Alden & Harlow

Reviews 4

CR

Cristina Ruiz

After seeing all the positivity pouring in for this place, I needed to pay these guys a visit. On a Friday, there were no open reservations until 9:45 PM, so we just showed up at 8:30 and were seated about 15 minutes later. Sweet! Truthfully, this place was a bit difficult to find since it is in the lower level of the building and there isnt yet a permanent sign. But once you do find it - wow. The space is impressive and much larger than you would expect. And full to the brim with happy people. The decor is simple with a contemporary flair, and I especially enjoyed the open kitchen. During our wait, we squeezed ourselves over to the bar, and they offer a great variety of libations. The Hot Tigers Milk caught my attention right away, and it tasted like all the things you would want in a winter drink - milky, sweet, ideal blend of spices like cinnamon and orange. Its one of those drinks your mom would make you on a snow day. Plus rum. Once seated, the waitress explains that the restaurants dishes are primarily small plates made for sharing and that typically they recommend 2-3 plates per person. In my experience, tapas places always recommend to order more than I can eat, so we just pick 3 to start out with and well assess our hunger (and wallets) as we go. Instead of bread, we are served some cold, pickled green beans with sesame seeds. Although I wouldnt order or crave this dish, it was unexpected and served as a nice palate cleanser without being filling, showing that their focus is on taste and experience. Cool, guys. Next up was the Ubiquitous Kale Salad, which was a slam dunk. Amazing texture! Leafy, crunchy. And that dressing! Creamy, nutty. Gotta love pistachios, amirite? Then comes the beef neck, which was a much smaller portion than we were expecting, but presented absolutely beautifully atop a parsnip puree and adorned with tiny purple flowers (yep, flowers are in our food). The meat is so tender you can easily cut it with the fork, and the flavor was nice. Beefy. The crisp parsnips on top provided a nice balance. Overall a solid dish, but I wouldnt necessarily get it again, especially considering the price relative to portion size. Last up were the corn pancakes. This was also something to look at, as theyre served with popcorn kernels and jalapenos. The cakes themselves were both savory and sweet, with a nice little kick from the peppers, although I would have liked some more spice. Again, an interesting concept which Im glad I tried, but it didnt blow me away. After the three dishes and two drinks, we were pretty full! So I recommend starting out with 1-2 plates each and then going from there instead of ordering a bunch all in one go. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience here and am interested in exploring the menu further. The Hot Tigers Milk and Kale Salad alone are worth coming back for.

KE

Kevin Bonham

Great atmosphere, good food, very friendly service, quite pricey (though worth it). Alden & Harlow serves tapas-style, which is to say individual items are small and meant to be shared, not that the cuisine is necessarily Spanish. Its worth noting when you look at the prices on the menu that you will likely be ordering more than 1 of those dishes per person, so dont be fooled by the fact that each dish is only $10-15. Youll likely be ordering 2-3 dishes per person. We ordered basically everything that was vegetarian - theres not a huge selection, but almost everything was delicious so it ended up being more than enough. There are a couple menu items that have meat, but can be made without. The only complaint was the heirloom egg dish, which was a bit heavy on the garlic salt. Aside from that (I think we ordered a total of 6 items), every dish was unique, delectable and beautifully presented. They have a decent selection of draft beers, list of bottles. The one cocktail we ordered (The Copperfield) was delicious - the mixture really brought out the flavor of the gin, but without the boozy taste (even though it was clear from its effects that it was quite stiff). I cant comment on the wine selection. The wait staff was wonderful. The guy taking point was very friendly and responsive, and very thorough in pointing out which dishes were not vegetarian when we asked (some had unfamiliar names of fish). Different people brought out the different dishes and described them in detail (including knowing what was modified), and our water glasses were always kept topped off. Dessert was very unique: crème fraîche with strawberries and fresh rhubarb (very interesting combination of flavors). They also have a nice list of brewed tea served in individual pots. All in all, a great experience, though quite pricey. Definitely will become a go-to for special occasions.

EL

Elizabeth G

We had a great meal at Alden & Harlow for my birthday! My husband and I each started out with a beer, both of which were great. We got a dish of green beans with sesame seeds, which were a tasty starter. The restaurant recommends getting about two dishes per person - we ended up getting five, though one was a "snack": 1. Grilled & smoked carrots with almond butter and vinegar roasted pears - AMAZING. So delicious, and the almond butter mellowed out the sweetness of the carrot and pear. 2. Pickled corn pancakes - I wasnt sold on the idea, but the waiter recommended it. I shouldnt have doubted, the pancakes were awesome! The pickled corn added a nice tasty crunch to the pancake, and the taste was sweet and savory with the maple syrup. Theres also popcorn on the plate! The peppers that came with it were eh. 3. Crispy pork belly (our only meat dish) - very nicely done, well cooked. Pretty close to the top on my list of best pork belly. 4. Charred broccoli with butternut squash hummus - when we originally tasted it, we werent super impressed, as it tasted like rather bland broccoli with some hummus. I realized that one side of the dish had more seasoning, which made it tastier. 5. Parsnip and kale dip - we didnt really like it. It was overly earthy and not very well balanced, not a lot of variety in flavor. The dip came with lentil chips, which we also didnt love. This was the "snack," but the portion was big, and we didnt finish it. Still, overall we had a great dinner! The location is cool, much bigger than youd think from the outside. Well definitely be back!

MI

Michael Collins

Its the first door on your right on the left side of the building. You could easily walk right by the entrance and be very confused for more than a couple minutes. This place is huge on the inside, much bigger than you would expect. The decor is hip and modern. Great for a date night or a dinner with a big group of friends as they have quite a few large tables. I thought some of the restaurant could have been better ventilated but the open kitchen was pretty impressive. On our visit their was no coat check, which is odd for a place this size. Mussels served Chilled on Toast - Never really thought I would like mussels served chilled but this was tasty. Probably wouldnt get it again but not a bad choice. Secret Burger - Taking a page out of the semi-famous west coast chain Umami Burger they use a cheese crisp instead of your normal slice of American. Dont be afraid it all works and this burger is one of Bostons best. Toasted bun, cooked to perfection topped with some kind of secret sauce. Mushroom and 60 Degree Egg - This creamy and tasty dish is a must get item at this restaurant. Dont let the title second guess yourself. This dish is rich, creamy, and most of all very tasty. Beef Neck - Reminded me of the Sultans Delight dish Ive had at Oleanas. Savory piece of slow cooked beef that is seasoned just right and fork tender. Chocolate Bread Pudding with Sea Salt Ice Cream - This dessert was more savory than sweet. I wasnt a big fan of this one. I felt their dessert menu was a little lacking.