Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Founded in 1960, the family business isn't a cottage, but a crowded, high-ceilinged
room (there's also a small outdoor seating area) plastered with signs, posters, and
memorabilia. Burgers bear the names of local and national celebrities, notably politi-
cal figures; the names change almost as quickly as a cable-news crawl, but the ingre-
dients stay the same.
Anything you can think of to put on your personal 7 ounces of house-ground beef
is available, from American cheese to guacamole to grilled pineapple. Good dishes that
don't involve meat include veggie burgers, huge salads, and creamy, garlicky hummus.
Bartley's also serves sandwiches and comfort-food dinners, and it's one of the only
places in the area that still serves a real raspberry lime rickey (raspberry syrup, lime
juice, lime wedges, and club soda). It's a taste of summer even in the dead of winter.
1246 Massachusetts Ave.
&
617/354-6559.
www.bartleysburgers.com. Burgers $9-$13; main courses, salads, and
sandwiches $5-$9. Children's menu $4-$5. No credit cards. Mon-Sat 11am-9pm. Closed Memorial Day, July 4, Labor
Day, Dec 25-Jan 1. T: Red Line to Harvard.
OUTSIDE HARVARD SQUARE
EXPENSIVE
There's a
Legal Sea Foods
(p. 106) at 5 Cambridge Center, Kendall Square (
&
617/
864-3400
). The
Elephant Walk
(p. 128) has a branch outside Porter Square, at 2067
Massachusetts Ave. (
&
617/492-6900
).
The Blue Room
ECLECTIC The Blue Room sits below plaza level in an
office-retail complex, a slice of foodie paradise in high-tech heaven. Its out-of-the-way
location means that it doesn't get as much publicity as it deserves, but it's well worth
a trip to East Cambridge, perhaps combined with a movie at the Kendall Square Cin-
ema. The regularly changing menu combines top-notch ingredients and layers of
aggressive flavors, and the crowded dining room isn't as noisy as you might fear when
you first spy the open kitchen through the glass front wall. (Upholstery and carpeting
help soften the din.)
Appetizers range from imaginative salads to steamed mussels with chorizo and saf-
fron aïoli to delectable pizza. Most entrees are grilled over a wood fire, roasted, or
braised, with at least one well-conceived vegetarian choice. Roast chicken with Moroc-
can spices, served with garlic mashed potatoes, is fantastic. Seafood is always a wise
choice (grilled branzino—yum!), and pork chops are juicy and succulent. In warm
weather, there's seating on the brick patio.
1 Kendall Sq.
&
617/494-9034.
www.theblueroom.net. Reservations recommended. Main courses $21-$26. AE,
DC, DISC, MC, V. Sun-Thurs 5:30-10pm; Fri-Sat 5:30-11pm; Sun brunch 11am-2:30pm. Closed 1st week of July. Val-
idated parking available. T: Red Line to Kendall/MIT, then a 10-min. walk.
Dalí
SPANISH This festive restaurant casts an irresistible spell—it's noisy and
inconvenient, accepts only limited reservations, and still fills with people cheerfully
waiting an hour or more for a table. The bar offers plenty to look at while you wait,
including gorgeous tiles, carved wood, and eclectic artwork. The payoff is authentic
Spanish food, notably
tapas—
little plates of hot or cold creations that burst with flavor.
Entrees include excellent paella, but most people come with friends and explore the
three dozen or more
tapas
offerings, all perfect for sharing. They include
patatas ali-oli
(garlic potatoes),
albóndigas de salmón
(salmon balls with not-too-salty caper sauce),
setas al ajillo
(sautéed mushrooms), and
lomito al cabrales
(pork tenderloin with blue
goat cheese and mushrooms), plus monthly specials such as beef and sweet potato pie.
The helpful staff sometimes seems rushed but never fails to supply bread for sopping
