Mediterranean restaurants in USA
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Orso
This restaurant is like a stepping into a Tuscan country inn only there's modern art all around and soft jazz floating into both dining levels and the bar. Its entrees are Mediterranean grill with an Alaskan twist, its pasta is made fresh daily and everything is served by a waitstaff that knows how the chef prepares it.
reviewed
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Bay Wolf
At this deservedly famous eatery the menu changes fortnightly, but the emphasis is always Mediterranean. The place attracts a well-to-do crowd, but dining on the plant-shrouded, heated front porch is a charming and relaxed experience.
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Mediterranean
Sit on the deck overlooking the harbor and feast on grilled lamb shish kabob, Spanish fish stew and other southern European flavors. Innovative sandwiches, some vegan, and scrumptious desserts too.
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Cicchetti
The sister restaurant to Serafina, and right round the corner, Cicchetti has a small kitchen built around a wood-fired brick oven and a menu of Mediterranean-influenced snack plates that, in combination, add up to an immensely satisfying meal. Try the Turkish fried-eggplant sandwich with feta and tomato sauce ($7), the perfectly roasted asparagus (if it’s in season; $6), and anything with lamb – a recent dish of Moroccan-spiced shredded lamb with lentils and harissa yogurt ($15) blew us away. The cocktail list is stellar, too – never did Bitter Tears taste so sweet.
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Maple Street Café
While this city excels in the food stakes, it can admittedly be a little light on, well, light fare. Maple Street Café tries to remedy this situation with a menu of airy pastas and salads. The funny thing is, just as a New Orleans restaurant in your town may be good for your area but so-so by this city’s measure, the Maple Street is great for its relative novelty but fairly middling by modern Mediterranean standards. Still, it’s not bad, and sometimes you just need some pesto and pine nuts.
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Oleana
Foodies sing the praises of this Mediterranean masterpiece in Inman Sq. Ana Sortun’s exotic yet still accessible cuisine evokes Greece, Morocco and Turkey. Grilled lamb with fava-bean moussaka is a perennial favorite, while the meat-free diners will appreciate the vegetarian tasting menu ($40). Like the menu, the setting changes seasonally, with a roaring fire in winter and a delightfully fragrant patio in summer. Oleana has been certified by the Green Restaurant Association.
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Hourglass Tavern
Truth be told, you're not coming here for the food. The Mediterranean dishes are fine, but the real draw is the old-fashioned New York theater buzz at Hourglass. An old townhouse, the 1st floor is romantic (brick walls, lacy tablecloths), the 2nd floor a cool divey bar, and the top floor takes the restaurant overflow from below. Delicious wine list, fabulous staff and after 10pm a lot of Broadway hoofers drift over for a drink. Prix fixe meals are a bargain, served late.
reviewed
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Chez Shea
A treasure hidden in one of the market’s many corners (upstairs in the Corner Market Building), Chez Shea has great views over Puget Sound that combine with spectacular multicourse meals to make this one of the city’s most romantic restaurants. The chef’s tasting menu (seven courses, $75) makes the rounds of basically every edible thing to be found in the Pacific Northwest, depending on season. There’s also a seasonal menu and the more modest Shea’s Lounge menu.
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Fresco California
Fresco serves all kinds of West Coast takes on the Mediterranean palate. Relax in the candlelit backyard dining room, which feels like an Italian porch in summer when the weather is right (ie almost always). Pear and walnut salad, and portabello sandwiches are lovely, while the pumpkin-stuffed ravioli is heaven on a platter. The prices are fairly low, but you’ll inevitably be tempted to get wine, have multiple courses and turn a meal here into a long night out.
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Garden
The oldest restaurant in town hosts live jazz and makes a good salad Niçoise at lunchtime. Mediterranean-influenced dinner dishes might include grilled lamb chops or wild mushroom pasta. Or just sample a few dishes from the tapas menu. The Garden has indoor and outdoor seating, poetry readings, a martini bar and live jazz with the Buster Cooper Jazz Trio every Friday and Saturday from 9pm to 1:30am. On Salsa Nights (Thursdays), they dole out free dancing tips.
reviewed
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Taza
The tiled floor and undressed tables don’t overwhelm with ambience, but when it comes to the holy trinity of cheapie Mediterranean pita-wrapped staples – falafel (spiced chickpea patties), shawarma (marinated meat with tomatoes and garnish) and gyro (spit-roasted lamb) – this humble lunch joint is awe-inspiring. The balance of lip-warming spice and cool cucumber, lettuce and tomato make the crispy falafel a particular triumph.
