To Harvard Square We Went

This past weekend was the first time we ever went to Harvard Square for dinner. Let me remind you that we have lived in Boston for 2.5 years and we have gone to Harvard Square countless times. We've just never gone for dinner. I have this ridiculous fear that we will get stuck in Harvard Square and have no way to get home. This is ridiculous because we always have dinner at an early time and we always finish long before the last train leaves at 12:45am (or whatever time the last train leaves). I think being dependent on public transportation makes you afraid of being stranded.

We had no idea where we wanted to go this weekend. Since there was a Red Sox game on Saturday night, eating anywhere that required a car was out because I didn't want to deal with Red Sox traffic or having to find a parking spot. I went to OpenTable to see what reservations they had available and then chose places that weren't Chinese or Italian (Alex was not in the mood for that type of food). Then I looked over the menus of each of the restaurants and narrowed it down to 5 places and Alex was given the honor of choosing the restaurant. He chose Redline in Harvard Square because the mac and cheese called out to him.

We got to Harvard Square early and had enough time to walk around and scope out the restaurants and their locations. When we finally went to Redline, we were seated immediately. I was told that this place had a lively bar at night and I could see it because the area with the bar was huge. I was really impressed with the prices and quality of the food, but it seems to me that most of their money is made off their drinks. The martinis (yes, it's plural) I had were $11 each, but they were so good. I give them credit for the creativity of their martinis. The first one I had was a Washington Cran Apple. It tasted a lot like a vodka and cranberry juice drink.

The second one I had was my favorite. I wish I would have ordered it from the beginning. It's the perfect drink for the person who is still a kid at heart. It's called the French 76 and it comes with rock candy. So cool!

We ordered two appetizers because they sounded so good that it was hard to just pick one. The first one was a Carnitas Sliders and they literally were mini pulled pork sandwiches, just not as sweet. They were delicious.

The second appetizer was the chicken wings. Chicken plus garlic plus parmesan equals a happy Alex. These little suckers were so good and crispy. I could barely taste the garlic but I had no trouble tasting the parmesan, which was great.

For the entree Alex ordered the White Truffle Mac and Cheese. I actually had to convince him to get it because at the last minute he was between the mac and cheese and another chicken dish. If he didn't get the dish that attracted him to Redline in the first place I think I would have been forced to order it myself and stuff it down his throat. Just kidding. Sort of. Alex thought the dish was great and very rich. It was probably the creamiest mac and cheese he had ever had.

I ordered the Turkey Avocado Panini because I was in the mood for something healthier and the thought of avocado made me drool. I made a great choice because the sandwich was so fresh tasting and the addition of parmesan cheese to a sandwich already containing mozzarella, was a pleasant taste bud surprise. It was a great combination of flavors.

We didn't order dessert because we had already gotten in the mood for Ben & Jerry's. They did, however, have creme brulee, chocolate cake, and a trio of ice cream. Redline was definitely worth the trip out and I recommend checking them out!