Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Restaurant Review: The Cottage

Sunday night we had family dinner night out at The Cottage in Wellesley.  I've reviewed this place before (for breakfast) and was totally impressed but never had dinner there.  Well, no surprise, the dinner was delicious and there are probably a dozen other dishes I can't wait to try.
 Located on Linden Street, right off 135, the Cottage offers satisfying dishes ranging in flavors from Asian fusion to Californian to New England.  The style is of the restaurant is gorgeous with high ceilings, open windows and beachy decor. 
 I looked through the extensive menu and was immediately blown away by the sound of the Sesame Ahi Tuna Nachos.
 
Without asking my family, I ordered the Sesame Ahi Tuna Nachos for the table. That appetizer sang out to me.  It was such a creative dish.  Crispy wontons as the nacho chips with delicious asian slaw and my favorite banana peppers, fresh ahi tuna and a wasabi cream.

I would have to say this is my FAVORITE interpretation of nachos I've ever tasted.  Creatively delicious!
For dinner, I decided to go all out.  I don't eat a ton of meat at home so when I'm out, I often order meat heavy dishes.  Ordering the Short Rib Sliders was no exception.  
Now that I've made short ribs twice, I know how much love goes into making that meat tender and delicious so when I saw this on the menu I had to trust my instincts and order.
Three lovely sliders graced my plate along with sweet potato fries.  The meat was tender and the sandwiches totally hit the spot.  Although, I couldn't finish all of them! The smoked cheddar cheese was a great addition.
My husband ordered Chicken + Wild Rice Risotto.  I love risotto and this was another delicious dish.
My mom ordered the Crunchy Granola Mahi Mahi.  The Cottage makes their own Granola and this dish packed so much flavor.  I loved the sweetness of the granola balanced with the capers and lemon sauce.
My brother ordered the scallops.  Not my favorite thing to order in a restuarant (because I think they are so easy to cook on your own) but these had another interesting flavor combination mixing papaya and avocado.  The Cottage is so creative!
My sister ordered the Tuna Niciose salad.  I didn't get to steal a bite, but it looked fresh and yummy!
And for dessert, the five of us spilt this coconut cake with buttercream frosting.  Huge slice that didn't stand a chance with our group : )
Overall, The Cottage has got to be one of my favorite restaurants in the suburbs.  And I honestly cannot wait to go back.  The menu had so many options, there are so many other things I want to try!  This is a must-go place if you are ever west of the city!
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The weather has been gorgeous in Boston lately, so the hubby cleaned off the grill and decided he wanted to make a rotisserie chicken.  I bought the 6 pounder and we tied it up and placed it on the rotisserie.  In an hour and a half, the chicken was done and cooked perfectly. Dave placed water on the bottom of the tin foil and the steam helped keep the chicken moist.  He also basted the chicken and flavored it with salt, pepper, olive oil and some butter.
In the end we were left with crispy skin, deliciously fresh chicken made on the grill : )
Served with a side salad and some basil pesto mustard from Stonewall Kitchen, it was the perfect Monday night meal.
And you can't beat eating outside in April : )

In other news, I'm staying pretty calm about the race. I'm excited- bring it on Boston!

15 comments:

  1. That ahi tuna looks great. Yum. And that dessert! I love coconut.

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  2. I really want that tuna appetizer. I bet I would have ordered it too!

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  3. The Cottage looks so good - decor and menu! Glad I didn't totally ruin dinner by texting you all night :)

    It's so nice to finally have some warm, grillin' weather. I'm glad you're staying calming any enjoying a few more quiet days before the race.

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  4. Metro West truly does have some great restaurants. It helps the prospect of moving to the 'burbs (at some point) a little less scary!

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  5. That place looks great! I can't wait to come to Boston and cheer y'all on. So close - how exciting!!

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  6. Every single thing in this post looks amazing.

    It's funny that you mentioned not wanting to order scallops at a restaurant because they're easy to cook on your own. I ALWAYS order scallops when I see them on a menu because I'm so afraid of making them myself!

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  7. I just added Cottage to my list of places to try. The short rib sliders look delicious. It all does! Thanks for the review Lizzy!

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  8. Can you please send those sweet potato fries and coconut cake my direction? K. Thanks. Bye.

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  9. i got ahi tuna nachos at this brewery in upstate ny after my last marathon. AMAZING.

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  10. So funny, I just went to The Cottage maybe 2 months ago with my friend's family for brunch!! I got the oatmeal blueberry pancakes which were amazing. Your meal looks awesome too, I want to go back there!
    That roasted chicken looks delicious - eating outside is one of my favorite parts of spring/summer!!
    Glad you are staying calm :) Hopefully we can keep each other in a good state of mind Monday morning!

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  11. Sesame Ahi Tuna Nachos...I am absolutely DROOLING! Those look absolutely fantastic! I NEED TO GO TO THIS RESTAURANT.

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  12. the cottage looks insanely good. those nachos - WOW!

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  13. That all looks insanely tasty! Wowza! The Cottage looks like a great place! Too bad I live in Michigan, or else I would so be there for dinner!

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  14. I've heard about this place and have been wanting to try it! Now I must, my mom and I are always looking for something other than the usual in the Framingham/Natick area. Plus I love Wellesley :)

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  15. This is really a luxurious hotel with high ceilings, open windows and beachy decor. The images of some unique food items you have presented looks delicious and the creative mind used to serve these food is truly appreciative. Thanks for sharing your experience about this marvellous hotel.

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