They are so popular, the may have to change the name...

TEN TABLES

597 Centre Street JP or 5 Craigie Circle, Cambridge, Ma

617-524-8810 or 617-576-5444

Atmosphere: Intimate, quiet, casual elegance

Menu: Items change seasonally and local farms are used for ingredients, something for everyone on this menu. Fish, poultry, meat, and vegetarian options

Kid Friendly: Save this for Date Night

Dress: Somewhere between semi formal and casual, would that be your Sunday best?

In 1991 I was living in JP thinking how much potential it had as a neighborhood. The homes throughout this area of Boston were beautiful but in need of a facelift. I thought back then, if only someone would breath some new life into this place it could be amazing. If only I had the resources! 19 years later, I have been able to see my wishes for JP come to life. Today, many of the homes I used to look at have gotten their face lift, and Centre Street, the main thoroughfare in JP is bustling with new upscale restaurants.

Lou and I were able to check out one of the restaurants, Ten Tables, recently with our friends Terry and Marla. On a side note, I would be remiss, if I didn't mention what Terry and Marla do. They own a real estate firm with a creative and beneficial approach to helping buyers by charging a flat fee instead of taking the whole commission on sales. Check out their site: www.territoryre.com

Now back to our reveiw....Ten Tables won Best of Boston in 2009 and they were just recognized in the Boston Globe as one of the Best of the New restaurants to try.

If the name Ten Tables instantly makes you think small, you aren't mistaken. Originally the restaurant only had ten tables. It was much like many of the small North End restaurants you see in Boston with an open kitchen on the back wall . Recently Ten Tables expanded into the space next door. Now they probably have about 15 tables and a bar. It is a small place but small intimate, not small cramped. The exposed brick and elegant, simple decor add to the intimacy.

When we first arrived at the restaurant we were a few minutes early to meet our friends, so we sat in a few seats up front. The bartender/host greeted us instantly and offered us drinks while we waited. We didn't take him up on the offer, but it was quick insight into how great the service is in this place. We also got to glance at the drink menu which had an extensive wine list, specialty drinks and great beer choices including a favorite Chimay Blue.

Before I talk about the food it is important to know there are two special nights at Ten Tables. Tuesdays are their wine pairing night with a Prix Fixe menu at $42 a person. For this you get 3 courses and wine pairings. On Wednesdays there is also a Prix fixe menu at $33 a person without the pairings. All other nights are ala carte. Keep this in mind when making a reservation.

When we sat down, our service at the table was as good as I thought it would be based on our greeting. Our server was well versed in wine and suggested a delicious Chardonnay with buttery notes. Of course I don't remember the name, but if all servers are as good as ours was with their wine knowledge, you won't need to. Just ask them to suggest a bottle.

For dinner I got a butternut squash soup, and a fish stew with a much fancier name than fish stew. This is what happens when I don't take notes and don't write my review for a week, but I did take a picture! The stew had a cream sauce with a large piece of wolf fish, (a white fish similar to monk), little neck clams and scallops. The sauce had parsley throughout it, and although it was cream based is was light and flavorful.

Lou got the housemade Toulouse sausage with lentils for his appetizer, and a lamb pappardelle pasta. Both our meals were excellent and with a Prix Fixe menu you can always count on the portions being perfect.

For dessert Lou got the creme brulee and I got the Chocolate Terrine with Thai Basil icecream and sea salt. I was a bit disappointed in the creme brulee. Usually I find these custards very creamy, but this had more of a flan consistency. The Terrine was excellent. The combination of flavors was very interesting. They state basil on the menu, but the icecream had more of a minty flavor. Terrine refers to the type of pan the dessert was cooked in. Usually something in a terrine has a layered look. Often terrine's are made of meat, but these days they can refer to anything made in that type of pan. In our case, this was a fancy name for a chocolate brownie ala mode, but hey, it was delicious, and I fell for pretense.

Ten Tables is definitely a date or double date type of place. It is not kid friendly. There isn't a lot of room for large parties but I am guessing you could call ahead. Keep in mind, even getting 4 of us into dinner wasn't easy. It is a popular place. The dining side of the restaurant is well lit with candlelight accents. The bar is a bit darker, but has two tops for dining as well.

I would love to return to Ten Tables on a night where there isn't a prix fixe menu to try it again, but my first impression was this place was top notch. Make sure you call at least a week or two in advance for a reservation!

Narcisse Bistro + Bar a Vin

Narcisse Montreal
http://www.narcissebistro.com/

7 De la Commune st. East

Old Montreal, QC H2y1J1

Menu: Medium to upscale French

Kid Friendly: Get a babysitter

Prices: On the expensive side $75 with no alcohol or dessert! (That's Canadian you figure it out)

Atmosphere: Intimate, Live Jazz, quiet, friendly staff, efficient service

Another restaurant Lou and I visited in Montreal was Narcisse. It is located in the Old Montreal section near the waterfront. It was a little hard to find only because there was scaffolding covering the outside of the building. The entrance was strange as well. To enter Narcisse we had to walk through the connecting hotel. There was an entrance in front which looked like it should be where you enter the restaurant, including a menu board beside the door, but it was blocked by a table. This led me to believe they may open this entrance during warmer months.

The host was very friendly and greeted us immediately. There was Live Jazz the night we were there which created a nice atmosphere to eat in. Lighting was low and intimate.

Narcisse is a French Restaurant, which as I am typing this, makes me think we probably should have ordered some wine, but we went with a bottle of Aqua Panna. We had, had a late night the day before, and wine probably would have knocked me out at the table.

For appetizers we ordered the Millefeuille de tomate et feta. I asked the host what this meant and he said it meant millions of sheets of dough, in this case puff pastry with tomatoes and feta. He said don't take it literally. This was an understatement, see the picture. It probably should have been called Une de tomatoes et feta! Despite the misinterpretation, this was a very good dish. Light and flavorful, it was a good start.

We ordered a second appetizer as well. This is when my friend Kristin will probably gag, but being in a French restaurant, we thought it only appropriate to order the escargot a la provencale. I really had no idea what to expect, I guess I should have from the word "provencale" but I didn't. The escargot came in a dish with a garlic butter sauce they also had a thin layer of cheese on top. I thought the escargot tasted like mushrooms with cheese on top. They had a similar consistency and taste. As my husband has pointed out several times in the past, you can put cheese on anything and make it taste good! This dish proved his theory.

Moving onto dinner Lou opted for the Ravioles farcies aux champignons, or Mushroom stuffed raviolis and I went for the Poisson de Marche, A.K.A. Catch of the day. I think the fish was sea bass, but it was not very memorable, especially not enough to write about. It was a very average dish. The Ravioli's on the other hand were unbelievable. There were about 7 large, round ravioli's which came in a creamy brown mushrooms sauce. The sauce was definitely worthy of being sopped up with bread. The true sign of a great sauce.

We decided to skip dessert at Narcisse that night. Besides being full, there wasn't much of a selection to tempt us. Our experience all together was good, but not outstanding. The tomato appetizer and the ravioli were the show stoppers. Prices were slightly expensive for a slightly above average meal, the jazz was a nice touch.

As we were leaving the restaurant that night, we stopped in the hotel where I scanned a guest book sitting on a lobby table. The first entry I noticed was from Martha's Vineyard, a little touch of home:)