T.W. Food Review

Overall rating: 96

Food rating: 95

T.W. Food: One of the very best restaurants in the Boston area

T.W. Food is not only one of the best restaurants in the area, it's also probably the best restaurant that most people have never tried or even heard of. I'm not sure why it's relatively less known, but perhaps it has to do with the odd name (the chef's initials) or its location in Huron Village in Cambridge, around the corner from Formaggio Kitchen.

While the consensus (for example on Zagat's and TripAdvisor) is that T.W. is wonderful, I'm startled to see occasional negative or average reviews of the place. I do know that when I recommend it to people whom I don't know well, I worry they may not enjoy some of the odder concoctions. This is definitely a place for people who are serious about top quality food.

Generally food ranges at T.W. from great to spectacular. The soups are particularly amazing, as is the bread, but I've never had a meal at T.W. where there wasn't some component that just blew me away.

The tasting menu is fairly expensive for Boston but is a great way to experience things you might not normally order (sweetbreads, foie gras creme brulee), though we're always a bit overstuffed when done.

The Kitchen Improv later on Wednesday evenings is a much lower price and really fantastic if you are willing to just eat whatever the chef prepares. This works really well for a group of four, since typically everyone at the table is getting different dishes and you can share and/or trade.

The wine pairings on Tuesdays may be among the best price-performance meals anywhere: four courses of great food paired with four glasses of wine (three full glasses plus a dessert wine glass) for $55.

Sunday brunch has the chef playing jazz  with a couple of other people. Among other dishes, they serve the best French toast I've ever eaten.

The restaurant is quite small, and achieves a simultaneous feeling of being casual and formal. People are there dressed anywhere from suits to jeans. Most of the waitstaff have been incredibly knowledgeable and able to describe the preparation of an ingredient down to cooking temperature and time in case you want to try to replicate something at home. Knowledgeable or not, they are friendly and take great care of guests. It's a perfect restaurant for a date or romantic night out. Because of the Huron Village location, there's always free on-street parking even for non-residents of Cambridge.

We only first went to T.W. a couple of years ago and couldn't figure out how we had failed to find it for so long. It's just a wonderful place to sit, and talk, and eat great food. I love this restaurant.