Little Big Diner Review

Little Big Diner: Asian-inspired food in Newton Center

Overall rating: 76

Food rating: 80

Little Big Diner is little, but it isn't really a diner in any common sense of the word. This recently-opened restaurant from the Sycamore folks mainly serves ramen and rice bowls, along with a few appetizers. The overall menu is quite small. A few reviews have called this "Asian fusion", but that's really no more accurate than it would be for Strip-T's. And, more so than for Strip-T's, much of the food at Little Big Diner is fairly Asian, more than being American food with Asian flavors.

We went there for the first time last night for dinner. They do not take reservations or call-ahead, but when you arrive take your cell phone number so you can wander elsewhere in Newton Center. The wait was about 70 minutes.

The space is small, cramped, and loud with pulsing music. The wait staff were young, friendly, and welcoming, and reasonably helpful in selecting dishes. We were seated near the door (hard not to be), and so it was drafty on a cold night, whenever anyone entered or left.

We ordered a "Hawaiian Style Burger" appetizer that was really very good. Steamed dumplings were fine and had a somewhat unusual spice mixture, but weren't anything remarkable. The spicy miso ramen had very tasty corn and spiced ground pork. I'm in no sense a connoisseur of ramen, but the noodles seemed very standard to what you  might get in a noodle dish at any Asian/Chinese restaurant, and the dish as a whole wasn't really very spicy. The big bowl (rice bowl) with chicken was fine as well, but also less interesting that it might have been.

We ordered a cold sake that was recommended and was good.

The meal came to $63 before tip, so a reasonably inexpensive dinner.

Overall, the lack of reservations, noise, draftiness, and cramped space means we're unlikely to go back very often unless the food gets substantially better. Strip T's is somewhat less cramped and less noisy, and the food is better. That said, the owners' nearby restaurant Sycamore has improved more since it opened than any other restaurant I've encountered, and so I hope they accomplish the same with Little Big Diner.

51 Lincoln Review

Overall rating: 79

Food rating: 79

51 Lincoln: Pretty good, but better food available in the neighborhood

Continuing our trend with Lineage of going back to a restaurant we'd been to once in the distant past, we ate for a second time at 51 Lincoln. We'd been there years ago and had thought it was overpriced for what it offered, but have been hearing good things and thought we should give it another try.

51 Lincoln is in Newton Highlands and like many other restaurants reviewed on this blog features creative preparations of mostly locally sourced foods.

The restaurant includes a bar area with a TV showing sports that is pretty well separated off from the dining area. We had early reservations and despite the restaurant being mostly empty were initially given seats directly in the line of wind gusts when the outside door opened. The hostess was happy to reseat us when asked.

We started out with drinks, ordering a "scarlet martini" that we both thought was excellent. (Later, I ordered an inexpensive Riesling that was awful.) Bread was served with two dips: an interesting tasting hummus, and a tomato/chili. The bread was good and the dips were very good.

For appetizers, we got a poached pear salad, and the preparation of the pears, with a tangy/spicy vinaigrette was excellent. We also got a braised beef ragout served with polenta that was also very good.

If the meal had stopped at this point, we would have concluded we'd been overly harsh in our opinion of 51 Lincoln in the past.

For entrees, we got mahi mahi and chicken under a brick. The preparation of the mahi mahi (pan seared, with roasted butternut squash, oyster beurre blanc, butternut squash chips, fennel and golden beet salad) sounded wonderful but was pretty standard and dull and the mahi mahi was a bit overcooked. The chicken under a brick (chive buttermilk biscuit, chanterelle mushroom ragout, carrot puree) was similarly better on the menu than on the plate where it was pretty dull, though the mushroom ragout went well with the biscuit.

For dessert we got a special: a bread pudding made with mission figs and covered with dark chocolate sauce. This was tasty, but again not nearly as inspired as it sounded.

One definite plus to our visit was the waitress. When my wife asked whether to get the chicken under a brick, or the much more expensive ribeye, she did not try to steer her to the more profitable meal. She also quickly removed the awful wine and didn't charge us for it.

The cost of the meal (with four drinks) and before tip was about $158. Sycamore, about two miles away from 51 Lincoln is similarly priced, has equally good drinks, and the food is tastier and more interesting, and Farmstead Table near Sycamore is somewhat less expensive and also has better food overall.

Unlike with our reassessment after eating at Lineage, I doubt we'll be heading back to 51 Lincoln anytime soon.

Sycamore Review

Overall rating: 91

Food rating: 91

Sycamore: Good food (keeps getting better), excellent drinks

Update as of Winter 2016:

The trend has continued. Sycamore is really now an excellent restaurant. It is far superior to any of the other Newton or Waltham restaurants. A great place for a meal, or for a drink and appetizers at the bar.

Update as of Spring 2014:

We've been to Sycamore twice more quite recently, and on both visits the food was substantially improved. We were there last week, and started with drinks that were, as in the past, wonderful. I had a parsnip soup that was made with foie gras, and although hard to picture how that would work, it was subtle and delicious. I had a very good chicken for a main, and others at the table had a very good squid dish. We had sides of curried cauliflower and of broccoli with bread crumbs and cheese that were also  very good. The desserts were good but not amazing.

Most good restaurants, once they've plateaued after opening issues, seem to typically decline slowly over the years. Sycamore hasn't done that, and while still fairly pricey is now a reasonable value for that price. The drinks are better than almost anyplace around, and the food is now a cut above that of the other good restaurant in Newton Center, Farmstead Table.

Definitely worth a visit if you've never been there, or haven't been there recently.

Update as of Summer 2013:

We went to Sycamore for a second time, after going to an early movie in West Newton.  The restaurant was energetic and buzzing, and they were playing rock music loud enough that it was noticeable while talking.

