Andrew T.'s Profile

Summed up in one sentence. Above average tapas (not great), very friendly staff, but not worth the wait at all.

They don't take reservations, which means that you should expect a *very* long wait at peak times. We waited 2.5 hours on a Friday night, for the promise of amazing food and the best tapas we would have had in recent memory. While the staff was apologetic for the wait (they must have to apologize a lot), it was downright excessive. There is very little that I would wait that long for, and unfortunately the food at Toro is just not one of those things. After standing outside for most of the night, there was no way the food could possibly live up to the expectations. And it didn't. Not even the corn. That's right, not even the corn.

Now don't get me wrong, the corn was great, but balanced with everything else, it wasn't enough to put me over the top and get me back to Toro anytime soon. The rest of the food was solid, but not as good as I was expecting. Maybe Toro was just the victim of over heightened expectations, but with the exception of the odd dish here and there, I recall having plates of close quality at Dali, Tasca, and Tapeo with less fanfare and certainly less time spent staring at other people eating before I got a chance to sit down.

The other thing that bothered me about Toro was the number of self-important south-end wanna-be hipster-yuppie types that were sucking down PBRs like they had just discovered the anecdote. I mean, are we still doing this? The ironic-cool thing with the PBR? Really? I thought this was replaced with the equally repulsive trend of wearing brightly-colored wayfarer sunglasses 24/7 and pretending it was like, totally normal and stuff. PBR is a fine beer for a backyard BBQ when you just want a real cold-one, but if you are thinking that drinking PBR in a South End tapas restaurant is elevating your level of non-temperature cool, you need be set straight. A good rule of thumb, is that if you can get a t-shirt at Urban Outfitters with a particular beer logo on it, that beer probably isn't consumed for it's quality. Or coolness anymore for that matter.

Short version is, Toro is good. It ain't great. Go on an off day, or super late on a weekend, get some corn, have a cocktail (all of which are pretty decent looking), and then go to one of Ken Oringer's better restaurants.

Fore Street is the restaurant I would create if I were to create a restaurant.

It is housed in an old mill-like building (brick, exposed post and beam, big windows, etc) with a cozy atmosphere made so by the literally open kitchen with roaring fire, and the candle lights at each table. The menu is very extensive, which is usually a turn off for me, but the dishes were organized by cooking style, and even though there were dozens of choices, I found it to be pretty manageable to pour through.

Oh, and when I say literally open kitchen, I mean it. The kitchen is in the middle of the restaurant, and has no walls separating it from the dining area, so it is right out there and allows for total visibility into the cooking process. They also keep all of their produce in a little windowed (presumably chilled) room right off of the kitchen, which really added to the openness of everything in the kitchen area.

The service was spot on and friendly, and the food was fantastic. I opted for a whole black sea bass (head, bones, etc) that was cooked in a lemon/caper/butter sauce which I would have consumed as a cocktail on it's own if it were feasible to do so. The whole dish was absolutely phenomenal.

We finished off with a tart plum pastry with mango sorbet, which combined some flavors that I hadn't had before, but worked wonderfully.

Definitely an excellent dining experience all around.

I am still craving the molasses cookies from this place. We got a small bag of about 6 cookies to take home, and devoured them near immediately. We should have gotten a lot more. They were awesome.

I opted not to get treatment here, so this review is based only on a consultation appointment. I can't vouch for or against their actual services.

The nurse I saw was friendly and pleasant, but that was the only real upside to this place. The big turnoff (aside from the prices, which were way above the other places I've talked to) for me was the desk staff, who seemed completely unaware of the fact that others were in the waiting room, and within earshot, as they openly complained about another patient who had just left.

The woman before me, had printed out a coupon (from the laser center website) which had apparently expired...though again, was still prominently displayed on their website. After begrudgingly agreeing to honor the coupon, the two receptionists proceeded to loudly complain about her after she left, calling her "tacky" and mocking her for wanting to use a coupon that they have on their website. Again, all within about 10 feet of other waiting patients.

Not exactly behavior that makes you want to be a patient here.

I feel like giving the newest Ten Tables location anything less than a perfect, or near perfect score, is going to be looked at as an act of betrayal, but three stars it is.

I am a HUGE fan of Ten Tables in JP. My favorite Boston restaurant, hands down, no contest. So when this new location opened, and WAS ON OPEN TABLE (anyone who has tried to get reservations in JP knows why this is a huge change), we jumped on the chance to dine there.

Having never been to the Craigie Street Bistrot when it was there, I was taken aback by the location. It's in the bottom of an apartment building, in a thoroughly residential area of Cambridge. This means that if you drive (no real nearby T stop), and are not a Cambridge resident, good luck with the parking. Ten tables has 4 spots for cars, and the rest is resident street parking. Since Cambridge residents get one guest parking pass for their guests, there is no need for non-resident parking in heavily residential areas like this. So there is none near this restaurant. Be aware that you'll need to park illegally and take your chances.

So once inside, we noticed some immediate differences in this location. For one, there is actually space to stand inside if you are waiting for your table, unlike in JP where you are either seated, or standing on the sidewalk outside in the cold. Also, fourteen tables at this spot, and no open kitchen, which I really like in JP.

