Ribelle Review

Overall rating: 93

Food rating: 94

(Note: Updated rating as of October 2014: Ribelle has gotten better and better, and is now has some of the best food in the Boston area.)

Ribelle: Great new restaurant from the chef at Strip T's

We've been waiting to go to Ribelle since we learned, slowly, that it was coming to Brookline. We'd initially had the impression that Strip T's was opening a branch in Brookline, but later learned that it was to be an Italian restaurant in Washington Square; that it was named Ribelle; and eventually that it was actually open and feeding people, though they currently seem to be trying to hide that last piece of information as they get up to speed. Even the link I've provided above is to their Twitter feed, since they don't yet have a web page. They have, however, been serving customers for about six weeks.

Tim Maslow, the son at Strip T's who returned from New York and reinvented his father's restaurant (that appears from outside and in to be a sports bar) with wonderful Asian-inspired flavors and recipes at reasonable prices, has now opened Ribelle.

Ribelle is much larger than  Strip T's, is more upscale, and has somewhat higher prices. It's in the location in Washington Square that was previously occupied by Tamarind Bay. It has an open floor plan with one long wall half occupied by the bar and the other half by the kitchen. Along the other wall are individual tables, and in the middle is a very long row of connected tables apparently to be used for communal seating.

We went early, having checked ahead of time whether they could provide food for a child, and arrived while they were nearly empty, but that quickly changed as they became quite full for a restaurant that's only barely announcing itself to be open for business.

Our waitress, who looked somewhat like -- and sounded a lot like -- Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs, was energetic, knowledgeable, and quite helpful in working through the menu, including offering my wife samples of two of the three house red wines (listed as 1, 2, and 3, and by characteristics rather than by name) so she could choose. The chosen wine was good as was a mixed drink, though neither was great for the price.

The menu is divided into Vegetables, Fish, and Meats, with each section running from smaller to larger dishes. Telling exactly what this means is assisted by the price of the item and by the wait staff. The menu is much smaller than at Myers+Chang, but the ordering experience is similar, as is the delivery where they prefer to have foods come out as they are ready, with the expectation they will be shared, rather than as courses.

We had a roasted carrot dish, sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts and buckthorn jam, and accompanied by a carrot puree. It was wonderful. A slice of thick toast with an egg in the center served with truffles was also great. Pasta with pickled mussels and chicken of the woods mushrooms was good but not amazing, though it was the only dish we had where the flavorings seemed similar to dishes you might get at Strip T's. A pasta dish with pork sausage, peppers, Swiss chard, and tomatoes was wonderful and spicy. A vegetable dish with peppers served in a broth was also quite good. A sliced Wagyu tritip steak dish was tasty but much tougher than I would have expected.

Several of the dishes had sauces or remnants that seemed to call for bread to mop them up. Bread was not automatically served, but when we asked, some thick lightly toasted white bread quickly appeared.

We also ordered a pasta dish with butter for our child, and it came in a creamy sauce that was wonderful. The waitress worked with us to come up with a vegetable side that would work, and we ended up with green beans prepared with oil and some garlic.This, too, was delicious, and we checked on the preparation in the hopes of imitating it so as to encourage more consumption of vegetables at home....

Portions were larger than we'd been expecting given the arrangement of the menu and the suggestion to try various "smaller" dishes; we had quite a lot of food in the end. Even the child's portions were very large, and we decided not to have dessert.

It's hard to be sure of a restaurant on one visit, particularly when the cooks and staff are still working kinks out, but overall this seems like another great restaurant from Tim Maslow. It was warm, friendly, and fun, and many of the dishes were wonderful. We will certainly plan to head back there soon.

Buca's Tuscan Roadhouse Review

Overall rating: 73

Food rating: 75

Buca's Tuscan Roadhouse: Good Italian food on Cape Cod for very high prices

We were in Harwich for a few days, and Buca's was one of two expensive restaurants we tried in two nights. The second night we ate at Fin.

Online reviews of Buca's are mostly superb. We arrived early in the evening, and parking in their lot was quick and easy. The hostess and wait staff were welcoming and pleasant, though the dining area itself was a bit crowded with tables close to each other and to walls.

We started off with some specialty drinks that were fine, including a "Sicilian Margarita" made with blood orange liqueur, and a bourbon/rye drink. Bread served with olive oil was excellent.

