Went a couple of weeks ago with a group of five and tried several dishes. It is a small plates concept and all the food comes out as it is ready. The few dishes which I remember are:

The tea-smoked pork spare ribs which were delicious! I am not sure how they were prepared but they had a nice smoky flavor and were tender to the bone. Since we enjoyed our first order so much we ordered it again. Unfortunately, the second order was not as tender and smoky as the first. The first order seemed to be smaller ribs which, I think, is what made the difference. But, regardless still a great dish!

The braised pork belly buns with steamed bao, brandied hoisin, pickled watermelon relish was surprisingly good! I am not usually a fan of traditional pork buns because I find that there is too much bun for the amount of pork. But, these had less bun and more pork and the pork was perfectly sweet and sour with the hoisin.

The dan dan noodle salad with fresh peanut, chili sambal was ok, not my favorite item of the evening. It was very, very spicy hot but that was it. It had a few peanuts but there weren’t any other vegetables or anything else. So, overall it was just spicy hot which it not something I enjoy.

The green papaya slaw with chilis, peanuts, lime was wonderful! Nice flavor combination.

We also had the myers+chang fried chicken with cilantro, lime, sweet and hot dipping sauce. This was great! The chicken was wonderfully crispy and the meat was juicy. Then the cilantro lime dipping sauce was a perfect accompaniment.

Let us know what you try!

I have only been to Sabur a few times over the past 4 years and have had good experiences every time and am not aware of any changes. Therefore, I cannot comment on this.

With the nice weather on Wednesday, we wanted to sit outside so we headed to Sabur. We decided to share a few appetizers. The Warm Goat Cheese with Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Dip was delicious and spicy. Wood Fired Portabella and Roasted Vegetable Polenta Stack with Eggplant Demi was a really nice combination of flavors. The homemade polenta paired well with the portabella. There was a drizzle of a sweet sauce, maybe cherry, which didn’t match too well with the other flavors but otherwise, it was a nice dish. We also tried the Hand Stretched Burek with Beef, Potato & Onion. This is a simple meat pie and was served with a cucumber yogurt sauce. It was a little bland but very comforting. Our favorite dish was the Grilled Balkan Sausages with Yogurt Sauce & Thick Pita. These sausages were similar to Middle Eastern kabobs and had a great flavor! We were enjoying sitting outside so we shared the Chocolate Tort with Raspberry Sauce and Warm Caramel. This was a nice rich, dense flourless chocolate tart. Overall, the food was lovely and well prepared. The service was friendly and the attentive. The outdoor seating was very relaxing. The outdoor seating was almost full but the dining room was almost empty. We were sad to see that on a nice weekday night there wasn’t more traffic when other restaurants in Davis Sq. were packed.

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Sabur Restaurant
212 Holland St, Somerville, MA 02144

I guess in my experiences I have not waited this long without any comment by the waitress. We have been to Oleana before as well as other nicer restaurants in town (Mistral, Craigie St, etc) and never felt such long gaps. I was just surprised.

This past weekend my parents were in town and since they are vegetarian I thought we would go to Oleana. We arrived right at 7:30pm for our reservations on Sunday evening. When we were seated our waitress was nice enough to explain all of the vegetarian options to us however, that was the end of her niceness.

We tried three Prêt a Manger to start. The Warm Olives with Za'atar were elegant and a nice starter. The Whipped Feta with Sweet & Hot Peppers was creamy and rich and had a nice flavor and spice to it. We also tried the Warm Buttered Hummus with Basturma & Tomato. We waited quite some time for two appetizers after our prêt a manger had been cleared out. The Rabbit Schawarma with Green Garlic Sauce, Tahini Brown Butter & Pickled Green Almonds was a wonderful dish with perfectly complementary flavors throughout. The sauce was rich and added a nice tanginess to the rabbit. We also tried the Fava Bean Pate, Soft Boiled Egg & Wilted Spinach with Fried Almonds & Za'atar. This dish wasn’t a hit.

