Deep Ellum Sunday Brunch

No we weren't in Texas, we were at a small bar/restaraunt call Deep Ellum right here in Allston. We both enjoy this bar for the atmosphere, good crowd of people and the great selection of beers and cocktails (might I recommend Summer in Sao Paolo? ; ok maybe not for brekky!) When we heard that they served brunch on the weekends, we both jumped at the chance to try it.

Mara says: Since we were the first people at the usually crowded restaurant, I felt a little awkward but was excited nonetheless. Our coffee arrived quickly (shouldn't it have?) and I was a little skeeved out by the questionable hairs that were near the creamers. Eric refuses to believe that this happened ; selective memory I guess! Moving on.. I got a pretty basic breakfast of scrambled eggs, marble rye toast and home fries. I am picky on eggs so the runny ones that I got were not my favorite, but the delicious marble toast and well-cooked home fries more than made up for it. A+ for the waitress, who promptly brought over a huge, unopened bottle of Pete's Hot Sauce without even asking! I must have it written on my face that I am a hot sauce fanatic! All in all, I left full and happy. I'm going to give Deep Ellum a B+.

Eric says:When we arrived there was a parking spot right in front that looked too good to be true. The spot was two car lengths and I proceeded to pull in head first and smashed my wheel leaving curb-rash on my rim and chunking my tire. Not the greatest way to start brunch! When we entered we were greeted by two friendly employees who let us choose from one of the many open tables. Even though we didn't get any morning cocktails we did enjoy our cups of tasty coffee. Our brunch arrived pretty quick and I ate my sausage gravy and biscuits like they were going out of style. They tasted great and reminded me of when I enjoyed them in high school at Pogo's. I cant wait to get back to Deep Ellum for brunch again or to go back for some great beers and creative cocktails.

Dirty Truth

Ok, we apologize profusely. We had great intentions of writing this week, but we just didn't make the time. Don't fret! We have a big weekend ahead of us.. Tomorrow we are headed to Providence for another unique dining experience that we can't wait to share with you.



Back to Northampton... We headed out to the Quabbin Resevoir last Saturday to enjoy the beautiful (and comparatively warm) weather. After a tough day of leisurely walking and enjoying the sun, we drove over to Northampton to grab a bite. Dirty Truth was the first choice.

Mara says:Again, not my first time being there, but I'm calling it fair since the last time they had a completely different menu! The beer menu is impressive. I opted for the winter warmer since it started to get a bit chilly out and I was feeling very cozy with my dinner date. The bartender seemed a little out of place and since we sat at the bar I half expected him to talk to us and he didn't! We enjoyed the setting and ordered our food... I got a veggie burger with very high expectations after I read that it was handmade.I enjoyed that you could actually taste the components instead of being left wondering exactly what you were eating. It could have used a little spice, but over all I was very impressed ! It made a suitable mess and I enjoyed it! Almost as much as I enjoyed my company :X.




Eric says:Sporting a beer list which includes a chalk board with current seasonal special and new beers to the bar, I was already in heaven. We sat at the end of the bar where there were a few open seat and were served quickly. After we polished off our first round we were not as lucky . I ordered an eggplant sandwich that came with a heaping mound of okay french fries and great fried mozzarella but I was disappointed with the eggplant and the thick layer of spinach which covered the taste of the cheese. I knew bad things come in threes as soon as I saw their bathroom, which smelled bad and was so dimly light that I am not sure if it was even a bath room. The best part of this bar is their beer list and small, easy to navagate dinner menu.

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- ET & MG

Sagra, Davis Square, Somerville

On Saturday night, we ventured over to Somerville Theatre to attend a screening of the IFF Boston's documentary “Trust Us, This Is All Made Up”. Unfortunately, we showed up late so we had to get tickets for the later viewing. Typical! Well, we had a few hours to kill time so we went to Sagra. Here is what we thought:

Mara says: The décor upon entering was gorgeous – very dim and moody. It seemed to have a nice sized bar/lounge area that was on a separate level than the dining room. We opted to sit upstairs because we knew we had a lot of time. Their first mistake—sitting us next to a dysfunctional family. I couldn’t keep my ears out of their conversation and I had to restrain myself from giving dirty looks. We opted for a bottle of Stone Creek Merlot (very sweet and delicious) and the arancini to start. The cheese and risotto didn’t seem to be mixed well, so they were a bit dry and needed a lot of tomato sauce. Regardless, they were a good size and held us over until our meals arrived. I opted for the Gnocchi L’Orange in duck sauce, partly because of my excellent experience with duck at Bocado, and partly because I love gnocchi. I was underwhelmed, sadly. The hint of orange was a bit too strong and didn’t compliment the tomato sauce very well. The gnocchi were a good size and filled me up very fast, but there was just something missing. I’m actually sad to write this because Eric’s meal was so tasty (I tested it out for him to make sure it wasn’t poisonous), but this was far from what I expected and probably not a place that I’d run back to. B- at best.