Since this was the second week of operation, there were a lot of noticeable kinks to be worked out. For one, they ran out of menus. As in, we couldn't sit for our 8:30 reservation, despite our table being ready, because there weren't enough menus. Kind of annoying. I'd imagine as a restaurant, you should always have at least as many menus and place settings as you have seats at all times, but what do I know. Our server was great, but slow and easily distracted, and the kitchen was slow as well, even by Ten Tables standards - which apparently was due to a last minute staffing issue.

The food, as expected, was spot on. Expertly prepared, tasty, creative, and totally inexpensive. Our total bill was $100 for the following.

- One steak tartare app
- One scallop entree
- One chicken sausage with duck confit entree
- One bottle of wine ($36)
- One fantastic chocolate terrine and thai basil ice cream dessert.

Take the wine out, and you are having a fantastic, four-star dinner for under $70.

We'll be back, for sure, and probably revise this review to add an extra star or two once things settle down here, but I still have a personal preference for the original JP spot.

I was really surprised to see such a high review of Minibar on here. Maybe we just hit it on a really off night. The lone plusses were the nice modern decor and the friendly service. After that, everything was average to below average.

The crowd was made up of the predictable wanna-be trendy crowd which means slightly older than college aged guys and girls, trying just a little too hard and coming up just a little too short. Not my scene really, and the girls (friends of mine and my girlfriend's) that I was with, were hit on by lots of those trying too hard guys, who...well, all came up a little short. Maybe next time guys!

The space, as I mentioned, was nice and modern. It was well decorated, and the seats we had near the bar were nice and comfortable, and gave us a nice view of the line outside.

Right, the line. I am sure they have a capacity dictated by the fire code, but being inside and noticing how empty the place was, made me feel a bit badly for the people that they were making wait in line Not saying it was unjustified, it just seemed that way. On a side note, I'd never wait in line to go to Minibar. Just sayin.

Last complaint, was no coat check. Now I know not every bar in the city has a coat check, but with a small, upscale bar, connected to a hotel lobby (The Copley Square Hotel), I'd expect there to be a coat check option. The lack of such an option, resulted in nearly everyone there trying to smoosh giant winter coats into small spaces in corners, holding them awkwardly, or bartering with other tables to let them hang the coats on stranger's chairs.

Oh, and one more thing. And this isn't just a Minibar thing, this is one of my biggest current pet peeves when it comes to bars. If you are trying to run a dark, trendy, sophisticated, upscale bar, lose the flat panel tv's over the bar. Aside from totally counteracting your lighting efforts, they come across as totally incongruous with the rest of the atmosphere. If I wanted to watch the Bruins post-game show on NESN, I'd go to one of the billion sports bars a stone's throw away. I'll never understand why every Boston bar feels the need to have these tv's....

EVOO was pretty empty during our Friday night meal, but perhaps the economy is to blame. Who knows.

We had a relatively early reservation and we were promptly seated by the friendly staff, whose service was solid throughout the night. Though we did have to ask for the bread for our table, which was a little bit irritating.

We went for the three course menu with wine pairings for $50pp. Without pairings it was $35pp, and if we did a $35 bottle of wine...well, you get the point. Cheaper and more variety with the tasting and pairings.

The menu is creative, albeit a bit overly wordy. For instance...

"Seared Tequila Soaked Misty Knoll Farm's Chicken Breast  with Roast Pumpkin - Caramelized Onion Enchiladas, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Queso Blanco and Apple - Cabbage Salad"

Once you get past the menu translation, the dishes themselves are well done. All contain a healthy helping of  local ingredients applied to standard proteins combining to make creative, but not *always* tasty final products. For instance, the "tempura battered mashed potato maki" that came with my cod sounded far more interesting and appetizing than it was. A+ for creativity, but D- for taste. Something about the seaweed/nori flavor with the mashed potatoes left me picking off the tempura bits and enjoying those on their own, leaving the ocean flavored mash for the rats out back to enjoy later.

Overall, I'd go back. The space was nice, the service was good, and the food was well above average for the modest price. Parking can be a bit tricky if you look on the streets nearby, as most every spot is permit parking for residents. There is however, a small lot adjacent to the building, but be ready to do an eleventeen point turn to get out, as they jam twice as many cars back there as there are meant to be.

Alibi was exactly what I expected it to be. We went with a group on a Saturday night and got there early (7:30) to stake out a spot. Good thing, because by 9, it was packed. You can reserve a table, but to do so, you need to get bottle service which will run you at least $300.

Anyways, pretty standard stuff for this new-ish hotel hotspot. Mostly douchey crowd, dark and cool atmosphere, and pricey drinks ($12-$14 for their signature cocktails, $9+ for regular mixed drinks).

I will say that the service was good, but the drinks were some of the most watered down I've had. I sent back what was supposed to be a vodka cranberry, but was really just a $10 glass of juice, and the waitress didn't give me any attitude about doing so. That said, I'd stick to beer and wine here if you want your money's worth. The mixed drinks all around were terrible and may as well have been virgin.

