Elephant Walk (Waltham) Review

Overall Rating: 50

Food Rating: 50

Elephant Walk (Waltham): Not sure what's happened to them

We've been eating at Elephant Walk for many years, both in Waltham and in their other locations, but hadn't been there for a while for no particular reason. I saw a Groupon for them a few months ago and purchased it. While sometimes Groupons are a marker of restaurants to avoid, we were happy to have the discount, and we finally made it there on a recent Saturday night as the Groupon was expiring.

The Elephant Walk restaurants have always served off a Cambodian menu and a French menu. The original version of Elephant Walk in Waltham only had the Cambodian menu and was called Carambola (if memory serves me correctly), but it became "Elephant Walk" a number of years ago and picked up the French menu as well. It's a casual restaurant, with a much less fancy/happening feel than the Boston version, near enough to the Landmark Cinema to walk on a nice evening. Parking is also easy.

On this recent visit, and though others also likely had expiring Groupons and it was Saturday night, the restaurant was only about half full. Despite this, service was surprisingly slow. We were seated in a location where intermittent blasts of air were hitting us seemingly from the ceiling, though I had trouble telling if this was from a fan or related to the door opening and closing. They also changed the layout of the menu, making it extremely confusing. Dishes are repeated in multiple sections (Cambodian, Vegan, Gluten Free), and overall it's just hard to figure out what's available.

We ordered some drinks to start that were okay but nothing better. Some crusty French bread came with butter and was standard but nothing special. I ordered the avocado soup for an appetizer. This in the past was really one of their wonderful dishes and a reason to go out of the way to eat at Elephant Walk, and it was very good but not as amazing as it had been in the past. Two of my dinner companions ordered coquille St. Jacques, and both complained afterwards that the scallops were terrible -- clearly not fresh and perhaps close to turning bad.

For an entree I got a tilapia special that was underseasoned and scorchingly hot on the inside making me wonder if a microwave was involved in the preparation. I tried one of my companions braised short ribs, and this too was underseasoned and fairly uninteresting. We didn't stay for dessert.

I looked around on the web before writing this review, since I don't want to make a negative judgment on a single event, but others seem to be concerned that Elephant Walk isn't what it was. Also, this was a Saturday night and the experience was mediocre from start to finish.

I hope Elephant Walk finds a way to get the Waltham restaurant back up to its former level, and that the other Elephant Walk locations haven't also slipped so far. For now, I would suggest anyone considering going to Elephant Walk at least be aware that it may not be the same experience they might have had in the past.

Craigie on Main Review

Overall rating: 93

Food rating: 93

Craigie on Main: Excellent, unusual food, for a price

Craigie on Main is deservingly one of the top-rated restaurants in the Boston area. Located near Central Square in Cambridge, Craigie serves unusual cuts of meat and fish, prepares them beautifully, and has a welcoming comfortable atmosphere.

We went to Craigie most recently this week, but have been there a number of times in the past. You can eat in the bar area and get their highly-rated burgers (until they run out -- usually not long into the evening) for a reasonable price. The waitstaff are friendly and helpful and on past outings have brought over samples of various interesting drinks to try and have at times even made it possible to eat early with children without feeling out of place or imposing. That said, while the burgers are very good, I think I've had as good burgers elsewhere, such as at the much less renowned Farmstead Table. (If anyone can explain how the slightly better than other fast food from Shake Shack and Five Guys routinely ends up on lists of the best burgers in the area, mentioned in the same breath with burgers from Craigie, I'd be interested.)

We've also gone once for the Chef's Whim, which was really wonderful, though since it only seems to occur late on Sunday evenings (or occasionally other nights during restaurant week), we haven't had another chance to experience this.

On this week's occasion, we were in the bar area, but decided to have the six-course tasting menu. The bar area was much noisier than the dining area, and made conversation a bit difficult. Bread and rolls were served, which were very good and we got some Craigie-designed cocktails that were also very good. The amuse bouche was three kinds of fish, and a subsequent course of salmon was excellent. A pasta course was made with duck-heart sausage(!) and was fine but seemed like more of a dare than a necessary food. A prime rib course was really wonderful. There was a sorbet before dessert, and then each of us at the table received a different dessert. Mine involved spearmint ice cream and chocolate and was interesting and tasty; all the desserts at the table were very good.