Eric says: While searching for a place to kill some time in Davis Square, we were able to quickly veto a few places and were left with Sagra. With that said, we did not have high expectations when walking to Sagra -- or should I say shivering --since it was only about 15 degrees out. When we entered I was pleasently surprised by the atmosphere and décor. The open floor plan is seperated into smaller sections by red, velvety curtains. To begin, we ordered a bottle of red wine and risotto balls (arancini). I enjoyed the risotto balls almost as much as the wine. For my main course , I ordered veal parmesan which I had never tried before. My eye's lit up with joy when I saw my plate arrive- a large serving of both pasta and veal. The veal seemed to be breaded a little too much since I was unable to tell if it was veal, chicken or eggplant. The night was capped off with a great movie though, so all in all I gave Sagra a B, since a large serving is the fastest way to my heart.



Price : Looks like a meteor hit Eric's wallet!
Atmosphere: Great for a date, dim and moody with warm tones and textures.
Food: Could be less bland..

Sonic, Peabody

This past Saturday, we decided to brave the cold and head up Route 1 to Sonic in Peabody. Anyone not from this area would probably agree that Route 1 is a frightening experience, laden with angry North Shore drivers with serious road rage. However, our hunger overrode our fears on this excursion….. We wanted grease!

Mara says: I feel like I’m cheating, as I’ve been to Sonic locations in Texas and Tennessee, but this is new, so I’m counting it as a place I’ve never been! The line wasn’t as bad as it seemed, and we got to a stall after waiting for about 5 minutes. All I knew was that I wanted a Cherry Limeade. The meal was secondary at that point. I ordered a #1, a single burger with everything on it (pickles, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise).This was no “everything” in Burger King terms. When it arrived, I opened it to ACTUALLY find these items on the burger. Not just a leaf of lettuce—a good helping. Not one mushy pickle, but four (4) crunchy ones. Eric referred to the actual burger as a “perfect Mara burger”... a thin, fully cooked patty with lots of extras. The tots were a bit of a let down… a little to reminiscent of the deep fried “home fries” that they served in college. Might I mention that I ate them all. All in all I was happy with our trip.. If nothing else, it left us full until our late dinner ! A For Effort, Sonic!

Eric says: Unlike Mara, I have never been to a Sonic before. As we drove up Route 1 North I thought that the long drive was finally over, but 30 minutes later we still had not even ordered! After our long wait we finally made it to our booth where i ordered a #2 meal which was a double cheeseburger. Our order came pretty quick and was also gone farely quick as well. After finishing our meal I quickly checked for any baglers (tots which have escaped their container). None to be found...Unlike my meal, the Very Berry Smoothie lasted almost our entire ride home. If you are in the Peabody area and have 30 minutes to spend waiting, I would recommend stopping by Sonic.



Price : $15 dollars for 2 people for lunch..not bad!
Atmosphere: Car interior was dull, but rollerskating servers felt semi-authentic.
Food: Good enough for a semi-food coma

Good Life Bar

On Wednesday we decided to venture over to Good Life Bar for the Passion Pit after-party. It's really easy to get to from Park Street, so we were happy and didn't even have one argument over directions (which is BIG for us!). Here is what we thought :

Mara says : I liked this place right off the bat. When we got there it was still early, so it wasn't packed. There was a good mix of after-work groups, couples and friends dining and enjoying drinks. We sat at the bar (Eric's choice; perhaps for the massive televisions..?) and ordered our drinks. They weren't too strong but definitely not weak, which is a plus when you are paying nearly $10 a pop. When it came to ordering off of the menu, it was tough for both of us! I decided on the MK Burger, which was one of the better choices I've made in my life. Everything about it, from the crispy onions to the creamy-but-tangy horseradish were done right. It was a little undercooked for my taste, but that was secondary to everything that was done so right. I'd highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a good portion that doesn't lack flavor. A+ in my book!

Eric says : As soon as we entered Good Life we were greeted by two friendly and helpful bouncers or very friendly patrons. We decided to sit at the bar which was pretty empty but still pretty loud (most of the noise was coming from a loud drunky talking the ear off of some poor guy). The bartender was nice and quickly made us drinks and even helped us decide on what to order. The food arrived at the perfect time and looked amazing. I chose the Autumn burger which ended up not having cheese on it but they quickly ran back with a side of cheese which i was able to spread onto my burger and dip my fries into. The night was great; how often can you have great drinks, amazing food, watch the Celtics win in OT on a wicked huge TV and be on a packed dance floor on a Wednesday night. In my book, Good Life approached perfection!


Price : Moderate hole burning in Eric's pocket.
Atmosphere: Great music, nice dim lighting (makes everyone look good!), funky artwork !
Food: Still salivating.

Welcome!

Welcome to One Table For Two! Here you will find real, unpretentious reviews about all of the places that we decide to try out.

We are :

Mara, 23, working in the fashion industry

Eric, 24, working as a structural engineer

We wanted to write the blog to give two totally different views on our restaurant experiences.

Keep checking in! We look forward to testing new places!!