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Trying a different Cambridge Restaurant - success

Tonight's restaurant was actually going to be Monday's pick, except that when I arrived there on Monday night at around 8pm, it was closed. Alas, even the independent restaurateur is allowed one day of rest per week.

Though Indian food isn't generally my first pick, the Royal Bengal caught my eye.

Royal Bengal
313 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139

The place was nearly empty when I arrived at 6:15pm on a Tuesday night. I was greeted and seated immediately. Only about 20 tables, it was a cozy place with bland but tasteful decor. Indian (perhaps Bengalese?) vocal music was softly playing in the background.

Even before I headed towards the restaurant I had previewed their menu online. Being a big fan of Tandoori chicken, the "Tandoori Mixed Grill" sounded really appealing. The menu described it as a "Combination of sizzling Tandoori specialties like Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Tikka, Boti Kebab, Seekh Kebab, and Tandoori Shrimp."

True to its menu description, the twelve-inch oval platter had assorted meats, a couple shrimp, cucumbers, green peppers, and onions. It was still sizzling when it arrived at my table. The service was prompt and the waitress was attentive. Unlike my experience at Sidney's around the corner the night before, my waitress didn't let my glass get less than half before coming around with the water pitcher.

My initial attack of the platter was quick, but slowed after two shrimp, a Tandoori chicken leg, a piece of chicken Tikka, and pieces of Boti and Seekh kebab. I managed to eat about two-thirds of the food on my plate before asking that the rest be boxed to take back to the hotel.

As I mentioned before, I am not an Indian food aficionado, but this meal seemed pretty tasty to me. It was a great value for the money (less than $15 for a huge platter), and I should be getting some Delta Skymiles for my visit courtesy of Delta's Rewards Network. I appreciated the excellent service, and would cheerfully go back when I have the desire for Bengalese food. They apparently have a decent lunch buffet, though it's a bit too far to walk from Biogen Idec during our lunch hour.

Trying a different Cambridge Restaurant - a mixed bag

I'm in Cambridge again this week. I've taken the opportunity to visit some different restaurants for dinner than my usual haunts. Here's the verdict from my first attempt:

Sidney's Grill - Located at the Hotel @ MIT.
20 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA 02139

A couple years ago when my colleague, Kimberly, and I would come to Cambridge to visit another Nautilus customer, we stayed at the Hotel @ MIT and frequently dined at Sidney's. The food was always tasty and creatively paired with unique side dishes. Having moved on to other projects, it had been a few years since I'd been to Sidney's. I'm happy to report that the food is still quite good, but I was dismayed that the service was horrible.

Horrible may actually be too nice... I stood at the desk in the front of the restaurant for minutes before even being acknowledged. I contemplated walking out before being seated, but I was really hungry and just wanted to eat. Once seated, I quickly made my choice of main dishes and pushed the single-page menu to the far side of the table. It was clear that I was ready to order.

Being alone at the table I entertained myself by reading a magazine for somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes until the waiter finally came over to take my order. During that long wait I had interrupted my reading several times and attempted to make eye contact with multiple waiters in the dining room, none of whom could be bothered to come over to my table. This included a waiter who was more intent on carefully resetting the table next to mine than to taking my order. (There was no shortage of empty tables since this was 8:00pm on a Monday night.) For a second time, I considered walking out of this restaurant, but my choices for food were limited.

Once I did order, the food came out relatively quickly, and was delivered to my table still steaming hot. I got the "Charred Lamb Top", which was described in the menu as server "over Peruvian Potato & Baby Spring Vegetable Stew with Burgundy Demi-Glace." It reminded me of a dish I had enjoyed at 75 Chestnut, which is one of my favorite restaurants in Boston.

During the course of my meal, my waiter did not stop by the table even once to check to see if I needed anything. By comparison, not that Friendly's is fine dining by any stretch of the imagination, but even at that lowly establishment (where I was a waiter for 3 years in the early 90s), we were required to stop back within 2 minutes of delivering a meal to ensure that everything was OK. My water glass ran dry pretty quickly into my meal, but there was nobody around to refill it.

To top it off, when I was through eating my meal, the waiter finally resurfaced. "Would you care to see a dessert menu?" he asked. "No, just a refill of my water and the check, please," I replied. So what did he do? He returned a minute later with the dessert menu and no water. He realized his mistake as he put the menu on my table, and quickly disappeared again, this time returning with a water pitcher and my check.

After paying the check, I sought out the on-duty restaurant manager. I explained the situation, and he asked that I fill out a customer comment card. On the card I included my name and telephone number, which the on-duty manager said he would pass along to the general manager for follow-up. It's been 24 hours and I have not heard anything. I'm actually not expecting to hear anything.

Overall, the food at Sidney's was excellent. My dining experience was soured by pathetically poor service. Unless I'm staying at the Hotel @ MIT, I wouldn't be inclined to return to Sidney's Grill anytime soon. Instead, if I had a hankering for that kind of food, I would hop on the Red Line and go to 75 Chestnut in Beacon Hill (not a bad walk from the Charles/MGH "T" stop), which has exceptional food and service.