Red House though is that the sizes are decent. Head next door to Tommy Doyle's if you want to stuff your face as the only thing you're getting here is a healthy portion.
Now that I am writing this, I am feeling the need to go back. This place is just...neat. (For those of you on the ball: Yes, I'm paraphrasing Spike.) Originally a dilapidated old house in the middle of Harvard Square, the Red House was purchased five years ago by Paul Overgaag - who, along with his brother Jaap - owns the disturbingly crappy Charlie's Kitchen around the corner. (Many thanks to Hoagie W for pointing out the Paul was in this with his brother Jaap. Paul runs the kitchen for the Red House, while Jaap runs the "kitchen" for Charlie's. This cleared up the bewildering dichotomy in my brain...well, one of them, anyway. )
The Red House is laid out like many restaurants in France - the structure of the house remains mostly intact, with patrons eating in former rooms of the house...many of which have working fireplaces. (A big plus in the winter.) The patio is open all spring-summer-fall, and its a great place to people watch.
The food is excellent - not the best in Harvard Square, I think - but really very very good. Combined with the atmosphere, this is a great place to bring a date, or a big gathering of folks. It's best to make a reservation in advance - it is, after all, a Red House...and so, not very big.
Oh...check out the bar. Excellent setting...
I went here for the "economic stimulus" lunch today - Red House is offering 6 or 7 lunch meals for 5$ - this kind of event is cute and I was thrilled to break out of my Harvard Square eating-rut. I salivated as I sidled up to the trough.
The menu was also Inauguration themed, with a Hilary turnover, Barackognaise pasta, Joe Biden po' boy etc. Dying for something heavy, I ordered the bolognaise.
The bread was very good, as was the service. The house-made pasta was really nice and pretty, but the meat in the sauce was dry and under-seasoned. Moreover, while my friends professed to enjoy the turnover, it was quite unattractive (roasted winter veggies and goat cheese spilling out of a spinach wrap). The vegetable ravioli were swimming in orange sauce and looked greasily delicious but heavy, something you might expect to get at Olive Garden. It was purported to be tasty.
The one standout was the spinach salad with shrimp (the Michelle) - there were at least 5 big shrimp grilled on a skewer over a simple salad - absolutely worth five dollars and probably more in line with Red House's menu of simple, pared-down New American.
So how can you complain about a five dollar lunch? While it was nice to try something new, I doubt that this would entice me to return. The menu in general is very expensive and I wound up paying 4$ for the two diet colas I drank (it was tasty diet cola, though). If a restaurant is trying to drum up new business, it should make a gimmick menu really delicious or charge 8 or 9$ for the specials and up the quality - since regular entrees start at 12-13$, this would still be a good break. Or at least attempt to make second quality food more appealing on the plate.
Red House has some delicious food (the lobster pot pie) and cocktails, and the atmosphere is nice, but the current events-themed current event is probably not going to help bring folks in the door (at least not shallow pocketed folks).
I tried this because of all the yelpers awesome reviews.. and they were true!!
It was very sweet and romantic to sit outside, on a warm night. They have some ridiculously fun drinks, I had a "pink champagne cocktail". This place is in a older arts and crafts style building, but the food, waitstaff, even the martini glasses are what you would see at the MOMA or a modern design gallery. I liked that a lot.
I had a zucchini salad and lobster risotto, both very good. Very rich and satisfying. I can not pinpoint the exact reason why this place felt so warm and romantic, except that is a special and unique place.
The Red House is great in both the winter and summer. In the winter, you can sit in the bar area next to a roaring fire and sip cocktails whilst in the summer you can sit on the deck and sip cocktails (no "alcoholic beverages with food only"restrictions here -- it's a private deck, hurrah!). Oh, and the food is great too (sort of "contemporary American meets European") and I love that most of the main courses are also available as half-portions. Whenever we're out and about in Harvard Square, my husband and I always seem to end up in the bar or on the deck, nibbling at olives and drinking martinis...
As a side note, my husband and I decided to hold our rehearsal dinner here and we couldn't have had a better evening -- there was something to suit everyone and the service was impeccable.
I was going to give it one star, but I'm going to give it leeway to account for the raging headache I had and the fact that it was a busy Friday night and they had a private party in the back.
but the ambiance is so weird....especially in the bar...there's the fireplace (yes!) and it's real (double yes!) and there's a lot of colonial-esque americana...and then there's the stainless steel and white flourescent modern bar and bar lighting....super weird combo.
the service took literally FOREVER
the food was ok but not great- they messed up my order and then took a long, long time to fix it
all-in-all-- meh.
No problems. Food good. Service good. It's on a great block and really nice outside.
Went here for a first date. Sat in the front by the bar and it was a really cool setting. The girl I was with said it reminded her of an old lodge, which I agree with. Had some good beers and the bruschetta and some squash thing that was also tasty.
Good place for a date. And bonus points for having grog. Aye, it's rare to find grog. You might say you have to travel farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
We blustered in and got a table by the fire, ordered up some tasty food, and had a nice night. No complaints.
