News & Features Feedback
New This WeekAround TownMusicFilmArtTheaterNews & FeaturesFood & DrinkAstrology
  HOME
NEW THIS WEEK
EDITORS' PICKS
LISTINGS
NEWS & FEATURES
MUSIC
FILM
ART
BOOKS
THEATER
DANCE
TELEVISION
FOOD & DRINK
ARCHIVES
LETTERS
PERSONALS
CLASSIFIEDS
ADULT
ASTROLOGY
PHOENIX FORUM DOWNLOAD MP3s



Spring forward
As the weather warms, local restaurants sweep off the patios, wash the windows, and liven up the menus
BY RUTH TOBIAS

AIR APPARENT

More alfresco dining options

ALL OVER TOWN, the fresh-air frenzy is mounting as windows open, awnings unfurl, and umbrellas bloom. Here are a few more great outlets for spring fever. (Call ahead to be sure outdoor seating is open.)

• The Dish, 253 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, (617) 326-7866.

• Henrietta’s Table, Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett Street (Harvard Square), Cambridge, (617) 661-5005.

• KingFish Hall, 1 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, (617) 523-8862.

• Maison Robert, 45 School Street, Boston, (617) 227-3370.

• Parish Café, 361 Boylston Street, Boston, (617) 247-4777.

• Sol Azteca, 914A Beacon Street, Brookline, (617) 262-0909; 75 Union Street, Newton Centre, (617) 964-0920.

• Taberna de Haro, 999 Beacon Street, Brookline, (617) 277-8272.

• Vox Populi, 755 Boylston Street, Boston, (617) 424-8300.

— RT

Just because a MENU turns with the seasons doesn’t mean the restaurant turns with it. On the contrary: location, layout, and décor have a way of forging a subtle emotional link between a place and a particular time of year. Some restaurants come alive in cold weather, with cozy nooks and fireplaces, rich hues, and dark wood trim; others were made for warm days, with interiors — and attitudes — as light and airy as their courtyards. And now that we’ve all sprung forward, it’s time to welcome our hot spots with open (and bare) arms. To that end, here’s a summary of the summery — a guide to some of Boston’s sunniest eateries.

The giddy energy that emanates from Tremont 647 year-round escalates come summer, when the wood-and-glass panels fronting the restaurant are folded back, outdoor tables are set up, and the beautiful ones spill out onto the sidewalk. Of course 647’s legendary cocktails kick-start the party; in addition to gold-standard mojitos and caipirinhas, the bar is now set to bear the newest fruits of manager Matt Ryan’s labor, such as the Gin Blossom — a blend of blueberry-infused gin, dark-cherry syrup, and grapefruit juice — and the Pineapple Martini, combining pineapple-infused vodka, pineapple juice, and Stoli Vanil. But it’s the eats that provide staying power for the wee hours to come. Owner Andy Husbands and executive chef Jason Santos are painting the menu in bright colors this season, from a red-oak-and-mâche salad with cheddar-basil croutons and green olives to cod sheathed in banana leaf to vegetable paella.

Of course, if revelry’s just standard operating procedure at 647, you can imagine the special ops. Santos is fleshing out the details of the upcoming five-course tequila dinner, complete with margarita reception ( " Cabs required, " he warns), as well as the third annual Whole Animal Dinner, a midsummer carnival featuring all creatures grilled and smoked — quail, clams, and soft-shell crabs, plus flashier four-legged fare. And speaking of leg-flashing, 647’s weekend pajama brunch continues to go at full tilt.

In fact, brunch is always at its dressed-down best during the summer. Patio seating at places like the Red Fez is just icing on the cake (make that syrup on the pancake). But at the Fez, the en plein air atmosphere is just as refreshing indoors as out, morning or evening. From the west-facing windows to the Moorish arches and high ceilings, from walls of pale yellow and red brick to the scarlet-and-cobalt-tiled bar mirrors, the whole place glows as the sun sets — a happy-hour plus. The menu, too, conduces to lingering and grazing as the days lengthen, with its emphasis on meze and lighter fare — dips and flatbreads, salads and skewers — as well as cocktails. Extensive beer and wine lists deserve a glance, but the quenchers à la mode include martinis such as the strapping Moroccan (Stoli Limonnaya garnished with preserved lemon and mint), " ice-cold " sake, and even — do a double take here — a Chambord-and-Frangelico milk shake. And there’ll be a whole lot more shakin’ going on, what with belly-dancing and live music, both Middle Eastern and jazz, when co-owner Bill Pinnone’s planned entertainment series gets underway. After all, according to Pinnone, the Fez is actually the reincarnation of a nightclub that occupied the premises for 40 years; it’s got a lively reputation to uphold.

