Alden & Harlow

1. A great small-plate restaurant near Harvard. We ordered four dishes and were not able to finish all of them. My favorite was the popcorn pancake. I also liked the secret burger. The grilled broccoli was big and should be cut into smaller chunks.

   The service was excellent. I would love to come back sometime to try something else next time.

2. The food was decent, the secret burger was great. The service and atmosphere not. As we entered, staff were a bit rude because we didn’t have a reservation. Then they squeezed us into a corner table that was incredibly uncomfortable. There were other nicer tables though. We were sat near a loud family, who had already put their stuff on our table. Ate and left in 30 minutes. Uncomfortable experience.

3. Came here for Boston Dine Out and another time for drinks and both times were phenomenal! Staff is so accommodating, the food is creative and delicious. The corn pancakes were so good and the kale salad surpassed all the other kale salads we have had dining out the wine pairing was very thoughtful. We will definitely be coming back! Perfect blend of creativity and taste!

4. Went there for a quick bite before an event. Had the Butterfly Effect cocktail upon the bartender’s recommendation and the burger. Let me tell you, it was absolutely delicious! Love every bite and every sip. I absolutely recommend this spot if you’re ever in the Harvard Square
   The staff is also very kind, the manager even came to see me to ask if everything was to my liking.
   Don’t take my word for it, go try it for yourself!

5. Food is average, like majority of fusion/new American restaurants in Boston – some protein on a creamy/pasty base, some standard vegetable offerings (kale, carrots, Brussels sprouts etc.), some Asian influences (fish crudo, miso somewhere). Sadly every dishes we tried were not innovative enough, ingredients were not the freshest, the tomato in the heirloom tomato plate were definitely not heirloom tomatoes and some tasted like they’ve gone bad already.

   There’s a pancake dish with 3 small cornmeal pancakes in the middle, popcorns on each side of the plate, 4 shishito peppers on the popcorns. Total ingredients cost max $2 and selling for 10 times the price, the combo feels like something you cook at a dorm after drinking all night. The fish crudo are 4 large cubes of fish fillets, the reason you don’t see this shape & size for Japanese sashimi is that it’s hard for seasoning to be well distributed throughout, end result is the fish cubes had no flavors.

   Some of their shaken cocktails were good, like the Melipona, it’s smoky and creamy at the same time, it’s the only item we tried that invites for a 2nd visit. The bar couldn’t make a spicy margarita right, it tasted off and diluted.

   Worst part of our dinner experience was our waitress, we were seated towards the very end of the dining hall, all tables in our section barely see our waitress, hard to get order placed, get a check, forget about clearing empty plates or anything beyond basic service. If it’s not for other people filling in for her, it’d be disastrous.

   When we asked why 30 min.s passed and we only got half of our order, she responded it’s a very busy night. That’s a very reasonable reason, except when we were seated and ordered, the restaurant’s almost empty! With her “very busy” reply, we continually waited until someone else came to fill our water and asked how’s everything, we shared we’re still waiting for half of our order, he went to check and immediately brought us our order. Hard not to think our dishes had just been sitting at service area and not being served by our waitress. It’s not like she’s busy serving others, we barely see her in any part of the dining hall. Slacking may be the best description?

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