We waited about 10 minutes after our appetizers for the entrées and the waitress never apologized or explained the delay. My parents both had the Chefs Whim Vegetarian Plate. They both got a Turkish Crepe with Cheese and Spring Vegetables which was served with Turkish Yogurt. This was disappointing as when we were described this option we understood that they would get different dishes and wanted to try each others. However, the dish was lovely. The vegetables were light and seasonal and included fava beans, asparagus, and morels. The crepe itself was delicate and the cheese inside had a nice bite and creaminess to it. I had the Lamb Steak with Turkish Spices & Fava Bean Moussaka. We didn’t detect any fava beans at all in the moussaka. It was a traditional eggplant and beef version.

After waiting about five minutes for the desert menu we decided to share the special of the evening which was a Chocolate Hazelnut Baklava. The baklava was rich and crispy and served with a lovely chocolate sorbet. A very nice ending.

Overall, the evening was very disappointing even though the food was quite good. The service was just too slow. We were not in a rush however, it shouldn’t have taken us over 2 hours for this meal. At this price point you would expect the timing to be better worked out or at least an apology from the waitress. She barely stopped to check in on us once we had placed our order. I was also upset that the fava bean moussaka didn’t have any fava beans! I understand that they may need to make substitutions in the kitchen. However, I really would have liked to have been informed. I am not sure if the chef and owner, Ana Sortun, was in the kitchen but even if she wasn’t the problems were not in the food but in the service which should not require her supervision! I really do love the food and flavors here and have been several times but this experience makes me question whether to bring special guests.

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Oleana
134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, MA 02139

Six of us tried Garden at the Cellar last Tuesday. We arrived at 7pm and were told it would be a 45 minute wait, since they don’t take reservations. I can’t imagine what the wait on a weekend night must look like. It is understandable though as the room is tiny. We were quite hungry by the time we sat down so we promptly ordered the rosemary-truffle fries, homemade tater tots and the Halloumi cheese with tomato chutney. The fries were perfectly addictive with lots of rosemary flavor! The tater tots were also good but paled compared to the fries. I personally thought that the Halloumi was the best of the three appetizers! The cheese was fried perfectly and the tomato chutney was a great tangy accompaniment! A few of the group ordered appetizers for their main dishes. The cod fritters with chives, and citrus remoulade were very good! They had a lot of cod, without a lot of filler. The citrus remoulade was just wonderful with a tartness and acidity which complemented the cod. We also tried the steamed littlenecks with greek yogurt, bacon, and green garlic appetizer. I am not a big fan of clams but the yogurt sauce was the best! I have not had bivalves prepared in a yogurt sauce and I thought it was wonderful! The sauce was just perfectly piquant and also very flavorful with the garlic and bacon. One of the entrées at the table was the Pork Cheek Pot au Feu which was served with the white bean puree with roasted garlic and oregano. The pork was delicious! Perfectly braised with a lovely flavor and very tender. The white bean puree however, was an odd choice of pairing. Not only that, it wasn’t good. It seemed to have a very strong flavor almost like a blue cheese which overwhelmed the white beans and detracted from the dish. I had the spring onion flatbread with ricotta, bacon, and asparagus for my entrée. It was nicely prepared with a thin chewy crust and a tasty combination of toppings. But, it was not the best pizza I have had in town. Overall, Garden at the Cellar is a lovely room with some very well made dishes. But, not all were outstanding and given that they don’t take reservations and we had to wait about 50 minutes on a Tuesday I am not sure I would rush back.

This seems to echo some of the comments already made here but I thought I would add the info on what we tried in case someone is looking for suggestions.

I just met a friend a Savant Project last week for lunch. I concur with Bob D. It is a beautiful, modern room with a long stainless steel bar and tin coverings on the walls. A very hip feel. The wait staff was very friendly and helpful. I ordered the "Greek Salad" with fried feta balls, pita chips quartered olives. The salad was quite nice and the fried feta balls were a delicious touch. However, it was a little overdressed for my tastes and there were just too many red onions. Overall it was a well made salad with creative touches. I am not sure The Savant Project is a destination however, if ever in the Mission Hill it is a sold choice.