The food was presented beautifully and unobtrusively. At one point early on our waitress got tied up with a large party and we waited quite a while to order, but other than that the waitstaff were attentive without bothering us constantly. The chef came over to the table briefly as the meat course was served, and while I could imagine this seeming awkward or forced, it actually felt like a really nice touch.

Overall, when we go to Craigie there's almost always something that is remarkably delicious like this meal's prime rib. The menu can be expected to include items made from pig tails or cod cheeks or, as with this evening, duck hearts.

For value, though, Craigie is fairly expensive. The six-course tasting menu is $98 per person, so with a couple of drinks you are looking at $125 per person before tax or tip. This isn't unreasonable for the quality of the food, and there's no place in Boston with really similar cuisine and quality, but you can spend a bit less and get at least as good food in Cambridge at T.W. or Hungry Mother, and Bergamot in Somerville has a similar feel/cuisine with not quite such impressive quality.

We really like eating at Craigie, and it provides a different experience from what we can get elsewhere in the area, but the price point is such that we typically only end up there once in a long while, choosing instead to go to restaurants we enjoy at least as much that are a bit less expensive. But if you like interesting and wonderfully prepared food, you should give Craigie a try.

Journeyman Review

Overall rating: 86

Food rating: 85

Journeyman: Small portions of perfectly plated food

I only recently heard about Journeyman in Somerville and then read some reviews, and we were excited to give it a try.

It's located down an alley from the parking lot for Union Square, and despite being reasonably clear on the location, we had a bit of trouble finding it. Once at the door, I had to convince myself it was really the entrance.

The building itself is some kind of converted industrial area. They did a beautiful job. The total square-footage is small, but the tables are reasonably spaced, there is a separate bar looking into the kitchen, there are high ceilings, and the whole space has a nice, warm, relaxed feel to it.

Oddly, the feeling of that space doesn't actually seem to carry over to the restaurant itself, which seems fussy and even cold at times. It is one of those restaurants that is constantly and intrusively changing flatware. They arrive with a wooden box to deliver these, and the process interrupts any conversation that might have been taking place. I'm happy to get fresh forks and knives, but that really can be a background event performed in such a way that I don't know it happened. One of our waitstaff seemed quite friendly, but the others had something of an offstanding cold demeanor that seemed intentionally put on.

The menu is extremely limited: you can order 5 or 7 courses, and herbivore or omnivore. The menu itself was presented in an envelope, apparently so you could both be surprised by what arrived and make it clear to the waitstaff that you were planning to be surprised. We looked at the menu. After consideration (and presumably waitstaff disappointed in our lack of adventurousness), we ordered omnivore, though the menu itself had so few details that it revealed very little.

I started off with a single malt scotch-based cocktail that was very good, if you're willing to do that to a single malt (it was not such a high-end single malt as to make this sacrilegious).

The amuse bouche was a green pea soup covered with a layer of some buttermilk preparation, presented in a tall shot glass but with a spoon. We asked the server whether this should be eaten with a spoon or drunk, and he said the spoon was to get at the remnants. In reality, though, the buttermilk layer prevented anything from being drinkable until the spoon had been used. That said, once we could consume it, it was tasty. Two different types of thinly sliced bread were presented, which were okay but nothing special.

I ordered a glass or Riesling with my meal that was really excellent for the price ($11). The first course was a "spring salad", which involved various individual pieces of vegetables (for instance, a single piece of a leafy green) laid out on a plate with one or two pieces of some type of vegetable pasta. The arrangement was artistic and really beautiful, and the food was good, but it was actually difficult to get onto a fork and amounted to no more than two bites of a normal salad. This foreshadowed things to come.

The next course was a small piece of baked whiting that was delicious. I wanted more. The third course was two small round pieces of chicken in a broth. Neither of us particularly liked this, but again the presentation was flawless. The fourth course was two small pieces of steak that were well prepared but fairly standard. On the plate were various sauces and side preparations that were also tiny, but some were delicious and, again, everything was so beautifully presented that it seemed a shame to disturb the plating and eat.

We were then given a very tasty frozen yogurt and berry palate cleanser, and then offered various dessert options. We went with a chocolate dessert with vanilla ice cream that was delicious and much more substantial than the other courses.

I usually don't eat much during the day when we're going out for a nice dinner, but somewhat randomly we'd had a large breakfast and also eaten lunch. This was fortunate, since I would otherwise have been hungry at the end of the meal.

