Cottonwood Café Berkeley St. Boston, MA

Visit Cottonwood Café’s website, and the first thing you read is this:

The American Southwest
Founded on Indian Legend.
Cultivated Through Spanish Tradition.
Captured by the American pioneer,
and brought to life byCottonwood Restaurant & Café

What?

The description of the restaurant, much like its name, leaves you wondering what the place is really all about. So, here’s my take on it. Cottonwood is an above-average Mexican (they call it Southwestern, but I can’t tell the difference) restaurant with prime, downtown Boston real estate.

Within blocks of eateries such as Skipjack’s, Grille 23 and Smith & Wollensky – where it’s not unusual to find a $50 entrée on the menu – Cottonwood’s menu is a little more recession-friendly. Entrees are in the $20 range. Their signature drinks – a wide variety of margaritas – come by the glass or the pitcher and range from $7 - $10 a glass (think standard wine glass, not Cancun spring break margarita glass).

Enough about the money, though, let’s talk about the food. My painfully predictable (but just as painfully handsome J) husband ordered the mixed grill, a fancier version of your standard fajitas, complete with chicken, pork loin and steak. I went for the enchiladas verdes – a flour tortilla chock full of chicken, cheese, all smothered in fresh pico de gallo. Both dishes came with rice, beans and guacamole. Portions are big, and the food is good. Not great, but good.

With a big outdoor seating area, Cottonwood is great for a spring or summer evening. Inside, warm colors and a subtle southwestern touch makes the place inviting and comfortable. A lively bar is separated from the more intimate dining room, offering a good spot for friends to gather or couples to reconnect. And based on the number of students and their families who were there kicking off Tufts’ graduation weekend, it does a good job catering to large groups, and even the occasional youngster.

Overall, you get what you pay for in terms of food at Cottonwood. The service is efficient, but certainly not something to shout about. What sells the place is the location… complete with people watching potential and free validated parking nearby.

The tab:

Atmosphere – 7.5
Service – 7
Food Quality - 7
Presentation - 7
Average Entree Price - $12-$26
Kid factor - 6 (didn’t see a kid menu, only a couple teenagers in sight on a Friday)
Extra perk – Free validated parking on weeknights after 5 and anytime on weekends
Restaurant Website: http://www.cottonwoodboston.com/

Alicante Mediterranean Grille, Mendon MA

Located on Nipmuc Pond in Mendon, Alicante is one of the few waterfront restaurants in the area - and that's what initially drew us to the place. We've been there a few times, so we knew it was a safe bet for a long overdue date night.

Saturday at 7pm, though, presents a unique challenge for diners. The restaurant - with it's great location and elegant, yet lively, atmosphere is a prime destination for couples in the area. Unless you have a party of six or more, though, you can't make a reservation. So, after handing the keys over to the complimentary valet (if you see the parking situation, you'll understand why they have free valet), we were told we would have a 30-45 minute wait.

No problem! Trying to ignore the babysitter time clock ticking in my head, we hit the bar for a drink. As luck would have it, we scored two seats at the bar, and decided to eat there instead of waiting for a table. After all, we'd eaten in the dining room before, so we were up for a change of scenery.

In a nutshell, everything we had experienced in our last few visits to Alicante carried over to the bar: delicious food, great views, and a good mix of people dressed to impress. The only difference? The service. In the dining room, service is impeccable, with a minimum of two servers taking care of every table. In the bar, it took us a full five minutes (which when you're sitting at a bar, without a drink, feels more like 25) to get the attention of one of the three not-so-busy bartenders. And once we finally did get our drink order in, it took another five to get the dinner menus we had requested. Ugh - this could be painful.

But it's our date night, and I'm not going to let this get in the way of us having a nice dinner out. So, onto the food. The menu at Alicante is very extensive, and there are always three or four specials that consistently sound great. Decisions, decisions.

I started with a bowl of the lobster bisque. Great flavor, with good chunks of lobster throughout, and a few garlicky croutons on top to add some crunch. Scott opted to nosh on the popular bar snacks- freshly baked potato "chips". Imagine Cape Cod chips, slightly warm and still a bit chewy. Addictive.

For entrees, Scott chose one of the specials, a 16 oz. NY Strip (yes, I said 16), served with kicked up steak fries and fresh sauteed veggies (zucchini, carrots, summer squash). Presentation was impressive and the steak, while a tad overcooked, was full of flavor. And for me, the paella. Mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops and lobster, all served over saffron rice. Presentation brought a major wow factor - topped off by the server dishing out the mixture table (or bar)side. My only complaint? The saffron rice lacked the toasty bottom authentic paella's known for, and the lobster is deceiving. It comes out looking like a half lobster, but you quickly realize that it's just a small, half tail among a lot of shell.

A couple of glasses of the house pinot noir, a very good meal, and we're a pretty happy couple that's all but forgotten about the less than desirable bar service. Chances are we'll be back again for more.

The tab:
Atmosphere - 7.5
Service - 8 in dining room. 6 in the bar. On average, 7
Food Quality - 7.5
Presentation - 8
Average Entree Price - $21-$25
Kid factor - 6 (no kid menu, and no kids in sight on a Saturday)

Restaurant Website: http://www.alicantema.com/