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EVOO
Category: Restaurants Canadian (New) Canadian (New) [Edit]
350 3rd St In Kendall SqCambridge, MA 02143
Neighbourhoods: East Cambridge, Kendall Square/MIT
(617) 661-3866
- Nearest Transit:
-
Main St @ Kendall Station - Red Line (64, 68, 85, CT2)
Kendall/mit Station - Inbound (Red Line)
Kendall/mit Station - Outbound (Red Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 11 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Classy, Trendy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
240 reviews for EVOO
Review Highlights
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"...to go back and try the Duck Duck Goose, it looked crazy." In 17 reviews -
"Warm Chocolate Truffle Cake with Toasted Marshmallow Cream." In 5 reviews -
"...was knowledgeable about each meal and each wine pairing." In 14 reviews
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240 reviews in English
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Review from John I.
5/21/2012
The Cambridge area is home to many novel and creative restaurants. EVOO is no different plus this restaurant offers a nice, upbeat vibe. Service was knowledgeable and attentive. Bread service was reasonable and "EVOO" dip was nice, but garlicky.
My lunch was as follows:
Back Room Smoked Turkey Breast, Grilled Ramps, Vermont Cheddar,
Lettuce, Sweet Pickles and Caraway Beer Mustard on Raul's Grilled Bread
A very nice, fresh turkey (not processed of course) sandwich with a medley of soft and somewhat crispy inputs. I was not a fan of of the grilled ramps, but it didn't take away from the dish. A really nice sandwich overall.
I recommend you try EVOO. Enjoy Cambridge! -
Review from Wendy B.
Cambridge, MA
5/18/2012
So, here's the thing. Everyone raves about EVOO. I think it's nice. The atmosphere -- even though alot of yelpers think it's weird -- is cool -- perfectly pseudo-industrial post-modern -- which really is what East Cambridge is.
I had the Chinese box lunch, which came surprisingly not in a bento-style box, but in a chinese take out box -- upside down. The waiter removed it ever so gingerly without spilling a drop on me. Chopsticks +1. The shrimp and meat were tasty, fresh, and cooked just right. The rest of it, was pretty much one mingled flavor, but good.
My dining mate had the Croquet (___ + potato) with fiddle-heads, which he reported was very good. I kind of wish I'd selected something more Spring-like and seasonal.
The wine was served at the perfect temperature.
I will go back to EVOO -- like I said -- to try the other more seasonal selections. I wish I could give them 3.5 stars (technical limitations of Yelp). If the seasonal selections are good, my rating will definitely go higher. -
Review from Nicole S.
Boston, MA
5/11/2012 Seated via OpenTable
EVOO has wonderful food and game staff. We went on a night when there was some huge event in another room, and our waiter seemed a little harried, but he was really nice. Boyfriend had the Beer and Bacon menu and I had the Prixe Fixe for 42 bucks. Worth the money, my friends. I even had room for the dessert afterwards, but only because I didn't finish my duck. BF had the bacon ice cream and it left a smoky aftertaste in the back of my throat. Huh.
Recommended! -
Review from Byoung Kyu S.
Plano, TX
5/7/2012
Menu was diverse and plenty to choose from. It was $42 for 3-course meal. Started with Rabbit Liver Mousse which was excellent. Then came the Quail. The quail was over-battered so the taste of the quail was lost. Overall the dish tasted too salty. Finished off the meal with some type of banana cake which was way too rich and sweet.
Service was fine, not exceptional. -
Review from R H.
Mid-Cambridge, MA
5/25/2012
Don't get me wrong. The food tastes great and the cuisine is "creative," but it's a tad overpriced IMHO.
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Review from Vanessa P.
Cambridge, MA
4/29/2012
Restaurant week.
I had the Cornmeal Crusted Fried Oysters with Goat Cheese Fondue and Apple-Bacon Salsa. I loved the fried oysters, I could have eaten another dozen of them. The cornmeal crust gave them a nice texture. The goat cheese fondue was really flavorful although a little thicker than I expected - less of a fondue and more of a creamed cheese I would say. Very heavy. I was not a fan of the Apple Bacon Salsa though - the apple was very firm and in large chunks and it was just a strange flavor combination.
For my entree, I had the Braised Lamb-Potato Croquette with Roasted Peppers, Cremini Mushrooms, Pete's Sweet Pickles, Fried Egg and Lemony Lamb Juice. I actually couldn't taste much lamb in this which was surprising as I would have thought that flavor would have dominated the others if anything. The sauce was not particularly flavorful and everything was very brown which was a bit unappealing. The egg on top was great. Overall disappointing though.
For dessert we split the Chocolate-Banana Bread Pudding with Warm Buttermilk Caramel and Spiced Toffee Parsnip Cake with Pistachio Ice Cream. I had high hopes for the bread pudding as I have had some wonderful ones at Chez Henri and Temple Bar but it was really not good. The actual bread pudding was fine but the buttermilk caramel was very strange tasting. It just didn't work. It was too sweet and had a unnatural taste it, like something you would find at a carnival stand. Dislike! The Spiced Toffee Parsnip Cake on the other hand was delicious.
