Cambridge Restaurants

Ironically, Boston's best ice cream (not just self-proclaimed) is actually in Cambridge. Herrell's is an interesting shop, if only because it is located in disused bank branch; the vault is now open for patrons who want to enjoy their ice cream in a more eclectic ambience. The store is pretty much just an ice cream shop that offers everything that you would expect: scoops in cones or cups, ice cream sundaes, floats, a myriad of toppings. The flavours run the baskin robbins gamut, without the gross "tiger tail" and "playdough" type flavours, but the taste is rich and authentic. There are many, many takes on chocolate and the related flavours (brownie, fudge, etc.). They're all good. Plus, you get a $1 off coupon on your next purchase everytime you buy a scoop at Herrell's.

Favorite Dish: I don't remember all the flavours I had. I think I had dulce de leche, chocolate fudge, and one other (not all at once, at various points through the weekend). They're all superb, and definitely worth multiple trips!

Went here for a birthday dinner recently. The two birthday celebrants go to their bar a lot, apparently, and have really enjoyed that. Because of this, they thought a nice Saturday night dinner to celebrate their days would be a treat. Wrong.

After being told by the waitress that ordering drinks, appetizers and our dinners all at once would work better with her "flow" (whatever the Hell that means, I didn't really want to know!), we basically complied and gave her our dinner orders about 5 minutes after we ordered appetizers. After this, she seemed to do a disappearing act and getting a glass of wine and another round of drinks was a mission.

After finally scoring some vino, we played the "Please leave my salad" game as one of the guests decided she'd like to eat her salad with her dinner and had to tell the three or four waiters to please leave it. (Seems like all other waitstaff appeared now!) After we were left with no drink refills again and no new food appeared, we played the waiting game. Finally, after a few comments were made - some peppered with some colorful language - we finally got food! However, only three of the six dinners appeared! At this point, another "colorful" comment was made and with this came the highlight of the evening: The manager.

The Blue Room is a nice restaurant with an interesting menu and not by any means, cheap. Why they hired a manager who'd obviously been fired from Denny's for Anger Management issues is beyond all of us.

Favorite Dish: We were approached and asked if we had a problem. Why yes, we told her, we've been here a long time and we have no food. "It's HERE" was her response. To which, we pointed out that only half our party had been served. "Well, it's on it's way!" were her next words of enlightenment. At this point, the food actually did arrive. However, so did what can only be described as a scolding whereby we were told that the restaurant was busy and that she couldn't help but overhear our "abrasive" comments and that she was doing all she could to remedy this. She basically shouted this at us and a shouting match ensued between her and the two birthday guests! At no point did she try to offer to comp any meals, send over a bottle of wine or even to get us all another drink order which would've been nice because we all had empty glasses!

The food itself was actually good, but that beeeyatch manager kinda ruined our experience. And the food is the only reason I'm giving this place a "somewhat unsatisfied" and not a "totally unsatisfied" rating.

I'll be back when she gets fired or arrested for assaulting a customer.

I love Fire and Ice. Here is the deal: they have large circular grills. You pick your meats, veggies and sauces and the chef grills them before your eyes. Well worth the wait and the funky interior will garauntee a good time is had by all.

Favorite Dish: chicken, veggies and a ginger sauce.

2005 James Beard Winner for Best Chef in the Northeast, Chef Ana Sortun’s Oleana in East Cambridge is renowned for its delicious blending of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. In the wintertime, a small fireplace bring s a cozy ambience to the rustically elegant space, while dining in the delightful garden under the fairly lights is a summer must. NOTE* while reservations for inside are strongly recommended (particularly on the weekends), it is first come, first serve for outdoor tables.

Favorite Dish: Grilled Sirloin Kebob with Skordalia, Fried Green Tomatoes, Oregano & Caramelized Butter

Temple Bar is named for the nightlife/shopping district in Dublin, but apart from a large mural, there's not a whole lot that evokes Ireland here (not, thankfully, that we were looking for something Irish that evening!).

It's a pretty fashionable spot close to Harvard, with plenty of well-dressed guests sipping cocktails; indeed, it was so popular that we were lucky to get a seat without a lengthy wait.

It can get a little loud in here, with a large, open-plan dining room and plenty of people at the bar, and the service is less than attentive, but it's still a decent place to come of an evening, with the meals generally quite moderately-priced. The drinks, too, are good - for a trendy spot, they haven't inflated the wine prices too much, which is a nice surprise.

Favorite Dish: We'd go back, but on our first trip the exciting-sounding pizzas (artichoke, teardrop tomatoes and feta or roasted peppers, smoked ham, and gouda) turned out to be a little bland. Both had far too much cheese, and it was middle-of-the-road cheese. Still, we did finish our meals, and enjoyed the wine and the people-watching, and we want to come back to try some of the pastas next time!

I've only been here once and I thought the food was good. Moroccan items are displayed around the restaurant & in the back room carpets line the floor so that you can relax in a traditional Moroccan setting while you eat.

Favorite Dish: The mint tea is refreshing & warms your heart. Try the Chicken Bastilla and the Lamb Couscous.

Went here with my film class after seeing the latest Almodovar film. The bright colors and funky kitschy decor worked perfectly to keep the atmosphere of his movies alive. In fact, you feel compelled to just look around the place and check out all the knick-knacks and photos instead of eating. The menu is fun too. Images from the original Betty Crocker cookbook are used throughout it.

Favorite Dish: But the food's good so you'll want to concentrate on that as well. As most of the patrons probably do, I had some of the breakfast that's served all day. The menu's huge and with that variety I was able to choose the Greek Scramble. This is eggs scrambled with feta cheese, Kalamata olives, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Served with home-fries and slabs of toast, it was just wonderful.

Everyone else's food looked wonderful too and I must mention that the pancake dish looked like it could feed a small nation....

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What a wonderful restaurant. Not only is the decor amazing but the food's even better!

It's decorated in a cross between the roaring twenties and an old world bordello style. How can anyone resist that? The hostesses and waitresses are decked out in vintage outfits, rhinestones, feathers and sequins. There's some gorgeous stained-glass behind the bar which was acquired from a church in Chicago that had burned, a low table with an LCD panel that projects disco-type lights from motion and a great eclectic mix of other unique furnishings. Why, even the champagne bucket on the table next to ours kept changing colors!

Favorite Dish: They do small-plates which are not tapas because they come from all over the world and not just Spain. We had half and avocado stuffed with ceviche and accompanied by a roll of white fish meat and half a lobster tail. That dish is from Guatemala. From Italy we had a braccioleta which was absolutely amazing and from Russia we had blinys stuffed with a mushroom cheese mix. We also had a salad but I forget where that was from which was wonderful too.

And of course, we had froo-froo drinkies to wash all this goodness down!