91 Winthrop Street
Cambridge, MA
617.864.1933
www.upstairsonthesquare.com
Upstairs on the Square is a rare find in Cambridge, MA in that it offers not only a wide selection of vegetarian and vegan entrees on its regular menu, but five- and seven-course vegetarian/vegan tasting menus.
The restaurant itself can make you feel like you're Alice in Wonderland, only instead of falling into a hole, you just fell into a fanciful wedding cake. The Soiree Room, where the tasting menus are served, is a visual delight of funky, fun and, well, the feminine, which is not entirely surprising since the restaurant is owned by two women. There are beads, baubles, bubbles (of the champagne variety - both in glasses and painted on the walls), lots of pink and gold, electric candles, and plenty of mirrors all around to reflect it all.
But it's not about style over substance. Executive chef Steven Brand works to offer seasonal ingredients in simple artisanal dishes.
On a recent dinner there, I had the five-course vegetarian tasting menu for $55. (The seven-course, which would have added turnip soup and a cheese course, was $70. Wine pairings were additional $32 or $45 depending on the number.)
Dinner started with an amuse bouche of warm asparagus soup, served in small cylindrical vodka glasses. The first course was roasted baby beets with horseradish panna cotta, passionfruit and arugula (below). The mix of tastes - from the mildly tangy horseradish to the sweetness of the beets and passionfruit - worked well.
Cheese ravioli in lovage butter with slivers of green apple (below) marked the tastiest of the courses. It was a small sample, but with the amount of butter I wouldn't have wanted much more. Each ravioli was wrapped up like a hard peppermint candy, with the pasta twisted at each end.
Warm artichokes and haricots verts in black truffle vinaigrette (top photo) were mild yet enjoyable. I can't say I tasted the truffle oil in the vinagrette and the artichoke flavor was subtle, but the texture was nice, and the dish out of the norm.The spring vegetables with tiny ricotta gnocchi was the only true disappointment of the evening. It seemed to be a mish-mash of leftovers from previous menus. There were no outstanding flavors - in fact it was almost flavorless.
I'm a big chocolate fan, but I must say the tiny slices of lemon-pistachio cake with Greek frozen yogurt were excellent and made for a delightful end to the meal.
Upstairs on the Square certainly doesn't offer the best vegetarian tasting menu you will ever find, but it may just be the best you will get in the Boston area.
If you travel to Boston often, it may be worth getting on their email list as they frequently have special dinners, including the upcoming chocolate dinner and another featuring asparagus.
Also, the more casual downstairs dining room - the Monday Club Bar - has some great comfort foods on the menu. I love making a lunch of the creamy tomato soup and farm house cheddar grilled cheese sandwich.
