February 27th, 2006
The Red House
It took me a while to write this review of The Red House because it was such a remarkably unmemorable meal. As with most lacklaster experiences, I had trouble recalling exact details and instead could only conjure feelings of general disappointment.
When a friend from out of town and I decided to eat dinner in Cambridge, The Red House was quickly suggested, for it was the place that always looked good that we had never tried. Built in the early 1800s, the building changed owners several times before becoming a restaurant. Thankfully, all proprietors dutifully preserved the outside architecture over the years making The Red House today a quaint relic of Old Cambridge. The interior, with low ceilings and working fireplaces, is equally inviting. Unfortunately, the charm ends there.
The menu, a mix of Italian, New American, and seafood dishes, promises much in description but delivers little in flavor. I ordered an entree portion (most of the menu comes is available in entree and appetizer sizes; an arbitrary distinction as both servings seem to be small) of lamb ravioli in roasted tomato-rosemary broth ($19.995), which was completely under-whelming. The "ravioli" was obviously homemade, but hardly in a good way; floppy, unwieldly pasta noodles that awkwardly hold barely teaspoon of bland ground lamb. My friend's appetizer, the eggplant contadina ($8.50) was a sloppy mound of sliced eggplant that sagged considerably under baked buffalo mozzarella. The bites I had were not terrible, just blah, and definitely not worth the hype and price. Needless to say, we were hardly motivated to stay for dessert, but maybe we would have had we known The Red House imports its sweets from the award-winning Finale bakery.
Later after dinner I found some online reviews that could have served me well had read them beforehand, as they expressed similar sentiments about The Red House. Not to say you should believe everything you read (ahem), but can eight different diners (myself included) be wrong?
The Info
The Red House
98 Winthrop St., Cambridge
www.theredhouse.com