While more and more people are traveling further and further for taste sensations (as evidenced by the popularity of shows featuring tireless tasters like Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern), it is nice to know that, no matter which coast you are on, you are never too far from a place that combines the comforts of your home with ideas and inspirations from the homes of people who are in the know when it comes to good food.
Such is the case with The Cottage – a family-owned and operated restaurant where the family is bi-coastal but the flavor is just where you want to be.
With an intimate but open interior that is bathed in clean but not glaring white and accented with impressive images and rustic artifacts from sea and shore, all centered around a homey fireplace and populated with friendly, helpful, go-out-of-their-way-to-help people, the Cottage is part getaway and part comfy home. And if you have clients or family members that you want to make feel at home, the Chestnut Hill and Wellesley locations both offer ample private dining areas that are set up with full A/V rigs for parties or meetings.
As the ambience speaks of both home and vacation, so too the menu is a combination of tried and true favorites and progressive panache. Brunch includes build-your-own omelettes, frittatas and scrambles featuring the freshest cheeses, meats and veggies or such savory suggestions as the bacon, guac, and gruyere combo known as Southern California or the Tuscan with fire-grilled chicken, sautéed mushrooms, melted brie, roasted tomato and avocado. There is also eggs Benedict with or without crab cakes and the All-American breakfast that combines two eggs with apple bacon or apple chicken sausage. For those who can’t decide on one morning favorite (or who just want a unique taste experience), The Cottage even offers their signature oatmeal pancakes! Lunch and dinner menus open up to include a series of soups, two sizes of salads, a helping of “handhelds” (sandwiches) and a mélange of “mains.” Among the extra special specialties are the not-to-be-missed sesame ahi tuna nachos, the creamy goat cheese polenta, daily quiche creations, the stuffed avocado (a healthy and hearty lunchtime treat no matter how much time you have away from the office), the grilled honey glazed salmon with Peruvian lima beans and a warm kale salad that proves the green’s worthiness to be on every menu in the world, the sweet potato-crusted cod that reveals levels of flavor unheard of in our native fish, and the rare (yet cooked to order) lamb burger with manchego cheese, grilled onions, and arugula on a brioche bun. There are also a mini-menu of lunchtime combos that allow mixing and matching among enough sandwiches, salads, and soups to ensure variety every day of the workweek. No matter what you order, you can be sure that the plate will look beautiful and will be filled with the freshest, most flavorful combinations of ingredients possible.
As you prepare for your first course, comfy pillows of warm, fresh bread arrive with a small tub of real cream butter. Other things that can be counted on are friendly service that add to the homey atmosphere and fresh flavors made with fresh ingredients.
In additional to regular specials, The Cottage also offers a weekly rotation of extra special events, such as their all-you-can-eat pasta dinners on Mondays (a freshly-made far cry from Olive Garden and the like!), unlimited taco Tuesdays, and weekend prime rib suppers. Every day, there are also special menus of bar bites if you just want a quick nibble after work (4-6 PM) or while catching the game (9 PM-close).
To accent and accompany your meal and your experience, The Cottage offers everything from local craft brews and a curated collection of international wines to their signature line of vitamin-packed, alcohol-free “Spa Drinks” that include refreshing combinations of fresh watermelon, pomegranate, and other healthful and delicious libations. Each of the drink menus is further enhanced by the addition of seasonal specials and features, including spotlight servings of wines from particular vineyards. Among the signature cocktails are the combo of vanilla Builleit rye, pear liqueur, lemon juice and orange bitters known as the Steve McQueen, the Plum Island lemonade made with Ketel One Citron, Cointreau, fresh lemon and blueberries, the East India Trading Co. that offers a wealth of spiced rum and Orgeat syrup, and the clever concoction of fresh apples, vanilla, and ginger with whiskey barrel-aged bitters known as Them Apples that you are sure to like!
For the little apples, The Cottage offers a colorful activity placemat (and crayons) that features a prix fixe menu for brunch, lunch and dinner. For $9.50, smaller guests can enjoy the oatmeal pancakes, French toast, a little All-American or such later-day faves as pasta marinara, fish nuggets, cheeseburger sliders and hot dogs, all of which are available with broccoli, fruit salad, or sweet potato fries and each of which come with dessert.
With all the choices and all the flavor, it may be difficult to save room for dessert. But do your best, for options like the raspberry white chocolate bread pudding, the fallen (but no less decadent) chocolate soufflé and the easily-taken-home cider doughnut bites make for a fine finale to whatever fare you fancy.
So whether you have a family event, a business meeting, or want to get away from either, the Cottage offers equal parts open escape and cozy comfort and is sure to have just what you are in the mood for whatever your mood may be.
The Cottage
46 Boylston Street
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
www.cottagechestnuthill.com
190 Linden Street
Wellesley, MA 02482
7702 Fay Avenue
La Jolla, CA 92037