Will K.'s Profile

This recent addition to the long Middlesex county list of suburban American food joints is off to a pretty good start.

The environment is a bit of an enigma.  It's not quite sure whether it wants to be a sophisticated suburban yuppie martini bar, a family style pub, or an open airy breakfast-style diner.  The space is quite large, there seemed to be many cars in the parking lot, but we had no trouble getting a table.  It's pretty stark from a design standpoint, bright lighting, low dividers between booths, open tables, and lots of white walls.

The people all seemed quite nice, the staff were friendly, our waitress was great, recommending dishes and being generally attentive.  Patrons were mostly as expected, young families at the tables, middle-age couples at the bar area (features a few TVs for sports and the like)

The place seemed kid-friendly, we brought a toddler.  They had a kids menu with typical fare (though our picky little eater didn't order anything).  The tried-and-true crayons for the little ones would have been a nice addition.  There was plenty of space in the restaurant which allows kids to have a little wiggle room without disrupting other guests.

The food was quite decent, probably a bit better than expected.  I had a cheddar burger.  They grind all the meat there daily, the cheddar was quality, and it was cooked just as I asked.  Fries were nothing special, but were also well-cooked.  My wife had the spinach goat cheese salad, she found it well balanced and the ingredients were very fresh.  The menu was a bit small, especially if you're looking to become a regular, but that's a lot less of a problem if they cook consistently good food.

All told, this place won't knock any gourmet socks off or win any design awards, and ultimately it might suffer from an identity crisis, but for now it represents a good non-chain alternative to the tired Chili's, Uno's and TGIFs that dot the Rt. 128 belt.

The friendliness of the husband and wife owners, the fast service, good take-out and big menu make this a favorite local chinese food spot.  Most of their business seems to be takeout, but they have a nice clean dining room and recently renovated (but small and simple) bar with a couple flat-screen TVs.  The owners are almost always there and are very friendly, always greeting regulars with a smile.

The food seems to be improving regularly, with a typical chinese menu as well as smaller offerings of Thai and Japanese specialities (the Chinese seems to be their forte, however).

Maybe not worth a trip, but for those that are local, China Cuisine is the best North Reading choice.

Very solid chinese food for the 'burbs, Mandarin has expansive seating for large parties, try to get seated in the smaller back room, it has a much less antiseptic and cavernous feel than the front room or raised central room.

The service has never been anything but forgettable here.  Not bad, but completely impersonal.  Go with a big group for the food, you won't be disappointed.

Gotta love Richardson's.  It's a perfect spot to hit up before closing on a warm spring night.  Ice-cream and mini-golf at 10pm on a weeknight is a simple pleasure.

A bit seedy, in desperate need of an upgrade.  It's a good place to meet locals, but not the younger crowd.

The food is always edible, never special.

Stay away from kareoke nights, they are downright painful.

A little updating of the decor and menu, Danielas could jump up 2 stars, but for now, it has limited repeat appeal.

With all the hype, mostly from the over-50 crowd, I really *want* to like Kitty's.  I try it again maybe once a year, in hopes that I'm confused about it's charm.  And alas, I'm not.  The place is a dive, the staff are all surly, and the atmosphere is dominated by perpetual depressing Keno players nursing cheap beers at the bar.

The food is typical giant-american-portions fare, very mediocre if it's cooked well.

Maybe Kitty's was a hot-spot in the 60s, but that momentum died a long time ago.

Great spot for films that haven't yet (or won't at all) hit the main theaters.  A good date option, it's rarely crowded, except when an indie film really takes off in the public buzz.

Don't try to take the T here, it's a bit of a walk, you are better off driving and parking in the garage attached to the cinema.

A favorite local coffee shop for employees in the Kendall Square, Draper, Technology Square area of Cambridge, near MIT.

The employees are young, funky, and very friendly, especially in the morning when they help wake up a number of customers before work each day.  The lines move very quickly.  For breakfast, there are bagels, croissants, muffins and pastries, as well as handmade breakfast sandwiches (egg, sausage, and thick-sliced cheddar is my favorite).

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I know plenty who are addicted to their coffee as well as fresh lattes and other coffee drinks.  Their hot-chocolate and caramel-apple-cider are great winter drinks.

At lunchtime, they serve freshly made sandwiches and wraps to order (although only on french bread or a few flavor of wrap, not on a full bread selection).  The menu is limited, and recently removed their hot-sandwich selections, which was a disappointment, but the food is good, especially if you get there before around 2:00 when the bread starts to get a little stale from sitting out through the lunch rush hours.  There are often specials and a soup or two of the day.  Especially worth checking out is the 'Farmer's Market', fresh chicken salad with cheddar and apple slices.

There is limited seating in the cafe itself, but having just been renovated, it has an updated and comfortable feel.

As a local corner pizza/sub shop, Captain Famous Pizza (no, not captain's famous, "Captain Famous", like "Lance Corporal Amazing") is a winner.

The subs are okay, especially the steak-and-cheese family.  The pastas and salads are not the highlight, but their onion rings are a greasy delight.  The pizza oven stays open later than grill, and features pretty thin crust with a sauce that seems to get raves from most of our friends that try it for the first time.  The large pizzas are cut into squares instead of slices, unless requested otherwise.

The staff are friendly and funny with the regulars, and the service is fast.  In hundreds of takeout orders, I've never once had them lose an order on me.  Haven't done delivery too often, but when I have it's been reasonably speedy.

If you want to ditch the chains and go with the local pizza guy, make Captain's your local spot.

Palmer's is a good restaurant trying to be great.  The atmosphere and music are a little better than the bar drinks, and the prices in the upstairs restaurant are a little higher than the quality of the food.

The bar downstairs has a nice bar-feel, the drinks are well-mixed, and they have a good selection of better beers (and lots on draught).  The bar features live music on weekend nights.  Upstairs is the restaurant area.  I'd recommend a reservation, but we've had problems with them even having a table ready in time for a reservation (perhaps an anomaly).  It's a quiet area, good for medium-sized parties looking for a leisurely dinner over wine and conversation.  The laminated menus reveal the corners that were cut, keeping this joint from being truly upscale, but the chef's creations are very solid, and interesting menu with good presentation.

Overall, I recommend the experience.  For anyone looking for a night out without venturing into the city, Palmers is a great option.  I give it 4-stars for that reason.  It'd be 3-stars by Boston standards, but is a high-class alternative to suburban chain bars.