Overall, the atmosphere and service at EVOO was great but I would not recommend it because the food was inconsistent. Some of the dishes we got were really good but then others were not. What a shame. -
Review from Marissa A.
Boston, MA
4/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
I LOVE this restaurant. I used to go to Evoo when it was in it's old location (where Bergamot's is now), and even when I've been to the new location, I've sat at the bar and ordered from both Za and Evoo. So this was my first 'real' experience on the restaurant side.
My bf and I went for restaurant week. What was really nice, is that they offered their WHOLE menu and not a prix fixe menu. We were seated in the booths for 2, right by their open kitchen - score.
I started off with the lemon basil mojito. It tasted so fresh. Loved it.
For my appetizer - rabbit confit salad. I honestly get this every time I come here so shame on me for not trying anything new. Then again, it really is a wonderfully dressed salad. There are nutty (pecans), sweet (port soaked cherries) and savory (Vermont cheddar) elements that make this salad so nice. My bf ordered the mussels, which he enjoyed so much to the point of soaking up the sauce with his bread.
For my entree (my bf got the same thing) - the roasted chicken breast with a goat cheese enchilada, and twice fried sweet potatoes. Yum. So many flavors that you wouldn't think go together, but it honestly just worked.
For dessert - apple crisp with salted caramel ice cream. Even though I was so full, I ate all the crunchy oatmeal topping with half of the tart apples. Sooooo yummy. I also tried my bf's chocolate truffle cake. Very decadent.
Would I go back? Why am I even asking this question. -
Review from Jeff M.
4/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
Wow, EVOO pleasantly surprised me during my business lunch the other day this week. Everything was great including the chocolate truffle desert with marshmallow and the braised beef croquettes. Smokey pork skin risotto did not really resemble risotto. I'd happily go back.
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Review from Erica C.
Boston, MA
3/30/2012
Went here for restaurant week last night and it was the best restaurant week meal I have ever had. (I have probably done RW maybe 8-10 times. Mistral was also an excellent choice for it.)
All four of us had a different dish for each of the 3 courses and we all loved what we had. The service was great too, a little slow (as can be expected during RW), but knowledgeable.
I started out with rabbit pierogies with pickled vegetables and a mustard sour cream sauce. Delicious! Crispy, tangy, savory and had cute little micro greens. Great all around.
For dinner I had the chicken breast with a peppery sauce, a goat cheese and caramelized onion enchilada, and fried sweet potatoes. Amazing flavors. The waiter also nicely looked into the pasteurization of the goat cheese for me since I am pregnant. I got a couple yummy virgin mojitos.
For dessert I had the apple crisp with salted caramel ice cream on top. Also amazing. Best dessert I have had in a while. I left stuffed! I also tried my husband's truffle cake. Decadent.
Highly recommend. Pretty nice atmosphere too. Parking was tough. We had to resort to an $8 garage. -
Review from David C.
2/20/2012
Let me start off by saying that the Chef's Whim offered Monday-Thursday at EVOO is an incredible deal. It's advertised as 7 courses for $60 on the website, but the night we went, they actually stretched it to 8. Maybe they lost count around the cheese course? I don't know, but I wasn't complaining.
While I can't take issue with the value of the meal, the bulk of the kitchen's offerings (all adapted from the current menu) sadly did not meet my expectations. Dinner began on a high with a salad comprised of mixed greens, rabbit confit, pecans, port-soaked cherries, and Vermont Cheddar. The flavors were complex and the plate was beautiful to behold. Things unfortunately came back down to earth (and stayed put) over the course of our meal.
I won't bore you by listing every single course we sampled, but suffice it to say the only ones I would have ordered again a la carte were the salad and the "Chinese box." The latter dish (which was literally served in a Chinese takeout container with chopticks) was fun and playful, but a little one-note in flavor. Luckily that flavor was pretty good.
So while I did not LOVE the Chef's Whim at EVOO (I find that tasting menus are actually quite difficult to pull off, but when done well...oh my), I would definitely recommend it based on value alone. Where else can you get 8 courses for less than 8 dollars each? -
Review from Sara G.
Mid-Cambridge, MA
5/6/2012
Service was inexcusable, I cannot even comment on food because we walked out before we could even look at the menu.
We made reservations for my father's 70th birthday and the staff gave us a lot of attitude as soon as we walked in the door. We are no the easiest group of people to handle when we go out, but with an empty restaurant we requested a table by the front window, and the hostess pretended that she did not hear us. We asked again if it would be alright to sit by the window, with no response or acknowledgment she walked us towards the table we requested and handed us our menus. My mother asked if the menu was prix fixe tonight, and the hostess responded by curtly telling us that the menu is prix fixe every night. She walked away and we hoped that the experience would not extend into the rest of dinner.
