• Devra First heads south to the Cape and Nantucket to explore newcomers like Adrian’s and Ten Tables, plus old(er) favorites like American Seasons. The atmosphere at Will Gilson’s Eat at Adrian’s might be “fairly basic,” but the food is “anything but” thanks items like “stunning” pork loin and a meaty clam chowder. Inventive cocktails will please “jaded” city drinkers. At the newest outpost of JP/Cambridge favorite Ten Tables, order the “lovely little” lobster sliders and ignore the bickering bartenders. [Globe]
• Moroccan in Malden? You betcha! At the “barebones” Moroccan Hospitality Restaurant, Sheryl Julian is enchanted by “aromatic” harira and “feathery” couscous. Lamb shank with prunes comes complete with a “deliciously nutty” sauce. At the window, a customer with a handlebar mustache; darting from the kitchen, an “adorable” six-year-old boy who just wants pizza. [Globe]
• Steve Miller reviews Otto in Harvard Square. The Portland (Maine) export’s menu bridges the gap between “foldable and fancy.” Skip the “bland” squash and ricotta pie and opt instead for a hard-hitting smoky pork and mango. Happily, these “personable” pies start at just $3.50 per slice. [Phoenix]
• Stuff rounds up cheap eats for the college set, just in time for back to school. Among their wallet-friendly picks: Cafe Luna (where MIT/Harvard “nerds” end up if they “miscalculate their booze to Gatorade” ratios); Hen House (“open until 4 a.m. on weekends to serve drool-inducing, Southern-style feasts”); the Squealing Pig (both a “cause and a cure” for hangovers); and BC’s infamous neighbor, Eagle’s Deli (“competitive eaters” flock here from far and wide). [Stuff]
• MC Slim JB hits up El Centro, the South End’s lovable Mexican charmer whose owner “actually hails from Mexico,” unlike at some of the city’s other new Mexican eateries. Ensalada Frieda Kahlo is “substantial” and “eye-catching” with its “fat slices of avocado,” while chile relleno poblanos pack a “lip-stinging zing.” All in all: “soulful.” [Stuff]
• Over at Boston, Donna Garlough hosts Win/Fail Fridays, where she rhapsodizes about good and not-so-good restaurant run-ins. This week, she received terrific service when popping in for a midday munch at the Salty Pig. However, Red Lantern’s hostess made her feel as though she’d come to “eat, pay, and leave.” Note: Don’t treat customers like “cargo.” [Boston]