We had two lovely meals on our recent visit to P-town. Check out my comments:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/525082

Spent two nights over the long weekend in P-town. On Saturday night we went to Terra Luna in North Truro for dinner. The room has a rustic, cozy cottage feel with lots of wood. To start I had the soup special which was a Vegan Summer Greens soup. It was made with spinach, watercress, basil, and mint. I loved the flavor of the soup but the texture was a bit too gritty; I would have liked it to be smoother, maybe even creamier. DC started with a simple House Salad of Boston lettuce with red onions & grape tomatoes in mustard vinaigrette. The salad was perfectly executed with the freshest ingredients and just the right amount of dressing. I had the Wild Mushroom Ragu which was sautéed wild mushrooms & penne in a creamy merlot reduction. There was a huge variety (and lots!) of mushrooms that were sautéed beautifully with nice a coloring on the edges. The cream sauce was rich and just coated the penne without feeling heavy. It was rich and earthy! DC got the Fra Diavolo which seemed to be the exact opposite of mine, spicy and light.

The second night we met some friends at the Mews in Ptown. DC couldn’t stop raving about how his dirty vodka martini was one of the best martinis he has had! Started with the Mushroom Strudel with Spicy Miso Dressing. Very tasty! I had the Pappardelle in a Rich Broth with Pan Roasted Scallops. This was a very well prepared dish with spinach, mushrooms and beautiful scallops. The sauce was rich in texture, buttery and smooth, but a little plan in flavor yet the beautiful scallops more than made up for it. The rest of my dining companions loved their dishes and having tasted bites of the Roasted Half Duckling, the Rack of Lamb and the Lamb Shanks Osso Buco I do think my dish was the weakest at the table. The Panna cotta dessert was gorgeous! Smooth, rich and creamy! Minor, minor compliant would be that the berry coulis it was served with was not strained so the seeds were a bit annoying.

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Terra Luna
104 Shore Rd, Chatham, MA 02633

Mews Restaurant & Cafe
429 Commercial St, Provincetown, MA 02657

I am surprised that no one has mentioned Cafe Barada on Mass Ave in North Cambridge. I love the hummus here. It is creamy, lemony, and rich. I believe the owner is Lebanese so it might reflect that regional style as I am not familiar with all the differences. All I know is that I really enjoy this hummus and crave it often!

This past Friday I decided to try the new Snappy Sushi in Davis Sq with my SO. I think it has been open for about a month. The room is very sleek and modern with light toned wood and abstract paintings. When you walk on the left in there is a sushi bar with about four seats. Then on the right is a large communal wooden table with 4 – 5 seats on all four sides. We were seated at the communal table which has flower arrangements in the center to break up the large table.

We started with a seaweed salad which was served with mixed greens. The mixed greens were dressed with a lovely ginger wasabi dressing. The seaweed salad was quite nice and I liked how they paired it with the greens. Then we had three types of nigiri sushi, Tuna, Yellowtail, and Salmon. They use brown koshihikari rice in their sushi which has a heartier taste and texture than the typical white rice. We both felt that the rice had a little sweetness as well. The sushi was all very fresh and tasty however, I did notice that the pieces were not cut perfectly. We also tried three rolls. We had to try the Spicy Yellowtail Roll which is our favorite so we could compare it to others we like. It was very good. Then we tried the Spicy Crispy Scallop Roll which had scallop, cucumber, green leaf, tempura flakes, flying fish roe and spicy mayo. It should also have avocado however I don’t eat avocado so we asked them to prepare it without. We both really liked this roll. The flavors were perfect and the texture was nice and crispy! I have not seen lettuce leaf in sushi before but it was a nice crispy touch. Lastly we had the Mamemaki Roll which is tuna, salmon, cucumber, and green leaf which wrapped in bean sheet and dressed with an edamame-yuzu sauce (again this should have avocado). I was not particularly fond of the edamame-yuzu sauce which was too sweet and tangy and did not compliment the flavors of the fish.