The waiter came and began to fill water glasses, my father complained about the music and asked to either change the type of music or turn it down in the room where we were sitting. Yes, my father's behavior is self-important, but once again, we were the only people in the restaurant and it's not an unreasonable accommodation. The waiter proceeded to tell us that he was not responsible for the music selection. Again, we asked if it could be turned down, which he responded to defensive and dismissively. The final question was how the prix fixe menu worked, as we had never been here before it was a natural question about the number of items that we should order. The server responded by telling us to chose one of each in a most condescending tone. Obviously there is a problem with the management for the service to make a customer feel so offensive.
The whole experience was very unwelcoming that we ended up going to Oleana and had one of the best meals we've had in Boston. The service was charming and the food was a delight to taste, smell and see. -
Review from Andrea B.
Updated - 2/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
It's probably not a good sign when the best part of your dinner is the salad. Sadly, that was the case when I went to EVOO for the Chef's Whim 7 course tasting menu the other night.
But that salad was a very good one indeed! It consisted of smoked rabbit confit (yum!), wild greens, port soaked cherries and toasted pecans with Vermont cheddar cheese and rosemary vinaigrette. As you can probably tell from that hefty ingredient list, this salad was divine, and bursting with flavor (although the pecans that were listed on the menu were mysteriously absent in the actual dish).
Courses two through six were more or less average. And they were tiny, even for a tasting menu. And they got tinier as the meal went along - for example, the pork belly, while delicious, was consumed in a whole two bites. I would've liked at least three. Or four.
The "Chinese box" was interesting and therefore worth noting. It is described on the online menu as a "Chinese Box Full of Mustard Glazed Shrimp, Sesame-Hoisin Braised Beef, Gingered Vegetable-Cashew Salad and Organic Brown Rice." And while that sounds good on paper, the predominant and somewhat overpowering flavor was the mustard, which made it hard to really taste anything else.
I would like to mention that the kitchen was accommodating when David C and I mentioned a few foods that we have determined in our travels to be ingredients we'd prefer were left out of our meal (grapefruit, fennel, celery..). Our server made note of this and made sure that our polenta lasagna was made without the fennel that it's prepared with normally.
Course seven was a cheese course that wasn't included in the Chef's Whim deal, which was pretty cool. Course eight, the desserts, were a spiced parsnip cake (forgettable) and a passion fruit tart with whipped cream and sugared raspberries (DEE-LISH).
So while our meal started and ended on a high note, everything in between failed to impress me, hence the one star reduction for this updated review.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/11/2011
I have been here twice now, forgot to "check-in" on the Yelp app both times, and never wrote a… Read more »
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Review from Paul M.
2/7/2012
Which came first? Peter McCarthy's restaurant or Rachel Ray's slogan? Like "How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop" the world may never know. Honestly, I'm sure a little web research would shed some light, but I like mystery.
The wittily named Duck Duck Goose is to date still one of the best dishes I've ever had the pleasure of being served in a restaurant. It is crave worthy. It's vexing that you can't get it as part of their nightly pre fixe, which is basically everything else on the menu (some other exceptions apply)
The pre fixe menu was once THE bargain in Boston dining.. It was like restaurant week every week. No joke. It was $33 for a three course, expertly prepared, seasonal, locally sourced menu. Awesome. Well, the menu is still three courses of expertly prepared seasonal, local food, but at $42 it has lost its bargain status (not unfair, just not as awesome).
I've tried to write this review like 3x now. I think at one point this was actually the first review I'd ever written on Yelp, but I'd get side tracked and lose interest. If I had successfully completed my review in the past, it probably would have been a 5 star review. I've noticed some things though in frequenting the place that have lowered it from ultimate dining experience to simply an excellent dining experience. Essentially, I think that sometimes in an effort to bring really unique flavors to the table, they use extra ingredients that are unnecessary and in some dishes completely lost. Sometimes I feel like this has led to some muted dishes that had so much more potential and others that haven't met the expectations presented on the menu. It's hard to point to specific dishes though as the menu changes frequently.
To be clear, these over thought dishes are the exception, not the norm. If you eat at EVOO I think you'll be very pleased by the food, the attentive, friendly service, and the drink list.Listed in: In the 'hood, Date Night Spots
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Review from Daphné A.
Cambridge, MA
3/24/2012
Could be better. The menu is interesting and sophisticated, the wine was nice, at oerfect temperature. But the location is weird, the outdoor space is not very comfortable because you get all the vent for,-l the kitchen straight in your face, with the heat, the noise and the smells.
The food is ok, portions are average, and taste right. The desserts though are disappointing, over sweet and so the dinner didn't end on the best note. Even though it looks great in the paper.
I have mixed feelings and I am not sure I would go back. -
Review from Kelly M.
Cambridge, MA
4/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Relevant details about our experience at EOO:
- Large party (11)
- Most arrived on time or near to it, with a (very late) straggler
The service was stellar. Awesome. I wish I knew the name of our server, because he was amazing -- all of the stars are for him, and he really should get 5: For a large party, we never waited for water refills, drink refills, information on menu items, or anything else. All of our courses arrived literally within seconds of one another [with the exception of the significantly late member of the party]. Service was exactly what you imagine excellent service to be.