The menu is very large, and we asked for recommendations, and were told that the specialty of the house appetizer was "Carciofi Ripieni Alla Buca": grilled artichoke hearts stuffed with gorgonzola and mascarpone, and wrapped with prosciutto, with a balsamic reduction. While this sounded amazing, it really wasn't very interesting to eat.

For entrees, I again had a specialty of the house, listed on the menu as "Caccuicco", but pronounced "cacciucco" by our waitress, though when I asked about this she quickly said she wasn't sure. I checked Google later and the waitress was correct; presumably she knew the spelling on the menu was a typo. However it's pronounced, it's a Tuscan fish stew that they described as similar to a bouillabaisse, but with a tomato base. This was made with fish and various shellfish, all cooked perfectly and with some nice garlic toast. Again, though, the dish as a whole wasn't really that interesting or tasty. Other dishes at the table were similarly well prepared but not that special.

Rather than  having dessert, we went out for ice cream at one of the local places we like in the area.

All in all, this was a perfectly nice place to get a somewhat upscale Italian dinner. The food was good but nothing special, though the bread was delicious. The problem is the price. The Cacciucco was $32 and the artichoke appetizer was $14 for a small portion; drinks were similarly priced. All of this would be fine if the food were as wonderful as it sounded, but for food that was just nicely prepared and moderately tasty, Buca's does not provide good value.

After our dinner there and before we went to Fin, I was left wondering whether the summer tourist nature of Cape Cod means that prices are inherently exorbitant for food that is only okay. We go to the Cape fairly often, but only rarely eat in fine restaurants. We had an experience of a restaurant on Nantucket a number of years ago where again the price seemed out of proportion to the setting and food quality.

Fin Review

Overall rating: 85

Food rating: 89

Fin: Delicious food, somewhat tense atmosphere

Fin was the second of two expensive meals we had in two nights on Cape Cod. The first at Buca's was overpriced and had us concerned about what this second meal would be like.

We were staying in Harwich, and had a fairly late reservation at Fin, which meant a relatively dark drive to Dennis. Despite help from the GPS, we had some trouble figuring out which entrance to take to park for the restaurant.

Fin is located in an antique house, and we were seated on the second floor. We were on time for our reservation, but had a several  minute wait as they got things ready to seat us. The hostess and the wait staff seemed harried and tense. They were perfectly pleasant, but there was nothing relaxing about the atmosphere from the moment we arrived.

The antique house was pretty, but probably contributed to the problem. Both we and the wait staff had to deal with a steep flight of stairs to reach the second floor. Tables were close together, and the space was overly air-conditioned, with cool air blowing on us during dinner.

The floorboards were such that anytime a patron or wait staff walked by, our table and my seat bounced up and down. Writing this, it sounds like some odd picky complaint, but it was actually quite distracting to have our meal and conversation disrupted whenever someone walked past our table.

We started off with two martinis: a pomegranate martini and a sour apple martini. Both were good but overly sweet for my taste, though my wife liked both of them. Rolls were slow to come to the table but very good.

We asked for recommendations,  and both of us had the house specialty appetizer, the oyster chowder. It was cream based, with bacon, chive oil, and white truffle oil and was amazing: much lighter and fresher than a typical clam chowder. For an entree I had hoped to get a halibut special, but it ran out just as we ordered. Instead I had grilled "garlic-thyme shrimp" served with some fried polenta and accompanied by spinach and roasted tomatoes and peppers that was delicious though not as amazing as the chowder (hard not to be disappointed after that initial course). My wife had scallops prepared with raisins, pine nuts, and prosciutto, and accompanied by a cauliflower puree. This was all wonderful.

For dessert, we were told that Fin has its own pastry chef, and we had a very nice chocolate tart with a raspberry puree.

It was hard not to compare this experience to Buca's, where we had been the night before. Each course was several dollars less expensive than at Buca's, but was dramatically tastier and more interesting. If Fin were in Boston, the food would place it among the best Boston seafood restaurants.

The tense atmosphere was unfortunate. It made for a less relaxing night out than it would have been otherwise and makes me hesitant to recommend Fin as strongly as it deserves for its food. That said, we will certainly go back the next time we are in the area.

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.