Overall, the sushi at Snappy is very good and well prepared although I am not sure I like the use of the brown rice. All of the fish was fresh and the rolls were nice and tightly wrapped. Also, it would have been nice to have a beer. Currently they don't serve alcohol not sure if that is going to change.

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Snappy Sushi
420 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02144

Tried Yoma a week ago with a few friends. The décor is basic and that night there was just one woman waiting on the tables. Since there were five of us this time we were able to try several different dishes. We started with the appetizer platter, AaJawSone, which include three different appetizers. The first was the Burmese Samusar which is a deep fried crispy pastry filled with potato, onion, cabbage, and a mixture of spices. It was similar to an Indian samosa however, the flavors were more delicate and the spices not as strong. The second appetizer was the PaeKatJaw which was a deep fried crispy tempura split chickpea pancake. This was something like a chickpea papadum. I particularly liked the texture of the crunchy split chickpeas. The last appetizer was the TofuJaw (Burmese Tofu) which was deep fried home made chickpea tofu. The Burmese make a tofu from chickpea flour which has a lighter, more delicate texture to soy tofu. All of the appetizers were served with a spicy tamarind sauce made from sour tamarind juice, red chili, ginger, garlic, and cilantro. This was a perfect tasty accompaniment to all of the appetizers. My primary complaint was that all of the appetizers were quite greasy.

We then tried two salads. The first was the LaPhetThot (Green Tea Leaf Salad) which included Burmese green tea leaf with, roasted sesame seeds, peanut, crispy peas, crunchy garlic, dried shrimp, tomato, shredded cabbage, canola oil, sliced green chili, lime juice and sliced garlic. This was a very interesting dish! It is served with all of the components separate and we mix them together. The green tea leaf is fermented and had a flavor a bit like spinach cooked in a little vinegar and salt. When all of these ingredients are mixed together you have a wonderful fresh, crunchy salad with a balance of all flavors, salty, sour, sweet, bitter and hot which reminded me of Thai dishes. The second salad we tried was the ThaYetTheeThot (Green mango salad) which consisted of Shredded fresh sour mango mixed with shredded cabbage, fresh onion, roasted chili flake, grounded peanut, and cilantro. This was a wonderful salad which, again, combined all five tastes. This one seemed a little lighter and had a fresher flavor which reminded me more of Vietnamese cooking.

We tried five entrée dishes:
1) ShwePaYonTheeHin which is Oriental sweet pumpkin cooked with jumbo shrimp, tomato, ginger, onion, lemongrass, and cilantro. The sweet pumpkin was the star of this dish and seemed to take over the dish.
2) KhaYanTheeNut which is oriental egg plant cooked with grounded peanut, onion, garlic, ginger and tomato. This was a great dish! The crunchy peanut mixture added a great flavor and texture to the delicate eggplant. This was my favorite dish.
3) ShanKhotSwe which is small pieces chicken curry cooked with tomato served on rice noodle, grounded peanut, pickle green mustard, crunchy shallot, scallion and cilantro. This was a lovely dish but the flavors were surprisingly more subtle than expected. Though, the dish describes chicken curry, curry in Burmese cooking is not as strong and complex in flavor as South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines.
4) PaePyarHin which is pan fried tofu cooked with tomato, potato, ginger, garlic, shallot, spice powder, green chili, tamarind juice and cilantro. This was a very nice spicy dish.
5) Beef Curry with Potato which is beef cooked with tomato, ginger, garlic, onion, potato, and spice seasoning. Again, this dish was surprisingly subtle in flavor for a curry dish. The dominant flavors were the tomato, garlic, and onion.