Of course, the Fez’s indoors will seem even more enticing once the MBTA’s Silver Line is up and running — within feet of the restaurant’s brand-new deck. Such is life for most of us urban dwellers, to whom " alfresco " generally means $10 sandwiches at cramped sidewalk tables dive-bombed by pigeons. Three huzzahs for Oleana, then, which restores the term’s original luster with a full-fledged back-yard patio in an actual suburban neighborhood in Cambridge. Shade-ensconced and ivy-strewn, the brick-and-stone-lined seating area is encircled by fruit trees and an herb garden — in which even the plants’ names smack of refreshment, from lemon balm to lovage — as well as by newly installed heaters that promise to stretch summer into fall. Meanwhile, Oleana’s interior keeps things cool; the décor has an almost Japanese feel with its ceramic shades of sage, almond, and pebble. While Ana Sortun’s spring menu is still in the planning stages, sous-chef Nookie (don’t ask) envisions fava-bean moussaka paired with Turkish lamb, followed by fresh-corn ice cream. And what could be better than a glass of homemade white sangria with nectarines, peaches, and apricots to wash it all down? A bottle of Oleana 3C Ale, that’s what. Nantucket’s Cisco Brewers has created an India pale ale exclusively for Sortun and her signature Levantine cuisine, distinguished by faint traces of cumin, coriander, and cardamom (hence the 3C). Inspiring beer — now that’s fresco.

For that matter, so is designing, patenting, and building your own " lobster line, " a system of baskets, pulleys, kettles, and a tank that can hold up to 1200 pounds of the crustacean critters — which is exactly what Jasper White has done for his much-loved Summer Shack. The moniker’s a misnomer — White’s " shack " is a) open year-round and b) the size of a small fishing village. Otherwise, it’s everything you might expect: bare walls and floors, long picnic tables, rafters strung with lights, blackboard scrawled with daily specials — all that’s missing is the tracked-in sand. " We’re trying to offer everybody a taste of New England, " explains White. To say that’s putting it mildly is, well, putting it mildly. Be it raw, grilled, steamed, smoked, or fried; be it battered, buttered, crumbed, stuffed, or sauced; be it univalve, bivalve, arthropod, cephalopod, or plain old fish — the Shack does it with gusto and with all the fixings: corn and brown bread, coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, and snow cones for dessert. In short, as White says, " the place is an event in itself. "

Even so, some nights are more eventful than others. Wednesday means reggae night at the Shack, featuring not only the music but also the cuisine of the Caribbean. Baseball season means impromptu rallies ’round the big-screen TV in the lounge. And Indian summer will take on a whole new meaning this year as the backdrop for White’s first annual lobster festival. Bring on the bibs.

Finally, there’s Intrigue. In contrast to the Summer Shack, the name fits: this otherwise quiet little café in the Boston Harbor Hotel has an edge over your average open-air bistro, in the form of a waterfront deck. There you can sit, in the sun and sea breeze, with one eye on the boats bobbing by and one on your burger (or your lamb chop, clams, what have you) as it’s cooked to order on the outdoor grill. If you prefer to order from the kitchen, the triple-treat fishcakes of crab, cod, and salmon are an Intrigue staple — as is the namesake vodka martini adorned with blue-cheese-stuffed olives. And if the wind picks up or the temperature drops, you and your martini can plunk down on a sofa indoors — the café’s enormous picture windows afford the same view without exposure to the elements. Actually, there’s something intriguing about hotel lounges in general, at once comfy and disorienting, sexy and wistful — but that’s another story.

Ruth Tobias can be reached at ruthiet@bu.edu

Where to find it:

• Intrigue, Boston Harbor Hotel, Rowes Wharf, Boston, (617) 856-7744. Open Monday through Thursday, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Jasper White’s Summer Shack, 149 Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge, (617) 520-9500. Open Monday through Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, from 1 to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, from 3 to 9 p.m.

• Oleana, 134 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, (617) 661-0505. Open Sunday through Thursday, from 5:30 to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from 5:30 to 11 p.m.

• The Red Fez, 1222 Washington Street, Boston, (617) 338-6060. Open daily, from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.

• Tremont 647, 647 Tremont Street, Boston, (617) 266-4600. Open Monday through Thursday, from 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5:30 to 10 p.m.

PHOTO BY MARK OSTOW

Issue Date: April 25-May 2, 2002
Back to the News & Features table of contents.