I had a lovely rye cocktail, although the wine list was also tempting.
So, why not 4 or 5 stars...?
The food was disappointing for a restaurant that we were all excited to try. I would say that the menu items all sounded very interesting, and nothing was bad, just.... SALT. That was the only flavor in any of the dishes that I can remember. And I am a fan of salt. This wasn't salt as a flavor-enhancer; this was just the flavor of salt. Salt for salt's sake. Salt salt salt. Needless to say, thank goodness for our server and the on-point water refills. Dessert was the highlight, because by that point, I was truly looking forward to something likely to be unsalted. Walking home, my only thought was: Salt. Well, that and that the prices seem a smidge high, given the number of other restaurants that offer the same local ethos and farm-to-table preparations. If the food had been as fantastic as the service, I don't think I'd feel that way, but it just didn't measure up. Ah well. Go for a drink and dessert. -
Review from Jessica W.
Somerville, MA
1/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
Even though Rachael Ray may have popularized the term EVOO, this isn't a 30-Minute Meal caliber place. It's much better.
EVOO's offerings on the blustery night we went were spot on. The turnip soup (which is vegetarian if you ask them to omit the lamb bacon) was just the thing to get me going again. The poached sous vide egg that came with the soup was perfect; all the yolk was still runny.
I had the potato-crusted winter vegetable gratin as my entree. There was more liquid than I would have expected in a gratin, but it was still creamy and delicious.
Dessert was parsnip cake with coffee ice cream and toffee sauce. I couldn't tell the cake had parsnips in it at all, but it worked nicely with the ice cream and sauce. The ice cream was especially nice. The toasted rosemary pound cake with sun choke ice cream was also delightful.
The service was efficient and polite, but not really that welcoming. The portions might seem small, but if you opt for the three-course prix fixe, your belly will be more than happy at the end. Given the price and the limited vegetarian offerings (only one entree, and one/two starters), though, I think this is a once-a-season type place. -
Review from Alex V.
Boston, MA
1/4/2012
Service-10
Food portion-8
Taste-7
Drinks-8
I give EVOO, a 7.5. I left with a full belly, and after 2 cheap martinis, which were a tad watery for my liking, I was more than a little drunk.
They kept giving us bread, which I appreciate. I hate having to squirrel awaya a piece to dunk in sauce later/ And the crispy bread sticks, were amazing.
Portions were good. I felt the chef reached a little bit. It wa slike the are bringing fancy food at a reasonable price(which they do) but its missing that 1 special thing that makes the dish AMAZING.
They tried to do elaborate layered "bento box" in a stack, dont get me wrong it was good, but it tasted like mustard. Seemed like a long way to go for mustardy beef.
Waiter and Coat checker were really nice. Its worth checking out.
PS. I had cheddar cheese cake.... tasted exactly like you would think, like a foot. -
Review from Janey W.
Portland, OR
4/18/2012
EVOO's prix fixe is a must. $42 gets you a healthy-sized appetizer, a main, and dessert. I had the peppered beef sirloin with sour cream whipped potatoes and grilled cauliflower. Everything on my plate complimented each other wonderfully, and the flavors were rich without being too overbearing. I was comfortably full by dessert, but I had to power through as the apple crisp with caramel ice cream was to die for (crunchy, gooey, creamy goodness).
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Review from Archana V.
Cambridge, MA
2/25/2012
Recommend: Chocolate ganache cake
My weekends are spent exploring all that Kendall has to offer. And EVOO is a great addition to the area. Food was delicious and service was good. I got the roasted chicken that was served with wilted greens, a crispy- on- the- outside- creamy- on- the inside potato croquette and garlic jus. For dessert I had the chocolate ganache cake which was not too sweet and tasted just right. They have a decent selection of beer and cocktails apart from an extensive wine menu.
Will be back. -
Review from mike G.
11/28/2011 Seated via OpenTable 1 Check-in Here
in a word, promising. dinner was:
Smoked Rabbit Confit Salad - altogether bland.
Thai Red Curry Baked Maine Haddock - ***faultless***
Seared Arctic Char-Smoked Pig Skin Risotto-Parsnip Purée-Apple&Celery Root Slaw - fussy dish, components flavorless but loved the fish.
Vermont Cheddar Cheesecake-Beer Braised Apples - expected to taste cheddar but didn't.
Buttermilk Panna Cotta-Thyme Infused Ginger-Cranberry Compote - what thyme........compote?
i thought the prix fixe menu fairly priced, with a wide variety of choices and amply portioned; service a star. though my first meal was decidedly mixed, i honestly want to go back.Listed in: Cambridge-Metro Boston
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Review from Mark W.
Boston, MA
2/12/2012
Ver nice ambianace and the foods very well prepared. However there's a limited selection. They sometimes have some pretty unique options, but that can also limited. Service is good. Good location.
P.S. The bread was nothing memorable. -
Review from Andrew R.