Our waitress was again attentive and willing to make recommendations. On her advice we got a peach and herb appetizer made with pistachio butter that was delicious and interesting, though it failed to mention that it included prosciutto, and also a mussel ragout that was smokey and also delicious. The bread that came to the table was only average. The drinks were again excellent, different from what was offered on our last visit, and larger than the overly small drinks from that visit.

For a main course, I got bluefish that was prepared with andouille sausage. The waitress told me the bluefish was fresh, and it was certainly cooked perfectly, but the spicy sauce of the preparation, though tasty, overwhelmed the bluefish so that I'm not sure I would have noticed if it were older and fishy. My wife got the steak, which was good but nothing special. A side of roasted carrots was good.

The listed desserts didn't seem that interesting, so we walked up the street to JP Lick's (hard to go wrong there...).

Overall, again, the drinks were excellent and the food was good, though the appetizers were far better than on our last visit. The main dishes were a bit over and under seasoned, respectively, but tasty. The overall experience was probably about as good as you can get anywhere in Newton, but the price is relatively high.

At this price point there are restaurants reasonably nearby with at least as good food for less money, such as Strip T's in Watertown, and for a similar price there are restaurants with better food in Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville. The geographically closest good restaurant is Farmstead Table, which is quieter and simpler, but has similar quality food for less money. Sycamore, though, has as good or better mixed drinks as anyplace I've been in the Boston area.

Original review:

Sycamore has been getting a lot of buzz recently, including a positive review in the Globe, and with an unexpectedly free evening we decide to go there early. It is in Newton Center next to Bill's Pizza, and though small has a fair number of seats for couples and small parties, a small bar, and has a nice friendly feel.

Our waiter was attentive and knowledgeable and willing to make recommendations, which I always appreciate.

The list of cocktails had a number of unusual creations, and we got a drink special made with blood-orange vodka that was excellent, and one of their regular drinks, a "Persephone" that was made with tequila, egg whites, and, as expected given the name, pomegranate. It was also excellent though pink/purple enough in color that I wasn't sure I would want to be photographed drinking it. Our only complaint about both drinks was that they were relatively small.

We ordered two "snacks": the warm gougeres (they describe as "alpine cheese puffs") were not very interesting cheese puffs, but were fine. The salt cod with mashed potato was served with toasted bread and was quite tasty.

For an appetizer, we split the garlic soup, which included a 5-minute egg to be mixed in. This was a perfectly good soup but less interesting and less garlicky than it sounded.

For mains, we got the za'atar spiced chicken, which was perfectly cooked and tender but again not as flavorful or spicy as it sounded. We also got the squid with tagliatelle (made with squid ink) that also was tasty but not wonderful. For sides, we got cauliflower with raisins, pinenuts, and capers that was good, and asparagus with bacon that was very good.

We split the pot de creme dessert, which was good but pretty straightforward. It was served with peanut brittle.

One disappointment was that a couple of things I'd been planning to get based on the online menu weren't offered, including the seafood cassoulet entree and the chocolate-cranberry bread pudding dessert.

All in all, this was a good, though fairly expensive meal. The expense in part was because we got a second round of drinks because they were delicious but small.

Having Sycamore and Farmstead Table as new restaurants in Newton Center is really expanding the upscale food offerings in the area. Also, Sycamore is apparently open late for drinks, snacks, and desserts, which creates a nice option for going out after a movie at West Newton Cinema; there have been very few places open in Newton for a late drink, coffee, or dessert.

Farmstead Table Review

Overall rating: 78

Food rating: 79

Farmstead Table: A nice addition to Newton restaurants

We've eaten at Farmstead Table several times since they've opened. The food is consistently well-prepared and good, and the prices are reasonable. The space is a bit cramped, but has a nice friendly atmosphere that is complemented by the attitudes of the waitstaff.

I've ordered the "braise of the day" twice. Both times the description sounded amazing. The actual dishes were good, but nothing spectacular. In contrast, the fish of the day meals have been remarkably good. I've heard rumors that their hamburgers are excellent but haven't had the chance to try one yet. The day I was planning to do so, they had a lamb-burger special that was amazingly good -- one of the best burgers I've had anywhere.

Soups, salads, and appetizers have been fresh and nice but nothing memorable.

They have some good house cocktails that we've had and enjoyed. Desserts have been good as well.

Overall, this is a nice new restaurant for Newton and unlike any other existing Newton restaurant that I've been to. It's a relaxed, easy place for dinner with good, fresh, local food and prices that aren't exorbitant. We plan to keep eating there.

Lumiere Review

Overall rating: 80

Food rating: 80

Lumiere: I keep wanting to love this place...

I live close by Lumiere, and its ratings on TripAdvisor and on Zagat routinely place it among the best restaurants in the Boston area. So I would love to love the food here. I've only been a few times over many years, and each time the food is good but never great, and never as good as what I can get elsewhere for the price.

We went recently for the first time in several years. The bread was very good, and the drinks were fine. Both of us had the scallops appetizer, which was also fine, but nothing special. The carrot puree was a bit too sweet for the scallops. For an entree, I got the striped bass, which was excellent; my wife got the chicken, which was not. It was cooked a bit tough, and was served with a za'atar/yogurt sauce that I've had much better versions of elsewhere.

For dessert, we had a special: an apple tart with sour cream sorbet. The tart was very tasty and the sorbet was really interesting. We also had a chocolate souffle cake that was overly sweet and a bit mushy in texture.

Overall, this was a perfectly nice meal, but not consistently great as you might be hoping for given the many superb reviews of Lumiere.