They gave us this savory torte with butternut squash and apples. It came with some sort of tangy creamy sauce. Fantastic. Also the lobster risotto was fantastic. Overall, seems like a solid place to me. I will not complain. I will come back.
Hey maybe it was an off night, but omg was i disappointed in this place. This restaurant is in a high traffic area in Harvard sq. and super quaint looking. all arrows point to yes. Once we walked in and saw the open fire place, we thought that the food was surely going to live up to the atmosphere. And oh how wrong we were.
1) it took us 15 minutes to get a beer and an iced tea after the waiter made the initial contact.
2) both the salmon and the mussels on the smoked trio appetizer were seriously off and the trout was questionable (bad seafood in boston? that's just effing lazy)
3) the gf's chicken caesar salad came out without the chicken.
there seemed to be a serious understaffing issue, and even sitting right by the fireplace didn't make up for this crap dining experience.
this place is really good for lunch, especially if it's nice enough to sit outside. in fact we lunched al fresco with two sets of out of town visitors two weeks in a row, and both parties were very happy. the bf loves loves loves their salmon blt, while i enjoy their crab cake sandwich. you have the option to get half a sandwich and a cup of soup. what they don't tell you is that you also get a side of their delectable potato salad with any sandwich order, full or half size. my sense is that the naysayers haven't been here for lunch.
this place has the coziest, loveliest fireplace. the bf and i were walking towards the t, when we… Read more »
TEN STARS for this place.
1. The atmosphere is fantastic. We sat in the back corner with the perfect amount of sunlight and restaurant light. It's quaintly and romantically decorated. The front room/bar has an awesome fireplace to sit by.
2. The service is wonderful. Attentive, helpful and patient.
3. The food. Whoa. SO GOOD. I had the linguine con carciofi with shrimp. It was perfectly prepared and light. I didn't feel weighed down by eating a big pasta dish. I had a really amazing dessert, but for some reason what it was escapes me (damn the delicious red wine...).
4. The aforementioned wine - great selection and very very nice.
5. I'd recommend this place to anyone. If I didn't have such a thing for trying new restaurants, I'd probably just keep going here and never expand my circle...
Way to go Red House!
Tried Red House for the first time a few weeks ago. It was definitely a mixed experience, but mostly enjoyable.
We were seated in the room with the large round skylight, which was really lovely. The atmosphere was cozy. Unfortunately though the bench seat I sat on was higher than it should have been, making me slightly uncomfortable. I rolled with it tho because I didn't feel like being reseated, since the place was busy.
We were served two fantastic breads to start, but with no butter or oil, which was strange. Our waiter seemed kind of distracted, so maybe he just forgot-- i think he may have been new. We also each got a lovely glass of wine-- riesling, as usual, for me, and a pino noir for my man.
We had the shrimp and jerusalem artichoke appetizer, which was served a bit cold in a newburg-y sauce over puff pastry. It was tasty, but would have been much better hot. My man chose venison as his entree, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and i could see why after trying some. I think I ordered poorly in choosing the linguine with artichoke hearts tomatoes and garlic...I wanted something on the light side, so this appealed to me. The taste was subtle and indeed light, but didn't really wow me-- i've had more exciting pasta dishes. i enjoyed it, but probably wouldn't order it again.
We opted out of dessert to head home and curl up with wine and a movie. I definitely enjoyed Red House, and think that if I order better I will probably love it next time.
The front room/bar is much cozier than the back room (main restaurant) as other reviewers have noted. The warm, rich colours and fireplace seem like the perfect place to snuggle up with a good glass of wine on a cold winter day. For summer, the patio offers a bright, sunny and carefree dining spot.
However, aside from how much I liked the decor, the rest is a little bit lacking. It's not bad, but I think I came here expecting something astounding and left feeling a little underwhelmed.
The food is good, but not the best I've ever had. The salads are very fresh, but it's a shame that the dressings and other goodies are laid on so abundantly that it drowns out some of the yummy fresh flavour of the greens, which is a shame. The crepe is delicious, except there is so much creamy bechamel sauce that again, it stifles the taste of the yummy black forest ham inside. Otherwise though, the food still tastes good, portion sizes are really good (i.e. won't leave you starving but won't overstuff you with too-big portions), and despite the too-much-sauce tendency, food generally tastes very fresh.
I think I was most disappointed by the service - the atmosphere and ambiance are so warm and welcoming that I expected the staff would be much the same. Unfortunately, the seating hostess as well as the waitstaff were quite cold, passive, and not very helpful. There was only one actually nice waiter there the last time I went, at any rate. They have very cool martini glasses, though, and overall it's a decent spot to relax in during both winter and summer.
Come Unwind - One Olive at a…
Neighborhood: Back Bay
NFL Football Promotion
Medford, MA
Neighborhood: Harvard Square
Category: French
Neighborhood: Harvard Square
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Harvard Square
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Harvard Square
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Harvard Square
Category: Nightlife
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