Cambridge, MA
1/11/2012
This was impressive. Our server was FANTASTIC, the food was innovative and delicious, and we had an all-around excellent experience. Plenty of food, but not too much; everything was interesting but not weird; and each dish was delicious. We went for lunch, and I'm looking forward to going back.
I got a BBQ chicken sandwich, my dining companions got the ABC and the beef. We started with the butternut squash soup. (Maybe the soup was a little too sweet.)
We stayed there for almost three hours and never felt rushed. But the server was attentive, making sure we had enough coffee and joking around with us just enough.
What a fun meal. -
Review from Vanessa V.
Cambridge, MA
11/3/2011
My date and I were just wandering around the Kendall Sq neighborhood around lunch time and happened on EVOO. Neither of us had heard of the place, but what a find!
Don't believe complaints about prices- maybe their dinner is expensive, but our lunch was a steal. We ordered from the pricier area of the menu and still came in at less than $15 each. If we'd gone with the sandwiches (which looked delicious btw), we'd have been closer to $10. For this we got attentive service in a shi shi atmosphere, a bunch of unusually exciting craft beers on draft, and food which was so good I can barely find the adjectives to tell you about it.
I had the sweet potato croquette with creamed spinach and red chili gravy and found the balance of textures and flavors exciting without being inaccessibly weird. My date had arctic char with smoked pig skin risotto, and she says, simply "Yum!"
Take my advice, and go for lunch if you want the experience of fine dining without the usual price tag. -
Review from Amy P.
Boston, MA
4/30/2012
Enjoyable dinner, even though location was a little odd. Good beer and drink selection, very knowledgable and friendly server. Really fun menu, eclectic with large portions and good flavors. Our scallops were a little overcooked, and the vegetarian tamale I ordered was trying too hard - too many things going on that didn't end up working out great, but was just ok. Apps were much better, and my friend's chicken fried quail looked really good. We stayed for a while though and were not rushed out and ended up having a reasonably affordable tab.
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Review from Eric F.
12/11/2011
Came for some dinner at prime time on Saturday night and the place was most lively. I immediately noticed the Autumn colors everywhere - a very welcome touch that really warmed the ambiance up. My friend opted to go for a mix of apps for her meal including the smoked rabbit confit salad and country pate. The salad was very tasty with its sweetness and acidity balanced by the saltiness of the confit. Not much to say about the others though...pretty forgettable.
I enjoyed my arctic char that matched nicely with the apple-celery root slaw on top, but the parsnip puree was bland and washed out the flavors of the scraps of risotto. On the sweet end, we wrapped up with the apple crisp and salted caramel ice cream. Pretty good although I wish there was more of the yummy ice cream. Our server did a generally good job throughout the meal, but his demeanor was a little off here and there, eg. we were given two of the apple crisps only to have him come by and snatch one up rather abruptly with few words and no apology...can you say awkward?
3 stars for a fairly good meal that wasn't too pricey ($11 for apps and $42 for the three course pre-fixe), but the food on the whole wasn't very memorable and I probably wouldn't consider returning unless someone else wanted to have an event here. -
Review from Nate Y.
10/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Oh EVOOoooo, where ya hiding? Being my first time, it took a bit for me to find this little gem. Part of Za which has front window space on 3rd Street, EVOO is the richer cousin with a changing menu based on locally sourced and in-season ingredients. On the menu there's a long list of New England farms that it receives it's goods from.
My starter was the in-season pumpkin soup. Delicious and perfect for this time of year. Main course was the sirloin. Cooked as I asked for it (rare) with twice cooked potatoes and a side salad with heirloom tomatoes with a blue cheese dressing, yummy! Dessert was the Vermont cheese cake with apples braised in beer. Yes, I gained probably five pounds, but it was worth it.
All this for $42 (add another $5 for the steak) was reasonable considering the quality of the ingredients, and the size of the dishes were plentiful, not minuscule like some other foo foo eateries.
Hope to come back again, entrance on the side or cut through Za ;) -
Review from Anita S.
Newton Upper Falls, MA
3/19/2012
The food is interesting and generally pretty tasty. Few dishes get a real wow. Portion sizes are variable, mine were large and I ended up taking some home. Ambience is just so-so, I was turned off by the badly stained rug in the entrance. The service was excellent, professional and spot-on. Drinks menu was fine and the cocktails very good. I would go back but am not rushing to go back. The three-course menu made it interesting.
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Review from Matt M.
Downtown Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN
12/27/2011
I took my parents here for dinner when home visiting. It was our second time there. Really like the food and atmosphere. We were immediately seated (with reservation) and service was perfect. Everyone enjoyed their meals.
I'm usually on the fence when ordering dessert since I'm not a fan of sweets. But glad I did. The lemon cake was amazing.
Overall, it was a blend of great food and service yet a relaxed vibe. -
Review from Elizabeth B.