Based on these dishes Burmese cuisine seemed like a mixture of Indian, Chinese, and Southeast Asian cuisines in ingredients and cooking methods. However, I felt the flavors and taste combinations were more subtle, delicate and fresh similar to Thai and Vietnamese foods.

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YoMa Burmese Restaurant
5 N Beacon St, Allston, MA 02134

We were visiting (from Boston) our friends who live in DC and were lucky to be treated to dinner at Restaurant Nora. The four of us arrived about 5 minutes late for our 7:45pm reservation and we were taken outside to a side entrance to the Gallery Room. The room was decorated in a rustic manner with cozy quilts hung on the walls.

After much discussion (we are a very indecisive bunch!) of the wine list we settled on a Pinot Noir. We were a little disappointed, not with the wine, but we felt it was served on the warm side. For dinner my husband and I started with the Wild Mushroom Soup with Sunchoke & Caramelized Onion Confit, Truffled Flan, Chive Purée. The soup was wonderfully rich and creamy. The sunchoke added a great texture without detracting from the earthiness of the wild mushrooms. Our friends got two appetizers. The Asparagus & LaQuercia Organic Proscuitto Salad with Roasted Morel Mushrooms, Shaved Fennel, Chive Emulsion, and Aïoli which was well received and the Morel Mushroom & Baby Leeks Tart with Herbed Goat Cheese, Tomato, Fine Herb Sauce which was lovely, if a little on the salty side. For dinner I had the Pan Roasted Grassfed Filet Mignon with Mashed Potatoes, Wild Mushrooms, Asparagus, Red Wine Sauce. This was a beautiful piece of meat which was perfectly cooked to order and the sides were a perfect accompaniment. I was a little disappointed in the mushrooms which I felt were a little soggy and did not have the meaty, earthly taste and texture of well sautéed mushrooms. I can't remember the details of what the others had but I know we were all extremely happy with our dishes. Overall the food was excellent! Our one complaint on the evening was that the service was extremely slow and inattentive. We were not in a rush and were enjoying ourselves so the slow service was not a problem. However, we were disappointed by the inattentiveness. At this type of restaurant wine and water glasses should be refilled promptly. The dinner guests should not be doing that themselves. Overall, the food and idea of a restaurant serving organic and local was great but the service was not up to par.

My husband and I went to Mistral for the first time on Saturday to celebrate my birthday with a gift certificate. It is a lovely space with high ceilings and a nice long bar. We were promptly seated for our 7:30pm reservation. The wine list had a fair selection in all price ranges. We decided on a 2000 Château Paveil de Luze, which was well balanced but a little tannic and light for my taste. We decided to share two appetizers and an entree. We started with the Maine Crab Ravioli with Thyme-Tomato Broth and the Classic Escargots, Burgundy Style with Grilled Semolina Toasts. The ravioli were perfect texture and the sauce was very flavorful. However, overall they were a little light on the crab. The escargots were wonderful! The sauce was rich and earthy and the escargots themselves perfectly well cooked. For the entree we shared the Syrah Braised Lamb Osso Buco with Soft Corn Polenta, "Printaniere Style". The lamb was fork tender and very flavorful. The vegetables too were well prepared however, I felt the peas were a little undercooked. For dessert we shared the Vanilla Crème Brulée, Fresh Raspberries, Ginger Cookie. The creme brulee was prefect! Luxuriously smooth and full of deep vanilla flavor. This was the best part of the meal for me!! The service was flawless. Overall this was a lovely meal. However, if we didn't have a gift certificate which covered all the costs I am not sure I would have wanted to spend my own money. The food was very good but not amazing and I believe it was the space and the great service which puts Mistral in category of destination restaurant in Boston.

My mother is vegetarian and her 60th birthday is coming up. We would like to take her out to dinner but would like her to have more than one option on the menu! I am from Boston so am not familiar with the Chicago food scene... is there anywhere like Greens in SF in Chicago? Or a restaurant which caters more to vegetarians? Or does a wonderful vegetarian tasting menu? Any help would be greatly appreciated! TIA!!

