Classic Fifties Diner Experience at Zoe's in Harvard Square

Tucked away in the basement level of a building on Mass Ave. near Harvard Square is a little gem of your all-American classic diner, Zoe's Restaurant. In addition to serving breakfast all day, Zoe's offer Greek cuisine in a retro atmosphere topped with chrome and vinyl, a jukebox, and flavored sodas.

For an appetizer, we decided to share an order of "Famous" Homemade Spanakopita ($4.49), or paper thin phyllo stuffed with spinach and Feta cheese wrapped in paper thin phyllo dough. We were a bit taken aback by the presentation--literally, we received a plate with one big fat piece of spanakopita.

Inside the crispy phyllo dough was a generous mush of spinach and Feta cheese. I liked the ratio between the phyllo dough and the spinach/cheese filling. I am glad we ordered just one serving because too much of it would have been a bit cheesy for my liking.

For my entree, I decided to go with Zoe's "specialty" of Mix'n Match Kabob ($15.99). I chose the beef and shrimp kebob. All kebobs are served with choice of potato or rice and vegetable.

The amount of beef and shrimp was just right for my liking! A true surf'n turf, indeed. The marinated chunks of sirloin in Zoe's special seasoning was tender and juicy, while the shrimp marinated in a light honey Dijon was plump. The kebobs were also skewered with vegetables like onion and bell pepper.

I chose to get rice on the side with green beans. The rice had some sort of tomato marinara sauce on top. I would have much preferred fresh green beans, but these were soaked in some nasty, oily red sauce.

It would be a shame to come to a diner and not order something from the breakfast menu. The Smoked Salmon Benedict ($11.99) had two dropped eggs with Atlantic smoked salmon and grilled tomato topped with hollandaise sauce on English muffin. These were served with homefries. I didn't try the dish but it certainly looked rich and filling!

 

An Exquisite Hotel Restaurant Experience at Rialto

I am usually not a fan of hotel restaurants just because the atmosphere tends to be touristy, but I really enjoyed my last dining experience at Rialto that I decided to check it out again.

Rialto has received quite a lot of recognition for its food. After being seated, we were served a basket full of different types of bread and rolls, including cheese & garlic sticks, focaccia lightly rubbed in herb and oil, sour dough baguette, and hearty craisin-filled dinner roll. 

Rialto's menu changes frequently by season because the restaurant's philosophy is serve food made with ingredients that are fresh at the time. This is a Rialto's take on charcuterie "plate" with parma prosciutto, fig, walnut pecorino bread, and a dollop of ricotta with olive oil.

The arugula pear salad had a spoonful of pomegranate seeds and crumbled bleu cheese. I love the bitter green taste of the arugula and the crunchiness of the pomegranate, but personally not a big fan of blue cheese (...or any cheese for that matter) because it stinks!

The Fisherman's Soup, which has rouille base (a sauce made of olive oil with breadcrumbs, garlic, saffron, and chili peppers) as well as Gruyere and basil oil. I didn't try it, but the person who ordered it only took a couple bites and that was it.

I decided to be adventurous and order something I have never had before: Crispy Sweetbreads. The name is definitely a misnomer because there is nothing "doughy" about sweetbreads. In fact, sweetbreads are the fatty pancreas of a calf. The fried sweetbreads were placed atop creamy parmesan risotto with raisins and pine nuts with sweet currants sauce at the bottom.

Had I not been concerned about my weight, I probably could have eaten this dish every single day. The arborio rice in the risotto was cooked perfectly--not too coarse or mushy--and the sweetness from the currant balanced the creamy risotto perfectly.

The highlight of the dish was definitely the sweetbreads. These glands were juicy in the inside, crispy on the outside. Whereas the meat of the fried chicken, for example, can sometimes taste a bit bland, the sweetbreads had so much flavor and texture.

The special of the day was the corn meal pasta with lamb. While I expected the dish to contain a rack of lamb on the side, the meat was actually chopped into pieces in the sauce.

The Whole Roasted Fish of the day was branzino, stuffed with wilted greens, local mushrooms, house-smoked bacon in mustard. I can never rack up enough courage to order a whole fish...how can you eat the poor thing when it's staring at you like that???