Quincy, MA
10/5/2011
Big points for creativity from ee-voo, from a chicken sausage patty burger to a pig-oyster succotash (what does this mean? Love when the menu is smarter than I am). Fried catfish tastes like fried anything, but they do a nice job adding in corn salsa for an extra zing.
Cute space, would make a nice venue for a first date.
Weird-ass ketchup "tangy" -
Review from Larissa C.
New Orleans, LA
Updated - 10/20/2011 Seated via OpenTable 1 Check-in Here
Since my last review I have dinned at EVOO 4 more times, and each one has been a satisfying and amazing experience. Growing up on a farm in Concord, I really appreciate their commitment to locally grown produce and meats. Many of the suppliers presented on the menu are farmers that I grew up with just around the corner.
With the focus of the menu being local seasonal fare, the result is a consistently fresh and rich array of dishes. Take for example the side salad with heirloom tomatoes, they present a dish with the full flavor of a fresh out of the garden fruit. All the menu items, manage to bring out the natural goodness of the food, and all the components compliment the dish as a whole. Also, with the constantly updated menu, you can never be bored with the selection. Some favorites from the menu include the bread basket with oil and vinegar dip, arctic char main course, pepper rubbed beef sirloin medium rare, rabbit confit, and the dessert selection of cheese.
Considering my farewell to Boston dinner was held here I won't have another dinning opportunity with them soon, but when I visit Boston I will have EVOO on the top of my restaurant hit list.Listed in: Best of Boston
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/17/2011
My boyfriend and I had dinner here on a slow Monday night. We researched EVOO for a while, so our… Read more »
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Review from Jessica C.
Boston, MA
12/10/2011
It's true that Kendall square is really up and coming. It makes sense that they are putting in $700M the next few years to make renovations and additions to the area. I am so happy we live right down the street from this neighborhood and I am really looking forward to new businesses that are coming this way. Needless to say, Evoo fits right in and pioneered farm to table dining in Cambridge. Evoo stands for Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Evoo they serve with their bread is very nice and tasty!
I went to Evoo only a few nights ago so while a lot of my reviews are written much later, Evoo is fresh in my head. I made a same day reservation bc my sister and I decided we were going to the Nutcracker that evening at 730. OpenTable had a 1000 pt reservation avail at Evoo and we snatched it, yay! We made the 530 reservation and the dining space is pretty small, but very clean and pleasant, very ordinary. The lights were dimmed, but clearly it was a good idea to make reservations. Upon our arrival, we checked in and I thought we'd be the only ones arriving at 530,I was wrong. People started trickling in and before we left, the whole place was super FULL with more people coming in.
Onto the food.. It was neat that there was a featured menu of a Cambridge culinary student. Although we didn't opt for that, it was nice that the restaurant supports chefs in learning. The wine and drink menu was vast but we opted to skip since we did the wine pairing with dinner. The restaurant offers the tasting menu for a set price, 1 starter, 1 entree and 1 dessert and wine pairings for 60 dollars. Everything is offered a la carte as well. The portions were really great.. I don't remember exactly everything we got, but some highlights:
*Pork belly with potato, zuchini. The skin of the pork belly came out crunch and tasty.
*salmon potato cakes. Came out deliciously fried and crunchy.
*wild rabbit confit. was a bit on the salty side, but a generous portion.
*Salted caramel ice-cream with apple crisp
we were really stuffed and by the time we were half-way done with our entrees, we realized it was already 640 pm. We told our waiter to bring our dessert and wine out as soon as it was ready. I felt like the service was really great and I'd be interested to check out Za, their sister restaurant which is connected next door. -
Review from Beth M.
11/13/2011
I've been to EVOO several times, both when it was in Somerville and now in its new incarnation in Kendall. I like what they do. Their menu changes often with an emphasis on locally sourced seasonal food - I mean who wouldn't like that? It's practically essential these days if you want your fine dining establishment to fly.
My latest experience here was decent food/drink-wise, and the service was very friendly and unfortunately apologetic, because it was also quite slow. We sat at the bar on a Saturday night - when we arrived a bit before 8:00 without a res we were told we couldn't be seated in the dining room until 9:00. That's fair - we opted to sit at the bar that is both for EVOO and its sister restaurant, Za. I actually preferred that because EVOO itself seems a bit stuffy. But this nice no man's land between the two restaurants seemed right. Cozy, modern blah blah blah - just my kind of mise en scene as I express in so many reviews.
The special bar menu offers around 10 local cheeses for $5 that come with homemade bread. Nice. We started our meal with a cloumage from MA - buttery perfection. Great bread too. Enjoyable start paired with our rye drinks (which were fine but forgettable). For the rest of the meal we ordered of EVOO's menu. Our next course of clams in a paella-like preparation came along at the appropriate time - so far so good. But, another round of cocktails later our entrees STILL hadn't come. We waited almost an hour. And though the food we eventually got was good, and we were offered a free round and the hostess bent over backward to make sure we were happy, it was still kind of lame. Sometimes after you've watched a long-ass Lars Von Trier film at Kendall you don't want another free round - you just want to eat your dinner in a timely fashion and head home. Or something.