I am really surprised that no one has mentioned the wonderful treats at Petsi's Pies! She is not to far from Porter Sq (the one after Harvard) on Beacon St. She has wonderful scones (vanilla fig is amazing!) and muffins (banana chocolate chip) and cookies. And, she is the happiest person in the world!

Never had brunch at Aquitaine, but we really enjoyed our dinner there a year or so ago. Has the dinner gone done hill as well? Any recent experiences?

Just wanted to follow-up. We went to Mamma Maria for a 7:30 reservation on Saturday night. We arrived a little early so we sat at the tiny bar and started with a bottle of Sangeoviese which we took to our table when it was ready. Unfortunately, we were seated next to a large group which was rather loud. But, after a few tables around us asked to be moved the host asked them to quite down and they did.

We decided to share a few items. We started with the oxtail ravioli which was just wonderful! Full rich flavor! We only wished there was more. Then we had the fava bean salad which again was great! Light and summery... it was just the opposite of the oxtail. Then we split the rabbit pasta dish which was good but not as good as the appetizers. It had a bit of a chicken noodle soup taste to it so we weren't sure of they used too much chicken broth or what we were picking up. The rabbit was nice and moist. Overall the dish was very good. Then for desert we tried their version of the tiramisu. It was not the traditional ratio of lady fingers to marscapone instead it was more marscapone which was a bit too rich for me but we still managed to finish it off! We really enjoyed the food! However, we were a bit disappointed in the service by our waiter. He did not tell us about a special which they had that evening and I heard the waiter at the next table after we had already ordered. Also, our waiter seemed to be rushing us. The food came out extremely quickly and after dessert he brought us the check right away without asking if we wanted coffee or anything. Instead we strolled around the North End and ended the evening with espresso at a cafe... which was a better option at that point! Overall, the food at Mamma Marias was very enjoyable and the room and bar are lovely however, I would have enjoyed it more if the service had been better.

Hi all,

We will be celebrating an anniversary the first weekend in August. I really would like to go somewhere in the North End but, there are many places on my list... Sage, Mamma Maria, Neptune Oyster, Taranta, and Carmen. Any thoughts on these places or suggestions for other places to try in the North End?

TIA!
MasalaWala

Thanks for all the suggestions. I live in the Davis area so have tried all of the usual suspects (Red Bones, Diva, Burren, Gargoyles, etc.) So, I was most interested in the three new-to -me places listed. We ended up at Cafe Barada and it was wonderful! Hiddenboston was right, the owner is very nice and does take a lot of pride in the food! The special of the day was a lamb stew which was great! The lamb was fork tender, carrots and peas were fresh (not frozen) and perfectly cooked, the spices were delicate and flavorful! I can't believe I have been living so close and have not yet tried it. I'll have to make up for that...

The address is:
2269 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge
617-354-2112

Hi All,

I am wanting to try something new in the Davis Square area tonight. I was thinking about Cafe Barada, Marasta on Elm, or the new asian place called BeJapons (or something like that!) Any thoughts on these places or anything other interesting suggestions?

Thanks!!

I heard about a $28 prix fixe menu that they are doing durning the month of July. Has anyone been to it? Is it worth checking out? I have never been to Icarus and know it is not a board favorite but is it worth checking out for this price?

Thanks Aaron and Junie D! I will try sauteing. I was also thinking... do you think I could make a pesto with it or does it need to be cooked first?

Here is an intersting one for you cooks... we got a new green from our local CSA farm and the farmer said they are "fava tendrils-the fava tendrils are the tip of the fava bean plants and are great cooked with olive oil ang garlic." This is a big bunch of leafy greens with greyish pods dispersed among the stems. Now the question is do I saute the greens or just the pods? Has anyone tried these? Any other suggestions on what to do with these would be great as I have three bunches!

Thanks!
MasalaWala