The next entree, Vermentino Chicken, had a HUGE serving! The dish had roasted breast and crispy confit thigh with pickled cherries and artichokes. They really should have a "warning sign" indicating that this dish can serve two people (especially since most people at Rialto enjoy a full 3- or 4-course meal)

For my main course, I decided to indulge myself with Colorado Lamb Two Ways. The entree had two racks of chestnut crusted lamb chops and apricot & rosemary stuffed leg with chanerelle mushrooms on the side. For someone who loves red meat, I asked for it to be cooked rare, of course.

I personally preferred the leg meat rather than the chop because it had more meat and less fat. I like steak when it's cooked rare, but next time I get lamb, perhaps I should ask for medium rare because it was a bit too red for my liking.

Underneath the lambs were medley of vegetables. Again, you can see how red the lamb chops are. Also the chops near the bones were very difficult to eat.

After a quite heavy meal of sweetbreads and lamb, we moved on to dessert. Given the fall season, a lot of selection had autumn favorites like apples and pumpkin. The Fried Apple Slices came with dulce de leche with spiced butternut squash gelato, cider sauce, and walnuts. Because I am not a fan of fried stuff, I didn't try this. Why would you ruin a perfectly delicious apples by frying them? Yikes.

I decided to opt for the "lightest" sounding entree--Saffron Pineapple Meringue with ginger ice cream and saffron gele. The freeze-dried pineapple was very sweet and crispy, while the meringue was light and airy. Given my love for butternut squash, I substituted the ginger ice cream for the squash gelato. It was a great decision indeed :)

This is the dessert I would have chosen if I could order it again. Visually, the Pistachio Pumpkin Semifreddo had an interesting shape. Inside the toasted meringue were pistachio cream and cake. The dish also came with spiced pumpkin shooter on the side (pictured above the plate).

Baked Soft-Shell Crab Tacos and Amazing Salmon from EVOO Restaurant

It's my personal "rule" to try a restaurant at least once other than during Restaurant Week season because the experiences you get during RW cannot justify the real quality of the restaurant. I visited EVOO Restaurant for Restaurant Week over the summer, and really enjoyed the bluefish entree that I had. I decided to go again, and this time we were seated inside.

EVOO prints a new menu every day (it may or may not serve the same/similar entrees), depending on what ingredients are freshest in the market. My friend went for the Sockeye Salmon ($16), which was served with Corn Risotto, Grilled Zucchini, and Nectarine-Basil Relish. I had a bite of it and it was absolutely phenomenal! The corn risotto was the same recipe as the one used in my bluefish entree from last time. The sweet nectarine-basil relish complemented the juicy, savory salmon extremely well.

I have been craving soft-shell crab for quite some time, so I opted for the Soft-Shell Crab Tacos ($15) with black beans and rice. Instead of having the crab fried, as is done traditionally, I asked the chef if it could be baked instead. Granted that it took forever for my entree to arrive, the result was not disappointing.

The baked soft-shell crab was smothered in slightly spicy, tomato-based sauce that was a bit too overpowering. The crab was layered on top of soft corn tortillas, tomato salsa with cabbage and lots of basil. Yum.

The corn tortilla was lightly toasted for the crunchy taste, but it got soggy really quickly because of water from the cabbage.

The soft-shell crab had plenty of "meat" inside, but it would have been a lot tastier if it was baked in the over for a little longer. I could have waited ;)

The Mexican rice and black beans weren't anything special. Overall, the dish probably didn't taste as good if it had been fried, but hey, I saved a lot of calories. Room for dessert?

Spicy Chicken Sandwich and Bland Avocado Sandwich from Andala in Cambridge

Harvard students have the tendency to think that anywhere outside of Harvard Square is simply too far. This notion restricts many students to the "Harvard Bubble," preventing them from venturing into other parts of Cambridge/Boston. While spending a part of summer in Cambridge, I visited a couple of restaurants and cafes in Kendall Square and Central Square, including Andala Cafe. According to its website, Andala opened to serve as "a warm place where people can socialize in an environment that fosters intimate conversations."