Anyway our entrees were fine - duck for him, bit of a small portion, and the veggie entree for me, a pumpkin-like squash filled with all manner of fall time produce and cavatelli, with a sweet cream on top that made the whole thing almost too desserty.
Overall we had a pleasant experience, if rather long. I applaud them for trying to right the temporal wrongs at hand, but it honestly didn't make me want to come running back, with all the other great choices popping up in Kendall. -
Review from Clare F.
11/9/2011
We came here for my mother's birthday a few weeks ago. Dad easily got reservations for dinner on a Tuesday, but seeing how busy it was when we arrived, I'm glad he got them!
I love how everything is actually local, as in, you can see exactly where they got each piece of the menu. Locavores and lovers of fine cuisine will be thrilled.
Started out with butternut squash soup with ancho chili oil, maple butter, and toasted pumpkin seeds. Wow. The chilies added just enough bite to keep me interested. The soup was creamy but not too heavy. I dipped some bread (Iggy's?) into it, which was heaven.
I got the bluefish entree and it was divine. It had been a long time since I'd eaten bluefish, but it was perfectly cooked, served over roasted peppers and other veggies. it was meant to come with a pear relish or something like that, but I'm not a pear fan so I asked for no pear.
We rounded out the evening with dessert - parsnip cake (did not try) and flourless chocolate cake. I wish my cake had more raspberry sauce and less whipped cream, but the chocolate part was divine.
The service was impeccable. Our waitress was patient with our lagging in order (Dad likes to take his time) and our accidental Tuesday night tipsiness. She knew the menu and was attentive but not overbearing.
Glad I tried EVOO. I work in Kendall, so next on the list is definitely Za! -
Review from Priscilla T.
Boston, MA
11/8/2011
Sadly some of the worst service I've had in Boston. I was expecting so much more - the menu seemed creative, the space was inviting...but alas. Our server was a total space cadet but the manager and the rest of the staff were actually quite kind.
The food was fairly forgettable and my dessert (ice cream and a fresh homemade waffle) came out missing the waffle. Once delivered, the waffle was stale and cold :( -
Review from kate n.
Somerville, MA
12/11/2011
I've been wanting to try EVOO for some time, after hearing terrific reviews from several friends. I was a little nervous, having seen some reviews here and on Zagat about poor service; but when heading to a friend's birthday in Kendall, decided to stop by for an early dinner.
The hostess was warm and welcoming, and I love the open kitchen concept. We were seated right by it, and being able to watch the chefs work their magic was really entertaining. My husband and I both ordered the prix fixe with the wine pairings, and that is where things got a little wonky.
The appetizers- for me the squash soup, for him the pate- were pretty much to die for. However, our wine "pairings" didn't arrive until we were finished with them, 20 minutes later. This definitely cast a pall on the evening, and we decided to cancel the pairings and just get a bottle of wine. That unpleasantness aside, the meal was lovely- Indian Spiced Lamb for me, Arctic Char for him- well prepared and delicious. Our waiter pretty much disappeared after taking our order, but was otherwise pleasant, when we did see him.
All in all, I think EVOO has promise- the food is locally sourced and creative. However, the service and timing needs some work. If you are offering a wine pairing, things need to arrive together, and it's pretty standard for a waiter to check on you after food arrives. If they can iron out these glitches, I think it could be an AMAZING restaurant. The creativity and quality of the food definitely deserves it. -
Review from S. M. S.
Boston, MA
2/21/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Sounds better online than the actual experience. Strange location, lack of flair to any of the eight dishes we tasted, odd (but efficient) service reminded us of a diner.
-
Review from Kathleen F.
Somerville, MA
8/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
After a few years of saying I wanted to try EVOO, I finally did it! We went for restaurant week, made reservations and were seated right away. In the beginning of our visit the waiter was pretty attentive too, came over to take our drink order and bring us some bread pretty quickly. For drinks I tried the rhubarb martini, yummm!! It was delish and nice and light, not too sweet which I really enjoyed.
Now...let's get down to business...the food!
For appetizers we tried the pork arancini and the clam chowder. Arancini was a bit overcooked but the flavors were awesome, this was definitely a get it again dish. The clam chowder broth was really nice because it wasn't too creamy or salty, which are generally two of my pet peeves about clam chowder. They also had fresh veggies and fish in it. My one complaint was that there just wasn't enough bulk to it. A sprinkling of veggies and 4 teeny clams were it. I like my chowder a bit more bulked up with fish and veggies.
For our main courses we tried the scallops and salmon. The scallops were incredible, the portion size was small but that was ok because it was an amazing taste explosion in your mouth, and it made me savor each little bite. The salmon was also very mouth watering and delicious. Both were get again dishes!
And now for the finale, the desserts....hmm I want some now! We tried the salted caramel and chocolate tart. If you are a fan of not too sweet REAL dark chocolate this is a great dish for you. I'm a fan of this, so I really enjoyed it, but the bf is more of a milk chocolate kind of guy so he didn't like it as much. We also tried the blueberry crisp which was AMAZING!!! The blueberries are super fresh, it isn't too sugary, and they serve it with original flavor yogurt, yummo!
