Alden and Harlow: Harvard Square's Great New Restaurant

Alden and Harlow
40 Brattle St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (617) 864-2100
Aldenharlow.com

BU, BC, or MIT… wherever you are in Boston, take a break from your studies, grab the MBTA to Harvard Square, and try Michael Scelfo's new restaurant, Alden and Harlow.

Chef Scelfo left Harvard Square's Russell House Tavern, to convert the infamous Casablanca restaurant into his own food sanctuary. You'll feel right at home in the softly lit culinary cavern, with the cookbooks lining the shelves, the brick and wood walls, and the vintage signs.

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Sitting at the long bar, the open kitchen lets you feel part of the cooking (without all the work) or avoid watching your meal prep by sitting in the dining room... Either way, you're in for a treat.

Once settled in, start out with the complimentary pickled green beans and the smoked cashews, tossed in currants and rosemary. For the adventurous, you've got to try the Chicken Fried Rabbit with blue cheese and chili oil. This dish helped Alden and Harlow receive a nomination for Bon Appetite's 2014 Best New Restaurants. Since not all of you would consider yourself a new age Elmer Fudd, there are many other delicious dishes to choose from.

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Vegetarian? Choose one of the vegetable-driven small plates that the restaurant is known for. Or, if it's a burger you're craving, don't worry that it is not on the menu. Just ask your server; the Secret Burger is one of the tastiest in Boston.

So leave your books and hop the MBTA to Alden and Harlow.

By Amanda Blum

Amanda Blum writes and edits E.S.P. Eat. See. Play. lifestyle content for CBS Boston.