The price for two five-course meals with a total of three drinks and with tax was $172. I've seen various discussions online as to the expense of Journeyman for the small amount of food, but the ingredients were excellent, everything was clearly prepared exactly as intended, and the effort to plate foods this beautifully must have been substantial. The price seems appropriate given all this. I'd prefer, however, to spend that money on somewhat more and excellent food and less beautiful plating, but I can understand where others would find a meal of this artistry to be just what they are looking for, particularly for a special occasion.

All in all, Journeyman really isn't for us. I had never eaten in Union Square until two weeks ago and now have been there twice. I much prefer the food at Bronwyn (100 feet from Journeyman), and while the ambiance at Journeyman seemed more up our alley than that at Bronwyn, soon into the evening it seemed like a false promise of  casual elegance that actually turned out to be masked fussiness. It's clear, though, from online reviews and talking to friends that many people absolutely love Journeyman, and there is much they do incredibly well. Hopefully this review provides enough context that you can judge for yourself whether it's the sort of restaurant you will love.

Hungry Mother Review

Overall rating: 93

Food rating: 95

Hungry Mother: Small menu of excellent food

Hungry Mother recently won the Globe Munch Madness. Hard to know how much that is influenced by restaurants promoting themselves, but Hungry Mother has great food and certainly deserves to be in the top tier of any ranking of Boston-area restaurants.

We've been there several times, and the food is generally wonderful. I've noticed a few people commenting that the corn bread isn't that great, and that was our experience as well, which is surprising since typically it's easy to make really tasty corn bread. That, though, isn't a great way to judge a restaurant as a whole. [Update from 6/2013 visit: the corn bread was spectacular, served with delicious sorghum butter. I asked whether the recipe had changed, and they said it hadn't. This corn bread was completely different from what we had eaten previously, so I'm not sure what happened -- perhaps we got some cornbread special by mistake. In any case, I take back my prior negative comments about the corn bread!]

Although the food is "Southern", it's not really similar to any particular cuisine I've eaten in the south or anywhere else. On our most recent visit, we got two appetizers. The first, mussels in a saffron aioli mustard sauce sauce was as good a preparation of mussels as I've ever eaten. The second was a special: an open faced smoked turkey sandwich with bacon that was also delicious. For a main course, we both got the rib eye steak with a romesco sauce and this, too, was wonderful and perfectly cooked medium rare as ordered. A couple of mixed drinks were nicely made as well.

For dessert, we got the buttermilk chess pie, which was good, and the chocolate and olive oil cake, which was okay but nothing special. Overall, the desserts were below the quality of the rest of the meal. We've had desserts at Hungry Mother on previous visits that were better, but overall desserts don't seem to be their strong suit.

The waitstaff was pleasant and efficient, and our waiter was helpful in making suggestions about various options. With some notice, the restaurant will pick up tickets for you for a movie at the Kendall Square Cinema. All in all a great place to have dinner in Cambridge.

Bronwyn Review

Overall rating: 88

Food rating: 90

Bronwyn: Wonderful food, casual atmosphere

It took us an entire 11 days to make it to Bronwyn, the new restaurant from Tim and Bronwyn Wiechmann of T.W. Food. We love T.W., and so were both eagerly anticipating this new restaurant. We were also somewhat hesitant, as German cuisine, with a restaurant focused on beer and wurst, isn't really our typical preferred dining.

Where T.W. is understated, elegant, and a perfect place for a quiet date, Bronwyn early on a Saturday evening was energetic, loud, and filled with large groups, families with children, and couples. There is a bar as you come in with additional bar seating at an external window, and more seating in the bar area on tables reportedly made by Chef Tim Wiechmann. They plan to open an outdoor biergarten in the near future.

We sat in the restaurant area. Despite being newly opened and completely full, service was quick, friendly, and accurate with Bronwyn Wiechmann watching carefully to keep things running smoothly. Unlike T.W., there are drinks in addition to beer and wine, but the focus is clearly on German wines and beer. I got a rye-based cocktail (eins on their numbered list of five cocktails) that was excellent, and my wife got a Riesling Brut (I didn't know there were sparkling Rieslings) that was also very good.

There's been lots of buzz about Chef Wiechmann working on pretzels for the restaurant, so we ordered a pretzel rather than the assorted breads, which also sounded wonderful. The pretzel was enormous, wonderfully textured, and golden on the outside. It comes with a very spicy roasted apple mustard that was delicious. One pretzel was more than two of us could finish, though we came close.