In addition to coffee and tea, Andala offers Middle Eastern food. My friend and I decided to get a vegetarian dish and a meat dish and share them. The Chicken Khalili Sandwich ($8.95) is grilled chicken with jalapeno peppers in Jerusalem salad sauce, served in toasted Arabic bread. The dish came with hummus and some vegetable sticks on the side.

The Arabic bread looked like pita, but it was thinner with crunchier exterior. I wasn't sure whether to pick up the food and eat it like a sandwich or use utensils because the bread was too thin and everything inside sort of fell apart.

Inside the two thin slices of Arabic bread were grilled chicken, lots of jalapeno peppers, yogurt-like dressing, and basils.

The sandwich would have been...edible if there weren't jalapeno peppers because these were extremely spicy! I literally took a bite and couldn't eat it anymore. The spiciness from the peppers was definitely way too overpowering.

The Avocado Press Sandwich ($7.95) didn't have any description in the menu, so I had no idea what to expect except that there will be avocado inside. Like the chicken sandwich, it was served in Arabic bread, but it had potato salad on the side instead of hummus. The sandwich was sprinkled with basil on top.

Inside the sandwich were huge chunks of avocado, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, some sort of black bean puree sauce, and...lots of mozzarella cheese. I wish I had asked what was in there because the sandwich would have been perfect sans cheese.

The Avocado sandwich was a sharp contrast to the chicken sandwich because it tasted rather bland. Rotating a bite of the chicken sandwich and a bite of the avocado sandwich, therefore, was very complementary :)

Nubar, a Hidden Gem in Harvard Square, and Molten Chocolate from Finale

For those of you who ask what my favorite restaurant is in the Square, I can answer you without hesitation: Nubar Restaurant in Sheraton Commander. Because Nubar is a little further out from the Square, a lot of people don't know about it, but this restaurant serves some amazing food!

First of all, the atmosphere of the restaurant is noteworthy. The restaurant has comfortable yet contemporary design. The dining room and bar/lounge are divided by a modern fireplace. The lighting in the restaurant reflects its warm, cozy environment. My first time at Nubar was definitely an unforgettable experience, both in terms of its food, service, and atmosphere, so I was very excited for my second time.

I don't normally eat pizza or sausage, but one item in the flatbread menu caught my eyes. I decided to try the Sweet Italian Sausage, Herbed Ricotta, and Spinach Flatbreads ($12). The flatbread was served on a long, rectangular plate and cut vertically into about seven pieces. Each piece had ample amount of mozzarella cheese  with chunky Italian sausages and bits of ricotta cheese and spinach tucked underneath. The flatbread was sprinkled with some basil. The dough was thin and crispy. The flatbread was perhaps in the oven for a little too long because top layer of the mozzarella cheese was slightly burnt.

This is Pat's Littleneck Clam Roast ($22), a dish I wish I had gotten! The round plate had handful of toasted angel hair pasta with bacon, zucchini ribbons, baby shrimp, littleneck clams, and garlic, and tossed with white wine and olive oil. My favorite part of this dish was definitely the toasted angel hair pasta because it had crunch texture. Definitely going for this dish the next time I come :)

The Pan Seared Diver Scallops ($25) had four plump scallops with a ragu of beech mushrooms and a succotash of sweet onions, corn, beans, and fresh herbs. Other than the fact that it was too salty, the scallops were pan-seared nicely with crispy outside and juicy inside.

For dessert, we went to Finale in Harvard Square for its signature Molten Chocolate ($9.95). This standout dessert is baked-to-order, so be willing to wait at least 15 or so minutes! The warm chocolate cake with a gooey center is served with a scoop of coffee gelato, topped with milk chocolate covered almonds and Valhona chocolate sauce.

Again, I am not a huge fan of chocolate, but I definitely enjoy a bite or two of this dessert. As you dig your spoon into the warm chocolate cake, the center oozes with chocolate sauce like a lava. My favorite part is definitely watching the sauce spilling over.

The balance between warm chocolate cake and cold coffee gelato is interesting. The almonds also add crunchy layer to this delectable dessert!