You know, I'm not certain. Either it was preserves or they were macerated for a while. After a few glasses of wine, it was hard to tell.

I went there with a small group last night and we were all impressed. Overall, the apps were good - the cheese plate was great and the special squash soup was very good, but the bruschetta provided the only disappointment of the night - the bread was a bit burnt, but also soggy.

The entrees were even better. Scallop ravioli were good, the trout was better - a tender, buttery flavor - the cocoa tagliatelle is interesting mix of flavors and not as heavy as I would have thought. The two clear winners, though, were the duck, which was cooked perfectly - still a bit pink in the center, and very tender - and the seared tuna with white anchovy butter special. That was one beautiful hunk of tuna.

For dessert, the threeRamisu and chocolate torte were very good, but the best was the strawberry millefeuille, which isn't a millefeuille, but three thin, caramelized (almost burnt sugar) crisp wafers with layers of marscapone and strawberries. Oh my, it was good!

The wines were excellent, as one would expect. Some of us went with what we knew and some of us went with the suggestions of the wine guy. All of us were happy.

The service was excellent - both the wine guy and the waitress were very friendly and welcoming and clearly knew their stuff. The space is nice and manages to create some cozy spaces in could have been a bland, anonymous room. Oh, and when you go to the restroom, look up.

As for the bill, well, the wine can add up - and we did drink a lot. Overall, we were very happy and are already planning a return visit.

Try James Gate if you haven't already. It easily has the best pub food - the nachos and calamari are great, and most of the other dishes are good to very good - and it has the best atmosphere (cozy, convivial, and a fireplace). Plus, it has the best selection of beers. Jeannie can be fun (good, sassy, waitresses!) but the beer selection isn't as good and the food is variable - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's merely passable. Decent atmosphere, though - and more tv's than the Gate (5 or 6, I think). It's been a while since I've been in the Galway. Yes, more of a townie place, and less atmosphere. I think the food and beer was decent, but I haven't felt any urge to go back.

Green Street in Cambridge! A huge selection of classics, plus lots of interesting new ones - try one of the egg white drinks. They know their stuff there. Plus, the drinks are very reasonable for boston - $6 - $8 for most drinks (I think). It's pretty casual, and they have good (but not great) food. Try the spicy nuts - of course, they will promote further drinking...

The Jeanie has decent-but-forgettable pub food - burgers, wings, o-rings, fish 'n chips - the typical stuff. The beer selection is a bit limited. The atmosphere can be fun at times - trivia night on Wednesday and karaoke on Saturday. I don't think I'd ever drop in just for a meal, though - especially with Jame's Gate just down the block.

After reading that the nutty manager was no longer there, we decided to give Cafe D another try. The service was much better - very good in fact. The food was fair to good - the calamari was pretty good, with a thick, crumbly coating. For the life of me, I can't remember what I had - one of the seafood specials, I think (I had wanted the pea risotto, but it was made with chicken stock - why, oh why, make a veggie dish with meat stock when veggie stock would taste just as good??!!!). One person really liked his burger and the other person thought his was just okay. I forget what everyone else had (perhaps I had one too many glasses of the tasty, chewy tempranillo). We'll go back, though - the food was at least decent, and the service was very friendly.

If he wants a bit of Boston history (or at least paintings and pictures of Boston politicians on the walls) mixed in with a so-so atmosphere and doesn't mind greasy food, then Doyles. If he wants good (possibly great) pub food (and excellent calamari!) and a great pub atmosphere go to Jame's Gate - and eat in the bar area, not the restaurant area.

Jame's Gate. Of the many places I've tried, Jame's Gate is easily the best. They fry it just long enough to turn the batter a light gold, but the calamari stays very tender. Plus, they add some mildly hot pepper slices for some zip. Their calamari has been consistently good for the past four years.

When you go (and if you haven't been, you should go) stay in the bar section - great atmosphere and very good pub food. Order the calamari, nachos, a few pints and relax by the fireplace.

A group of us tried Cafe D quite a few months ago. The food was okay, but we vowed never to go back - an inept waiter and a manager who seemed amused and dismissive that our meal took an hour to arrive and wasn't all of what we had ordered. It's a shame because it seemed like a good place - and in a very convenient location for us. I hope the service and attitude has improved.

A group of us ate there last night. Here's my thoguhts:

THE GOOD
The pork chops. Good flavor and served with some very tasty mashed sweet potatoes.

The seven vegetable couscous was also very good. It was almost like a stew (if it had more liquid) with the veggies on top of Israeli couscous.

Don’t miss the homemade mozzarella cheese sticks – rather large and with a thick and crumbly coating.

The martinis. Try the mangotini – not too sweet, with good flavor – and a bit of a kick. Someone else at the table had a different one and liked it, but I don’t remember what it was.

The service. Very friendly and helpful.

The prices. Entrees were $9 to $14 dollars. Very reasonable. When we got the check, one of us said, “Are you sure that’s right?” The seven of us ate and drank well for about $200.

The portions. You won’t leave hungry. If you order a desert, you will probably need to split it. The carrot cake is close to ridiculously large – it could be reasonably shared by four people.

THE OKAY
The calamari - a bit overcooked and tough (I have tried the fried calamari in dozens of restaurants in Boston and Jame’s Gate has by far the best – they give it a light coating that doesn’t overwhelm the calamari and they cook it for a very short amount of time, so it is never tough. BTW, does anyone else find the bar side of the Gate - which I love, superior to the restaurant side?)

The wild mushroom and spinach lasagna. It was bland, with the spinach and mushroom flavors overwhelmed by cheese. It needed some kind of zip – extra garlic or red pepper with the shrooms and spinach? Or maybe some oregano or basil? It was served with a very interesting carrot-tomato sauce. It looked like a normal tomato sauce, but it had a distinct flavor of cooked carrots. I think I liked it, and will definitely play around with it at home.

THE BAD
The seared sesame tuna appetizer. It was overcooked – just a hint of pinkness inside – and completely flavorless. It the very least, it could have used some salt.

WRAP UP
It was hit and miss. Most dishes were fair to good, but none of us was bowled over.

So, would we go back? Yes, though we will probably wait until they have a new menu. Why bother? First, they’ve just been open for a week and maybe things will click better once they get settled down. The main reason, though, is because of the service. To me, good service elevates decent food, while bad service destroys good food (which is why we will never go back to Café D – we had a new, inept waiter, which is sometimes excusable, and an utterly dismissive manager, which is inexcusable). Geoffrey’s may not be worth a drive from Watertown, but if you’re in the area, you should give it a try. It's decent food at a good price. Overall, we had a good experience.

P.S. They're open to 1am every(?) night and serve until midnight.