I've spent a lot of time in Harvard Square. First as a kid with my family, then post-college when I lived in Inman Square and now as a convenient meeting place for dinner with friends and in all that time I had never noticed Sandrine's Bistro. Last week, when I made dinner plans with a friend we realized the date we picked was during Restaurant Week. She encouraged me to look for the best vegetarian options and she would chose from those. Ultimately we landed on Sandrine's Bistro, a place neither of us had been.
It's no secret that my favorite pastime is checking out a new restaurant. Tonight I arrived at Sandrine's Bistro eager to experience something new. When I turned the corner off of Mass Ave onto Holyoke Street, I was immediately struck by the beautiful front door to the restaurant. The glass over the door is shaped like a seashell. It's gorgeous! I also loved the white, twinkle lights hanging above all of the windows.
As soon as you step inside the door the first thing you notice is a cornucopia of wine bottles. The first sign I would love this place.
We had a 7:00pm reservation and were brought straight to a cozy table in the back. One side of the table was against a large, luxurious banquette. Behind the tables were beautiful wreathes and mirrors punctuating the seafoam green walls. I felt a bit like Ariel from the Little Mermaid, tranquilly enjoying my night under the sea.
We were greeted right away by our very friendly waiter. He let us know we had four menu options tonight - the traditional menu, the traditional prixe fix menu, the chef's tasting menu and of course, the Restaurant Week menu.
We opted for the Restaurant Week menu, which was actually comprised of traditional menu items, just a smaller selection. I prefer when restaurants do this, allowing you to get a true sense for their food and introduce you to dishes you will love and come back for.
While waiting for our food to arrive we sipped on wine - red for her, white for me. When our waiter placed the glasses down he said to my friend, "I overpoured a bit, I hope you don't mind." Then he turned to me and said, "And I didn't want you to feel left out, so I overpoured yours too." HA! Fantastic.
We also received some bread and butter to nibble on. The crostini arrived folded into a napkin, looking like babies tucked into their blanket for the night.
To start, my friend went with the soup du jour which was mushroom made with cream, chicken stock and pumpkin. It arrived in a beautiful bowl and she assured me it was hearty and delicious.
I ordered the apple and gorgonzola salad which came with shredded appple, gorgonzola cheese, mixed greens, tomato, spicy honey roasted almonds and a port wine vinaigrette. The cut of the apple was amazingly thin allowing you to eat it in a bite with all the other goodies. The spicy honey roasted almonds were a tasty, surprise crunch. Positively lip-smacking!
For dinner my friend ordered the scallops which were served over a celery puree. She loved it!
I ordered the vegetable and cheese ravioli which was magnificent. It came showered in perfectly cooked vegetables (green beans, carrots, broccoli and more), a delicious cheese and drenched in a flavorful tomato sauce. I had to grip my chair to stop myself from licking the plate.
A photo representation of how much we loved our entrees:
For dessert we both decided on the creme brulee. As my loyal readers know, I always go for chocolate. However, tonight when I checked into the restaurant on Foursquare, another Foursquare user left a tip saying Sandrine's has the best creme brulee they have ever tasted. Well, I just had to judge for myself!
The creme brulee did not disappoint! The sugar topping cracked just the way it should and tasted sinfully good. We gobbled it right up and were left with huge smiles on our faces.
When our bill arrived, we noticed the gorgeous card along side the check asking us to join the mailing list. Check this out:
After settling the bill, we walked downstairs to use the ladies room. We discovered the downstairs has a private room! Very good to know.
Our experience at Sandrine's was superb. The restaurant is beautiful inside and out, our waiter was friendly and knowledgable, the food was stellar and the whole menu is vegetarian friendly. What more could a girl ask for?
Visit Sandrine's Bistro at 8 Holyoke Street in Harvard Square. You can also follow them on Twitter @SandrinesBistro.