Overall I really want to go back to EVOO to try more dishes, but one thing that kind of bummed me out at the end is that the service went from pretty good to pretty awful. I can't really figure out why but it took an insane amount of time for our desserts to come out and then the waiter went mia for a pretty long time and took forever to give us our check. Maybe he had a break at some point during our meal? Not quite sure what happened but I was bummed that I couldn't give this place a higher rating on their service.
We'll be back though, maybe service will be better when it's not restaurant week! (I guess the awesomeness of the food has suddenly made me an optimist....) -
Review from Todd C.
9/22/2011
Really wanted to love (ie, 4- or 5-star) this place.
Came here with the Carnam circle of my family's Venn diagram during the Annual Pilgrimage to Fenway. As per usual/recent trends, the night before the game's dinner was left to me and my Yelp-ammunized prowess, and EVOO was the resto of choice*. Sustainably sourced? Fairly inventive menu? Decent wine list? Sign us up.
In practice, however, it wasn't exactly to die for. The steak--the menu's description of which I copied and pasted and emailed to the group as evidence of the rightness of my choosing this restaurant--only tasted "fine," ie, was not succulent, nor perfectly tenderized, nor intriguingly spiced. As for my app, the chowder...yeah about that. Viz., Legitimate Problem # 1: When you have two appetizers on the menu that can be referred to as "chowder," your servers really ought to ask all patrons who ask for the "chowder" whether they mean the Butternut Squash Corn Chowder^ or the steamed clams with chowder.
But whatever. The point is that while the app I ordered was great the app I *received* was pretty good, and for those who would argue that I ought to've just asked for what I ordered don't understand the concept of interrupting the rhythm of a meal (ie, asking for the right app would've disrupted everything). Most important of all? The difference between the two had to be subtracted from the whole (ie, the experience was less than stellar).
Lastly, the desserts we had were quite good: brown-butter almond cake, peach-berry crisp (yay!), flourless chocolate cake--all delicious.
As for the service, it left something to be desired. While I fall on the Euro side of things--please don't give us the bill/shoo us out of your establishment--please, also, don't ignore us whilst we may or may not be languishing without a bill. The latter scenario, sadly, was the case.
*Actually where I really wanted to go was TW Food, a semi-regrettably named restaurant in Cambridge that looked plainly awesome to the WILSEW and me, but unfortunately had a wine list that left much to be desired by those in our group who chose where to eat based on what was on offer to drink.
^It bears noting: the dish that I ordered but did not receive--someone else in my party ordered it and DID receive it--was fuckin deLISH. -
Review from Bethany T.
Somerville, MA
8/25/2011
My rating is actually 3.5 stars. Went to enjoy the restaurant week menu.
First course was Smoked Rabbit Confit, Wild Greens, Port Soaked Cherries and Toasted Pecans with Vermont Cheddar and Rosemary Vinaigrette, which was amazing. The rabbit was very tender, the cherries were amazing and the greens were very fresh.
My entree was Back Room Smoked Native Bluefish Fillet with Corn Risotto, Grilled Zucchini and Tomato-Basil Relish, which was also very good. I'm not usually a fan of smoked items but I thought I would give it a whirl and it was well worth it; the taste was subtle but not overpowering and blended well with the dish. The corn risotto was excellent, tender and sweet with an enjoyable texture.
I chose the Chocolate - Banana Bread Pudding with Warm Buttermilk Caramel for dessert and it was quite good, primarily the caramel sauce.
My beverages were a blackberry margarita (tasty!), the 2009
Pinot Gris, King Estate, Signature Collection, Oregon, recommended by my waiter to go with the main course (it was delicious!) and a White Russian with dessert (if The Dude drinks it, it can't be wrong).
The only reason I can't give a higher rating is that while the service was very amicable and engaging, it was also very slow. It took a party of 2.5 (one friend came for drinks only) about 2 hours to have dinner and this was well past dinner rush on a weekday night. Service was on point in the very beginning but there was a very large gap in time between the entree and dessert; we felt a bit forgotten about.
All in all, I love that they locally source as much as possible and their food and presentation was spot on. I will most definitely be back! -
Review from Jill F.
5/30/2011
Came here for restaurant week with two of my girlfriends and was delighted to try a new place in town with a sustainable, local food ideology.
We had three courses with a wine pairing a piece which meant I tried tons of dishes and can only remember a few (I had a great grilled bass and some type of vegetable) but what I can tell you, is that I remember ALL of the desserts. This place, has magical, fantastical desserts. I recommend, no DEMAND, that you run to EVOO and order the molten chocolate cake that rests on top of a pool of homemade torched marshmallow crème. Perfection. Chocolate Orgasmic, Heavenly Bliss.
Ah, I can taste it now. Good for cute dates if you live in Cambridge, felt like I would go back soon to see what their seasonal specials are.
