Tonight I had dinner with my mom and cousins at The Cottage in Wellesley. I normally don't venture so far west for my meals, but this was a half way point for us tonight.
The Cottage is located on Linden Street, parallel to Route 16 in Wellesley. The restaurant is in a beautiful, new shopping plaza with a large, free parking lot (bonus points for easy parking!). The atmosphere and decor of The Cottage felt exactly the same to me as another place I have eaten, the Scarlet Oak Tavern in Hingham, MA. I would not be surprised if both restaurants were designed by the same person or have the same owner.
The Cottage boasts high ceilings, an open floor plan, spacious tables and booths, and as my mother described it, "a Pottery Barn-esque look." The space was certainly pretty and noticeably clean (another plus). In addition to the dining room, there is also a private party room and a patio with outdoor seating.
We were lead to a booth right in the front window with plenty of space, comfy banquettes and lots of light. Our waitress was friendly and helped us choose the best menu items. We started with the chips and guacamole and the artichoke fritters. While the guacamole and tri colored chips were delicious, the guacamole portion size was a bit small. The artichoke fritters were rich with a great crisp to them. The cheese dipping sauce tasted a bit odd, but the bed of onion rings they were sitting on made up for the mystery sauce.
For our entrees we sampled the cheese burger, the veggie sandwich, the polenta and the chicken under a brick (yes, that's the official name). The burger was a generous portion with all the usual toppings and a heap of french fries. The veggie sandwich was a Morning Star Farms patty, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, mushrooms and thousand island dressing on toasted bread. Very filling and a great vegetarian option.
The polenta was served over a bed of vegetables and topped with goat cheese and arugula. While the polenta itself lacked flavor, the vegetable medley beneath was fantastic.
The chicken under a brick was moist and served with "Cottage rice" which is rice pilaf with red pepper and spinach.
Although we were stuffed we decided to take a gander at the dessert menu (our family has a serious sweet tooth). We decided on the rocky road brownie sundae, four spoons. The plate arrived with a brownie that was about 3 inches by 2 inches and a generous scoop of Richardson's vanilla ice cream. Alongside the a la mode brownie was a miniature pitcher of piping hot fudge. We quickly dosed the plate with fudge and dug in.
The brownie had the two core components for the ultimate dream brownie - warm and decadently fudgey. The ice cream was creamy and merged harmoniously with the dripping hot fudge. Sure glad we decided to pig out! Smart move.
If you're willing to make the trip out to Wellesley, The Cottage is a great spot. The staff is friendly, the restaurant is beautiful and spacious, the food is fresh and filling and the menu has something for all tastes.
