496836 Fri Mar 07 13:55:03 -0800 2008 14 12 Boston Area 0 3470657 Taking hubby for a surprise date tomorrow (Sat) night. At the moment, the big surprise is that I have no clue where to go for dinner around 9pm! I love the Blue Room but am thinking less $ than that. Bonus points if I can a) make a reservation or b) not have to worry about waiting at 9pm on a Saturday. I am open to all cuisine. Thanks! Sara Fri Mar 07 13:55:04 -0800 2008 10458 owen_meany 1 3470714 That area, less expensive than the Blue Room, and reservations/not-crowded-on-a-Saturday-night may be a tough combination. About in the same price range as the Blue Room is the Rendezvous, co-owned by Steve Johnson, who used to be a co-owner at the Blue Room. OpenTable tells me they still have reservations available for tomorrow night. A smidge less expensive, but likely very crowded, with no reservations accepted: Garden at the Cellar. Not new, but there's always the Helmand in Lechmere. They take reservations and have wonderful Afghan food, served in a room that always feels elegant and celebratory to me. Fri Mar 07 14:05:57 -0800 2008 3470657 11344 finlero 2 3471137 Yeah, that is a lot to ask, actually...how about same $ as BR but no wait/or reservations. Sara Fri Mar 07 16:18:38 -0800 2008 3470714 10458 owen_meany 3 3471226 The Rendezvous then. Personally, I'm still partial to the Blue Room, but Rendezvous has many fans on the board, and is comparatively new. Fri Mar 07 16:54:36 -0800 2008 3471137 11344 finlero 1 3470778 It may not be a cheaper option, but I think that Rendezvous is one of the best spots in all of Boston. Fri Mar 07 14:23:02 -0800 2008 3470657 101113 melikey 1 3471163 Green St will be cheaper and does take reservations. I wouldn't call it romantic by any means but it's fun and I prefer the food there to Rendezvous. Fri Mar 07 16:30:50 -0800 2008 3470657 20717 sailormouth 2 3472238 i second green st. every time i go i like it more and more. and if you can get a quiet table upstairs it can be romantic Sat Mar 08 07:12:05 -0800 2008 3471163 90360 cambridgeMike 1 3471593 What about the Cambridge brewing company? I haven't been in a long time, but it was very laid back and not too expensive either. Fri Mar 07 19:24:30 -0800 2008 3470657 164780 drewby7777 2 3472597 Crummy food. I forget if hubby likes cocktails but if so, Green Street would be fun. I am a Rendezvous fan but last meal was not up to snuff. Miracle of Science for a good burger? Have fun! Sat Mar 08 09:24:21 -0800 2008 3471593 10232 yumyum 1 3472883 Hungry Mother, once it opens, would be perfect for you. Anyone have an ETA? (I also see that Rachel's Kitchen is back open.) Garden at the Cellar is probably going to be pretty crowded on Saturday, but you might get seats at the bar. There are always Portuguese places, but that doesn' t sound like what you're looking for. Sat Mar 08 11:16:56 -0800 2008 3470657 11172 Bob Dobalina 2 3473306 Hungry Mother held a hiring fair a couple of weeks ago. I would guess 6-8 weeks out. Magnolia's is the closest of a similar theme that is nearby. My choice would be blue room at the bar, maybe Dante, and there is Cuchi Cuchi. If you can scarf seats at the bar at Atasca that can be fun (literally 4 seats), otherwise for Portuguese I would do Casa Portugal (better for wine and Port selection, atmosphere) or Portugalia (vinho verde selection, half bottles, seafood). About six months ago Anise was putting out good food in decent atmosphere, decent beer, but not the cocktails that it once had. Atwoods has better food than CBC and decent beer selection, but not quite the same. Sat Mar 08 13:54:39 -0800 2008 3472883 12962 itaunas 1 3475111 i just had a really amazing meal at rendezvous last saturday pm (didn't have reservations, but ate a bit on the later side and had a nice table). we ordered a scallop appetizer, the steak frites and the chicken w/moroccan spices- so good! the elderberry cocktail was really delcious, too. i'm also surprised no one has mentioned central kitchen. they are my standby nice place to have a meal. also, inman square is full of nice places and is in the central sq,/kendall realm. oh- how about oleana? haven't been there recently, but have loved it in the past! Sun Mar 09 10:55:34 -0700 2008 3470657 82615 ameria 1 3476071 Thanks, everyone for the great suggestions! We go to the Kendall cinema frequently so now we have lots to choose from. We ended up at Green Street -- no problem getting a reservation, convenient parking, and we have never been before. Cocktails were great (as advertised!), and food was very good. I had the squash and leek tart to start and a root vegetable gratin. Hubby had chowder to start and roast chicken. We both enjoyed what we ate very much. The dessert menu looked great but we were too stuffed. Bill pre-tip (2 apps, 2 entrees, 2 cocktails) was about $71.00. Sara Sun Mar 09 17:30:09 -0700 2008 3470657 10458 owen_meany 2 3478550 Yay! You made a great choice. Thanks for reporting back. Mon Mar 10 12:29:17 -0700 2008 3476071 10232 yumyum 1 3482079 This doesn't seem to be in the same class as what you were looking for, but my wife and I love Emma's Pizza on Hampshire St. near the movie theater. The wait can be long, but their pizza is excellent. Tue Mar 11 11:00:15 -0700 2008 3470657 12854 afty698