recs for casual weekday dinner in davis sq?

[autopi]

we're looking to spend some time poking around davis square sometime next week--want to hit dave's fresh pasta, try the when pigs fly bakery, the cupcake joint, pick up some intelligentsia coffee at diesel, etc..

but then we want to eat dinner afterwards. and we don't know much about what's in the area. we've been to sagra once (pretty good), and i see there're good mentions on the board about gargoyle's. but we're looking for something a bit less spendy, if possible. i'm interested in trying namaskar for dinner, but my gf won't eat indian, so that's out unfortunately. other than that i'm at a loss. any suggestions?

[finlero]

Right in Davis:

Gargoyles bar menu - every bit as "less spendy" as Namaskar, and arguably better than the main dining room. I loved my burger I had there recently, served with a great combination of bacon, boursin, and homemade steak sauce. Tasty side of waffle fries too, all for just over ten bucks.

Redbones - what it doesn't have in pure chowiness it makes up for in beer selection and character.

Out of the Blue - quite good, casual seafood place with Italian accents.

Martsa - newly remodeled Tibetan place, I haven't been since they re-opened, but feedback here has been reasonably favorable.

10 minute walk to Mass Ave:

Qingdao Garden - excellent Northern Chinese, my favorite sauteed peapod stems in town.

Greek Corner - one of the better Greek restaurants in the city.

10 minute walk to Porter:

Porter Exchange - home to all manner of excellent Asian food, my top picks are Blue Fin for sushi or Cafe Mami for Japanese fast food like stir-fried hamburger sets.

Sugar and Spice - quite good, if Americanized Thai. I love their country style pad thai, a spicy take on the original, as well as any of their curries.

10 minute walk to Powderhouse Circle:

Tu y Yo - there's a bit less call for upscale Mexican since Angela's arrived on the scene, but this place is solid enough, with a variety of slow-cooked complex sauces, plus they have good-ish drinks, including three types of sangria.

They may look good, but you must avoid: Orleans, Joshua Tree, Rosebud (except for late night pie when inebriated).

[LeoLioness]

If you are driving (or up for either a 15 minute walk or a short ride on the 88 or 90 buses), you could try Highland Kitchen.

[autopi]

aha, i didn't notice the bar menu at gargoyles before. that's a possibility for sure. thanks for all the tips!

[Calico Jack]

Second Tu y Yo. Excellent food with a quaint atmostphere. Greek Corner is also a favorite destination of mine. Redbones goes without question. If you do make it to Porter Sq, check out Kotobukinya (sp?)--the sushi bar across from the Citibank--Excellent, cheap sushi.

[yumyum]

I think this is a great list, although I would remove Redbones. No amount of beer makes up for that food.

For the OP, the bar at Gargoyles is just great, but note it gets very busy, so have yourselves in your bar stools by 6 p.m., even on a weekday.

[tallullah]

Gotta agree on Redbones. They jumped the shark a few years ago and it just isn't the same anymore.

[nfo]

Personally, I think the ribs are still fine and really like the sides (I am by no means a BBQ connoisseur). If the food holds steady (though it sounds like it's been sliding), I'll continue to go until I start getting bad beer.

However, even on BA, where the beer takes precedence, people are worried about changes that have been mentioned on CH as well:
http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/12...

I've only ever had bad food at Blue Fin, but it's been a while (I'm not going back). They've since remodeled, and get a fair amount of support on CH, so maybe they're better than I think.

Recently had Greek Corner for the first time (gyro), and it was awesome.

I've never been to Cafe Barada (Middle Eastern), which is closer on Mass Ave, but I've always meant to try it after reading good things here.