Alden & Harlow

This past Friday I had the opportunity to cross a restaurant off my Boston Wish List by visiting Alden & Harlow in Harvard Square!

First of all, this is definitely a restaurant that you want to make a reservation for. I went with a friend without a reservation and the wait was close to 90 minutes for a table. We opted to sit at the bar instead, since they serve the full menu, and it was the right choice for us. Seeing the bartenders in action is always exciting!

Their menu is not your typical menu with appetizers, entrees, and sides - instead they offer dishes ranging in portion size and recommend you get a few to try. We decided to start with the Eggplant a La Plancha:

The dish has grilled eggplant, carrot romesco sauce, fried shishito peppers, with a hazelnut gremolata and let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS. The eggplant was grilled to perfection so it didn't get soggy like sometimes eggplants do. We all know that most shishito peppers are mild but I definitely got some of the spicy ones on here, which complemented the subtle flavor of the eggplant well. Although everything was great, my favorite part of the dish was the carrot romesco sauce - it had a ton of vinegar in it, which made it a killer acidic note in the dish, and I just couldn't get enough!

Next on our menu was the Grilled Halloumi:

I have always loved the Greek cheese dish saganaki, so when I saw there was a crispy cheese dish on the menu, I knew I had to try it! The cheese was served with a pickled pumpkin puree, fried sage, and a Szechuan pepita brittle. In all honesty, the pumpkin puree tasted more like a smoked condiment than a pickled condiment, but I didn't mind at all. On its own, the puree was very smokey, but it balanced well with the saltiness of the cheese and the sweetness of the berries on the dish. I think they were either wild blueberries or currants? 

Our final course of the evening was the Grilled Bluefish with celery root, remoulade, and house pickles. Take a peek:

I would have to say that this was my least favorite plate of the evening. It was very good, but after the bold flavors of the first two dishes, this one tasted a little boring. The bluefish was cooked perfectly and the spiralized celery root slaw was great! I think that is a great alternative for slaw if you are tired of using the same old cabbage.

All-in-all, we had a great meal and left feeling very full and very happy. Three plates, with chips and dip as an appetizer (my favorite!), ended up being just the right amount of food for two ladies. The friend that went with me is pescatarian so we didn't try any of the meat dishes, but they look so tasty I might need to go back this weekend!