For appetizers, we got the borscht, which they serve hot. The borscht was the first clear sign that while this is "German" cuisine, they are updating and putting their own stamp on traditional recipes. The borscht was served hot, but was not a typical hearty hot borscht. It was light and subtle and just wonderful. We also got the smoked kale pierogis served with an egg remoulade that was moderately spicy and perfectly complemented the pierogis.

For main dishes, my wife got the roast chicken served with grilled pineapple. I'm not sure how the chicken was prepared, but it had a soft texture unlike most roast chicken, and the flavor of the pineapple made for a really nice combination. I got the jägerschnitzel, made with veal and served with wild mushrooms, walnuts, and honey. This was a truly amazing dish -- as tasty as anything I've had at T.W. or anywhere. The thin pieces of pounded veal were perfectly cooked and browned, and the mushrooms and walnuts enhanced the flavors without overpowering them.

For dessert, we split a piece of "German chocolate cake" served with whipped cream. This wasn't what I would usually think of as German chocolate cake, and was instead a fairly dry cake without layering. It was very good, though we were quite full by that point.

Apparently part of the thought behind Brownyn is that it's a lower price point than T.W. Our meal came to about $120 before tip for two people, which was a perfectly reasonable price for the superb quality food, but not inexpensive. However, this is clearly a place you could go and order beer and appetizers with a group and have wonderful food and drink at more a moderate price than  T.W.

Overall, the food was wonderful. Whatever lingering concerns we had about "German cuisine" were laid to rest early in the meal and we loved the dinner. All that said, T.W. Food, with its relaxed quiet elegance, is much more our style for a date night out. Bronwyn intentionally has an almost rowdy feel to it, but clearly works well for families as well. We live too far from Bronwyn to stop in for drinks and appetizers, so it's a place we'll come back to more often with groups and with children than for a night out for two. We also love eating outdoors, and once the biergarten is open that could be a great way to enjoy this food. If you're looking for a place with spectacular food and a casual energetic atmosphere, this has to be one of the best options in the Boston area.

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.

Myers+Chang Review

Overall Rating: 89

Food rating: 86

Myers+Chang: Good food; fun place

I've been hearing about Myers+Chang for a while now, but hadn't gotten there. We had theater tickets last night and it seemed walkable from parking at the restaurant, so we gave it a try.

Myers+Chang is in the South End at the intersection of East Berkeley and Washington. They describe themselves as:

A funky indie diner setting offering Chef/Owner Joanne Chang and Executive Chef Karen Akunowicz's very personal interpretation of Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese specialties.

We walked in and were greeted with smiles and what felt like real welcomes from a waiter, the hostess, and a bartender and were taken quickly to our seats. The place does have a fun, happening feel to it, much like Towne seems to try for but without the fussiness and noise.

For drinks, we got a  blood orange margarita and a glass of wine, both good. We realized later on walking out how much alcohol was in the margarita.

The menu lists a fairly large number of items divided up into "dim sum", "...and then some", "dumplings", "noodles", and various other categories. We were told the food would come out as it was ready, in no particular order.

When we asked for advice, the waitress told us that she thought we should just go with our gut so that we had our own "Myers+Chang experience" rather than having someone else's. I don't personally worry a lot about having someone else's dining experience, but decided not to push the issue...

From the beginning part of the menu we ordered a carrot-ginger soup that was very good and pork and chive dumplings that were nice but nothing particularly special. From the rest of the menu we got the wok roasted mussels that were also very good but not unusual, a tasty tamarind-glazed hake, and grilled kalbi short ribs, that were wonderful. For dessert, we did get the waitress' help and she said that if we were chocolate lovers to get the flourless chocolate cake ("chocolate and cocoa nib terrine") that was excellent.

The above foods plus a glass of wine and two blood orange margaritas came to about $110 with tax.

I thought this was very good Chinese/Southern Asian food, but the tastes weren't particularly groundbreaking or amazing. Although the ingredients are better at Myers+Chang, the Asian tastes are more interesting at Strip T's. The price was quite reasonable for a restaurant you can eat at and walk to the theater district, but expensive if the comparison is to excellent Chinese food as you might get at Sichuan Gourmet in Framingham.

Overall, though, this is just a really fun restaurant. We enjoyed being there, and I would recommend it as a place for a group of friends or for a date. The food is fresh and well prepared and the atmosphere is great.