And although the food comes in from Harvard Gardens (not totally sure why), I defy you to not order the truffle french fries once you pick up the scent coming from another table.

This place is now crossed off of the list. Probably no need to return for a while, if ever.

Oh, and I see 5 "no" votes for a coat check. Not sure why that is. There is a coat check on the second floor in the lobby of the hotel. Maybe it's just not well marked, but it's definitely there.

This is going to be a lengthy review, strap in. If you just want the bullet points, scroll down.

I think my expectations were just too high here. A small out of the way Cambridge spot for foodies with tasting menu full of interesting and local ingredients...and a Ten Tables bloodline. I just expected to LOVE this place, and anything less would have left me wanting. Now don't get me wrong, it was good. A solid GOOD, but not a great, and certainly not an excellent or whatever other superlative comes after great.

We did the seven course tasting menu, as it seemed from the reviews here and from friend's recommendations, that this was the only way to go. The menu was as follows

Starters - I am a big fan of the amuse, and they had a nice Parmesan soup, which though a little cold, was tasty. The table bread though was awful. I am a huge fan of rustic crunchy bread, but it just isn't a good choice for pre-dinner table bread. It's too big, messy, crunchy, and it is a workout for the jaw. Bad choice on the table breads.

1st course was smoked foie gras - I am not a huge foie gras fan, but this was good. Very very rich, almost too much even in the tiny teacup it was served in.

2nd course was butternut squash soup with vanilla - I really liked this a lot. It was a light and foamy, sweet squash soup with just a touch of vanilla and some nice crouton/bread bits which were great.

3rd course was Pan-seared hamachi yellowtail - A nice simple fish dish. Well prepared, with a nice scallop and some sweet/tart coulis. A good dish.

4rd course was Maine winter wheat grain risotto - And as the name implies, was not a risotto of normal arborio rice, but rather with Maine winter wheat grain, which was an odd texture and very "wheaty".
 
5th course was wild Scottish grouse with n.h. venison loin - The grouse was in a puff pastry, and I wasn't much of a fan. The venison however was spectacular. I don't have a lot of grouse or venison experience, but the venison was my favorite item of the night, and the grouse maybe my least favorite.

6th course was the cheese plate - I am a big fan of cheese plates, but this one wasn't really that impressive. One small (albeit very tasty) piece of toasted bread, and two small pieces of cheese. One very very strong, and the other a triple creme brie like cheese that was quite runny but good

7th course was a chocolate mousse - The dessert was very average. An EXTREMELY dense chocolate mouse on top of a chestnut cake, topped with what seemed to be a very out of place slice of blood orange, whose taste just didn't work for me on the chocolate.

BULLET POINTS:

- The place was REALLY empty. We had a table at 7:30 on a Friday night, and of the 11 or so tables in there, it was just us and another party of 5 until about 8:30, when two other tables of two arrived. It was 50% or more empty the whole night.

- The menu was inventive, and the tasting menu really did seem like the way to go. I agree with a lot of the reviews, which praised the chef's "balls" for trying new things, saying that when it was a hit, it was great, and when it was a miss, it was a real miss.

- Service was efficient, but not overly friendly. I was hoping that with a small, cozy comfy place, that the one front of house staff member would have been a bit more friendly and personable. She was fine, and took good care of us, but was very mechanical and had no real personality it seemed.

- Ambiance was a little odd. The space is small, with high ceilings, and sort of low lighting, but the open kitchen is really bright and it messes up the lighting a bit. The decor was a bit haphazardly put together it seemed.

- The price is a bit steep. It's $69 for the tasting menu, and another $39 for wine pairings with the tasting menu. So for two people, with tip, you are in it for well over $200 for a tasting menu/wine dinner.

- Speaking of the wine list, I found it to be good, but fairly limited. We didn't want to do 7 glasses each, and I would have liked just one or two glasses tops, but the glass selection was very slim. We ended up with a bottle for about $40.

- The windows are almost completely covered which was strange. We sat at the table in the window, and instead of glass to the outside, we looked right at some beige cloth shades instead.

Overall I liked this place, but wasn't blown away. Again, I just expected more for less. Maybe Ten Tables has spoiled me, but I think Ten Tables is a fair comparison to TW Food, and if we are making that comparison, Ten Tables beats TW Food squarely at every turn. Price, atmosphere, food, service, everything. TW Food impressed with some of the dishes, but I don't think we've ever spent over $200 for a two person dinner and felt like we got our moneys worth - and this trend continues.

I'd give TW Food another shot, but for now, I will be heading back to JP when I want my small, inventive, local, foodie dinner.

I need to write a more formal and full review once I get a few more sessions under my belt, but so far so good. My girlfriend and I tried a few places in the area on the free "try before you buy" plan that most places offer, and we ended up committing longer term to BodyScapes.

The studio is in a great location (right next to Shaws on Huntington Ave), and it's bright, clean, private, and well equipped. All of the trainers there are knowledgeable and friendly, and so far have done a great job of getting me motivated and working hard.

A personal trainer is a big expense relative to a gym, but I get more out of a one hour workout here, than I would with 5 trips to the gym on my own.

Will post an update in a few weeks once I have more experience here, but so far this place is great.