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Max & Dylan’s
The schizophrenic space on City Sq keeps changing owners, changing names and changing menus. In its latest incarnations, it is a modern family eatery and trendy bar with a classy but casual atmosphere. The unusual menu features a wide array of sliders (from BBQ pork to Kobe beef), five kinds of mac-n-cheese and some exotic flat-bread sandwiches. The big windows yield views of the Zakim Bridge, while the big-screen TVs show whatever sport is in season.
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Taboon
A white-domed oven grabs the eye as you enter this airy, stone-floored and brick-walled eatery, and if you watch it carefully, you'll see some crisp, sage-rubbed bread taken out and brought to your table as you're seated. The food is a fusion from both sides of the Mediterranean: shrimp in shredded pastry, haloumi salad, lamb kebabs, various grilled fish dishes and lots of variations on hummus. Live flamenco Monday nights.
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Cleonice
After a visit to Woodlawn Museum, treat yourself to a meal at Cleonice, which serves traditional and exotic Mediterranean fare using local ingredients in tasty lunchtime panini and salads, and marvelous tapas, grilled fish and seafood pastas at dinner. The landmark building has black-and-white tiled floors and tables hidden in carved wooden alcoves that lend an old-world feel to the place.
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Vintner Grill
Inside an office park, this surprisingly elegant space lures romantics to its enchanting canopied patio, where white lights twinkle over white sofas. Bite into wood-oven-fired flatbreads, panini, seafood and soups at lunch. At dinner, classics such as veal London broil and lamb osso bucco show off continental touches. Decadent desserts are by Vosges Haut-Chocolat. Reservations are recommended here.
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Zaytinya
Ninja-clad waitstaff prowl the high clean walls in this elegant bi-level, one of the culinary crown jewels of chef Jose Andres. In Zaytinya – still sexy, in an area where the competition to be hip is furious – the extensive menu of hot and cold meze (‘little dishes’) reflects the rich, regional diversity of Greek, Turkish and Lebanese cuisine.
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Olives
Just north of the White House, Boston-based chef Todd English operates this stylish, two-story hotspot. The kitchen-side bar upstairs offers prime seats, particularly for solo diners: You can watch the sous-chefs chop and stir, then order whatever whets your appetite. Handmade pastas are a good bet, if you can resist the aroma of the juicy, wood-grilled steaks and veal.
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Casablanca
Below the Brattle Theatre, this Harvard Sq classic has long been the hangout of film fans, local literati and other arty types. Regulars skip the formal dining room and slip in the back door to the boisterous bar. A colorful mural depicting Rick’s Café sets the stage for innovative Mediterranean delights, including a great selection of meze.
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Rendezvous
Chef Steve Johnson has created an entire restaurant around the concept of locally grown food. Local farmers and fishermen provide the ingredients, which Johnson infuses with Mediterranean flavors, hinting of southern Europe and northern Africa. While the food is undeniably excellent, many people just come to sit at the bar and slurp delicious cocktails.
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Matthew's
The stunning bronze-inlaid terrazzo floor of this 1920s bank cues the glam decor of this very fine restaurant, which would be comfortably at home in London, Paris or New York. The showy open kitchen is a fine stage for Matthew Medure and his team to meld exquisite Southern, Mediterranean, Asian and Middle Eastern flavors. Game is a specialty.
reviewed
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La Cascata
In a richly hued, cozy dining room, La Cascata exudes a European feel. The Mediterranean cuisine includes creative starters such as the prawn/scallop/lobster ravioli in arugula pesto. Mains tend toward elaborate preparations, eg rack of lamb with creamy tomato polenta and fig-infused balsamic jus. Awesome sunset views but no patio seating.
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AOC
Stylish AOC glows like the cozy wine cellar of a very good, very rich friend. With over 50 wines y the glass, a three-page list of savory tapas and a welcoming but discreet vibe, AOC easily remains a consistent favorite of couples, friends and groups alike, not to mention the typically fickle Hollywood hoi polloi. Reservations recommended.
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Bar Acuda
Most fans of this urban-chic tapas bar are mainland tourists or transplants, but there's no denying the culinary mastery. Chef-owner Jim Moffat hails from San Francisco and his seasonal menu features unimpeachable Mediterranean cuisine. Past offerings include house-smoked trout with roasted beets and lobster risotto with local sweet corn.
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Julian Serrano
A splash of sunset colors stolen straight from Ibiza enlivens this sociable tapas bar and restaurant, just off Aria’s hotel lobby. Start off with sangria, then dance through the French and Spanish tapas menu, from imported cured hams and goat-cheese-stuffed peppers to hot skillets of mixed seafood paella. Reservations recommended.
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Olives
East Coast chef Todd English pays homage to the ancient life-giving fruit. Flatbread pizzas, house-made pastas and flame-licked meats get top billing. The chef’s table faces a bustling open kitchen, while the patio tables overlook Lake Como. There’s a good wine list, and flamboyant desserts. Reservations here are necessary.
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