Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Scoop on Ice Cream
No less an expert than Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's has described Boston as “a
great place for ice cream.” That goes for Cambridge, too—residents of both
cities famously defy even the most frigid weather to get their fix. I like Cam-
bridge better: Try
Christina's,
1255 Cambridge St., Inman Square (
&
617/492-
7021
);
Herrell's,
15 Dunster St., Harvard Square (
&
617/497-2179
); or
Lizzy's,
29
Church St. (
&
617/354-2911
). Favorite Boston destinations include
Emack &
Bolio's,
290 Newbury St. (
&
617/536-7127
) and 255 State St., across from the
New England Aquarium (
&
617/367-0220
);
Ben & Jerry's,
174 Newbury St.
(
&
617/536-5456
) and 20 Park Plaza (
&
617/426-0890
); and
JP Licks,
352 New-
bury St. (
&
617/236-1666
) and 659 Centre St., Jamaica Plain (
&
617/524-6740
).
Kids
with herbed ricotta or roasted leg of lamb with charred tomatoes. The appetizers and
tapas are so good that you might want to assemble them into a meal—start with the
Turkish meze plate or fried calamari. Just be sure to leave room for dessert; I don't usu-
ally have much use for fruit when there's chocolate around, but the spice cake here
made me reconsider. I also usually go nuts when service is this erratic (it's better at
lunch than at dinner), but somehow that's not the impression that sticks.
40 Brattle St.
&
617/876-0999.
www.casablanca-restaurant.com. Reservations recommended at dinner. Main
courses $10-$14 at lunch, $24-$29 at dinner; tapas and small plates $5-$14. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 11:30am-
2:30pm; Sun brunch 11am-2:30pm; Sun-Thurs 5:30-10pm; Fri-Sat 5:30-11pm. Validated parking available. T: Red
Line to Harvard.
Henrietta's Table
NEW ENGLAND It figures that the Charles Hotel, which
looks utilitarian at first and turns out to be luxurious, has a similarly deceptive restau-
rant. Decorated in upscale farmhouse style, Henrietta's Table serves (and prices) “sup-
per” side dishes a la carte—I didn't see the appeal. Baked scrod, roasted chicken, pot
roast? Show me an American city that
doesn't
have a “sophisticated comfort food”
restaurant. But I'm sold on the concept, hooked by the fresh, usually local, often
organic provisions chef Peter Davis uses to create his . . . oh, fine: sophisticated com-
fort food. Complementing the top-of-the line meats, fish, and poultry are terrific
breads and an impressive variety of gorgeous produce, prepared to let the quality of
the ingredients take center stage. I especially like the bounteous salads and tasty
desserts, but try any dish with ingredients you like: mysterious additions aren't a prob-
lem here. Given a choice, go for lunch over dinner, when service can be scattered and
running up an unexpectedly large bill is unexpectedly easy. There's seasonal outdoor
seating in the pleasant courtyard.
The hotel's fine-dining restaurant,
Rialto
(
&
617/661-5050;
www.rialto-restaurant.
com), serves dinner daily. Rialto made its reputation as a special-occasion favorite in
the days when it served a Mediterranean menu, and the handful of hold-overs from
the old days are the only surefire options today. The cuisine otherwise is exclusively
Italian, presented in a style that seems designed to appeal to other chefs, culinary
purists, and diners with small appetites and big wallets.
In the Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St.
&
617/661-5005.
www.henriettastable.com. Reservations recommended. Main
courses $11-$19 at lunch, $14-$19 at dinner. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Fri 6:30-11am, Sat 7-11am, Sun 7-10:30am; daily
noon-3pm (Sat a la carte brunch; Sun buffet brunch); daily 5:30-10pm. Valet and validated parking available. T: Red
Line to Harvard.