Sandrine’s Bistro
This weekend I had the occasion of dining at Sandrine’s Bistro, an Alsatian/French restaurant at 8 Holyoke Street, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
I like the atmosphere and “feel” of Sandrine’s even before I tasted their good bread, or before I sampled their complimentary glass of wine. They might describe it as “romantic,” but my word choice would be “intimate” or “comfortable.” It feels like a special place you might like to go to often enough when you want to feel like you want to escape to a dark, favorite, good old time.
While Sandrine’s offers a very limited wine list, the menu offered any number of tasty choices. I opted for a special appetizer of lobster on top of an avocado. What I didn’t like was that they included the peel on the avocado; I had expected it to be already peeled (and perhaps presented in a butter lettuce cup). But that little detail aside, it was tasty, both in terms of flavors, texture, and sweetness. A great way to start a meal, for sure.
Our waitress was friendly, comforting, and put us at ease throughout the night.
For my entrée, I had delicious diver’s scallops on top of a bed of bacon-studded brussels sprouts. The combination of the porcine flavor, the sprouts, and the fresh scallops was sublime. This was rather simple, but also very well-done cuisine. Don’t let the moniker “French” scare you away. Lacking were the fancy French sauces and heavy sides. Instead, simple, clean food.
My dining companion had the vegetarian ravioli which looked delicious.
Harvard Square in Cambridge offers a lot of choices for dining, many casual and off-the-cuff. Sandrine’s might not be one of Boston’s very finest houses of haute-cuisine, but it borrow’s the simpler comforts of Harvard Square’s neighbors with the upscale leanings of a good restaurant anywhere.
I liked Sandrine’s and for an expensive city like Boston, it hit the spot.
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